My Little Fortress: Dawnpick

Chapters

1: Credits
2: You have Arrived.
3: Founding the New Settlement
4: Thing start getting... Interesting...
5: Babbling Brook
6: Moving Fast
7: Surprises and Steel
8: Close calls and new threats
9: Enemies inside the walls
10: One Brave Colt
11: Work in the Hospital
12
13: Evil Eyes and Martial Trances
14: Personal backstories start to emerge.
15: Badger Ponies and Maps
16: Sounds from below.
17: A meeting in the Crypts
18: Barley
19: The Ponies make plans.
20: Word Lessons and Sparring
21: Boos and baths
22: Stargazing
23: In the Mines
24: Stiletto's Old Cloths
25: A dream come true
26: Boo is back!
27: Granite's Trade Depot Incident
28: Murphy's Law
29: Bullies and Idols
30: A tablefull of designs
31: A visit to the Caverns.
32: Meet Kat
33
34: Flux's Crucible and Stiletto's Beginings.
35: Cavern Drills
36: One Massive Fort Update... And Some Broken Laws of Physics.
37: Journal Entries
38
39: Under the Tree
40
41: "Hunting"
42: May I Have This Dance?
43
44: Falcata's Pain and an In-Home Concert.
45: In the Alley
46: Indigo catches up with his Journal
47: Crundle Attack
48: A Display of Speed.
49: Pen-father
50: Beast Attack!
51: Target Practice
52: A Night at the Bar
53
54: Friesden
55: The Next Morning
56: Indigo Gets Involved.
57: Plans for Carmine
58: A Plan Set in Motion.
59: The Mark of Glaive.
60: A Good Spar and a Good Talk.
61: The Next Next morning
62: Indigo's rough night.
63: The Day After
64
65: You'll Never Guess Who Ends Up In Jail.
66:Thinking Things Over.
67: Kleptomania and Hints of Jaxler's Past.
68: Stiletto's long visit.
69: Living arrangements for Friesden.
70: On the care of a Zony.
71: A visit to the jail.
72
73: Ain't No party like a Dawnpick Party!
74
75
76
77
78: Virtue's Diary, 23 Sandstone, 257 to 16 Galena 158
79
80
81
82: A proposal in the Clouds
83
84
85
86: 19th of Opal, 228
87
88
89
90: Wedding Bells
91: Jaxler's Chest
92: The Fight on the Hill
93: Wanted Posters
94
95
96
97: Miscarriage
98: Virtue's Diary, 17 Galena 258 to 14 Felsite 259
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110: Virtue's Diary, 16 Obsidian 258 to 8 Obsidian 259
111
112
113
114: Meet Fauchard
115
116
117
118
119: The Trade Depot Massacre.
120: Aftermath Part One
121: Aftermath Part Two
122 Aftermath Part Three
124
125
126
127: Jaxler's Crossbow
128: Jaxler's Crossbow Part 2
129: Exploratory Planning
130
131: Excalibunny!
132
133
134
135
136
Virtue's Diary, 9 Obsidian, 259 - 20 Felsite, 260 137
138
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
149
123
139
148

1: Credits

Telgin: OP, Overseer, Virtue, Temperance, occasionally plays other ponies.
Heavy Weapons Pony: Ashwood
WolfeyS: Sawdust
ansontan2000: Longshot
Nyxalinth: Harvest Moon
Khenal: Flux
UnHerpers: Panacea
The Master: Halberd
Dsarker: Arbalest, Friesden, Loose Screw
JaxtalMK2: Glyph
Omicega: Falcata, Jury, Balisong, Falchion
KingStrongbeard: Glaive, Fauchard
jaxler: Jaxler, Moral
Powder Miner: Powder Miner, Oil Macepony
Mekboy: Wool
Akivara: Diamond Shard
thetyler101: Grapple, Skrillnozh
bukitodinos: Castiron
Jackknife402: Mortar
L1wW: Granite
TALLPANZER: Stiletto
vkiNm: Kat, Kit
Maklak: Indigo, Sekashi
Allaki: Midnight, Rose
Zearoth: Zearoth
Kryptid: Sarissa, Chestnut
Psalms01: Amor, Amber
Impending Doom: Gregor, Germaine, Marilee
ZeroInfinity: Silver Tongue
DVNO: Splinter, Clear Skies, Alpine, Sienna, Patina, Sheer Delight, Peony

Any Pictures that do not appear below have become unavailable.

Virtue: Falcata: Partisan: Glaive:
Powder Miner: Naginata: Panacea:
Diamond Shard: Wool: Grapple: Castiron: Stilletto: Mortar: Granite (Young): Skrillnozh: Kat: Arbalest and Boo:
Indigo: Sekashi: Friesden: Cherry Pop: Rose: Castiron: Amor: Sarissa:
Oil Macepony: Zearoth: Midnight:
Splinter: Amber: Gregor: Faucahrd:
Kit: Adult Friesden: Some random Zebra:
Jury: Adult Granite: Amber: Crimson: Silver Tongue: Moral:

2: You have Arrived.

Virtue's Diary - 1st Slate

Well, we're here. Wherever here is, exactly.

We left Coupledye just over four months ago, checking each of the previously marked potential sites on our map. The unicorn teams sent out last year must have found three dozen sites where they could detect metal ores underground, but we've only explored eight so far.

Today I made the decision for us to stop here and begin setting up a more permanent camp. Every site we checked previously had either little to offer, or the metal ores were of little value. King Thebilstetar was pretty clear that we were looking for iron if at all possible, but so far we've only found copper, among a few other less valuable ores.

We're pitching camp here because this marks the turning point of our little endeavor. We've used up more than half of our supplies already, and so we can't make it back home easily. The reports of this site look more promising than any we've checked so far, so I'm hoping that my decision will prove to be a good one. Even if we only find copper again, at least there might be enough to make our expedition economically viable.

I have a lot of confidence in the team sent with me, and they've proven their worth up to this point. I'm growing to be quite fond of them as a whole. The only exception is our armed escort, Halberd. None of us really seem to be making any sort of headway with him. He stays to himself all the time and rarely speaks to anypony. Well, I guess after four months of being on the road with people you don't really know, I can kind of understand.

Anyway, now that we're setting up a more permanent position, everypony will get a chance to put their skills to the test. Saw Dust didn't need any instruction, and went straight off to begin prospecting like at the previous sites. I hope he turns up something valuable this time.

We'll be needing something to start setting up proper shelter as soon as we can, and it will be some time before the quarry will produce anything of use, so I've asked Ashwood to begin clearing out some of the trees near the campsite. With a little wood, he and Saw Dust can begin working on some shelter.

I can see some ominous looking clouds on the horizon heading this way. I'm sure they'll be here before anything is ready, but I think everypony understands the circumstances. We're working as fast as we can, and we've all slept in the rain a few times.

Anyway, I've drawn up a map of our immediate surroundings, which I'll try to keep updated as things move along. I've noticed a few of the others finding ways to amuse themselves while we wait for the wood to get cut. Panacea painted what she called a "quick doodle" of us all founding this little campsite. I think it's quite nice, perhaps I'll have it mounted somewhere once we get some buildings up. She's more talented than she says, I think that pony might have missed her calling!

Virtue's Diary - 3rd Slate, 251

We've been out here two days, and things are already beginning to shape up!

Most importantly, I'm pretty ecstatic that Saw Dust turned up some magnetite underground. I'm so relieved, I was worried that we'd have to send word back to the king that not only had we failed to find any useful ores, but were basically stranded in the wilds. Now I can send him word that we've done exactly as he asked.

By now we've set up a temporary stockpile and moved everything from the wagon train. Halberd seemed a bit upset that we dismantled the wagons for their wood, and I can kind of see his point. We're completely committed at this point. Still, we weren't going to make it back home with what supplies we have, so the extra wood seemed like a good idea to me.

The other big thing is that we've got a small farm going, which should be more than enough to sustain us. I must admit that I was a bit surprised when I first met Harvest Moon. I haven't met many farmers in person, but I've never seen a pegasus farmer. He assures me that he's up to the job, and I trust him. He claims he knows a few special tricks for farming that only pegasi can use, but I don't know what that could be.

We also had our first setback today. While looking through our stocks I noticed that all of the crossbow bolts we brought with us were gone! It turns out Longshot used them all up hunting the guinea pigs in the area. I suppose it makes sense to start hunting to keep our food stocks up while we wait for the farm to start producing, but we don't have any way to process the meat yet!

Oh well, guess we'll make do with what we've got. It's going to be a long time before we can replace those bolts.

Halberd's Journal - 3rd Slate, 251

Things could be going worse, but I'm already worried about our future.

First off, I can't believe Virtue would dismantle the wagons. I can understand that we'll be needing all of the wood we can get, as soon as we can get it, but those wagons represented our only realistic chance of getting out of here if we had to. The others don't seem to appreciate how dangerous the untamed wilds can be. I've been a soldier long enough and been in enough campaigns to see things they can't.

Then I hear that Longshot used up all of our ammunition shooting rodents of some kind. What was he thinking? If we come across something large and dangerous out here, he'll be wishing he still had something to shoot in that crossbow of his. An axe is not the right choice when you have a means of fighting the enemy at a distance.

I'll let it all slide this time, since they're all new to this. I wouldn't want to be in Virtue's position, but maybe she should consult me before doing anything else drastic.

On that note I think I may have offended some of the others on our trip out here. They probably think I'm stuck up for not wanting to talk all the time, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. All the yammering on the way out here just kind of gets under my skin.

Longshot's Journal - 3rd Slate, 251

Oh man, today has to be one of the lowest points in my career. I got a bit bored sitting around waiting for things to happen, so I took it upon myself to go find some critters to bring back for us to eat. I used up all of the ammo I had with me, but it never crossed my mind that we didn't bring any more!

Virtue seemed a bit surprised, but mostly because we didn't have any way to prepare all of them before they rotted. Oops.

I think I really ticked off Halberd. Actually, I think he's always been ticked off at me, but he just sort of stared a hole in me when he heard what happened. Never said a word though. Guess he didn't have to.

Author's Note

A quick Note on the Calender: Months in Dwarf Fortress Are not the same as in real life. They are, followed by the approximately equivelent month in real life: Granite-March, Slate-April, Felsite-May, Hematite-June, Malachite-July, Galena-August, Limestone-September, Sandstone-October, Timber-November, Moonstone-December, Opal-January and Obsidian-Febuary. Also note that all the months are 30 days long, and the year starts on the first day of spring.

3: Founding the New Settlement

Halberd decides to talk to Longshot about his utter failure to provide food.
"Longshot, you really have take into consideration how much ammo you have left. When an enemy attacks you, you're going to need to be quick and have enough bolts left to put the bastard down before he can hit you. Also, we won't be able to hurt for food now without the ammunition you completely exhausted. I am letting it slide this time, but only because of our farmer." Halberd says, with not even a hint of emotion in his voice.

Virtue's Diary - 7th Felsite, 251

Things are still chugging along slowly. I had no idea it took this long to get a settlement up, but we're finally getting some buildings up. I really should have brought another carpenter with us, poor Saw Dust wasn't making much headway alone. I've got everypony without anything more important to do helping get some living quarters put together.

Similarly I've lent a hoof getting my new office put together. It's pretty small, bu it'll do for now anyway. I never knew how hard this sort of work was!

The good news is that the strawberries Harvest Moon planted are coming in finally. I see that pony wasn't kidding about knowing how to grow food. I can taste the strawberry wine already!

Speaking of which, I realized that we don't have anypony who knows a thing about cooking or brewing among us. I haven't had much to do lately, so I think maybe I'll try picking that up. I hope it's not as hard as building an office.

26th Felsite, 251

It took a lot longer than I anticipated, but the office is finally done. Now I can get to work sorting out our stocks and figuring out where to go from here.

Turns out that Harvest Moon actually knows a thing or two about brewing, so he's taken to tending our still when I don't have the time.

17th Hematite, 251

I've been going through our stocks again, and despite some fears earlier that we might fall short on our food supplies I think we'll make it. I passed some thanks off to Harvest Moon for the good job he's doing keeping the fields going. He tells me he's got prickleberries growing now, which sounds reasonable. Something about keeping the fields in rotation.

Ashwood has been busy, and we've got a lot of wood stockpiled now, which is good since we'll be needing all we can get. We now have enough bedrooms so that everypony can sleep indoors, but only in shifts. Even little Panacea is helping out with the construction work as best she can, but it doesn't look like she's having much more success than I had. But her heart is in the right place.

I've asked Saw Dust to hold off on the quarrying for now and focus on the construction. We're going to need a dining hall soon too. If I'm not eating in my office, I can't spill strawberry wine on paperwork anymore.

Ashwood's Journal - 28th Felsite, 251

I've never written a journal before, but I've heard that a few of the others have started keeping them. Sounds like fun, maybe some day I'll come back and reread the memories here.

More to the point, I've been too tired to really write anything until now. Virtue's had me cutting down trees all day. Not like it's new to me, but nopony can do that for too long without getting dirt tired. I've basically fallen unconscious in bed every night this week. We don't have a lot of choice though, since no matter how much wood I cut, Saw Dust and everypony else use it up just as fast.

I wish we had somepony else to help out, but for the forseeable future it's just me. At least with some of the granite mined out we can start setting up some stone structures instead.

Panacea's Diary - 18th Hematite, 251

Life has been a bit boring the past couple of months, but considering the alternative it's probably for the best. As the only doctor among our little group, being busy would imply a lot of bad things I don't want to contemplate. I've come to really enjoy the company of everypony here, I dread the day that I have to tend to one of them.

I spoke to Virtue a while ago about getting a hospital set up, but she simply sighed and pointed to the half built dorms. I understand her point, but if something bad does happen I'll need somewhere clean to work. Let's just hope that it doesn't come to that soon. I offered to help in any way I can, so Virtue set me to work helping Saw Dust. I don't know a thing about working with wood, but I'm hoping Saw Dust understands.

Saw Dust's Journal - 20th Hematite

The few months we spent on the road checking out the other sites before settling here must have gotten me rusty. Putting up Virtue's office alone took three times as long as it should have, and the plans for the dorms I've drawn up aren't going to go any faster. At least the others have been helping out however they can, but it's not the same as the trained carpenters I worked with back home.

I talked a lot with Panacea while she helped drag some lumber around the past few days. She's probably one of the nicest ponies I've ever met. She's not much good with a hammer, but at least talking with her alleviates the boredom a bit.

Diamond Shard taking over the quarrying is probably the best thing to happen since we got here. I couldn't hope to finish building everything while digging out magnetite underground.

Virtue's Diary - 2nd Malachite, 251

I knew this day was coming, but I had hoped it wouldn't come so soon. Early this morning three new migrants showed up:

A pegasus gemcutter named Diamond Shard
A unicorn clothier named Chic
An earth pony fisher named Babbling Brook (she asked to just be called Brook, can't say I blame her)

I hated to tell them that we didn't have any personal rooms for them yet, but at least there is room for shift sleeping. I'm not sure why we were sent a gemcutter or clothier just yet, must have been a mixup in the paperwork back home.

Diamond Shard seemed a bit shocked when I asked her to grab Saw Dust's pick and head to the quarry, but when I mentioned she could keep any small gems she found for herself, she perked up a bit. Chic has been asked to help with the carpentry for now. She wasn't thrilled either, but I think the idea of getting a personal bedroom for herself should help motivate a bit.

I saw a lot of fish and turtles in the nearby river, so I told Brook to have at it. Although we've got a fair bit of strawberries stocked up it doesn't hurt to have more food coming in. I haven't seen her for the rest of the day, I guess she's been busy. I should probably look into getting some more bolts put together for Longshot, but so far we still haven't had much in the way of extra wood.

19th Malachite, 251

The bedrooms for the new migrants are coming together now. I'll admit that they've been more of a blessing than I'd expected. The extra hooves have really made a difference around here.

Otherwise things have been fairly mundane. Some badgers were pestering the carpenters as they were at work, so I set Halberd on them. I don't take joy in slaughtering animals needlessly, but we can't afford to get slowed down right now. Halberd seemed a bit annoyed at first, but I could tell he was in better spirits after it was over. He's been keeping to himself for the most part, but I think it would do some good to get a little training area set up for him. It would give him something to do when he's bored.

25th Sandstone, 251

I've been a bit depressed lately, so I haven't had much motivation to write anything.

First off, our alcohol supplies ran out a few days ago. I've been so busy keeping things running around here that I didn't have time to tend the still. I've asked Harvest Moon to take over completely for now, and he seems to be doing a fair job of it. Fortunately the river isn't too far away, so nopony went thirsty, but I could tell spirits were down a bit. Hopefully that will improve with some more wine in our barrels.

Quarrying has slowed down a lot too. Diamond Shard has stripped out a fair bit of the magnetite vein we encountered, but right now we don't have anypony to process it, nor the time anyway. I hope that will change soon, since it's the entire reason we're out here.

Lastly, I regret to record that our dining hall still isn't completed. I'm really beginning to feel like I'm not the right pony for this job. I'm sure there were a dozen others who could have done a better job back home. Oh well, best not let my doubts get public.

The good news is that the bedrooms are finally done, so everypony can lend a hoof to getting the dining hall finished.

I also noticed Halberd seems to have been in a bit of a foul mood lately. He's normally just reserved and quiet, but he genuinely seemed upset today. I spoke to Longshot about it today, and he said that the three new ponies were “pestering” him about something. I guess they'll learn in time that Halberd likes to be alone.

2nd Timber, 251

Late this afternoon I received word that some more migrants showed up. Unfortunately they approached from across the river, so we had to build a bridge for them to come across. Did they lose their way somehow? Anyway, we got a few more than last time, a family of four and a couple others:

The family:

A unicorn couple: Savory (a butcher and fish cleaner) and his wife Detergent (a lye maker), and their two pegasus foals Whirlwind and Storm Cloud.
An earth pony mare carpenter named Bevel
A pegasus mare metalworker named Pewter

I'm glad to see a butcher and fish cleaner, and another carpenter is always welcome. I haven't decided what to do with the others just yet. I think it may be time to start smelting some of the magnetite we've mined out, so at least Pewter might have something useful to do.

I fear they couldn't have come at a worse time though. While we were preparing for new workers their bedrooms aren't ready yet, and our food stocks are beginning to run a bit low. Harvest Moon is doing all he can with the seeds we have, but it might not be enough. Savory should probably set to work helping Brook get some fish ready to eat.

(Authors Note: Halbard writes:)

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Virtue's Diary, 17th Moonstone, 251

I think Brook and Savory deserve a reward of some sort. We went from the brink of having no food to not knowing what to do with all of the fish and turtles those who have been processing. Everypony will be eating turtle soup for a while, but that's a whole lot better than starving! Which brings me to my next point...

The dining hall is almost done. We've got the walls in place and have started moving some furniture in. It should be ready soon, if everything goes well.

In more amusing news, I was disturbed this afternoon by hooves on the roof of my office. Ashwood decided to set down there between cutting down some trees, and couldn't get down. I'm not sure what the problem was, considering he has wings, but we managed to get him down by setting up some temporary stairs.

Ashwood's Journal, 17th Moonstone, 251

Today has to be one of the most embarrassing days of my life! I landed atop Virtue's office this afternoon to catch my breath for a minute, and I realized I couldn't get down! There wasn't enough room to take off, and truth be told, I'm a bit afraid of heights. When I'm not flying, I just get the jitters near ledges. I can't really explain it, and I'm sure nopony would understand.

She got me down, of course, so I tried to change the subject quickly. By now I've nearly clear cut the area, so we're going to have to start using stone soon. I could seriously use a break anyway, and I think Virtue could read what was on my mind. She gave me a few days off, since we do have a good bit of stone stockpiled.

Telgin says, out of character, "Figured that would happen sooner or later. Anyone who has played with the pony mod has seen pegasi get stuck on stuff. I'll be leaving the stairs there in case anypony else gets stupid"

Virtue's Diary, 19th Obsidian, 251

A badger pony thief showed up today. I was out at the fields talking with Harvest Moon at the time when I heard the shouting. I don't think the thief even got to the stockpile before he was spotted, and the ruckus scared him off. I went looking for Halberd but he was asleep. By the time he was up and had his axe in mouth, the thief was gone. Nevertheless, I put him on patrol for the rest of the afternoon. He probably didn't like it, but he's the only one qualified to handle such a threat, so he'll have to live with it.

I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to Harvest Moon, and he walked me back to my room tonight. He's a really interesting pony, and a good friend to have out here. I feel so... relaxed around him.

Virtue's Diary, 23rd Obsidian, 251

Today turned out to be a pretty productive day. Our liaison showed up today with a small merchant party. We didn't have very much to trade, but we did have some larger gems Diamond Shard dug up in the quarry. The merchants seemed happy enough with them, and we got some more fruit and wine in return. That should be enough to pad our stocks for a while.

I asked the liaison to bring more seeds and food next year. That won't help us in the immediate future, but by this time next year who knows what might happen, and starving to death seems like one of the worst things that could happen out here. I also asked him to send word to hold back on the migrants if possible. It's tough enough providing for the ponies we've got for now.

Speaking of seeds, Harvest Moon and I have really been hitting it off recently. I've been spending most of my free time out at the fields with him, talking about just about everything. I never noticed how graceful he was, sowing the seeds while airborne with all the precision of the best earth pony farmers I've ever known.

Telgin says, out of character, "Yes, there's love in the air! Looks like Virtue and Harvest Moon are lovers now."

Author's Note

In Dwarf Fortress, Ponies are not herbivores: They are Omnivores.

New arrivals to your fortress do not arrive throughout they year. Instead, they arrive in waves, one per season. These can range in size from 1 to 77. If Your fortress proves to be too hostile migrants may stop coming. You will only get two waves if you're home civ is dead.

Flight seems to be bugged in Dwarf Fortress. Sometimes a pony will be up on a wall or somewhere else they could not have gotten to without flying when the game decides to recalculate their path. As the game does not seem to take flight into consideration when doing this, this means the pony is stuck. If the player fails to notice this, the pony will eventually die of either thirst or hunger.

Badger Ponies are basicley ponies crossed with badgers. Some have horns, others wings, and others neither. All want nothing more then to steal your stuff or kidnap your children, and will kill ponies if they are spotted and unable to flee.

4: Thing start getting... Interesting...

"You there," Halberd says, trotting up to Virtue. "Do you know if I'll get to kill anything soon?" He asks, with a hint of longing in his voice.
Virtue halts in place at the sound of Halberd's voice. She turned away from the fields, where she was headed up to that point, and sees the soldier approaching her. He rarely said much to her, but she was thankful he wasn't here to complain about being put on patrol.

She offered the most honest smile she could muster and replied, "Well, I'm not sure. We saw that thief the other day, so I can only imagine that there might be more around."

She raises a hoof to her chin and adds, "If you're bored patrolling the perimiter, I believe I heard Pewter say something about seeing some chimps getting a little too close to our settlement for comfort. You could try running them off." She smiled again. "I know I don't have to tell you this, but they can be pretty dangerous, so be careful."

Virtue's Diary - 4th Felsite, 252

Halberd came to me recently complaining about a lack of things to do. At least I hope that's all he meant, he was pretty specific about finding stuff to kill. I told him to go see about running off the chimps spotted out east, but something more interesting happened that obviated the need. Over the past three days, we've seen a diamond dog thief on each day. Whether or not it was the same one, I don't know, but it's worrisome. Halberd chased after them, which was enough to run them off, but they'll be back I'm sure. I hope Halberd is up to the challenge.

In other news, I'm pleased to record that after an entire year of being out here, the dining hall is finally open for use. I hate it took so long, but I'm still getting used to managing all of this stuff. To sort of make amends, I threw a party this morning to commemorate the event. I think just about everypony was there, even Halberd. I even spotted Panacea talking with him, and for once he didn't try to avoid it. If anypony could get through to him, it would be her. She seemed to be spending a lot of time with Saw Dust as well. I wonder if there's anything going on between the two?

We've dug out a small cellar beneath the dining hall for our kitchen and food storage. Everything should keep better down there, and we don't have to worry with diamond dogs running off with our carrots. Well, if they even eat them.

Oh well, I think I had a bit too much to drink at the party, so I'm heading to bed early tonight. I gave everypony the day off tomorrow, since I know at least a few others did the same. I think we've all earned a little rest.

Panacea's Diary - 4th Felsite, 252

Today has been a wonderful day! I was pretty pleased to hear that the dining hall was finally opened today, but I didn't expect Virtue to hold a party for everypony. Well, we didn't have a whole lot of food and drink to spare, but I think it went nicely anyway. Everypony was in good spirits.

I was surprised to find even Halberd there. I haven't spoken with him much on the way out here, or really even since we got here. I was kind of scared to, Virtue and Saw Dust told me he was usually pretty grumpy, so I tried to stay out of his way. Maybe it was the wine talking, I don't know, but I actually struck up a conversation with him. He's actually a nice guy once you get to know him. I think everypony just gets put off about how he stays to himself all the time.

Even better though, ever since I spent time helping put the dorms together, Saw Dust and I have been having a lot of fun together. I talked with him at the party a lot, and he's asked me out on a date tomorrow night. Just the two of us, down by the river. I'm excited!

Looks like everypony likes Panacea. She's basically a gray Fluttershy, heh.

Virtue's Diary - 7th Galena, 252

Despite my fears about the diamond dogs, we haven't seen anything else out of them for a few weeks. Nevertheless, I think it's time to start thinking about our defenses. As we grow, we'll only become more and more tempting of a target. I'll discuss things with Halberd. He doesn't like idle chit-chat, but I think he'll be happy to have some input on this. I've updated my map to show all of the current major constructions. Still not much to look at.

Otherwise things have been going fairly smoothly lately. We have a few more stills set up, and with our new chef, we're doing quite well on the essentials. Speaking of which, we had a few new arrivals over the past week. I've rounded up their names, but haven't decided quite what to do with them all just yet:

An earth pony stallion furnace operator named Ember
A pegasus mare gemcutter named Quartz
A unicorn stallion glass maker named Marbles
His wife, a pegasus mare potter named Porcelain
A unicorn stallion dyer named Indigo
An earth pony stallion shearer named Fleece
A pegasus mare siege operator named Ballista

We certainly don't have any need for any dyers, shearers or siege operators right now, so there will be some shuffling of jobs.

I finished the day pretty early today. I haven't spoken with Harvest Moon in a few days, maybe I should go see him today. Maybe he could use some help in the fields? That shearer has probably been around farms enough to be of some use.

Hard to believe it took over a full game year to get that little settlement up and running. Oh well, at this point that catches up to where I stand in game, so the future is a bit more open now. I'll be setting up a hospital for Panacea and a barracks for Halberd as my next priority.

Music from The Master.

Interesting, you know, I've never watched House. Oh, and this game is too addicting. Played it until 3AM yesterday, heh. Almost another game year's worth of time. Not a lot interesting up until the end, though. Then it really starts to get interesting.

Virtue's Diary - 9th Galena, 252

I haven't had much time to discuss our defensive measures with Halberd yet, but I have started considering them nonetheless. There hasn't been time to start digging a moat or setting up proper fortifications yet, but word reached me that one of our new arrivals served some time in the military back in Coupledye.

Porcelain used to be a hammerpony, and after a little discussion with her, she agreed to join the militia. She asked to be called Naginata now, which I guess was her nickname in the military. Not sure if she's met Halberd yet, she might not have been as eager to join if she had. We don't have any maces or hammers, but she picked up a spare axe and took it back to her quarters. Two ponies are better than one, but it's a far cry from even a militia yet. We've got to get to work on defenses, soon.

11th Galena, 252

While checking up on our stocks today, I noticed a small argument forming over our woodcrafting shop. Bevel was holed up inside, shooing everypony away and rummaging through the wood already inside. I went to try and defuse the situation, but she ignored my questioning and continued on doing whatever she was doing. She didn't seem to be causing too much trouble, so I left her alone for now. If she causes any problems I might have to get involved again.

In other news, Pewter and Ember have finished setting up a furnace, smelter and forge. We should be in position to start smelting down some of that magnetite soon. Some steel armor for Halberd and Naginata would go a long way to offsetting their lack of numbers.

Yeah, not sure how to describe strange moods for a pony in-universe, so for now that's what I'm going with. *1

15th Galena, 252

I'd already forgotten about the incident a few days ago with Bevel, but she finished what she was working on today. She built a wooden chair out of some highwood logs, naming it the Cut of Wings. It's a very nice chair, I'll admit. I'm not sure why she put so many spikes on it, but it should be serviceable for our dining hall at some point.

Stupid pony driving up the value of my fort. Wouldn't want any thieves or ambushes showing up yet, 'twould be a disaster.

That nearly eclipsed the fact that Detergent gave birth to her third foal this morning. She named the little unicorn colt Sandstone and asked if she could have a few days off. I happily obliged, I've never been through childbirth but I have no doubt she could use a break, not to mention she surely needs time to bond with her new foal!

6th Limestone, 252

It took long enough, but we've finally got a butcher's shop set up in the dining hall's cellar. Now when Longshot goes hunting it won't all go to waste.

The hospital and barracks are also under construction finally. I know Halberd and Naginata will be happy to have somewhere to practice.

The hospital is going to take some time to get set up. The plans I've drawn up will have Panacea living in the second floor, so she should be close to any prospective patients at all times. The hospital will hold only about five ponies at a time. I pray we never need even that much space.

6th Sandstone, 252

Despite my request with the liaison, we received another wave of new workers late this afternoon. The new arrivals are:

A unicorn stallion mason named Mortar
An earth pony stallion engraver named Chisel
An earth pony stallion engraver named Glyph
An earth pony mare carpenter named Whittle
Her husband, a pegasus stallion potash maker named Splinter
An earth pony stallion woodcutter named Knothole
An earth pony mare carpenter named Hickory
A pegasus mare potash maker named Willow

I was quite happy when I learned of their talents though. We can't get enough carpenters and masons out here. I'll draw up some work for them all in the morning. The hospital and barracks are coming along slowly, as always, so maybe a few new hooves will speed things up.

The next part of the update calls for some more illustration, I think, so it might be a day or two. Make of that what you will.

Author's Note

I think I'll be sticking to the format Telgin uses for his out of character comments from here on out: Green text.

I'll also be using the same format for my own notes that Khenal is using for his (Incomplete) transcription of Glitterglen, an asterisk followed by the appropriate number.

*1 Occasionally, a pony will be seized with the irrisistable urge to make an object of unparalleled quality. They persue this task to the exclusion of all else, even eating, drinking, and sleeping. If they succede, the object can be anything from an earring to a piece of furniture, or even a weapon. They immedietley become a legend in the skill used to create the artifact, unless the mood was a possession. If the mood fails, the pony goes insane, starving themselves to death, going stark raving mad and taking all their cloths off, or, in the worst case senario, berserk.

5: Babbling Brook

Virtue's Diary - 16th Timber, 252

I've been dreading this day since the moment I decided to found this settlement. It was inevitable that tragedy would strike us eventually, but that doesn't lessen the sting in the least.

It pains me to even record here what happened. Brook was out by the river fishing today, as she does most every day. Nopony saw the thief until it was too late, and it was clear that Brook was slain without knowing what hit her.

Hickory happened across the aftermath, where the monster was picking over her body. The scene she described was sickening. Halberd and Naginata jumped into action, and at the very least they slew the thief in turn. It's little consolation.

I've arranged for a small ceremony for her tomorrow morning. Nopony deserved what happened to her.

Not sure if it's against the rules to post fairly tame blood / gore like that, but I can move it to a spoiler tag if it bothers anypony I suppose. Considering how graphic combat is in the game, I assume Toady doesn't mind anyway.*1

Naginata's Log - 16th Timber, 252

It's days like this that I remember why I didn't reenlist in Coupledye. I didn't think this peaceful little community would really need my help, but I was dead wrong. One of the civilians was killed today. A fisherpony named Brook. I hadn't really met her, but her passing has certainly affected most of the community.

I got to see Halberd's true side today. Up until now our association was mostly limited to sparring sessions in the half completed barracks, where I pegged him for a stoic and no-nonsense pony. Something I can respect in a commander.

When we found the thief gleefully stripping Brook's body of everything of any worth, Halberd changed completely. Stoicism changed in an instant to passion and wrath unlike I've seen before. I never even made it to the thief. Halberd leaped from our overlooking position and utterly destroyed our foe. By the time he was satisfied with the carnage, the thief was in about as many pieces as it could conceivably be in.

At first I was a bit terrified of him, but after we exchanged a few words, I have even more respect for the stallion now. He is a true soldier. Having one of the ponies placed under his care taken from us in such a senseless act of depravity was something he couldn't stand.

Some of the civilians are afraid of him and most everypony tries to avoid him, but they don't understand. He would never abandon them or willingly let them come to harm, and in the end there is probably nopony who they should trust more.

That's the story I'm running with anyway. Halberd went bananas on the thief and spent 6 pages hacking him to bits, followed by chopping off each leg. I'll leave specific characterization to The Master, of course.

Virtue's Diary - 17th Timber, 252

Well, we had the ceremony today. Most everypony was there. It wasn't much, I admit. This isn't something I've ever done before, but I gave the eulogy. I knew Brook as well as anypony else here, but there were things I could appreciate that perhaps the others couldn't.

We may well owe our lives to that pony. If she hadn't come and fished up so many turtles and mussels, we may well have starved long ago. She deserved a medal for her actions. But instead, a lowly thief from the twisted little badger ponies took her life. Over a fishing pole.

A few ponies teared up a bit during the ceremony, and I'll admit I nearly did the same. I was present as we interred her in her final resting place in the newly dug out crypt. After that I locked myself I my office and I did lose it then. I'm not sure I'm cut out for this job. We had to expect losses, but that thought doesn't help me accept what happened anymore.

I don't know what to do. I probably won't be getting much sleep tonight.

Flux' Journal

So, this is Dawnpick. Huh. It's not what I expected, that's for sure. Oh, there's a bunch of ore that needs smelting, but that's not what I mean. I thought there would be a lot of smelters and smiths is all. I was told this was supposed to be a major metal production hub, but it looks like we're still getting the basics up and running. Ah well, I'm sure I'll get to smelt something soon.

Galena 11

Well that was fast! Only four days after I arrive and we get a smelter up and running! Pewter, the mare metalworker who helped me, looked to be happy as well. We'll both be able to get to work soon.

Galena 15

One of the carpenter mares just finished an incredible chair. I have no idea how she made it so spikey and yet so comfortable! I asked her about it, and we talked for hours about it and other things. Looks like I have a new friend, and her name is Bevel! Ballista won't believe it, heh. She was the only one in the migration group I got along with well, I hope her and Bevel hit it off also.

Timber 16

Looks like I wasn't the only one who heard there was a lot of ore here: A badger Pegasus thief thought we'd make an easy mark. It killed Brook, one of the fishermares. I didn't know her very well, but nopony deserved her death. Halberd and Naginata, our martial ponies, dealt with the murderer. Halberd was absolutely covered in blood and looked pretty mad about the ordeal, maybe he knew Brook personally?

Timber 17

We buried Brook today. She was vital to Dawnpick getting up and running, they said. Apparently, she almost single-hoofedly provided the meals for a while before the fields could be harvested. She was a hero in her small way, and we all feel her absence. Especially Virtue, I think they were friends.

Everypony is trying to think of ways to make sure this doesn't happen again. A wall is the most agreed upon solution, but I think we need some real defenses. A wall is good to keep out animals, but it takes strong ponies with weapons to defend against invaders like the badger pegasi. Unfortunately, we don't have many ponies to spare for training, and that'd take a while anyway. I think we should make some traps, or at least a drawbridge to seal the fort up if we have to. I'll try talking to Virtue about it in a day or two. I think she needs some time to deal with her loss.

Virtue's Diary - 18th Timber

I'm scared. I don't like to admit it, but I am rightly and truly scared. So are many of the others. I haven't seen any of the foals out and about today, and I don't blame their parents for keeping them indoors.

Another thief was spotted today, this time out by the quarry. The cursed little vermin slew a water buffalo wandering nearby, for the simple pleasure of it. Nopony could find Naginata at first, but Halberd rushed into action. After how he handled the last thief, I felt confident in his skills.

I didn't see what happened, but Halberd was wounded in the fight. A bad cut to the back. Naginata arrived to strike the thief down, but Halberd was incapacitated. He's resting in the hospital now. Panacea asked us all to leave while she tended to him, but I'm worried. He was bleeding a lot.

I pray he's not hurt that badly. We don't have enough guards as it is, and even though we've had our differences in the past, I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I'll go check up on him tomorrow. I didn't sleep well last night, and I feel tonight will be no different.

Panacea's Diary - 18th Timber, 252

When I heard that somepony was hurt, my heart skipped a beat. We've been out here for over a year without any serious injuries, so it was bound to happen eventually, but that doesn't make it any easier. In fact, after a year without having to really use my knowledge, I was worried.

Then I saw it was Halberd, and when I saw the injury, I think my heart stopped completely. He took a deep puncture wound to the back, and many ponies never walk again after such an injury. He was still standing though, and I have to admit I'm impressed at his strong will. He limped in without help, but the pain was evident. He was sucking in his breath through his teeth with each step.

It didn't take long to confirm that he would recover. The blade had been stopped by his spine, which is a frightening thought, but the vertebra wasn't broken and no nerves were injured. I cleaned the wound as best I could and dressed it. He'll be fine, but it's going to take some time to recover. A little further one way and he could be paralyzed, or have bled to death from his kidney.

Virtue was worried sick, and I don't blame her. This incident reminded me that we really need a well or other clean water source, as soon as possible. I'll bring it up when I speak to Virtue about Halberd.

Virtue's Diary - 19th Timber

When I went to check with Panacea this morning, something even more terrifying happened. A third thief was wandering through the middle of the settlement, as if he owned the place! I let out a cry and bolted for the hospital at once, which I think only excited the little monster, as he promptly gave chase.

I thought I was going to be joining Brook, but to my shock and surprise Halberd burst from the hospital, axe in mouth. Without missing a step, he tore the thief apart, strewing its body parts across the road.

I wasn't sure if I was more afraid of the badger pony thieves or Halberd at this point, but he calmed down immediately after slaying the fiend. He muttered something about doing his duty and limped back into the hospital with my help.

That may be the bravest thing I've ever seen anypony do. Even with a blood soaked bandage wrapped around his midsection, Halberd sprang to my aid and probably saved my life. I think I may have misjudged him. He was as reluctant to talk about it as ever, but I think he deserves a reward of some sort.

I probably shouldn't tell him that we've set up tombs for him and Naginata in the crypt. It's a morbid thing to do for the living, but in the event that something disastrous happens, I want them to be remembered forever.

At least Panacea tells me Halberd will be fine. That was quite a relief. She reminded me of the need of a well, which I hadn't forgotten but kept getting pushed back on my list. I think she's right though, and I'll see what I can do about getting one set up near the hospital.

More important than a well at this point is something to keep the thieves out. I don't think Halberd is in any position to draw up defense plans. I heard that one of our recent arrivals, Flux I think, has some experience with building mechanics of various sorts. Perhaps I could bring him and Naginata together to flesh out some ideas. Even a few simple traps of some sort would surely help.

Not sure how that happened, actually. If Halberd was really in the hospital at that point, he shouldn't have been able to help. I guess he hadn't made it the bed yet. Also, I'll see what I can do about doodling a pony avatar for Flux, unless you want to use the pony maker or forgo it altogether. Your choice. *2

Author's Note

*1 This refers to Toady One, AKA Tarn Adams, The developer of Dwarf Fortress
*2 Telgin made avatars for each claimed pony, as well as the starting seven. I may go back and add these in at the proper spots later on.

Just in case It's not just me, here is the link to the image:
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120425063846/dawnpickglitterglen/images/5/55/BabblingBrookDeath.jpg

6: Moving Fast

Virtue's Diary - 23rd Timber, 252

It seems that something similar to what happened to Bevel has taken Ballista. I found her this morning while trying to track down Flux, occupying the forge and demanding that we bring her body parts and bars of metal. Fortunately, Longshot was able to provide some body parts in short order, but we haven't yet smelted any of our magnetite.

It's worrying. I'm wondering if there is some sort of dark magic permeating this land that's driving these ponies to do this. I wish we had a wizard here to consult, none of the unicorns that have joined us so far seem to know a thing about it.

25th Timber, 252

I'm pleased to record that Panacea released Halberd this morning. I'd have never believed that he could recover in a week from such an injury, but he seems to be getting along just fine, and has already headed off to the barracks again.

I feel very guilty over it all. If he had a proper suit of armor, that would have never happened. I'm doing all that I can to rectify that problem, but it's going to take some time. Maybe a long time.

6th Opal, 252

We finally finished the hospital today, and Panacea moved in upstairs. I think she found it a bit bittersweet, but I didn't press her about it. This way she'll be closer to any patients that need her urgently.

In other news, we've finally started smelting some of the magnetite we dug up in the quarry, so we're one step closer to having some steel armor for our two soldiers. I urged Flux to be quick about the smelting if at all possible. Ballista hasn't left the forge since she entered it, and it's my understanding that the two are friends. That should motivate him a bit, I would think.

Once he's taken care of that, I think I'll ask him to start piecing together some mechanisms. *1 It's going to be a little while yet before a proper wall is ready, but some traps in the mean time should help. Now that Halberd has recovered, perhaps he will have some input on it after all.

Panacea's Diary - 6th Opal, 252

Things have been moving fast the past few days. I'm very happy to note that Halberd has made a full recovery. I've been talking with him a bit, since I think I'm the only friend he has here. I never knew how seriously he took his job as a soldier, and I must say that I really respect him. I only pray that I never have to stand over him wondering if he'll live ever again.

Speaking of which, my new room in the hospital is finally ready, so I'll be moving in tomorrow. It's for the good of the hospital, but it means I probably won't be seeing Saw Dust as much any more. I miss not being with him much already. Maybe I'll go visit him at his workshop tomorrow.

23rd Timber

Virtue looked away from the mare occupying the forge with some difficulty and continued on to the smelter just past it. She hadn't found Flux in the dining hall, so it would be the next best place to look for him. She heard that Flux knew a thing or two about mechanics, so she hoped he might have some ideas on some traps to set up around their perimeter.

Cage traps *2 are always effective, but I'm not sure if the badger pony thieves are trap avoid or not. I think not. Cages are a bit of a pain though, because I'm too lazy to "empty" *3 them properly. Weapon traps have had satisfying results in my last fort. Any input from Flux would be appreciated.

The Journal of Flux, Timber 23

Balista has been acting weird lately. She got this strange look in her eyes and then zoomed off to the forge. Now, she's yelling about bones and metal and gibberish. The others tell me it's similar to how Bevel was acting. Maybe we'll get another fancy chair? Either way, I think we're still a week or two from being able to actually begin smelting. Ya, we have the smelter up, but the magnetite needs to be hauled and charcoal needs to be made.

In the meantime, I've been doodling some trap designs. I'm no expert, but the principals are fairly simple at least. Some ponies like cage traps, say they're more humane. I disagree. Cage traps only make new problems, and I don't know if we can handle prisoners anyway. I think I'll try to figure out how a spinning blade trap works. I hear they're really efficient, so hopefully I can puzzle out the details of how they work.

Opal 6

Finally able to get started smelting today! It's a relief to get back to smelting again. Virtue asked me to be as fast as I can, and I'll try, but it's a slow process. Balista hasn't stopped yelling about needing metal, so I expect she'll be along soon for some fresh iron.

*****************

I like using blade traps. Cages are anoying, and I never could design an efficient way of dealing with caged hostiles. That and I like watching the bits and pieces fly

Edit* Also, here's an interesting quirk to keep out flying baddies: They won't path over water. I've taken to building a moat with water around my pony forts with all the fliers that show up. *4

Virtue's Diary - 23rd Granite, 253

Ballista finished the amulet she was working on today, which she calls Mirthpartner the Escorted Dot. An interesting name for the amulet, and it's certainly intimidating looking, but she wears it around proudly.

Flux has been busy making charcoal and smelting the magnetite, but we've run into a problem. He tells me that we need something called, ironically enough, flux in order to actually make steel out of the iron. I don't really understand metallurgy, but I trust he knows what he's talking about. Once he's smelted a bit more of the magnetite, I think I'll set him to work on those mechanisms. The designs he drew up looked good to me, and I think everypony will feel a bit safer once there are a few in place.

Chic and Diamond Shard have been digging hard in the quarry looking for something suitable to use as flux, and they stumbled into a large underground cavern in the process.*5 It looks deserted, but it worries me, so I think I'll have them seal it up soon. Whatever lurks below, it probably isn't good, and badger pony thieves are enough of a problem.

Some merchants arrived today too, and it feels like it's been an eternity since they last came. We still didn't have much to trade, but we picked up a little food and drink from them in exchange for some uncut gems. They seemed happy enough, at least, and promised to return next year.

7th Felsite, 253

Today was a bit of a surprise. Naginata gave birth early this morning to a unicorn colt that the parents named Rondel. He was a cute little foal. Naturally, Naginata will be laying off training for a while, which she had been for the last month or so of her pregnancy. We haven't seen any more thieves, so maybe she won't be needed any time soon.

The search for flux hasn't turned up much, unfortunately, except for another large underground cavern. I'll request it sealed off too, since the initial exploration didn't turn up any flux. I hope we find some soon, I don't want to have to rely on simple iron for our soldiers.

On a lighter note, Marbles has set up a glass furnace and started making some windows. I know I'll be happy to have a window in my bedroom, and I think everypony else would agree. Thinking back to my discussion with Flux, I think some glass weapons for the traps. They won't be much use in Halberd or Naginata's hooves, but for a trap I think it would work well. We wouldn't have to use any of our iron either.

23rd Felsite

I got a surprise this morning. A formal request for a town hall was in the stack of paperwork I needed to sort through today. Curious, I started asking around, and it turns out that Longshot has mad such an impression on everypony else that they elected him mayor! *6

I didn't even know it was up for discussion. Seems like the sort of thing I would be involved in, but if it's what everypony wants I don't see the harm. I hate to tell him that it's going to be some time before a town hall can be constructed. We're still short on bedrooms, and we started constructing our curtain wall. He's a reasonable pony, and I think he'll understand.

I've updated the map as before. I'll feel a lot safer when the wall is finished.

Guess Longshot hasn't had a lot to do other than socialize lately. That friend list of his goes on for a few pages, and no grudges, even with Halberd.

4th Hematite, 253

While worrying over our dwindling supply of wood today and the growing need for more bedrooms, Mortar told me that he had learned a spell to transform most types of plants into wood. *7 I was a bit skeptical, but he demonstrated in short order.

Impressed by the magical feat, I asked him to show a number of other unicorns how to use the spell, and now we have a wood conjuring workshop to help pad our supplies of lumber. I'm afraid to transform too much food, but it's nice to know we have a fallback if we need it.

A large number of migrants arrived a couple of days ago, so I think we'll be needing the food more (good thing Harvest Moon has been hauling in so much lately). I rounded up the new arrivals:

An earth pony stallion bone carver named Totem
A pegasus stallion weaver named Spool
A pegasus stallion woodcrafter named Miter
A pegasus mare fish cleaner named Sushi
An earth pony farmer named Appleseed
A unicorn mare mason named Kiln
An earth pony stallion furnace operator named Cinder
A pegasus stallion carpenter named Redwood
A unicorn stallion dyer named Carmine
His wife, a pegasus mare fisher named Ocean Breeze
An earth pony stallion farmer named Golden Grain
An earth pony stallion miller named Barley
A unicorn stallion shearer named Wool
A pegasus mare spinner named Loom
A unicorn mare tanner named Alum
A unicorn stallion siege operator named Arbalest
A pegasus mare soldier named Falcata
A pegasus stallion soldier named Bardiche

Of course the two new soldiers will be joining Halberd and Naginata, but as usual I'll have to think over the other arrivals before sorting out where they will fall into place here. I'm not sure if I'm ready to send Ocean Breeze out to the river to fish yet. We wouldn't want a repeat of that tragedy.

Ok, that last migant wave was just uncalled for. The previous migrant wave didn't all have bedrooms yet! I've got 51 ponies now, and have set the pop cap at 50. I need some time to sort out these ponies!

Anyway, the wall is under construction and Flux is now working on setting up some traps (and a drawbridge soon). I think I might be screwed on flux though, I could have sworn it was in the embark info.

Author's Note

*1 Basicley just gears.
*2 When an enemy steps on one of these, they promptly find themselves trapped in a cage.
*3 Either moving all the captives into one cage or somehow killing them. Can't use a cage trap without an empty cage.
*4 As mentioned priviousley, flight is bugged in Dwarf Fortress. This extends to your companions in adventure mode.
*5 This would be the uppermost of the three caverns on any map. These can be absolutely massive or cover only a handfull of Z-Levels. They are often rich in minerals, as well as unique plants and animals.
*6 Once your fort reaches 50 people, a mayor is automaticley elected from amoung your forts population. They are aloud to make mandates, requiring the production of, or banning the export of, certian objects. These can sometimes be impossible to furfill. Besides this, the mayor's main function is to meet with diplomats.
*7 A feture of the Pony mod, very useful if you have extra food and not enough logs.

And.... That gets me to the bottom of page 2. Of 143.

7: Surprises and Steel

Virtue's Diary - 1st Malachite, 253

It's been a busy day. With a few more farmers to help out Harvest Moon, we've expanded the fields and set up a new field for some other crops, eventually, although we'll have to wait for a caravan hopefully carrying some new seeds. We've been needing some thread for some time now, and Harvest Moon tells me that he has a few seeds for a curious underground crop called pig tails. We had a small underground farm dug out for that.

I've also set up a mechanics workshop for Flux to work with and a siege workshop for Arbalest. I dearly hope that we won't be needing any siege equipment to defend ourselves, but if we did, I'd hate to be caught without it. Whether or not we'll be able to spare anypony else to learn how to shoot the things, well, that's another story.

Now that we've got enough ponies to almost consider them a squad, I asked Halberd to set up a proper training schedule to keep them all prepared. He has them training two months on, one month off, which sounds reasonable to me.

The surprise was when I happened across a request from Longshot in my paperwork. I didn't expect him to actually start making such recommendations so soon, but he requested that we not trade any large gems until he says otherwise. We've been trading uncut gems to the merchants so far, so it's not a big deal. I'm not quite sure why he'd order such a thing anyway, but it's a small enough issue that I won't bother him about it.

11th Malachite, 253

To my initial dismay, another group of migrants arrived today. I was quite surprised to find an alicorn *1 among them, and at first expected that a noble of some rank from Coupledye had come to check up on my progress. I was quite nervous, as we've only just barely begun producing much from our mines.

I was quite surprised, and a bit pleased, to discover that most of the new arrivals were soldiers, including the alicorn Stilleto. We could definitely use a few more armed ponies, so I sent them off to meet our existing militia and get acquainted. Surprisingly, Stilleto made no mention of having any high rank, and accepted her position under Halberd without a word.

The arrivals are as follows:

An earth pony mare soldier named Fuscina
An alicorn mare soldier named Stilleto
A unicorn mare soldier named Kukri
A unicorn mare soldier named Kris
A unicorn mare woodcrafter named Balsa
A unicorn mare beekeeper named Sweet Nectar
An earth pony mare farmer named Sunflower
An earth pony stallion woodburner named Toasty

I was also pleased to let Panacea know that the well was finally dug out today and should be ready for use soon. I think everypony will appreciate it actually, since we don't have to head down to the river to bathe now. After what happened to Brook, nopony really liked going down there anymore.

Yeah, that's right. I set the pop cap to 50 and I get 8 new ponies. Apparently the change doesn't take effect until the liaison arrives, so I just hope I don't get pushed over the 80 siege trigger before then, heh, heh. I hope the unwanted arrivals like military service, because that's what the useless ones are getting!

13th Malachite, 253

Hickory gave birth this morning to a unicorn filly named Sienna. The parents were quite excited at the new arrival, and I gave them some time off to recuperate and bond.

17th Malachite, 253

I'm really starting to get worried about these... strange moods... that are gripping everypony. I got word late this morning that Flux had occupied a workshop and was demanding wood and stone blocks. We didn't have any stone blocks available, but it was easy to set Chisel to the job. I hope he finishes whatever he's planning soon, since we really need him smelting down the magnetite.

28th Malachite, 253

It took nearly a week for him to finish it, but Flux completed his project this afternoon. He made what is perhaps the most impressive crutch I've ever laid eyes on. I'm... not sure how we'll use it, but it is quite beautiful.

He didn't finish a moment too soon, either. I got word that Diamond Shard finally located what we've been searching for months for underground: marble! With Flux done with his crutch, now he and Cinder can get to work making some steel. The new soldiers will have some armor and weapons to practice with soon.

In more amusing news, Panacea somehow managed to get stuck in the well today. She slipped in somehow and couldn't climb out. I still don't really understand why the pegasi can't just fly out of little rooms like this, but she couldn't for some reason. It took us all day for Diamond Shard and Chic to dig her out of the well, but we sealed it back up with an emergency doorway for any future emergencies. Good thing the well wasn't completely full, she could have drowned!

Panacea's Diary - 28th Malachite, 253

Today was pretty embarassing. I slipped into the well this morning and landed badly on my left wing. It hurt too much to fly out, so all I could do was shout until somepony came by to help. Thank goodness Skillet was nearby when it happened, else I don't know how long I would have been down there. Virtue eventually got the miners to dig me out, but I hate it came to that. I was so embarassed, I thanked everypony and hid in my room for the rest of the day. I heard a few laughing about it, and I guess it was a bit funny, but I wasn't in much of a mood to face that.

At least my wing seems to be fine, just a sprain, I think. And as long as I don't fall in the well anymore, my patients should do a lot better in the future. I just need to talk to Virtue about getting some soap made. After things die down a bit, of course.

Flux' Journal, Granite 23

Ballista finished her project: an amulet. It's beautiful, though spiky, and bears an image of celery on it. I asked her about the celery and she just looked at me and asked if there was anything wrong with celery. At least she's back to normal.

Malachite 1

Virtue liked my designs for blade traps, and asked if they could be made to work with glass instead of steel blades. It's a bit unorthodox, but I don't see why not. And our apparent lack of any flux stone makes the steel blades a dream. We finished setting up a workshop for me to actually get to building the traps, so hopefully we'll be safe behind some bladed protection soon!

Malachite 11

I was checking where to actually put the traps when I saw the latest migrant wave. A lot of them looked like fighters, so I'm sure Halberd and Naginata will have plenty of company. One was even an alicorn! I never expected to see one out here. At least, not this soon. Maybe Dawnpick is more important than I was told? Either way, I should get back to work. There's a lot of magnetite, and it's not going to smelt itself.

Malachite 17

The hospital is working, but we have no splints! Why do we have no splints?! What if somepony breaks something?! Gotta fix this error! Must make a splint! With wood and stone and... *The page quickly devolves into illegibility and a long list of random building materials*

Malachite 28

Wow, that was weird. Apparently, I went a bit crazy and started acting just like my friends did when they built something strange. I made a splint. It's a nice splint, but why did I make it? And why did I put a pink lemon tree on it? I don't even like lemons.

Oh! While I was crazy, they found some marble deep in the earth! Finally, I'll be able to start making steel!

Virtue's Diary - 21st Galena, 253

The last few days have been pretty interesting.

First off, as I feared there were things living underground that weren't happy to see us. With everything else going on I hadn't gotten around to getting the masons to seal off the caverns, and there have been a few "invasions". I'm not sure what to call the things, but they walk on two legs and are clawed.*2 A few rushed out of the cavern breach and started harassing our quarry workers. Halberd and his squad raced down to the depths the moment Chic came running up shrieking about monsters, but from what I hear, Diamond Shard defended herself most admirably.

Longshot immediately took it upon himself to clear the caverns of the little beasts with several extended hunting trips. He brought back quite a bounty, so we'll probably be eating them for a while. We've not seen many of them since, so I think perhaps his efforts have frightened them off at least.

23rd Galena, 253

Now I feel like we're a true mining operation. Flux and Cinder have been hard at work smelting the magnetite and turning it into steel now that we have some marble on hand. I immediately asked Pewter to begin turning the steel into weapons for Halberd and his squad. They should all have axes to practice with within the next few weeks.

A zebra caravan also arrived today, led to our settlement by the plumes of our furnaces. I worry it might attract less desirable attention, but save for what happened to Brook we've been lucky. We traded off some uncut gems for a little food and drink from the zebras, which they accepted gratefully. Longshot didn't seem to mind trading the uncut gems, but still asks we not trade out any large gems. Unfortunately, the caravan didn't have any new exotic seeds for our fields, but I'm holding out for our liaison later this year bringing some.

In happier news, I heard we have another foal among our children today. Detergent gave birth again in the wee hours of the morning to a unicorn filly she named Copper Trim. The name fits her appearance, I'll give them that.

26th Limestone, 253

The undesirable attention I was worried about found us today, but I'm happy to record that nothing ill came of it. Quartz spotted a diamond dog thief skulking on the hillside overlooking our settlement, no doubt picking through the wooden logs piled high there. Halberd's squad charged off after him, set on not letting him do to anypony what the badger thief did to Brook, and to not report home where we were. I didn't see the fight myself, but he assures me that the thief won't be returning from whence he came.

Naginata's Diary - 26th Limestone, 253

When word reached us that another thief had been spotted near the settlement, everypony galloped out to meet him. Once again, I didn't have a chance to actually engage our foe, since Stiletto beat me to him. I must say, I've never witnessed an alicorn fighting before, but now that I have I am absolutely impressed. The mare grabbed the thief telekinetically by the teeth, crushed him to the ground and crushed his skull with her horn.

I've made it a point to not cross Stiletto. Not that I ever intended to, but that pony is not to be trifled with. Her demeanor is a bit odd too, probably related to the fact that she would be willing to stoop to the level of fighting alongside us. I choose not to inquire further.

Virtue's Diary - 11th Sandstone, 253

I don't know where they're finding all of these ponies to send to us! Yet another group arrived late tonight, long after we'd eaten our evening meal. I showed them the dining hall and managed to get Skillet to fix something for them while I took in their names and professions. Not what I was hoping for, I'm afraid:

A unicorn stallion soldier named Glaive
An earth pony stallion armorer named Billows
A pegasus stallion butcher named Cleaver
His wife, an earth pony mare potter named Glaze
A unicorn stallion weaver named Cross Stitch
A unicorn mare soldier named Sarissa
A pegasus mare pump operator named Corkscrew

The soldiers were a relief however, as Halberd now has a nice, round 10 man squad at his disposal. Even better, I heard from Pewter yesterday that the axes were all ready, so the new arrivals can get to training first thing in the morning. I'm sure they'll fit in.

Our defenses are slowing coming together as well. We've built perhaps a quarter of our curtain wall now and have a drawbridge ready thanks to the mechanisms Flux has been crafting for us. Better yet, we have a few traps at the end of the drawbridge. I tasked Fuscina with working with Flux on placing them. We'd best make sure that everypony knows where they are, it would be a tragedy for somepony to be wounded by our defenses.

Speaking of the dining hall though, I fear we may have to expand it soon or rotate meal times. With nearly seventy ponies in Dawnpick now, it's getting a bit crowded in there. I'll speak to Mortar and Saw Dust about it in the morning and see what they have to say about it.

Flux' Journal, Galena 21

Those things from the caverns were vicious little buggers. Small creatures, all teeth and claws, though not exceptionally dangerous. Diamond Shard handled a few that surprised her, then Longshot decided to actually go and hunt them for food. I'm not sure I want to eat them, but I'll try it at least. Who knows, maybe they're actually tasty.

Galena 23

Oh, I have missed making steel. There's just something so satisfying about all the work put into making the wonderful alloy. With Cinder's help, Pewter should have all the steel needed to make sure our military ponies are fully armed and armored in short order.

Also, a zebra caravan showed up today. I might go see what they have to offer later tonight. I don't have a lot of bits, but I might be able to afford something interesting at least.

Limestone 26

We need to get those traps set up soon, a diamond dog thief was spotted by the military today. They dealt with it quickly, but everypony is still a bit on edge. We all still remember what happened to Brook.

Sandstone 11

More migrants! Fuscina and I saw them as we were preparing the sites for the first set of traps, out around the drawbridge. Virtue welcomed them, but I think she's a bit worried about where to put them all. Dawnpick is growing quickly, and our carpenters are having problems keeping up with the number of immigrants.

Author's Note

*1 Surprise! Alicorns exist in the Pony mod as well! They are, however, fully mortal, and can be born to any caste.
*2 Crundles. No threat to someone who knows what they're doing in a fight. Especially in this mod.

8: Close calls and new threats

Diary.*1

Occasional fights. Even with fortress members.

Need catapult we. Clear enemy front of fortress from. Path only way this the.

Virtue's Diary - 22nd Sandstone, 253

Arbalest came to me today insisting that we set up a catapult for him to start training on. I told him that we haven't seen anything remotely justifying setting up a siege weapon of any sort, but he didn't back down. So I told him that if he could build it, then have at it. He left at that, I assume he'll go busy himself trying to piece together something. I just hope he doesn't use up too much wood trying.

24th Sandstone, 253

Well, he impressed me. Arbalest set up quite a sharp looking catapult just outside the main gate, overlooking the best approach to our fort. He spent all day cheerfully lobbing stones into the distance, which seems to keep him happy at least. As long as he doesn't hurt anypony, I suppose he can keep at it. Who knows, maybe we will need that catapult one day.

It seems that a fair bit of wood has gone missing though. More than I would have expected to be needed for the catapult, but with our wood conjuring spell it's not a big deal I suppose. Our food stocks are still quite more than we need, so we can just make some more.

Panacea's Diary - 24th Sandstone, 253

While I was eating in the dining hall today, Saw Dust sat next to me and said he had a surprise for me down by the river. I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I got there I saw that he'd set up a cozy little shack overlooking the river. I'm not sure how he got permission from Virtue to use the wood, but I forgot all about that pretty quickly. We spent all afternoon talking about everything. It feels like it's been ages since I've really talked with him. Where have the years gone? I'm looking forward to spending more time with him when he gets a chance!

I call it the "love shack" *wink*. I figured getting some ponies that have been in love for years close to each other every once in a while should help things along.

Virtue's Diary - 17th Timber, 253

These honey badger pony thieves are starting to worry me excessively. Another batch of the little monsters attacked us today, but we managed to get off a bit easier this time.

The first two came from the east, blundering into the barracks at their cost. The militia dealt with them immediately, I'm pleased to say.

The third came from the north, trying to sneak in through our main gate. Arbalest spotted him from his position at the catapult, but the catapult wasn't much use against the thief at such a range. Willow came and alerted everypony, and the militia rushed out to deal with the invader. In the confusion, Hickory lost track of her foal Sienna, which the thief scooped up and fled with. My heart sank, as I was sure the thief woud escape with the filly, but Halberd's troops reached him just in time.

Glaive was injured in the fight, but Panacea tells me he'll be fine. I hope so, Hickory was in tears as they brought Sienna back, and I would hate for their heroism to have come at a greater cost.

Yep, that stupid thief just about got away. 2 steps further and he'd have been scott free. I thought for sure that I'd lose my first child ever to a snatcher, but Halberd and company did me proud.

Note that this is Hickory, not Virtue. Dwarf Fortress doesn't give good variety in pony color apparently. And that's Sienna, not Schootaloo, heh.

Panacea's Diary - 17th Timber, 253

I suppose we've been pretty lucky to have been out here for three years now with as few injuries as we have. Aside from Halberd's wound, I haven't had much to do, but the thieves seem to be determined to change that.

Glaive was wounded while saving a foal from one of the thieves, and I'm afraid it's actually pretty bad. The dagger severed a nerve in his leg, and he says he lost feeling in most of it. It was hard for me to tell him that it was likely permanent. He seemed pretty upset at first, but after talking about it a bit, he calmed down a bit. He'll walk again, but it's going to take some getting used to.

He should be proud of himself though. Being wounded while saving the life of a foal, he's a hero if I've ever met one.

Virtue's Diary - 8th Moonstone, 253

After the attacks from the thieves last month, I've stepped up construction of our curtain wall. It's still only about half completed, but it's getting there. Mortar, Chisel and Saw Dust are busy cutting rock blocks for the wall.

The wall can't get completed soon enough. Some diamond dog thieves showed up yesterday and tried to make off with some of the gems in our stockpile. Fortunately, Halberd and the militia caught up to them in time to drive them off. I didn't watch the battle, but I understand that two of the thieves were slain. Nopony was seriously hurt, but Halberd got nicked in the tail by a dagger. I doubt he'll even see Panacea about it.

Virtue's Diary - 9th Moonstone, 253

Something pretty terrifying happened this morning. While stripping more marble from deep within the quarry, Diamond Shard saw a monstrosity lingering in the caverns below. The order to seal them off has gone forgotten at the bottom of my stack of papers, so I was worried it would wander up to the surface. Diamond Shard said that she only saw it a distance through a small opening into the cavern, and she doesn't think there's any way for it to get to us. I pray that she is right. Nevertheless, the moment the wall is completed, we will be walling off the caverns below.

Just a vomit man, a few axe strikes and it would probably go down. I didn't realize forgotten beasts*2 could show up at less than 80 ponies though... probably should get on sealing off the caverns ASAP.

Virtue's Diary - 25th Moonstone, 253

Another new pony entered the world today. Ocean Breeze gave birth to her first foal this morning, a unicorn filly she named Peridot. With her, our little community has grown to a total of 69 ponies. I'd have never believed we could grow so much in just three years, much less thrive with so many. I feel bad that we still don't have proper housing for everypony, but I think overall we've done reasonably well out here. Perhaps the king didn't make a mistake when he chose me to lead our expedition after all.

12th Opal, 253

Longshot stopped by my office around lunchtime today. I was worried he was going to complain about the lack of a town hall still, but he merely passed me a production request. He asked to have some of our raw gems cut, which seemed fairly reasonable. They're taking up a lot of space in our stockpile, and getting them cut and useful wouldn't be a bad idea.

I spoke with Quartz and asked her to go ahead and set up a jewelry shop along the wall behind my office. She was pretty excited to get to work doing what she does best, and trotted off immediately to set to work.

In other news, Pewter stopped by my office this afternoon to let me know that the ten steel chanfrons that Halberd requested for the militia had been forged and issued out. It's reassuring to know that they will soon have some decent protection when they are called to battle again. I know it is just a matter of time.

Naginata's Diary - 12th Opal, 253

Pewter finished our chanfrons*3 today, which is a good start toward a decent set of barding. I went ahead and requested a set of ten steel peytrals for us, which would go a long way toward protecting the most vital parts of the body. She looked upset.

Turns out that she misplaced her peytral*4 template and will have to make a new one or wait for the liaison to show up with one. It's frustrating, but I suppose nothing can be done about it. I just hope she's fast about it.

Yeah, DF screwed me and decided that my civilization couldn't make hard peytrals. Fortunately, Nidokoenig was kind enough to post a solution to that problem, but I'll have to work it into the save to get it fixed. For now, no peytrals for anypony.

Virtue's Diary - 24th Opal, 253

Another pony has been taken by a strange mood today. This time it was Corkscrew, the pump operator who arrived with the last group of immigrants. She's taken one of our forges and is currently running about, snatching up a little of everything she can get her hooves on. At least she seems to be finding what she needs.

This reminds me that we've not seen anything else of the abomination below the surface. I'd like to think that it wandered off and will not trouble us, but that's just wishful thinking. We must be careful to not breach a path for it to reach us. I wonder now if there is some connection... perhaps these lands are cursed with dark magic.

5th Obsidian, 253

Corkscrew finished what she was working on today. She made a pretty impressive weapon rack that she calls "Machinehair the Lovely Gate." She couldn't explain the name or why she decided to make a weapon rack, and offered to haul it off to the barracks. I'm sure Halberd will find another weapon rack useful with nine other ponies under his training.

*5
One. Not in range. Useless I. Catapult bigger need we.

New plans.

Panacea's Diary - 1st Galena, 253
Flux seems to be a really thoughtful pony, he constructed a beautiful splint for use in my hospital yesterday. I was busy at the time with... "well based issues" but Virtue showed it to me today and it's of amazing quality even if Virtue thought it was a crutch.
She also told me that Flux went right back to trying to make steel so our brave defenders will have proper armour and avoid any repeats of Halberd's awful stabbing.

Panacea's Diary - 14th Moonstone, 253
Glaive has been in my hospital for almost a month now and what I am most worried about is infection, I have been cleaning his wounds regularly with water but I would feel much better if we had some soap. I'll talk to Virtue about it.

Author's Note

*1 This is Arbalest's diary. The poor grammer is on purpose.
*2 Giant underground things. These can be made of any material, from steam to steel, and take on any form. the syndromes they can release are potential fort killers, and even just web spitters (Which seem broken) can sometimes spell doom. Needless to say, these are not to be trifled with.
*3 Helmets for horses.
*4 And chest protection.
*5 Arbalest again.

9: Enemies inside the walls

Falcata's Diary - 14th Obisidian, 253

Our outpost liaison showed up today. I expected to meet with him like last year, but it turns out that since Longshot is our mayor now, that's his job. That's fine with me, I'd probably end up just tell him the same thing as last year: bring food. We're getting a lot more self sufficient though, so maybe Longshot requested something else.

Speaking of the pony, I've seen Willow following him around a lot lately. I wonder if there's anything going on between the two?

I was a bit... shocked... when Longshot sent a production order to the forges for a golden trinket of some sort. I hope he knows we don't have any gold ore. I can't imagine why he'd want it anyway.

Yeah... time to set up a jail I suppose. Or if I don't have a captain of the guard*1, will the crime just go unpunished?

16th Obsidian, 253

I feel sick. Falcata was very badly wounded today, and Panacea doesn't know if she is going to live. I feel terrible... if we'd finished the wall by now, or had a decent set of barding for our militia, this would have never happened. I didn't want to see the battle, but I was walking out of my office right as it happened. Two more of those cursed badger pony thieves bypassed our incomplete wall and were wandering toward the dorms. Halberd spotted them immediately, and the entire militia ran off to engage them.

I was trying not to look at this point, but I couldn't help it. The first thief went down almost instantly, but the second was a lot more tenacious. He stabbed Sarissa in the hoof with his dagger before a precise strike from Halberd spilled his guts. Beyond belief, it found the strength to strike out again, catching Falcata in the side with its dagger and spilling blood everywhere. Naginata finished it off with a buck to the head, but the damage was done.

I don't think I've ever seen anything so horrible. Falcata stumbled a few steps, clutching at the wound in her side and making the most pitiful hollow gasps I've ever heard. I don't think I'll ever forget her expression... the panic at being unable to breathe... and choking on blood. She started coughing it up everywhere, and by this time I was running, screaming for Panacea.

I found the pegasus inside the hospital where she was supposed to be, and as Splinter helped Falcata inside, Panacea all but shoved us out the door and ordered us not to come in until she said so. That was hours and hours ago. I now regret building my office next to the hospital, I can hear her still working on poor Falcata. If that pony survives... I... I don't know what I'll do.

At least the rainbow pony caravan that showed up later took out the third thief, lurking outside our drawbridge entrance. Their bolts flushed it into one of the traps Flux set up, and at least the trap did its job. I asked Halberd to get somepony to clean up the mess, I don't even want to think about it right now.

That was pretty lucky actually. Only 3 traps in the whole map and he blundered into one, got his guts spilled then sliced off. Good riddance.

17th Obsidian, 253

Panacea came to me this morning, covered in blood and clearly fighting to stay awake. She told me that she thinks Falcata will live. It's still too early to tell, but her odds look fair.

I feel tremendously relieved, but I also still feel guilty. If I was managing this place better, she would have been protected from that. I've sent out orders immediately for more barding for our militia. It can't come soon enough.

I heard that Naginata gave birth this morning too, to a pegasus colt named Verdant Flash. Panacea was exhausted from the effort, I'm sure. She said the stress from the fight brought on early labor, which makes sense. I think I need to speak with Naginata about resigning from the militia. She has a family now, and I don't want her to leave them in a tragic manner. And if she's willing to charge into combat, heavily pregnant as she was, it's only bound to turn bad sooner than later.

Finally got the hard peytrals fixed so that this hopefully won't happen again. I thought she was a goner, but Panacea is one of the best doctors I've seen. Jumped right to it and sewed her lung right up, hehe.

Flux' Journal, Obsidian 16

Those damned badgerpegasi! Everypony's been busting their flanks to try to get this wall up, but we're still too slow. A few got in through an incomplete section. The militia rushed out to handle the bastards, but one hurt Falcata severely; got her in the chest with a dagger apparently. The Rainbow Caravan showed up not long after and flushed a third thief into one of the traps that had been set. At least I know my trap design works, even if it's a bit messy.

I don't know how Falcata's doing. She looked real bad before being taken to the hospital. I hope Panacea can help her.

Obsidian 17

Panacea said that Falcata should survive and even make a full recovery! The military really needs to get full sets of barding, so I really need to hurry up on smelting steel! I'd like to see some steel blades in the traps, but they definitely are behind finishing protecting the military in terms of priority. We need to finish the wall first before the traps can really be effective, anyhow.

17th Granite, 254

Some good news today. Falcata was released from the hospital this morning. Panacea said that she had healed remarkably well, and she seemed to be in good spirits. She hurried off to the barracks as soon as she was released to speak to everypony. I was pleased to see that the first few peytrals I'd ordered were completed, and they happily bestowed the first to her. I hope she won't need it, of course, but we can't take any chances.

1st Slate, 254

I'm growing a bit worried about Sarissa. She was injured in the same fight as Falcata, and Panacea still hasn't seen fit to release her from the hospital. Her hoof was injured in the fight, and the cut has become infected. I feel pretty bad about it, since Panacea has urged me more than once to get some soap made. It's little consolation to the two, but I immediately had an ashery and soaper's workshop set up. Detergent made a few blocks of soap, that were rushed off to the hospital.

It may be too late to help Sarissa's infection, but maybe we won't see any more. I'm sure she'll be alright. If Falcata could survive what happened to her, this should be nothing.

In other news, I've heard a few other ponies talking about how drab this place is, and I think they're right. We have a lot of stone left over in the quarry that's not really doing much, so I had Kiln make a few statues out of some of the gabbro. I think they turned out nice. I didn't ask her to make anything in particular, but I was quite surprised to see she made one of me! It looks wonderful too, although I think she made me a bit too stocky, but I'm not going to say anything about that. I do wonder why she has me holding up a bin though.

20th Slate, 254

While I was talking with Harvest Moon over a little strawberry wine, I happened to be watching Halberd lead his squad through some drills. A few of them are soldiers proper, but the rest are pretty green from what he tells me. You wouldn't have known that by watching them. Seeing them spar and dance around in the gleaming steel armor they now wear, you'd think they were professional soldiers.

He has them doing drills pretty regularly now, and I feel that much safer knowing that they're watching our backs. The wall is coming along quite nicely now too. There is still a bit of a gap in the southeast, but that's right by the barracks, so if anything sneaks in, it probably won't make it far.

I've been wondering about getting a squad of marksponies together though. I'm sure that would go a long way toward bolstering our defenses. Even better, Longshot is a pretty amazing shot, so he could probably show a few volunteers the ropes. I'll have to speak with him about it the next time I see him. And break the news to him that we haven't found any gold, so he's going to have to go without his trinket.

I'm a doofus. I've had the military training schedule set up for years, but had them on the wrong alert. So they've been doing nothing but individual combat drills this whole time. A few are up to skilled in axe user, but I still feel pretty stupid. Better late than never, eh?

28th Felsite

I'm growing very worried about Sarissa. I was talking with Panacea this morning, and she informed me that the pony's hoof isn't getting any better. Even after cleaning the wound several times with soapy water, the infection hasn't really improved. Thankfully Sarissa doesn't seem to be getting worse overall, but being cooped up in the hospital all day has her depressed. I don't think she has any friends here in Dawnpick, although I've seen Halberd checking up on her occasionally. Maybe I'll stop by tomorrow and see how she's doing.

Speaking of Halberd's squad, we now have a crypt completed for them. I haven't told any of them about it, because it's pretty morbid to think about having a tomb while you're still alive, but I want to make sure that if something terrible does happen to one of them, that their sacrifice doesn't go unremembered. Their coffins are all arranged together in the same room, and I'm having a few more statues made to commemorate them.

I got confirmation from Billows today that we also finished making a set of cruppers*2 for everypony. That's one more piece of metal between our gallant soldiers and danger, and I know it makes them feel better.

I don't know what's up with Sarissa's hoof. I've seen infections in DF, but she just doesn't seem to be healing. I'm going to be pretty ticked if she dies from having her hoof stabbed by one of those stupid thieves.

Flux' Journal, Hematite 5

Things had been quiet for a while 'till a few days ago. More of those crundle things showed up in the mines and the military took care of them. Then, earlier today, somepony else decided they had to build something unique. These moods are kinda weird, but they at least produce interesting things. Castiron was the one this time, and he had to take a bar of pig iron among other things. Makes sense, I guess. I mean, pig iron basically is cast iron, afterall. I just wish he could have waited for a bar of steel or settled for ordinary iron. Whatever he makes might be too brittle to actually be useful. He's yelling about needing some leather now, so I figure we'll have a new leatherworker's shop up soon. Somepony around here must know how to tan a hide.

I've been doodling more advanced trap designs and setups in my spare time lately. I call my latest "The Walk O' Doom" and I feel it's a fairly accurate name. I'm trying to work a way to make it work better on those damnedable badgerpegasi before I show the designs to Virtue, though. Not to mention that the wall needs to be finished before anything as fancy as the Walk will work.

Author's Note

*1 Equivalent to the Chief of Police.
*2 Protects the flanks.

10: One Brave Colt

Glyphs' glyphs, part 1

Okay, I know that's a bad joke but my sense of humor is a bit drained from working on these walls all the time.
I'd ask for a different job, but, back home you were given a job and you liked it, or left. Maybe it'll be different here.

Glyphs' Journal, part 2

I finally worked up the nerve to ask Virtue for a different job, I had been wanting to join the militia for a while.
So there I was in the dining hall all of my arguments lined up ready for a full blown debate, but she was fine with it.
No arguments no debate just a "let me see what I can do". Man now I wish I'd asked sooner.

Glyphs' Journal, part 3

I'm in the militia! Virtue shuffled some ponys around and split the squad into two.
I'm to work for miss Naginata, oops I mean captain Naginata.
I probably won't have a chance to write again for a while, I'll need to train pretty hard to be able to keep up with the rest.

Virtue's Diary - 5th Malachite, 254

I'm not sure how they keep getting in, but the miners ran into yet another pack of crundles in the mines today. No matter how thoroughly Halberd and his ponies search the mines and think they've cleared them out, more turn up. The caverns are pretty massive, we've only explored a small fraction of them for fear of running into more monsters like that... vomit... thing.

I was pretty frightened to hear that Naginata's son Rondel was caught up in one the fights with the crundles. From what the miners tell me though, he put up an amazing fight for a young colt. His mother would be proud, even if she spent the better part of five minutes scolding him for being down there in the first place. Panacea bandaged up his cuts quick enough, and he went off playing with his friends, who were quite impressed to hear of what he did. I hope they don't get any ideas and try to head down to the caverns.

14th Malachite, 254

Despite my fears, I haven't heard any news of any of the foals getting into trouble with things in the mines. Instead, I heard from Panacea this afternoon that Glaze gave birth to a unicorn filly named Purple Prose. The foal certainly was purple, but I'm not sure if she was joking about the name or not. I've never known Panacea to joke about something like that, so I'm putting it down as her official name in the roster.

In other news, I sort of hate to think about the fact that we still have close to thirty ponies without proper bedrooms. They've been sharing bedrooms up until now, so I designated some new bedroom construction against the east wall of the settlement. With a wall to work with, things should go a bit faster I hope. Once that's done we'll be moving on to finally getting a town hall set up. Carmine will be happy to know about that.

Speaking of Carmine, I asked him and Indigo to assist as masons for a while. With Glyph now in the militia, we were short one mason, but adding two in his place should make up for their inexperience. They both actually seemed pretty excited about the idea, since we don't have any use for their talents right now. Who knows, maybe they'll take a liking to working with stone?

26th Malachite, 254

Today is a day to celebrate, for sure! Carmine told me this afternoon that the last block had been placed in the wall, and we were now completely protected from sneaking thieves. With the drawbridge Flux helped design, we should be able to keep the badger ponies out with no difficulty. Of course, everypony that heads outside for any reason will have to remain vigilant, but it makes me sleep safer at night. To think, it took four years to get us to this point.

I was also happy to hear that we've got a few bee hives set up south of the dining hall. Sweet Nectar was happily setting them up and tending to her new... pets. I'm eager to get a little honey to eat with my bread or tea, or some mead with dinner, but I know I won't be straying anywhere near the hives if I can help it!

Naginata tells me that Glyph has been working pretty hard at his new position in the militia. I saw him headed to a practice session on my way back to my room this afternoon, and was pleased to note that the armor and weapon orders I put in for him have already been completed. He looked pretty happy, trotting around in the plates of steel, and I'm glad he's found something that he enjoys.

Naginata's Diary - 25th Malachite, 254

Things have been shaping up around here lately, that's for sure. With the new wall complete, we can finally start doing our job properly by monitoring the only choke point into the settlement: the drawbridge. I'm pretty confident we can keep it secure in the event of another attack by the badger ponies.

I hope we don't see any signs of those thieves again for a long time. Virtue asked me to take over my own squad, picking up half of our old squad plus a new recruit: Glyph. He's got a long way to go learning to fight, but he makes up for it with enthusiasm. And I have a lot to learn about leading and teaching. I just hope I can keep him out of trouble in a fight if it comes to that. I'd hate for him to get hurt because I haven't taught him properly.

I've also made quite certain that Rondel doesn't head anywhere near the mines again. He's got a lot of energy, but he's biting off far more than he can chew. He doesn't know how lucky he was to only get scratched up in that fight, and it would crush me if he got hurt badly. I think he understands though, he's a good colt and smart enough to know what could have happened.

I am a bit proud of him though, I must admit. He's got a bit of his mother in him, I suppose.

Glyphs journal 4

Well journal, I've been working hard at my new job. I never knew how tough training was.
Hauling stone, building walls, I thought I was pretty tough, well first time I put on that armor I practically fell on my face.
That stuff is HEAVY! Still it's better then working stone all day.

Glyphs journal 5

Apparently captain Naginata's colt snuck into the caves while nopony was looking.
I don't think that I've ever seen the captain so freaked out. Luckily he wasn't hurt but After the tongue lashing he got
I bet he wished he was. With any luck he will have learned his lesson but maybe I should watch him for a bit.

Glyphs journal 6

The captain told me I was making some progress. I'm definitely getting the hang of movin' around in armor, but
I still don't think I'm good enough. I've got to keep working, I have to be good enough to make Naginata proud.
To show that Miss Virtue's trust was not misplaced, I can't let either of them down!

Flux' Journal, Malachite 26

The wall is finally finished! Even better, it looks like the military is almost fully equipped as well! I'll be showing Virtue my new entryway design. It'll be a bit complicated, but I think it'll be a huge step up in security. Bridges and blade traps, I'm so excited!

11: Work in the Hospital

Virtue's Diary - 7th Galena, 254

Now that the curtain wall is finished, our masons are free to work on less important projects. The town hall has been sort of sitting in the back of my mind for a while, so that's what I set them to next. It's going to take a few months to get it completed, but I think Carmine will be pleased. It's not far from the barracks though, so I hope the noise of the militia sparring doesn't bother him too much.

I've also started thinking up some plans for an enclosed fishing pier. Now that the wall is finished, Ocean Breeze has been having to run all the way around the settlement to get to the fishing pond or river. More importantly, if she had to run from anything dangerous, she might not make it in time. The badger pony thieves have been quiet for some time, but I know they can't be far away. They'll be back, and when they return, I don't want her caught outside with no help.

For the moment, I've asked her to take some time to relax and be with her family. We have plenty of fish in our stocks right now, and perhaps enough food for a full year if we couldn't grow any more.

14th Galena, 254

The caverns are beginning to worry me again. Today some new... ape monster with long arms showed up and started attacking our miners. The militia hurried down to deal with it, where Fuscina put it down with commendable skill. As we continue to mine out marble deep below, we need to keep on top of keeping the caverns sealed. We've already run into a few unpleasant things below, I fear what else lives there.

16th Galena, 254

Today was a bit hectic. A zebra caravan arrived early this morning, and brought with them a small gaggle of more badger ponies. I knew they would be back, and I'm very glad now that I asked Ocean Breeze to lay off the fishing for now. The thieves managed to sneak up to our gatehouse somehow, where they were spotted by Arbalest at his catapult before they could get too close. The militia met them on the drawbridge, where they cut the badger ponies down. I'm pleased to say that nopony was seriously hurt, although Halberd got a pretty bad bruise on his flank.

The merchants have spent the better part of the day settling themselves and unloading. I'll take a look at their wares tomorrow if I have time, there are a few things that we're in need of.

20th Galena, 254

I couldn't believe it when I heard from the militia that there were even more badger pony thieves today! Counting the three a few days ago, this brings us up to six in a week, which is a new and unsettling record.

Worse, they got the jump on us this time, and a few of the militia were hurt. Halberd was furious, I could tell, and I later heard from the merchants that he sent one of the thieve's heads sailing off into the trade depot. I'm glad I wasn't there to see it...

Partisan had a bad cut on his wing, but he should be fine. Falcata broke her hoof in the melee somehow, but nopony really saw what happened. I'm most worried about Fuscina, who has a very bad cut on her leg, which Panacea thinks is broken too. She was bleedy badly, and was beginning to get faint. I feel terrible for them... but we're working on getting steel boots made for them all as soon as possible.

After that unpleasant news, I added some thread and cloth to the list of things to get from the merchants, which I was happy to see they brought plenty of. I took a few bins of cloth, a few bolts of thread, some pegasan wine and a bit of cheese to add to our supplies. Longshot was kind enough to tell me that the zebras are pretty fond of stone trinkets, so prior to their arrival I had our stoneworkers make a few bins of the things. Sure enough, the zebras took them happily in exchange for the supplies.

I dropped the cloth and thread off at the hospital, but Panacea was busy tending to Fuscina, so I left her to her work. I'll check back in the morning... I dearly hope they're all alright.

Falcata lay on her back, wings splayed out for balance, and sighed. Back in the hospital bed again, only this time not as serious. She absentmindedly trailed a hoof across her scar, her gaze fixed on the roof above. She stared deep into the patterns of the wood grain, resolving to do better next time. Even barring the fact that anything less than perfection could cause her or someone else injury, she hated not excelling at something. Though she hated the idea, she would really have to think about asking Halberd for some tips on axe wielding. Her tail lashed in irritation, her normal good humour and upbeat nature offset by the day's events.
She rolled over, injured hoof gingerly positioned as comfortably as possible, and tried to get some sleep. She was lucky to be alive, and that thought was not lost on her as she gazed out the window at the russet glow of sunset.

Glyphs journal 7

I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever be good enough to fight alongside Captain Naginata. There was another group of
badger pony thieves discovered today... I couldn't even hit one. All the training and I can't even score a blow on some
pathetic thieves! Even worse some of the other ponies got hurt in the fight. I can't let this chance I've been given
go to waste, but I'll have to be much stronger before I can even start to think of myself as able to prove myself to
Naginata, Not to mention Virtue. She's been seeming stressed lately... I would ask if there was anything i could do but...
I have to train more. Once I'm stronger, then Maybe I can help the others. Nopony else will get hurt on my watch, Not if I can help it.

Flux' Journal, Galena 20

I showed Virtue the design almost two weeks ago, and I think she liked it. She also agreed that it looks pretty complicated and would take a bit of time to finish. With all the trouble the last few days, though, maybe it'll get moved up in priority? A few of the fighting ponies took some pretty serious looking wounds. I don't think it's anything Panacea can't handle, but still. And that thing from the caverns! I don't think it hurt anypony, but it just looked so weird!

Maybe I should try to work on something to help secure the caverns also? I feel particularly uncomfortable with the thought of somepony getting hurt because of them. After all, we only dug that deep looking for my namesake. I'd hate it if somepony got hurt.

Virtue's Diary - 1st Sandstone, 254

We really need more doctors. Poor Panacea has been running ragged trying to care for our four currently wounded ponies. The news is good and bad. She tells me that Fuscina has some nerve damage like Glaive suffered, but since he's been getting along reasonably well despite it I think she'll pull through fine. Falcata's hoof has become infected, despite the fact that we have plenty of soap, but Panacea doesn't think it's too serious. At least she tells me that Partisan should be fine, she already took at look at his wing and the cut wasn't as bad as she thought at first.

The better news is that we've started in earnest on smithing some steel boots for everypony in the militia, so this will hopefully be the last we see of injured hooves and legs. Oh, and while the smiths are busy toiling away at protecting our militia, the town hall is coming along nicely. We just need to get a roof over it now, but from experience I know that will take longer than it looks.

3rd Sandstone, 254

I was standing out at the drawbridge, trying to figure out how we were going to fix some architectural problems when Diamond Shard came trotting up to me, telling me she heard something massive flying around in the caverns below. She couldn't see it, blocked off from us as it was, but she and the other miners were quite nervous.

I completely understand their worries, and I asked Halberd and Naginata to go check it out, just to be sure. They came back half an hour later confused, having neither seen nor heard anything. I believe Diamond Shard and Chic, but I think perhaps we lucked out and whatever it was took no notice and went about its business. Maybe it can't reach us anyway.

So I went back to reviewing the drawbridge. Flux came to me a few weeks ago with some plans for a more elaborate trap network to defend our entrance, and I must say I'm impressed. If I didn't know better, I'd have pegged him for a bit of a tactician! The final design will allow us to let in merchants and anypony else we want in, and when the situation warrants it, we'll be able to force intruders down a hallway of traps. Coupled with the moat that we've set back to work on, I feel safer already!

7th Sandstone, 254

Mortar stopped by my office this afternoon to tell me that we're running dangerously low on stone and blocks for the town hall. With them mining up marble for making steel, I'd nearly forgotten that was even possible, so I put in the order for some more shale and gabbro to be quarried. We'll get the town hall fixed up soon enough, I hope.

We finished tearing down the old drawbridge today, and I asked Totem, our residen bone carver with no bones to carve, to lend Flux a hoof in setting up some of the initial traps for the defense network. He didn't seem to mind, as I'm sure he's been quite bored sitting around with nothing to do all day.

Speaking of Flux, when I made my rounds to speak with him, I found out that we're running very low on charcoal again. I'll put in a word with Ashwood to see about getting some more trees cut.

It's still very much a work in progress, heh. The first row of traps are down past a drawbridge over the future moat. I might extend the moat into the dodge me fall areas, but at the risk of friendlies drowning I might just opt for more traps. We'll see.

Ashwood's Journal - 7th Sandstone, 254

Things have been pretty quiet around here for me lately. When we first settled here four years ago, I couldn't get a break, but lately I haven't had a whole lot to do. I've been spending time talking with everypony and lending a hoof at the carpenter's shop when they needed me, but I've been a bit bored.

Thankfully, Virtue took me aside today and told me that we needed some more trees cut, and the saplings outside the walls were beginning to get big enough to be worth chopping down again. I never thought I'd say I was happy to have to work, but it did feel good chipping in again. Apparently the unicorns can't turn the plants into wood fast enough!

I'll admit I was a bit nervous first stepping outside though. The badger pony thieves have been a real nuisance lately, and I didn't want to be joining Brook by one of them catching me by surprise. Fortunately, that didn't turn out to be a problem. At least, not yet.

Virtue's Diary - 9th Sandstone, 254

Today it was Barley's turn to be taken by one of these strange moods. He was down in the stills, working hard like he always does when he just walked up to the surface and took over our leather works. He grabbed the sole piece of leather we had, and set off to scrounge up whetever else he thought necessary. I'm not sure I like the expression he had... it was almost like his eyes weren't even his. He just kept mumbling the same things over and over again, different from what we've seen so far. I'll have to keep an eye on him.

In happier news, Partisan left the hospital today. Panacea had his wing bandaged up, and he looked well. I'm sure Halberd will have him back training in no time.

18th Sandstone, 254

I had a good scare today. Somehow Pewter found herself stuck in the bottom of one of the dried up ponds inside the settlement, and it was only by chance that Flux happened to be near enough to her to hear her cries for help. We immediately sent Diamond Shard to channel a ramp for her to get out. She was pretty weak from dehydration, but after a quick examination from Panacea, she went off to get some food and drink and to rest for a while. She should be fine. I'm thinking we might better floor over those ponds...

5th Timber, 254

Barley finally got a hold of everything he needed today and started working furiously on something. I'm pretty interested to see what it is, but I'm mostly just happy he got everything he needed. That possessed look he had was beginning to worry everypony in Dawnpick, not least of all me.

I'm extremely happy to note however, that Sarissa finally left the hospital today! Her hoof still isn't completely recovered, but she's getting around well enough to at least go back home. I think Halberd will keep her on light duty for a while at least, but I know she has to be happy to be out of the hospital finally.

12

Flux' Journal Sandstone 18

It had been a while since I had seen Pewter, but I hadn't really given it much thought. I've been pretty busy lately, what with the new gate and smelting more and more steel. Today, though, I ran into her. She had fallen into one of the dried ponds, and didn't look good. I ran to get somepony to help her, and Panacea said she just needs some food and water. Later, I thought I saw Virtue looking at the ponds and frowning. She probably has a plan to make them safer, she's a smart pony.

A sharp, repeating snick noise was distinctly audible to anypony walking by Dawnpick's busy hospital. The extremely bored source of said noise was Falcata, who had been flicking her tail against the wood of the bed for lack of anything better to do. She fidgeted again, restless. Pegasi weren't meant to lie still for this long! She needed to fly, stretch her wings, but Panacea was adamant that she stay inside until her hoof infection subsided. She trusted the doctor's judgement, and was thankful for the care everypony was showing her, but she wasn't very pleased about surviving an extremely grievous wound only to be laid low by another, fairly titchy, hoof fracture. She'd overheard a couple of ponies talking about strange sightings down in the caverns below, too. "Strange sightings"? She'd love to be down there right now; it sounded a good deal more exciting than yet another long day spent staring at wood.
As soon as she was out, she was going to take a good long really really really fast flight and bounce around on a few clouds. She had a lot of lost time to make up for, and, she thought, rolling her eyes, that time was getting longer every second.
The flicking noise resumed.

Glaive's Journal 11th Sandstone, 253

I've arrived at this place, Dawnpick, it's called. I was told it's a thriving mining town, but it looks like somepony was exaggerating. The place defiantly needs more security, what will be the surrounding wall is only about a quarter done, and militia, while sufficient for dealing with thieves, would never last against a proper attack by the enemy.

I've been sent here to join the defense. I hope I'll be given the chance to prove myself here.

Glaive's Journal 24th Sandstone, 253

I've been here in Dawnpick for 13 days. The people are all friendly, and the food is decent. One pony built a catapult outside the front gate and started throwing boulder's around with it. The noise was getting to me and I asked him if it was necessary to fire that thing this much. He said he was, “getting a feel for it.”

Glaive's Journal 17th Sandstone, 253

A thief was spotted by our siege operator today, the militia ran out to drive him off, but the coward tried to hide behind a foal. I fought him, but couldn't attack in earnest without risking the foal, and he managed to get me good in the leg. By the gods we managed to get the bastard though and saved the filly. My leg doesn't hurt that bad really, it did at the time, but it's mostly numb now.

Addendum: Discord take them! The Doctor Panacea told me that that blasted knife severed a nerve in my leg. It'll probably never heal. She says I'll be able to walk again, but it'll probably be with limp. Damn it all, how am I going to make it to Captain now.

Addendum part two: I've calmed down a bit now. I've heard a few ponies call me a hero for what I did, but I'm not. I just did my duty. Panacea, she's the real hero, patching up soldiers saving lives. Calming me down when I thought I was going to lose it. She's a sweet filly, pretty too. I wonder if she's taken.

Glaive's Journal 8th Moonstone, 253

It didn't work out with Panacea, turns out she's already spoken for. No surprise there, they always are. She's with some pony named Saw-Dust, a carpenter. humph. A few Diamond Dogs were spotted, likely after the gemstones Dawnpick exports. We drove them off, with no serious injuries.

Glavie's Journal 16th Obsidian 253

Falcata and Sarissa are hurt. Some thieves showed up and the militia was called out. I can't help but blame myself for their injuries. If I'd been faster, if I didn't have my damn busted leg slowing me down. If I'd seen them sooner. If I'd been better, then maybe Falcata wouldn't be in their choking on her own blood. It's all my fault.

17th Obsidian 253

It looks like Falcata is going to live. I'm relieved to hear that. I thought for sure she was done for. A punctured lung is usually fatal, but Panacea is a skilled surgeon, and she's fairly sure Fal will make it. Maybe now I can finally get some sleep.
17th Granite 254

Falcata showed up in the barracks today. She's finally able to get back to training.

Sarissa still isn't back yet. I wasn't even worried about her. A cut hoof is nothing compared to a punctured lung, but it seems the wound is infected, and she can't walk on it. I still feel responsible for both of them being in there, I'll visit Sarissa again later and see if I can do anything to make her more comfortable.

28th Felsite 254

Finally got a steel crupper. That's nearly a full suit of steel. You'd think by guarding an iron mine, we'd have an easier time getting steel gear, but we don't even have boots, or chain mail yet.

2nd Hematite 254

Under the ground here, deep in the mines is a large cavern. Apparently it's filled with dangerous critters. The militia was tasked with fighting some disgusting little creatures. One snuck up on me and took a bite out of my ear, while scratching me up something fierce. The pain was bad enough but the embarrassment of being taken by surprise by one of those Crundles is even worse. The captain must think I'm a complete fool.

5th Malachite 254

The captain's had us hunting those creatures, I've made sure not to be taken by surprise again. I won't underestimate a foe like that twice. But today, Naginata's son followed us down there. He got attacked by one of the creatures, we saved him, but I'm not sure he needed it. I saw him toss one of those buggers around with his magic. That's pretty impressive for a pony his age. I expect he'll join the militia soon as he's old enough.

20th Galena 254

Some more thieves ambushed us today. A few injuries around. Falcata broke a hoof somehow, Patisan's wing is mess up, and Fuscina's leg is cut badly, and it's possibly broken. I hope she didn't suffer any nerve damage. We don't need another limping militia pony.

1st Sandstone 254

Bad new's all around. Fuscina's leg suffered nerve damage, like mine. She'll recover, but she'll have to get used to walking different. Additionally Falcata's hood is infected, and Panacea is ordering her to stay off of it. She'll probably go crazy kept in bed unable to fly around. I'll visit her later.

11th Sandstone 254

Hard to believe I've already been here for a whole year. Still, it's only just starting to feel like home. The settlement's grown a lot in the past year. We've finished the wall, and added a few traps by the gate. It looks like this place is turning into a proper little mining town. Maybe I'll be able to make a name for myself here after all.
*1

(Writen in a scrible near the top) Trees! Trees! God I love Trees!... Not enough trees
Ashwood's Journal 21st Sandstone.
Been busy lately cutting down all the new saplings havn't had much time to write.
Also: Yay! For me finding this journal its been something like FOUR YEARS since I saw it.

Wings are so annoying sometimes, like last week I was outside (still somehow) cutting down trees when a fog decended on our fort I found out fog is some kind of cloud and was trapped for hours until the fog lifted. From now on if I see fog I don't even care if cutting down that tree will save the fort I'm going inside

Virtue's Diary - 9th Timber, 254

Any fears I had about Barley not getting everything he needed were unfounded, and he finished what he was working on today. He made a leather shield, which I suppose is more useful than a lot of other things he could have made. I'll let Halberd and Naginata decide if they want to use it somehow, or if he should just keep it. He calls it "The Touch of Leaves", which is an interesting if not wholly appropriate name.

18th Timber, 254

I'm happy to report that Fuscina left the hospital today. She seems to be getting along just fine, and when Billows presented her with her new set of steel greaves, she even cracked a smile. Hopefully nopony in the militia will be heading back to the hospital with broken legs anytime soon. We'll be getting started on some mail for them right after they've all got greaves. There will be plenty more smelting to do, and I'm torn on whether or not we should focus on the gate or equipping our militia.

I'm also glad to hear that the town hall is far enough along that Carmine and Ocean Breeze can move in. That frees up a regular room for somepony else, and we're one step closer to having a proper meeting place for any diplomats or our liaison.

21st Timber, 254

It took her a little while, but poor Falcata left the hospital today. I don't think I've ever seen her so happy, when I stopped by to see Panacea yesterday, Falcata looked like she just might go explode if she had to stay in there another day. I'm glad she's doing better.

22nd Timber, 254

It's been a while since we spotted any diamond dog thieves, but one was spotted near our old wood stockpile. Halberd and Naginata both brought their teams along to run him off, but that's all they managed to do. He was sent scurrying for the hills, and with their new armor the militia just weren't quite fast enough to catch him. At least he didn't hurt anypony, but he'll probably just head home and bring friends.

At least we're preparing for the worst, if that ever comes to pass.

On the lighter side of things, we've got a fair amount of stone quarried up and not much to do with it, so I had the masons start laying down some roads. That should help keep everypony's hooves from aching by sunset every day.

13th Moonstone, 254

The town hall is finally finished, after how long in hiatus? I should probably feel ashamed for letting it lapse this long. At least it's finished now, and we've got a few statues set up to liven the place up just a bit. Even another one of me, although I swear I didn't request it!

Anyway, I've got the carpenters busy again. We'll be setting up some more bedrooms in the northeast corner of the fort, using the existing wall as a foundation. That should speed construction up a good bit, so hopefully a third of our population won't have to hotbunk for all that much longer. One more thing I should be ashamed of, I suppose, that some have been here for years without a proper room.

Flux' Journal, Timber 18

I wrote a while ago that the military was almost done being outfitted, but it looks like I was wrong. I guess that's why I'm not in charge, Journal. Anyway, things have been pretty quiet. I've just been smelting as much as I can and doodling more devices in my spare time. I've come up with a few that are very strange, but they might work. Gotta get the gate finished first, though. And I gotta get back to smelting. We're a fairly small town, but we are so very steel hungry. Gotta keep us fed!

Glaive's Journal 9th Timber, 254

Barley has finished the thing he's been working on. It's a marvelous steel studded leather shield. He put an image of the founding of Dawnpick on it, and calls the shield the Touch of Leaves. Considering the amount of tree cutting that had to be done to get Dawnpick set up it seems like an appropriate enough name. The shield has been gifted to the militia to use, but neither of our captains are unicorns, they can't use a shield. Well not at the same time as a weapon like a pony with magic could. I wonder who they'll assign it to.

18th Timber, 254

Fuscina is out of the hostpital. That's always good news, but even better the militia is starting to get some more steel armor.

22st Timber, 254

A thief was spotted today. We gave chase but couldn't catch him, this new armor is heavy and having it around our legs tired us out to quickly. Nopony was hurt, but I feel that each escaped thief just makes us look weak to enemy encouraging more raids. Less armor would make us faster, but we've had too many injuries as it is. Hmm, perhaps a small additional squad of lightly armored ponies with crossbows could be used, for times when a quick response is necessary. Pegasi can cover even more distance faster, so maybe some kind of pegasus airforce could work. I'll talk it over with Virtue later.

Author's Note

*1 That's what you get when someone catches up on their journal entries. I've seen longer.

13: Evil Eyes and Martial Trances

Virtue's Diary - 25th Moonstone, 254

Not too much has been happening in the past few days, so I had a moment to chat with a few members of the militia and see how things were going. Morale seems to be pretty high lately, especially now that everypony is pretty much covered in a nice set of steel to keep them safe. We have just a few more boots to finish, but after that a set of mail shirts all around and they'll be set. They should be pretty much invulnerable to a thief's dagger with that armor, and hopefully if we do see anything bigger they'll be up for it.

Glaive had a few things to say about that though, and I think he's right. We've had a few thieves escape because they couldn't catch up, and even though they're getting used to the weight of the armor, they'll never be able to match the speed of a thief in cloth rags. He also pointed out the fact that we don't have anypony trained to use a crossbow in combat, and I can't fault his logic. Brook might still be alive if we'd had some marksponies in light armor ready to spring into action.

The problem is finding suitable recruits. Longshot is an amazing shot with his crossbow, but I'm not sure if he would be willing to join the militia. If he ever comes back up for mayor that's another issue. We have a few ponies around who might be willing, perhaps I should ask for volunteers. Or perhaps I could ask the liaison to send some more recruits. We'll see how it works out.

Oh, and I noticed that Halberd gave the shield to Glaive. When I asked the captain about it, he said that Glaive was the one who really earned it. Saving the filly from the thief and being the only pony other than Stiletto who could use it, he was the natural choice. I agree completely, he deserves it. I just hope it helps prevent any more injuries for him.

27th Moonstone, 254

Not two days ago I was speaking with the militia about the thieves, and another shows up. A diamond dog hopped into the trench we were digging for our moat and scared Marbles pretty bad. He came running inside shouting and waving his hooves about a thief, and I didn't even have to do a thing. Halberd and Naginata gathered their ponies and charged off after him, and despite our worries over not being able to catch him, the thief seemed to think it was a good idea to charge inside.

I hear Naginata put him down in an extremely painful manner. I'm glad I wasn't there to see it in detail.

Naginata's Diary - 27th Moonstone, 254

I'm getting quite tired of these thieves. Well, the badger pony thieves moreso than the diamond dogs, but I'm getting sick of both. Yet another diamond dog showed up today, apparently thinking he'd get the jump on Marbles in our dry moat. His mistake was following Marbles inside, where we met him and gave him what he asked for.

I just went for the first target that presented itself, but the rest of my squad seem to have been a bit put off by my tactics. Well, they'll learn soon enough that you don't play with the enemy, and use whatever tactic presents itself.

Virtue's Diary - 28th Moonstone, 254

Flux told me today that we're once again out of marble up here near the smelters. I forwarded that to our miners, who went back down to set back to work on the marble deep underground, and they found something a bit worrying. Chic came back up, telling me that the marble is starting to get very warm, almost too hot to touch. I'm not much of a miner, but when I asked Saw Dust about it, he confirmed that we must be digging near a magma pipe of some sort. I immediately told Chic to be very careful and start mining elsewhere. We can't take any chances with that.

13th Opal, 254

The militia was underground today, patrolling some of the paths near the caverns that are still open, and they found a pretty frightening monster down there. Falcata came across a giant eye creature with several arms and an evil look to it. I'm just thankful that it was so slow and cumbersome, the pegasus was untouchable during the fight if the rest of the militia saw it right. None of them had a chance to land a blow before she finished it off.

15th Opal, 254

While I was overseeing the construction of some more roads and bedrooms along the northeast side of the wall, I overheard that the militia found even more of those evil eyes underground today. Falcata got surrounded by them, and from what I hear she fought them off like a mare possessed.*1 She slew several by herself before the rest of the militia arrived to help her out.

It didn't end there though. On the way back up to the surface, they came across a large simian monster apparently called a blind cave ogre. The entire militia surrounded the giant creature and brought it down without a single injury to the lot. I'm growing worried though, the holes we're opening up to the caverns are turning up more and more frightening creatures. The steel protecting the militia is doing a fantastic job, but the rest of us don't have that luxury. I just hope an ogre doesn't stumble across Chic or Diamond Shard alone.

We really must get the caverns sealed up again. On the surface though, we're making progress on the moat. I've had Flux make some more mechanisms for a few screw pumps that he said we could use to divert the river to our moat. We're uphill of it, so it's going to take some work, but it should help out a lot once it's ready. Oh, and I have to break the news to Arbalest that we're going to have to move his catapult. We'll keep it inside the moat though, I think.

Interestingly, Falcata is now an elite wrestler because she kept grappling and bucking the eyes instead of hacking them with her axe. Turns out her axe was forbidden for some reason. Had to unforbid half of the militia's axes. What's up with that? I've heard this happens when they get embedded in enemies, maybe I should pay closer attention.

17th Opal, 254

Golden Grains was the next pony to be taken by a mood. One moment she was working the fields and the next she was trotting off toward the workshops. We'll see what she ends up claiming, I hope it isn't something we can't provide for her.

24th Opal, 254

The miners were down in the marble quarry again today, gathering up plenty of the stone for making more steel. At some point they heard the flapping of giant wings and some strange noises in general. I worry if some of the monsters down there might have returned, but we haven't seen a thing of them yet. I'll send the militia and some masons down immediately to check out the breaches into the caverns. We should seal them up right now, before it's too late.

The happy pegasus scooted along the floor of the damp, dark cavern, her red mane and pristine white coat a stark contrast to the muted browns and greys of the subterranean environment. Although most ponies would find the insidious, brooding caves filled with potentially horrifying monsters a rather unpleasant place, to Falcata anywhere was better than the tiny expanse of cloth and wood she'd been confined to for far too long. And besides, it was more exciting than anything! The feel of the damp, loamy moss beneath her hooves, the cooling breeze of the cavern winds (how was there wind down here anyway?), the eerie shining light giving a suitable air of myst-

Shining light. What? She skidded to a halt, gripping her axe even more firmly, and focused on the offending anomaly. The offending anomaly, upon closer inspection, was a great big eyeball, about two feet in diameter, with little arms sprouting out of it holding it firmly onto the cavern wall. Noticing her gaze, it winked menacingly at her. Or did it blink? If it only had one eye, was it blinking or winking? Such thoughts passed through Falcata's mind for barely a second, as the eyeball decided to interrupt her by launching itself straight at her, all four arms scrabbling and clawing at the air in anticipation of landing on her face. Falcata nimbly sidestepped, watching as the eyeball failed to correct its course.

smack

It impacted with the wall, deflating in a disappointed sort of way, before picking itself up and menacingly advancing again towards the axepony. No two-eyes-four-legs-shiny-grey-plating creature thing was going to make a fool out of it!

Several minutes later, the eye creature lay dead in several different pieces, strewn at random across the cave floor. Falcata was very, very pleased; finally she'd managed to put an end to something without getting some sort of horrible injury, and it turns out that her armour was light enough to let her dodge, weave and juke her way around enemy attacks as much as she usually did! Smiling, she turned on her hoof and trotted away, leaving the now-sightless eyeball to rot.

squelch

The axe sliced cleanly through the giant mushroom, its majestic cap tumbling to the ground after being severed from its stout, thick stalk. Falcata was on guard duty again, and had nothing better to do than practice on the local plant life. She poked the mushroom gingerly with her hoof, stumbling backwards as it poofed out a cloud of blue spores.
"Mmmmblrggh," she spouted in a muffled sort of voice, flapping her wings to clear the air. "Bleurgh, disg- oh."

In this case, "oh" referred to a large group of evil eyes, quite like the one she'd put down two days ago, arranged neatly around the wall in front of her, all blinking (winking?) at her in the same malefic manner.
"HELP!" she managed to shout, before the pack of aberrant monsters leapt at her, the combined white light shining from their eyes seeming to slow the passage of time even as she readied her axe to defend herself. Her foes, although numerous, seemed to be moving through treacle as she avoided their clumsy, inaccurate swings. As if in some kind of trance, she put a hoof straight through one, turning to duck under the attack of another as it burst like an overfilled waterskin.

The rest of the militia hustled round the corner, hurrying towards where they'd heard Falcata's cry for aid. As they rounded a great pillar of stone, fifteen feet high and just as wide, they came across ten or so of the eye-creatures Falcata had been telling them all about, all fleeing from an area further down the passage, from where they could hear somepony shouting various rude and unfriendly things concerning the eyeballs and their parentage.
After dispatching the unfortunate creatures with almost mechanical efficiency, and, worryingly, recovering a pony-forged iron axe from one, the militia finally galloped further down the passage, finding a frantic, furious, crimson and cream pegasus surrounded by several exploded, maimed, and otherwise not-alive-anymore eye creatures. She looked up, eyes wild, and almost immediately seemed to calm down, her wings folding up again and her mane deflating from its poofed-up, wild state.
"Did I win?" she ventured, smiling. "And, uh, anypony seen my axe? I think one of them might have, uh...taken it. Not that it, uh, well, yeah." She finished, blushing slightly and scraping her hoof across the ground awkwardly at the sight of some of the shocked faces among the militia. Not bad for the hospital's most frequent visitor!

Flux' Journal Moonstone 27

Work continues on the new gate and the militia continues to show their dedication to all of us here. Marbles was working on the moat when a diamond dog thief startled him. The cheeky thief actually chased after him inside the walls where the militia was waiting. Specifically, Naginata was waiting for it. I don't speak diamond dog, but I think the meaning was clear form the context. Very likely something along the lines of "OH SISTERS, THIS PONY BIT ME IN THE EYE! WHY IS IT SHAKING ME BY MY POOR EYE, AAAGGHHH! I am slain, blar." Naginata is definitely not a pony to get mad, wow.

Opal 15

Definitely need to work on something to secure the caverns. Falcata has been having fun with some of the nasty critters down there, but I'd still like to have something in place to defend the ponies hauling the marble and other components for steel. Maybe some cage traps? If we can tame any of those creatures, we might get some good beasts of war, or maybe just some new meat. Or maybe... *The rest of the page is various scribbles of what might possibly be trap designs.*

Glyphs journal 8
I haven't written here for a while, I've been busy with my training, but something happened earlier that I just had to record. I am always amazed when I watch Captain Naginata fight, but this time, it was almost... scary. A diamond dog thief decided it would be a good idea to chase one of the ponies who was working in the moat right into the middle of the fort. I... I didn't even know you could shake something around by the eye like that. Maybe... maybe I will ask Naginata for some extra lessons, I need a whole lot of work before I can even hope to be good enough to fight beside her.

Partisan looked at his request form carefully before he decided to take it to Halberd. The recent Diamond Dog thief had reminded him of something he had overheard and spent some time thinking about, and thus he prepared a form to ask for permission to train with a range weapon rather than a melee weapon like he had been doing before. The idea of removing his new protective metal shell did not sound pleasing but, if he could minimize the number of ponies that would visit the hospital, he owed it to all of Dawnpick to do so. Before he had the chance to even start looking for him, though. Partisan heard the distinguishable call of arms. He mindlessly darted toward his weapon and out the training area, fearing that it might be a case of life and death for somepony.

Several days later:

Partisan felt the rush of battle pouring through his veins after the huge fight with the eyes and that big-eye-less-cave-monkey-thing. The eyes were a mere measly warm up, but the monkey gave him some close calls. It actually built up his appreciation of the tin can he was wearing. That ape punched imprints into the cavern floor. If he had been wearing leather armor and had been hit, it would not have been its blue blood that he would have to wash out his mane. The thought made him shudder and look forward to the day he could take on something like that on his own. 'Maybe he should write up a request form for a spear.' he thought happily. 'They are perfect for piercing in-' His thoughts were broken by the sudden realization that he had forgotten something very important. With all the speed he could muster, he flew through the fort looking for where he left the form, but just could not manage to locate it.

Glaive's Journal 25th Moonstone, 254

I had my chat with Virtue. It seems that she's considering my advise about forming a crossbow squad. That's good to hear, it'll be nice knowing we'll have some more ponies watching our backs, should the badger scum decide to step up their attacks.

In happier news the Captain gave ME The Touch of Leaves, said I deserved it for saving that foal awhile back. I don't know if I'd say I really deserved it, but I'm one of the few Unicorns in the guard who COULD use it, so I accepted the honor gladly.

Now that I've had my hooves on it, I can tell it's very light, but strong. It won't be much for bashing, but it should stop just about any blow, and it's weight (or lack there of) should make it easier to get into position. I need to get some practice in with it before a real fight breaks out. Maybe Glyphs wants to spar, he could use the practice too.

27th Moonstone, 254

We had a few more thieves recently. Captain Naginata actually bit one in the face and shook it around. It was an impressive display of strength. Although I can't help but feel that another strike with her weapon would have dispatched the thing faster.

15th Opal, 254

Falcata ran into a group of these large single eyed critters in the caverns. She called out but she managed to kill or wound all of them before we arrived. That Falcata, she's really something else. Not someone I'd want to piss off. But she could be a very useful friend. I'll invite her out for drinks later, to "celebrate".

After, the Eye's business we ran into an Ogre on the way back. We surrounded it and took it down with little trouble.

Jaxler's diary

well I’ve been here a long time but until now I found no reason to wright down my daily events, but now that part 1 of my plan is done I’m quite content with my future and see reason to wright down my events. I’ve successfully integrated into this fort, not a single person has even wondered why such a pony walked for miles to such a place, the probably thought up reasons like "he was looking for a land of promise" or "a new life" or "the king forced him to come" but no I came here to...

Phase 2 is already happening I’m getting drafted into the ranged squad, its perfect I’m on my way. I’m ready to start killing again. I'm ready to fight, all I need to do is make my way up to the highly esteemed rank of squad leader. All I need to do is wait, my policy is that the last person to join a battle is the first man to walk out. All I need to do is find a way to dispose of my problem leader.

Man these ponies they dig and they dig. they refuse to think about stuff like PROFIT. I read somewhere that if there is magnetite then there is platinum, why don't we take it from this land and make it our own, and become the richest ponies in the whole continent, of course money gives me us power in which case I can skip to phase 4 POWER.

but soon... oh so soon... I rise up

Author's Note

*1 A Martial Trance. Do I really need to explain this?

The Roleplaying starts in earnest! At least the writing itself is concise for the most part...

14: Personal backstories start to emerge.

15th Opal

Falcata sauntered into the barracks, finding it empty as she'd expected, since there was no sparring matches or training scheduled right then. With a quick glance around and a kick to the door to shut it, she sighted what she'd been looking for. The Touch of Leaves, that masterwork shield that Barley had made a good while back. She'd been in the hospital when it had been triumphantly revealed to everypony, and she'd wanted to get a good look at it for a while now.
Now that she could see it for herself, hanging proudly on the wall, she saw that people hadn't even been exaggerating about its quality. Rings of iron and steel studs on perfectly tanned leather? Almost like a chainmail shield; what a marvellous idea! Not being a unicorn, she could never use it, but hey, didn't mean she couldn't appreciate form blended perfectly with function, did it? The little picture of Dawnpick's foundation was rather nice, too. The magnetite's lustre really contrasted well with the leather's more natural texture. Was that an astute artistic observation or just meaningless flowery descriptive crap, she wondered to herself. Whatever, it was pretty.
She poked it with a forehoof, listening to the clinking and jingling of the iron rings as the shield swung gently back and forth. Her mind quickly wandered, being an easily distracted sort of pony, and she found herself thinking about the shield's current bearer, that strange unicorn, Glaive. With his beard. She'd thought only buffalo could have such fine quantities of facial hair, but he'd proven her wrong. A nice pony, too, that one. One of the only ponies who'd taken the time from his busy schedule to come visit her and Sarissa when they'd been stuck in hospital, and he'd seemed pretty cut up about it too. She remembered he'd been adamant that he'd been at fault for her injury, though for the life of her she couldn't figure out why he'd felt that way. A really nice guy; maybe too nice for the often-grim job of hacking things to pieces.
In fact, bugger this. She'd hardly spoken to anyone all day; probably all a bit spooked by the way she'd gone slightly mental and violently strewn bits of eyeball all over a cave. She'd never bothered to thank him for coming to visit her, either.
She abruptly turned on her hoof, having reached a decision, letting the shield swing to a halt as she skimmed gracefully out the door, heading off to find Glaive.

As Falcata searches for Glavie she spots him walking into the dining hall. He sticks his head in and appears to look around and then turns back out, he looks disappointed but then he spies Falcata approaching from the barracks. He walks toward her and says,

"Hello, and good afternoon Falcata, how are you doing today?"

She tilts her head slightly, curious. Who's he looking for, hm? Somepony I should know?
"I'm fine, thank you, Glaive," she replies warmly, stopping just beside him. "How've you been yourself? Training hard, I hope?" She smiles, and gestures with a foreleg to the hall beyond the open doors.
"Shall we? That is, if you're not busy looking for somepony...?" She tails off, curious to hear his answer.

"I've been fine, keeping busy. Trying to get some practice in with my new shield before the next raid, you know."

Glavie sees her gesture to the doors.

"I was actually looking for you. I thought I'd ask you to join me for dinner. If you don't mind that is." he smiles sheepishly.

She flushes, her face tinged crimson with surprise, but recovers quickly enough.
"I'd be delighted," she said, a grin breaking out on her face. "So, uh, let's go?"
She leads the way into the hall, swishing her tail contentedly as she goes.

Glaive holds the door to the dining hall with his magic for Falcata, they find a table to themselves, and get some food and drink. After they get settled...

"So...how's your hoof doing? Panacea had you staying off it for quite some time."

In answer to his question, she waves the forehoof in question about vigorously.
"Fine, really. Healed up perfectly and all; I guess it wasn't that hard for me to recover after getting plenty of practice with my chest wound." She giggles slightly, surprising even herself by being not at all unhappy at the memory. "The worst bit was having to stay in that bed for so long. I don't know how a unicorn like yourself would take it, but pegasi just aren't meant to be cooped up so long. At least you could, I dunno, practice some magic, but wings don't exactly lend themselves well to a long stint of inaction."
She buries her face in a plate of food, unabashedly ravenous.
"So," she mumbles, mouth full, "how's the shield? And good job on earning it, too. Really brave of you to chase that snatcher so far from the fort like that."

"The shield is a true work of art. Light but very strong." Glaive takes a bite of his food and a sip of drink. "I'm honored to be chosen to wield it, but I don't know about having really earned it. I just happened to be closest to the snatcher, I did what anypony would have done. I'm no hero."

As he talks about the attempted foalnapping he rubs his bum leg where that snatcher's knife cut him.

She snorts in disagreement, but starts smiling. What a gentlecolt; so modest about it!
"Still, would others have run so far? There could have been more of them out there; surely you thought about that? And yet you kept on going, never giving up. I think you're being too hard on yourself."
She lets the matter drop, interested in something else.
"So, I bet you get this a lot, but I have to ask," she queries tentatively, fidgeting, "...what's with the beard?"

He laughs at the question.

"Ha Ha, Yes, I do get that a lot. I know most ponies can't grow one, but it runs in my family, hells, I've got a second cousin in the capital named Star-Swirl with one twice as long and thick as mine. Great Grandpa used to say that we had Buffalo blood in us, that caused it, but he was a little senile and I don't know if it's true."

"That reminds me of a story. When I was younger I didn't much care for the beard, so one day I tried to trim it, but I shaved it too close to the skin. Ha, if I get strange looks as a bearded pony, that's nothing to the looks I got with a bald face. Oh the embarrassment."

Glaive laughs at himself.

"But well, the beard has grown on me since then, if you'll pardon the pun. And it's more trouble to keep at the normal length than I'm willing to deal with."

Glaive takes a large swig of his drink.

"So, where are you from Falcata? What brings a Pegasus like you out to a middle of nowhere mining town?"

She submerges her face in her drink, guzzling plenty, before resurfacing to answer:
"Pretty much the same way I imagine most everypony else got here. The King heard word that Dawnpick was up and running, I guess, and soon enough posters asking for volunteers to venture out and help make it into a proper town were put up everywhere. I was just a low-ranking axepony in the city guard, and there's really no need for one so big back at Coupledye; it's practically crime-free. So, naturally, being young and headstrong, I made the decision to migrate. After all, sounded like a great little adventure to me," she says, rolling her eyes a bit.

Jaxler gets out of bed and looks out the window, he looks at the shadow of a tree in relation to the north and says to him self "damn its only 3 p.m." he gets out and picks up his ax and thinks to himself "another day of felling trees" he goes out and starts hacking them 1 by 1, another day of the mundane the only thing making him wish to keep on hacking is the fact that he overheard halberd and Partisan talking about new recruits and whom they would put in the militia, he heard his name come up and was convinced that he would be drafted, he knew he would be put in the squad and he knew that his plan could finally move forward, so he hacked and slashed as he calculated his next step, he knew it was his time, he was ready to move up the ranks of the military as he did before, and as the day was reaching an end his ax was many times duller then it was hours before. Then he saw a small earth pony whom he had seen around the fort walk up to him, before Jaxler to could say hello the pony ran up to him and told him he had been drafted, and he was to stop his eternity chopping trees, take the day off, and report for training the next day. Jaxler made a smile and he looked at the pony in the eyes, his dark red piercing eyes looking deeply into his soul and said with a dark voice, "oh... that's just perfect", the small earth pony looked at him wondering why he was glad to be drafted.

Jaxler then retired to the tavern picked up some rum and gladly drank it, he then looked across the room and saw two ponies enjoying a drink together, he decides not to intervene, and continues to drink his 3rd barrel of rum. He then looks outside after downing the barrel and looks to the moon and says "good only 9 P.M." he looks across the room and thinks about those in the room. He sees a militia alicorn, two other militia members sharing a drink, Virtue and her lover, another black Pegasus names Cleaver or something, and a rather small child. He curses to himself disgusted by the alicorn, he then decided to drink his brains out in celebration of his military future (and to help him forget about the alicorn's presence in the room) Jaxler then gets up to go grab a barrel of raspberry wine. When he came back the alicorn moved to his seat. Jaxler looked across the room to the alicorn with his blood red eyes, and the alicorn said, "I just heard you got drafted". Jaxler was pissed, he was only half buzzed and now his seat had been stolen from him, but most of all his shear hatred of alicorns fueled his rage. His deep red eyes looked deeply into those of the alicorn. He walks up to the alicorn with a bright happy smile he says, "you know that's my seat right?” The alicorn says "is it really anypony's seat" Jaxler then patted her on the back made a smile and said "your right" and bucked the winged unicorn in the eye knocking her out, sat down at his seat, laughed and continued to drink his booze finally giving him the desired level of drunk.

The two ponies (Falcata and Glaive) get up while the rest of the room stares at him. "What? I like this seat". Falcata punches him in the face, Jaxler doesn't move an inch and says "Uh... Ow why'd ya do that?" Stiletto was coming to as Jaxler took another two punches not even flinching, Jaxler then says "I'm not gonna be subdued unless you actually use your weapon... or you stop hitting me, and talk it out... and if you keep hitting me I’d love to punch you in the face" all said with a clam voice as another punches flies through the air and hits him in the face. Stiletto now fully awake grabs Jaxler by the neck. Jaxler hits the ground knocked out.

Sitting back down, Glaive decides to ignore the recent outburst, and to just try to return to his conversation, and to his dinner.

"So, uh, we where talking about how you came here, and you where rolling your eyes. Do you regret the decision now that your here?"

Falcata was enjoying herself. She was having a great night, and was just finishing a complex eyeball manoeuver when she was interrupted by what felt like a brick wall.
Upon sitting up and conducting a closer inspection of the newly arrived problem, she found that Stiletto had apparently decided to pay them a visit. Violently. And unconscious.
She was understandably very unhappy with this, but was interrupted yet again from shouting at the other mare by the sound of somepony laughing. Possibly at her. Oh, boy.

She felt herself being lifted from the ground, a rictus of magic playing about her; Glaive, a true gentlecolt in his own right, was giving her a helping horn. She turned to thank him, but caught sight of the offending source of sound. Some black-coated, red-maned pegasus (Ashwood? She wondered briefly, before deciding she didn't care) seemed to find the whole situation hilarious. Presumably he'd been the one to send Stiletto on her unannounced visit.
Now, normally, Falcata considered herself very slow to anger. In fact, she saw her extraordinarily long fuse as a strong point of her character. However, she didn't even bother thinking about this as she rocketed across the room, in a fury and oblivious to her surroundings. She impacted thunderously with the offending pegasus, and didn't even bother trying to explain herself to him. She just started trying to silence the uncouth idiot with a few well aimed hoofblows, knocking him off his seat onto the floor.
Or at least, that was the intention. He wasn't moving at all despite her flurry of blows, and she was a bit worried, to tell the truth. "Not moving" was a new one on the list of things which happened to other things when she hit them, at least for a lightweight pegasus. He was saying something, too, but for some reason she couldn't hear him. Then she noticed the magical field surrounding him, holding him firmly in place and explaining his lack of movement. That matter sorted, she turned round to see exactly what other new development she'd have to deal with.
She saw a very, very angry alicorn radiating intense magical energy. Small bolts of energy played about her horn as she flew unerringly towards the troublemaker, and Falcata felt herself pushed away by her magic.
"Sit, please." intoned Stiletto, in glacial tones. "I will handle this."
Falcata did not want to sit please; she wanted to incapacitate the insolent pup who'd interrupted her dinner before going back to any kind of sitting. The alicorn's gaze and unearthly voice, though, were enough to convince her that it was probably best to do otherwise, and so she retreated back to her table rather quickly. Alicorns were scary, and she'd be surprised to see the other pony in one piece come tomorrow.

Stiletto walks from the dining hall with Jaxler in magical tow, stoically ignoring the intense ache in her eye. She imagined she could feel a little blood trickling from the corner of her eye, but she really didn't care. This insolent stallion wasn't going to just get away with this, drunk or not.

Now, the question was, should she handle it herself? Let Virtue handle it, or hand him over to one of the captains? Partisan has been bumped up to captain of a new rapid response force and that's who Jaxler had been assigned to, but Halberd or Naginata would probably be a bit more creative on how to handle this. Virtue could find out about it later. She was a bit soft about these things, if Stiletto had to guess.

Huh, come to think of it, they didn't even have a jail yet. Hadn't needed one. Why did this pony have to come and mess that up? Had to happen eventually, she imagined.

Well, this time of night, Halberd, Naginata and Partisan wouldn't be on duty, so she'd just tie him up somewhere maybe. They could deal with him in the morning, and he'd have some time to think about what he'd done.

Falcata bounced back down in her seat, flushed red from the embarrassment and exertion.
"Oh dear, sorry, thanks for helping me up, sorry, I just, I don't like seeing someone, Stiletto, getting, um..." she tried to apologise, getting muddled after only two words and promptly giving up on the idea. "Yeah, um, sorry."
Glaive tactfully ignored the recent outburst, and asked her a question.
"Oh, no, no! It's great here, really; most everypony is nice and there's plenty to get up to! It's just that, on reflection, I should probably have put more thought into the decision, even though I'm glad I made it, if you know what I mean." she replied, calming herself down.

Glaive smiles.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I came here for similar reasons. To understand why I came you need a bit of background. You see, being a soldier is just part of being in my family. Has been for generations now, it's what we're good at."

He gestures to his cutie mark, a pair of crossed bronze axes, behind a steel kite shield.

"It's in the blood you know. Growing up there was no question that I'd join the army just like my Pa and his Pa before him, and his Pa before him and so on. I didn't always like that, having my future just decided for me before I was old enough to make up my own mind, obviously I came around to the idea, but well that's another story for another time."

"I came to Dawnpick after completing my first tour of duty in the army. A dreadfully uninteresting campaign, I'll have to bore you about it some other-time. I had dreams of coming here to the 'edge of civilization' and carving a name for myself. Honor and Glory and all that, with a big adventure, an enemy worth fighting, and a fortune to be made. The things every young bored soldier dreams about I'd imagine. I've been in Dawnpick a little over a year, and while I don't regret coming here for an instant. It wasn't what I was expecting."

She laughs shakily, recognising the feeling.
"I know what you mean. The first six months or so were pretty much what I was expecting, what with the patrols and training and such, but spending another age in hospital definitely counts as unexpected."
She sighs, fixing her gaze on the floor, her mood becoming more serious and less jaunty than before.
"Like I said, there was never much to do in the capital. I was never really challenged back home, and that certainly came round to bite me in the tail out here. I can't let that happen again - ever. It sure seems like an adventure when you're packing your bags, eager to set out, but it's a harsher reality than that. Lives depend on me and my skill with the axe; that's something I've come to realise, something that never crossed my mind before I came out here.
Having said all that, though, I wouldn't dream of going back for an instant. Not even for a second. This place is my home now."
She glances at his cute mark, pensive.
"I notice the axes sit behind the shield. Does that symbolise you as a protector, a defender?"

"Ay, that it does. I said I wasn't always sure I wanted to be a soldier, well their was an event in my foalhood that changed that. It's, not an event I like to talk about. But suffice it to say, I learned that day, that often it's not about fighting to kill your enemy, it's about fighting to protect something or somepony worth protecting."

"Aye, but this conversation has taken a turn toward the somber, let's talk about something else. What about you? What's your family like?"

Falcata smiles, flicking her mane out of her eyes before replying.
"Well, my dad travels as a guardspony with the merchant caravans between the capital and the zebra lands. A great, big, happy, boisterous earth pony by the name of Zweihander. I guess you could sum him up as a bit of a gentle giant, but he's more like a bear if you were to raise his hackles. My mum, Cirra, she used to be a long range courier pegasus for a couple of important types high up in the nobility. Not any more, though, she's not up to flying so many leagues these days."
Again, she plunges into her plate of food, taking a huge mouthful before continuing:
"I never really saw that much of my mum; she was almost always off delivering some missive to somewhere strange and far away. My dad, though, he was always around; the caravans only run once a year, and even when they did he'd take me with him. The whole "guarding" thing was almost a formality; there's not that much danger along the road, strewn with guard posts, checkpoints and small villages as it is."
"When I said that I wanted to go off on this expedition, they were all for it, my dad especially. He was so proud to see me following in his hoofsteps, and I hope I do him proud."
She finishes speaking, dipping her face back into her beverage and guzzling some more down.

"Your dad should be proud of you. You're an amazing fighter, just think of what you did to those evil eye things."

Glavie waits for a moment as Falcata takes another bite of her food.

"uh, You've got a bit of food on your face, here." Says Glavie telekinetically lifting a napkin to her. He pauses for a moment, considering to himself whether it would flirtatious or creepy to wipe it off himself. His impulse to do it himself overrides his possibly better judgement and he gently wipes the smudge from Falcata's face, with the napkin. He immediately has second thoughts, and braces for her response.

She giggles, slightly amused at how obviously he tensed up, thinking he might have offended her.
"Thanks," she says brightly, not done yet. "You forgot about your own face, though. Right there," she says, gesturing.
Glaive rubs the napkin over the spot indicated, momentarily obscuring his vision. When he finishes, before he can ask if he got it off or not, he notices that a large bite of his dessert has mysteriously disappeared, with the pony opposite him trying desperately to keep a straight face.
"Yes?" she asks, innocently.

He chuckles.

"Ah, as sneaky as you are strong. I like that. But if you wanted a bite you could have just asked."

He rips a piece of his cupcake off with his magic and floats it toward her.

"Want another piece?"

She rolls her eyes in an exaggerated manner. "No, silly, it tastes much nicer when you're not being offered it!"
That said, she quickly grabbed the rest of his cupcake, which he'd left sitting on the table, and scoffed it down, eyes twinkling with amusement. The small chunk was left hanging in the air, now the only remnant of the once-majestic chocolatey treat.

"...Is that so?"

Glaive pops the floating bit of cupcake into his mouth, swallows it, and smiles at her.

Their meal now complete, Glaive looks around at all the other ponies talking, drinking, having a good time, and generally making a lot of noise in the dinning hall.

"It's so noisy in here. You know, I've got a bottle of wine back in my room that you could try and snatch from me next."

He gestures a hoof toward the door, with a hopeful look on his face.

She raises an eyebrow, before taking off, hovering a few inches above the floor.
"I like wine,' she says. "A lot."
She glides smoothly over to the doorway, holding it open while watching as Glaive gets up and follows her. They exit the hall together, talking animatedly as they proceed along the corridor towards the promised wine bottle.

The next morning:

Jaxler woke up chained to a tree and says "damn its only 2 P.m., Ug why don't I remember anything after punching that alicorn last night, AW FUCK THE SUN, aw my eyes... oh now I know, I must have blacked out after that forth barrel of wine, but why am I chained to a tree, oh the DAMN alicorn must have gotten up and done something while I was blacked out (had to wait for me to get knocked out... coward, can't just let a pony black out in peace, O SHIT HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET TO THE TRAINING SESSION, shit my head, I should try not yell like that again, ug what do I do about this god damn chain, hay why is that guy walking to me... in armor, oh there is two, wait three, wait... oh shit ether I'm getting punished, executed, or released. Man this hangover should be enough punishment... " Then he yelled with a happy calm voice "HAY YA HOW YALL BEEN, NICE TO SEE YOU GUYS, AM I GETTING EXECUTED!"... Ah damn why did I yell..."

"So... am I getting killed or not pleas te" Jaxler suffers a huge blow to the head knocking him unconscious. A few minutes after having been knocked unconscious Jaxler awoke and said "hay really now... a bag over my head, that's kinda cliché" Jaxler then thinks to him self "man the way the wind is blowing... they're taking me west... well at my hangover wore off... now I can think straight, odds are they aren't gonna kill me for battery, so I best avoid any more physical conflict, I guess I could run/fly if things did get bad for me. Man they knew what they were doing, these ropes are so tight I can barely feel my wings, OW... really another blow to the head, I guess I could play dead and force the damned man who's hitting me to drag me the distance... well at least they undoubtedly think I'm just another stupid drunk who’s only concern is to find another barrel of rum, that makes shit a lot easier, Ow... oh... man my wings, I hate being bound like this, Ow... I can't see any light coming through my bag, and the wind stopped, and looks like the man positioned me on a seat... well there about to take off this bag, I can't wait to see who they are" (Jaxler’s blood red eyes start to nearly glow with hate as bag gets lifted from his head).

Jaxler Then for the first time in his stay in Dawnpick shows his fear on his face as the he sees those around him, but he quickly recovers and shows a strait face as if he were waiting. Then Jaxler says "so... I thought battery wasn't such a high profile crime down here" as a grin moves across his face "I hope you know I don't feel much pain". Jaxler put out a laugh as if to challenge all in the dark room as his eyes dilate into a near serpent like shape then Jaxler says with his deep dark voice "I’d love to see you try to make me feel REAL pain" Jaxler's eye's looked into each of his holders eyes, penetrating there very souls with pure hate, his smile then widens as he lets out a small chuckle... Jaxler's punishment has begun.

15: Badger Ponies and Maps

Virtue's Diary - 25th Opal, 254

Despite our fears, the monstrosity overheard below hasn't seemed to have surfaced. I'm asking the militia to keep on high alert though, just in case.

Speaking of the militia, there's been a few important changes there: when I went asking around about volunteers for a new rapid response force, Halberd told me that Partisan wanted to volunteer for it. I also happened across Miter (who asked me to call him Jaxler from now on), who volunteered to join Partisan. That only gives us two ponies for the job, but I think that's enough for the badger pony thieves we've run into so far.

I considered just bumping Partisan up to captain of a new squad, but when I thought about it, he's really fulfilling a different role. He'll be overseeing the safety of the citizens that are outside, so I think I'll make his squad a guard and making him captain of the guard. It's not a particularly fancy position, what with only a single pony under his command, but it should give him a chance to prove himself. I'll have to see about getting him an office set up.

To address the hole that Jaxler put in our wood working industry, I asked Glaze to take his place. She hasn't had much work lately, so it should give her something to do. Knothole also came to me today asking if he could try mining for a bit instead of cutting wood. He said his real name was Powder Miner, and that Knothole was just a middle name of sorts, and that he was actually a pretty decent miner. I told him we could try it out and see how it works. I asked Sushi to pick up cutting wood for him in his absence. We haven't needed any fish cleaners since I asked Ocean Breeze to stop fishing for now.

Which reminds me, I should get back onto the enclosed fishing pier.

6th Obsidian, 254

This morning I was quite surprised to find Jaxler chained up not far from my office. He seemed to have a couple of black eyes (hard to tell with his black fur), so I was pretty alarmed. I immediately went to Halberd to find out about it, and he just pointed me to Stiletto. She had a black eye too, and I was beginning to get an idea of what happened.

When I pressed her for it, she told me that he'd bucked her in the eye last night for no apparent reason. She's always had a very calm demeanor, so I was surprised to find out that she hit him back, but I suppose if somepony bucked me in the face I'd probably return the favor if I could. She insists that he hurt himself falling down in the dining hall, but I know better. Still, I won't say anything to her about it, I'm sure the militia is handling that internally.

I can't believe Jaxler would do this just a few days after joining the militia. We don't have a jail, because we haven't needed one, but I suppose the time is coming where that's unavoidable now. The real irony is that Partisan is now captain of the guard and so has authority over what happens to him. When I asked about it, he told me that they'd keep Jaxler chained up for a week or so, and would probably have him doing menial things for a while afterward.

I hope this isn't a bad omen. I'm going to go see Flux about getting some more preparations for a future jail made. A few chains should do, I don't want anything close to a dungeon here, we're not like that in Dawnpick.

In happier news, I noticed Glaive and Falcata being a little more than friendly today while off duty. I don't have a problem with it, but I wonder how Halberd will take to love birds being in the same squad?

8th Obsidian, 254

Golden Grains finally started working on his mysterious construction today. While I was busy watching him work away furiously, I took some time to update the map of Dawnpick. It's a lot more interesting than the map I scribbled several years ago.

Huge Map, Beware!

Legend:
1. Arbalest's catapult - didn't have to move it for the moat after all!
2. The incomplete moat
3. Trade depot
4. Main stockpile (still have a few things not offloaded to specific stockpiles)
5. Hospital
6. Jeweler's workshop
7. Housing
8. Barracks
9. Town hall
10. Virtue's office (and Jaxler chained up just to its east)
11. Dining Hall
12. Fields
13. Forges, smelters and furnaces
14. Archery range
15. Leather works
16. Glass workshop
17. Mechanic's workshop
18. Craftspony workshops
19. Well
20. Soapers workshops and ashery
21. Some strange building I found out back (love shack)

Undergound storage:

Legend:
1. Moat
2. Pig tail farm
3. Food storage
4. Alcohol storage
5. Butcher's shop
6. Well cistern
7. Kitchen
8. Stills

12th Obsidian, 254

Golden Grains finishes what he was working on: a crown. Not sure how we'll put that to use, nopony here is even of any nobility! It is pretty though.

15th Obsidian, 254

We had a diamond dog thief show up, skulking around in the dry moat. He scared Chic off while she was digging away at expanding the moat, but in the panic he fled instead of giving chase. Partisan and Jaxler flew off after him, but they didn't have all of their gear yet, and didn't manage to get any shots off before he fled.

Otherwise, we had a rainbow pony caravan show up today. We traded a lot of rock crafts (still not sure why they love these so much) for a lot of leather (for armoring Partisan and Jaxler), a lot of wood, some cheese and a bit of booze.

Oh, speaking of Jaxler, he was released yesterday. I hope he doesn't try anything again, from what I understand, Stiletto could easily kill him if she had the mind to. I really hope it doesn't come to that.

21st Obsidian, 254

Something happened today that made me sick to my stomach. We had another badger pony thief show up outside the gates today. Apparently they're finally getting wise to trying to get inside the walls, and he decided to wander down into the mines. Verdant Flash has a bad habit of following the miners down there, despite his mother's warnings, and the thief blundered into him. When he failed to snatch the foal up, he stabbed the poor colt in the leg to subdue him before trying again.

By now, thank goodness, Naginata's squad arrived at the mines. I didn't witness the fight, but she apparently converted the thief into something completely unrecognizable by the time she was done with him. I heard the poor colt crying in the hospital for hours afterward. Panacea tells me he was more shaken up than anything, and that his leg should be fine. Naginata hasn't left his side, and I don't blame her. I'll stop by again in the morning and check up on the two of them.

Naginata's Diary - 21st Obsidian, 254

Some time ago, Virtue asked me why I wanted to stay in the militia when I had a family that would miss me if anything ever happened to me. Today I gave her her answer in blood. The blood of my child.

If I hadn't been there to save him, that thief might have killed him or worse. I can't bear to think what horrors would have awaited him if that thief got away, so I didn't give him a chance. I think I might have put off the rest of my squad with my enthusiasm (Glyph in particular stood slack jawed at the carnage), but let me tell you, when your children are endangered nothing else matters.

These thieves are working on my last nerve. First they try and take my husband Marbles from me, and now they try to take my child from me. Let the cowards face me instead, I'll show them how I feel about that.

Virtue's Diary - 23rd Obsidian, 254

So apparently the thieves haven't wised up at all. Two badger pony pegasi flew over our walls today. One wandered near the housing where he ran into Falcata, who quickly bisected him with her axe. The other wandered into the barracks. What he thought he'd find in there, I don't know, but he found a mass of furious soldiers who quickly showed him the folly of his actions. It was quite a mess. I happened to actually see this fight, and even little Rondel (who had been watching his mom train) got a few bucks in on the interloper.

If there ever was a foal destined for the militia, it's him! I don't know how his mother feels about it, though.

I went by to see Verdant Flash this morning, and he seems to be recovering well. He's calmed down a lot at least. Panacea is a wonder at that, I must give her that.

25th Opal, 254.
I don't know how many times I've said this, but I've never been the best at writing my thoughts out in words- I mean just look at this thing. There are pages hanging out, some pages are written upside down, and even I have a hard time finding my way through it. I don't normally write in this thing much, but today signals a turning point in my life in Dawnpick! I finally went up to Virtue and explained that I was actually named Powder Miner, not Knothole, (never understood my middle name.) and I'm actually going to be back to mining, like I learned I was good at back in the clan. Kinda seems the tiniest bit small when I realize how far it is away for my skill to reach the that of my great-grandfather (He was a legend...), but then I look at it again and I just realize that it's not that hard. And just to prove it, here we go. Another step.

5th Obsidian
Whoa! There was a fight in the dining hall today, apparently between Jaxler and the alicorn Stiletto. They were actually kicking each other, and apparently going for the eyes. Eventually Jaxler had been taken away and chained up, meaning I guess he was the aggressor, but I don't know what can get two ponies so angry, and it certainly isn't good.

12th Obsidian
((Edited this entry since I realized my pony liked crowns.))
Golden Grains finished the thing he'd been going nuts about, and apparently it was a decorated wooden crown, made from highwood. I hope I get a chance to look at it, because it sounds super decorated and it might look really grand!

21st Obsidian
Another thief came today, and it got to one of the foals, Verdant Flash. It stabbed him in the leg, and even though his mother got to it and ruined the thief, but I hope no more come. It would be horrible to lose another pony, and to think that a little colt almost got killed... it chills me a little. It was down here in the mines, from his following us miners. I think he'd been following me, too, which makes me feel all the worse for it. I don't want to end up hurting a foal. I don't.

Flux' Journal Obsidian 6

Stiletto is starting to worry me a bit. Last night, she and that new militiapony got in a fight. I don't know the details, but Stiletto obviously won. I saw her dragging Jaxler to a tree and chaining him up. I tried to wave to her as she went to do whatever it is she does, but she just turned away from me. She's so hard, like quenched steel. I'm worried if somepony doesn't anneal her soon, she'll snap...

The rain thundered down, huge droplets plummeting to earth in vast quantities, beating a repetitive tattoo on the wooden roofs. Most everypony was inside; while ponies did not usually mind rain, as a rule, they made a special exception for downpours of this calibre. Only two types of pony would bother staying outside on a day like this: ponies who really loved wet weather, or ponies who had no choice in the matter. Falcata, as it happened, fell smack bang in the middle of only one of these categories.
Falcata was having a little think to herself, as anypony would do when stuck on top of a roof in a rainstorm. What, she pondered, was the absolute worst thing about guard duty in the rain? Was it the incessant tap-tapping of raindrops ricocheting off her armour, or having to listen to the shouts of the rest of the militia, all sparring away in the warm, dry inside? Or was it drying her wings afterwards? That was always a bit crap. They worked well enough, but wet wings were still horrible to have simply because they took hours to dry and dripped everywhere. She really hated that.
No, she decided, the absolute most worstest bad worsttacular horrible thing about guard duty in the rain was that she had to stand on the roof to do it. Flying long patrol circuits in full armour in this weather was stupid, and the only way she could get a clear view of the whole settlement without flying was to perch herself on top of the housing block.
The grey-plated figure, nevertheless, stood where she had to, axe clamped in mouth. Not for the first time, she cursed that idiotic thief who'd knifed Naginata's little foal. The squad leader had been furious in more ways than one, and had promptly increased the amount of guard duty for everypony, to help combat the sneaky buggers. She didn't blame the other mare at all, though; she would have demanded something similar be done if it was her foal. It probably wasn't necessary for Naginata to spread the aggressor over quite so many walls, though. Whoever cleaned that up sure had a fun afternoon.
She sighed, clanking her way over to the edge of the roof like some sort of metal tortoise. Damn, but these roofs were slippery. She really had to be careful, but she poked her head over the edge to see down below anyw-
The sight of a badger pony pegasus grinning up at her cut through her boredom like a red-hot knife, her hooves scrabbling frantically for purchase on the wet wood as she tried to reverse away. Friction and gravity, though, had other ideas, and she slipped and tumbled over the edge, her drenched wings too slow to stop her fall.
The badger pony, not being part of a species renowned for its intellect, didn't really grasp the situation, and assumed that his opponent falling off the roof was a good thing. He would have been right, if he'd been standing a bit further away. Sadly for him, his assumption was put to rest when a flailing axepony hit him like a sack of bricks, knocking him unconscious.
Falcata was a bit panicky by now, and bounced off the prone badger pony, twisting and swinging her axe even as she retreated. With the noise of metal shearing through flesh, her foe was struck down instantly.
Still a bit spooked, she took a moment to take in what had just transpired. The unlucky invader lay in two separate bits, cleared apart in one swing. Good enough, she supposed. She'd never believed in leaving things half done anyway (ho ho).
Loud shouting from the barracks split the air, and she quickly took off, flying quickly towards the source of the noise. She hoped it wasn't anything serious, hoped it was just some stupid thief who'd blundered into the building, thinking it was for food storage or something. What a laugh that would be...

Glaive's Journal 21st Obsidian, 254

A thief snuck into the mines behind our workers. It tried to grab Naginata's son, Verdant Flash but when he tried to fight off the snatcher the colt took a knife in his leg. Poor foal. Fortunately, Naginata was nearby and was able to kill the badger-pony before it could harm him anymore. From what I hear the boy will recover completely. That's good, but perhaps we need to set up some kind of rotating guard at the entrance. To keep both thieves out and the cavern beasts in. But that isn't my decision.

23rd Obsidian, 254

It was raining today. A horrible dreary downpour. Not bad enough to make us need to stay inside, but just bad enough to wish we could. Two more thieves today, probably hoping the rain and dark would cover their approach, Falcata spotted one while on guard duty, which she easily dealt with. The other bumbled into the barracks, must have thought it was a store room, or that we'd all be staying in our rooms and he could loot some weapons and armor, or something. Regardless we all chopped him to pieces. When Falcata came back inside her mane was all wet from the rain. mmmm.

(the rest of the page is taken up by a sketch of Falcata.)

King Strongbeard says: She's got an orange edge here, because I recolored another pony pic, and couldn't be assed to remove every last orange pixel from the edges, and I didn't change the eyes. But well, here you go anyway.

Jaxler's journal:15th Obsidian, 254
Well today was very eventful. To start off I got out of jail after a few days of imprisonment. Then some thieves showed and me and partisan had to scare em off. Then the best thing possible happened, some rainbow ponies showed up and we bought some new exotic booze. I really can't wait to try this new stuff out.

21st Obsidian, 254
Well today I saw something truely disgusting, an evil little theif wondered into the caves probably thinking we hid our goods there. The theif was caught by Naginata's foal. The damn bastered stabbed the child in the leg before the combat squad could get there. When they got there they immediately turned the theif into a pile of goo. That thief is lucky I wasn't there, I would have made his death a lot slower, and painful.

23rd Obsidian, 254
Why do these damn thieves keep on showing up, you'd think after getting killed so often they'd stop. One of those stupid theifs walked right into the barracks, we were doing drills in full gear and the little guy was smeared across the wall in a few seconds. I think it took longer to clean up the theif's corpse than it took to kill em. After the incedent I decided to go and get drunk in celebration of our victory.

Author's Note

Maps! How many other FanFics can claim to have maps?

16: Sounds from below.

Stiletto sits off to the side of the well, looking over toward the statue garden just in front of the dining hall. Ponies were coming and going as usual, chatting about this or that. All in all, a fairly typical day. She stretches and lets out a small yawn, wondering what she would do for the rest of the day now that training was done.

Maybe she'd just sit her and relax for a change. As long as Jaxler didn't come by and accost her again. He seemed to have learned his lesson from the last time at least. A small frown works its way onto her face as she thinks about the incident, and she idly rubs her eye. The bruising had long disappeared, but it was still tender to the touch.

Oh well, what was done was done.

"Ok, Flux. You can do this. Just go talk to her. She's just a pony, like you. Except for the armor. And the weapon. And the training. Oh, and can't forget the wings and the horn."

I shake my head, trying to clear it.

"Oh Sisters, this isn't going to be easy..."

I try to approach nonchalantly, acting like I want a drink from the well. Anypony paying even slight attention to me would see right through it as I ignore the well itself and instead try to talk to Stiletto.

"Um... Hey, Stiletto."

Stiletto looks up, a bit surprised to find anypony addressing her. She looks over to see one of the furnace operators standing near her. Flux, was it? She didn't know most of the ponies outside of the militia very well.

"Oh, um... hello... Flux, is it?"

I stare at her momentarily before coming back to my senses.

'She... knows my name?'

"Er, yes! I'm Flux, haha!"

'Stop acting like a foal!'

I again shake my head.

"Sorry, I just didn't expect you to know my name. Um, how are you doing?"

She makes a small smile. "I could say the same... didn't think I'd be known by many ponies here." Flux seemed awfully nervous. It was a bit cute.

"Oh... and, um, I'm fine." She nervously scratches her cheek, did he know about what Jaxler had done to her? "How about you?"

"I'm doing alright, I guess. Just smelting and designing traps. Um..."

I nervously raise a hoof to point at her eye, hoping I'm not about to cross a line.

"Is... is that better?"

She looks a bit surprised and cautiously prods the skin around her eye, barely suppressing a wince.

"Oh, um, yes, it's much better, thanks. Dr. Panacea said it was just bruised... is all." She smiles nervously. "Not a big deal..."

"Are... are you sure it's no big deal? I, um, saw you drag him out the other day, and was a little worried."

"Oh... you saw that..."

She glowers in the direction of the dining hall. "I still don't know what got into that stallion... I thought he was just drunk, but..." She blows out her breath. "I don't know." She looks back to Flux and adds, "Oh, sorry... didn't mean to drag you into this. I'm fine, don't worry."

"It's alright. Just, um, if you ever need to talk to somepony... Well, I'm never too busy to talk."

She looks Flux in the eyes for a few moments. He was a nice pony, and she wished she'd taken the time to get to know the other ponies in Dawnpick a little better. She was probably reading into this too much, but she wondered if maybe Flux was driving at a bit more than he was letting on... no, he was just being nice.

"Oh, um..." She gives him a smile. "...thanks."

Virtue's Diary - 2nd Granite, 255

I've been thinking for a while now that Panacea could really use some help in the hospital. Things are a bit slow right now, thankfully, but the last thing we need is for a lot of ponies to get injured and have nopony to help her. I passed word around that were looking for some help in the hospital, and the call was answered by Wool. He came up to me while I was eating lunch and said he'd been interested in helping Panacea out on the side for a while until he got used to it. I passed him off to her with a smile and I hope things will work out for him.

When I spoke to her later I found out she's got him doing some basic things, which I expected would be the case. Learning to keep stuff clean, a few things about dressing wounds and stitching them. There's only so much she can teach him without practice, and while I wish the best for him I'm not eager for that practice to show up.

Otherwise, our small guard unit is almost ready. Partisan and Jaxler now have most of their armor ready to go. All of that leather I bought off the last caravan is being put to good use in the form of some leather armor. It won't stop a dagger I fear, but with some crossbows they should stand more than a chance against any petty thieves.

6th Granite, 255

Verdant Flash left the hospital today, which is a relief for all of us. I overheard him telling his mom how much he liked Wool, which I think is a good indication that Wool will work out nicely with Panacea. I think I'll move him off of field duty altogether.

When I spoke to Naginata about it, she told me that the orders for the mail shirts I put in were about halfway done. With that under their plates, the militia should stand a great chance against the badger ponies if they ever show up in force. Which I fear they will sooner or later.

24th Granite, 255

It came to my attention today that we've been out here for five years now, and the militia really haven't had a proper vacation. They rotate some time off of course, but I passed word on to Halberd, Naginata and Partisan that they could all take a little time off. I think they were resistant to the idea at first, but gave the option to the troops. Some of them remain in the barracks training on their own, but I caught sight of Falcata and Glaive spending some time together out by the well. I think they make a cute couple.

Falcata's Friends

Billows stopped by my office and let me know that the mail shirts were all finished today. That's great news. He also told me that we're out of steel bars again. Not so good. I spoke to Flux about scheduling some more smelting of the magnetite. He seems to enjoy his work, but he spends a lot of time out at the smelters. I did notice Stiletto talking with him out by the well earlier today. I don't know if there's anything going on between the two of them, but I never try to discourage a new friendship in Dawnpick.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to get them to friends yet either. Still working on it. Dang ponies won't submit to my relationship meddling.

1st Slate, 255

The miners overheard something huge rustling around in the caverns today while they were picking away at the marble deep beneath the earth. We haven't had problems with anything lage and nasty finding its way up yet, but I told the militia and everypony to be alert nonetheless.

Speaking of which, I'm glad to say that the moat is coming along nicely. We've got some holes to patch, which is unfortunate, but it's the best we can do. I'll see about getting the masons on doing that as soon as they can.

12th Slate, 255

After we reshuffled the militia and bumped Partisan up to captain, the old tombs I had laid out for them don't really work any more. I had the miners dig out a few new rooms for some more tombs and had some extra coffins laid out. Each squad now has their own room and a coffin for each soldier. I still don't like the thought of doing this while the soldiers are still alive, but it pays to be prepared, even in the worst case.

The underground crypt with coffins for each militia member and the fortress guard. The coffins on the left side are for regular schmucks who bite it, which so far is only Babbling Brook. Can't believe that.

In less morbid news, a few more bedrooms have been set up and we've started on a keep of sorts. I hope it'll never come to that, but it will serve as a last line of defense in case of a large attack, and if Jaxler doesn't straighten up, as a jail house. At least I haven't heard anything else unfortunate happening from him, which is reassuring at least.

13th Slate, 255

Yet more strange sounds from the caverns. It's good to know our attempts at walling them off have proven successful so far. Nevertheless, the miners are all getting quite nervous about heading down there, and I don't blame them. We've got a nice stock of magnetite, marble and slate up here, so maybe we won't have to send them back down any time soon.

22nd Slate, 255

Glaze gave birth this afternoon to her second foal; an earth pony colt she named Granite. She went into labor down by the stills and had to be rushed to the hospital. Panacea said that the colt was pretty weak and maybe a bit preterm, but he should live and be fine. I think the name fits him well, he's gray as the stone and while he doesn't have a lot of spirit in him, I'm sure he'll pull through.

His sister seemed pretty excited though. With him, we're now at 73 ponies in Dawnpick. I'd have never expected our little settlement to grow this large.

23rd Slate, 255

Spool was taken by a mood today. She slowly plodded over to our clothier's shop and started fetching things to start to work on something. I'm not sure what she'll make, but so far these strange moods haven't produced a whole lot of much value. Mostly a lot of oddities, but I suppose it adds to the history of this place. She doesn't seem to be having any trouble finding the things she needs, so I'm not too worried. Taking over the clothier's shop doesn't hamper us much, thankfully.

26th Slate, 255

Spool set to work on her mystery today. I'm pretty interested to see what it'll be, I hope she doesn't do something silly like make a sock out of all of the things she gathered, but one way or another I supose what will happen will happen.

28th Slate, 255

Yet another strange sound in the depths. Only Powder Miner was down there this time, and he came trotting back up telling of the things he heard. Nothing new, so I told him it was fine and to go see if there was anything he could do to help with the moat. I just hope we never have to go into the caverns for any reason... it must be getting crowded by now...

Yeah, I won't be opening up the caverns now. Way too much dangerous stuff in there to deal with. Unless it's strictly necessary, then I'll have to cook up a plan of some sort.

1st Felsite, 255

Well, I had to say a sock, because that's exactly what Spool made. It wouldn't be so bad if she made a set of them, but a single sock doesn't do anypony much good. Oh well, too late to complain about it. She shrugged and took the sock with her back home, but I'm not quite sure what she'll do with it.

A sock. Can't get much more dorfy than a sock. Especially with all the doodads on it.

I almost forgot that we were working on getting some pumps set up down at the river to pump some water up to the moat. Flux is overseeing the construction, but we're still short on a few components. I hope it won't take too long, I think the moat will go a long way toward keeping us safe. Especially with the gate trap system under construction again. I just wish we had two of Flux, the poor pony is busy smelting magnetite, designing traps or setting them up pretty much all the time.

17: A meeting in the Crypts

The stone coffin lay nestled among four others just like it, five unassuming resting places for, Falcata thought, five relatively unassuming ponies. In a way, the simple stone boxes suited more than any lavish, gold-plated tomb, though she couldn't quite put her hoof on why.
She wasn't entirely sure that she liked the idea of a pre-built crypt for herself and her squadmates, though. She liked Virtue well enough - who didn't, considering all she'd done for everypony these past years - but this was a bit...inevitable-seeming? She got the whole "what if" thing, every soldier did, but seeing the stone receptacles before her made it seem more like "when", and that was a little bit unnerving. Especially considering the noises from the caves below, the flapping and screeching that had kept her up all night after first hearing them.
The time off, though, that was a great idea. Props to Virtue there, that had been much appreciated, although by some more than others. Stiletto had surprised her by not being all stiff and continuing to train anyways; not something Falcata would have put money on the stoic alicorn doing. Probably something to do with Flux, she reckoned; she'd spied the two being all cute and awkward at the well the other day, but had wisely kept her nose out. She was sure -something- was going on there, but had yet to confirm anything other than some impressively awkward and adorable exchanges between them.
Thinking of which, the pegasus pondered amusedly, there were quite a few ponies who were sure that there was another, similar sort of -something- going on between herself and Glaive; ponies like Virtue, who had an irritating habit of winking at her any time she saw them together. Mind you, Glaive himself had pretty much put all the rumours to rest when she'd come in after that huge storm a while back with her crimson mane all droopy and soaking. His magic exuded that same crimson colour for at least a day afterwards, rather than its normal earthy glow, prompting anypony who knew even a little bit about how unicorn magic worked to chuckle a bit, much to her embarrassment.
The white pegasus shuffled her wings a bit, drifting out of her reverie and back to the real world. She traced along the carvings engraved in the coffin lid with a forehoof, her face wearing a faint smile as she did so. Not a bad place to live, Dawnpick. Not bad at all.

Partisan sat in his room, which was filled from end to end with paperwork that needed to be filled and reminders that needed to be remembered. He was supposed to use the break as an opportunity to catch up with his paperwork, but he just couldn't concentrate. Between having to keep an eye on Jaxler, worrying about the 'what-ifs' that came to mind when the coffins were put in place, and the howling's that could be heard at night, he didn't have the heart for it. He gave it another twenty-minute try and decided to just take a walk. While out he kept his face blank, hoping nobody could pick the fear and stress lying just below the surface. He trotted along until he reached the surface and stretched out his wings.

"Oh hay Falcata, I wasn't expecting to see you down in a place like this," ays Jaxler as he walks down the stairs to the pegasus.

Falcata jumps backwards, startled. Not recognising the voice, she turns, and isn't too happy with her identification. She doesn't smile as she replies to the jet black interruption.
"Jaxler." Falcata doesn't so much speak the word as spit it, her tail lashing from side to side like an angry rattlesnake. Assaulting one of her squadmates and causing a collision in the middle of her dinner had given her a low opinion of him, to say the least.
"What are you doing down here?" she challenges, not bothering to be polite.

Jaxler looks at Falcata in dismay at her response, and says "I wanted to find some peace and quite, why are you angry?".

She rolls her eyes, not buying his reason or his dismayed expression.
"Oh, I don't know, something to do with the last time I ran into you involving Stiletto being catapulted across the room, maybe? You almost managed to bugger up a perfect evening, you insufferable lout, and without so much as a hint of apology afterwards or anything!"
She glares at him, wondering if he's playing dumb for some reason or just a bit denser than the average pony.
"Well?" she prompts loudly, not caring if anypony aboveground were to overhear.

Jaxler at this point was unhappy as he had only been looking for a place to sit down and think. he retorted quickly and said "Oh really, well so your telling me that you have never done anything stupid in your entire life. I personally see no reason for us not be civil. I did indeed get drunk and did ruin your night and I did knock out your squad mate but I personally see that as a mistake on my part but why after months do you act so openly unhappy to my presence. I asked why you were angry because I thought you could at least put up with me being in the same room as you for at least a few seconds."

The pegasus' eyes widen at the unexpectedly candid response, and she reels her anger in, stymied. After a short pause, she sighs softly before speaking:
"Okay, okay, whatever. I suppose I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, but you really didn't make a good first impression. And that's putting it lightly."
Falcata stops flicking her tail around, no longer all that annoyed. Her generally amiable nature wouldn't allow it.
"You're right in that it's been bloody ages since then, as well. Life's too short for grudges, or do I hear. And," she continues, smiling ever so slightly, "you didn't utterly banjax my evening either."
She glances around the room, taking in the surroundings again.
"So, "peace and quiet" then? Isn't there anywhere cheerier?"

Jaxler, now calm after his outburst responded with "Well I was looking for peace and quiet, not beautiful scenery. I'm also quite sorry for never apologizing for interrupting your night with Glaive."

He stops for a second and asks "So, what brings you down to a place as morbid as this?"

Falcata tilts her head, silently accepting the apology. Her eyes shine like copper ingots in the gloom, her gaze fixed on the immaculately carved lid of the nearest tomb.
"I heard Virtue had set all this up for us, so I came down to have a look. Not entirely sure I'm comfortable with it, but I guess it's the sentiment that matters, right? I mean, it's nice and all but..." she fidgets, unsure how to put it properly into words. Her gaze flickers momentarily to the scar on her chest before she resumes her staring contest with the sarcophagus.

"Well?" Those words rang clear to the surface. It almost had Jaxler written all over it. He rushed toward were the sound originated. Better safe than sorry. But, by the time he reached the tombs, Jaxler was calmly talking to another pony. Instead of going down and interrupting a particularly good thing, he just hid up in the stairs, silently watching.

Jaxler looks away from Falcata and says "There is no need to to stressed, why its quite good to know that they even if you die you will have met the fort's expectations. Why it makes over achieving quite easy. To be honest I doubt you or any of our good brother and sisters of war will be needing these anytime soon."
He stops and takes in a deep breath and attempts to snap Falcata out of her gloomy silence by saying "Well a drunken friend of mine told me that this was going to be used as a military burial ground. So I finished my drink and came down here to see my own tomb. It helps to have a reminder that I only have so long to achieve something with my life."

"Hmph." She snorts, not fully agreeing. "I hope not. Judging by the noises coming from those caves below - well, suffice to say that I hope those walls we put up never get torn down. And we've been out here for years now, growing by the month - it's almost a certainty somepony will come attacking us sooner or later. At least with something more than just a few thieves."
As the silence begins to drag on again, she changes tack.
"So", she gestures at him with a forehoof, "you and your squad leader - Marzipan, Partypan? Whatever his name is - what's with the leather armour and such? Why not cold, hard steel like the rest of us?"

Jaxler looks over to Falcata and says "You mean Partisan? Well he probably realized that a ranged unit needs to be able to outmaneuver melee forces, and most metal would only slow us down. A good ranged unit needs to be able to keep it's distance and as long as distance is achieved the only thing we need to fear is arrows, which leather "should" be able to stop.
Jaxler makes a grin and lets out a little laugh and says "Man, I personal feel bad for Partisan. He lets me in the militia and within a week I knock out a superior officer. I'm amazed he let me off with only prison time and a beating. Some captains would have me hung by the neck for such insolence." Jaxler diverts his blood red eyes from Falcata and looks to the stairs and then says "How is your squad doing?".

Falcata makes a non-committal noise, briefly following Jaxler's gaze to the stairs. "Well enough, I guess. The only one I really speak to on a regular basis is, well, Glaive," she says, smiling a little as she mentions the bearded unicorn. "Training harder than ever since Naginata had that scare with her little foal."
Noticing that he's still staring at the stairs, she grows curious. "Um, what are you doing?" she asks, peering at him.

Jaxler looks back at Falcata. He laughs and says "Nothing I guess, I'm just a bit over observant. anyhow, I really haven't gotten to talk with Glaive in a while, well to be honest I don't think I've never really gotten to talk to him. what's he like?"

She giggles a bit, smiling fully for the first time despite the decidedly downbeat surroundings. "He's...nice," she states, slightly evasively. "A real gentlecolt, and he's so humble about earning that shield by saving that little foal from the snatcher. He even manages to seem genuinely interested when I start harping on about cloud consistency and other flyingy things, despite him being a unicorn and probably having no real interest in any of it. Speaking of which -" she breaks off, unfurling her wings and lifting off the ground, hovering about a foot off the earthy floor of the crypt and kicking up a few clouds of dust. Noticing his puzzled look, she shrugs. "What? It's a pegasus thing; I don't like being grounded for too long. Especially not since that bloody hospital stint."

"I know what you mean." Stated Partisan as he took of himself, gently gliding down the stairs, and landing next to Jaxler.

Jaxler was further puzzled by Falcata's response and said "I'm a pegasus". Jaxler then flaps his purple wings when he notices Partisan and says "Hay there Partisan, how long have you been lurking on those stairs?" Jaxler then diverts his eyes back to Falcata and says "Now ya know why I was starring at the stairs".

"Long enough to know that you are still my best, albeit only, soldier. And that I may not have to worry about you as much as we though." With that he slowly moved toward his own tomb.

Falcata squints down from her elevated position, trying to cut a clear line of vision through the gloom. Sure enough, he definitely has a pair of wings, though they're only really visible when he starts flapping them. Embarrassed, she shrugs as best she can while in the air (harder than it sounds)
"What? It's dark and I'm tired!"
Noticing the other pegasus as he strides on past, she waves at him. "Hiya...Partisan?" she ventures, hoping she'd recalled the name Jaxler'd mentioned earlier properly. She's seen him around before, certainly, but she hasn't really spoken to him. At all, in fact; unless nodding as she passed him going in and out of the barracks every so often counted as speaking, which it probably didn't.
She starts to say something else, but cuts herself off when she sees where he's heading, content to just hover serenely.

Jaxler grins and says to Partisan "Well that's nice of ya to compliment your second in command" He follows Partisan into the crypt and says "Looks like ya found our room" Jaxler walks in and stops in his tracks as he sees his own coffin his eyes dilated. He says in a fearful voice "Finally... I see the monument to my own mortality."

"Right." Partisan muttered back, barely keeping his own lips from quivering. He needed little reminding of his own mortality, but hearing Jaxler's fearful tone struck him hard. He had always assumed him to be made out of sterner stuff. That was a wake up call.

Peering into the chamber where the two stallions had gone in, Falcata was finding it difficult to understand what all the fuss was about. Sure, the idea of pre-prepared burial grounds especially for them was a bit unnerving to her, but it was hardly something she'd quiver visibly at. Maybe she'd lost that fear the day her lung had taken a holiday outside its place inside her chest, but surely they were being a bit melodramatic about it. That, or Jaxler was a poet in the making. "Monument to his own mortality" - now that was a good one, and she would have written it down later, had she the inclination. Writing wasn't really her forte; the paper wouldn't stay still and her mouth got sore trying to form recognisable shapes.
Regardless, she kept her thoughts to herself, glancing occasionally at the stairs, wondering why all the pegasi within a hundred metre radius were coming down here today.

Jaxler looked over to his cutie mark and said inaudibly "70 years gone by and I still haven't a clue what a dagger over a cog means", He stops and looks to his captain's face and realizes that his captain is trembling along with him. He looks around and regains his resolve and says "Why look at this, here we are an entire squad quivering at our own graves." Jaxler moves further into the room and takes a seat on his coffin and says fearfully "A good soldier can walk into the pits of hell and back, so why should an empty grave stop us in our tracks?"

The stairs being about as interesting as they sounded (not very), Falcata quickly got bored with them. She swoops into the room after the other two pegasi, flaring her wings to halt herself in midair before she hit the wall. Hearing Jaxler's comment, she decides she feels a bit wordy too and adds her own input:
"As soldiers, we make our own fate through our duty. Do not fear death; fear only failure, for should we fail our duty, our deaths will only number among those of our companions who we failed to protect."
She touches down solemnly beside the two pegasi, feeling more sombre now that she is again closer to the tombs.

Jaxler responds by saying "your right" he then gets up and says "this place is starting to get a little bit too depressing. why don't we head over to the meeting hall?"

"I'm getting a bit tired of being down here, too. Good idea, in my book."
She turns around and trots towards the exit, looking forward to being outside again.

While some of the guard-ponies converse in the tombs, Powder Miner is in the meeting hall trying to steady his nerves. The sounds of the strange monsters in the cavern had been setting him on edge recently, and the repeated sound of a rocky thump (he recognized it from earlier) today had worked him into a panic. He simply didn't know what he would do if one escaped. It'd pound him into dust, and frankly, was terrifying to even think of. Explained why he wasn't managing to steady his nerves.

Arbalest was happy. Good happy. Sound good. Catapult good. Then miner (Arbalest not know name) with colour hair come in hall. Miner shaking. Not good. Bad. Scared. So Arbalest walk to miner and say "What bad scare you?" Arbalest good nice pony like that. Something hurt head. But miner no notice. What hurt? No blood. That good. Arbalest listen to miner response.

One of the ponies... uhh... Arbalest, Powder Miner thought his name was, went up to Powder Miner and said something a bit strangely, but Powder Miner could decipher it. He wanted to know why he was scared. "There are.... monsters down there. They're making sounds and are just terrifying. I'm getting scared even to go down there. I mean, the caverns they're in are sealed up nice and tight but..." Powder Miner's voice trailed off.

Ow ow ow! Long word make Arbalest head hurt! Like other hurt!
Miner was bad scared of monster sound. That made Arbalest sad. He like monster sound. Help him sleep.
Arbalest no know how keep miner happy and monster sound. Wait! Arbalest know!
"Why not chop ear off good? Then no sound!"

... ... ... ..."Because... then I'd be deaf. And it would hurt."

This Arbalest was a little... weird, Powder Miner decided. And then Arbalest spoke again.
"Catapul-... Hmmmm......."

See? Arbalest smart. Catapult good. Arbalest know all. Except with Boo. Boo help him. Boo best midget giant space hamster. More smart than Arbalest. Now to set big catapult. Time see leader. Get big catapult acceptance.

Virtue is sitting in her office, humming quietly to herself as she picks through the last of the day's paperwork. More production orders for lots of things. Got to get back on the moat... and build more housing...
She looks up as a blue unicorn enters her office.
"Oh, Arbalest? How can I help you?"

Virtue good pony. Good leader. Not more good than Boo. But good.
Arbalest know how ask big catapult. Ask like this.
"Big catapult? Please?"
Work every time Arbalest need big catapult.

Virtue raises an eyebrow. "Um. Big catapult? Is... the one you have not big enough?"

Virtue not smart as Arbalest. Not know big catapult need BIG. Arbalest must correct.
"Need new big catapult for noises."

"Noises? You mean in the caverns?" She wasn't sure she liked where this was going. "Just... how big?"

If only Boo here. Then simple.
"Big big. For making noise so no more bad scare miner."

Yes, that's exactly what he was talking about. She didn't like the idea of anypony going down there and facing whatever monstrosities there were, but... maybe a catapult behind some sort of fortification might work... it would help calm everypony down if they knew whatever it was was dead at least. She'd feel a lot better.

"Well... I... maybe that could work. The catapult isn't too helpful against the thieves we've been seeing. I'll talk to Mortar and see about maybe getting a safe range set up for you. Then we can see about the catapult."

Good Virtue. Virtue give catapult. Arbalest like catapult. Catapult good. Then after vanquishing evil, Arbalest learn how fight. All day work.
"Thank."
Why head still hurt when think about Virtue? Head hurt bad. Maybe ask her.
"Why head hurt when think?"

She looks at him, feeling her expression transition to a blank stare as she tries to place just what he's asking.
"I... uh... don't know. Do you need to see Dr. Panacea?"

Panacea good. Panacea nice. Panacea nice pony. Nicer than- Ouch! Head hurt when think of bad pony.
"Like see Panacea."

"Oh, okay, let's go see her then." Virtue leads them out of her office next door to the hospital.
They find Panacea busying herself sorting the hospital's supplies. She turns and gives them a small smile. "Oh, hello. Is something up?"

Arbalest like Panacea. Panacea good pony. Like Panacea. Arbalest smile at Panacea.
"Head hurt when think of bad unicorn."

Panacea looks to him with concern in her eyes. "Your head hurts? I can get you something for that, but... who is this bad unicorn?"

Arbalest try and remember. But head hurt. Head hurt bad. Keep eye on Panacea. Help the pain.
Head hurt bad.
Head hurt bad.
Head hurt bad.
"Hurt too much."

The concern grows on both mares' faces. Panacea raises a hoof to forestall him. "Okay, okay, don't worry about it." She fetches a small bottle of medicine and gives it to him. "Here, this should help your head."

Panacea good pony. Boo would like her. Boo smart. Boo tell Arbalest "You like this pony. This pony good." Unless he thought Arbalest was silly. Then he say "You crush on this pony. Silly Arbalest."
Arbalest smile. Arbalest take medicine. Arbalest say "Thank." Arbalest say "I like your mane." Arbalest not blush. Why Panacea blush? Blush good? Should Arbalest blush? Is good? Arbalest not know. Boo know. Boo would say "Blush good" or "Blush bad". Arbalest would be okay.
Panacea good pony. Good mane she has. Like Panacea.

Panacea tries to hide the blush. That was... a strange thing to just say. "Um, thank you." She motions at the medicine and adds, "If that doesn't help, come back and see me. I've got a few other things I can give you."

Boo smart. Need Boo. Need Boo help. How act Panacea? Boo real smart. He help. Need Boo. Where Boo?

(Authors Note: Powder Miner's Diary:)

1st Slate
Oh stallion, me and the other miners heard something thumping around below today. I didn't know there were things that giant-sounding down there, and now I'm scared of going down there. Those thumps were just massive and rocky, and... they were in a pattern. So it's not just a cave-in or something. There's something down there. It's alive, and it sounds just as heavy as the rock making up the cavern. I'm honestly near scared to death of the thing.
13th Slate
There it is again. Chic was the first to hear it, but there were more stepping sounds coming from there. I could have sworn I heard a reptilian hissing. Are there dragons down there?! I'm getting even more scared about going down here. What if the things break out? I don't want to die!
28th Slate
AGAIN! I was the only one down there this time, so I just ran as fast as I could up, told bout it, then waited here uncomfortably. I'm not going down there.

Wool's diary

2nd Granite

This is the first time I've done one of these, but with my new job, I though I might as well start.

So yeah, my new job. After years of not really doing much here, I wanted to actually be useful. And so when Virtue mentioned that she was looking for someone to help Panacea out with medical duties, I volunteered. She's already started showing me the ropes - dressing and stitching wounds (not as messy as I expected, thankfully), and a bit of tidying up the equipment and spaces. I think I'm understanding it pretty well, but I hope my skills won't be really needed for a good while.

27th Granite

I really need to get used to writing in this more often. Anyway, at least I'm doing it now. For pretty much the last month my routine has been pretty regular. In the mourning, I've been learning and practicing medical skills - recently it's been broken bones, with Panacea explaining how to splint a leg so that it doesn't heal wrong. It's sometimes a bit difficult to understand, as she doesn't really have any way of demonstrating, but I think I'm doing pretty well. After that, I tend to head to the great hall for lunch, and to talk to my friends, and in the afternoon I do the daily chores (at the moment just making sure the place is clean, as nopony's in hospital at the moment). It can be quite tiring, but I enjoy it.

3rd Slate

I heard from one of the miner-ponies that there's been some worry about the caverns. Apparently they've heard something moving about in there - something big. I hope we don't have to fight it off - my even with Panacea's teaching, I don't think I'm quite ready to deal with major injuries.

14th Slate

More news about the caverns from the miners - they think there's another thing down there. They're trying to wall off all entrances to the fort though, and that should be enough to keep them out.

22nd Slate

Today Glaze gave birth to a foal - Granite, she called it. I didn't personally help with the procedure, according to Panacea most mares prefer to be seen to by other mares. I did however get to prepare the hospital for it - setting aside a bed and the like. It's nice to get get a role in these things, even if it is pretty minor.

26th Slate

A pony by the name of Spool started acting odd recently - claiming a clothier's workshop and collecting a load of odd materials. I think it's one of those "strange moods". From what I've heard, there's rarely an obvious cause for them, and sometimes the ponies affected by them become incredibly skilled in their area of expertise. I've also heard of what happens if they don't get their work done - they waste away, refusing to eat or drink, or worse, go into an insane rage and berserkly attack anypony that comes near. I hope it turns out alright.

1st Felsite

You know that pony that I mentioned last time, diary? The one who got afflicted with a "mood"? They ended up making a sock. Not a pair of socks, just one. Admittedly it was very pretty, but it wasn't exactly practical - all covered in rings and spikes and shells. Gave me a bit of a laugh at least.

Author's Note

I'm going to be leaving Arbalest's parts compleatey untouched, as all the bad grammer there is on purpose.

18: Barley

Virtue's Diary - 3rd Felsite, 255

Today turned out to be quite interesting. A new pony wandered into Dawnpick this morning, wearing strange robes and hemming random ponies up while he went on at length about one thing or another. I managed to avoid him, but from what I gather he's a preacher of some sort and is trying to convert ponies to worship of the Sisters. As long as he doesn't cause too much disruption, I suppose it won't be an issue, and from what I hear from Harvest Moon he offered to help out at the fields.

I'll keep my eye (and Harvest Moon's eye) on him. We've managed to get by with quite little trouble out here so far, and I hope he doesn't start some.

8th Felsite, 255

The miners are still uneasy about heading underground to do much, so instead I asked them to take some time and clear out the huge mound of dirt in front of Dawnpick. Halberd thinks it's a security risk anyway, as somepony could maybe jump our moat from the hills. A mishap would spell their doom, so I'm not so sure, but it is a bit of an eyesore. All of the miners went off to work on it, and they made a fair bit of progress by the time I left my office this afternoon.

Powder Miner is now a talented miner... he'll be legendary before you know it!

10th Felsite, 255

Hickory gave birth early this morning, just after midnight. She was the cutest little unicorn filly. The parents named her Patina for her green fur. Maybe she'll end up making bronze statues someday and live up to her name? Either way, the parents will be taking a little while off to recover, which I gladly gave them.

13th Felsite, 255

A bit busy today. A badger pony thief must have been stalking the caravans leaving Dawnpick, and the guard caught up this morning. The shouting was pretty intense, but by the time the militia got there they found that the macepony guarind the caravan took care of the thief without a scratch. We offered to get him checked up by Panacea, but he refused and soldiered off after the caravan. Where there's one thief, there's another, so I took the opportunity to make sure all of the militia were back onto their regular schedules. Partisan and Jaxler have been put on high alert in case another thief shows up.

Otherwise, around midday, Ocean Breeze gave birth to a pegasus filly the parents named Dizzy. I'm not sure where the name came from, but she was an energetic little thing, and I'm sure she'll go far. Ocean Breeze still hasn't returned to fishing, since we haven't had time to work on the enclosed pier in favor of finishing the moat, so she should have plenty of time with her new foal. If it doesn't look like we'll get that done soon, I may offer her something else to keep her occupied.

I'm also happy to note that I saw Falcata and Glaive conversing some more out by the well. They seem to be hitting it off very nicely now. It's good to see the militia ponies getting along so well, I was worried that they'd all become grim and morose training and fighting so much. I'm happy I was wrong!

Not lovers yet, but maybe one day!

17th Felsite, 255

Another tragedy struck Dawnpick just a few hours ago. I'm very upset about this... I thought things were going well and that this would never have to happen again... but it has.

Two thieves attacked us this morning. Chic and Powder Miner were busying themselves leveling the field out in front of Dawnpick when they struck. Thank goodness the two of them managed to run in time. Partisan and Jaxler flew out to engage the thieves, but while they chased one off, the other followed Chic back inside. He cornered her in the trade depot while everypony ran for their lives.

I was leaving my office by this time, with all the commotion, and I saw Naginata leading her soldiers over to deal with it. I could see they wouldn't make it in time. It was thus I was totally shocked that Chic struck out with her pick, seriously wounding the thief and knocking him out with considerable skill.

Naginata's soldiers arrived then, and Kukri slew the thief with a single stroke of her axe.

I only wish the next thief had been dealt with so easily.

A third thief lurked outside the walls all day and just a few hours ago, using dusk as cover, he flew over the walls and tried to sneak into the houses against the east wall. Barley must have been entering his home at that time... I didn't see it... but when they found his body, the thief had cut his head off. The only other time I've felt such a combination of nausea, sorrow and wrath was when Brook was killed by the other thief.

Decapitated in a single swipe by a dagger. Just as bad as a whip...

Partisan and Jaxler chased him off, flying after him into the moat. Halberd and Naginata brought their ponies to the fight as soon as everypony could be roused, but the thief had a large headstart. Partisan shot him a few times, from what he said, but the thief wouldn't go down. It was only after Stiletto caught up to him by flying over the walls that he was stopped. She tore his sorry hide apart, if Partisan's report is accurate. I believe it is.

Jaxler was stabbed in the wing during the fight, somehow. He's currently in the hospital, but Panacea doesn't think it's bad. He should recover well.

I just feel sick about this... Barley was well liked by everypony here. His fiance Sushi was devastated. I thought of him fondly too. He was also an amazing leatherworker and our best brewer. I don't even want to think about replacing him right now.

Glyph was actually unhappy after this happened. Guess they were good friends? Not sure if you want to run with that or not.

20th Felsite, 255

We buried Barley yesterday. The second pony to lose a life here in five years. We must do something to strengthen our defenses. The moat must be finished soon. Maybe we need more for the guard? I just don't know.

At least Jaxler has recovered and left the hospital. Panacea said he'll make a full recovery very soon, and he's back to work training with Partisan.

1st Hematite, 255

The moat is finally coming together. We have a few pumps built and we're working on getting an aqueduct set up to deliver water to the moat. The problem there though is that there are holes in the natural channels that we'll have to patch, and I've diverted all of the masons to do just that. It's going to take time, but we have to work as fast as we can. Once we get that finished, at least we'll only have to defend a single point on the ground. Maybe whenever somepony goes outside to cut wood or mine Partisan and Jaxler will have to go protect them. I'll discuss it with them when I get a chance.

7th Hematite, 255

Marbles and Cinder came into my office today, with very troubled looks on their faces. They say they caught a glimpse of the creatures in the caverns below. Monstrous and twisted... but they didn't get a good look. I'll send the masons back down to take a look at plugging any holes. The moat can wait for that.

I'm not sure what the deal was. The caverns are all well sealed and I verified that there's no way for any FBs to get to the surface. They kept giving me spam in the mine's stairwell... maybe the bottom of the stairs is open somewhere I can't see.

After that, Arbalest came into my office. He seemed troubled too and I wasn't surprised to find him mentioning the creatures too. He wanted to set up another catapult down there to shoot at them though. I'm not crazy about the idea, but if it gets rid of the monsters he's welcome to try. I haven't sent the masons down there yet, maybe we can build a safe firing range for him somehow?

And I'm worried about that pony. He was complaining of strange things and a headache, so I took him over to see Panacea. She gave him some medicine, but he still seemed quite off. I hope he doesn't become a danger to anypony. Maybe I shouldn't give him a catapult afterall...

17th Hematite, 255

Fortunately, nopony else has come running to me about monsters below. The masons are currently looking at setting up that firing range, but there don't seem to be any good locations.

In other news, Carmine's term as mayor ended today, and Alum took his place. She's a friendly and outgoing pony, so I'm sure she'll do well. Everypony seems to like her, and I think she's competent enough.

3rd Malachite, 255

Detergent gave birth today. It was a cut little earth pony colt with blue fur, and the parents named him Azurite. A fitting name I think. I gave the parents some time off, but Detergent hasn't had a whole lot to do lately anyway. She made some soap for the hospital recently, but otherwise she's mostly been minding her children. I think giving her some time to recover is in order though.

clang
The axe thudded violently into the floor, embedding itself firmly a few inches into the smooth timber. As weapons went, it was an instrument of excellent quality; well suited to removing limbs and, as it turned out, at relieving emotional stress, though it was considerably better at the former. Falcata supposed she felt a little better after chucking it across her bedroom, but she still felt like crap. Anger, grief and an intense sense of failure were boiling together inside her, a caustic mixture of emotions that she just had to vent somehow. Even seeing the thief extruded into a screaming mess by a downright psychotic Stiletto didn't make her feel much better.
The pegasus was no stranger to death, warrior that she was, and she had of course heard about Brook's untimely demise so long ago, but this was the first time she'd had to deal with somepony she actually knew being killed in cold blood. Bile rose in her throat as she unwillingly recalled the sight of Barley's headless corpse, sickened by the murder of someone it was her duty to protect. Nopony had made her take that oath when she'd come here, but she had failed to uphold it. They all had. If she'd just been faster, just been there, she could have saved him. One swing, she knew from experience, was all it would have taken to render the thief harmless, so to speak. Granted, she thought bitterly, judging by Barley's current state, one swing was all the thief had needed, too. Little deformed bastard halfspawns; they had killed two of the ponies here to date now, and had almost taken her life as well.
Falcata rolled over, kicking the bedpost violently. She swore yet again, letting loose with a tirade of angry words that polite little fillies were taught to never ever say, rapidly converting her rage into words. After a few minutes of barraging the empty room with profanity, she felt a little better, at least on the angry side. The sadness and shame would be a little harder for her to shift, though.
Abruptly she launched herself off the bed, landing with a thud beside the still-stuck axe. She needed to do something, anything, just so long as she wasn't in here moping and being thoroughly useless. Maybe she'd go talk to somepony, maybe that would help? Glaive maybe; he was a soldier too, maybe he would understand? Maybe just talking to anypony would help, although if she heard that robed zealot wittering on about divine twin princesses any more she felt like she might just snap. especially after today's events. She hoofed the heavy oak door open, slamming it closed behind her as she strode away towards the communal hall.

Arbalest like hall. Hall have lot of booze. Boo tell Arbalest booze no good for thinking, but Arbalest leave thinking to Boo anyway.
Then white pegasus mare come in hall. Mare soldier. Boo would know name, but Boo not here. Arbalest miss Boo. Maybe pegasus know where Boo is? Or can remember bad unicorn who took Boo away. Arbalest talk to pegasus.

The white pegasus in question catches side of Arbalest peering at her, and she goes straight on over after failing to locate Glaive anywhere in the hall. Falcata doesn't know much about the azure unicorn, but she knows that he enjoyed flinging rocks around with a big machine he happily called a "catapult", and that he doesn't exactly seem to be the brightest candle in the box. Falcata isn't much of a scholar when it came to siege warfare, but she's fairly certain that it was meant to involve actually hitting things with the rocks. Still, she has to admire his persistence and, apparently, bravery; he'd been practicing all these years with, so she'd heard, the goal of squishing some of the nasty things scuttling around underground. Sounds good enough to her, and maybe talking to someone who seemed to take life so easily would cheer her up a bit.
Arriving at the table and navigating her way around a large barrel of alcohol, she greets him as warmly as she can manage, given the circumstances.
"Hi, Arbalest," she says with a hint of a smile. "How's the catapult?" She hoped she wasn't violating some sort of social convention by not immediately striking up on how tragic Barley's death was, but somehow, she didn't think the unicorn would know (or care) either.

Boo always say "Be nice to mares. And stallions. And colts and fillies. Just be nice." Boo always smart like that. Arbalest miss Boo.
"Hi mare." Arbalest no remember mare name. But mare cute anyway. Arbalest like mares. Arbalest just not like evil unicorn. If only Arbalest could remember name.
"Catapult good. How..." Arbalest struggled to remember. What mare's job?
"How your job?" he settled for. Boo would approve.

Falcata isn't at all phased by the unicorn's peculiar method of addressing her, attributing it to his unique nature. Adds to the happy-oblivious aura he has, she supposes.
She winces slightly at the question. Oh dear. Decisively, she takes the wheel, steering the conversation away from unwelcome waters.
"It's been better, much better. But not, um, altogether a failure." That sounds like a really stupid description even to her, but she's just glad she can make words come out in the right order. At least she could save some things.
Trying once again to brush away mopey depressing thoughts, she realises that he probably doesn't know what she even does, making her already rather weak answer even worse. "I'm a soldier, by the way. A bit like yourself, I guess; assuming you'd count flinging rocks at things as fighting. Which I guess it is, of a sort."

Glaive has had a rough day. Every injury and every death on his watch stings, and the recent beheading was no different. He'd been in the barracks all morning sparing with some of the less experienced recruits. He was desperately trying to take his mind off how the militia had failed Barley, how he'd failed him, but the newer recruits couldn't provide much interesting sparing and that was only worsening his mood.
He left training earlier than he normally would have and headed over to the dinning hall. Without taking in his surroundings he went and poured himself a pint of grog, and turned to survey the room. He saw Falcata talking to that blue unicorn stallion, he couldn't remember his name but knew he was the one that worked the catapult.
He took his drink and went to sit next to Falcata, he quickly kissed her cheek as he sat down and said to both of them,
"Afternoon. What are you two talking about?"

Arbalest no good at thingy. Body thingy. That what Boo help Arbalest with. Arbalest think Boo say "Mare needs hug. She no feeling good." Arbalest no know why mare no feeling good. Arbalest just do what Boo say. Boo know more than Arbalest.
Arbalest hug mare. "Why you no feeling good?" he ask.

Falcata is slightly taken aback by the hug, but ponies quickly learn to expect the unexpected around Arbalest. It's a sweet gesture anyway, and she appreciates it more than any words.
Extricating herself from the unicorn's grip, she decides to stop skirting the issue. He's clearly not lacking in perception, at any rate.
"It's just...Barley," she admits, eyes downcast. "We should have saved him. Somepony should have. I should have."
She pauses momentarily, a bit unsure how to go on, when Glaive interrupts her unexpectedly, arriving with a kiss, a greeting, and a drink of his own.
"Hi Glaive," she replies, perking up a bit. "Just talking about...well, today." Falcata finishes rather lamely, not really knowing how to phrase it.

Some times Arbalest really needed Boo. This one of those times. Boo know what to say.
Arbalest says nothing. No know what to say.

Ah, I understand. I was just over at the barracks, uh, working out some frustration. Anyway," Glaive turns to face the blue stallion in front of him, "who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Arbalest," explains Falcata. "He's our one and only, uh, catapultist, I guess you'd call him. From what I hear, he's going to rid us of our cavern monster thingies problem once he gets a range set up!" She briefly considers a joke concerning the difficulty of missing in cramped tunnels, but can't quite summon the required joviality. Instead, she just smiles a bit, although it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

Walking into the dining areas, it was clear that Powder Miner was terrified. Sitting down alone at a table he began musing to himself quietly. "Beasts underground, thiefs up here... is it safe anywhere?"

Glaive summons up some forced cheeriness and introduces himself to the blue unicorn.
"Nice to meet you Arbalest, my name is Glaive, I serve in the militia under Commander Halberd. I've seen you work the catapult, you're a good shot with it, though I pray we never have a target large enough to need it. Though if you could take care of whatever it is making those sounds in the cavern, we'd all be thankful."

Ponies use long word. Arbalest no understand. So Arbalest nod and smile. Boo say that work always.

Partisan was not too far from Powder Miner when he overheard his statement. "Its safe where we eat." Thinking to himself, 'At least for now.' He had been working himself to death after the beheading, hoping that next time he could land the killing blow and not watch his own partner nearly become someone else he failed to protect. But for now, he was taking a break, being sure not to wear himself out, just in case they got called up again. "Care for a drink?"

Glaive stands waiting for Arbalest to say something to continue the conversation. The sense of awkward silence is growing. Glaive decides that he must do something to break it.
"So, uh, where are you from Arbalest? What brought you to Dawnpick?"

Arbalest no know what stallion mean. Boo know where Arbalest from. Arbalest leave thinking to Boo.
"Boo know. Arbalest no know. Arbalest must leave."
Arbalest make grace exit. Arbalest good at that.

Glaive stares in confusion as he watches Arbalest just walk away. "What a strange pony," he mumbles.

Falcata shrugs, not all that surprised. "Strange doesn't do it justice."

Jaxler's journal.

4th Felsite, 255

I was sharing a drink with one of my drinking buddies and he told me that yesterday a new pony came to town and his name is Grapple. The pony apparently went around town speaking about his religion. I think the he is affiliated with some kind of idol worship. I should probably keep my eye on him.

13th Felsite, 255

Another damned thief tried to rob us again. He was probably smart enough to realize that a caravan was loaded with riches, but he was dumb enough to attack an armored guard. By the time we got there the poor thing had been eviscerated.

14th of Felsite, 255

Today I shared a great conversation in the mausoleum with Falcata and Partisan. I was drinking with one of my palls then guy had a few too many bottles of rum when he told me that the extra rooms down in the mausoleum were for the militia. I decided to go down and take a look.
once down there I ran into Falcata. she seemed very angry to see me at first but we talked it out, turns out she's actually a nice pony. Half way trough our conversation Partisan decided to join in. Then I wondered into me and Partisans room and I let slip my fear of death. I tried to regain my composure as quickly as possible, but I think partisan realized I was afraid.

17th Felsite, 255

Today was bad. I'm currently writing from the hospital. I'm personal ashamed about my performance today. we were doing routine training when we were told that our squad was deployed. Me and Partisan were sent out to kill a few thieves. partisan and I scared one off but wile we were doing so another thief cornered Chic.Thank goodness she was armed with an iron pick, because if she didn't have that pick I fear that she wouldn't have been able to avoid death. Naginata's soldiers showed up and were merciful enough to offer the creature a quick death.

A half hour wen't by and we dropped our guard, then third thief showed up and before anypony knew the thief even existed he snuck up on poor Barley and executed him in a single swipe. Partisan and I flew after the monster, partisan managed to get a few shots off and and and a few of them hit the murderer. I walked up to the injured monster, I assumed that the thief had been crippled and was going to kill him when he jumped up and stabbed me. I was fast enough to keep him from stabbing my neck but he did succeed in stabbing my wing and making it impossible to fly. I would have died if Stiletto hadn't shown up. After intervening she impaled the thief and sliced his hide apart. I'm disgraced that I had to be saved by a damned alicorn, and that we, the militia, allowed a civilian die in our place.

20th Felsite, 255

I just got released from the hospital, after they made sure I was healing and that my wing wasn't getting infected.Turns out I'll have an intimidating scare on my wing. They also buried poor Barley today. I wish I could have made it to his funeral. I decided to place some flowers on his tomb afterwards, it's the least I could do for failing to protect him.

Missionary Log
Felsite, 255

It has been a long road I have walked. A long, Long road. Full of hardships and tests of faith, But with a prayer on my lips and the love of the sisters in my heart it has all been worth while. At least it will. Hopefully.

My 17 month long trek is at an end in the settlement of Dawnpick. A fairly small walled town of about 40 or so ponies, its not that much smaller than the town I was born it. That was a long time ago though. I can't help but think back on what I was like back then, a brawler, a drunker, a thief and liar and -- other bad things lets leave it a that. That was before the followers brought me in and showed me the true faith.
Just as they opened my eyes to the true goddesses of the world, I will show these kind ponies as well!

From what I hear, they are plagued by thieves and bandits of all sorts. Well, I can help more than there souls! I was quite the fighter in my day and though I'm a bit rusty right now I can still though a mean buck. I don't need to use any of there weapons or armor. Leave them for ponies who need them. All I need is what the sisters graced me with!
With the rays of Celestia's sun as my spear and sword! With Luna's moon as my shield! My armor, the stars and rainbows of the sky! None with evil in there heart can stand to the harmony of the faithful!

For now however, they have me tilling the small farms here. It's peaceful work, slow, like the gardens back at the temple. I even have time to talk to the others here and spread the good word. Few if any seem to listen, but I will not be hindered on my holy task. After all, the book of harmony states 'A harmonious pony knows that the road is only traveled with one step at a time' (Rain 5:12). Perhaps I should ask the mare in charge here for permission to build a smell chapel. Virtue I believe her name was. A good name for a good pony.

I must go now, for there is still much to be done! It is time once again to spread the love of the Two Sisters and the good news in The Book of Harmony!

19: The Ponies make plans.

Virtue's Diary - 23rd Malachite, 255

Glaze was the next pony to be possessed by whatever madness this is that drives us to create these strange, artifacts, for lack of a better term. She wandered off to one of the craftspony's workshops, a blank stare on her face and nothing but curious mumbling from her mouth. I've asked Partisan to keep a watch on her. I saw he put Jaxler up to the task this afternoon, but she seems to be finding everything she needs.

26th Malachite, 255

I was sort of expecting something like this to happen eventually, but Grapple finally came to me today. He asked for some of the settlement's resources to be used to build a small church to the Two Sisters. From what I've seen, there are a few ponies who are following along with what he has to say, and he doesn't seem to be causing undue disruption. I told him that I could probably arrange for that. If it helps boost everypony's spirits, I don't really see the harm. We could all use some help when tragedy strikes, like it did with Barley in such recent memory.

However, that's the problem. We've got to focus on keeping the badger pony thieves out, and to that end we have to employ the moat as soon as possible. All of our masons are busy working on it, and we don't have wood to spare for a church right now. I told him I'd look into it as soon as the moat is ready. That's going to be a few months yet, I'm afraid. Probably not in time to stop the thieves before the next round of them arrive.

5th Galena, 255

Glaze started working on her project today. She snatched up quite a bit of things, so I'm quite curious what it is she'll produce. Partisan doesn't think she's a risk, and I agree, so he and Jaxler have gone back to their regular duties of training and patrolling the walls.

7th Galena, 255

Glaze finished her project today. It's an amulet made of prickle berry wood she calls Noosetarnish. The name is somewhat disconcerting, but she doesn't seem to mind wearing it around. It's an interesting piece, that's for sure.

While she was working on that though, the militia were scoping out the caverns a bit. Halberd and Naginata have expressed their concerns with things getting worse down there and it eventually becoming impossible to secure them ever again if we needed them. That, and Arbalest did want to set up a catapult down there. They didn't bump into anything nasty, but we've found a few possible places to set up firing ranges where we might be able to take out the larger monsters safely.

I'm still working out the details.

13th Galena, 255

As I expected, more thieves turned up before the moat could be finished. It's so, so close, but not quite there yet. The aqueduct isn't ready yet.

I'm pleased to say that nopony lost their lives today at least, although we didn't get by without injuries. Mortar saw the first thief approaching from the south as she was laying out bricks for the moat. Immediately she and everypony else working the moat rushed back inside, and we put our new security measures to the test. We sounded the alarm, and immediately everypony dropped what they were doing and hurried underground into the food stockpiles.

Meanwhile the militia and guard took up positions at the gate and dining hall. There was no way for the thieves to get to any civilians without going through them first, and they waited. Of course, I was underground at the time, so I didn't see everything that happened. Thus I asked the captains to give me action reports of what they saw. I'm glad I wasn't up there to see it, based on what I've read.

After Action Report (Captain Naginata) - 13th Galena, 255

The warning went out as planned, and it served its purpose. Everypony ran for their lives to the safety of the food storage below ground, while we rushed off to the gate. That was the theory, and it mostly worked.

Unfortunately, Glaze and her son Granite were outside when the alert went out. One of the thieves bumped into them and snatched the foal, so we dropped our formation and galloped after him. Captain Partisan and Jaxler caught up to him first, of course, since they weren't held back by heavy armor. They managed to ground the theif and rescue Granite, and afterward they started engaging him in melee with their crossbows.

Captain Partisan took a few shallow cuts to the stomach and leg, but he wasn't badly wounded. We arrived just as Jaxler put the thief down again, and Falcata was the first to reach him. With a single stroke of her axe, his head came off. Good riddance.

We rushed back to the gate, where we ran into another thief just as he was skirting the traps at the bridge. Sarissa was the first into the fight this time, where she took a dagger to the chest. If she doesn't, I'm going to thank Billows personally for that peytral, as it stopped the dagger. I didn't see who finished the thief off, but when I looked back he was in a number of pieces, tumbling into the dry moat.

Sarissa staggered around a bit, clutching at her chest and coughing horribly. The dagger didn't penetrate, but I was worried she'd broken a rib, especially when she started coughing up blood, but she insisted that she could fight on. It turned out she'd only bruised a lung, but I probably shouldn't have let her fight on. Next time I won't.

Things got more interesting with the third and final thief. How he got past us I'm not sure, but for some reason that blathering fool named Grapple came charging for him, shouting nonsense and leapt upon it. They fought for a while, and while Grapple managed to get a few kicks in, he mostly ended up breaking two hooves and passing out. At least it got him out of our way. Glaive and Falcata laid into the thief then. Glaive's strike managed to spill some of his innards into the trade depot (empty, thankfully), while Falcata's strike bashed some of his teeth out.

He passed out after that, and it was a simple matter to take his head off with another axe strike.

Captain Partisan went off to get his cuts looked at after that, but that Grapple woke up and staggered off back to the fields, claiming he was fine. He was bleeding from his hooves, but refused to go tothe hospital. We left him at that, no point trying to help somepony if they won't help themselves.

Not sure why he didn't go to the hospital at first, he just sort of stood there and puked up his lunch while On Break for a while.

Virtue's Diary - 19th Galena, 255

After the excitement a few days ago, I was glad to see a zebra caravan on the horizon. I traded a lot of well made stone crafts for a tidy sum of food, drink, cloth, leather and a lime tree for our orchard. I think I'm going to see about populating that orchard a bit more. Carrots and celery are nice, but a little fruit spices things up a lot. And some lime wine sounds nice too!

1st Limestone, 255

I went by the hospital to check up on Partisan today, but he was already gone. Wool told me that his cuts weren't bad at all, and a few stitches later he was on his way. I did see Grapple in there though. I was wondering where he'd gone to. Apparently he tried to join the militia in their fight and got pretty banged up. Wool told me he should be fine though, although his hooves looked pretty bad.

I'll keep an eye on him. He's a bit strange, but I don't want anything bad to happen to anypony.

Castiron's random arrangement of random notes

Well I'm in the medicinal bay because I drooped a hot coal on myself and there seems to be fighting outside. Well i hope Balsa is fine, why did i sign up to be black smith when I'm this clumsy? Oh thats right i know my iron well. Doctor said i need sleep so this is going to be a short entry.

Missionary Log
Felsite, 255

A great tragedy has struck my new home. A hardworking pony of this fair village has been struck down. May he rise to live in the eternal glory of the sisters, and my his murderers be stuck down to the fiery deeps of HELL!!
I shall not stand idly by and watch as others are killed by these Discord spawned monsters! I will fight! With strong faith and strong body, I will succeed!

There is but one silver lining in this tragedy, in that some ponies of the fort have come to me for council on things spiritual. From them, I hope to grow a herd of faithful to the two sisters. Of them, the lone alicorn Stiletto seemed particularly interested. I am not surprised given the prejudice against her kind. An alicorn goddess must seem quite appealing to her, given all other 'gods' (and I use that term loosely) are of the other races. It is nice to have ponies listen to me now. Before only the trees would listen to my sermons, and even then they would wander away before i finished. Who knew apple trees could be so rude?

Malachite, 255
Finally found the time to speak to Ms. Virtue about building a chapel to the sisters. She said that the moat must be completed first, and I understand completely! The safety of the town is of top concern! I just hope she will not forget my request, as it will still be some time till the moat is completed. I am sure everything will be fine till then though.

Galena, 255
I am a failure.
An utter wast of a pony. May the sisters pity me and forgive me, though I deserve none of there forgiveness.
The bests that plage this town came again, and I had thought to go out and meet them, to help defend the town. But I was struck down by the beast, and I hardly hurt the thing before it stabbed me and, like the worthless foal I am, gave into pain and fainted. I will not ask these ponies for aid with my hoof, the pain helps remind me of why I failed. The answer is as obvious as the snout on my face, I Lack Faith!

Glorious Celestia! Sweet Luna! Forgive me! I am unworthy of thine love. From this day, mine worship of thine glory will be twice-fold! I will build you a temple of thine faithful if I must scrape it from the earth with my own shattered hooves!
There Will Be Done!!

Jaxler's journal, 23rd Malachite, 255

Well today was rather uneventful. Partisan had me guard Glaze all day long. She kept muttering random words and kept on acting strange. I personally think she might be a bit insane. The most mundane part was that all I did was sit there, She wouldn't even let me help her haul stuff. Also I can hear Grapple preach from her workshop. I wonder how fun these next couple days are gonna be...

25th Malachite, 255

I hate sitting out there and making sure Glaze doesn't go insane and kill anypony. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to listen to damn grapple preach about the "holy sisters". I can't believe I just haft to sit there and listen to him rant on about the how they will bring us salvation. I may not like where I am now, but I don't need an alicorn to "save me" from myself. Right after my shift guarding Glaze was over I went to meeting hall and drank my annoyance away.

5th Galena, 255

I finally get to stop guarding Glaze. These last couple days have been hell for me. On the 26th I had to sit there with a freaking hang over wile Grapple just rambled on and on about "the sisters". I'd take another beating from stiletto just to buck him in the face. I think I need to do something about his illogical nonsense, I feel bad that he's actually convincing a few ponies that what hes Speeking is righteous. I'm also a bit steamed that there gods are alicorns.

7th Galena, 255

Glaze finished her project today. She made an amulet. it looks so high quality, glaze must be amazing at woodcrafting to do something like this. Its so amazing it almost makes up for listening to grapple wile I sat outside her workshop.

13th Galena, 255

In all my time in the militia I've bucked an alicorn across a room, been beaten by the same alicorn, and had my wing stabbed but today what we did made up for all of that. We saved poor Granite from a thief who was about to snatch him away. me and Partisan had to beat the thief with our crossbows (which are actually decent makeshift hammers) until Falcata showed up and beheaded the snatcher. I just feel great after saving a poor little foal.

19th Galena, 255

Well we bought a lime tree today. Which actually seems to be a very VERY good thing. I hear that lime wine taste pretty decent and whenever the booze variety gets bigger my day gets that much better. They also bought some other random stuff, but nothing nearly as interesting.

Jaxler was tired after a day of drills and practice and had finally gotten into bed. He was finally on the edge of slumber and was about to allow the the annoyances of another average day fade away as he slept. But just as Jaxler had finally slipped into his dreams a loud BOOM came up from the darkness below. The sound had effectively woken Jaxler and startled him so badly that he fell out of his bed. He was mad for this had not been the first time that a sound from below had awoken him in the middle of the night. He got up and said to himself "When the hell are we gonna do something about those abominations". He walked outside and flew himself to Virtue's office. He knocked on the office door and said "Hay, I'd like to file a complaint".

Virtue looks up from the paper work she'd been poring over late into the night. She steps over and opens the door to find Jaxler standing there, a not amused expression on his face.

"Oh, Jaxler... what's the problem?" she says, motioning for him to come in.

Jaxler walks in and replies with "These monsters in the caverns are becoming a problem. They're keeping us from getting anymore wood, there loud, they're about to cause Powder Miner to have a mental break down, and most importantly there a safety hazard. So that's my complaint. also I'd love to know what the hell we're gonna do about those twisted abominations and if there is a plan to kill them, please don't tell me it involves the militia charging in and suffering massive casualties."

Virtue pauses with indecision. "Yes... the problem has been weighing on my mind a lot lately. Everypony seems pretty worried about them." She returns to her desk and pulls out a map of the caverns. "I've been trying to think up a decent plan of getting rid of them, but so far I haven't come up with much." Probably not best to mention Arbalest's plan to move a catapult down there. Not yet at least.

She makes a small gesture to Jaxler. "I've actually been thinking you and Partisan might be able to help more than the militia..."

Jaxler was less frustrated after hearing that there were making some sort of a plan to kill the monsters, but was curious to know what she intended for him and partisan "So, how exactly do you expect me and Partisan to fight these monster's without us getting killed and or hospitalized."

His eye's widen as he realizes a bigger concern. "And how do you expect us to get in the caverns without taking down the walls?"

"I have no doubt Halberd or Naginata would lead their mares and stallions down there to face whatever it is, but I agree with you that going up against such large and terrible foes up close is a bad idea." She smiles and raises a hoof as if to fire an invisible crossbow. "That's why I think you and Partisan can help. You two are trained with those crossbows. I've been thinking of ways to get you into positions in the caverns where you can fire at them without worrying about getting too close."

Her smile fades a bit as she ponders his next question. "The walls will be a bit of a problem... so far they're the only thing keeping us safe. I've been thinking about having the masons carve some fortifications into them so you'd be able to fire at any enemies from a safe position."

She takes a look at the unfurled map on her desk and frowns. "There are a few problems with that though... the positioning is going to be tricky... and you're only two ponies..."

Jaxler makes a grin and says "Its good to know that you wouldn't send the militia on a suicide mission." Jaxler paused for a second as he thought heavily and said aloud "It's possible that me and partisan could kill them from fortifications but that would take months. So new recruits would appear to be the best solution." Jaxler chuckles and says "So long as none of them try to take the rank of second in command from me"

Jaxler looks on the map of the caverns. he notices a small x and the word catapult and says "So... What is that X on the map for?"

Virtue frowns and sighs. "Arbalest... suggested we move a catapult down to the caverns. Seems he wanted to try his hoof at taking out the creatures down there himself." She looks up to Jaxler and adds, "He's been... well, I'm not sure a catapult is going to do a whole lot of good. Especially in the closed quarters. A ballista would be better... but even then I'm not sure."

She shrugs. "It might be worth a try though. Either way, I think you're right about the lack of help. We need to get a few more ponies to help you and Partisan out. If nothing else, the two of you alone can't keep the entire settlement under surveillance." She thinks back to the untimely ends of Brook and Barley, but refrains from mentioning the incidents. Neither were the fault of the guard.

Partisan knocked on the door. He thought he had figured it out. A way to potentially Stop the racket from the cavern, without too much risk of lives.
"Virtue, I wanted to run an idea by you, if you don't mind." It was so simple, he didn't know what he hadn't thought of it before.

Jaxler's facial expression hardened as he said "Virtue, why wasn't I informed about this when I asked you my initial question, I prefer my leader to tell me the full truth." But Before Jaxler could continue he was interrupted my a knocking on the the office door. Jaxler then heard a voice and said "Heya Partisan."

She smiles sheepishly and replies, "Well, Jaxler... I'm still not sure about the catapult... I mean if we do go through with it I'd let you know, of course..."

The knock at the door interrupts her attempts at defending herself. She beckons Partisan to enter and asks, "Oh? What's on your mind?

"A bridge." He replied, quite proud of himself. "Well, two bridges."
With that, he looked up, trying to figure out how to continue, knowing he should have rehearsed this.
"I got the idea while watching the moat get dug out. I figured, the purpose of a moat was to keep things out, right? So why not just dig an empty one that traps the beast in one area. If we do it right, we can just take our time making pot shots at it until it falls. As a bonus, we will also have a slightly safer gateway into the caverns when we are done."

Jaxler looked over to partisan and said "Seems like a decent idea Partisan, but it would require tearing down the walls." But Jaxler was still not completely happy with Virtue's response and said to her " I asked you a question, you said you would answer it. You withheld information. So, as my leader I expect you to give me all the information I ask for. If I can trust you with my life you should be willing to trust me with the full truth."

Partison nodded at Jaxler's compliment, but backed up a bit, keeping his eyes on Virtue. He noted that, what ever it was that he interrupted, it was making Jaxler angry, and him more curious.

Virtue sighs and places a hoof against her face. "I'm sorry Jaxler. Arbalest suggested moving the catapult down to the caverns, but I wasn't sold on the idea yet and so didn't think it was important to even bring it up. I'd intended to bring it up with the militia and guard before I did anything."

She looks over to Partisan and adds, "That actually sounds like a pretty good idea. It would be faster than building new walls if we wanted to expand our hold of the caverns." She pauses in thought and takes another look at her map. "The only problem would be the flying things... I believe Diamond Shard or Chic mentioned hearing some flying around down there... we'll have to be careful about that."

Partison nodded in appreciation. That was actually quite a big hole in his plan that she had found. But she had liked it and said she would consider it, which was enough for him. The mentioning of a catapult struck him as humorous, causing him to exhale deeply. Maybe they could use it. As inaccurate as those things were, sometimes they still can help. It always is a boost of moral to see those large, clunky machines flinging rocks into the distance.
"I will see if I can think of any way to fix the flyer portion of the problem. As for the catapult, do you have any idea of how we could use it? I mean specific ideas. I, for one, see it good for moral, but not much else. Never have seen them hit anything."

Jaxler was happy with Virtue's response. "So they can fly? Hmm... Their ability to fly might actually make this easier. In fact, what if we dug out a hole from the roof of the cavern. Only the flying ones would be able to come through. we could fight off the flying ones from there and with them out of the way a we could use your plan. Also if things were to go wrong with your plan we would still be left with fewer monsters to fight."

Jaxler eyes widened as remembered a vital fact about the bests "But there is another problem with the plan. According the the rumors going around these bests have poison. For all I know it could just cause mild dizziness, or it could rot your entire right side off... or worse. Also Partisan, how would you feel if somepony were to die down there? Cause right now, it would be our faults."

"Thats the purpose of a plan, to make a fight as one-sided as possible." Partison replied.
"But you do have a good point. If they have poison and we don't plan for it, we are sending valuable lives to die, and that is in no way acceptable."

Virtue takes in a sharp breath at the mention of the poison. She hadn't considered that possibility... but if it could be half as bad as Jaxler suggested it was, this just got a lot more complicated.

"The last thing I'd want to do is send anypony down there unprepared... if these creatures really are poisonous, then all the more reason to not ask the militia to fight them." She taps her chin with a hoof. "Although I'm afraid crossbow bolts alone won't be enough to take some of the tougher ones out... but the thought of anypony going down there and dying, much less from something like an insiduous venom or poison... I'm beginning to question if we should try this at all."

She looks to the two pegasi in her office. "But, I think morale would improve if we got rid of them. Even if they've not escaped yet, I can't help but worry. And the miners would be the first to encounter them, not trained militia. Maybe the catapult would be the solution?" She examines the map once again. "Or a ballista? Arbalest and Ballista are both trained to use them, we could set up a couple down there... they might be able to finish off the tougher ones."

Partisan thought about it for a second and then turned to his second in command.
"What do you think Jaxler? Ballistas are more powerful and accurate, Which means they might make the fights shorter, leading to less chance for casualties. But there are dangers that come with them. And they take much longer to make, with the need to craft the shaft and head."

Jaxler thought to himself for a second "I say we use ballistas. Ballistas are more powerful and we haven't the slightest idea how tough these things are. Some of these creatures could be made of dirt while others could be made of pure Iron. So I'd say that using the most powerful weapon at our disposal seems to be the best solution."

Jaxler then realizes a huge problem and looks over to Virtue "Also... what if things go bad? What if there is a cataclysmic military failure? What is the fail-safe? What do you plan to do if we start dropping like flies?"

Partison spoke up quickly.
"That, I already thought of. If we are the only ones that its able to reach, we are the only ones in danger. Hence the two bridges."

Virtue's eyes snap open at the suggestion that such a thing could even happen. If they started dropping like flies, she'd probably be next from heart failure. "Heaven forbid it should come to that... but..." She looks at the map where the carved staircases led downward. "Perhaps... I think you might be on to something. We may not even need a channeled moat underground. We can build a drawbridge into the walls. If the militia or you two have to flee, you can fall back to the surface and we raise the bridge. That way, nothing can follow you."

Partison listened to her words and realized how foolish his own where. He looked down embarrassed at his own stupidity.
"That would be a much more sane option."

Virtue notices his crestfallen expression and smiles. "I'm just glad you suggested the bridges at all... I'd probably have never thought of it." She chuckles. "Tactics has never been my specialty... I'm glad I have you all to bounce these ideas off of... I'd have probably just settled for the fortifications and we'd never be rid of the creatures."

Jaxler was dumbstruck by Partisan's apology "Partisan... Why the hell do you think you need to apologize for sharing an idea. Your trying to help so don't feel bad. Do yourself a favor and don't say your sorry when all you did was help. I didn't apologize to you when I almost took a knife to the neck and you should't apologize to anypony when all your guilty of is trying to help."

Partison looked at Jaxler with eyes of both seriousness and of understanding.
"I am apologizing for recommending the thing that we are trying to prevent. Needless deaths. What if she would have accepted that part of the plan? Where would that leave you? Where would it leave everyone else, when more thieves and beast show up." He stopped speaking before he reached, what he felt was, a taboo ground for conversation.

Jaxler was intrigued at the response and said "Well she didn't. You only helped. You should be happy that you brought up the bridges REGARDLESS of the fact that the rest of the plan could have ended in me and you dying horribly."

A glimmer of hope sparked in his eye as he listened to Jaxler. He had the makings of a commander alright. A bit rough to work with, but still was commander material.
"That reminds me," he said to Virtue. "Can we have a steel and silver crossbow made?"

"Steel and silver..." she raises a hoof to her chin. "Well, we've got tons of spare steel lying around so that should be easy enough. I don't think we've found any silver in the mines though." She traces her hoof across the lines of a calendar hanging on her wall and says, "The next caravan shouldn't be too far off though. Maybe they'll bring something silver we can repurpose. In the meantime I'll send word to the smiths to get started on a few steel crossbows. I'll admit that the wooden ones you've got now are a bit light."

Jaxler saw the opportunity to make a demand "Well seeing how were making demands right now I'd love to have a personalized crossbow too, but make it bismithbronze and silver. I know it's a strange request but I have a personal reason for choosing those metals. I'd also like to keep my wooden crossbow with me whenever I'm off duty. I have a tendency to piss ponies off so some self protection would be rather helpful."
Jaxler's eye's widened as he realized he had an opportunity "Also virtue, can you promise me that upon my death that a plaque is made as well and that it be placed at my location of death. But don't put my name on it. Also should I die in combat I want to be buried in armor and with my crossbow, and should I die of something else I wish to be buried with a barrel of booze."

Virtue stammers a bit at the request. What should she say to that? "W-well, Jaxler, I'll definitely see about getting you that crossbow." She swallows and adds, "And... let's not think too much about things like that... but... I promise I'll do what I can..."

"I agree with Virtue on this point. We should keep that kind of what if to a minimum." Partison chimed in as he made a personal note to remember the plaque just in case that ever did happen. "We wouldn't want to cause a drop in hope around here. It wouldn't be good for some ponies."

Jaxler was extremely interested at this point "So your saying that I shouldn't ensure that my arrangements are done according to my wishes. I just wanted somepony to know what I wish to happen to me. Sure something may be sad or morbid to think about but if one hasn't planed for the worst or in this case the inevitable, well then your left in a rather bad situation. Everypony should make sure to note all the "what ifs" pleasant or otherwise, because not doing so is living in ignorance. and ignorance is like building a house out of sticks and expecting it to stand up against a flood."

Virtue looks awkwardly at Jaxler for a few moments in silence. Well, he was right, but it was still morbid. "I... suppose you have a point Jaxler. Like I said, I'll see to it that that is taken care of... should it come to that." She smiles and tries to change the subject. "But, that's not going to happen now. We've got a plan, and I think it's a solid one. I'm not running into it though, I'm going to take some time and think it through... make sure we get it right."

Jaxler said in agreement "Well then this plan seems pretty good." Jaxler paused as he realized something rather major "Hay Partisan, taking into account that it's currently around 1:00 in the morning and that I haven't gotten more than 30 hours of sleep this week do ya think I could get tomorrow off in order to rest up?"

Partison though carefully about it. What ever his decision, he knew that he would have to live with it too.
"As tempting as a break sounds, we should really keep training. But, in order not to exhaust us, we can cut the time in half, on both ends. That means an extra three ours to sleep and we leave three hour early. That sound like a good trade off?"

Jaxler was happy with the Partisan's decision "Well that sounds pretty good and to be honest it's more than I expected". He then looked over to Virtue "Anyway I think it's about time I headed to bed."

She nods and puts away a few papers on her desk. "Yes, it is quite late. I should have been in bed hours ago." She smiles at the two and adds, "You two need your sleep too. Remember, everypony counts on you two to help keep us safe!"

20: Word Lessons and Sparring

Flux sits at the forge, taking the opportunity to scribble a few more designs while he lets the steel smelt.
"It's got to be something really heavy to be heard through the walls. How can I make a trigger that won't just crush?"

A large shadow looms over Flux as he writes
"Hello Flux, are you busy right now? I need more... word lessons."

Flux jumps a bit at the unexpected appearance of Stiletto, nearly tossing his scribbles into the smelter.
"Stiletto! Sorry, I didn't notice you there!"
He takes a moment to calm down and check how the steel is doing before talking again. After scooping some slag off the top, Flux turns back to Stiletto.
"You wanted some more writing lessons?"

Stiletto looks a little upset when she startles Flux but she recovers quickly and nods
"Yes, but you are... good? I did not mean to scare you."
She lowers her head so she can look into Fluxs' eyes
"I know I am a scary pony, but I will not hurt you."
She then smiles.

'Come on, Flux. You wanted to help her adjust, so stop freaking out!'
"I'm Sorry, Stiletto. I know you wouldn't, but I... I still get a bit intimidated by you. I'm trying to get over it, but... I mean, you're an alicorn and in the militia! I'm just a little earth pony who knows his way around a smelter."
'And awkward in even the best situations...'

Stiletto looks down at the ground and scrapes at it with her forehoof
"I scare the militia ponies too."

'Ya, great job, Flux.'
Shaking slightly with nerves, I reach out a hoof to touch hers.
"Um, I think they just don't know you? I know you're dedicated to helping Dawnpick, and you really deserve a friend."

She smiles at him and very gently puts her other hoof on top of Fluxs'
"You really think that? You are a very nice... Hengst? No, what is the word?"

I smile, forgetting my nerves for a moment at least.
"Friend, somepony to just be there for whatever you need."

Stiletto shakes her head
"That would be Freundin...." She blushes "I mean Freund. Hengst means... opposite of mare?"
Her cheeks fill with air and she lets out a long sigh
"See, I need much more help with Midpony words."

"Opposite of..? Oh, 'Stallion' is the word you want."
It takes a few moments for the meaning of what she was trying to say to actually sink in. When it does, Flux blushes a bit as well.
"Um, thank you, Stiletto. You're a nice mare, too. Um, and I'd be happy to help you learn, uh, Midpony?"
'Midpony? Do alicorns normally speak a different language? Uh-oh, my steel!'
Flux frantically returns to the smelter and begin to pour the molten steel into ingots, talking as he works.
"So, anything you can think of you'd like help with off the top of your head?"

Stiletto seems enthralled by Fluxs' work, she recovers when he speaks to her directly
"Stallion? Yes, good. Maybe you could look at my notes? I am writing notes about machines."
As she talks Stiletto continues to look over Fluxs' head to get a closer look at how he works

Flux continues working as he talks, setting aside the ingots to cool and dumping some more ore in to begin the process all over again.
"Machines? You know stuff about traps, too? Neat! I've been scribbling designs for a bit, but I'm still not very experienced. I'll give them a look in just a couple minutes. Gotta keep paper away from the smelter, I've lost a few designs by letting them get too close to the fire."

Stiletto nods
"I like big machines. The kind that make the wonderful noises."
She smiles a wistful look in her eyes
"Click and Twang, and thud! I like thud! the most, it's my favorite machine sound."

"I like the schwing of the blade traps, myself. The pumps aren't bad, though. Just kinda quietly efficient."
Flux places the crucible back into the smelter to start processing the ore, then closes it up and turn to Stiletto.
"There we go! Lets go over here where my other notes are and you can show me what you've got."

With a flick of her mien, Stiletto trots to the area containing Fluxs' notes
"What I have got is right here."
Stiletto pulls a small book from under her armor with the use of her magic and places it next to Fluxs' notes
"Old family weapons."

Flux lets out a low whistle as he looks over her notes.
"Wow, Stiletto, these are amazing! That multi-ballista is especially interesting! Did you design these?"
He looks her in the eyes, clearly awed by the notes.

First Stiletto blushes again and then shakes her head
"My Great Uncle. He was a brilliant Militia pony, with much respect for his unit. He is the reason my family... sits where they do?"
She ferrous her brow as she clearly struggles for the right words
"We were close before I went to flight academy."
Stilettos' eyes droop again
"Traurige Erinnerungen."

"Um, did something happen to him while you were at the academy?"

"He passed on to Valholta just after I graduated. I went into guard training the next day."
She raises her head and squares her jaw
"He wanted me too be strong and brave, so I do it for him."

Flux looks up at her, starting to finally see past the alicorn to the pony.
"I... I'm sure he'd be proud, Stiletto. You're one of the bravest ponies I know, and you use your strength to make sure others are safe. I'm not too strong, but I want to help, too. That's why I started looking into machinery."

Stiletto looks down at Flux and then her armor. She draws a hoof over one her *steel high boots* *1 then takes it off slowly and places her bare hoof on Fluxs' forehead.
"Your steel protects. I just end lives."

Flux blushs heavily as Stiletto places her hoof on his head.
"And you save others in the process. I just make metal, I don't even work it into form. You have the skill and the will to defend ponies at the risk of yourself, Stiletto. I don't see how your Uncle could be prouder of you."

Stiletto smiles softly and puts her hoof down
'Solch ein netter kleiner Hengst. Wird er auch von mir genommen werden?'
"You are a very good friend to say that, but there are two lives that already passed through my hooves."
She put her boot back on
"Ich bin zu langsam."

"You can't be everywhere at once, Stiletto. My traps aren't perfect, but I like to think they do at least something if real help cant get there in time. Don't blame yourself, please?"

Slowly, carefully, Stiletto moves close to Flux.
"If you come with me when I visit them, I will be less sad. You really make me feel... Better?"

"T-to the crypts?"
Flux swallows heavily at the thought of being so close to dead ponies, but it doesn't seem quite as terrifying if Stiletto would be there.
"Um, alright. I, uh, haven't payed my respects properly, and I really should. You m-make me feel better, too."

Stiletto's eyes brighten up as she smiles and taps Flux on the head with her horn
"I go every Slate 18. It is her birthday, I remember to bring her flowers on her birth day."
Stiletto rises to her full height
"It will be good to finally go with a friend."

Glyph walks along, thinking to himself. 'I've been training hard, but I still have all of the skill of a foal with my axe. Maybe I'm just not... NO. Can't think like that, I have to prove that Virtue was right putting her trust in me, the captain too...'
He looks up, and notices that he had almost run smack into Stiletto! "Oh! Sorry, I was lost in thought... What are you doing out here?"

'Was ist das?'
Stiletto looked down at the pony before her, who was pleasantly not running away.
"I was on patrol, what are you doing wenig stallion?"

He cocks his head, "Wenig? dunno what that means... I was just thinking, I think better when I walk."

"It means... there is no good word in Midpony for it. This language is so impolite. Having good thoughts I hope?"

"Not really... I was thinking about me being in the militia. All the training I've done, and I'm still horrible with my weapon..." Glyph's eyes light up as a thought comes into his mind, "Hey, you're a really good fighter, maybe you can help?"

Stiletto took a second to recover from the fact she received a complement instead of a fear filled yelp and then nodded.
"You are very brave. Yes, I will train with you. I am Stiletto, what is your name? or should I just keep calling you wenig stallion?"

"My name's Glyph. So you are okay with training with me? Cool maybe we could have a sparring match? Oh, but you're on duty right now aren't you."

"Most ponies here just keep away from me. You are brave just to talk to me, and I just finished."
Stiletto looks out over the draw bridge and then back at Glyph.
"We will need training axes, if you want to be sparring with me Glyph."

"Really? We usually just spar with our normal weapons... but okay, you probably know way more than I do. Lead on." Glyph could feel his exitement rising, Stiletto was a really tough pony, if anyone could help make him a better fighter it would be her. "So... the barracks then?"

"Yes, the barracks, or maybe behind it. I am big and need space to move."
Stiletto trots off to the barracks and grabs two training axes off the weapons rack. She tosses one axe to Glyph
*With a slightly mocking tone in her voice* "Seien Sie sanft."

"Seien Sie sanft? Umm.. what?" He grabs the axe, and take a stance. "So... here? Or do you want to go outside?" Glyph's grip slips a bit, and he ajusts the axe again.
'Well at least I can talk clearly around my weapon...'

"Outside please. Just let me get my wing belt."
Stiletto magically lifts a large black leather belt from under her bunk and loops it about her wings so she couldn't possibly use them. With that in place she trots out behind the barracks and stands at the ready with axe in mouth and no shield.

Glyph follows Stiletto, confused a bit, but readys himself anyway. "Why are you wearing that belt? And why don't you use a shield?"

"You have no shield, you can't fly, I do not cheat."
Stiletto had to move the training axe several times as she was speaking. Then her eyes flared to life as she charged full tilt at Glyph, bringing her axe around in a wide ark.

'Well here goes nothing... but fighting at a handicap... it doesn't feel right.'
He jumps to the side and duck down, the strike sailing over his head. As he retakes his feet, he brings his axe around, taking a clumsy swing at Stiletto's legs.

Stiletto barely manages to stand up on her hind legs as Glyphs' axe swings just under her hooves. She then uses those same hooves to stomp down hard hoping to catch Glyph on the back swing.
'mutig und schnell'

He jumps back, expecting to have missed with his skill, nearly dropping his axe. He fumbles a bit then get his grip. 'Dangit, last thing you need to do is drop your axe again... she's already handicapping herself, anything more and I'll never live it down.'

Stiletto seems to smile around her axe. Swinging in wide arks with her axe she moves in for what she hopes will be an easy hit
"jetzt hab ich dich!'

Flux walk back from helping set up some more pumps to maybe finally get something besides air into the moat. As he crosses the main bridge, he hears what sounds distinctly like Stiletto swearing in her strange language.
"Huh, nopony else sounds worried. I wonder what's going on?"
Flux follows the sounds of Stiletto to their source, eventually seeing her and another pony apparently sparring.

Glyph darts forward, swaying out of the way of the blows, and clumsily sweeps his axe up, trying to strike Stiletto's head.

Stiletto gets her axe between her head and Glyphs axe just in time. She locks them together and starts using her size advantage to push Glyph down.
"Ich bin am stärksten!"

He trys to fight against Stiletto, but can't, so he drops his axe. Jumping to the side, Glyph kicks out at her side, trying to get at least one hit in.
'Can't let myself get pinned, have to keep moving!'

When Glyph drops his axe Stiletto completely over extends herself and slams her axe into the ground with force. Stuck as she is she can't dodge and gets bucked in the side. She wheels on Glyph and tries to buck him back.
"Halten Sie still!"

Glyph jumps away, almost falling over from the shock at actually landing a blow. He spins around to look at Stiletto setting myself for another rush. "Should we get our axes back? Or is the match still going?"

Stiletto stops and faces Glyph
"We can get the axes, or we can... ringen?"
She actually looks rather pleased

"Ringen? Whats that?"
'She looks pleased... maybe... this was definitely a good idea'

"Ringen!"
Stiletto jumps into the air in an arc toward Glyph trying to land on him
"Krieg dich!"

"Whoa!" Glyph more falls to the side than dodges, barely keeping on his hooves. He swallows nervously. Glyph was pretty strong from working with rock, but Stiletto was in a league of her own. 'Can't back down now though... time to see how I do up close I guess.'
Glyph jumps himself, trying to knock Stiletto to the ground.

'jetzt hab ich dich'
Stiletto lifts herself up just enough to wrap her unbelievably long forelegs around Glyph as he charges her. Catching him against her chest sh pulls him under her bulk and basically lays on him.
"Ringen!" *she says with a smile*

"Omph" The breath is driven out of Glyph as Stilleto lays on him. He struggles a bit, but can't get free. "Guess that means you won. H-how did I do?"

Stiletto stands slowly and carefully. Then she reaches down with a forehoof and musses Glyphs' mien.
"You fight very well Glyph. Mutig und schnell like my teacher at the guard academy."

'Wow, they're good! I've never actually seen anypony spar before.'
Flux walks closer to Stiletto and Glyph, ready to congratulate them on their skill.
"Oh wow, that was great!"

Glyph blushs a bit at hearing another pony, 'Great, somepony else to see me fail... but that was fun.' He rolls to his feet and look over at the newcomer. "Umm... hi. Who're you? Wait... did you say great?"

Stiletto smiles and begins to remove her wing belt
"Flux is a friend Glyph. He helps me speak your words better."

"Ya, that was amazing! It looks like you have another friend, Stiletto!"
Flux prances a bit in place in happiness.

"Solche niedlichen kleinen Hengste."
Stiletto gets her wing belt off and then spreads her wings out to their full span, as well as stretching the rest of her body out.

"Wow I've never had somepony call my fighting amazing before" Glyph chuckles a bit at Flux prancing "I'm glad that Stiletto has a friend. What language are you speaking Stiletto?" He looks at her as he asks, amazed at her wingspan.

Flux stares as Stiletto flexes and stretches, then remember his manners and coughs and blushs.

Not one but two stallions were at this very moment staring at Stiletto. She smiles and looks away as if she had not seen them as she folds her wings back in and walks between Flux and Glyph.
"I speak Highpony, Glyph. It is the Language of my home land."

Glyph swallows and blushs as he realizes he was staring. "U-umm, I see... it sounds interesting. You think you could teach me some?"

Flux shakes his head to try to clear it.
"It's a really interesting language, too! Oh, it even has a word for our language: Midpony!"

Stiletto nods at Flux
"It is a very formal language. Midpony is easier to learn."
she huffs out a sigh.
"But I will try to teach."
Stiletto opens her wings just a little bit this time
"Know come here you two, it will time to eat soon."

"It will? I hadn't noticed. Maybe we can spar again later, maybe then I'll be able to get a bit better." Glyph walks over so he's standing next to Stiletto, trying not to stare, and waits for Flux.

Flux's stomach grumbles to remind him why he left the pumps in the first place.
"Ah, heh, right. Lunch time."

Stiletto brings her wings in over Glyphs' and Fluxs' withers.
"I can not think of two I would like too eat with more."
She leads the two off to the dinning hall.

Author's Note

*1 Indicates that the object is of Superior quality.

Quite a bit of changing of First person into Third person in this one. The first chapter of pure RP too!

21: Boos and baths

Arbalest not have luck with catapult. No beast kill. Arbalest head back up to food place. If Boo were here, Arbalest kill beast. Arbalest unhappy. Need Boo. No Boo.
Then everypony think Arbalest crazy. Nopony like Arbalest. Arbalest sad. Wish Boo here. Then Arbalest be happy.
Arbalest get food then sit down. Arbalest still sad.

Stiletto was enjoying a fine meal after a great workout and then she saw a lonely looking blue flügellos. She turned to Glyph.
"Do you know that one? He looks... Lost? No, that is not right. Come with me Glyph."
With that she turned toward Arbalest and trotted to his table bringing Glyph with her
"Hello, I am Stiletto, may I join you?"

New pony. New pony to say Arbalest not right. New pony to laugh at Boo.
Wait. Pony not laugh at Boo. Boo not here.
"Arbalest okay."
Arbalest just want Boo back. Arbalest suffer leak from eyes.

"So your name's Arblest?" Said Glyph, "Are you sure you're okay? You look sad..."

Ponies come to laugh. Arbalest no like laugh at. Arbalest pick up food and move. Arbalest like by self.
Boo. Need Boo. Just need Boo, then everything is okay.

Stiletto attempted to talk to the retreating flügellos
"You are crying. Can I ask why?....."
Stiletto looks at Glyph with confusion it her eyes

Ponies LAUGH at ARBALEST! ARBALEST NOT TOLERATE SUCH DISRESPECT! PLOT-KICKING FOR GOODNESS!
ARBALEST TURN TO PONIES. ARBALEST WEAR BATTLE FACE. ALWAYS SCARE OTHER PONIES.
"Arbalest not good enough for you, eh! Arbalest CRAZY, EH! ARBALEST SILLY WITH THE CATAPULT, EH! ARBALEST NO MORE ENDURE LAUGHTER!"

Stilettos' voice became very cold
"I am not laughing, and you are shouting."
Then her eyes light up
"Did you say catapult?"

"U-umm we weren't gonna laugh at you..." Glyph said "We were just bein' nice... You looked lonely, and sad."

Arbalest slump down. Arbalest need Boo. Boo tell Arbalest what to do. Arbalest need Boo. Too many ponies for Arbalest.

"Oh no! Glyph, get the, the, the, Ärztin!"
Stiletto looks around the dinning, all the while in a bit of a panic.

Grapple finally looks up from his holy book to see what all the yelling is about. He sees Stiletto looking about the table in a panic. He recognizes Stiletto as one of the few ponies that listens to his preaching, but the two stallions are strangers to him.
He calls out from the other side of the dining hall, "Stiletto, is everything all right over there? Are those two bothering you?"

Flux returns from the kitchen with a fresh plate of delicious food, only to find a commotion starting to get going.
"Um..."

Glyph looks between Stiletto and Arblest, beginning to get really worried. "H-hey... come on, calm down... there's no need to panic, or to get sad."

Arbalest failure. Need Boo. Boo make right. Arbalest need Boo. Boo make Arbalest right.

'beruhige dich, Stiletto,beruhige dich'
She takes a deep breath and moves into a stance of military attention
"Thank you Glyph, I am calm now. No one is bothering me Grapple, they are Freunde, but this flügellos looks.. not well?"
Stiletto indicates to Arbalest with her hoof.

Jaxler walked into the meeting room with a barrel of booze and some food. He then noticed that his two least favorite ponies in the fort were in the same building. Jaxler walked over to his favorite seat and sat down. He started to eat and hoped that Grapple would hold off on preaching til he blacked out from alcohol poisoning. Jaxler then took note of Arbalest crying "Hay! Arbalest, why ya so sad?"

Ponies gather round. Arbalest need Boo. Where Boo? Boo tell Arbalest what do.
"Need Boo."

"Boo?"
Stiletto leans down to whisper into Glyph's ear
"What is Boo?"

"Probably more who is Boo" He whispers back, before turning back to Arbalest. "Well, maybe we can help you find Boo? I'd be happy to help if I can, and I'm sure Stiletto would be as well."

Flux cautiously approachs the group of ponies.
"Uh, Boo? Who's Boo?"

Arbalest wonder at ponies' ignorance. Not knowing Boo?
"Boo miniature giant space hamster. Faithful companion of Arbalest. Boo gone though."

Jaxler was completely shocked by Arbalest. "what the hell is a space hamster?"

'Miniature...what?'
"Um, where did you last see him?" Asked Flux.

Where did Arbalest last see Boo? Silly pony.
"Last saw here. Space hamster hamster from space, silly."

"So, we help you find him, yes or maybe?"
'Miniatur-Riese Raum Hamster?'

"But how? Boo gone!" Said Arbalest.

"...Gone where?" Flux asked.

Silly pony!
"GONE. Not gone where, gone!" Arbalest exclaimed.

"What does GONE mean?" Jaxler asked "Is he dead or something?"

"Gone! Poof!" Replied Arbalest "Disappeared!"

Stiletto takes a step back. You could almost hear the wheels turning in her head
"Flux, could you come with me? It will not take to much time."

"Then we just have to figure out what happened!" Glyph said "I'm sure with us all looking we can, we just have to try."

"Um, alright Stiletto."
Flux follows Stiletto, still a bit confused at what Arbalest was talking about.

"Arbalest, " Asked Jaxler, "When did this happen and do you think anypony took him"?

Stiletto took Flux outside and then to the stores area.
"We need to make a cage trap. You know how yes and please?"

"Arbalest not know. Arbalest not know much without Boo."

Flux's eyes brighten as he finally finds himself back in his comfort zone.
"Oh! Um, yes? I think we have the parts here to set one up. I think there's a cage around here somewhere,too..."
Smiling, he begins to gather the components to make the trap.

"We need to catch a Boo. Then the sad flügellos get his friend back."
Stiletto tries to help Flux haul things to where he needs them.

"Arbalest, what the hell does this "space hamster" look like and how big is he. Also do you think there is any possibility we can find him?"
Jaxler sighed as he realized he might spend the afternoon looking for a space hamster.

Flux pauses in the middle of gathering parts.
"...Where should we set this up to try to catch a, uh, Boo?"

Stiletto puts a hoof under her chin
"Where does the flügellos... spend time?"

Mortar closes his diary and looks up from the table. Those other ponies had been making quite the distracting commotion for quite awhile now. He took a quick sip of his wine and headed over to Jaxler and Arbalest. Leaving his designs and diagrams alone at the table.
"Hrm, what seems to be wrong here? You drew me away from my studies and designs....My interest is, piqued."

Flux tilts his head and tap his chin with a hoof, thinking for a moment.
"I think he's the one who set up the catapult? Maybe over there?"

"Oh? Hello there Mortar. Arbalest lost his pet... space hamster named Boo and I'm trying to help." Jaxler knew how insane that sounded and hoped Mortar didn't assume he was just another brain dead alcoholic.

"He made a catapult?! Oh I want to see!"
Stiletto shakes her head and rustles her wings to regain her composure.
"I mean, yes, near but not so close he falls in."

Flux smiles at Stiletto's excitement, then start to lead the way to the catapult.

"Oh space hamster? I thought I saw one of those by my workshop the other day. He said he had to return home, something about his family in danger." He gave a slight wink at Jaxler, hoping he'd catch on. "Told me to tell his friends goodbye, and that he'll return soon. I didn't catch his name, so I did not know how to find his friends." Mortar, hoping to defuse the situation quickly, looked at Jaxler expectedly.

Boo would tell Arbalest. But maybe Boo too busy. Boo return soon? Arbalest wait. Arbalest need Boo, but Arbalest wait.
"Arbalest wait right here till Boo back."

Jaxler looked over to Mortar in disgust and said hesitantly "Ya Arbalest, that might be smart. Also if you ever need help with anything you can trust me to be honest".
Jaxler didn't like that Mortar lied to a grown stallion like Arbalest. It made him feel nasty.

Stiletto follows Flux carrying as much as she can while trying not to skip.

"I am very... aufgeregt."
As the two of them come round the wall to the catapult, Stilettos' eyes go wide and she stares in reverence at the beautiful machine
"Vervollkommnen."

Arbalest a bit happy now...Wait. Maybe wrong space hamster?
"Was space hamster giant space hamster, or just space hamster?"

Flux can't help but chuckle as Stiletto stares at the catapult.
"Ya, he did a good job on that, didn't he?"

"Arbalest, size maters and seeing as I told him it was just a normal space hamster he might still be out there. Mortar would you like to tell us rather or not he was giant?"

Mortar gives a slight glare at Jaxler, obviously the the azure pony was quite unhinged, perhaps too many blows to the head with his siege equipment, the whole idea of trying to find the space hamster was absurd, there is no such thing. So how could a little white lie that could sooth the stallion rather than upset him further be disgraceful. "It was a giant space hamster, about half my height. I hope it was Boo, but I am uncertain, having not gotten his name.

Having been irritated past the point of non-intervention by the seemingly ceaseless ruckus, a distinctly angry voice sounds from a nearby table:
"Excuse me, Stony, or whoever you are, I hope you're not making fun of that poor unicorn, hm?"
She shoots the purple irritant a venomous glare, accentuating her point. Arbalest was a bit weird, but he definitely had his heart in the right place. Not the kind of pony she wanted to see upset because some purple pipsqueak thought he was funny.

"Falcata please calm down. Arbalest filed a complaint with the me about a missing pet and as a member of guard and I need to listen and help as best I can. Also MORTAR isn't doing much wrong. In fact he's trying to help."
Jaxler then gave Mortar a soul piercing gaze with his blood red eyes and said "Are you SURE it was a giant space hamster..." Jaxler wasn't amused that Mortar ignored his hint.

Not...not Boo...Boo not coming back...
"Not...not Boo..."
Leaking from eyes.

"Falcata is it? Yes I remember, spent days reworking my calculations of the proper stone pieces for our fortifications after you were injured....don't think I ate anything after that. He turned and looked her straight in the eye, a warrior's gaze. If she had ever watched him work during her patrols she'd realize that he has more skill with a hammer than just to chip rock with. "Arbalest is a good friend and valued member of our community. I spent countless hours with him in the past experimenting with proper weight and shape of his catapult munitions. I would never make fun of him, I merely want to ease his concern about his friend Boo. Whom we WILL find." Mortar gives an angry snort, the tip of his horn glowing a light amber color. "So do not suggest otherwise!"

Stiletto took a long look at that amazing weapon of motion and mechanics.
"Yes, Yes he did, but work. Where should we do this?"

"Dude were here for you" Jaxler knew that if Boo was mealy a figment of Arbalest's imagination then he had no right to misinform him. He decided to offer what support he could for the poor unicorn. "I have a barrel of booze over there. We can all share, a bit of binge drinking usually helps me when I'm feeling down. and if you'd rather look for him then I'm fine with that too."

"Um..."
Flux looks around for a good spot to set up the trap, needing a place fairly flat and preferably with decent-length grass. Finding a spot not too far from the catapult, he motions for Stiletto.
"Right here? We should be able to set up the pop-up cage here, I think."

Falcata snorts, not really convinced that Jaxler and Mortar are going about this correctly.
"I'm just saying, if you're going to lead him to beli-"
At the sight of Arbalest beginning to tear up, she moves to get up, muttering under her breath.
"Oh gods above..."

Stiletto moves all of the equipment to the spot Flux indicated
"How much time do you need?"

"It shouldn't take too long, especially with you helping, Stiletto. We just need to anchor the base, dig a few small holes for the springs and drive the stakes to keep the sides down until it gets tripped."

"Hey...Arbalest. Don't worry buddy, we'll find him." Mortar immediately steps down from confronting Falcata and moves over to the azure pony. A look of concern in his eyes. "Boo is alright, I'm certain of it. Those other two ponies wandered off with a gleam of motivation in their eyes, I know they're working hard right now to find Boo."

With the power of her magic Stiletto begins to dig the small holes, smiling the whole time.
"You tell me everything you want, and I will do it."

With her help, we get the cage set up in a matter of minutes. Flux takes a few steps back to admire our work.
"Looks good, Stiletto! If Boo is around, I'm sure we'll catch him with this!"

"Want Boo." Moaned Arbalest

A rather muddy Stiletto folds her wing over Flux withers.
"Should we hide somewhere?"

Stiletto nods and leads Flux to the other side of the catapult and then whispers into his ear.
"We need to be quite,yes?"
*Click! Boing! Clank!*

"We'll find him Arbalest. I promise it." Jaxler grinned and added "If something is worth crying over it's worth fighting for."

Flux blushs even harder as she whispers into his ear, then almost jumps out of his coat when he hears the trap go off.
"AGH! Oh, the trap! Um, l-lets go see what we got?"
'Knock it off, Flux! She's just being friendly, so stop acting like she's gonna bite your head off!'
He carefully peeks out from around the catapult, seeing that we seem to have caught a rabbit.

Falcata pauses halfway across the hall, dumbstruck. Oh bollocks, that had torn it. There was no going back now, not now Captain Stupid McSociallyInept had gone and said something like that to the impressionable blue stallion.
She felt an overwhelming urge to incapacitate the moron and drag him back to his scribblings, but forced herself not to. That wouldn't help anypony, really.
For lack of anything better to do, given the delicate situation, she does her best to catch Mortar's eye, performing the internationally recognised sign-language gesture for "stop-whatever-in-the-nine-hells-it-is-you're-doing".
This proved ineffective, Jaxler blithely adding his own comment to panic her even further. OK, that was it. Abandon ship - she was out. Somepony was going to be picking up pieces for a long time if that unicorn ever learned the truth about giant space hamsters, and she wasn't going to be one of them.
Fighting hard to project a calm demeanour, she surreptitiously turns right around and heads back to her table, fuming inside. She knew why they were doing it, but she couldn't see it ending well for anypony, least of all the naive blue unicorn.

Stiletto looks at the rabbit then back to Flux
"Is that a boo? It looks like a.. Häschen."

"Um, I think it's a rabbit, but I don't actually know what space hamsters look like," He replied, "Should we take it back and ask?"

Stiletto was fairly sure a miniture-giant would be smaller
"No, too big. We must try again. Help me reset it please?"

'Well, at least she knows what we're looking for.'
I nod and help her to reset the trap, again hiding behind the catapult when finished.

Jaxler noticed that Faclata was mad. He walked over to her and said "I know your disappointed with me and Mortar, but you must know there are some ponies in this world that can not be helped."

Mortar gave Arbalest a light pat and smile. "I'll bring some of those whistling stones for you to fling tomorrow, perhaps the noise will call Boo out." He made his way back to his table, where his designs began to roll themselves up before being packed into his satchel. He then walked over to Falcata's table and looked at her sternly. "Perhaps there is a Boo? I don't know. All I was trying to do is help, but obviously that is against some pony's ideals."

*Click!Boing!Clack!* Stiletto looked over the catapult to see a squirrel the cage. They reset the trap.
*Click!Boing!Clack!* Hedgehog. Reset the trap.
*Click!Boing!Clack!* Badger. GAAAH GET IT OFF! reset the trap.
*Click!Boing!Clack!* Humming bird. Stiletto and Flux exchange a flat look and reset the trap.
*Click!Boing!Clack!* Horned Lizard.
"This is not going well."

Arbalest wait. Boo come for Arbalest.

Falcata flicks her tail, unhappy. She makes sure to keep her voice low as she replies:
"That's as may be, and I understand why you think that, but I worry that you're just making things worse. You have given him false hope, and set that poor soul on the first step on a long road to disappointment."
As she finishes, a certain mauve clampet arrives and blathers some sort of scathing remark. Oh dear.
"Listen you here," she hisses, incensed by the unicorn's audacity. "I have nothing, nothing against you or anypony else helping that unicorn out; what I do take issue with is ponies like you treating him like he's some kind of daydreaming colt! That pony needs help, somepony like Panacea to sit and talk with, not baseless reassurances from clueless do-gooders!"
By now the irate pegasus is kicking up clouds of dust with her wings, subconsciously flapping to match her tumultuous anger.

Jaxler took in Falcata's response but too pissed after hearing Mortar's remark about his ideals.
He looked up to Mortar and gave him another soul piercing gaze. "They aren't ideals... The god damned lessons I've had to learn the hard way.I have some advice for you 'those whom lie do so at the cost of there reality'. ALSO don't you ever imply that my "ideals" are a problem because they're what keep me from needing to change my DAMNED name and fleeing to a random outpost again."

Flux resets the trap again, out of habit, and release the little lizard.
"Maybe, uh, miniature giant space hamsters don't like catapults? Should we tell Arbalest we couldn't find Boo?"

Stiletto hangs her head
"Yes, we tell him we failed."
She heads back to the dinning hall, absentmindedly swishing her tail.

Mortar sighs and takes out a design from his satchel and just chose to ignore her angry outburst. It was a rough sketch of the wall that protected them from the caverns dangers. "Listen, it was already causing a scene by the time I approached. No he is not just a day dreaming colt. What branch of the military were you in back at the capital? I've seen many wonderful and dangerous things while I was enlisted in the MGMC, perhaps there is a Boo. A talking space hamster seems odd to you, yet have you faced a two headed humanoid made entirely out of bronze and thought that was perfectly natural? I'm more apt to believe him than if somepony were to tell me that a great darkness will evelope the sun in the future!"
Mortar removes a piece of charcoal from his satchel and begins to return to his sketch. "Your armor stand for your barding that you requested should be ready by midday, by the way. It won't be perfect, without proper measurements of yourself I cannot ensure that'll seat perfectly, but I'm certain it'll do the job."

Flux begins to follow Stiletto, then quickly decides it'd be better to walk next to her instead of behind.

Muddy, frustrated, and disappointed, Stiletto enters the dinning hall with Flux at her side and empty hooves. She looks at Arbalest.
*very softly*"Sorry."
She then sits back down with Glyph.

Equally muddy, Flux stops in front of Arbalest.
"Um, sorry, Arbalest. We tried to find Boo, but I guess he's pretty tricky."
He takes a seat next to Stiletto and gingerly set a hoof on her withers.
"Well, um, at least we tried?"

Glyph puts a hoof on Stiletto's back, not mining the mud. "Hey, you tried... maybe we can try again later? No reason to give up just cause the first plan failed. I'm sure we'll be able to find Boo eventually."

Jaxler realized that Mortar was going to ignore any criticism he was given. he sat down and said "I feel bad for the damn guy. Arbalest really needs some help doesn't he?"

"There's about as much chance of there being a Boo as there is that zealot," she indicates Grapple, seated at the far corner of the hall, "being right about his twin sister goddess nonsense. A clearly intelligent pony like yourself should know better than to string somepony along like that based on a weak justification that "they might exist". And," Falcata barrels on, barely even stopping to draw breath for fear of the wordy unicorn starting up another spiel, but interrupts herself, pricking her ears up and craning her neck as the unofficial extraterrestrial search party reenters the hall. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she hoped they'd break it to him gently.
"Hold on a sec," she murmurs, the two ponies beside her pushed down her mental priority list.

Stiletto lifts herself up and wraps her long forelegs around Glyph and Flux. Pulling them in close and getting mud all over them.
"Meine kleine Hengste. You are such good Freunde. I just want to sit here with you for a time."

"Heh, I have more than just weak justification. I sing to the stone, Falcata. It sings back..." He looks down at the floor, lightly testing his hooves. "I hear the groaning it makes as those filthy abominations walk about it, not challenged. There are wonders in this world that we do not know exist, but they do." Mortar packs up his sketch again, turning from the table to head down into the mines, but turns and looks at her. "I believe in Boo. If Arbalest knows he exists, I trust him. And I"m sorry Jaxler," He turns and looks at the pony. "If your trust in me had been shaken." Mortar turns back to the entrance of the hall and makes his way to mine entrance.

No Boo. Just need Boo. Then all good.

Glyph blushs as Stiletto pulls me into the hug. "U-umm it's n-no problem..." He chuckles nervously a bit. "But now we're all m-muddy friends."

Flux smiles slightly as Stiletto pulls him into the group hug, still feeling a bit awkward.
'See? Friendly, not going to bite.'

Jaxler said to Falcata "Thank you for not believing Grappel's insanity". Jaxler got up and said "I'm heading out. I think I left my crossbow at the shooting range and Partisan probably wouldn't be happy if he found it there." Jaxler walked over to where he left his barrel of booze, picked up said barrel of booze and walked out the door.

Stiletto hums softly for while just holding Glyph and Flux close to her. Then she starts to giggle.
"You are right, we look like glückliche kleine Schweine, and we are covered in mud. We should have a bath."

"Um 'wallowing pigs'?" asks Flux, "Ya, we did get a bit messy with the trap."

Falcata rolls her eyes in exasperation as the purple unicorn leaves. A more patronising pony she'd yet to meet; talking to her about singing stones as if she were a little filly to be enchanted by fairy tales! Some ponies just had that rare knack of driving her up the wall, and this guy had it and plenty to spare besides.
She nods an acknowledgement to Jaxler as he leaves, noting his apparently shared distaste for the preacher pony. Spouting religious drivel and evangelising all over the place was irritating enough, but the damned fool had to start trying to get embroiled in fights as well. Such immense stupidity was only going to get somepony hurt; most likely himself, if he kept charging unarmed into melees like that. He should at least wear armour, she thought to herself, reflecting grimly on her own experiences with unarmored combat. Nopony knew the importance of armour better than her, not in this village at least.
Seeing that everything seems to have stabilised somewhat, she goes back to her drink, watching Stiletto and the two stallions fooling around with not-very-well-concealed amusement. That was a lot of mud; whoever was on the cleaning rota for the hall this week was going to burst a blood vessel tomorrow.

"Wallohing, what is Wallohing? glückliche is a good feeling word." *She giggles again* "We have made this place all muddy too."
*A bucket and a large pigtail cloth levitate out from under a near by table. The fills itself with water from a basin as the cloth dips its' self into the water. The cloth falls to the ground and starts to wipe up all the muddy hoof prints, when the prints are all cleaned up the pigtail cloth goes into the bucket and spins around until all the dirt is in the bucket, which floats outside to empty itself over the wall. Two more buckets then fill themselves and head for Glyph and Flux*
"Watch out you two, it is bath time."

"Oh, happy little pigs? Uh wallowing is just what pigs do in mud, I guess. I, uh, never farmed pigs."
Flux barely notices the cleaning happening as I blather along. However, once the cloth heads his way, he realizes what's about to happen.
"Wait, bath time? Here?!"
He starts to struggle to get out of Stiletto's grasp, but to no avail as the cloth gets closer.

"A-a bath... " stutters Glyph "H-here? B-but.."

Stiletto smiles impishly "Oops." Very suddenly Stilettos' grip on the two 'trapped' stallions loosens dramatically
"Oh, you're so schlüpfrig. I can not get a good hold." *Wink*

Completely oblivious to Stiletto's smile, Flux manages to pop free and run towards the exit.

Glyph squirms his way out of Stilettos grip, then notices her smile. He chuckles a little. "Well if you wanna clean me you have to catch me!" He laughs again and dash for the exit right behind Flux.

With two buckets in toe Stiletto chased the two out of the dinning hall and in the opposite direction that Falcata went, the pigtale cloth wiping up behind them until they where out in the dirt again.
"I am going get you meine kleine Hengste."
Another giggle escaped her lips. She hadn't had this much fun in years.

'Crazy alicorn! She'z crazy!'
In his blind panic, Flux fails to see the little pebble that would spell his doom at the hooves of the obvious madmare. His leg shoots out from under him as he places his weight on it, sending him into a tumble. Unharmed, though perhaps even more dirty than before, Flux lay there in a daze.

Glyph runs along laughing, it had been a while since he had taken any time off of training to just have fun! As he runs, Glyph glance back at Stiletto, just as Flux takes his tumble. Quickly he hops over him turning around to make sure he was okay. "Hey Flux, you alright? You didn't hurt yourself did you?"

*Splash!* a bucket empties its' contents onto Flux as Stiletto continues to barrel toward Glyph. Then Flux feels himself being gingerly picked up by two pigtail cloths. They wipe the mud from his main and tail then place him on Stilettos' back.
"Glyph is fast, so I plan to go fast, hold on tightly meine Kleine."

'Madpony! Oh wait, it's over. That wasn't so bad.'
"...Fast?"
Flux quickly wraps as many limbs as he can around whatever he can get a grip on before Stiletto can bolt off.

Glyph chuckles and run off again, enjoying the game. 'I may be no good with an axe, but speed I have in spades'
"Come on and catch me then!"

"Show me fast!"
Stiletto galloped after Glyph, pushing her self harder to take full advantage of her longer legs. Magical force helped Flux stay snugly in place.

Flux likes to think he reacted like any sane pony in this situation.
"AAAAGGGHHHHH!!!"

Glyph keeps running, but eventually Stiletto's longer legs begin to allow her to begin to close the distance. With a small grin he spins around and charge back, jumping to tackle her.

Stilettos' eyes go wide as Glyph comes flying at her. She spreads her wings out to slow her down, and plants her back legs to brace her body as lifts up to try and catach Glyph as he hits her
"Get ready Flux." *she whispers in the moments before impact*

Flux somehow finds a way to tighten my grip and give Stiletto an eloquent reply.
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Glyph slams into Stiletto, wrapping his forehooves around her, and smiling like a manac. 'It's been way too long. I feel like a little colt again!'

Stilettos' heart can be heard beating loudly by both Flux and Glyph, but it is almost drowned out by her laughing.
"You two make me feel wunderschön."
Stiletto squeezes Glyph close, smiles, closes her eyes and looks up *SPLASH!* at the torrent of water that just pored over the three of them. Moments later the pigtail cloths are there to get the last of the mud.

"AAAHH-GLUB!"
The water shocks Flux out of my panic, and the cloths aren't too bad, actually. Cautiously, he starts to loosen his death-grip on Stiletto.
"Um, that was... the most exciting bath ever."

Glyph keeps laughing, reaching a hoof up to get his mane out of his eyes. "That was the most fun I've had in years! We should do stuff like this more often!" He looks up at Stiletto, then notices that he's still holding her, making him blush a bit. "G-guess I can't tackle you huh."

"You need to go for the smaller parts of me, if you push my center I can just bend my back legs."
Stiletto pulls her wings in slowly and she helps Flux down with magic.
"You both hold on very well though."

Flux tenses up a bit as Stiletto helps him down, then relaxes as his hooves hit the ground and give a small chuckle.
"Ya, raw adrenaline really helps with a grip."

Glyph blushs a bit more as he lets Stiletto go, backing off a step. "I see... maybe you could give me some more tips later. I think I have defenitly enjoyed today... defenitly. It was fun, and I got some new friends!"

Stiletto taps them both on the forehead with her horn
"Tonight was fun. I have not had such fun in so long. Now it is cold meine Freunde, we should go home."

-Granite's Journal-

So my mom wants me to learn how to right now... wait it's "write" right? Stupid grammar.
A
B
C
D
SCREW THIS!
Anyway some stupid thief tried to snatch me away from Dawnpick, but the militia came to save me in time. I so could have taken that thief out though, one little buck to the noggin and he would be dead! Speaking of dead, that crazy Captain chopped that dude's HEAD OFF!!! RIGHT BEFORE MY LITTLE PONY EYES!!! I should probably see Panacea for some therapy or something. Is she therapist? Wait, there should be an "a" in that sentence... Whatever, I'm probably going to walk over to the dining hall for some food...
I don't have a drinking problem...

(Authors Note: Mortar's Diary:)

3rd Slate, 252

I finally found my old diary. Haven't looked at this since my father died while serving in the Mason Guild's Marine Core on the 15th of Felcite, 202. Such a gruesome day will forever be burned into my memory. Lord Gravel of Gilded Circles will forever lie in the hall of champions in the necropolis of CoupleDye. My mother, Brickette, has never produced the same beautiful craftsponyship of stone mastery ever since.

But onto more joyous things, it turns out that the new colony; Dawnpick, had survived the winter. The Liaison mentioned they vastly needed new ponies to help strengthen the colony, and the Mason's Guild beckoned to the call. Having learned how to Sing to Stone shortly after my own stint in the MGMC, eight years after my father's death, and craving the adventure outside the walls of CoupleDye I agreed to lead a small troop of ponies to this new colony. It turns out the reception of this news was less than welcome, and I only found two fellow masons, two carpenters and potash makers, and one woodcutter who was willing to come along. We set off tomorrow.

5th Slate, 252

I officially hate carpenters, too much wood talk; I can't even hear the stone sing to me as we travel.

2nd Hematite, 252

Attack by diamond dogs, I was hit hard and winded; it will definitely take me awhile to make the journey to Dawnpick, but the others are willing to bear with me.

20th Hematite, 252

Still sore, but group is moving at a good pace; found some discarded equipment today. Should replace the few tools that were taken during the diamond dog attack.

15th Galena, 252.

Summer is starting to wain and I worry that we will not reach Dawnpick before winter. Ran out of pink lemon wine today, that was my favorite!

5th Sandstone, 252.

Seems we've nearly made it at last, Dawnpick is in the distance, we'll camp one last time, then great our new friends later. I hope they have some pink lemon wine...

7th Sandstone, 252.

Excellent, off to a busy start, but these miners....they harm the stone too much with their brash diggings! They obviously have never heard of the gift to sing to the stone; showing the delicate fines and stress points of even the most solid of marble to make the perfect strike for the most wonderful piece to work with! I have sent a memo to Virtue, this settlement's leader about this reckless destruction.

16th Timber, 252.

A tragic scene happened today. A young fisher pony, promptly named Babbling Brook; fell to a honey badger thief today. Though I've barely been here; I felt partly to blame. If my injury hadn't slowed me down so much in getting here, we might have been able to assist in developing fortifications, what we of the Mason's Guild are well known for. I... am uncertain if can be of much use here after all....

11th Sandstone, 253.

I have written for...almost a year. Been sinking every waking moment into my work, but it seems most of the preliminary defenses are set up now. So many new ponies that Virtue asked me and the founding mason to concentrate most of our efforts on dormitory and apartment building for the time being. Since we haven't had many bad incidents involving security, I figured it was a chance to change things up a bit...perhaps a few statues would be a good idea...

18th Timber, 253.

Spoke too soon, a poor little foal nearly was taken away today by honey badger pony thieves. I must be more diligent in my work!

7th Sandstone, 254.

I always seem to remember to start writing during Sandstone; just so happens I stopped in to speak to Virtue today. I know this colony is mostly meant to feed the mineral demands of our kingdom, but the majority of all the marble was denied to me, despite it's beautiful characteristics. I could craft such wonderful statues, doors, and coffins from marble; but all I'm allowed to work with is shale and gabbro; which has nearly run dry. Confound these miner ponies, they are absolutely terrible at their jobs, ruining perfect sections of stone that allow me and my fellow mason ponies to cut beautiful blocks for building from. No, half of it is smashed up, only good for mortar and brick laying; which isn't sturdy at all!

1st Felsite, 255.

Been studying our defenses, not many ponies, especially our militia commander or our leader, remember that it was we ponies of the Mason's Guild who built the great defenses of Coupledye. I had been studying the moat for ages, and realized one fatal flaw; the honey badgers can easily swim past it! Not only that, it also impedes our settlement's expansion. Virtue had been gazing at the large dirt mound to the north of the settlement for the past few days, I believe she thinks it'll fix our problem if it was removed. It'll at least give our miners some work; those creatures down in the deep of the earth have halted deeper mining projects. If only there were some way to destroy some of those creatures...

17th Felsite, 255.

By the gods another pony had been slain! Seemed a badger pony decapitated poor Barley outside his very home! This is unsettling...the defenses aren't working....I must help save these poor ponies from death!

13th Limestone, 255.

Been working on designs for the problems with the beasts in the caverns. The stone....it cries in pain at their foul stench. I sing to sooth it constantly, but to no avail. Will have to speak to Virtue on these matters, and finally assert myself in the proper construction of defenses for this settlement.

22: Stargazing

Virtue's Diary - 16th Limestone, 255

I went to talk with Panacea this morning and found that Grapple had left the hospital, despite having injuries. From what I gather it was never his idea to enter the hospital at all, and once he woke up he refused to stay and immediately headed off. He's definitely a strange pony, but I hope he's alright.

7th Sandstone, 255

Yet another monster in the caverns below, based on what ponies have been hearing. I'm glad we have the caverns walled off, but at this rate, I think everypony is starting to get restless. Arbalest's plans to move the catapult down there haven't even been begun yet, and I don't know what we're going to do about it. I'm really afraid to try anything at this point, but I'll keep thinking on it.

20th Sandstone, 255

Today is one of the proudest moments in my time of running Dawnpick. The moat has finally been dug out! There's nothing in it yet, but it's still deep and wide enough to give any invaders pause and hopefully give us a chance to spot thieves before they get too close to anypony.

I was also told by our masons that we're running very low on stone. That's unfortunate, since the miners are rightly afraid to head down to the quarries to dig any up. I managed to convince them to head down to the first stone layer and start chipping some out. They seemed reluctant, but the knowledge that the militia was standing by at a moment's notice calmed them a bit. We managed to get a fair bit of gabbro moved up here to start working on more projects, thankfully.

Now that the moat is done, we might be able to focus our attention on the catapult underground again. I'll start taking a look at my map and try to get a plan together. The masons will have a lot of work to do down there.

But, I almost forgot the most important thing today! Harvest Moon proposed to me! We're finally going to be married after all of these years of working and living together in Dawnpick. I'm so happy I think I might explode! There's so much planning to do, I'm not sure how I'll be able to plan anything else for the next month.

21st Timber, 255

A bit of an oddity today. A diamond dog was spotted near the gatehouse today by Detergent, but as soon as he saw her he bolted for safety. The guard didn't even have time to get their equipment together before he was gone. Maybe he'll let his friends know that trying to steal from us is a bad idea. The badger ponies haven't got the message yet, but the diamond dogs seem to be smarter about things. It worries me sometimes.

24th Timber, 255

Today was the big day! Harvest Moon and I are officially wed! I didn't think I could get any happier when he proposed to me, but I was wrong! We'll be moving into his room tomorrow, and freeing up mine for somepony else.

I can't think of paperwork right now though, I'm too excited!

26th Timber, 255

Another diamond dog showed up today, this time spotted by Arbalest. Just like the last one he was gone before we really knew he was here. I hope him showing up so soon after his friend isn't a bad indicator. The guard are on higher alert, and we're watching for badger pony thieves too.

8th Moonstone, 255

Well, the pumps were finally set up to get some water from the brook into the moat. Flux was overseeing the operation when something went wrong. Water was spewing everywhere, but thankfully nopony was hurt. Flux is taking a look at the designs now, and he says that it shouldn't be hard to fix.

Whoops. Forgot to seal the opening to the pump. A quick fix.

6th Opal, 255

Storm Cloud is officially old enough to be a stallion today. I was surprised to hear that he wanted to join the guard, but we need more ponies in the guard so the help was welcome. I sent the paper work to Partisan to look over, but I don't think there will be any problems.

The other good news today is that the moat is mostly filled. With water as another layer of deterrent, I think we'll stand a much better chance against those thieves. They'll have to come in through the trapped gate, and the militia will be waiting on them. I saw Halberd and Naginata giving them some more drills on a response to invaders. They all hopped to in short order, and I think we're really shaping up to have a proper defensive strategy.

Which reminds me that Naginata gave birth to her third foal today. She had to cut the training short when she went into labor abruptly. The baby was a pegasus filly like her mother, named Aurora. She was adorable. I can't help but think about foals now that Harvest Moon and I are married. All good things in due time, I know, but it's hard to wait!

22nd Opal, 255

Now that the moat is finished, we started on Grapple's church as promised. It's not going to be much, but if it gives him something to do and helps keep spirits up, I think it's a reasonable use of our materials. It won't be finished for some time yet, and we've still got housing to worry about, but it should be done before too much longer.

Jaxler’s journal

8th Sandstone, 255
Well today is my birthday. So, I’m gonna go binge drinking in celebration of my 72nd year after guard duty. well cheers to another year of stabbed wings, picking fights, and binge drinking.

8th Sandstone, 255
We’ll I’m rather confused right now. I woke up five feet from my bed with my face in the ground with a nasty head ace and a half empty keg of booze. All I can remember about last night was walking into the meeting hall with a barrel of rum. also I think I’m about an hour or two late to guard duty.

20th Sandstone, 255
Well, everypony seems happy as hell now that that moat is finished. Finally the masons can work on more housing instead of that moat. Damn I can’t wait till we get more houses up, sharing a room with somepony else is really starting to get annoying.

24th Timber, 255
Virtue got married today. I didn’t get invited to the party though, but it’s fine seeing as I probably would have gotten drunk. I’m glad that she is getting married, she deserves happiness for what she does for us all.

6th Opal, 255
Well today a new recruit came and joined the guard. He’s a stallion named Stormcloud. He just officially became old enough to put himself in danger on a daily basis. But I’m concerned a bit as to what Partisan is gonna do with the new recruit. I’m pretty confident that the next time I show up an hour late to training with a hangover he might just demote me and give the rank of second command to a pony who’s young enough to be my son. If that happened I’d probably punch partisan in the face and leave the guard. what the hell I'm a thinking? Partisan wouldn't do that to me.

22nd Opal, 255
I'm pissed off, today Virtue decided to make Grapple a church. If I knew we could make such huge demands I would have asked for a golden bed and a garden of platinum statues. But the the worst part is that we're giving a mad stallion his own building when we don't even have enough housing. All the pony is gonna do is sit there and ramble on about the "holy sisters" and there holy might wile WE sleep in the dirt. Why I'd go bust in Virtue's office door right now if I wasn't sure Partisan would demote me for it.

Flux' Journal, Sandstone 20

Looks like the moat is finally finished! Still working on the pumps, though. Getting them properly sealed is a bit of a pain, so taking it nice and slow.

Timber 24

Virtue and Harvest Moon were wed today! It was a lovely ceremony, and the cake was really good. I didn't stick around too long, though. There's always steel to be smelted or machinery to be set up. I was also a bit worn out from dancing with Stiletto. She really likes to dance, and she's really good, too!

Moonstone 8

I should have known those seals wouldn't hold. We tried to start filling the moat today, but the pumps just sprayed water everywhere! Nopony was hurt, but I'm a bit embarrassed about this failure. I hope Virtue will let me try to fix this problem.

Moonstone 14

Got the seal problem fixed! It's a bit slower going to fill the moat than I had hopped, but it's filling! Hopefully this will help keep the badgerpegasi out. I've heard that large pools of water make flying weird, something about the thermals. Either way, I really hope this helps to give us at least a little more security.

Stilettos' Midpony writings
Flux and Glyph have told me that writing in midpony will help me to learn it. I will write words onto these pages and become better.

Limestone 17-255
When I talked to madam Panacea today. Grapple will not let his hooves be treated. I will talk with him, remind him that blood soaked hooves will slip off the gates to the lands of the twin sisters. They would see us in joy, not in pain.

Timber 23-255
Lady Virtue will be married to gentlestallion Harvest Moon tomorrow. All my dresses are in Deutschmeinland. I will wear this DimondDog leather skirt. One does as one must.

Timber 25-255
I danced all of the night last night. First with Flux, I tired him out so I asked Glyph. He to needed to sit down as well when we finished. I asked Ballista next, she moves divinely I must say, but why was she so scared excited nervous? She must not dance often. I asked Lady Virtue aswell, she said Harvest Moon had all of her dances that night. I finish the night dancing with Billows, so drunk I had too catch him three times.

Opal 22-255
Today I was able to do a great thing. Lady Virtue has told Grapple that now he can build his church. I helped him move all the materials he had been allowed. As I was working I came across the planes for one my great grand uncles' Riesen-Bezwinger. I gave it to Lady Virtue as fast as I could. I hope it will help to get the stone works moving again.

*Inclosed diagram*
C=Cave wall, S=empty space, B=Drawbridge, A=bait, H=chain to hold bait, F=fortification, W=Ponymade wall
CCCCCSCCCC

CBC

CSC

CCBC

CHAC

CWFW

Balista

Missionary log
Limestone, 255
Well, Stiletto talked me into going back to the hospital and at least getting some bandages on my hooves. The girl put up quite the argument as too, even quoted form the book of Faust, "And the pony who fixes his neighbor house while his own is but rubble is a fool." (Faust 7:23) I guess somepoy really has been paying attention to my sermons!

Speaking of Stiletto, she has really taken a shining to the town smithy, an earth pony by the name of Flux. Handsome stallion if I ever saw one. Saw them both with another pony, Glyph I believe, in the dining hall. There was some shouting over that odd blue unicorn and his "Boo". Well, they rushed of to find "Boo" and soon engulf I see all three walking back wet as ship-rats! HA! Reminds me of that one job I did in lower- No. That's not me anymore. That part of my life is buried now.

Sandstone, 255
Well, If it's not bandits in the hills, it's monsters in the deep it seems. Two now. Blag, where did they find the evil to make even one of those things is beyond me. Were running low on stone as well, so were going to have to find some way to stop those things. There are plans being made right now though, but I'll leave them to ponies that know such things. I will prey to the sisters to aid them in there righteous work.

It's not all bad news though! The moat is finally completed! Perhaps now we can all sleep in peace. That's not all! Ms. Virtue is too be wed as well! She's in a flurry of planing now, I wonder if I should offer my services as a chaplain?

Timber, 255
Well the wedding I wrote of before was a smashing success! I am measuring success on the number of drunk ponies of course. Ms. Virtue had me preform the ceremony. It wasn't the "Dan-Nova-Bastard" ceremony they wanted at first, but the one of my own faith is not that different all in all. Things got a little awkward at the breaking the the cup when they both tried to stomp it, but otherwise it went off without a hitch. I excused myself from the festivity's as large amounts of drink tend to make things awkward for me, make me chatty about my past. "All things in moderation" as the book of laughter says. I here Stiletto was quite the dancer.

Also, there were some diamond dogs but who cares?

Moonstone, 255
Trouble all around it seems. I ran out of incense for the festival of Luna's moon, and the town is having trouble with the pumps filling the moat. I am sure they can fix the pumps with no problems at all, but I fear my burnt offerings to the sister of the night sky will be quite lacking. I do hope she understands.

Opal, 255
Happy days! The building of church has begun! Ms. Virtue has graciously allowed me some materials to begin my work and Stiletto is helping me move all of it to the planed site. I can hardly wait!

In other news, a young Pegasus has come of age and has gone off to join the guard. I don't like it. The boy may be full grown but he still has a ways to go till he can be called a stallion. He is still to young to-

That's odd, Stiletto just found some sheet of paper and ran off. Something about a 'Rezen-Bee-winger'? I should have paid more attention to our high-pony lessons at the Missionary.

The sun has almost completed its journey, about to dip below the horizon and put an end to the hours of daylight. The twilight sky is clear as anypony could wish it to be; stars, planets and all else clearly visible against the inky blackness of deep space.
Falcata strides out of the meeting hall, her slight form casting a much larger shadow due to the sun's lowness in the sky. Though the air is chilly, she continues on her way, willingly leaving the warmth and coziness of the hall's interior behind. The pegasus walks with purpose, for she has somepony to meet, and even were a blizzard to descend upon the land she would not let it block her path. The militia is kept on duty as long as they have ever been, and she has no intention of squandering her free time.
Coming closer to the edge of the settlement, she catches sight of a certain unicorn, his bearded silhouette giving away his identity even in the low light. Leaves and other detritus rustle beneath her hoofsteps as she trots up beside Glaive. Her already warm smile increases by an order of magnitude, and she leans into him partly by way of greeting, and partly because it's really quite cold.
"Hi," she whispers, keeping her voice low in accord with the night's hitherto unbroken silence.

Glaive stands near the edge of Dawnpick watching the setting of the sun and the rising of the moon, he looks at Falcata, as she brushes against him, and smiles warmly, despite the cold night air. "Hi, Falcata, how's your day been?" asks the bearded Unicorn softly.

"All right, I suppose. Training and such, as you know; arguing with people in the meeting hall. The usual, you know?"
The pegasus shrugs, that simple motion conveying her tiredness more than any words could. "Halberd is driving us hard these days, hm?"
Around them, the wind picks up and rustles the leaves of the surrounding trees, causing the entire forest to seemingly sway gently.

"Indeed he has, but with the Badger Pony attacks on the rise, and...the recent death. I can't blame him for pushing us hard. We'll need to be ready. But you said you got into another argument in the dinning hall? What was this one about? Didn't piss off anypony important did you?" He chuckles playfully.

"Just some purple twat of a mason," she replies, her scowl visible even in the dim light. "I don't know what he thought he was doing, but he was feeding Arbalest silly notions about space hamsters or something, and getting him all upset. That's just disgusting; the last thing that poor unicorn needs is somepony lying to him like that. And when I confronted him he started spouting nonsense about reworking calculations, singing stones, past military service and that he was only trying to help."
Falcata stamps a hoof to accentuate her point.
"I don't believe a single word of it. Even if I took what he said to be the truth, he's still an interfering, condescending do-gooder with a severe attitude problem. You'd think he was Lord Mortar to talk to him!"
She finishes her rant, and then suddenly begins to giggle.
"So, to answer your question, nopony important "pissed off", as you so nicely put it."

"Well that's good to hear at least. Purple mason you said? That's the unicorn right? It sounds like he was out of line, from what you told me about Arbalest after my 'talk' with him what he really needs is some help, not ponies teasing or making fun of him. It a shame, I don't think Panacea knows anything about healing mental wounds."

Gliave looks up at the full moon, and then looks to the stars. "The sky is really pretty tonight. Look there's Orion and there's Ursa Major." Says the unicorn pointing to the constellations in turn. "My father used to tell me stories about the constellations."

Falcata looks up into the night sky, following Glaive's pointing hoof as he identifies various constellations. Though she could natter on for hours about clouds, weather patterns and other things in the sky, things outside the atmosphere are a bit beyond her scope. Probably a unicorn thing to be thinking about those magical lights so high up, she ponders, but she nevertheless responds with enthusiasm.
"Really? Tell me some!" she implores the unicorn, pressing herself into him to stave off the chill of the night.

"Hmm, my father, taught me quite a few things when I was a foal, he always said, "A good warrior needs a strong mind and body." I'll tell you what he told me about the Ursa Major." Glaive stares up at the sky at the constellation. "Firstly, I should say, the Ursa Major is oldpony speak for large bear, or Great Bear as it's usually translated."
Glaive clears his throat and begins his story.
"Long ago Dan Noval Istbar*1 lusted after a beautiful pegasus mare, of yellow color, who loved nature and all it's wonders. However the mare was already married and had a family of her own. This did not discourage Dan Noval Istbar, as why should he a god, care for the traditions of we lesser mortals, and so did he seduce the yellow mare. Yet when the mare's husband found out, he went to the temple of Vumom*2 Dan's godly wife and reported his wandering. Vumom grew jealous and transformed the yellow mare into a bear. The mare, fearful of what her husband and foal would think of her new form ran into the wilderness where she lived for many a year.
Years later, her foal now nearly grown, was out hunting, and spotted the Great Bear, not knowing that it was his own mother, bewitched by some godly spell, he readied his crossbow to slay the beast. But his shot was stayed by Dan Noval Istbar, who stepped in to avert the tragedy. He could not undo the curse of the goddess, so instead he transformed the son into a bear as well, and put them in the sky. Where they became the constellations Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor.
Now, my father never told me this last part, but Grandfather always added that when they were in the sky the Son told the Mother, that the Father was responsible for her transformation, and that when the Blood Moon is out, the Ursa Major comes down from the sky to look for her husband, destroying pony homes and villages until the sun rises again. But I think Grandfather just wanted to scare me."

"Wow." Falcata's eyes are wide as saucers, entranced by the unicorn's tale. She gazes upwards once more, staring at the pinpricks of light dotting the night sky. "They really have that much meaning? I - I had no idea." She stands still for a moment, pondering the story and its meaning and at the same time trying to think of one she could tell in turn. After a brief pause, she returns her gaze to Glaive, making eye contact and smiling slightly.
"So, aren't you going to tell me the moral of your story?" she inquires, smirking coyly.

Glaive looks into Falcata's beautiful amethyst eyes, before speaking again, "Yes, there are a lot of stories written in the sky, and Unicorns have long looked up at the stars and observed their movements, their patterns, and created such tales about them. But I am a warrior, not a scholar, I know but a taste of what there is to learn about the heavens. However, the moral of this tale is, either, remaining faithful to one's spouse or you shall suffer the consequences, as did both the yellow mare and to a lesser extent Dan, or maybe it is just that the gods are as crazy and flawed as we mere mortals, just with much more power. I'm not really sure which it is. Maybe a bit of both."

Falcata giggles as Glaive waxes lyrical about his tale's meaning.
So serious, she thinks to herself. It's kind of cute.
"You could say that. Buuuuut I was thinking more along the lines of mostly the first one."
She pulls the unicorn closer, hugging him tightly as she moves in to whisper her next words in his ear:
"Don't ever leave me. You are my only light in this world of bloodshed and darkness." The pegasus' voice is thick with emotion, and she continues to hold him tightly as they stand together, swaying gently in the breeze under the sunless sky.

Glaive holds Falcata tight, and nuzzles her as he whispers, "You are my everything here Falcata, I would never leave you for anything in the world or the sky. Without the joy and laughter you bring to my life, I don't know what I would be." He kisses her forehead. "I love you." His voice shakes with emotion when he speaks the last sentence. A pair of shooting stars fly together through the night sky overhead, unnoticed by the two young ponies.

Falcata quivers with happiness, a shiver of joy running down her spine as the two stand entwined with each other. After a long while, they break off their embrace, and she resumes talking:
"So," she begins, still dreamy-eyed, before cutting herself off. She looks to the sky again, raising a forehoof to point at the source of the interruption. "Look!" A comet streaks past the point indicated by her hoof, blazing an azure trail as it speeds across the sky. Falcata is amazed by the sight, but anticipates that Glaive will know what it is. "What is that? Do you know?"
As she continues to stare, waiting for Glaive to speak, the comet passes in front of the moon, and the moonlight from above briefly casts a cerulean sheen on the earth below, instead of its normal white.

Glaive stares at the sight. "I've read about those, but it's been a long time, I'll tell you what I remember. That is a comet. Supposedly the gods send them as glimpses into the fate of the world. There are ways to tell what they mean, things to do with what constellations they pass through or the shape of their tails. Their meaning can be anything from either an omen of doom or a promise of great things to come, but I am not sure how to interpret one though. If I had my father's old books I probably could come up with a reasonable guess. However, it passing in front of the moon like that, seems significant. Perhaps a more educated pony would be able to tell us, if you really want to know."

The pegasus continues to stare at the comet, her interest now very much piqued. You can tell all that from a blue thing in the sky? The two follow the comet's path until it finally passes beyond the horizon, though its trail of icy crystals continues to stain the moonlight.
"Your father sounds like a remarkable pony," she comments. "I wish I could have met him."
Realising the implication in that sentence as well as her own ignorance of whether her lover's father was actually dead or not, she hurriedly adds: "Before we came here, that is." She gives an awkward flap of her wings, wishing she'd handled that one better. Smooth.

"I hope you'll get to meet him then someday, he'd like you very much I think. He lives in my family's home in the capital. He's retired now, spends most of his days reading his books, and he used to spend a lot of time sitting around with his old war buddies playing chess and telling the same old stories. Though he did that much less, after my sister..." Glaive immediately stops talking as the word sister comes out of his mouth, "I'm sorry that's not something I should be talking about now." Glaive rapidly tries to deflect the conversation away from that area, "It's starting to get cold, and we got training early tomorrow. Perhaps we should turn in for the night?"

Falcata shoots him a curious gaze, but doesn't pursue the subject of his sister. "I guess you're right," she agrees, lifting a few inches off the ground. "We should probably head back and, ah, warm up." She grins, her copper eyes glinting in the moonlight.

Glaive walks with Falcata back to her room, without saying much of anything himself. He seems to be lost in his thoughts.

Author's Note

*1 Male unicorn, love
*2 Female unicorn, scholarship

Well, That was a good example of a scene I had to go hunting for the parts to. At least I got it banged out in one day.

23: In the Mines

Some distance away*1, Powder Miner was hesitating as he looked into the tunnel to the mining areas. The beasts down there were giving him pause. But scared as he was, it would be quick for a miner of his professional skill (he figured) so he hesitantly went down and mined.

Jaxler woke up with his face in the ground. He got up off the hard ground and realized he was in the mines. Jaxler had absolutely no recollection of last night and had a nasty ace in his head. He saw an empty keg at the end of the tunnel and his crossbow on top. He walked over to make sure his bow wasn't broken. He sighed in relief when he realized it wasn't damaged. Then he looked to the other end of the tunnel and saw Powder Miner. He noticed powder bit stressed. Jaxler walked over and said "Hay Powder!"

"Whoa! Hey Jaxler, what are you doing here?" Powder Miner stopped in the middle of applying a few soft repeated strokes to the corner of the boulder he was digging out.

"Well Powder, I woke up with my face in the dirt over there. I really don't know why I'm down here." Jaxler looked around and noticed the tunnel went on as far as his eye could see "Damn Powder did you dig this entire tunnel out?"

"Well, no. I had the other miner's help, but I did carve out a significant portion of the tunnel. I might reach my goal soon. ...I'm a bit worried about digging so much though, what if we breach into those caverns?" Powder Miner sees the barrel of booze. "That barrel might explain why you got down here. You need to be careful about that, Jaxler, you might have got hurt."

Jaxler raises his eyebrow in surprise at Powder's concern "I guess I probably should avoid blacking out in the tunnels but if I started thinking when I'm drinking it would kinda defeat the purpose. But seriously don't worry about me Powder, because if you do you'll be worrying all the time." Jaxler moved over to the barrel of booze and used it as a seat. "So... what's this about a goal?"

Powder Miner shifted his weight onto his other two legs. "I come from a clan of laborers," At this he gestured to the mark on his cheek "and we mark ourselves with the labor we are talented at. Similar to a cutie mark, but sort of classifies us in our clan. We have a way of classifying skill too. I've always wanted to reach the highest level, that of legends, like my great-uncle before me."

Jaxler laughed a little bit "So, you wan't to become a legend. You plan to have stories of you actions told years after your death. You plan to become a icon of success and a symbol of determination and to never be forgotten in the sands of time." Jaxler paused and started to smile "Well, then I can't wait to help you."

"Well... really... I just aspire to become one of the best there is. It's a pretty high height, and it might seem a bit arrogant, but I don't care. I just keep working. I like mining anyway."

Jaxler thought about powder's response. "Why the hell would anypony thing your arrogant. Its only logical that you would want to be known for what you love." Jaxler got up off the barrel and said "So... what's this about your clan, your uncle and this rank system? In all the time I've known you I've never heard a thing about this."

Mortar made his way slowly down to the tunnels, a soft hum upon his lips as he walked, his eyes closed yet he seemed to find his way quite well. From time to time deep throated syllables escaped his lips: "Fu....rae da, le moi le mei...." the rock underneath him seemed to vibrate as he sang, oscillating as his tone and pitch changed. He stopped several yards from the two ponies, having felt them through the stone. Recognizing the two ponies as Powder miner and Jaxler; he approached. "Been hitting that barrel again I see Jaxler, Hello Powder. Come down to do some digging?"

Jaxler was confused as to why Mortar was down in the mines. Was he really singing to the stone? He had assumed Mortar was joking when said he sung to them. "Hay, Mortar! what brings you to a place like this?"

Powder Miner thought for a brief moment. "Well, I thought it might be a bit presumptuous to want to be one of the best... And about the clan... well... I guess no one ever asked about the mark on my cheek or anything related to it, so I never thought to explain. We come from the northwest corner of the country, and we're laborers, military and civilian, seeking to gain fortune, master our trade, or such things like that. As each of us chooses a labor, we get a painted mark on our cheek of the labor- I have a pick -as a kind of second cutie mark I guess for the clan.
Our names also come from that, we're simply "peasants". I'm named "Powder" because of our clan's religion, far different from that of the preacher Grapple's. We believe the world's made of of a number -quite a lot- of elements. They're not exactly intuitive, and a few of them confuse even me, for example this weird white condensed magic thing called Ceyfor. Powder is an element, representing, dust, dirt, and leaves, and there's an order to them but I don't want to list them right now. Your first name is basically your element in order of if you were the first second or so on of your profession and then your profession. I was the first miner where I was born and hence my name Powder Miner. And then you have your last name to distinguish you.
We have a rank system for how well you do your labor. The number of ranks is the same for all of them, but the criteria are custom-tailored for all of the jobs. As a miner, I'm... currently I think... professional because I can reliably mine out boulders without significant risk of injury in the process, not counting faulting patterns of mining that would cause the ceiling to drop on my head. My great-uncle, Torch Miner, was a legend of a miner. He was pretty famous around the clan for being able to dig out large areas in small amounts of time almost every time effortlessly churning out a usable piece of rock. He even brought down a ridge on the heads of a diomedian siege once."
He turned to Mortar. "Yes, I'm here to dig. That reminds me- I should finish digging this out before it falls out on it own. I think I can hear it beginning to creak, should have dug it out before I began to talk." At this Powder Miner put his pick in the corner of the half-dug-out boulder and gave a quick twist, rendering the boulder free of the wall with a crack.

"You hadn't need to have worried Powder, there was a little niche holding that boulder in place; it was quite solid and could have lasted a few quick bucks by our warrior friend here." Mortar smiled at Jaxler. "I'm inspecting the work on the wall that protects us from the creatures that occupy the Deep Roads, or the layer of caverns that Powder here has tunneled into. Mortar made a light hum to himself, the stone beneath his hooves vibrating ever the slightest. "Also was planning to do a bit of mapping beyond the walls; and also wanted to figure out where the current denizens of the Deep are resting; see much of a chance we have should we pierce these walls for a moment."

Jaxler really didn't know what to think. He felt the stone vibrate as Mortar hummed. Maybe Mortar's voice really seemed to effect the stone. Regardless of how strange it seemed Jaxler decided it probably was just some sort of unicorn magic. "You really don't need to asses what kind of a chance we would have given we broke into the caverns right now. I can promise you that anypony down here wouldn't survive if that happened. In-fact Virtue would probably send in the militia and guard to slow down the monsters while the masons walled up the mines and left us for dead."

"Bad form to leave a section half-carved anyway." At this point Powder Miner begins work on the next section, beginning to dig out a round corner of the next boulder.

Mortar smirked at Jaxler. "Not so true, one of those creatures; if I got it's description right through the stone, is made of a liquid, but the chucks in the material it seems to be vomit of some kind. My experience in the MGMC taught me one thing: mythical creatures made of liquids go splat very easily. The other one might pose a bit of a hazard; but I"m certain our military; fully equiped and well trained as they are, can handle it quite well. Mortar gave Jaxler a reassuring pat. "And I'd strike sooner than wall you and the others in; I'd rather pick up a hammer and join you.
Mortar stopped for a few moments and watched Powder, then smirked. "I see you're getting much better, but you're still fracturing against the grain of the stone a bit too much, try working with the grain...your cuts will be cleaner and the stone above all else more useable to me."

Jaxler really didn't feel any better that one of the monsters was made of water. If anything it meant that there body composition could vary widely, if one was made of water maybe it is equally possible that one could be made of pure iron. but the one thing that was more unsettling to him than his realization was the hoof that just patted his shoulder.
"Mortar, please promise me that you will never try to help me kill anything. I put my life on the line every day so that you don't haft to and I don't want to be accountable if you get hurt. your a civilian, so please don't charge in with a hammer, that's my job."

"With the grain? That's only really going to help with striated layers, unfortunately. I can't sense rocks like you can... and I haven't quite reached the point in my career when I can just feel those things. Hmm. Looks like this small section here *mumble mumble*" He got back to work, carving out a second side of the boulder, and then taps lightly a few times to dislodge a chunk of rock near the top. That chunk was holding some rock dust, though, and when it comes free it covers Powder Miner in rock dust. "Ha! Living up to my name."

"Haha, Powder, such a silly pony." Mortar laughs slightly, glad to see some people having a sense of humor. "And don't worry Jaxler, I'm no mere civilian. I'm trained in the art of hammers in more ways than just rock chipping." He made his way over to Powder Miner and sighed. "Such a mess, I could pour water on you and turn you into a living sculpture!"

Jaxler really didn't like Mortars answer, but at least he warned the stallion. If Mortar got killed trying to help in a fight Jaxler wouldn't see himself as accountable now. "Well if you get your hoof lobbed off remember that you did get warning."
Jaxler then realized that he really didn't know what time or day it was. he couldn't tell time down in these tunnels. All he knew was that he was starting to get hungry. "Hay guys I think I'm gonna go head up to the meeting hall and grab something to eat." Jaxler walked over to his crossbow, picked it up. "C-ya guys latter, and powder stop worrying so much."

"Take it easy Jaxler." Mortar watched the onyx pony walking away, then turned to powder. "Don't cave yourself in now, I'm heading deeper to finish my work." With a nod the unicorn made his way deeper into the tunnels, to the wall that protected them. When he was fifty yards or so away from the miner pony he began to sing again, feeling his way deeper.

Walking out in the rain to haul his boulders back, the dust coating Powder Miner got turned into basically thin clay. "Aw dang!"

Author's Note

*1: From where Glaive and Falceta were sitting in the previous chapter

24: Stiletto's Old Cloths

Flux wanders around the trade depot, doing some window shopping and checking to see if anypony had mailed him anything. The various things the traders brought were either completely outside his price range or totally unfathomable, often times both. Just as he starts to think he should head off to do something else, he notices a large package in the mail pile. Curiosity getting the better of him, Flux takes a closer look and see it's something for Stiletto!
'Huh, I wonder who'd send her something like this? I might as well take it to her, I don't think she comes to the depot often.'
He carefully heft the box onto my back, relieved that it feels fairly light, and head to Stiletto's apartment. In just a few minutes, he finds himself knocking on her door.
"Stiletto? It's Flux! It looks like somepony mailed you something. Are you in?"

Stiletto was using a bucket to wash her self again, oh when will there be a well. She had just pored the water down her back when a knock came at the door
"Flux? I am in, let your self in please. I am drying my mane."
A blast of hot air magically erupted across Stilettos' back.

Flux carefully open the door.
"Ah, ok. Somepony left this... for... you...?"
He stands in the doorway, staring, as Stiletto's mane billows in the artificial wind and makes her look stunning. After a few moments, the thump of the package hitting the floor after sliding off my back snaps him out of it. Blushing furiously and keeping his eyes on anything but Stiletto, he enters and closes the door.
"Er, um... you got this, uh, package? I, uh, decided to... bring it here for you?"

Stilettos' eyes light up and smiles broadly
"That was so very thoughtful." *She brought her head down to Flux and kissed him on the cheek* "So, what is in it, did it say who it was from? Oh tell me please.... Flux?"

Flux nearly topples over in surprise at the peck on the cheek, but somehow manages to stay upright.
"Um, I-I couldn't t-tell who it's from. I c-could only make out your n-name on it."
'Settle down, Flux! She's your friend, stop worrying her!'

"Could not tell? Oh, is it in Highpony? That would mean it is from Deutschmienland."
Stiletto finally looks at the package itself. It was about the size of a bin, but light. She took the string and paper off of the bin with magical precision, placing it in a near by pile. Yup that's a bin alright. She removed the lid and looked inside.
"My dresses! My old uniforms! These are my close from home!"

Watching Stiletto happily dig through the bin helps Flux to relax some.
"Um, your old clothes? Who sent them?"

"It must have been my Uncle Harpsichord. Only he would remember me way out here."
Stiletto tried on each different outfit as it came out of the bin as she was talking. Magically putting on hats, dresses, long boots, and capes of fine cloth or leather.

Stiletto's happiness with her new, er, old clothes is too infectious, and Flux begins to smile. It starts small, but slowly widens as she keeps acting happy as a school filly.
"Oh wow, does everypony wear clothes like that where you come from?"

"Yes, cloths are so beautiful, and they are made for each pony on special order so they look as good on them as possible."
Then Stiletto pulls a fine red silk dress from the bin, if is far too small for her and there are no wing holes. Stiletto appears to be stunned by it's very presence
*Her eyes tearing up* "Why..."

"Oohh, that's a nice one," Said Flux, "It looks too small, though. Do you think you could return it for one that fits?"

Stiletto clenches her teeth so hard them might brake as she tries in vain to hold back the tears. She strikes the bin with the side of her foreleg, causing it to flip upside down.
*Closing her eyes as they flood over with tears* "wie bin ich immer noch so dumm?!"
She drops the dress and just stands there, too upset to move.

Flux jumps backwards when she kicks the bin, confused at what might make her so upset. Cautiously, he approachs her to put a hoof on her leg.
'Wie bin ich immer noch so dumm? Why is... something... so dumb? She's not dumb...'
"Stiletto?"

"mein Vater! mein Vater! mein Vater! mein Vater!"
Stiletto stomps the floor each time she says the phrase
"It is her dress! Hers! He knew what it meant! das gemeine, elend, Entschuldigung für einen Hengst! He would do this to me!? Even now!? So far away!? Why!? Does he still hate so much?! Always he his hate!? Ich wollte nur einmal für sein glücklich!"
Stiletto collapses onto the dress and blubbering sobs into it.

'Her... Vater? And... probably something unflattering about a relative. Wait, crying?!'
Shaking with nerves, Flux gently lays a foreleg over her withers.
"Are... are you alright, Stiletto? C-can you... can I help?"

"Brooks' dress." Stiletto almost wails "She... I... we..."
The giant Alicorn just can't seem to get hold of her self, so she get a hold on Flux instead. Pulling him to her neck and embracing him in her long forelegs
"I loved her, Flux." *tear drops fall like rain onto Flux as Stiletto speaks* "And she... I was too late."

Flux struggles for a moment before simply tensing up as Stiletto talks.
'Brook? Babbling Brook, the fisherpony?'
"I... I'm so sorry, Stiletto..."

Stiletto gulped in air as if she had been choking
"I am slow. If I was here sooner. Now, now she is gone," *She looks into Fluxs' eyes through a curtain of tears* "and there was nothing I could do."

Flux tears up as Stiletto keeps sobbing
"N-n-nopony can b-be everywhere, S-Stiletto. I... I wish I had s-started m-m-making traps sooner, then maybe... maybe..."

"But.. how can you?" *She gulped and sniffled* "How can you say such things?"
Stiletto rubs her neck against Fluxs' mane
"I am the o-one in the steel." *she closes her eyes once more trying to hold back the flood* "Der Knochen Brechen Monster."

Trembling, and with tears freely flowing, Flux reachs up to gently run a shaking hoof through her hair, trying to calm her.
"Y-you're not a m-monster, Stiletto."

Stiletto shudders but tries to encourage the gentle petting she is receiving.
"Do you.. Do you.. do you really think that?"

"I... I know it, Stiletto." Said Flux.

"When they called me monster, she made them stop."
Stiletto started to breath more regularly, while holding Flux like someone will take him away.

"I... I wish I had g-gotten to know her." Flux said, "She... she sounds l-like a great p-p-pony."

Stiletto bends her neck to whisper softly into Fluxs' ear
"She was kind, and beautiful, and determined. Things I wanted to be. You would have loved her too."

"She... she sounds a lot l-like you..." Flux replied.

Stiletto raised her head and looked into Fluxs' eyes deeply, then she moved in and kissed him the same way.

'I...what...Stiletto...?'
Fear, relief, happiness, unease, guilt, unworth and more wage war. It's all to much for Flux to handle, and he passes out with the sweet taste of Stiletto's lips still on his.

Stiletto pulls away slowly from Fluxs' passed out form, and then snuggles right up next to him and wraps him in a wing.
'So viel mehr als Art'
Stiletto lay her head down into Fluxs' mane and fell asleep just so.

Flux fidgets slightly in Stiletto's embrace as he dreams.
Dawnpick lay before him, idealized and safe. No need for traps, for walls, for moats. There are a few ponies in shining armor, sworn to protect and brave and strong, though there is little sign they would ever need to fight. He sat at an overlarge smelter, filling a giant crucible shaped like the one on his flanks. As he finishs and send it into the smelter, Stiletto approaches. She towers over Flux; tall, majestic and beautiful. And not alone. At her side is a blue mare with green hair, just as tall and regal as Stiletto. Everything she deserves.
'Mein klien hengst' says Stiletto, 'This is Brook, mien Love!'
They share a loving kiss and start to walk away. He tries to follow, but they gain distance no matter how fast he gallops. Stiletto glances over her shoulder and sees Flux running all out to try to follow her.
'Sorry, klien hengst. She is my Love, you are freund.'
With that, they begin to vanish from his sight, laughing and totally in love, not needing a simple smelter like Flux. Steel ingots rain down, forming a wall to finally rob him of seeing Stiletto. As the dream starts to fade into the darkness of deeper slumber, the last thing he sees is Stiletto; laughing with her true love.

Stiletto is shaken awake by Fluxs' movements. She strokes his mane with the side of her head and starts singing softly.

In deiner Schöpfung Himmel tat Dekret

Das in deinen Armen süßer Tod wohnen zu

tief stille vervollständigen

Schwarzer Samt Meer

Die Sirenen sind für mich ruft

Meine Seele gerettet denken "Dieses Lied ist eine Lüge"

Sand am Ufer ist so trocken,

tief stille vervollständigen

Schwarzer Samt Meer

Die Sirenen sind für mich ruft

Das Alter wird sagen: "Dieser Dichter Lügen"

Himmel nie berührt irdisches Gesicht

Das Alter wird sagen: "Diese Nacht gehörte uns"

Gesegnet mit der Deep

Die stille die vervollständigen

The quiet singing gently draws Flux back to consciousness and he opens one of his eyes as she draws the song to a close.
"St-Stiletto? What... was that song? It was so.. beautiful..."
He closes his eye and snuggle into her side, enjoying the warm softness of her wing and not quite aware that this isn't another dream.

"It is a song one sings to calm their Freundin as they sleep."
Stiletto nuzzles Fluxs' mane and kisses his head
"You are a good... pillow? is that the word?"

Drifting in a state of only slight-consciousness, Flux murmurs a response.
"Mmm, I think so... You're a good bed... and blanket... and pony..."

"Then rest on me, meine süße Art und Freundin."
Stiletto leans into to place a goodnight kiss on Flux.

Flux sleepily returns the kiss, murmuring a few last words before sleep claims him for the night.
"Mmm, better... than... last... dream..."

Stiletto places her head back down on Flux and close her eyes
"ja ... viel besser."

25: A dream come true

Stiletto awoke the next morning with Flux sleeping peacefully under her wing. The first rays of light had just hit the ground, telling Stiletto it was time to brake her fast. She rose carefully, so as to not disturb her freundlichsten Freundin. Magically, she boiled water in a rock pot, then skimmed the flotsam away. Oats and raisins where stirred into the pot next. Ten or so minuets later Stiletto pored the content of the rock pot into two wooden bowls, sliced up an apple and placed it on top of the Oatmeal. She ate and left the other bowl next to Flux as she left for a hard day of patrol and training.
*On her way out, she looks back at the sleeping Flux* "Have a good morning, miene Freundin."

Several minutes after Stiletto leaves, Flux begins the arduous journey to the waking state. Blearily rolling to his hooves, he follows his sense of smell to the only thing in the room worth waking for at the moment.
"Mmm, oatmeal... oohh and fruit."
The delicious breakfast draws flux to be fully awake, and he pauses in mid-bite as he realizes where he is.
'I guess she didn't feel like taking me to my apartment. I am such a foal...'
Appetite gone, he washes the bowl and prepares to leave. Before Flux can reach the door, though, he notices the red silk dress of Stiletto's love. It was crumpled up in a corner, having landed there sometime during Stiletto's grief. He gingerly picks it up in his hooves and very carefully lays it out on Stiletto's bed so it won't wrinkle or get stepped on. He considers cleaning up, but decide against it. These clothes were important to her, and Flux wasn't sure if she'd want him touching them. He would have left the dress alone, but... it just didn't feel right to just leave it there on the floor. He glances back at the dress before closing the door behind him, then hangs his head.
"I'm sorry I stole your kiss, Brook..."

Stiletto was ecstatic today. Everything she did had a little bit more vigor to it. Her eyes were bright and full of confidence. On the training ground she took on three of her squad and battled them to a stand still. A normally long patrol seemed to pass in no time at all. When she took lunch at the temple ground, everypony could hear her joyful humming. One more trip to the training field for a wrestling demonstration and Stiletto hurried home, too change.
Upon entering her apartment Stiletto realizes just what a mess was left. Brooks' dress had been placed on the bed though. She up-righted the bin and found some letters that had been at the bottom of it. No time for that now though. Four hats, five dresses, four pairs of boots, and two capes latter, she was finally ready to go to the smelter and see her freundlichste Liebe. The door to Stiletto's apartment, through miracle of carpentry, managed to stay on its' hinges as the large alicorn flew through it with very little regard for its' proper use. In but a few moments, Stiletto was standing in the doorway to Fluxs' smelter.
"Hello to you on the fine evening." *She said standing so the sun was setting on her left side.*

Flux's day had gone far worse. The smelter didn't want to get up to temperature, then he almost ruined some steel by putting in too much charcoal. Come lunch, he only ate a small meal. He noticed the trap Stiletto and himself had set up the other day and was reminded of his foalishness for pining after that which would never be mine. His work was sloppy and slow, giving him no time to even unwind by doodling traps. When Stiletto greets Flux in the smelter, he almost steps in the cooling ingots in surprise.
"St-Stiletto?"

Stiletto smiles wide and bright, a spark in her eyes. She skips once and glides over to Flux.
"What has meine freundlichste Liebe been doing today? Are you ready for a drink? or do you want to stay in?

'Well, at least she doesn't seem too upset about yesterday. She still calls me Freund-something...'
Flux thinks for a moment, then decides that a drink might help him forget this awful day and give a small smile.
"Um, sure, Stiletto. A drink sounds... good."

Stiletto playfully leans into Flux and folds her wing about his withers.
"Drinks then. You never told me you favorite drink." *Stiletto brings her head down and whispers into Fluxs' ear* "And want you, to tell everything meine freundlichste Liebe."
She kisses him on the neck and looks in to his eye, her own filled with excitement

Flux get lost in her eyes for a moment before remembering his place.
'She's just being friendly, Flux. Some light-hearted teasing between Friend-whatevers.'
"Um, my f-favorite drink? I, uh, like sunshine..."

"How very fitting. Do you think they will have many good barrels? I want us to have a good time on our first öffentlichen Ausflug."
Stiletto used her wing to guide Flux to the dinning hall and into a pair of very close seats
"Go on and order so we can share a mug together."

'Did she already forgive me for yesterday? She's so... amazing...'
Flux goes and gets a mug of sunshine, paying most of his extra bits for it because of how rare it is. The expense is worth it, though, if it meant he could give her something nice.
"Um, here's the sunshine. It's pretty strong, so, uh, sharing was a good idea."

Stiletto picks up the mug with her magic and takes a solid swig of sunshine.
*Giggling and swooshing her tail about* "Oh my, that is strong." *Looking into Fluxs' eyes* "and sweet."

'Yes, you are...'
"Yes, yo-it! is."
Flux reachs over and takes his own healthy swig of the delicious brew to try to hide his slip of the tongue.

Flux feels Stilettos' tail wrap around his own under the table
"My we are going through this fast, I will get the next one, yes?" *The impish grin was back*

Flux somehow manages to not do a spit-take when he feel her tail entwine with his. Blushing, I simply nod to her question.
'Is she... flirting with me? But why...?'

"Oh look, some on your lip." *Stiletto leans in and kisses Flux for a brief moment* "Did I get it?"
Before Flux could reply the wings came into play, fully spread to surround Stilettos' smiling face.

Flux gapes and stares at Stiletto as it seems like his dreams are literally coming true. Not that first one, but the 2nd one.
'She... she is!'
"Um... n-n-no?"

Stiletto kisses Flux again, taking her time for this one.
"Did I get it this time?" *She winks* "I can do this as many times as you need."

'Please don't be another dream...'
"Um, I... I think you, uh, got it that t-time, Stiletto."

"It tastes so good, better then blood oranges. Speaking of."
Magic envelops a barrel that was sitting near their table. It floated over, uncorked it self then refilled their mug. Stiletto then took a swig using only her mouth. She placed it on the table and pushed it toward Flux with her nose.
"Your turn."

Still not sure if this is a dream or not, Flux takes a drink of the offered mug. The blood orange wine is quite good, a nice deep orange flavor with a decent kick, too.
"That's blood orange -hic- wine? It's pretty go-hic-od."

"Yes, and the taste hides its' Bitterkeit, so you can dink it all night."
The enchanted barrel refills the mug again and Stiletto takes another deep drink
"Oops, got some on me, could you get it for me meine freundlichsten Liebe?"

Still hiccuping occasionally from nerves and slight inebriation, Flux leans forward to carefully lick the wine from her lips and then gently kiss her.

Stiletto closes her eyes and kisses Flux back
*as their lips part* "Truly a lovely taste."
The mug is once again filled to the brim.

Flux holds his alcohol far worse than Stiletto does. As the mug is filled and emptied repeatedly, he starts to hum a happy tune. Before too long, he starts singing quietly and wordlessly in middle baritone, just letting his happiness flow as easily as the wine.

"You sing Flux?" *Stiletto flutters her eyes, clearly not immune to all the wine she has been ingesting* "I would love to her you sing."

"Sing? Oh! Um, yes. My, uh, family thought I'd get a music cutie mark, but..."
Flux trails off, remembering his past. But with the present staring him in the eyes, how could he refuse her a song?
"I, uh, know a fun bar song. It looses a bit without instruments, but I'll sing it anyway."
He taps a bit of a beat on the table and hum the introduction to set himself up, then start singing.

Who's coming with me?

To kick a hole in the sky

I love the sunshine

Lets drink that stuff till it's dry

So grab a moonshine, Orange wine

Whatever you need

Have a shot from the bottle

Doesn't matter to me

'Nother round, fill her up

Hammer down, grab a cup

Bottoms up!

This is what it's all about

No one can slow us down

We ain't gonna stop until the clock runs out

Hell can't handle all of us

So get your bottles up

Drinkin' every drop until it all runs out

'Nother round, fill her up

Hammer down, grab a cup

Bottoms up!

So grab your best friend

And make your way to the bar

But keep your distance

We're gonna light it on fire

We're drinkin' black root, 80 Proof

Straight Dragon's breath

Slam as much as you can take

and then we're on to the next

'Nother round, fill her up

Hammer down, grab a cup

Bottoms up!

This is what it's all about

No one can slow us down

We ain't gonna stop until the clock runs out

Hell can't handle all of us

So get your bottles up

Drinkin' every drop until it all runs out

'Nother round, fill her up

Hammer down, grab a cup

Bottoms up!

Flux smiles after finishing the song, happy to have sang a fun, energetic song in front of somepony for the first time in a long time.

Stiletto applauds by lightly hoofing the ground repeatedly.
"That was wonderful Flux, where did you learn to sing like that?"
The barrel fills the mug another time, empty now, the last few drops fall into the cup.

Flux blushs deeply when I realize that everypony in the bar had to have heard his song, then quietly answer Stiletto.
"Um, my entire family entertains. They thought I'd have a singing cutie mark, but I, uh, don't handle crowds well."

"Oh, you are afraid of crowds Flux? My uncle Harpsichord would say 'Use that fear to drive you'. Your singing is excellent and is a Travestie you do not do it more."
Stiletto drinks the last cup of Blood orange wine and hic-ups. She quickly covers her mouth with a wing and recovers herself.
"I might be having to much to drink." *Uncorks another Barrel and winks at Flux* "More?"

"Um, are you s-s-sure we should drink even more?" Flux asks "I'm, uh, pretty shloshed..."

The barrel sits itself back down on the floor
"I think you are right Flux, we do not need any more, this is a very enjoyable."
Stiletto pulls Flux close with her wing and nuzzles his mane
*whispering* "What would you like for the rest of the night meine Liebe?"

Flux snuggles closer to Stiletto, sighing happily.
"This."

Stiletto rubs her neck into Fluxs' and whispers into his ear
"This I want, but what do we do when other ponies start to stare?"

The thought of other ponies staring manages to piece the alcohol haze and hit Flux right in his insecurities. He sighs sadly and removes his face from Stiletto's side.
"Um... sorry. I, uh, guess we should call it a night? See you tomorrow, Stiletto..."

Stiletto kisses Flux before he can move farther away, after a moment she whispers again.
"Or we could go back to my apartment and 'call it a night' there."

Flux blushs deeply and can only sputter in response.

"Flux... Flux... oh for the love of Celestia, I did it again."
Stiletto stands up with one wing firmly clamped across Flux's withers and guides him from the dinning hall to his apparent
"Going to invite me in?"

Flux manages to calm down only slightly by the time Stiletto leads mhim to his appartment. When she asks if she can come in, he nearly falls back into panic again. However, what she said about using his fears keeps him from going over the edge and gives him an idea.
"Um... yes? I, uh, want to show you s-s-something."
Inside, Flux's apartment is fairly spartan with a bed, chair and chest. He heads over to the chest and start digging through it, looking for something.

Stiletto follows Flux into his apartment
"Oh this is a nice door... I mean, what do want me to see?"

After a few moments, Flux finds what he was looking for: His Lyre. It's a simple instrument, well made from bronze. Cradling it with one of his forelegs, he turns to Stiletto.
"Um, this. It's my lyre. You, uh, said you liked m-my music. And that I should f-face my f-fears..."
Shaking with nerves, He walks to the chair and sits, resting the lyre in the crook of one foreleg while preparing to strum with the other hoof. He starts slow, closing his eyes to better get a feel for his old instrument, before picking up the music a bit. He lets it flow, gentle and harmonious, as he plays for Stiletto. After a few minutes, he lets the music taper to an end, and opens his eyes.

Some Lyre Music

Flux find Stilettos' eyes looking deep into his own as they open.
"That was beautiful."
Stiletto then starts to kiss Flux and simply does not stop
((Fade to black, Scene! nothing more to see here!))

26: Boo is back!

Arbalest on way to catapult. Trap nearby. Animal trap. Arbalest not know trap before. New trap.
Arbalest walk over to trap. It triggered. Little creatu-
Arbalest shake head. Not true. Can't be.
"Boo!"
"Squeak!" says Boo.
Arbalest opened the trap. Boo is back! Now time for camaraderie, adventure, and steel on steel! The stuff of legends, right Boo? "Squeek!"
Well, Boo? Shall we go forth and inform my new friends of my finding you? "Squeak!" Good answer, Boo! Check the dining hall first!
Let us go! TO THE DINING HALL!

So here's Granite drunk off his ass and only 3 years old. Mom would be soooo proud...
So in his drunken stupor he manages to stumble through a few crowds and enter the dining hall when his vision momentarily clears... and lo and behold there's this extreemly happy blue unicorn holding what looks to be some hamster thingy.
He gather as much composure as a drunk young pony could get and simply slur out some random, unintelligable phrase...
"Go me."

Look, Boo! Some young drunkard! We must halt this decay!
"This behaviour must not continue! Feel the burning stare of my hamster and change your ways!" "Squeak!"

Now this unicorn thinks he's better than Granite, huh? Just cause he's a wasted young earth pony foal doesn't mean he has to take this!
"Hey you! You're *hic* blue! And you got a *hic* stupid hamster! You think you can just *hic* just... just... like insult me? Just because I'm *hic* an earth pony you racist! Well, I'll tell you! I am three and a half years old and I have green hair! *hic* All you got is a lil' hamster! Ooooohh a hamster! You're so cool! And you- "
Before he can finish his drunken rant, Granite drops to the ground and vomit up half of his lunch and thirty-eight percent of his alcohol on Arbalest's front hooves...

"My mane may not be green, but it has seen many suns come and go. Boo thinks you could use some sun too, then you might not smell so much like wet... laundry."

Now being 38% less drunk, Granite gained his conscience back. But that 62% still hampers his rational thinking-
BLARG!!!
Scratch that, now He's 24% drunk, his rational thought has somewhat come back and he can now fully grasp the situation at hand.
"Sorry Arbalest, the foals at school made me go on a binge drinking. And when Jaxler supplies the booze you know it's about to go down. Anyway I apologize for puking on your feet and your hamster is fairly intelligent. And- WAIT! I do NOT smell like wet laundry!"

"Squeak!"
"Yes Boo, this pony needs a good drying out."
Boo is quite smart for a hamster. He knows all about h-h-head injuries, and how to get sober again. He'll have a solution for this pony here.

Okay the world stopped spinning and Granite can see 100% clearly now... So what does he mean by drying out?
"Hey what do you mean by 'Drying Out'?"

"Squeak!"
"Yes, what Boo said. You need to get sober! A good brisk run in the sun will sort you out quick smart!"

"A quick run? Really? Okay..."
Granite breaks into a light jog out the door into the sunlight, gets blinded by said sunlight, trip over a rock, and falls into the well...
Well buck me.
"SOMEPONY! GET PANACEA!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
At least I'm sober...

That silly foal fell into the well. Time for Arbalest to be heroic.
He runs forward, and making sure Boo is secure, lifts the foal out of the well.
"Not that kind of run! Not into the well!"

"Well sorry! Somepony put a rock in the way! And I think I'm bleeding... yeah I'm bleeding a lot, can somepony get a doctor and maybe something to purify the water here? Pony blood isn't too healthy in terms of nutrients and all."
The conversation Granite is going to have to have with my parents after this...
And Virtue's probably gonna scold the crap out of him for contaminating the water supply... again.

Virtue's Diary - 5th Obsidian, 255

Stiletto gave me some designs for a trap to use against the monsters down below. It involves a long hallway with a ballista at the end and some fortifications to shoot through. The design is fairly simple, but the execution is going to be tricky, we've got to be careful about how we breach into the caverns. If we do it at a bad time or place, somepony could get seriously hurt or killed.

Otherwise, I've slowed construction of Grapple's church for now. The walls are up but there's no roof yet. Housing is still a high priority, so we've directed most of the resources there. We're close to getting everypony in a proper house. It's pretty terrible that it took five years to get to this point, but at least we're close.

Oh, and I almost forgot that Glaze gave birth today. The little unicorn filly's name is Brownie Bits. She's cute, and the name fits her brown coat. Maybe she'll help Skillet one day in the kitchens?

Speaking of foals, I heard one of them fell into the well today. Panacea said he's fine at least. I think we're going to have to do something with the well anyway, it's not deep enough and keeps bringing up mud with the water. With the moat finished, maybe we can siphon off from it.

12th Obsidian, 255

The outpost liaison and caravan arrived today. They claim to have seen a few thieves on their way here, so I've got the guard on high alert and everypony has been asked to stay inside if at all possible.

17th Obsidian, 255

Today was quite an eventful day. We had caravans arrive from both Coupledye and the rainbow ponies. I ended up trading a lot of scavanged clothing and other sundries from the badger pony thieves that have assaulted us in the past for a lot of useful things.

We got a huge amount of wood, some varieties of alcohol we can't grow here, a lot of cheese, some meat, a few exotic bars of metal and a lime tree from the caravans. All in all I think it was a huge success of haggling on my part, especially since we only traded away a lot of things we never wanted or needed anyway.

Speaking of the thieves though, we had four of them show up not long after the caravan arrived. Good thing they warned us. The militia killed two of them, although nopony was able to write much of a coherent after action report given the chaos. All I know is that Halberd, Fuscina, Glaive, Falcata and Partisan all managed to get decisive hits in, although the rest of the guard were firing bolts away the whole time too.

Two more thieves were killed by the caravan's guards. Not much to be said there, we didn't actually witness much of the fighting. At least nopony was hurt in the militia, or the caravan guards. I'm thankful of that everytime they come back from a fight.

23rd Obsidian, 255

The caravans haven't left yet, and are hanging around for a few more days while they trade things to individuals in the fort. That proved to be a bit fortuitous when a diamond dog tried to sneak into the trade depot. One of the lasher guards managed to kill him with a whip*1. I'd have never believed a whip could do so much damage, I nearly lost my lunch when I stumbled across his mangled corpse.

24th Granite, 256

I completely forgot to write about this, but Loom and Redwood were married today! I was a bit late to the reception, but I think it went very well overall. The two looked so happy! It reminded me of getting married myself not so long ago. I gave the new couple some time off to celebrate, I hope they have a long and happy marriage.

19th Slate, 256

Detergent gave birth today to an earth pony colt she named Blue Moon. The family was so happy together, and it again makes me long for a foal of my own. I don't know if Harvest Moon is ready for one yet, but I'll keep hinting at it. Maybe one day soon.

Anyway, I gave her a little while off for maternity leave. She hasn't been overly busy lately anyway, but in any case I think it's warranted.

1st Felsite, 256

I'm proud to say that we finally have enough housing in Dawnpick for everypony to have their own room! It took close to six years to get to that point, but we're finally here! Of course, we don't have time to sit on our haunches now that we've got it finished. There's over a dozen foals in our happy little settlement, and they'll be grown ponies before we know it. I'm going to sketch out designs for some more housing to accomodate our future, but I'm not sure where to put it just yet.

I'm not sure how to prioritize though. We've finally got part of the beast trap set up in the caverns, and I'm thinking maybe we should do something about that first. We also have some archery fortifications carved into the walls to let the guard shoot at anything that gets too close. They spotted one of the flying beasts once, but it was too far away to shoot. We're going to have to be very careful. I'm almost afraid to go through with it, but it would ease everypony's nerves to be rid of the things. I'm still looking for ways to set up a catapult for Arbalest. Maybe a ballista would serve him alright instead?

And I like Partisan's idea for dealing with them, but we dont' have any good locations to set up any bridges to block off access yet. I'm still mulling over that one.

castiorn's random notes
out of the hospital finally i can get back to making that steel war hammer iv been trying to make!

Dear Diary

Today a fell into a well and might have single hoofedly contaminated DawnPicks water supply. So on my way to the hospital the weirdest thing happened.

I have a sister now. Her name is Brownie Bits and is a unicorn. Wait... NO! This is NOT fair! Why can't I be a unicorn?! I swear by the name of the Lunar Princess I will... do something... I'll probably just find Jaxler and go on a binge with him or something. I don't know what to do with my life anymore. Might as well just drown my sorrows in some helidor lime wine. What the hell can Earth Ponies do?! Pegasi can fly, and unicorns can use magic! What can I do? Walk!? Get excessively drunk and fall in the well for the twenty-second time? Hell yes!

~ Granite Owlpastime

Author's Note

*1: This is possible due to a quirk in Dwarf Fortress weapon mechanics involving mass and contact area.

Damn it Dsarker! That was so hard to Transcribe! XD

27: Granite's Trade Depot Incident

Grapple had been putting this off for too long now.
Before him stood the caravan that had set up shop in town. To the average observer it looked like a quite on the level. Just a few merchants peddling there wares and earning a living under the watchful gaze of there protectors. Grapple knew better though.
The signs are subtle, barely noticeable, and always impossible to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt. You would think to look for price gouging, but that's not the real problem. Take notice of the unicorn buying stone crafts from Dawnpricks masons. He gives a fair price and never pushes the seller hard, but he only buys the works with no writing on them. Chisel a couple of Dwarf runes on them and the price doubles in the next town. Same goes of anything made of wood. Some random swirly shapes and circles and bam, Elven artifact. Zigzags and paint, mystery of the zebra lands. Sticks and chicken feathers, buffalo totem. Calling anything human made, at least 70 more coins. Don't even get me started on gnome mechanisms and cave-pony gems. Most ponies never leave there home town let alone the kingdom, so no-pony is the wiser.
If only that were the worse thing. The guilds dirtiest little secret was the plain fact the line between caravan and bandits usually depends on how far the nearest settlement is. No-pony ever asks how the caravans can afford such heavily armed guards when the army can barely afford leather armor for there troops, or how there seemed to be an endless supply of veteran warriors they can draw on for guards. Hell, he can still see the zebra branding on that lime tree! Identical to the one they got from the last zebra caravan. The caravan that insisted they only sell one of the two trees they had with them. That jewelry there trying to sell looks familiar as well.
This wasn't the reason he was reluctant to approach the caravan however. He knew the rules to that game, and what happens when you break them. No, what he was worried about was the guard they brought with them. There second guard, the big earth pony lasher. The earth pony lasher that was not an earth pony, but a keshi. A keshi he once called his droog. He would recognize him and whatever happens after that...
He needed to find Stiletto, or one of her friends.
That caravan has what he needs for his church, and he can't get it on his own.

After the battle with the thieves in which neither Stiletto or Glyph had managed to get a single blow in, Stiletto pulled Glyph aside into a grove of trees as the others left. That was just over two hours ago, now their armor lay neatly stacked by a tree. Their weapons lay crossed over against the other side of the tree. Just down the way Stiletto sleeps by a stream with Glyph nestled tightly under her wing. The two wake up as the rain begins to fall on them.
“We should get back, or we may catch cold.”

Glyph smiles, pressing closer to Stiletto "I-I guess... I like it here though." I blush a bit, looking up at her "I... wasn't expecting this... I didn't think..."

"I know, can you believe we missed all the action. You must help me learn to move like you do Glyph. Fast and without hesitation. You probably could have gotten your first kill have you not stayed back with me."
Stiletto stretches her wings out and stands slowly.

Glyph stand himself, stretching out and admiring Stiletto's wings. "Maybe... even if I had, I probably wouldn't have done anything. I would prefer to stick with you, at least then I might learn something."

"I have promised to teach you all I can mein kleiner Lehrling. Firstly do not short your abilities."
Stiletto trots over to her armor and starts to put it back on.

"klieiner Lehrling? I-I suppose I can try better... but do you really think I have skill?" Glyph walks over and begins to strap his armour on as well.

"Of course you do Glyph, speed is very important on the battle field."
Stiletto gets her last boot on and magically puts helmet on. As she lifts her axe to harness it, Stiletto looks down at Glyphs weapon
"You should use a spear Glyph."

"I've tried that before, but it's even harder to use." He hefts his axe and slings it onto his back. "I don't have the benefit of magic..."

"Has no one ever shown you how to short half? You have much more control, not as much as a saber but a good amount."
Stiletto began to trot briskly back to the village wall.

Glyph follows behind Stiletto, thinking about what she said. "Are you sure? I don't know... I've kinda gotten used to my axe. I may not be able to use it too well right now, but I've learned to move with it's weight now..."

"How many strikes does it take you to rend a limb? I bet you puncture two lungs in half the time."
Stiletto trots around the traps to the drawbridge

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter how good the strikes are," Glyph says as he hops between the traps, "If I can't move well, or hit well. Maybe it takes more work with an axe, but at least I don't trip myself."

"If only Billows could understand the weapon plans for my Great Uncles blades. Then you could get a proper weapon for your talents."
Stiletto heads to the barracks while talking to Glyph.

"I've seen a blade back in my hope village, I was hoping to find one here as well. But," asked Glyph, "what do you mean proper for my talents?"

"You can use your speed to make you deadlier, a lighter blade would be best suited to you, so you can sever joints and cause the enemy to bleed to death."

"Is that so? Guess that makes sense," Responded Glyph, "My axe is a bit heavy sometimes. But I've learned to compensate... Now I just need to learn to attack, instead of just dodge."

"Yes and you need learn how recover a charge. If the patrol is short we can train some."
Stiletto goes to check the assignment scheduled. Another long patrol was listed.
"Ruckeln Pferdeäpfel."

Glyph walks up and looks as well. "Wow... I usually get short ones, Hm... maybe I could patrol with you? I don't have much else to do."

"That would be good. Would be nice to have somepony to talk to as I walk."
Stiletto left the barracks with Glyph and began the in grounds part of her patrol

Ugh! How is it he can never seem to find people when he needs there help. Grapple had searched nearly the entire town for Stiletto, and not a hair had turned up. Every place he went, he seemed to have just missed her. How could such a big pony be so hard too find? All the other guards were too busy or too tired from the fight to help. The last one he could find that hadn't turned him down yet was Jaxler. He seemed the friendly type to help a pony down on his luck. He had even listen in to some of his sermons. Grapple was sure he would help him without a moments hesitation!
He wasn't on patrol right now, so he was most likely at the dining hall getting a drink. Hm, maybe he should talk to him about that while he was at it? Grapple made a mental note as he walked into the hall, spying Jaxler at one of the tables.
"Hello good friend! Pardon my interruption, but I was wondering if you could help me with a small problem."

Jaxler was trying to spend an afternoon in peace. He finally got a barrel of booze and was sitting in his favorite seat and was ready to enjoy himself but right as he started to drink he heard a voice.
"Hello good friend! Pardon my interruption, but I was wondering if you could help me with a small problem."
Jaxler knew that voice. It was the same voice that had almost made him lose his sanity during Glaze's strange mood. It was Grapple's voice. Jaxler saw Grapple's religion as both insane and as a cancer of ignorance. He wanted to just get up and make Grapple the second pony he flung across the meeting hall, but Jaxler needed to be professional. Regardless of if he was on or off duty he had to help ponies when they asked. So Jaxler replied calmly with "What do ya need help with."

Good, he had found Jaxler in a good mood. Now comes the tricky part, explaining the problem without giving 'it' away.
Grapple makes a quick choice, going with the old 'you-didn't-ask' trick.
"Not much really, but the holy scrolls for the new church just arrived on the caravan. They come in a big box that needs two ponies to lift. I just need an extra body, that's all."
Grapple started chanting in his mind.
'Please don't ask questions. Please don't ask questions. Please don't ask questions. Please don't ask questions. Please don't ask questions.'

Jaxler didn't want to help in with the church but he still had a job to do.
"Scrolls... sure i'll help" He picked up his crossbow "I really don't like the way that earth pony looks. I saw that pony eviscerate a diamond dog with a whip, and it looked like he enjoyed it so... We might want some protection." Jaxler put a bolt into the crossbow "Ya fine if I keep this thing loaded?

At the mention of the 'earth pony' guard, his mind rapidly flew his vast, VAST vocabulary of curses. He really should learn the rest of those languages. And he's bringing the crossbow. Why do all bowman think there holding some sort of melee weapon?
"If you think so, I'm sure we won't need it."
Celestia forgive me of the sin of lies.
"Well lets get going! No time like the present!"
Grapple started a brisk walk to the door, with any luck his old 'droog' will still be on break and he could get the scrolls without indecent.

Jaxler started to think that this might not be as bad as he previously thought. The pony hadn't even mentioned his "gods" yet. He followed Grapple out the door.
"No time like the present? What makes you say that?"

"O, you know just a saying... about work and... stuff... getting stuff done... it's good... saying, stuff."
Switch topic! SWITCH TOPIC!!
"so... Jaxler is it? Very unique name. Never heard of a Jaxler before."

The laws of perversity dictate that once you stop looking for something it finds you, it doesn't usually bring backup though. Stilettos' patrol route now put her and Glyph right inside the trade depot.
"Three times we have circle this building. If I did not know better, I would think Virtue was mad at me."

Flux wanders around the trade depot, looking for anything that catches his eye that he might be able to afford. Unfortunately, that list is very short indeed. After checking the mail pile and seeing nothing for him, he prepares to leave. As he start towards the door, though, he sees Stiletto and Glyph walk in.

"Hello meine herzlichsten Liebe."
Stiletto walks up to Flux and nuzzles him on the cheek as casually as anything. She then walks back to Glyphs side.
"You remember Glyph, yes?"

Glyph cocks his head at the nuzzle, but decides not to ask. "Hello again Flux, how are you today?"

Flux smiles, returning the nuzzle, then smiles at Glyph.
"Yep! He's your friend from the guard! I'm just looking at stuff here, how about you, Glyph?"

Jaxler thought for a moment.
"Well, I know it's a strange name. It's probably the strangest name in the entire fort, but when you need to create a new name for yourself you might as well go for one that's unique."

"I was just accompanying Stiletto on her patrol," Said Glyph "It's good to see you again."

"I hope that the two of you will both also become friends." Says Stilletto. *Nuzzels Glyph* "He is mein kleiner Lehrling."

Flux looks a bit confused as Stiletto nuzzles Glyph.
"Lehrling?"

Glyph returns the nuzzle and smiles. "Actually I was wondering that too, what does that mean? And what did you call Flux?"

"Humm. Well I guess that makes sense. Starting over can be- hey were here!"
Grapple rushed to the depo. His luck appeared to be holding as the guards were still on there overlong break. To his horror however, he found three of Dawnpricks leading citizens (including Stiletto) inside. Amazing. All day he had watched this depot and no pony had even given it a second glance. He could still salvage this however, he just needed to be fast.
"Hello Stiletto, hello Stiletto's coltfriend, hello Stiletto's other coltfriend. Can't talk, busy. MERCHANT! HAGGLE WITH ME YOU RAT BASTARD!"
Grapple cornered the caravan owner and started negotiating for the cost of transport for the scrolls, leaving the others to whatever awkward situation he left in his wake.

Stiletto looks like she was going to say something to Grapple, but seeing he was busy she turned to Glyph and Flux.
"They are titles and promises." *Kisses Glyph* "Glyphs' title means I will love and teach him." *turns and kisses Flux* "Fluxs' title means I will love him for kindness." *steps back to being beside both of them* "Now you understand yes?"

'Coltfriend?' Thinks Flux 'Other coltfriend?'
Stiletto's explanation doesn't clear anything up at all.
"Uh...no?"

Grapple left Jaxler in the same space as an alicorn. Jaxler could snap at any moment now. Jaxler had a disdain for the entire alicorn race, they were prideful, self righteous, and among other things saw themselves above the other ponies. They even go so far as to call there language "high pony", which was further proof of there ignorant pride. This time Jaxler was sober, he could hold back his desire to pick a fight with a bigger, stronger, and magical foe. So he decided to avoid eye contact and survey the merchant's goods and he said inaudibly to himself "Damned alicorns"

"Umm... wait so... We're both your... Maybe I get it? So... we're both your coltfiends? Umm or is Grapple wrong?" Glyph shakes his head, still unsure. But if we were both her coltfriends... 'I wonder... I guess is wouldn't bother me... wonder about Flux.'

"The words you use fail to convey the full amount of emotion I feel for both of you."
Stiletto spies Jaxler in the corner of her peripheral vision.
"But one moment, I have a mater of protocol that must be observed."
Stiletto trots right up to Jaxler and salutes him.
"I apologize for past misunderstandings, I would like your forgiveness."

Jaxler was trying his best to hold back his desire to pick a fight. He didn't care that Stiletto was a mare or that she was bigger, had more combat training, was more competent in combat, could use magic, and that she had three ponies as backup. The only thing that was keeping him from flinging his hoof through the air and into her face was that his rank would be in jeopardy. So he said as calmly as he could "Ya... I'm... gonna... go outside."

Flux sits down as he watchs Stiletto go talk to Jaxler, still confused and slightly hurt.
'Is she getting her words wrong again? She's so friendly, maybe she doesn't see me as anything more than a friend? At least Glyph can keep up with her...'

"Why you rude...." *Lets out a long sigh* "Someponies."
Stiletto turned around and saw Flux sitting on the floor, she could sadness on his face. So she walked up and nuzzled him again
"What troubles you meine herzlichsten Liebe? I want to make you happy."

Mortar was plotting along, heading towards the trade depot, his favorite steel chisel broke clean at the haft, perhaps a bit of brittle overfired steel. He was on his way to replace it, before running nearly head-first into Jaxler. "Oh my, sorry Jaxler! Didn't see you there...was just pondering something. What's wrong?" Mortar said, noting the disdain on his face. Did he do something wrong again?

"Yes Mortar, something is wrong. Right now I'm waiting for the insane holy stallion to go pick up his holy scrolls and then I have to help him carry the things a quarter mile to his church. But the thing that really pisses me off is the fact that that damned alicorn comes into the same damned building I'm in and starts talking to me. When she called me rude I about lost it."

Flux trys to put on a smile for Stiletto, not wanting to cause a scene at the depot.
"I... It's nothing, Stiletto. I'm just... thinking."

"All right, for now I will leave it, but, remember you can tell me anything."
Stiletto places her forehoof onto Flux's
"You're worries are mine as well."

Flux's smile becomes slightly more sincere when Stiletto places her hoof upon his, but also with a hint of sadness as well.
"Th-Thank you, Stiletto."

Arbalest and Boo go off to the caravan. Boo tells him that the caravan's a good place to meet other ponies.
Imagine his lack of surprise when he bumps into Stiletto, Glyph, and Flux. Boo always knows best.
"Hello you three! I found Boo!"

Stiletto turns to see Arbalest, a look of astonishment on her face
"You found him." *Her expression shifting to a smile* "It's good to find your friends."

Glyph turns and looks at Arbalest. "So that's Boo huh? I'm glad you found him. Told ya you would if you didn't give up."

Finally, after what seemed like an hour of back and forth ("I don't care where it bit you, your not getting a bonus!') the deal was made. Not as good as he hoped, but he was in a hurry. Now he just need to-
O come on! Is this the new meeting hall or something! What looks like two, on three more ponies had come in to look at wares now, and Jaxler was nowhere to be seen. One of the caravan guards was already back, so the other must not be far behind. Desperate times call fore desperate measures.
"Stiletto, I need to borrow your spare coltfriend." Grapple runs behind Flux, body checking Arbalast in the process, and starts pushing him over to the large crate holding the scrolls. "That means you mopy-flank, lets go!"

Jaxler walked back into the Depot to see if Grapple was done harassing the merchant.
"Hay Grapple, are ya done yet?"

Glyph moves over and pushs Grapple away from the others. "Stop that, if you want help ask. Keep this up and I'll arrest you for assault."

Grapple turns to look at Jaxler, letting Flux flop to the ground.
"Were the sod did you get to Jaxler? Never mind, lets just get out of here. You take right, I got left."

Grapple is acting very suspiciously, Boo says. Boo says that Arbalest should ask why he's acting like that.
"Hey, Grapple. Boo tells me that you're very suspicious. Why are you acting like this?"

'Is everypony here crazy?'
Flux just stands there, a bit dazed at everything suddenly going on.
'Well, at least Arbalest found Boo.'

"Arbalest, why are you suddenly speaking with proper grammar?"
Jaxler then walked over to assist Grapple in carrying the scrolls. Jaxler felt a bit sick to his stomach to be carrying something "holy".

"I think it's because he found his little hamster that Should MIND HIS OWN BUSINESSES! Lift on three ready?"
Moving to the left of the box, Grapple lowers himself down under the polls on ether side.
"One, Two, Three!"

"Ya I'm ready to lift," Responded Jaxler "But there no need to bucking yell at the guy. Also congratulation on finding Boo Arbalest."

So mom and dad gave Granite an allowance to spend at the depot, awesome! Of course he has to keep an eye on his sister who also got her allowance, but it's no big deal! Jaxler's words really spoke to him that night, and he's also really, really drunk right now. As he and his sister approached the depot, he witnessed the most chaotic crap to date!
Grapple is trying in vain to pick up some box,
Arbalest said a complete sentence,
Jaxler looks like he's about to murder every living thing in a 5 meter radius,
Flux is in complete shock,
Stiletto and Glyph seem extreemly pissed off,
and the two caravan guards just drew their weapons,
Today is a good day.

The box suddenly became much lighter as it is magically lifted. A glare from Stiletto causes the caravan guards to put their weapons away.
"Grapple, you must give me an explanation, but it can wait."
Stiletto then trots to Flux, sits behind him and wraps her wings all around him
"And you must give Flux an apology, that can not wait."

So with all this chaos going on Granite decides to amend a few wrongs and to give thanks to a few awesome ponies!
He begins his approach into the depot, telling his sister to keep close in case any snatchers show up, because she should not go through what he went through, too life changing and shocking.
Anyway, he walks up to Flux. "Yo Flux can you hear me? Yeah your in shock I take it. Anyway, here's your diary, I stole it a few nights ago, oh and sorry for the pump, I may have broke it!"
Next up was Jaxler, while he was trying to lift it Granite interrupted him. "What's up Jaxler? Yeah I remembered your advice, thank you so much! Oh, here's a random barrel of alcohol I ~~stole~~ bought. Have fun with the box lifting!"
He got a dirty look from Grapple, but was too drunk to give a damn. Arbalest was to his right, so Granite talked to him next. "Hey Arbalest thanks for getting me out of the well! And also congratulations on finding Boo! Again..."
He finally went back to where he started, but not before giving my thanks to Stiletto and Glyph. "Thank you two so much for protecting the fortress from all the attackers we have had over the years! Because of you two I can sleep soundly at night! Also you should get ready to fight because those guards seem a bit pissed at Grapple over there..."
Granite then marched back home while his sister stared at him trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

"Thank you, Jaxler. Be careful around this pony," Arbalest said "Boo doesn't like the smell of him."

Then the worse possible thing happens. The worse thing the guard can do, he does. He sees Grapple, takes off his face covering bandana and lifts his visor (revealing to all the world his Domidian heritage) and stares directly at him.
Grapple can only do one thing, "Hello Skrillnozh."
The guard lets out a shout and charges Grapple...

... and lifts him into a big bear hug, planting a quick kiss on his lips (sort of like European cheek kissing) laughing the entire time.
"Hahahahaha!! Grabba! Me old droog! Where you been thissin razamarook? Not viddied you in a long, long raz! How you swinging my brother? Hahahaha!*1"

'...Everypony is crazy.'
Flux mutters a surprised thanks as the grey colt gives him back his journal, and blushs a bit as Stiletto hugs him.
"Um, he doesn't need to apologize, Stiletto. I just wasn't excepting to be, er, drafted into hauling a big box. Uh, who's your friend, Grapple?"

Jaxler was utterly confused, angry, and had a dangerously low blood alcohol level. he was just about to punch out Stiletto for trying to "help" when Granite came through and left him a barrel of foreign booze and now a Domidian had just given the "holy" stallion a hug and called him his droog.
"Hay Grapple who's this?"

"Yes Grapple, who is this friend of yours? A Schatten Rasse?"
Stiletto grins impishly as Grapple gets kissed
"Close are you?"

"This..." Grapple shoves the Domidian of himself before continuing. "... is Skrillnozh. He is a thief, a bandit, a bastard, and now apparently a caravan guard. Not surprised, he has all the right credentials for one."

Skrillnozh pantimines cluching his heart.
"OoooOoOOooOooo! You cut me my brother! Not like you were riding high roads back in the misty-raz, were ya?"

With Brownie Bits safely returned home, Granite heads back to the depot for some last minute shopping. Course nothing is that easy and he arrives to find a domedian pony.
"Hey Jaxler, what the hell is going on? And why is there a devil pony thingy talking with Grapple? Oh, and is Flux still in shock 'cause I need to ask him something."

Boo was right as usual. Grapple is a skulking filthy bandit pretending to be a priest.

Jaxler wasn't angry that Grapple knew a Domidian. He was angry that he knew a bandit and that he didn't tell him about this back in the meeting hall but before he could say anything he heard Granite say something that disgusted him.
"Granite... who the hell told you that all Domidians were devil ponies?"

The presence of so many ponies makes Flux a bit nervous, but he sees a potential escape in the grey colt. Carefully and regretfully, he exits Stiletto's wing to talk to the young stallion.
"Uh, I'm alright. What did you, um, need to ask me?"

"Well I just assumed domedian ment evil Jaxler so yeah..." Granite said.
"Oh and Flux can I be your apprentice in terms of smithing and building traps and stuff?"

"if they were all evil wouldn't Grapple have a knife in his throat right now?" Asked Jaxler

Granite honestly felt bad when he came to the realization that he might be extremely racist. But what really sucked was that he may have inadvertently pissed off his hero and savior Jaxler
"Well...no. But if he were evil then he could just associate himself with Grapple to make us belive that Grapple was evil, then we would put the knife to Grapple's throat because Grapple would then be evil...wait, didn't Grapple just say the domedian was a bandit? And I always thought bandits were evil and all..."

"The Domidian is a bandit, and that Domidian just implied that Grapple used to be a bandit." Said Jaxler "Yet all the ponies in the room still focus on the Domidian. Why do you think that's so?"

"Because we have some trust for Grapple? I mean he never hurt any of us, and this guy showed up from nowhere. Oh, wait, it's because he's domedian right? Also, aren't we at war with them?"

"Who do you think stated these race wars? If you asked a pony they would say it was the Domidians, but if you asked a Domidian what do you think they'd say?"

"The domedians would say ponies, nopony would know who was right, that's why there should be a third party, like the Zebras or Buffalo..."

"And then the zebra's and the buffalo kill both sides and the wars are over right, is that the answer? The answer is that there is no answer. we refuse to cooperate. They are at war with us because we at war with them. We burn there villages because they burned our villages because they burnt ours. They kill our young because we kill there young. Everything bad they do to us we do to them, then they do it back and the cycle continues."

"Look Jaxler I'm sorry... I shouldn't judge people on their race. The odds of a domedian being evil is the same as a pony being evil. So I vote we knock both the guard and Grapple out and leave them in a ditch somewhere to deal with their problems."

"Don't be sorry. You spoke based off what people told you to think."

'Apprentice?'
Flux quietly listens to their conversation, but has to speak up now.
"Um, you shouldn't judge on what they might do, either. They're both just talking, right? No need to toss them out, is there?"

"And now I feel like a complete foal- wait I am a foal so who cares!" Exclaimed Granite.
"Flux what I'm saying is that either they're settling some old dispute, or they're gonna make out. I'm only saying we let them be alone to sort their dilema out, and the knock-out part was just to remove any future struggling to get them to a remote location, away from bothering us. And plus, if Grapple is going to be a church leader, he should be able to deal with any situation that comes up, including this current event, and my rather flawed and possibly sadistic plan."

"Um, ya. Knocking ponies out shouldn't be plan A. You... really want me to teach you smelting and mechanics?"

"Yeah, I do. And I tried do make some of the designs you made in your journal, which led to accidentally breaking that pump system. I want to learn mechanics so I can protect fellow ponies, my sister could get snatched at any moment, if I could just make a basic stone fall trap to stop that thief, then goddamn I'm gonna do it, because god knows my fighting prowess is akin to a paraplegic kitten. So mechanical devices seem to be the only way I can protect ponies. And I could make better traps if I could make metal parts and I could end up making the helmet that saves a soldiers' life, like Jaxler's for example. If I could save him like he saved me, then I will be happy. If I can help stop thieves that try to steal foals away, then I will be happy. Please teach me all you know!"

'Desperation and inebriation is an odd combination...'
"Um, sure! I'll teach you whatever I can. But I'm not a smith, I'm a forge worker, Granite. I make the steel that the smiths use, but I can't give it form. Uh, I might be able to make steel parts if given a crack at a smithy, but I haven't yet. I'm still learning mechanics myself, the pumps were probably broken before you, er, did whatever you did."

"Awesome! Thanks a bundle Flux! And all I did was try to make a catapault triggered by a remote pressure plate that launched a rock up into a hidden basket that releassed a boulder down a hill into the path of the trade depot. No, I have no idea why I tried that, and yes, I was drunk while trying to make it. It didn't work out well... the catapault missfired and put a hole in Grapple's unfinished church and the boulder was pathed wrong and broke the catapault after it fired. And I'm pretty sure the pressure plate managed to explode..."

"Um, Rule #1: Alcohol and mechanics don't mix. Neither does alcohol and smelting, by the way."

"Huh, I never knew that... wow that makes a lot of sense! No wonder it was so difficult to line up gears together when you see five copies of them!"

Grapple wanted nothing more than to leave right now, but Skrillnozh had other plans. He had been quite taken by the young colt that had just entered, he thought he was a hoot! There was, however, his little plan of knocking him out, and that devil comment needed to be punished. Not that he didn't agree with him, it's just the principle of the thing. Slowly with stealth that seemed to come as second nature to Domidians, he crept up behind the colt. When he was behind him, he lead in over him and wispered in his ear.
"Hey me malenky malchick. Slooshied you almost got snatcher-grabbed onesies. Evar messel what sloochats to malchicks and devotchkas that get snatched?"

Jaxler got his crossbow and pointed it at the Domidian and said without a hint of emotion "If you touch that foal I'm gonna put a bolt in your forehead."

So during Granite's conversation with Flux on being an apprentice, Skrillnozh crept up behind him and said something about snatchers. Now, as you can see, Granite is pretty goddamn wasted, so he interprets Skrillnozh's line as: Hey young foal, you suck, I'm going to kidnap your sister. Granite recently learned he is rather over-protective of his sister and he is obviously quick to anger. As Jaxler raises his crossbow, he does the first thing that comes to mind: attack.
Granite yells out a drunken war cry as he spins around and ducks underneath the domidian. He then proceed to steal his money and buck him in his 'stallion parts'. With him writhing on the ground in pain, Granite jacks his weapon and gives it to Grapple. He then sprints towards Jaxler and hide behind him for safety.

If Granite would have played cool then this could have all been avoided but now shit just got real. Jaxler knew the other guards were going to retaliate unless he acted fast, so he pointed his crossbow at the other Caravan guards and yelled "GRANITE, RUN."

Stiletto stands up to her full height and barks out in her clear Voice
"STOP THIS NOW! EVERYPONY CALM DOWN NOW!"
Her horn glows to warn everypony in the general vicinity that this Deutschmeiner was more they ready to buck the flank of all of them.

Ignoring Jaxler and Stiletto, Granite sprints up to the other, more unobservant guard and quickly twists his helmet backwards. The back of the helm now in his face, blocking his vision. Being only two guards, he focuses on the other one. The now disarmed Skrinozh slowly got up and was ready to charge him. As he started running, Granite followed suit, and charged right at him. He was actually quite clumsy, and Granite used that to his advantage. As he was about to enter striking distance, he jumped into the air, using both their momentum's gained from charging each other to close line him with his back legs. As it turns out, Skrinozh fell down, hitting the back of his head on the hard stone floor, causing him to lose consciousness. As Granite lands on the ground, he approachs the guard who just regained his vision. With his way of words Granite manages to convince him that Skrinozh was about to kidnap him and run... and he also bribed him with most of Skrinozh's money. The rest Granite gave half to Jaxler for making him worry so much and the other half to Stiletto in hopes she won't murder him.

Flux had really hoped that Granite would quietly sneak out. He didn't. Flux rushes out to grab him by the tail and drag him away from the depot before he starts a war.

Stiletto looks pointedly at Granite and drops the bits onto the ground
"Did, you, just, TRY TO BRIBE ME!?"
Stiletto grabs Flux and Granite in her magic
"Bring me this COLTS' Father, RIGHT NOW!"

After that ordeal, with Grapple dealing with an unconscious Skrinozh, Jaxler and Stiletto showing no emotion, and Flux dragging me away by my tail, today was a pretty good day.

"Don't worry Flux, the only witnesses were a few Zebras and the one guard I bribed two seconds ago." Granite says, "They shouldn't even remember this event. And the domidian is unconscious, and if he were to tell his superiors, he would have to say a foal did this. His pride would prevent that from happening. So don't worry Flux, this situation is under control."
Then Stiletto yelled. Oh god please help him.
"What? You don't want free money?" Oh god, bad choice of words... "Please don't kill me Stiletto. And don't tell father either, he's a butcher for crying out loud! I mean I thought that you would accept it in terms of... you know what? I don't care! Tell him, TELL HIM I DID THIS! SHOW HIM HOW I KNOCKED OUT THAT GUY! SHOW HIM HOW I STOLE ALL THIS CRAP! DO IT! I DARE YOU!"
He is so screwed...

"BUCKING HELL GRANITE!!! YOU REALIZE I ALMOST HAD TO BE YOUR MEAT SHIELDS, RIGHT?"
Jaxler stopped for a second to calm down
"Alicorn... allow me to care of this"

Flux floats gently in Stiletto's magic, Granite's tail still in his mouth.
"Um, maybe I should take him to his, uh, dad? And you guys stay here to make sure this doesn't get out of hoof?"

Oh god. Jaxler's gonna discipline him. Jaxler. The very angry and sometimes cruel Jaxler. The Jaxler that knocked out Stiletto. That Jaxler...
20% more screwed.
Wait, did Flux just say something?
"Flux," Begged Granite, "as my mentor I strongly urge you to take disciplinary action! Not the alicorn or the psycho markspony! No offence to either of you..."

"That's... probably a good idea." Glyph looks around, "Yeah... we don't need a bigger fight breaking out." He pauses at Granite's words. "On second thought, maybe we should teach him a lesson here."

'beruhigen, beruhigen, er ist nur ein Fohlen.'
"Oh yes, your father will hear about this, that guard will be fine in a second, thank the sisters."
Stilettos' body did stop seething at this point but steam was still coming off of her
"Glyph, get the irons, this foals' parents, and Ms Panacea."

"IRONS!" Exclaimed Jaxler, "You don't plan to beat the kid, do you!"

"Right, just... everyone stay calm until I get back okay?" Glyph runs off to do as Stiletto asked, returning shortly thereafter, irons in mouth and ponies in tow. "Here you go Stiletto."

Irons, Granite's parents... and Panacea?
Oh man this is going to hurt...
"Do your worst!" He really should just stop talking.
"Oh, hey mom and dad. Is Brownie Bits sleeping?"

Grapple was quite a bit impressed. That colt was fast. If he was half as fast has him back in the day...
If only he wasn't a complete moron. On the plus side, it looks like he's not the only one loosing my touch. I remember when Skrillnozh would have cut a pony in two if he had tried something like that, with a whip of all things. Not pretty.
Hold on, looks like Skrillnozh is coming to now. He never did let blunt force trauma keep him down.

Jaxler was angry. he was about ready to punch Stiletto in the face for mentioning the "sisters" and if she was going to hurt a foal any respect he could have had for her would be gone. If she did anything to the foal he wouldn't be able to control himself.
"If... you hurt that foal... I won't be very happy"

Stiletto takes the irons in one hoof
"I am not going to do anything Jaxler. YOU on the other hoof, will be slaping these on Granite and taking him and his parents to tell Miss Virtue exactly what happened. The post is closed until Ms Panacea gives all the guards a clean bill of health. All of these goods are to be searched for procedures sake. HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR!?"

"DON'T YOU BUCKING YELL AT ME!! I TAKE ORDERS FROM PARTISAN AND HIM ONLY!!"

Granite suddenly stops caring about what happens next.
"YES MA'AM!" He enthusiastically shouts. He looks towards Jaxler.
"Jaxler, it's okay. I brought this upon myself and I will face the consequences! Now chain me up!"
'Course I'm drunk and won't feel a thing! For now... I already know this is gonna end poorly for me, and tomorrow morning is gonna suck.'

Glyph draws his axe and stands in front of Jaxler, anger flashing in his eyes. "You will follow orders, or you will be the one in irons. Or pieces. Am I clear?"

Stiletto looked coldly at the little unvergessen with a crossbow, then Glyph steps up to him and she almost smiles.
"Miss Virtue will be the one to determine what his punishment will be and how he will compensate the guards."

"You smile when you pass judgment, how fitting." Jaxler picks up the irons and puts them on Granite, feeling sick to his stomach. Jaxler then said quietly to himself "I know your enjoying this"

"Enjoying what?" Granite really dosen't get it...
"So how pissed do you think Virtue's gonna be?"

"I dunno"

"Well, I hope I can still live here with my family, that's my only concern. Hopefully she won't be that harsh. Let's just get this over with..."

Jaxler walks off with Granite feeling sick to his stomach and self loathing.
"I don't honestly think she's going to do anything too harsh to you your. Better off with her than with the alicorn."

Stiletto sighs heavily
"Glyph, please follow them while I search these crates. Make sure he see Miss Virtue."

"No arguments here." Granite replied to Jaxler.

"Of course Stiletto, be careful though, these guys might not be too happy with us." Throwing a quick salute Glyph heads off after Jaxtler.

Flux follows the others to Virtue's.

Jaxler noticed the small pony behind him, the same one that threatened his life earlier. Jaxler was emotionally exhausted, had a stomach ache, and would probably have to bludgeon a foal later on in the day.
"Did the alicorn send you..."

"You should learn to watch you say." Responded Glyph, "Yes Stiletto sent me to make sure you did as you were ordered."

"Don't act like a tough guy to somepony who can beat the living snot out of you. I hope you realize that I about punched you in the face back there and to be honest I'd prefer it if I did."

"Um, can we all please calm down?" Begs Flux, "Another fight won't help anypony..."

"I just told you to watch what you say." Glyph drew his axe again setting his hooves. "You don't have a place to talk, you're just a filly playing soldier. Now are you going to do as you've been ordered, or are you going to be making a trip to the hospital."

"You have no idea do you. I am not filly playing soldier. I was bucking drafted and everypony keeps on forgetting it. I'll talk when I please even if it gets me beaten or murdered, and if that's to much for you then just chop my head off right now and tell the alicorn I tried to attack you."

"Can we all just stay calm?" Granite asked, "It's not like I'm about to face ultimate judgement for the day's previous events or anything... OH WAIT!"

"Sorry Granite but I want to know if Mr. soldier pony has the guts." Jaxler then put his crossbow on the ground and pointed his hoof right at his neck.

"Jaxler don't do this! If nothing else live so I can idolize you for a bit longer..." in a much quieter tone Granite add "I can steal some of his crap if you want... just throwing it out there."

Virtue is sitting in her office, trying to concentrate on her paperwork despite the growing noise outside. What was going on, anyway? If it didn't settle down in a moment or two she'd have to go find out for herself. Hopefully nothing too serious.

'Oh, this is bad. Very very bad! Wait, there's her office!'
Flux disengages from the group to pound on Virtue's door, hoping somepony in charge could diffuse the situation.
"Virtue!"

"Oh really..." Glyph slams his axe into the ground, and steps forward. "If you want a fight I can oblige. Step away from the foal, I wont have him hurt because of your ego."

Virtue sits up at the sudden pounding and bounds over to the door. This must be bad... She flings the door open, half expecting badger pony thieves to be killing everypony, only to find Flux and a gaggle of other ponies apparently ready to mob each other.
"What's going on here?!"

Stiletto was making a very efficient search of the boxes
"I hope nothing went wrong. I am being silly, they just went to get Miss Virtue, what could possibly go wrong?""

"I didn't ask for a fight!" Exclaimed Jaxler, "I asked if you had the nerve to strike down an insubordinate stallion like a good little mindless soldier."

"Virtue!" Shouted Granite, "HELP!!! THEY'RE GONNA KILL EACH OTHER!!!"

"Um, Virtue!" Flux says, "Jaxler and Glyph are g-gonna fight and they w-wont listen to me!"

Virtue gives Flux a startled expression before trotting past him next to the two squabbling stallions. She gives each an confused and slightly irritated glance. "What's the problem here?"

Glyph stalks up and slap Jaxler across the face, hard. "You should learn to use what little brain you have. I don't execute unarmed ponies. Even ones who act as arrogant as you. Now then, we seem to have arrived, so pick up your crossbow and let's get on with this." Glyph retrieves his axe and slings it.

"If you refuse to kill the unarmed then your a horrible soldier." Jaxler flew a few feet into the air. he then started to fly forward at full speed and flung his hoof into glyph's forehead at full force. "BOY THAT FELT GOOD... oh hay Virtue."

Glyph sees the blow coming and steps aside, watching as Jaxtler flies past. "Hello Virtue, we were coming to see you about some poor behavior on the part of Granite."

Virtue flinches as Jaxler soars past her. She gives both ponies a scowl and points a hoof to her office. "You two. Inside. Now." She looks down at Granite and then up to his parents. "Would you excuse me for a minute? I'll be right with you."

Granite looks at Glyph and shouts at him.
"Poor behavior?! I may have just started a war and you call that poor behavior! You have weak standards!"
He turns to face my parents while in shackles.
"Hey dad, how was work?"

Glyph's heart sinks at Virtues look, and he begins to slowly walk to Virtue's office, my head hung low.

"Fine, what seems to be the problem, Virtue?" Jaxler walks into the office head held high.

Virtue directs them to chairs in front of her desk. She sits heavily across from them and straightens her mane with a hoof. After a few moments of staring silently into her desk, she looks up, giving each pony a several second stare.
"Now... I'm going to give each of you a chance to explain to me why you were fighting. In front of a little colt, no less." She looks over to Glyph. "Let's start with you."

Outside, Flux shifts awkwardly with only Granite and his parents around.
"Um... did anypony tell you what's, uh, happening?"

"Yeah, did you two hear what happened? Or should I tell you?" Asked Granite. "Oh and can this total stranger be my mentor and educate me in the ways of smelting and mechanics?"

Glyph keeps his head down, staring at the floor as he speaks in a quiet voice. "As I said, we were coming to see you because of Granite's actions. He attacked, and stole from the caravan guards, and then attempted to bribe Stiletto and Jaxtler. When Stiletto ordered him bound and brought here Jaxtler became insubordinate until threatened. Stiletto then asked me to follow Jaxtler to ensure the orders were followed. He became... insulting, and challenged me to make him follow orders. Apparently he believed I would strike down an unarmed pony for refusing an order... that made my temper flare and I struck him."

Glaze and Cleaver each shake their heads as Flux speaks up. Glaze gives him a slightly worried expression. "No... could you tell us what's going on, please?" She pulls Granite over and whispers to him, "We'll talk about that later..."

Virtue frowns slightly and nods as Glyph explains himself. Granite was to blame for this? The little colt? Hard to believe... She turns to Jaxler. "Very well then, what do you have to say for yourself, Jaxler?"

"Um, ok. From the, uh, beginning then?" Flux stuttered, "He... attacked the er, caravan guards? And robbed them? The, uh, guards, not the caravan. Then he, um, tried to bribe Jaxler. Oh, and Stiletto, so they'd... look the other way? Stiletto, um, had Glyph get some irons, uh, the ones he's in right now, actually. And, um, then Jaxler and Glyph got in a fight? Oh, wait, you were there for that part. Um... and Granite wants me to teach him about mechanics and, uh, smelting?"

"THE DOMIDIAN STARTED IT! HE THREATENED TO KIDNAP ME AND HARM BROWNIE BITS!"
Granie calms down a bit.
"And I only knocked out the domidian, the other guard I just blinded for a few seconds... Oh, and can Flux teach me stuff, please?"

"Well." Began Jaxler, "after Granite stole from and beat up the guards I was given orders from Stiletto. I informed her that she didn't have jurisdiction over me and that you and Partisan were the only ponies allowed to give me orders. I did do as she told me even though I was of duty but that was only after glyph practically said he would kill me if I didn't. So I was escorting Granite here when Glyph decided to follow me because the alicorn gave him orders to do so. Glyph then went so far as to insult me for informing stiletto that she didn't have jurisdiction over me. I then tell him that I have a right to free speech and I'd rather die than have that taken away from me. He then walks up to me and slaps me in the face, and then I retaliated as any sensible stallion would."

Cleaver frowns as he hears Flux's explanation. He turns to Glaze. "Honey, get those chains off him and take Granite home. I'll speak with Virtue about this." He looks up to Flux. "Thank you for the explanation, we'll handle it from here."

Virtue sighs and rests her head on a hoof. Wonderful. The guard and militia were at each others throats, and Jaxler was worrying her with his use of the word alicorn. So help her, if he attacekd Stiletto again, she didn't know what she was going to do about it. She looks up eventually.
"Alright, let's set a few things straight." She looks at Glyph. "Jaxler is right that Stiletto can't just give him orders. She outranks him by seniority, but he's in the guard and not the militia."
She immediately turns to Jaxler, prepared to fight off any riposte he might make at Glyph. "However, just because she's not in the guard doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to her, Jaxler. She can't give you orders, but she is a good soldier and I have confidence in her decisions."
Her eyes move from one pony to the next. "You're all responsible for our safety. I don't want a breakdown in the chain of command to stem from something like this. You all need to trust each other and that means even members of the other branches. Unless you've got a very good reason not to, I expect you to listen to each others opinions and ideas. That goes for anypony, whether they're under Halberd, Naginata or Partisan.
"And I expect the two of you to check your tempers. We can't afford for you to be shouting at each other, much less attacking each other. Imagine if a diamond dog tried to sneak into the settlement while you were fighting? And what sort of example do you think you were setting for Granite?"
Speaking of which, she needed to have a long talk with him and his family, if what Jaxler and Glyph told her was true. Stiletto too, maybe. She should know better than to edge Jaxler on like that.

Glyph's head droops even lower as Virtue speaks. 'I really messed this one up...'
"Y-yes Ma'am Virtue... I wont let it happen again" He trys to keep the sadness out of his voice, unsuccessfully.

As much as jaxler wanted to comment about stiletto he felt it was best to agree.
"Fine I'll try my best to avoid picking a fight with anypony else."

"If... if you'd like Miss Virtue... I will leave the militia..."

Virtue sighs and gives him something between a frown and a smile. She shakes her head. "No, Glyph, that's the last thing we need for you to do right now." She points at the map of the caverns on the wall and a map of Dawnpick with markers placed everywhere a badger pony thief had entered the fort.
"We don't have enough armed ponies guarding us as it is, and if we're going through with trying to clear out the monsters underground, we're going to need everypony's help. I just want all of you to get along and work together."

"Of... Of course. I wont fail you again Virtue, you'll see. I'll..." Glyph looks down as his voice drops to a whisper. "I'll make you proud of me."

She smiles and nods at him. She wasn't quite sure what the last little bit was, but she decides to let it slide. "I'm glad to hear it."
Her eyes move between the two again. "I'm glad we're all in understanding. Let's try to get along, okay? And I'll go speak with Stiletto about the chain of command and the caravan masters to see about any damages and setting things straight there."
She cuts her eyes to the door. And she'd have to figure out this mess about Granite, but one thing at a time.

Mortar suddenly knocks on Virtue's office door, without really realizing the situation within. He pushes the door open and trots inside. "Hey erm...Virtue? The caravan traders are refusing to trade me a new chisel. I can't quite understand through their thick accents, but seems they are awfully upset about something. He looked over his shoulder for a moment. "Somepony also vandalized one of the statue pedestals I was setting up for statues expressing our friendship with those whom trade with us." A light tint appeared on his cheeks. "Erm...to you know...help motivate everyo- what's going on here?" He blinked between the mare and two stallions.

Virtue gives the two soldiers a small gesture and a smile. "I think we're done here, so you two can go about your business." She looks up to Mortar with the same smile and says, "Oh, don't worry, nothing you should be concerned about." She stands and starts for the door. "I was actually just headed to go see about helping out with the little situation there."

Jaxler got up and said "Well I think it's about time I head out of here" and moved out the door.

Author's Note

*1: This is Nadsat. If you can find a translator, good for you! I wouldn't know where to start.

28: Murphy's Law

Virtue's Diary - 17th Felsite, 256

Hickory gave birth in the wee hours of the morning to an earth pony filly she named Sheer Delight. I hate to admit that I've been a bit preoccupied thinking about a foal of my own the last few weeks. I don't think Harvest Moon is quite ready for that, so I haven't been pressuring him, but I think he'll turn around soon. I've seen the way he looks at the foals playing around the settlement.

21st Felsite, 256

We had a couple of thieves show up today. Flux's trap design for the gate worked fantastically, I must admit. The militia was standing at the gate just in case, headed by none other than Glyph himself, but they were hardly needed. Partisan, Jaxler and Storm Cloud put the thieves out of their misery with a few bolts after they stumbled onto the weapon traps.

5th Hematite, 256

It's been a while since we had anypony come under one of those strange moods, but Willow was the victim today. She stumbled off to a craftshop with an otherworldly look in her eyes and started fetching random things. So far all of these strange moods have turned out alright, I'm sure she'll be fine.

14th Hematite, 256

Willow finished what she was working on today, an exquisite piccolo. She says that she actually knows a bit about music, but hasn't played a piccolo in decades. I hope she takes to it, we could always use more to keep everypony's spirits up, and I think some music now and again would be a great addition to our community.

We also put some more work into the fishing pier, and I hope Ocean Breeze will be back to fishing within the next few months. She has to have been bored out of her mind all this time, having nothing much to do.

7th Malachite, 256

We've had a fair bit going on lately actually. First off, Ocean Breeze gave birth again around dinner time today to a unicorn filly the family named Chestnut. Her coat matched the name, and she was a cute little filly. Still no luck winning Harvest Moon over, and I think he might have a point about us waiting a bit for any children. We'll get there one day.

Otherwise, we've started working on some new housing. We've got enough for everypony already, but it never hurts to be ready for the future. I think we'll construct maybe an extra ten or so homes for now. Oh, and since we've finally got rooms for everypony, we started back on the church. It should be done before too much longer. Grapple has been quite patient about this, although I'm not sure how everypony feels about diverting our resources there, but without the housing crunch it's not such a big deal.

1st Galena, 256

It came to my attention that we've been accumulating a lot of junk here in Dawnpick, so I had Flux design a garbage compactor. We tested it out today, and managed to crush a lot of garbage. We'll probably be using it periodically to crush junk from now on, and I've warned everypony, especially the children about how dangerous it is. I hope they've all listened.

The other news today is that the ballista trap has been completed and we're planning on giving it a shot soon. Pun intended.

Oh, but before we try that, I'm glad to report that the fishing pier is finished! We can finally get Ocean Breeze back to fishing up whatever is in the brook to the south. We haven't had any fish or turtle in ages, and I'm sure adding that back to our diet should raise spirits a bit.

17th Galena, 256

I feel absolutely sick right now. We tried the trap in the upper caverns today, and we all but got everypony killed. Chic breached the caverns as the lever was pulled to rais the drawbridge so we could arm the trap. The timing couldn't have been worse.

Two of the monsters surged inside as she breached the cavern. I didn't witness the battle, thank goodness, but I've got Halberd, Naginata and Partisan's word to go by and it must have been a horrific sight. Falcata was badly wounded. I saw Glaive and Wool carrying her out of the mines, blood running from cuts on her throat and rents in her smashed hoof. She's alive, but Panacea and Wool are tending to her now. I feel awful for her. This is the second time she's come close to death trying to defend us, and all because the trap wasn't executed right. I should have been there to oversee it.

I'm going to check up on her right away. I hope she's alright. I won't be able to take it if she doesn't make it.

Naginata's Diary - 17th Galena

The battle in the mines was horrifying, and I don't put that lightly. I am absolutely astonished that we all walked away with our lives. Something went wrong with the timing, and two of the monsters managed to break in before we could safely seal it off again. Chic ran for her life, which was a smart move. Then it was up to us to hold out against the monsters. The first, a giant insect of some horrific variety set upon Falcata, who stood her ground admirably.

She struck at it several times before it grabbed her by the throat with its massive maw and tried to strangle the life from her. Then Glaive rushed to her rescue, hacking and tearing at the monster with his axe with a ferocity I don't think I've ever seen from him, and for that matter just about anypony. It fell to his axe, and Falcata collapsed to the ground, smashing a hoof in the process.

None of my squad even got to engage. Glaive crushed that monster by himself, and Halberd destroyed the other on his own. We were prepared to fight anything else that dared show itself, but thankfully the bridge closed off the caverns and we managed to get Falcata back to the surface before she bled too much. As if that wasn't enough, we ran into a number of gremlins on the way out, no doubt set on fiddling with the levers. We dispatched them quickly.

Virtue's Diary - 27th Galena, 256

I was relieved to hear from Panacea this morning that Falcata is going to be fine. She got a few cuts on her throat, but they weren't that deep. Her hoof is going to take some time to heal, but she's going to be perfectly fine. I'm just so happy that nopony was killed, and that she's going to be alright. At least now the trap is ready to be used properly next time. Let's hope her suffering hasn't been in vain.

A zebra caravan also arrived this morning. They didn't have all that much that we needed, but I bought some food and drink from them from a lot of the stuff the thieves left behind.

Speaking of the thieves, two more showed up with the caravan, but the traps and militia dispatched them quickly and without incident. After the badger pony thieves though, we had a diamond dog thief show up who actually managed to get inside. The caravan guard chased him off, but Jaxler managed to put a bolt between his shoulders and end his misery after they beat him into submission.

4th Limestone, 256

We had another diamond dog thief show up today, who nearly scared me to death. I was helping Panacea move some water to the well from the moat, and I stumbled right into him. Jaxler was nearby and ran him off, thank goodness. I must say, we've had our differences in the past, but Jaxler showed me today that he's taking his job seriously and isn't going to let any past misunderstandings get in the way of it.

Other than that, I'm happy to say that Falcata left the hospital today. Her hoof is healing quickly, and Panacea says she'll be back to work in no time. I told all of the militia and the guard to take a little time off though. They've all earned it. We shouldn't be expecting any attacks soon, but I think I'll have the gate raised to be sure. Once they've all had some time to recover I'll ask them to resume their normal schedules.

Ponies usually come in all the colours of the rainbow, from shades of deepest sapphire to muted tones of dusty brown. Hundreds of feet underground, though, a group of ponies were all one particular colour; the silvery metallic gleam of the steel armour they all wore, save for Partisan's squad of marksponies, who were bedecked in light leather to help them stay mobile. Dawnpick's militia were bunched tightly in the narrow corridor leading to the caverns, crammed into the confined space as a line of defense should the ballista trap fail to work as planned. Spirits were running low; the clanking and clinking of ponies quaking in their armour was constant, although the noise was almost drowned out by the horrific, monstrous howls which had been echoing from behind the hastily-constructed wall sectioning the caverns off from the settlement. The soft thrum of unicorn and alicorn magic holding shields aloft added a bass hum to the symphony of uncertainty and fear.

Falcata stood with the rest of Halberd's squad, which was positioned at the front of the three squads. Hopefully, she thought, they wouldn't be needed at all. Virtue had spent months, years even, poring over the plans for the trap that was laid today, and while she didn't pretend to understand anything about ballistics and timings and exactly how Chic was going to break down the wall without being ripped apart by horrors from the deep, she had faith in the grey pony's strategy. Personally, she didn't envy Chic, and watched with admiration as the untrained, civilian mining mare had steeled herself and went up the tunnel to break the seal. Of all the ponies out here today, the bravery of that miner was something else. Falcata hoped fervently she'd be all ri-
A scream cut through her thoughts like a knife, accompanied by the sound of crumbling stone, rocks falling, hooves galloping and the constant howling increasing sharply in volume. Time seemed to freeze as the full reality of what the cacophony of noises meant hit her like a punch in the gut, and before she knew it she found herself airborne, a silvery blur speeding down the torchlit corridor towards the noise. Falcata assumed the rest of the militia was already following her; the air rushing past combined with the clamour up ahead made it impossible to hear the thunderous roar of the militia at full charge. Recklessly, she shot around the corner like a bolt from a crossbow, only to find herself face to face with two of the most abhorrent creatures she'd ever seen in her life. To her right, she saw Chic escaping through a side passage, too small for the beasts to follow. The pegasus barely had time to register a feeling of relief before the closer of the two creatures, a huge chitinous insect with eyes like flaming coals, charged her, knocking her out of the air and shrieking a terrible cry of triumph.
Falcata had had enough crash landings in her lifetime to roll with the impact, however, and took advantage of her new position underneath the massive creature by taking a mighty swing at its soft underbelly. The axe wedged itself inside the immense insect with a satisfying squelch, but the wound was barely even a scratch to a monster so vast. It released another fearsome squeal, bellowing its pain and rage as it tried to extricate the shiny stinging thing that had somehow ended up underneath it. She swung her weapon several more times at it, each time leaving similar wounds in its hide, before the fiend finally met with success. The pegasus suddenly found a jaw clenching around her throat, and she had only begun to try and wriggle free before she was swung round and slammed into the cavern wall. Desperately she scrabbled at the monstrosity's face with her forehooves, trying to loosen its implacable grip as it choked the life out of her. The more she fought, the more the blackness already swimming around the edges of her vision grew and grew, and the weaker her struggles became. The creature's eyes seemed to blaze brighter as it effortlessly strangled her against the wall, its alien gaze filling her with an indescribable fear.
Her struggles at least ceased, her vision now almost utterly obscured. The tiny part of her still functioning normally resolved that if she somehow came out of this alive, she was never running ahead into engagements again, assuming she remembered. Ever. As Falcata felt her consciousness slipping away, she was dimly aware of her own name being yelled from some place far, far away. Abruptly, she felt the sensation of falling through the endless darkness she now saw, before a tremendous impact with something hard and unforgiving knocked her out cold at last.

Flux' Journal, Felsite 21

Wow, I did not expect my traps to be that... efficient? Messy? Both? At least they seem to be keeping the thieves out, which means that the militia doesn't have to risk their lives as much.

Hematite 5

Willow decided she had to build something and took over a craft shop. All these weird inspirations to make things, it's so strange. I suppose I'm not one to talk, though. Maybe Willow will make something better than my splint.

Hematite 14

Willow finished her project! It's a piccolo unlike any I've ever seen. I didn't know they could be made from stone, or that spikes could be made from leather, but she managed both. I wonder if anypony'd let me play it.

Hematite 20

Virtue came to me and asked for me to design a trash compactor. I didn't know we had that much junk, but I said I'd try. I have a few ideas on how to generate the force needed...*Several different simple designs follow, using a variety of methods for crushing garbage.*

Galena 1

Tested the trash compactor today, to great success! Needless to say, it's very dangerous to be inside it, so we've put up tons of warnings about staying out and how to make sure nopony is inside when it's activated. Speaking of dangerous things, the trap in the cavern for those big things is almost complete! The timing for breaching the cavern will probably be tricky, but the theory looks very sound.

Jaxler’s journal 21st Felsite, 256
More thieves showed up today. Flux’s traps are really demented effective. They eviscerated one of the thieves, disemboweled the other and the last one was missing his leg. Me, Storm Cloud and Partisan ended up acting as the cleanup crew and put them out of their misery. I still don't know why these thieves don't learn that they are only gonna die if they come here.

1st Galena, 256
The ballista is finished. With that in mind I can only assume that we are gonna go into the caverns soon. I guess we’ll see how effective the plan that Partisan thought up is. I should probably hold off on drinking heavily until after we breach the caves.

17th Galena, 256
DAMNIT. The plan failed. Falcata about had her windpipe crushed by one of those abominations. I bucking can't believe we suffered a casualty, the plan wasn't supposed to allow for casualties. Where the hell did we screw up. I was in the room when we made the plan all those months ago so why didn't I see the possibility for error.

18th Galena, 256
My head hurts right now, I’m currently writing from what appears to be the pier. I woke up around five minutes ago. From what I can gather, My crossbow is up in a tree, there appears to be a barrel in the water near me, and I have a gash in my left hoof (I don’t know how I got it). It’s about noon and should have been on patrol about three hours ago but I think I’m just not going to show up for work today. I still feel like crap after yesterday.

27th Galena, 256
We had some thieves show up today. The militia killed most of them but one diamond dog thought it would be smart to rob the caravan that’s in town right now. The poor guy got caught and ran off, so I chased him down and put a bolt in his back. I felt like taking out some bottled up rage on the guy and started bashing his head in with my crossbow when the caravan guard showed up and finished him off.

4th Limestone, 256
Panacea let Falcata out of the hospital today, so I guess she isn't too bucked up after the accident. I also had to save Virtue today. Some thief snuck up on her and I was nearby. So I shot a few bolts at the thief and he ran off, so I guess nothing out of the ordinary happened today.

Glaive's Journal

Sitting outside the Hospital as I write this. The captain says it's important to debrief asap after a battle, while the details are still fresh. We where preparing the trap for the monster's from the depths, but when our miner took out the last bit of the wall. We were caught by surprise, apparently his digging had attracted the attention of the monsters and they broke through before it was clear. Falcata rushed into the fray to protect them. The rest of us tried to follow, but we aren't as fast as her. She struck one of the titans a good couple of times, but it's exoskeleton protected it well. Then it grabbed Falcata by the throat, and began to try and crush it. She tried to fight it, but I think she blacked out from lack of air. When I saw what it was doing to her, I lost control. I don't remember the details of the fight after that. All I could see was red. When I regained my sanity, I was standing over the remains of one of the beasts while the rest of the army where near the other, I saw Falcata injured there on the ground, and I helped get her to the hospital. One of her hooves is mangled, and her neck is visibly cut, though the external bleeding is minor. I wanted to stay with her, but Pancea insisted I give her some room to work.

I can't believe that I gave in to my anger like that though. That hasn't happened since Balisong died. I thought I'd learned to control myself better than that by now. Father and Grandfather always taught me, "Don't get angry. Getting angry will get you dead." I guess I got lucky this time.

29: Bullies and Idols

Jaxler had a lot to think about. He had had gone a few days without any booze, he really didn't feel like drinking. You can't think when you’re drunk, you also can't think when there is too much noise. So he went to the only place where a pony could get any peace and quite, the crypt. He came down into the dark underground, it was damp, eerie, and depressing but he was already depressed, so he sat and contemplated. He had recently been demoralized by an alicorn and felt accountable for another pony almost dying. He needed to do some deep thinking. Time went by and after about what seemed to be an hour of deep thought he looked up and saw a coffin, it was Barley's. "Lucky bastard"
He looked around and saw that somepony else was coming down into the crypt.

After the recent success of the new traps Flux developed, Granite was even more excited to work underneath him. Hopefully some of his awesomeness will rub off onto him. A pony can dream can't he? Speaking of awesome Granite sees Jaxler walk into the crypt. However, instead of him being generally badass, he seemed kinda down. Granite didn't want to interrupt him so he quietly followed behind him. As Jaxler stopped to look at one of the coffins, Granite was on the last step of the staircase.
He then turned around and spotted Granite when he stepped onto the floor.
"Uh... hey Jaxler, something wrong?"

Jaxler got up when he noticed Granite had been watching him.
"Oh hay Granite, what brings you to a place like this?"

"Nothing really brings me here, I mean this place is all so gloomy and depressing; which brings the next question: Why are you here? And more importantly why are you so sad?"

"Sad? Hmmm..." Jaxler thought for a moment "We'll right now things are making me depressed. So I came down here in order to get some peace and quite, so I could think them over."

"Sorry in advance for destroying your peace and quiet, but what things are making you sad?"

"Well, I took orders from an alic- Stiletto and then there is fact that Falcata about had her neck crushed by one of those abominations in the caverns." Jaxler took a long pause "Did you know back before Storm Cloud came of age the guard and Virtue devised the plan for breaching the caverns?"

"I probably heard that there was a meeting between the guard and Virtue, but I doubt I remembered it for long, so no the meeting doesn't ring any bells... but why do you hate alicorns so much? Do they relate to how you got that scar near your kidneys?"

"The scar... I hope for your own good that you never have to sear yourself shut. Yes it is related to alicorns but I'm afraid that I can't really tell you much about how or why I have it. All I can tell you is that alicorns are the reason why I don't have a home, why I can't use my old name, why I drink, why I came to a random outpost in the middle of nowhere, and why I fear death."

"Jaxler... sorry for asking..." Granite takes a quick look at that coffin, for Barley right? He got killed by that thief...
"Anyway what was so special about the meeting? About the caverns and beasts?"

"Well since Storm Cloud wasn't in the guard at the time of the meeting it was just Me, Partisan and Virtue. I was talking with Virtue about coming up with a plan when Partisan comes in. now he comes up with this great idea and devises a great plan with the input of me and Virtue. That plan was an attack strategy for the abominations in the caverns, and was put into action on the 17th Galena, 256. The same day Falcata almost has her neck crushed by one of those monsters and was hospitalized. Now the plan wasn't supposed to allow casualties and I was in the room at the time in which the plan was being created. I could have reduced the margin of error but instead a mare has to be sent to the hospital and I'm partially to blame."

Granite sigh. "Jaxler what the buck."
"You shouldn't blame yourself for the casualty. First off, you were probably drunk during the meeting, no offence. Second, you are not the squad leader, you are just a grunt offering his opinion. Third, she wasn't in your squad, you aren't as responsible as her squad mates. Fourth, how the hell were you supposed to know what those forgotten beasts were capable of? THEY'RE FORGOTTEN! Finally, I am a foal telling you to stop feeling bad over something that was out of your hooves."
He takes a brief pause to let it sink in.
"Brownie Bits got bullied today at school, some ass of a pony pushed her into the ground. Granted I wasn't even there, but I was still worried. I blamed myself for that! Until my father pulled me aside and told me the same crap that I just told you. Then I stole everything those flankholes saw enjoyment in. Now they just sit there at recess facing extreme depression. Sure some incident at school and an almost dead mare don't really equal each other, but the point is you can't blame yourself for events out of your hooves."

Jaxler thought for a moment. All he did earlier was think about where the plan failed, but he never questions if he was really to blame.
"Every pony is guilty of all the good they did not do... But I suppose, if that was the case we would all be criminals. Everything you just said was 100% correct, excluding the drunk part... and the grunt part."

"Glad to hear what I said was... helpful?" Was it even helpful?
Then Granite remembered why he needed to speak with Jaxler.
"So with those bullies I mentioned earlier, I may need a few supplies for this scheme I have of exacting some vengeance. Don't worry! Nopony should be harmed... the plan is to plant some 'naughty' materials onto their persons, so they will get caught with said materials and be busted by the school system. I can take care of planting the evidence on them, but I need the evidence first, and I have no clue what the evidence should even be... So as a member of the fortress guard, can you help me get a few foals into some deep trouble with the principle and/or their parents by supplying me with material inappropriate for young foals, even though I'm a foal? And if you say no, will bribery sway your mind?"
This will either end perfectly or very very bad...

Jaxler felt like he owed Granite for sharing some wisdom so he decided to look the other way.
"I have a drinking problem so its within the realm of possibility that I'm currently drunk and can't remember anything you just said. So would you like to repeat yourself but remember, I'm not supposed to condone fraud, bribery, or use/possession of illegal substances?"

Okay, no bribery or illegal substances. This could work...
"Alright..." No fraud, hmm "I'll settle for just scaring the crap out of them."
Time for the backup plan...
"So I know the path of my targets and where they go most of the day, but more importantly where they're gonna be. Turns out one of 'em recently got their cutie mark and is gonna hold a party near the well. So I think I'll set up a surprise in the well so if one of them goes to draw water I can set whatever it is to spook 'em to... well... spoke them. Flux taught me enough in mechanics to know how to remotely launch an object up into the sky, so that won't be a problem. The problem, however, is that I have no idea what to use to scare them. A corpse would be too much and a rubber spider or something wouldn't be enough. I'll need help finding the desired object. And I don't think anypony will get hurt, just maybe wet their pants and get humiliated. Does that work for you? In terms of being a noble guard..."

"Well there really doesn't seem to be anything illegal about it. if I were you I'd use saw dust, it might work so long as you keep it from getting wet. They'd get covered in the stuff and probably would freak out the moment they saw a cloud rush up through the well. I don't know much about mechanics but you might want to use a remote trigger so the trap goes off on the right foal. also I could probably go talk with those kids parents and tell them that they've been causing civil disturbances."

"Saw dust? Maybe... is there anyway it can be more of a ghostly green fog color, like the stuff coming out of some witches cauldron or something? But I do like that idea, maybe throw some wet flour in there too..."
The realization that Jaxler was a member of the guard and was the law came to play.
"Wait, you could just talk to their parents and get them in trouble?! Why didn't you say that earlier?! That would work out perfectly! However that might lead to them calling her a tattle-tail or something... then the dust would come into play! JAXLER YOU ARE BUCKING BRILLAINT!!! I will forever idolize the ground you walk on Jaxler! You're my hero! And not just for saving me from the thief!"

Jaxler was shocked to hear Granite say he idolized him for the second time. Jaxler was a both scared and happy to know that a Granite actually "idolized" him. Jaxler knew he had problems, and that those problems were far more numerous than a normal pony. so this came as a shock to him. he never really saw himself as a rolemodel and he honestly didn't think he deserved to be one. But regardless he still felt overjoyed to know that sompony genuinely cared about him.
"If I just don't use your name then nothing will happen, they will probably just assume it was the teacher or some onlooker, but anyway that can wait till tomorrow. I think it's about time I go get a drink, would you like to come with?"

"Sure! A drink wouldn't be half bad right now!"

"Great!"

'I get to drink with my hero!', thought Granite.

Author's Note

Happy Birthday to Dwarf Fortress 0.34.11! A year old and still the most up-to-date version!

30: A tablefull of designs

Flux sat in the dining hall, scribbling various mechanical designs and slowly covering the table in loose paper.

Jaxler woke up in his bed after a night of drinking. He got out and grabbed his crossbow when he remembered that the armed forces had the next couple days off. He was a bit disappointed to realize that he could have slept another four hours but decided not to get back in bed and walked out his door. When he got outside he was completely surprised to realize that the sun didn't burn and that the birds chirping didn't make his head ache. With this in mind, he started to think of ways to waste the day when he realized that he never really checked on Falcata. So he walked over to the meeting hall hoping to find her. When he saw her in the building he walked over. "Hay Falcata"

One day sometime after Falcata has been released from the hospital, and life has returned to some semblance of normality for our bearded unicorn, Glaive stands in the dinning hall, a mug of ale floating next to him. He looks out but doesn't see Falcata, 'I guess she's training, or on patrol, oh well,' he thinks to himself. He spies a nearly empty table, with an earthpony working over some papers. 'He's the furnace operator right? What's his name again?'
Glaive take a seat at the same table as the earthpony. "Good afternoon." he says as he takes his seat.

Flux starts when he hears the new voice, and starts again when he realizes it's that militia pony with the impressive facial hair who's talking to him.
"Oh! Um, hello? Uh, it's a good afternoon, I guess?"

"Sorry to interrupt your work, I didn't mean to startle you." Glaive takes a sip from his mug. "My name is Glaive by the way. What's yours?"

"Um, Flux."
'Glaive, why does that sound familiar?'
His eyes widen when he realizes where he had heard that name before.
"Wait, Glaive?! You killed one of those huge things underground!"

Falcata peers up from her meal, quickly identifying the interruption. "Oh, hey," she offers distractedly, having caught sight of Glaive walking blithely to the other side of the hall. Must be something to do with that facial hair obstructing his vision. She rolls her eyes and returns her attention to Jaxler. She'd go over and interrupt Glaive later after he was finished being all masculine with his man-friends; maybe they'd get drunk and provide a source of free entertainment. Smiling, she finally greets Jaxler properly.
"How'sh yourself?" she mumbles through a mouthful of food.

"Ah, yeah, I guess I did. I didn't know that it was common knowledge. It was mostly luck though. Well luck and this good steel."
He clanks his steel boot on his right foreleg against his peytrel.
"You work in the smelters don't you? The militia couldn't have won that fight without the steel you make."

Jaxler thought for a second. He was actually doing a lot better today than normal.
"I'm doing fine. How are you?"

"Um, thanks," Replied Flux, "But I only make the steel, I don't make the armor or the weapons. It's you militia ponies that keep everypony safe. Um, thanks for, you know, protecting everypony."

Falcata shrugs, waving a bandaged forehoof. "Been better, really. Got lucky again, I guess; though I'm beginning to wonder if it wouldn't be better to just get bumped off than end up in that damn hospital bed again." The pegasus chuckles at her own dark humour. "Not going to be much wood left on the headboard if I carve many more tally marks into it. I'll have to get Panacea and Wool something from the traders to thank them."

"Nonsense." Retorted Glaive "Does the cook get all the credit for keeping us fed? No. It takes all sorts to do that. Farmers, millers, bakers, and brewers. Protecting the town is the same. I would be next to useless without this axe or this armor. The smiths couldn't forge them without your steel, and you couldn't make steel without the miner's work, and all of us would be dead if not for the farmers. All ponies rely on each other. So I should thank you. So, uh, what are you working on?"

Flux turns slightly and frowns at the undeserved praise, then looks back quickly when he asks about his designs.
"Oh! Um, I'm working on, uh, some more traps. After the, er, thing with those beasts underground, I thought I should try to come up with something. You know, um, multiple lines of, uh, defense?"

Stiletto trots into the dinning hall with a wooden bin full of scrolls and mechanisms on her back.
"Flux are you here?"

"Ya, I guess panacea really does deserve some praise for what she does for everypony." Right as Jaxler finishes replying he sees Stiletto enter the room, putting an end to his good mood.

"You design traps?" Inquired Glaive "Did you design those ones at the gate? I've seen what they do to Badger ponies, a few more of them would be very useful. But if you're going to try and make something for those cavern monsters, you're going to need something bigger I think."

"Um, ya. Oh, there's Stiletto! Stiletto!"
Flux sits up and waves a hoof, trying to gain her attention.

Glyph walks in beside Stiletto, another bin on his back, practically overflowing.

Falcata notices the shift in his facial expression, and follows his gaze to the cause of it. Curious, she decides to venture a question.
"What's your problem with alicorns anyway? I mean, I know a lot of ponies hold their, ah, abundance of ability against them, but you're one of the most outspoken against them I've met."
She peers at the other newcomer as well, the little rookie, wondering what in the world could be in those bins the two ponies were holding.

"Quickly Glyph this way."
Stiletto half gallops over to Flux with a manic look in her eyes
"I have been working on some machines that I remembered from my home land, I wanted you to look over them so you can present them to Ms. Virtue. Oh hello Glaive, have you heard if we will be back at duty soon?"

"Hey Flux, I didn't know Stiletto had all these plans... and mechanisms..." Glyph shift the bin he's carrying, trying to make it more comfortable.

'She looks a little... unhinged?'
"Um, hey Glyph." Says Flux "Uh, are you alright, Stiletto?"

Jaxler was caught off guard by the question. he wondered if everpony in the fort knew that he hated alicorns. "I'd prefer to keep my reasons for hating alicorns to myself, but if it makes you feel the slightest bit better, I don't hate them out of envy."

"Hello Stilleto, Glyph. No, I don't know how much time off we are being given. It's nice to be able to relax, but we can't have our guard down for long." Glaive reaches for his drink, and helps himself to gulp of ale.

"I have had too much of this 'Time off' I need to work to achieve excellence. Glyph has been helping me train, but I needed to something to help the ponies of Dawnpick."
Several scrolls float from the bin and place themselves on the table
"I have some more in Glyphs' bin. Once again I thank you Glyph for being such a help to me these past few days."

"It's no problem Stiletto... are you sure you're okay? You seem... stressed."

"What are all these?" asks Glaive as he continues to sip at his drink while Stiletto floats the scrolls onto the table.

Falcata tilts her head in contrition. It's none of my business anyway. She raises an eyebrow before continuing: "Then you've probably got a better reason than most. I don't have a problem with them myself, mind, at least not because of what they are. Horns, wings, neither or both, it's somepony's character that defines them to me, and Stiletto is as noble a warrior as I could hope to meet. Sorry if I was prying a bit, though."
Catching sight of the levitating bits of paper, her inquisitiveness begins to get the better of her. "I really wanna know why everypony's crowding round those little scrolls over there," she mutters. "Should we go over and see?"

Flux glances over the designs Stiletto has presented, which range form the simple and useful (like the cistern design), to the pretty dangerous (Magma fall in the dining hall to keep it warm in winter?).
"Um, Stiletto also knows a fair bit about mechanics, Glaive. We, uh, work together on a lot of things."

"I started with a design to make a cistern for the well that has a water wheel for cleaning it. Then I just kept drawing, for eight hours straight."
Looks back to Glyph
"I just have a lot of energy, and you have been very helpful with that."
now she shifts to Flux
"Do you think the dodge course for the training area is viable?"

Glaive looks over one of the scrolls, it's a design for a rather complex trap involving magma and water. "Wunderschön. Did you design all these from scratch Stiletto, or are things like this common in your homeland?"

Jaxler looked over and saw Glaive, Flux, Stiletto, and Glyph. there was a bit of commotion going on and it did seem to be worth checking out.
"Sure, but you might wan't to be prepared if I start flinging punches."

'Dodge training area? Hmm, I don't get it. Can't they just stay off the parts where the training spear comes up?'
"Maybe, Stiletto. It seems like it'd be easy to just stay off the parts with the spears in the first place. Maybe use swinging bags instead?"
When Flux looks up from the plans to get her opinion, he notices how many ponies are gathered and trys to shrink into his seat to avoid notice.

Falcata treats herself to a little mental eye-roll. Somepony's going to cause a scene. Again. Still, she grunts an acknowledgement and gets up, limping over to the now-crowded table with Jaxler.
"Hi everypony!" she beams enthusiastically while prodding Glaive in the back as she walks up behind him. "And hi especially to you, dozy. Too hard to see out from behind all that hair?" she giggles. "What's all this you're looking at?" Falcata gestures to the stack of papers, in case there was any doubt what "all this" was.

"We'retalkingaboutsomedesignsformechanicalthings..." Wispered Flux

Stilettos' eyes light up
"You really think they are wunderschön! Thank you Glaive. I did rewrite most of them from design I did with others from the academy of science."
Then she see Flux retreating and Jaxler advancing with Falcata, really? two ponies that she would swear want nothing to do with her.
"These are some of my designs for machines I hope will help Dawnpick."
Stiletto opens her wings giving Flux and Glyph both a nice place to settle in.

Glyph moves under one of Stiletto's wings, cuddling against her. "I don't know much about machines, but I'll bet those are good."

"Oh, hello Falcata, I didn't see you come in. Anyway, Stiletto here was just showing us some machines she designed, traps and the like mostly. Though this one here, is supposed to be a training device." Glaive gestures to the design. "Now Stiletto, I know nothing of engineering so take this with a bucket of salt, but have you figured a way to randomize the timing in your dodge training machine? Because if not I fear that you won't be training the recruits how to dodge, but just how to memorize a pattern."

One day Arbalest was on his way to the dining hall. Boo on his head, telling him all about his home back in space with all the other giant space hamsters, who weren't miniature.
When all of a sudden he sees Stiletto and the others are over in a group, along with those two ponies who haven't met Boo yet.
Boo tells Arbalest that he should go over and say hi, so he does. "Hello everypony."

"Hi Arbalest," Falcata responds, not missing a beat. As far as she was concerned, anything was possible with the blue unicorn, and so the fact that he seemed to now be speaking properly didn't really faze on her at all. Stranger things had happened.
Trying her best not to feel self-conscious or intimidating as the small orange forge pony shrank away, she peers at the scrolls, trying to decipher the squiggles and pictures. Only a few really make sense; most of it is gibberish. Still, she nods sagely, as if she were a scholar assessing an arcane tome. "I see. Is that one, uh, designed to poke us with spears?"

Flux quickly and quietly takes the refuge that Stiletto offers with her wing, trying his best to disappear under it.

"Falcata! You haven't met Boo yet, have you?"

Stiletto folds her wing over Glyphs' withers and does her best to cover Flux and comfort them both
"Ah, the random element comes from the duel switch controls, both operators are behind a blinding wall so they do not match movements, but the recruits can see so they can work on timing as well."
Stiletto now sees Arbalast approaching
"Hello, you are looking well this day."
Stiletto looked to Falcata now with her huge eyes almost overshadowing the smile on her face
"Was there any machine that you would like to talk about. Besides the dodge course I mean. The shower is very interesting I think."

Oh gods. Not that bloody hamster stuff again.
"Uh, no. I don't think so?"
She puts her best wise face on as Stiletto queries her again, trying in vain again to figure out which one exactly was the shower.
"Um, is that magma?" she points at the winter heating diagram, wondering why Stiletto apparently wanted to burn them to a crisp. "Wouldn't hot water work better?"

"Oh that is a good Idea Falcata, we can use the Dinning hall heater to heat the water for the shower!"
Stiletto picks up a quill with her magic and begins furiously writing some notes in the margins.

Jaxler sat down and placed his crossbow in front of him. He saw the blueprints for the machines. They were strange, very strange. He started to scan them for the slightest problem or error but he couldn't find anything wrong with it. In fact the more he analyzed it the more he realized they were more peaces of art than blueprints, but his trance was finally broken when he noticed a major problem. "What happens if a foal or pet walks into the training room by accident?"

"That's a good point Jaxler, I know, I can use the water supply for shower to make a small moat around the training area."
Stiletto ups the pace of her writing the pen moving even more frantically.

Arbalast lifts up Boo with his magic so that Falcata can see.
"Here he is! He says he likes you."

Falcata eyes the small furry creature carefully, surprised by Boo's evident existence. Oops. She probably owed Mortar an apology now, damn it. Still, at least Arbalest looked happier nowadays.
"Um, hi, Boo. Tell him I like him too." She flashes the unicorn a smile, ignoring the part of her that was adamant that hamsters didn't speak and certainly couldn't understand being spoken to.

"Oh, he's a miniature giant space hamster. He can understand you. Isn't that right, Boo?" *SQUEAK!*

What? "Um, okay. Well then, delighted to meet you, Boo." Falcata watches the levitating hamster for a moment, torn between genuine interest and skepticism. Can that thing really understand language, or am I just being really really silly?

Glaive continues to ponder over the plans, trying to ignore the strange blue unicorn. Arbalest hadn't even responded the last time he tried to talk to him, and he knew from Falcata that he had...issues.

"You know Stiletto, as much as a training course could help, we already have a decent sized militia, all with steel plate and weapons. Most with combat experience. I think it would be best to focus on the comforts of our civilians first. And I think that shower would be the best place to start. If we run the water by the kitchen's fire we might even be able to have hot water during the day when the cooks are working, and we can tap the moat for the source. Maybe an underground tunnel to the moat, with a grate, or narrow area, to keep out anything we don't want to come inside. Then we just need to figure out where to drain the water to, without causing a big muddy mess, or at least not one inside the walls."

"Those beasts still haunt us, had I been faster..."
Stiletto puts her quill down and closes her eyes
"I finish my redesign. It takes more material but much safer."
Her pen points out the safety features of retractable bridges and door double lock systems.
"We should still use a pump cleaned well for the hospital. Drops infection probability by a wide degree."

Flux peeks his muzzle out from under Stiletto's wing to add his two bits.
"Put a few grates in the pipe to the moat. Fish in well would not be ideal."
The ponies talked for a while about various things to add to Dawnpick, and pointing out problems and solutions to each suggestion. Designs were proposed, dissected, improved, shown to be impractical, improved again and so on. Some friendships were strengthened, and more were perhaps fostered in the frank exchange and discussion of ideas for how to simply improve the quality of life for all of Dawnpick.

Author's Note

Whoo... Two conversations, one room. Not all that easy to transcribe.

31: A visit to the Caverns.

Jaxler woke up. He got up and looked around. He noticed it was dark and the only source of light was from a torch. He had woken up in the mines, again and had no memory of last night, again. He decided to walk around and found his crossbow a few feet away from him. He picked it up and scanned it for damage and sighed when he found it to be in unharmed. So he continued to walk around trying to figure his way out through the endless mazes of tunnels. After what seemed to be an eternity of wondering he saw a pony off in the distance. As he got closer he started to realize who it was. "Hay Flux"

'So this is where it begins...'
Flux gently run a hoof over the mine wall, tracing what he's pretty sure is a bit of iron. He jumps when he hears a voice behind him, surprised to find it's Jaxler.
"Oh, Jaxler! Um, hello. Why... are you in the mines?"

"To be honest, I ain't got the slightest clue"

Flux tilts his head, confused.
"You... don't know?"

"Uh yeah, what's so strange about me not knowing why I'm down here?"

'...What? He might as well ask why he's supposed to breathe..."
Flux decides to try to change the subject instead of answer.
"Uh, do you, um, come to the mines often? I've never been here before."

"Well I've been down here twice but I really don't know how to navigate this place"

"Um, do you go to the caves?"

"I really haven't made any sort of effort to go down into the caves, so no."

"Um, do you want to? After seeing the mines, I'd kinda like to look at the caverns too. But, um, I don't know if they're safe. Uh, especially after, um..."

"sure, I guess and if any monsters come out ya got me as backup"

Flux smiles in relief when Jaxler agrees to go with him.
"Thank you, Jaxler! Um, lets go, then?"
Flux prances a bit as he heads back up the stairs to the cavern entrance, happy to be able to explore the caverns for more ore to smelt. The caverns are nothing like he expected at all! He had thought they'd be like the mines: dark and bare stone. But they are lively! Large fungi and moss cover almost every surface, lighting them with soft bio-luminescence, and small critters scurry about.
"Oh wow! I thought this place would be barren, or hellish, but it's actually really nice!"
Flux settles down as he remember what else tends to live in this place, and quickly looks at the various walls to see what ores are around, trusting Jaxler to be able to handle anything that might show up.

Jaxler was awestruck by the beauty of the underground. The bluish glow of the earth and the multicolored trees, it was simply amazing. The landscape was also just astonishing; there where columns ringed with rainbows of crystals and endless expanses of color as far as the eye could see. It was simply awe-inspiring.
"Damn this place looks neat"

Flux absentmindedly nods in response, absorbed in trying to identify the metals in the walls.
'Hmm, that looks like gold, not just iron pyrite...'
His musings are interrupted by several high pitched screeches, as well as the sounds of heavy steps.
"Uh-oh..."

"BOOM, BOOM"
Jaxler's eyes widen, Jaxler had heard stories of the twisted abominations that resided in these lands, and he had been foalish enough to step hoof in a place that he didn't belong. He now set eyes upon what appeared to be 16 feet tall ogre, but this one was twisted and corrupted from eternities spent away from the sun. The very ground thundered with every step and body bulged with pure muscle. The creature spotted them and there was no doubt what would happen next. Jaxler put a bolt in his crossbow and pointed it at the monstrosity.
"Flux... get the buck out of here"
Jaxler fired a bolt hitting the Ogre, the sound of crossbow reverberated through the caves making a sickening echo followed by silence, and then the most horrifying sound one could imagine sang through the caves. "SQUAWK SQUAWK" followed by "ARGGGGGGG". Giant cave swallows had just joined the fight, an entire flock had come and now an angry ogre with a bolt in his shoulder was charging the two ponies. There was no chance of escape, they would haft to fight there way out of this.
"Flux, I have a quiver hidden under my left wing, grab a bolt and use it as a makeshift knife."

Shaking with raw terror, Flux gets behind Jaxler and covers his face with his hooves. When Jaxler tells him to grab a bolt, he nearly faints, but manages to keep it together enough to at least follow his instructions to grab a bolt.
"Wh-Wh-What n-n-now?"

"Good, now I expect you to run the moment I have all these monsters attacking me, and don't you DARE try to help at that point, only use that bolt if your getting followed. REMEMBER RUN the moment I've pulled these, I expect you to sit here until I've done that."
And with that Jaxler flew into the sky and started to fire his bolts. He rained down hell fire until his store of bolts ran out. Only 2 of the seven birds fell and the ogre on the other hand, it had 5 bolts in it and still stood tall, it didn't even flinch it even laughed at the feeble effort. At this point he was surrounded by birds and the ogre could care less about flux. So, Jaxler gave the command "RUN!" as his words rang out the orange stallion ran but one of the birds flew after him. Jaxler would have reacted but as finished yelling he felt a gush of wind fly past him, the ogre had thrown a half ton of stone and missed... barely.

Flux hesitates a moment before bolting when Jaxler tells him to run.
'But...! No, he's a fighter, he knows what he's doing, so run!'
He takes to my hooves as fast as he can, but can't seem to outrun the colossal bird thing coming after him. As the entrance comes back into view, Flux feels his hooves leave the ground as talons grip his sides. The monsterous beak comes down to slice his withers, and he screams in pain. Twisting around, he jams the bolt into the base of the wing, bringing both him and the monster tumbling to the ground. Flux pops free in the crash and manages to continue his dash for the surface and somepony who could help Jaxler, fighting the pain the entire time.
"Somepony! Anypony! Help! Jaxler is in the caverns and needs help!!"

"All you can do is kill me"
Jaxler knew at this had become more or less a suicide mission. So, Jaxler charged the closest swallow and bashed it head with his crossbow, if the brain damage didn't kill it the fall surely did considering that when it hit the ground it made a splat. But as he moved in for a second attack he felt a sharp pain in his back leg. A cave swallow had flew from behind and cut his leg, badly. He flung his crossbow around and hit it's head, killing it on impact. Jaxler still was bleeding; the swallow had cut a vein. He was having a hard time flying straight, and just as things were looking grim a boulder flew through the air clipping his wing. He fell around 25 feet and broke his front legs upon impact and his crossbow fell around 5 feet to his left. He was in unimaginable pain but still managed to force himself up on all fours when the ogre walked up. It cocked back his huge hand and flung him ten feet into the wall. He was now sitting in a pool of his own blood with a gargantuan monster laughing as it thought of ways to mangle its prey.
"Buck... off"

"Flux? Jaxler? The caves!"
Stiletto charged out from behind the ballista and swings around to see the cave swallow Flux had struck to the ground. Her charge didn't slow, and in an instant her hoof was covered in feathers and blood, the cave swallow was pulverized. With mad speed she pushed into the cavern where Jaxler was fighting.
'keine Zeit!'
Her axe flew from her mouth guided by her magic struck the cave ogre in the chest and lodged itself deep into the sternum. Stiletto grabbed her shield as it fell to the ground. With her wings spread wide, Stiletto flew over Jaxler and smash a cave sparrow in the head, bashing the bone into the brain. The sparrows were surprised by the ferocity of her attack. Her neck twisted around smacked another bird to the left sending it flying into a wall. Finally her shield came down pinning a third cave sparrow to the ground. She let go of her shield.
"Jaxler! Run!"

"I can't *cough cough*" Jaxler felt blood trickle out of his mouth, but he still tired in vein to lift himself of the ground, but the moment he tried to lift himself he only coughed up more blood. the pain he was in was unfathomable, too much even.
"Let... me... die..."

"Not even if you where the one I hated most in this world!"
Stiletto leaps over to the cave Ogre and bucked him the pelvis, shattering the bone. Her magic ripped the axe from its' place in the Ogres' chest, tearing flesh as it came free from the wound. It spun through the air and sliced deep into its' guts. The Ogre vomited on Stiletto as its' intestines fell to the cavern floor. Stiletto grabbed her axe with her mouth and with final swing sent the beasts' head sailing off in an arc.
"You are not allowed to die here! Jaxler you hear me!"
Her magic lifted the injured Pegasus and placed him on her wide back. With careful concentration on her magic, Stiletto held Jaxler stable on her back as she flew to the hospital at full clip. She almost knocked the door off its' hinges.
"Panacea! Wounded!"

"you don't give me ord..." Jaxler's consciousness left him, the only thing he felt now was weightlessness.

Panacea looks up from Flux, who she was tending to up to that moment. His wounds weren't that bad, but he'd need a few stitches. The new arrivals were a different matter. "Stiletto? What...?"
She sees the bloody mess hanging off her back and her jaw drops. "Get him onto one of the beds." She trots off to one of the chests and begins rummaging for materials. "And somepony go find Wool. I could use his help right now..."

Flux trys to lay still on the cot, hoping to not reopen any of his wounds.
'Ooowww, why did nopony tell me being injured hurt so much?'

Stiletto places Jaxler down on the closest bed and then moves over to Flux
"You can help him? please tell me a was not to slow this time."

Panacea looks at the badly wounded pony before her and fights to keep her face straight. He was in very bad shape. She didn't honestly know if he would live. "Let me check him..."
The blood collecting in the corners of his mouth was a very bad sign. He might have a punctured lung, or maybe if they were lucky a cut in his mouth. She wasn't holding her breath. Two broken legs, and a very bad cut on his leg. At least it wasn't his femoral artery. If it was he'd be dead already. His wing looked broken too, and he had enough small cuts and contusions to last a lifetime.
She silently steps back, frowns slightly and grabs her supplies before setting to work. First things first... control the bleeding. She needed Wool for the internal bleeding, if there was any. She wasn't much of a surgeon and she'd probably kill him trying to fix it the old fashioned way.

Jaxler was waking, and had a horrible ringing in his ears. His stomach felt uneasy and his body still felt broken. He was on what appeared to be a cold stone table in a pool of blood surrounded by horrible looking instruments of evisceration. He tried to resist but was strapped down and couldn't move an inch. He moved his eye's up and saw a figure but couldn't make it out due to a bright light burning his face. As a scalpel got withing an inch of his chest he finally became lucid enough to speak.
"Shit... I always knew I'd end up in hell."

Panacea halts as Jaxler begins to wake. Not good... "Wool, he's waking up, could you help?" The unicorn steps over and does what is needed: cast a sleeping spell on the badly wounded pegasus. "Thank you."
As Jaxler drifts back to unconsciousness, she carefully sets to work with Wool's help. He was still a bit fresh as a doctor, but as a unicorn he was invaluable. She knew that medical spellbook would come in handy. With his help the bleeding had been all but halted, and she was able to work on his torn lung with relative safety. She slowly pieces the shattered ribs back together as best her meager surgical skills allow.
After nearly two hours of painstaking work, Jaxler has been sewn up and sutured everwhere needed. He was in bad shape, but would recover with a little luck.

32: Meet Kat

The next day, Flux lay under a nice shade tree with Stiletto, snuggled up to her side with a wing over him. Panacea had given him a few stitches over his withers for that cut, and a few bandages around his middle for the rest. Stiletto has her muzzle in his mane, careful to not touch his wound as she enjoys herself.

As Flux and Stiletto enjoyed their comfortable moments together under the tree, a Mare approaches them. She's amongst one of the citizens of Dawnpick no doubt, one of the faces in the backgrounds. a Pegasi Mare with white coat, Black mane and Red eyes. She paused Half-way to them and gave herself another thought, they both seems so peaceful and happy, almost too peaceful for her to bare disturbing them. But an opportunity like this probably won't present itself again anytime soon.. She continued approaching.. "Hello there!" she called out to them once she's close enough, not wanting to startled them while being TOO close. Who knows what'll happen if they're jumpy. she wouldn't want to have an axe lodged in her skull anytime soon.

Stiletto lifts her head and looks at pony approaching her and Flux
"Hello to you to. Is there something you would like?"

Flux opens his eyes to see who's talking, and momentarily think it's Falcata.
"Oh! Um, hello?"

The Mare stood there for a moment longer, feeling dumb already. She Opened her mouth with a hoof up as if to say something, then shut it along with a hoof down... Then up again, then down. At this moment she's mentally kicking herself to say something already while biting her lower lips to think up something. "Um.. how are you?" she finally said. It was more awkward than supposed to, and her facial expression was of 'damnit.. what a stupid way to start' although she tried her best to hide it.

"I am very well today."
Nuzzles Fluxs' mane
"Any day with mien freundlichste Liebe is a great day."

The intruding mare nodded, still seems uneasy. "Um... That’s good. That’s... Uh... Very good." she replied, pawing at the ground slightly with one of her front hooves, seeing them being all lovely and dovey still. Not that she mind. "I have a few... Uh... questions that I want to ask... Can I sit here and talk? If that's okay... It’s alright if you're busy though I could... Return later." she said. Not out of fear, but uncertainty.

"Please come, sit, talk, I have lots of free time these days off. What do you do here in Dawnpick, I do not know every pony in the community."

The black maned Mare nodded from Stiletto's invitation, sitting down just in the shade on the grass but not too close to invade her personal space. "Thanks... And... Well, I do many things... Really. Hurling things, helping with the buildings... I helped building the walls and digging the moat as well. And sometimes I help with the cooking... Planting the seeds in the field... I do a lot of things,” she said, nodding and looking rather proud for just a moment. But then shies down with a little embarrassed blush "But I’m not really... Great at any of them."

"You need to find your passion. I hear ponies talk about their marks here so much and really they don't tell you who you are. You decide what type of pony you are. Find the place you excel, then you will know your passion."

She nods again, looking more confident now. "Well... That’s actually why I’m here now. I'm... Thinking of joining the Guards..." and with that, her Confidence sank like a rock back to where it were again. "Um... That’s all right... Right? I mean... We don't really have enough ponies to keep us safe... Right? NOTthatidon'tthinkthatyouall*gasp for air*couldn't or anything... Just... An extra pair of hooves might help. Right? Well..." she bonked herself in the head a little, embarrassed "sorry... I just want to talk to somepony about it first."

"Joining the guard is a big job, they get injured often. Though, I was planning to ask Ms Virtue to expand the militia to include a caverns squad. What weapon do you like to use?"

She gives it a thought for a moment. "Well... I haven’t touched a real 'weapon' before really... Just kitchen knives, plows, shovels and pickaxes... But I don't mind whatever's shoved into my hooves really... Crossbows, knives, axes, swords, anything. I'll learn. And, I've got tired of seeing other ponies getting hurt. And not being able to help. I don't mind getting hurt, as this is the life I choose. I didn't sign up for an outpost in the middle of dangerous no where just to be safe and die out of old age you know?" She replied, trying to sounds tough and sure. Which she fails to.

Flux decides to put in his two bits, concerned about her maybe getting injured like him, or worse.
"Um, there's other ways to protect. I, um, I'm not a fighter, b-but I want to help too. So I, er, started learning mechanics so I could help."

The seated Pegasi mare turn her attention to Flux now, and, oddly enough, finds that it's much easier to speak to him than Stiletto for some unknown reason. "Oh... Well, I did try helping in other ways... Like, hurling stuffs around, building the walls, houses, digging the moat, placing traps sometimes... Things like that... But it's simply just... Not what I’m looking for, you know what I mean? It’s not that they're wrong or anything... It’s just that... Instead of making something to stand in-between other pony and danger... I want ME to be the one right there standing in-between other ponies and danger... It just seems so... Easier to protect them that way."

"Well... if you're sure it's what you want to do, I can't stop you. Um, what was your name again? Uh, I'm Flux, and this is Stiletto."

She nodded as Flux introduces himself and Stiletto.
"Nice to meet you Flux, and I’m sure everypony have heard of Stiletto already yes?" she gives them a nodding smile before introducing herself "You can Call me Kat."

Flux smiles and raises a hoof to shake.
"It's nice to meet you, Kat."

Kat Returns the smile and raises a hoof up to accept the shake.
"Likewise Flux, Likewise."

33

And there was Arbalest, having fun with the big catapult, when all of a sudden, Boo told him to go visit the hospital. His hamster senses were tingling.
So he got up, and headed off to the hospital.

Jaxler was in a hospital bed covered in bandages and casts. He would be in horrible pain right now if it weren't for the massive amount of magic Wool cast on him. The worst thing about him being hospitalized was the fact that there was nothing to really do, and Panacea wouldn't give him any booze. The day was going by without event until now, for a blue unicorn was walking through the door.
"Hay Arbalest and Boo."

And there was Jaxler. Hospitalised.
"Hello Jaxler. Boo says Hi too."

"So... how you two been?"

"We've been good. What happened to you?"

"I about died after falling twenty feet and getting smacked around by a cave ogre."

"Well, at least you're alive still."

"I guess so. Ya wanna hear something funny? Panacea won't let me have any booze. Instead ponies keep on bringing me muddy water."

*Squeak!* "I agree, Boo. Our new quest. We shall acquire you some booze!"

"I have 3 barrels in my house, it's the strongest stuff in the entire fort."

"Then we shall bring it here!"

"Okay then, I can't wait!"

"Boo and I go to our quest!"
And so they do!

As Flux reachs for the door to the hospital, it opens on it's own to reveal Arbalest leaving.
"Oh! Um, hey Arbalest. Is... Jaxler awake?"

"Yes, Flux. He is awake. I'm just going on a valiant quest to return to him that which he needs! ONWARDS, BOO!"
Arbalest and Boo head down to Jaxler's room without another word.

"He is such a helpful one, is he not?"
Stiletto was standing next to Flux now. She was dressed in a pigtail vest, silk dress and a wide brimmed woven grass hat.

Flux simply looks confused as Arbalest leaves, taking a few moments for his thoughts to get back on track. Once they do, he opens the hospital door and holds it for Stiletto, then goes to Jaxler's bed once she enters.
"Um... Jaxler? How are you, uh, doing?"

"Oh, hay Flux and uh... Stiletto. I'm doing fine"

"Hello Jaxler, I just wanted to thank you for looking out for Flux."
Stiletto magically lifts her hat and bows her head
"I thank you for your brave deeds."

Flux hangs his head, ashamed that Jaxler got so injured all because of him.
"I... I'm s-so s-s-sorry, Jaxler! If I h-hadn't w-wanted to s-see the c-c-caverns, you wouldn't... wouldn't h-have almost... almost..."

"There is no need to be sorry or thankful, all I did was my job."

Stiletto lifts her head and replaces her hat
"Yes you did, and well."
She wraps a wing around Flux, careful about his wound.

Flux closes his eyes and begins shuddering, barely noticing Stiletto's wing.
"B-B-But I almost g-got you k-k-killed! And... and... all I c-could d-d-do was... was run!"

"Flux, you're supposed to run, your a civilian. Sure, I almost got killed, but my job is to die in your place. you did nothing wrong."

"Everything worked out. I was not to slow this time. I am sure Wool will have you back up in no time at all Jaxler."

Flux slowly sinks to the floor under the weight of his guilt, trying and failing to hold back the tears.
"B-But... w-w-we w-wouldn't h-have even b-b-been there if I hadn't w-wanted to... to explore..."

Stiletto reaches down and gently lifts Flux back up to face Jaxler
"No, you can be sorry, but self-pity helps no one. Be grateful he was there."

"Your forgetting that you asked me if I wanted to come along. I should have told you that the caverns are dangerous but instead I decided to go down out of foalishness and curiosity. I'm as much at fault as you are."

Flux slowly opens his eyes to look Jaxler in the face, still leaking tears.
"I... I just... Th-Thank you, Jaxler..."

Jaxler hated when ponies worried about him and now he had a grown stallion crying in front of him. Jaxler didn't know what to say at this point
"Thank you Flux and thank... you Stiletto for scrapping me of that ground back there."

"You are welcome, next time I hope to be fighting by your side before you are in danger."
Stiletto gently pulls Flux in close offering him a place to dry his tears
"We should let Jaxler rest."

Flux sniffles and trys to stop crying, only partially successful.
"Ya... ok Stiletto. Um, sorry for, uh, m-making a scene, Jaxler. Um, I hope you get b-better soon."

Boo and Arbalest, carrying a barrel of booze, walk into the hospital as Flux and Stiletto leave, and put it beside Jaxler's bed.
"Our quest is complete!"

34: Flux's Crucible and Stiletto's Beginings.

Late at night, a figure can occasionally be seen sneaking into the main stockpile. Most ponies would be asleep, but any near the pile close to midnight would hear gentle music, perhaps from a small woodwind instrument. The source is never revealed, the music quickly ceasing if anypony gets too close. Some few rumors may try to explain the music, but none seem to really satisfy the conditions surrounding the music.

Flux carefully lowers the piccolo crafted from the strange mood and replaces it in it's box. Once it's put away, He smiles a small smile and whisper to himself.
"Almost ready..."

Close to a week later, Flux is finally healed enough to return to his duties of smelting. He hums a little tune as he smelts, getting back into the groove of efficiency after his time off.

A figure ambles slowly towards the smelter, moving unusually cautiously. Falcata doesn't know much about the timid orange pony, but he'd been cowering under Stiletto's wing the last time she'd tried to talk to him, so she figures she'll try to look as un-threatening as possible. Not something she was usually inclined to do; most of the time she finds better use in making threatening faces at things that want to kill her, but she tries her best. With that in mind, she coughs gently as she stands behind the hardworking rust-coloured stallion, hoping to gently attract his attention. Falcata hopes fervently that she's not about to cause a smelter explosion as she opens her mouth:
"Uh, excuse me, Flux? Do you have a moment?"

He jumps a bit as Falcata speaks, but her soft tone keeps him from doing much more than that. Flux turns to give her a shy smile and talk with her.
"Um, Falcata, right? Um, sure. I have, uh, time to talk. What did you need?"

In answer, she raps a forehoof sharply against her armour, along the point where the monster from the caverns below had slightly buckled the metal. While subsequently repaired, there was still a noticeable indentation.
"I wanted to thank you. For the armour."
Anticipating his reaction, which he'd no doubt had to say countless times, she pre-empts him. "And I know you don't actually hammer it into shape, but that couldn't even happen without your skill at refining metal. I'll be sure to thank Corkscrew as well, don't you worry. I know you wouldn't want to take all the credit."

He smiles a bit more genuinely as she finishes, glad she understands he don't deserve all the credit.
"Um, you're welcome, Falcata. I... I never expected anypony to thank me for the metal, but you and Glaive both have. It, uh, means a lot to me, to know I might have helped. Thank you for risking everything to defend Dawnpick."

"Do not forget how good of a job your traps do helping us with that Flux."
Stiletto came from around the far side of the smelter pulling a bin of iron ore.

"Glaive thanked you as well, did he? Why am I not surprised; I bet your armour and its, ah, usefulness to, um, me in particular means even more to him than, ah, myself." Falcata's gaze goes a little vacant for a moment before she catches herself on.
"Um, so, anyway, what exactly do you do here? Or rather, how? The stuff that miners bash out of solid rock doesn't look much like gleaming metal to me. How d'you make it all...metallic?"
Falcata drifts closer to the furnace, shying away slightly from the intense heat. That pony was made of tougher stuff than he looked, evidently, if he could stick it down here for hours on end.
Suddenly Stiletto glides into view, startling her slightly. For somepony of such great stature, she could fairly move quietly when she wanted to. Still, she remembers her manners and greets her fellow warrior.
"Hello, Stiletto. Keeping your coltfriend busy during your time off, I see," she teases gently.

Flux blushs a bit at Falcata's teasing, but trys to answer her question about smelting anyway.
"Well, the short answer is a lot of heat and scooping out the slag. The marble helps to make the rust in the ore useable. It's... not that complicated, but you do need to make sure to keep the temperature right for whatever you're trying to smelt."

"I still don't know what that word means. Flux is meine freundlichsten Liebe, but yes I have been all over him since the incident in the caves."
Stiletto stick out her tongue and winks
"It is so vulgar but, I am already a warrior pony."

"Uh, I think "coltfriend" is just Midpony for "friend-liching Leeb", or something. You'd have to ask somepony more qualified." Falcata skirts the obvious "but why do you have -two- coltfriends" question, instead trying to process Flux's reply.
"Right, uh, I understood about half of that. Mostly the heat bit; how can you stand it? It's absolutely boiling near this thing, and I've only been here five minutes!"

He looks at her for a moment, confused, then realize what she means.
"Oh, the heat! I guess I'm just used to it is all. I started learning when I was young, so the heat doesn't even register anymore, I guess."

"Hm." Falcata casts an eye over the russet pony, remarking at how extraordinarily unruffled he looked. The heat truly seems not to faze him at all, in contrast to her own discomfort with it. She retreats a bit from the ferocious blaze, flapping her wings in an attempt to stimulate some airflow. "That's some acclimatisation you have there, Flux; how long exactly have you been melting rocks to get that kind of stamina for it?"

Flux smiles and point at the crucible on his flanks.
"Heh, for a long time, Falcata. I, um, left my family's business to learn at a young age."

"Smelting doesn't run in the family? So what made you want to forge metal all your life? I mean, uh, not a lot of young colts or fillies dream of being metalmakers when they grow up. Warriors, sure, but not furnace operators. I know I didn't."

Flux looks wistful before returning his focus to Falcata and Stiletto, and the present. He resumes working as he tells his tale.
"Um, no, it doesn't. My family are all entertainers. They travel around, telling tales, singing songs, putting on plays and generally making ponies happy. Um, I... don't handle crowds too well, so I never really performed. I learned to sing and play some instruments, but... anyway, one day I wandered away from the troupe during a performance and found my way to the local foundry. Something about the forgework just... captivated me. Seeing ore come in and shining ingots go out, it just... felt like something I could do.
"Eventually, one of the forgeworkers noticed me, and asked me what I was doing there. I asked if he could teach me, and he said he'd have to ask my parents. They were surprised, but supportive of my choice. I stayed there to learn, and my family visited me at Inkheart as often as they could. I, um, have a lyre they made for me from the first bronze ingot I ever made."
Satisfied that the iron is pure now, he places a few pig iron ingots into the crucible to start making steel.
"That's... when I got my mark, actually. When they gave me that lyre, I mean. I... I was thinking about how I had seen this lyre when it was still two different ores, and I had... had made them better, together. And then my family turned it into a beautiful instrument. It... It meant a lot to me..."

Falcata's eyes widen at the tale. "Well, uh, wow. That's quite the story. Do you play the lyre, then, or just keep it as a reminder of how you found your calling? I know that I -" She breaks off abruptly before finishing lamely: " - that I, uh, would have kept my d- lyre, if I, ah, had one. I don't, though. Um." The pegasus trails off awkwardly, not meeting anypony's gaze.
"Yeah. Uh, I should go. I'm meant to be on duty, anyway, and I'm sure you two can keep each other occupied. It was a pleasure meeting you, Flux. And yourself as always, Stiletto. All the best, now." She forces a smile before turning to leave.
The diminutive cream pegasus hurries away, a pensive expression on her face, her armour clinking in the breeze.

"Oh my, she was quite nervous." *Stilettos' eyes light up* "Do you think maybe she was... interested, yes, that is the word... in you Flux?"

Flux watchs Falcata as she hurriedly leaves, concerned that he may have said something he shouldn't have.
'Maybe she'd like to borrow my lyre?'
"Maybe, it sure looks like she could use another friend."

"I think maybe she wants you as wenig Liebe. I told you your skill would impress others."
Stiletto smiles and nuzzles Fluxs' mane.

'Something Love? Wait, Love?!'
"Wait, what?!"

Glyph walks into the forge, looking to visit Flux. He manages to walk up just in time to hear him shout. "Flux? What what? Is something up?"

Stiletto looked up at Glyph and smiled
"Hello mein kleiner Lehrling. I was just telling Flux here that I think Falcata was interested in being his wenig Liebe, but I think he miss heard me."

"Those words again... umm... little... something and something love? Wait... you think Falcata would want to be his love?"

"This is much like how I feel ponies say Coltfriend or other Coltfriend. the closest midpony words are 'my little apprentice' and 'little young small love'... they are oaths of love and relationship."

"Apprentance? So... I'm just a student to you?" Anger begins to creep into Glyph's mind, and voice. 'Student? I can keep up with her fine! I... I... I thought she...'

"Um, apprentices are not just students, Glyph. I had to apprentice to learn smelting. It's... like a close friendship, and the master passes on their unique knowledge of the subject being learned."

"Wait, what did I say? Just... no, your words are so, gah! I'm going to get my book! I will back in a little bit."
Stiletto trots off the her apartment grumbling about this impolite inaccurate language she had to learn

Glyph snort a bit, scuffing the ground with his hoof, mumbling to himself. "Student... friend... buck that... there has to be something..."

"Um... you alright, Glyph?"

"Alright..." Glyph's voice drops to a low growl, "Alright... you want to know if I'm alright? Let me show you." He advances on Flux, anger in his eyes.

'Not good!'
Flux backs up close to the furnace, then opens it to wash Glyph in the intense heat, hoping to either keep him back or bring him to his senses.
"Um... take it easy, uh, Glyph... please?"

Stiletto returns to the foundry with a bin held by her magic. She looks at Glyph, she looks at Flux
"STOP RIGHT NOW!"

Glyph flinchs back a bit at the heat, then looks back as Stiletto comes in. "Stop what? We were just... talking. What's in the bin?"

Flux keeps his eyes locked on Glyph as he closes the furnace, shaking slightly.

"Control over your temper is most important on the field of battle, remember that!"
The bin lifted off her back and magically placed itself on the ground
"These are things to help me explain my oaths to you both. Now come here."

Flux continues watching Glyph as he talks to Stiletto, sticking close to the furnace.
"Um, m-maybe we should do this on my break? I, uh, don't want to get any scorch marks on your, er, stuff?"

Glyph snorts slightly, walking over to Stiletto. "No, we should do this now. Your work can wait for a bit."

"I know how tough you are Glyph, lose the attitude. Flux, please, can you take you break soon, we need to talk."
Stiletto moves the box just outside the smelter.

Glyph sighs, shaking his head. "Fine. Then we can wait for you to finish that batch. But we need to talk about this. What do you mean attitude Stiletto?"

"I MEAN..." *hangs her head* "... I mean I do not know your words very well. When I hear you talk, the way you say things, it sounds rude, everypony sounds rude to me when they speak midpony."

Flux carefully and quietly continues his work, hoping that Glyph will either calm down or forget about him being there.

"Oh... It's alright." Glyph nuzzles Stiletto. "You didn't know, it is your second language. I do want to sort this out though."

Stiletto returns Glyphs' nuzzles "I just feel some time I will never be-able to explain what I mean to you."

Glyph walks over and stands next to Stilettos wing, nuzzling her leg. "It's okay... I'll be sure to listen close, and ask if I don't understand..."

Flux works slower than absolutely necessary to finish the last batch of steel, trying to think about the situation with Glyph and Stiletto.
'Sweet Celestia, I thought he was going to kill me! And what is it that Stiletto's trying to tell us? Why is he so upset about being an apprentice? He's still learning, and she's got to be the best martial master in Dawnpick.'
He sighs as he pour the fresh steel into the molds for ingots, still not looking forward to meeting them outside.
"Well, no matter what I want, I'm off shift now. And I can't just sleep in here..."
Dreading what lays beyond the door to the smelter, he exit to what may well be his doom.

"meine freundlichsten Liebe."

Stiletto wraps her wings around both Flux and Glyph. The bin move towards them under the power of her magic and book is retrieve by the same method.
"This is my picture book from my science academy days. It has many words and notes from that time, I wrote them down to understand and I was thinking they could help you understand."

Flux flinchs as Stiletto's wing wraps him, and trys to inch slightly away from Glyph, though he's on the other side of her. Her picture book, though, captures his attention, as does the potential to learn more about her.

"Really?" Asked Glyph "You think so? I would love to learn more about you, and where you're from."

The book flips the first page, there is a picture of a very young Stiletto dressed in well designed gray schoolfilly outfit, standing next to her is Brook, she was about a quarter Stilettos' size even back then. There is a drawing of a water lily under the picture.
"This was our first day, I found out what Brooks' favorite flower was that day, I drew this so I could remember it. Even then we knew, she was going to be my ganz besondere Liebe. Those where happy times."
Stiletto flips the page over. There is a picture Brook, Stiletto and a blue Alicorn with a blond mane, Stiletto is next to a river, Brook and the blue Alicorn are swiming.
"That is my brother Icberg, he was from my mother but not my father. He has always been a vulgar pony, showing his cutie mark to everyone. I love him, but well, I'll get to that latter. I really couldn't swim at all back then. So she grew closer to him."

Flux feels a small bit of guilt when he see Brook in the book, still feeling a bit like he stole her kiss.
"Wait... showing your mark is vulgar?"

"Why yes, in my home land, you do not show your cutie mark. You are excel in the ways you show, and you are wearing clothing in public. It is rude, unless the area you excel in is, well vulgar, and Iceberg was one of the worst."
Stiletto turns the page to reveal a picture of Iceberg kissing Brook.
"I was too slow again."

"Brook and...? Oh, Stiletto..."
Flux gently nuzzles Stiletto's neck, hoping to help her through what must be a painful memory for her.

"Wait, Brook? You knew Brook Stiletto?"

Stiletto nuzzles Flux back, then she nuzzles Glyph and hugs the two of them with her wings

"I knew her, I will try to say it in midpony, she was my most special love. Now, I thought I had lost here, Iceberg was quite frankly a better lover then me, nothing I could do to change that so..."
The next picture shows a much larger Stiletto standing on a pedestal with two other ponies bellow her. Stiletto is surrounded by trophies, the other ponies hold their heads high, they appear to be very proud just to be in the picture.
"I used my frustration, I made myself excel. I was die perfekte Vision von Krieg, as my uncle called me."
Stiletto flips through the book a few pages, mostly more pictures of her receiving awards, but she is alone in every picture
"I was alone though, nopony loves a monster like me."
She turns the next page and there is a picture of a very surprised Stiletto being kissed by Brook. Stiletto is completely red, even visible under her amethyst fur.
"Or at least that's what I thought." *Stiletto has a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.*

"I... I see. I'm sorry if I... brought up any bad memories... but..." Glyph nuzzles Stiletto gently, trying to be some comfort. "I... I love you, no matter what..."

'Perfect Vision of War?'
Flux can't help but tear up as she shows the pictures of her achievements, but with nopony to share in them with her. When she calls herself a monster, he stretchs up to whisper to her.
"You are no monster, Stiletto."

To think I had almost forgotten...
Finally having reached her quarters, Falcata closes the door firmly behind her. Crossing the room, she makes her way over to the oak chest in the corner, methodically searching for one thing in particular. She finds it right at the bottom, right down where she'd buried it; when she takes it out, it appears to be a small object wrapped in cloth. Gripping it in her teeth, she deposits it on a small wooden table with a dull thud. She makes no move to unwrap the bundle, however; instead choosing to stare at it instead.
Burdens of the past...my hooves are stained.
The pegasus sits like this for a while, still making no move to unwrap the object. If anything, she appears lost in thought, tinged with a bit of sadness. Finally, after a good while, she sighs and lifts the offending article again, making certain to place it at the bottom of the casket as before. She turns to leave, but pauses in the doorway, glancing once more at the box. Quoting a scrap of poetry under her breath, she at last departs the building, locking her door as she leaves.
"There is a place between mercy and murder...in which doubt and fear make their homes."

"I thank you both for those kind words." *Stiletto kisses Glyph* "Mein kleiner Lehrling." *Stiletto kisses Flux* "meine freundlichsten Liebe. Memories can be good though."
She turns the page and there is a picture of Stiletto, Brook and Iceberg, and another Purple Alicorn with very long green mane. Iceberg is nuzzling the purple Alicorn. Brook stands under Stilettos' wing, they are all smiling
"This was from my second year at the academy. Brook was Mein ganz besonderer Liebe. Iceberg was her den erfahrensten Liebe. The one on the end is Flair, he was Icebergs' kleiner Lehrling, and eventually mein wenig Liebe."

"That's... a lot of loves." Said Flux "Um, so you can have... multiple loves?"

"Yes? Wait, does that mean... are you trying to tell me, that you do not?"

"I... I don't really know..." Glyph stuttered "but... it seems like most of the ponies here only have one..."

"Um... no? Only, um, one..."

"What? But how do you do that? I mean how do you um.. understand, yes that is the word.. love at all if you only have one?"

"Um, how do you keep up with several?" Asked Flux

"Umm... I... I don't r-really... I don't think... But... but I have been trying... umm... Have I been doing it right?" Stammered Glyph

"Keep up?" *Stiletto rubs her face into Fluxs' mane* "Silly Stallion, love is bond that more than one pony can make strong."
She wing cuddles Glyph
"You are doing very well Mein kleiner Lehrling, our love grows stronger all the time."

Glyph smiles, then frown. "That means Little Apprentice right? But... Flux said an apprentice was like a close friend... and a teacher... not a lover."

"Um... an apprentice is hard to explain. My master never... did anything like that, but, um, a lot of love is involved."

"This is what I mean, your words are sloppy and hurt ponies with out even trying. The title is an oath that is spoken over and over again. You declare your love and exonerate it's strength every time you speak it. It is saying I love for all of these reasons."

"...A title? How many are there?" Flux wondered

"What..." Glyph thinks for a bit, pondering his questions. "What should I call you then? And... and does that mean... I should h-have another?"

"There are many titles, you earn more the more you excel and achieve." *Stiletto turns to Glyph.* "You should call me 'meine Liebe zur Heldentat'." *She turns back to Flux*"You should call me 'meine Liebe schönsten'."

"What's... schonsten?"

"Meine Liebe z-zur Helden... Heldentat? What... what does t-that mean?"

"Beauty Flux, it means you love everything that makes me beautiful." *Flutters her eyes* "And it means you love me for my heroic deeds, my fighting ability, so you can learn to excel as such."

Flux chuckles at her as she flutters her eyes.
"You are Beautiful, in mind, body and soul."

"Your fighting ability? But... I mean... I respect your power... and I... I like sparring with you... but... I love you for how compassionate you can be afterwords... you can be harsh as a Lord-whipmaster, but then, when the fight is over you're as compassionate as a Pen-mother."

For the first time in a long time Stiletto blushes enough to show though her fur
"You say things that raise up my heart. I had no idea if had read your signs right."
She kisses them both many times
"Now, I am not quite sure what a Pen-mother is. Can you explain that Glyph? I am sure it is wonderful."

"You don't know what a Pen-mother is? They are the ones who run the stables. Where all the foals who weren't sanctioned grow up." Glyph cocks his head, thinking. "I suppose I haven't seen one here... this place is different from my old village."

"Oh, oooooh, that is how you see me? Does that mean, you want me to teach you about life and not battle?"

"Umm... not really... I'm bad with words... I just see the same compassion in you... I like learning about fighting with you, but I love being with you, having you be... umm... Gentle, compassionate... does that help?"

"So you want me to be your erfahrene Liebe? I can do that for you. If you do not mind being my wenig Liebe."

"erfa... erfahrene Liebe? What does that mean? And wenig Liebe?"

"Erfahrene Liebe means you will love all of the experiences I can give to you. Wenig Liebe means I shall teach you about all of the good things I have experienced."

"Oh..." Glyph closes his eyes and think about that. "Does... does that mean we wouldn't be able to spar anymore?"

"Well yes, but no more, battle field love, that would be inappropriate, our love would no longer be attached to war."

"Um, but why is love so... regimented?" Flux piped up

Glyph nods, satisfied. "That's good. It's fun sparring with you. But, I like the idea of being your Wenig Liebe."

"Well how does one earn Liebe otherwise? Every title I can give I earned. I have six."
Stiletto Nuzzles Glyph
"If that is what you want meine Wenig Liebe."

"...Love has to be earned?"

"Six?" Exclaimed Glyph, "Wow... I probably haven't even earned one... but I have you so... maybe."

"So you do not earn love here? That seems odd, people just love without reason, all the time? that must get confusing. Especially if you can only have one at time. And you have at least two Glyph, perhaps more now."

"Really? What ones? How did I earn them?"

"Well, all ponies should have one, then you get another for serving as a warrior. If you excel you earn more."

"Be adventurous Glyph, you can find them if you try."

Stiletto holds both her Wenig Liebe and her freundlichsten Liebe in her wings. More pictures are shown and she translates more highpony words into midpony words until they all have to sleep.

Author's Note

Yes, that is all one scene...

35: Cavern Drills

It had been awhile since the event in the caverns and Panacea had finally decided that Jaxler could leave the hospital. Jaxler still had been covered in casts and had to use a crutch but at least he could actually move around now. He only had one thought on his mind at the moment, it was the fact that he had left his crossbow down in the caves. He knew that his weapon was probably covered in about a pound of mold and had probably broken upon impact with the ground but he couldn't just let his crossbow rot. As he walked into the dark underworld he found his wooden crossbow, it was covered in some mold and had a few cracks but there wasn't any damage that a good carpenter couldn't fix. Right as Jaxler finished inspecting the bow he heard some yelling off in the distance. He walked as fast as he could until he finally reached the sight of the yelling. To his relief, he found the militia was training down in the caves.

Stiletto was running some coordination drills with rest of the militia, showing them how to move together and positioning formations for cavern movement
"We will learn to be as one blade, sharp and accurate with no waste of effort."

Glaive has a less than happy look upon his face. He was moving in formation with the others, having served as a soldier before he was no stranger to such drills, and he could see that some of his fellow militia members were significantly less used to working in a group, but that wasn't what was bothering him. What he wanted to know was why Stiletto was giving the orders.
'She's not our commander, she's not our captain, she's just a grunt like the rest of us. Halberd or Naginata should be leading us not her. Does she think her being an alicorn automatically makes her in charge?'

So a certain grayish Pegasi mare heard that the militias will be training their drills in the cavern today. Crazy crazy ponies.. Don't they know it's dangerous to them? They'll be putting themselves in the danger of dehydration!...
'and that's why i'm going to save them all.' Kat Thought happily as she trots casually into the Cavern, having a barrel of Hard Cider sitting comfortably on her back with a balance of who-knows-how-long worth of item hauling. the sounds of yelling and the marching of hooves confirmed her that there are, Indeed ponies down here.
well that's good.. last thing she needs now is to get flocked in a swarm of angry cave birds and smelly ogres. Suddenly, Being around other ponies doesn't seems so bad anymore.

Glyph walks down towards the caverns, heading to the training, and notices a grayish pegasus. "Hey, who are you? It's dangerous down here you know."

Kat Turned her head from Reflex reaction when she heard a voice just behind her, granted it was a pony's voice and probably nothing going to come and drag her into the furthest depth of Cavern hell, but that still startled her. Just a bit, mind you.
"Oh! hey there. And yes, Yes i know right? Dangerous, so Very Dangerous. Ponies will be putting themselves in the danger of Dehydration! and The entire Militia's down here! Crazy crazy ponies i tell you. So i thought, 'Hey! Maybe I can still save them by bringing in a barrel of drinks!' and so i did! Now they won't be dehydrated from their drills and training's!.. Annnd i kind of like watching the militia trains." She replied with quite a surprising energy. If Glyph have known her before, he might have to re-consider if this is really the same Kat he knows or not.

"Ok, now let us try to move through the shaft, again, Halberd you take the front, Glaive your next, then Fuscina and Sarissa. Kukri and Falcata you take up the rear."
Halberd waves Stiletto over with his hoof. Stiletto moves over to him and leans her head down so he speak quietly to her. After he finishes talking, Stiletto laughs and taps him on the withers with her hoof.
"You are such a joker Halberd." *She returns to the front of the group of military ponies chuckling* "Ok, let us go ponies!"

Glaive continues to follow the instructions Stiletto gives, but grows increasingly unhappy with the situation.
'Why is the captain letting her order us around? Is she going to get promoted?' A momentary surge of envy clouds Glaive's mind before he represses it. 'Surely the Captain has his reasons, but why? I'll try and talk with him or Naginata, about this later.'

Glyph cocks his head at the excitable mare. "Umm.... thanks? I'm part of the militia myself, I was just coming down for training. I think they'll be happy you brought drinks at least, and I don't think that the others will mind you watching."

Jaxler was trying to pick the mold off his crossbow while watching the ponies train. As he tried to remove the green substance he heard some ponies talking a few feet away. Jaxler looked over and saw glyph an unfamiliar mare, and more importantly, a barrel. so walked over.
"Hay there, what's in the barrel?"

Kat beamed from hearing that the others would be pleased with the barrel of drinks, Then heard another voice greeting them.
Oh nice, more ponies.
"Oh, Hey there! It's Hard Cider. Brought it down for the training ponies, crazy crazy ponies. They endanger themselves of Dehydration!"

Jaxler was a bit disheartened to hear that the barrel was filled with something as week as hard cider, but he hadn't had a drink in a few days.
"You fine if I have some of this cider?"

The grayish mare tilted her head and raised an eyebrow slightly as if Jaxler have asked her a very.. Very.. odd question like if she's fine with him breathing or something.
"Well, i did brought this down to save ponies from dehydration, and you looks like you could use some drinks, so of course i'm fine! so fine! As long as you don't hog the whole barrel for yourself that is."

Jaxler knew that it would probably take the whole barrel to just get him buzzed, but some booze was better than none. so, he drank some of the cider.
"Damn, this stuff really is week."

Kat just roll her eyes from the comment.
"Well, i didn't want to intoxicate the whole militia into drunken drill brawl, but bringing down a barrel of fruit juice for the militia is just honestly lame. So i choose something in the middle." She said while putting the barrel down after Jaxler having a drink. She Tilted her head to the side, making her neck popped a bit then flexes her wings for a brief moment to reassure herself that they haven't gone numb to death after carrying the barrel or something.
"Oh hey, Nice crossbow by the way. it's.. um.. very.. green?"

Jaxler looked down on his crossbow and realized the wood was starting to rot. Now he needed a carpenter and a unicorn to disinfect the thing.
"Looks like somepony noticed my crossbow... *sigh* ether of you two know a unicorn who can un-rot wood?"

"No... I don't, sorry." Glyph thinks for a bit, looking at the crossbow. "Some of it might be salvageable... you might be able to take it to the bowyer if you don't just want a new one."

"Dammit. I'd really hate to see my crossbow torn apart. Hmmm, maybe Wool can disinfect wood the same way he disinfects wounds. Do you think he could do that?"

Kat was pushing the Barrel closer to the area that the rest of the militias are training at, leaving the two stallions to discuss about whatever stallions discuss about. It might seems rude, but to her she's just finishing the job. Plus, hey! the training looks interesting.

Glyph shrugs. "Dunno, you could ask I guess. I can understand not wanting to let your things get destroyed." He looks up and notices that the pegasus had moved on. "Oh hey! Wait up! Come on Jaxler, we should keep close to her. Don't want anything to happen."
He moves after Kat, walking up beside her. "You want any help with that barrel?"

Jaxler followed Glyph. "What the hell could I do if something were to happen? I'm on a freaking crutch right now and I got two Broken legs."

The Grayish Pegasi Mare were just settling the barrel nice and snug and making sure that it won't roll away or something if someone bumps into it. Pleased with her work, she sits down next to it where she'll have a good view of the training, seeing Glyph coming over and offering to help her "Oh it's okay, i'm done with the Barrel now." she said, beaming slightly with a smile.

"Oh... good point Jaxler... well just keep close to me then. Umm... I guess I can miss training for this." He sits down next to the pegasus, watching the others. "I think protecting a civilian is a good enough reason. So, what's your name?"

Kat was somewhat surprised to be asked of her name, but then again, ponies in this forsaken fort seems to be awfully friendly. Not that it's a bad thing, mind you.
"Oh, me? You can call me Kat." She answered and beam a smile at him, although far less energetic than moments ago. Looks like whatever kept her hyperactive stopped working. "And yours?"

"My name's Glyph, nice to meet you Kat." He settles in to watch the training.

Jaxler was lagging behind and finally worked his way down to the two ponies and sat down.
"So, the names Kat aye, my name is Jaxler. I'm known for picking fights and drinking, I'm also second in command of the guard."

Kat continues her smiling, meeting new ponies is nice. yes.
"Nice to meet you, Glyph and Jaxler." She said, then perk her ears up with an ear twitch "Oohh? you're the Second-in-command of the guards? Nice! I wanted to join the guards."

"That's good to hear, but if ya want to join then talk to Partisan. He'll probably let you in seeing how we really don't have any standards."

"Jaxler be polite! I'm sure she will be fine. I hope you get in Kat, I remember when I joined the militia. Was a really exiting day... for me at least."

The Greyish mare perk her ears up, slightly wide-eyed. it's hard to tell what's going on inside her head, but clearly she's not very pleased..

"D-.. don't have any standards?.. w.. what.." She seems to have lost that Energetic self of hers almost completely, stuttering a little as if there's something stuck in her chest. "N.. nevermind.." Her ears drooped down and, maybe they might be thinking things or seeing stuff by themselves, but she seems to gain a shade more grey somehow.. But it's probably just the lighting.

"First off, asking me to be polite is like asking me to stop breathing. Second off, I wasn't insulting you, I was insulting the guard. To be honest we could use a pony like you."

"Well.. um.. okay. But, why'd you want to insult the guards? I mean, you are one. right? doesn't really makes any sense."

"I understand that it may seem strange that I insult a group that I'm part of but if we don't acknowledge our problems then they don't go away. Anyway, before you even think of joining the guard I need to ask you something important; are you willing to die in the place of any pony in the entire fort no matter what?"

Kat smiles up again, but this time, it seems rather.. dark.. somewhat. Not the normal kind of smile, but maybe a sad one? understanding one? It's a different kind of smile..
"Well, Everything dies sooner or later. One way or another. If i were given a duty, then i'll do that duty. I didn't move across the ocean into the city then into some forsaken fort in the middle of nowhere just to die of old age. If i wanted to be safe and live long, then i would've stayed home and never came here. To me, death is common. To answer your question, right now? No. I were not given duty to die for another pony who would die later anyway. Unless that Pony is special to me. But give me a duty, and i'll live, and die, by it. Even if it means to die for another pony that i don't even know their names in order to protect their life so they can live a little longer than me." She answered. Surprisingly calm considered the topic they're talking about.

Jaxler liked the answer
"So you know how the world works... I'll tell Partisan that you answered correctly."

Glyph nods, "That's good... well mostly good. I don't like the thought of not caring about whether a pony lives or dies just because it's not my duty... if someone attacks the pen-foals everyone fights... or at least everyone should..."
His mind goes back, and a faraway look enters his eyes, as a memory he'd rather forget resurfaces. Tears begin to mist his vision. 'That... nopony should do that... to just run...'

Kat Crossed her front legs together and lay her head down, ears drooping slightly as she rest her chin on her front legs.
"Foals.. Foals are special to me. Innocent white papers... Everypony have a duty to protect their younglings.. since they can't do it themselves. Most of the time, you can choose how will you die. Standing and protecting.. or later, fleeing away. All with their own reasons.. i don't care. Somepony runs to come back and win the fight the next day. Somepony runs because they're just simply scared.. some runs because they're a coward. I think it's just silly to be afraid of death. It's just.. there.. you know what i mean? No matter how fast you run, how far you run, it's there. If i can choose, i'd choose die standing with my front facing death itself rather than letting myself getting chased down like an animal. Besides, If you're going to die anyway.. might as-well make it worthwhile and memorable. no?"
She finished her rather long speech.. then rests her forehead onto her front legs. She seems.. tired. Not the sleepy kind of tired. Maybe she's cried about this enough times to not be tired anymore? Who knows.

"Hehe, your gonna die anyway, why that's so hilariously observant of you."

Glyph reaches out a hoof and places it on Kat's withers. He thinks about saying something, but can't think of any words, so he just sits there, trying to reign in his own thoughts.

Kat decides to stand up to open the barrel of Hard cider and have a drink from it. That helped. And when she's done drinking, she sits back down again, letting out a content sigh, looking somewhat less tired and more back to her energetic self.
"Thanks Jaxler, i guess I'll have to thank my mother about that.. I swear one of the first things she taught me was that 'I'm going to die one day, your father's going to die one day, all of your friends will die one day, and you will eventually die one day. So don't make a big fuss out of it. I'm not dead yet today, your father's not dead yet today, your friends aren't dead yet today, and you're not dead yet. So Instead of wasting time thinking about what's not happening yet, think and decide what you're going to do today.' So i decide to enjoy life as I live it." She finished with a beaming smile. Offering Jaxler and Glyph some of the Cider as well.

Glyph takes a bit of cider, sitting back down close to Kat. "Well... I guess I can see that... might as well enjoy what you have instead of worrying about what might happen."

The Grayish Pegasi nodded and smiles as Glyph sits back down pretty closely to her. She doesn't seems to mind that. "Mmhmm.. hey.. Glyph?" She said, looking at him with another smile on her face. "Thanks." Then she turns back to watch the Militia do their training drills.

36: One Massive Fort Update... And Some Broken Laws of Physics.

7th Malachite, 256

I'm so excited! I've been thinking it to myself for a while now, but it's finally gotten to the point where nopony could deny it any longer. I'm pregnant! I stopped by the hospital to talk with Panacea today, and she had Wool work a little magic to confirm it! She says I'm due in anywhere from two to three months now, but it's hard to guess. Just one little foal, but I didn't really doubt that. She said she can't tell if it's a boy or a girl yet, nor can she tell what kind of pony it is. I'm not sure I want to know, keeping it a surprise just makes me even more excited.

Harvest Moon was overjoyed to hear it too. I knew he secretly wanted a little foal of his own, and now he'll have one!

27th Galena, 256

I suppose things had been going a bit too quietly lately. We had a bit of an upset with the caravan that arrived. From what I gather, some of the guards were assaulted and there were suspicions that some ponies might have attempted to either make off with merchandise and/or bribe the guards to look away. It took some convincing, but I managed to calm them all down. I offered them all a free hot meal in the dining hall and some drink to ease the tension. Once they were all settled I talked with the caravan master and paid for the damages. I hope our relations haven't been too strained by this.

That little Granite was largely to blame for this is unsettling to say the least, but I spoke with his father and I think his parents will be handling any disciplining there is to be done. I didn't tell them this, but we ended up paying a few thousand bits out of the town treasury to settle everything. Normally I'd be a bit more upset about that than I am, but we're so oversupplied in everything we need I don't think the money will be missed. Not that we can make it a habit, of course.

28th Limestone, 256

Today was the day! Little Rose came into the world today. She's more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. The moment we saw her, both Harvest Moon and I knew the name Rose was hers. We were both quite shocked to learn that she was a unicorn! I don't have any unicorn blood in my family as far back as I can remember, although Harvest Moon says he has some on his mother's side. I suppose that's just the way it happens.

We'll worry with how to teach her magic when that day comes. Right now I'm utterly exhausted. I knew childbirth was painful and draining, but until you've gone through it, you really have no idea. I owe Wool a tremendous amount for the pain relief he was able to give me though. Both he and Panacea are wonderful doctors, and we all owe so much to them.

2nd Sandstone, 256

Something terrible happened today. I'm not sure what they were doing down there, but several ponies were exploring the caverns earlier today. Flux got scratched up pretty badly, but Jaxler was all but killed. I feel horrible for him. If Stiletto hadn't been there, both of them would surely have died. The stress of dealing with the ponies here getting injured, and nearly killed, is starting to wear on me. I don't know how much more if it I can take.

I don't know how they even got in there. They must have bypassed the trap for some reason. Maybe Flux was just inspecting it. I don't know. I need to speak with him about making sure that nopony else gets by it, especially the children.

I'm exhausted. Raising a child is more demanding than I think either of us realized, and I haven't been getting enough sleep lately. I'm sure I'll manage though. I've got the best stallion in Dawnpick to lean on when I need to. Which has been more than I'd hoped for lately, I'm afraid.

11th Sandstone, 256

Grapple's church was finally finished today. I haven't heard much out of him lately, which makes me wonder if maybe he's ticked off enough of the locals to keep it all to himself. Whatever the case, I'll let him know next time I see him that the work is done and he can do with it as he sees fit.

It's not much to look at. Just some tables and chairs. I'll probably designate it as a meeting area, which I haven't done yet.

A little scare today had me remember to return the military to active duty. Jaxler was busying himself making some bolts for the guard when a diamond dog stumbled upon him. He put the thing down with a few shots of his crossbow using those new bolts, but if a diamond dog was able to sneak into the settlement that means it's time to get everypony back on their hooves watching for trouble. The badger ponies likely won't be far behind.

I also heard that we've got a new member of the guard. Somepony named Kat asked to join up, and Partisan let her in. That makes four crossbow armed ponies to back up the militia and watch for trouble. Our settlement grows every year, so we'll need all of the help we can get. I hope she does well.

Which reminds me. I saw Billows give Falcata her repaired armor today. I think we're going to start a tradition where those wounded in battle will get a medal of sorts. In this case I had Billows fashion a small medal out of some of the gold we dug up and stud her armor with it. She's nearly died twice on our behalf. I think she's earned it. He also gave her a suit of double-weave chain to replace her current chain mail. It's a bit heavier, but even more resistant to damage.

I hope the rest of the militia isn't put off by her getting the gift. Glaive and Halberd deserve something too, which I'll have to think about. Jaxler too, come to think of it. He nearly lost his life trying to save Flux. That deserves a reward too, but I'll have to think of what. Perhaps a medal like Falcata's.

Woohoo, studded with gold. It's not much, but I couldn't think of much else to do that seemed appropriate. I didn't want to go overboard, else Virtue feels even worse about looking like she's playing favorites.

17th Sandstone, 256

These strange moods have taken a frightening turn for the worse today. Sienna, one of the older foals was possessed by some desire today and claimed a craftspony shop. That this madness could grip even our children frightens me to the core. Will Rose be next? I shudder to think of the possibilities. At least nopony has shown any ill effect from them yet. I fear that may only be a temporary thing though.

Speaking of foals, Naginata gave birth around lunch time today. I had a bit more sympathy for her when I heard about it this time, and went to go see the little earth pony filly, who she and Marbles named Floral. She's adorable, just like Rose.

I worry what might happen if Naginata is ever badly injured, or worse, killed. To leave so many ponies behind would tear my heart out. But she insists on staying in the militia.

19th Sandstone, 256

Sienna has begun feverishly working on whatever it was she started on. At least her possession will be over soon. While I watched her work away, I saw Stiletto and Flux worrying themselves with the well. I know it's been a bit stagnant lately, so we've needed a solution to that problem. Perhaps they'll think of something soon.

23rd Sandstone, 256

Sienna finished her crown today. I'm not sure what to make of it. She claims she's never heard of the creature depicted on it, and neither have I. For now she said to do with it as we wanted, so I had it moved to the stockpiles. Maybe we'll find a use for it some day.

After taking care of that and seeing to it that she was alright, I bumped into Flux who told me that the entrance to the mines has been completely surrounded with traps. That should keep the badger ponies out, although the diamond dogs seem to be able to get by the traps without much difficulty. In any case, we've made it abundantly clear to everypony that the traps are there, and especially for the children to not go near them. After what happened to Flux and Jaxler, and doubly so now that we've got traps there, I think only the miners and militia when needed should be heading down to the mines.

That ought to keep the badger ponies out. Haven't had a big problem with them and the mine, but why take chances when I'm stuffed to the gills with steel?

25th Timber, 256

Now that the church and fishing pier have been completed, I had the masons go back to work on the keep, while the carpenters set back to building new housing for our future. The keep is likely to take another year to finish completely, but it's getting there. Once it's ready, we'll have an above ground safehouse if we need it, and a place to possibly station the guard to fire on intruders from safety.

Speaking of thieves, we had a grand total of six attack today, which is a new record. Three badger ponies tried to sneak in, only to meet the militia after they were spotted by Partisan. One was cut down by Naginata as he tried to make off with her newborn. I don't have any sympathy for him. The second was killed by Sarissa, who intercepted him on the bridge after he was maimed by our trap network. The third tried to sneak into the mines where he met a similar fate by the new trap network. I suppose I spoke true when I said how dangerous the traps were.

The other three were diamond dogs. Halberd killed one that made it onto the bridge, while Sarissa wrestled one to the ground inside the walls and crushed his skull. I was unfortunately there to witness that. Why they keep invading when they meet this fate is beyond me. At least the third had enough sense to run at the sight. Last we saw of him he was disappearing over the hill to the north.

9th Moonstone, 256

Glaze gave birth again today, making this her fourth foal. She and Cleaver named the little unicorn filly Wisteria. An interesting name for her, but regardless she was a cute little thing. I hope Granite and his siblings are looking forward to a new little sister!

In unrelated news, the keep is coming along faster than I expected, and my new office is ready for me to move my things in. It's going to take some getting used to, since I've spent close to seven years in my old one, but I'm sure I'll get acclimated. I need the space. And I'm sure Partisan will appreciate moving his office out of the barracks into my old office, where he too can have a little more space.

What's the first thing Partisan did when he moved in? Dropped his socks all over the floor. :rainbowderp:

15th Opal, 256

Apparently there was a bit of a mishap regarding Stiletto and Flux' new water purifier. I heard ponies shouting and came running to see it spewing water everywhere. Nopony was hurt thankfully, and they got it shut down in time. I hope they're a bit more careful before turning it on again.

Whoops. Forgot to wall up the back of the dwarven water reactor. Let's try that again...

21st Opal, 256

Stiletto and Flux apparently fixed their little toy. I walked by today to see the great waterwheels powering a pump, which in turn powered the wheels. Flux swears it's impossible for a machine to work that way, but Stiletto enchanted it with some of her magic. It also cleans the water going into the well, which is being siphoned from the moat. We shouldn't ever have to worry about running out now!

Speaking of water though, Ocean Breeze dropped by my office to tell me that she thinks we've fished up everything in the brook to the south. I'm not sure if there is anyplace else safe nearby to fish from, so I'll have to think about what to do regarding that. Maybe nothing for now, but we can maybe expand the pier if we need to.

8th Obsidian, 256

Loom gave birth to her first foal today: a little unicorn colt the family named Maize. Loom hasn't been particularly busy the past few months, but I officially gave her some time off anyway. I know what it's like having your first foal now, and I know she's going to need that time to recover and to get to know her little bundle of joy.

After bidding them farewell at the hospital, I noticed Naginata and Glyph sparring out in front of the barracks. Glyph has come a long way since he switched over from being a mason to joining the militia, but Naginata is easily one of our best soldiers. She's close to Halberd's skill, and so he didn't get many hits in, but he's a fast learner. I think he'll do us proud one day.

Looks like Glyph finally got a chance to spar with Naginata.

24th Obsidian, 256

The rainbow ponies arrived with a caravan today, along with our outpost liaison and homeland caravan. After our last little fiasco at the trade depot I was afraid word might have spread and traders would be hesitant to show up, but there were no problems. That is, until a couple of badger pony thieves attacked the caravan and slew one of their draft animals. The guards dealt with the problem at least.

Once we got everypony inside, we helped them move some things to the depot and I traded for some of the usual things. I traded away some scavanged clothing and detritus left behind by previous encounters with the badger pony thieves, as well as a few crafts in exchange for some cheese, drink an orange tree and a chicken. I came to realize that we could use a little variety in our diet, so I'll make it a point to grab a few chicken hens or other poultry to try and get some eggs coming in.

While all of this was going on, I hear Hickory gave birth to a pegasus Filly that the family named Clear Skies. I didn't get to see him today before they spirited off home, but I'll put in for her to have a little time off for maternity leave.

7th Granite

Well, I'm not as excited as I was the day Rose was born, but today takes a close second!

I was heading to the dining hall to snatch a bite to eat before I went to clear a few work orders, when I noticed that it was awfully quiet outside. Nopony was around! When I stepped inside, I was nearly floored by a surprise party everypony threw for me!

I had no idea what it was for of course, until Harvest Moon stepped over to me and handed me a letter from Coupledye. Sealed by the king himself. Apparently he's so impressed with what we've done here, that he's appointed me baroness of Dawnpick and made the surrounding lands an official barony! The liaison officer spoke with Storm Cloud about it, and he seconded the recommendation. I'm glad he thinks I'm fit for the job!

I'm not so sure myself. I don't know how I feel about being a noble of anysort. I'm just a regular pony. And it's a lot of responsibility. The letter mentioned that since we're officially a barony now, we're expected to start exporting some of the steel we produce here. It was our original purpose after all. I'll have to go check the stocks on that tomorrow sometime. But for now, I'm going to snuggle up with my stallion and get a little sleep. I think I might have had a bit too much wine at the party, and I'm pretty beat.

Oh, but first, I forgot to mention Detergent gave birth to an earth pony filly today named Daisy. She wasn't able to make it to the party, but I made sure to have some of the food saved for her and her family.

19th Slate, 257

Totem was the next victim of the strange moods. I'm glad at least it wasn't one of the children this time. And he seems to be in a bit of a better mood than Sienna was when she was possessed. He's off to one of the workshops and is gathering random things. He hasn't had a lot to do here in Dawnpick lately, other than help Flux set up some traps, so maybe he'll find a new trade to start this way?

5th Felsite, 257

Totem finished what he was working on today: a giraffe bone crupper. It looks quite intimidating and would be a fitting part of our militia, except Halberd promptly told me it was worthless in a fight compared to steel and I suppose he's right. I told Totem he could keep it and do whatever he sees fit. I hear he hung it on the wall in his home, which seems appropriate.

While I was worrying over that, Glaive stopped by and had a good recommendation related to the keep. He suggested a few things about fortifying it for use as a firing tower in the event that we ever do get invaders inside the walls, and I can't say I fault his logic. The idea about stockpiling some things in the cellar sounds like a good idea too. There's enough room for everypony to pack inside if we had to in an emergency, so I think I'll go through with his plans at the earliest opportunity.

11th Malachite, 257

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest when I heard from Powder Miner that something large had been caught in the ballista trap. I immediately had the guard head down there with Arbalest to take a look at killing it, but the ballista was positioned wrong so he couldn't get a clear shot at it. I feel kind of dumb now, looking at the plans. It's obvious what I missed, but we can't fix it with the beast in there.

Instead I had the miners carve some fortifications into the walls so that the guard could take shots at it with their crossbows.

Going to have to relocate the ballista or something I think. At least I got some fortifications carved to shoot and get some easy markspony skill!

Partisan and his ponies shot all of the wooden bolts we had stockpiled but they didn't manage to get a whole lot accomplished. I sent down the order to Pewter to get some iron bolts made, hopefully they'll make a difference.

16th Malachite, 257

Morale took a bit of a dive after everypony heard about the beast, but by now everypony seems to have mostly returned to normal, since it can't get out. The bolts are almost ready to take another crack at the monster.

I was a bit surprised to hear that Panacea and Saw Dust were married today, considering what just happened! But from what I hear this is what it took shy Saw Dust to propose to her. I talked with her a bit after the reception and she told me that he was a nervous wreck the night we captured it, and he decided it was time to move on in their relationship in case it was too late soon. I certainly hope it doesn't come to that, but I'm glad to see them married. They've been dating for seven years now, and I could see on their faces how happy they were.

20th Malachite, 257

Today was an extremely busy day, to say the least!

It started out innocently enough, with me overseeing the relocation of a few of our workshops to make better use of our space.

Yeah, it's a mess. Time to get that megastockpile converted into smaller special purpose piles and get the hodgepoge of workshops relocated to better locations.

While I was working at that, I heard that Ocean Breeze gave birth to a unicorn colt the family named Crimson. I headed to the hospital to take a look at the newborn, when I went into labor myself. It was an amazing coincidence, but I suppose it couldn't have happened at a better time. I knew I had to be due any day now, but Panacea didn't think I'd give birth for another week or so.

But nature makes up its own mind, and my little earth pony colt decided that he wanted to be born today. We'd picked out a few names for possible colts, but the only one that really seemed to fit him was Valor. I can't really place why, but that's just what his face said to me. Now we have two little foals to call our own, and I know Rose will be overjoyed to have somepony to play with when he gets a little older. I think two is enough for now though, being a baroness on top of a mother and manager is hard work!

Harvest Moon came charging in at the news, and had news of his own, after he settled down and got to hold Valor for a minute. It turns out that the guard managed to kill the giant lizard in the trap. The iron bolts cut through its hide without hesitation, and Storm Cloud has the honor of getting the fatal shot. I think I speak for everypony when I say that this is a new chapter in Dawnpick's history. We no longer fear what lurks beneath the ground!

While I was recovering with Ocean Breeze and talking about the things mothers do, Storm Cloud came in with another official letter from home. The king wants an update on our status, including census information and a tally of all of our stocks. I'm going to take a few days to recover, but I'll get all of that together as soon as I can.

Author's Note

Included with this update was the then most recent save of Dawnpick, which can be found here.

37: Journal Entries

Jaxler's journal

3rd Sandstone, 256
I’m in the hospital right now. My front legs, my right wing, and ribs are broken and I can hardly see straight with all the medical magic Wool cast on me. I can’t believe I went down to the caves yesterday, I heard the stories about the monsters down there but I was foalish enough to go into them. I ended up being a meat shield for Flux, when some cave swallows and a cave Ogre attacked us. In the end Stiletto had to save my life and drag me all way up here. I also think I might have dropped my crossbow down there.

4th sandstone, 256
Note to self: never mix alcohol with medical magic.
I feel really funky right now. Earlier in the day I had Arbalest bring in some booze, I knew Panacea would take it away the moment she saw the barrel so I took the closest bucket and filled it with booze. So I've been drinking moonshine and right now I feel really funky. In fact I’m amazed I can even wright right now.

8th sandstone, 256
I got out of the hospital today. I’m in casts and need a crutch to move around but aside from that I’m fine. The first thing I did today was walk down to the caves and grab my crossbow, which is in pretty bad condition. The things covered in mold, is rotting, all the metal parts are rusted, the string is gone and it has a few cracks in it. Also turns out somepony named Kat wants to join the guard, she said she would be willing to die in the place of a civilian no matter what so she seems right for the job. Oh, almost forgot, today’s my birthday. today I turn 73.

11th sandstone, 256
Today was more eventful than normal. I spent the first five hours of the day walking around town trying to get my crossbow fixed. Wool apparently was able to un-rot the wood and I had to talk to 3 woodcrafters before one said he would help with the cracks. Then I had to steel some string from the stockpiles and finally I had to get a mechanic to redo the firing mechanism. In the end I spent 800 bits but at least my crossbow seems to be fine now. I even got to test it on a diamond dog today. The poor bastard tried sneaking up on, probably thought I’d be easy seeing how I’m in a cast. in the end I put 7 bolts in him.

25th Timber, 256
We wiped out some thieves today. So, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

9th Moonstone, 256
I got my casts off today. I can now walk and fly. The more I look at my wing the more I realize that it really got mauled, it’s just scarred like hell. I've got tree huge scars plus the one that diamond dog gave me last year. I also got a scar from where Panacea cut me open and put my ribs back together, and then of course of got my burn scar. My left leg looks a bit dented too.

21st Moonstone, 256
Well, I woke up on top of the keep for some reason. I have I splitting head ache and the sunlight burns. I had to fly away the moment I realized where I was because I didn't want Partisan to catch me up there. I also found my crossbow under a tree on the other side of the fort.

8th Granite
Yesterday Virtue got promoted to baroness, so Harvest Moon organized a party. Everypony showed up, the moment Virtue came in Harvest Moon showed her the letter from the king. After that my memory gets a bit fuzzy so I’m assuming there was some free booze at the party.

5th Felsite, 257
Totem apparently made something “amazing” today. It’s a peace of armor made from bone. Now that’s just impractical. I guess it could look good as an ornament or something but aside from that it’s just a waste of time and resources.

11th Malachite, 257
Some giant abomination from the caves showed up again. This time I didn’t get shot out of the sky, but we failed to even harm the thing. Our wooden bolts could hardly break the thing’s skin. We really need to use something a bit more deadly when making our ammo.

17th Malachite, 257
Well, I feel nasty right now. I’m wringing five feet away from the moat right now, I woke up here. I see a stone pot at the bottom of the moat, and I can also see my crossbow floating off. Man, Panacea's wedding reception must have been something, all I remember was showing up to the event.

20th Malachite, 257
Well, we killed the monster today. The damned thing took forever to go down. In the end the new iron bolts bade a real difference.

Glaive's Journal 28th Limestone, 256

Miss Virtue had her foal today. A young unicorn filly named Rose. The name is obvious if you see her.

Glaive's Journal 2nd Sandstone, 256

Jaxler and Flux were in the caverns today, while I was on patrol. Apparently they ran into a cave ogre and some giant cave swallows. Nasty luck. By all rights Jaxler should be dead, but apparently Stiletto heard the yelling and managed to save them both. Flux has some minor injuries, but Jaxler will be out of commission for awhile.

Glaive's Journal

We were drilling formation fighting in the caverns. It was certainly needed practice. A lot of the recruits have never fought in an organized manner. We've spared with them, and taught them how to fight on their own. But the warrior who fights alone, dies alone. But what really troubles me is that that alicorn, Stiletto was giving the orders. And Commander Halberd was right there, even listening to her himself. I want to know what gives her the right to command us. She hasn't been promoted as far as I know, nor was she wearing anything to signify her new position. Is everypony just going along with this because she's an Alicorn? Or because she's from Deutchmeinerland? I wanted to talk to the Commander, or Captain Naginata, or even Miss Virtue about it, but I don't think that's wise. Stiletto is a good soldier and ((the sentence ends abruptly here))

I need to try harder.

Glaive's Journal 11th Sandstone, 256

They have finished the construction on that preacher's chapel. Can't say, I approve of Virtue setting aside that much of our resources for his church when we don't even have a proper shrine to the old gods. Of course we also don't have a priest for them. I'd bring it up but I can't say I was ever very pious, and without somepony to properly perform the rituals, our individual prayers will have to be enough.

Also, Falcata had some wonderful gilding done to her armor under Virtue's orders. The steel and gold look good on her, though if it's her reward for being injured I hope she never get's any more. She's also being given a new thicker steel chain mail shirt. I just hope she doesn't take it as an insult to her fighting ability. She's certainly a tremendous fighter, but her speed can get her in over her head.

Glaive's Journal 17th Sandstone, 256

Another one of those strange moods has struck. This time a mere foal. All the others have been fine. I hope this one goes as peacefully as before.

Glaive's Journal 9th Moonstone, 256

Construction on the keep is coming along nicely, and it seems that miss Virtue is setting up her new office as I write this. Seems a little small to me honestly, if we are going to be calling it a keep, but it's stone and it's strong. I'm going to suggest setting up a stock of food and drink in the basement along with a large stockpile of bolts and crossbows on the second floor (with fortifications to shoot from.) if the outer defenses are breached we need to be able to hole up in there for potentially a long time.

Glaive's Journal 21st Opal, 256

So it seems that Stiletto and her coltfriend Flux have set up a water purifier. That is great news, the water the well has been providing is muddy as hell, I've been having to make due with grog. But it is nice to have some clean pure water to drink. I looked over the contraption, I'm no mechanic but, it seems that they got it powered by a self maintaining spell, it should run for ever, or near to it. That's some very advanced magic, didn't know Stiletto could do that. If she's got that kind of talent, she's wasted as a warrior, should be making more use out of her skills.

Glyph's journal 16

I was late to training in the caverns today, well technically I skipped it. But I had a good reason journal! There was a Pegasus there that I didn't know, a civilian, so I decided to stay with her just in case anything decided to attack. Her name was Kat, and she wants to be a guard. I hope she makes it in, she seems like a good pony. She's nice, and well I guess I can write this seeing as nopony else will read it, I think she's really cute... After Stiletto started teaching me about all the things in her culture... Umm maybe I won't write that... even if Kat won't see this.

Glyph's journal 18

Virtue had a foal journal! I was even able to see her, such a cute little unicorn... I haven't seen any stables like back home, maybe I should talk to Virtue about that. Even if the families want to look after their foals, they still need to work, not to mention the militiaponies who have foals. I could volunteer as Pen-Father even! I have all that free time, would be nice to take care of the sweetlings while their parents worked... and if I did... I wouldn't have to worry about ((The page is stained a bit here, as if water had dripped onto it))

Flux' Journal Limestone 28

Virtue had her foal today! She's an absolutely adorable little unicorn, named Rose after her coat.

Sandstone 17

Another pony was inspired to make something today. The thing that's kinda concerning is that it was one of the foals: Sienna. She's doing like everypony else, though, and just yelling about needing something to work with. I wonder if she'll earn her mark for whatever she makes?

Sandstone 23

She finished her project: a crown. It's got quite the engraving on it, though I'm not sure what it actually is. It's a really nice crown, though. Oh, I also finished securing the mine entrance with more traps. I still prefer the blade traps to anything else so far. They're... messy, but effective. Stiletto is bringing over her plans for a water purifier for the well so we can refine them, so I'll write more later.

Opal 15

We finished the purifier and started it up, but I think I may be cursed when it comes to seals. It sprayed water all over the place, but nopony was hurt. Stiletto and I had a good laugh about it, even. We just need to redo that seal and try again.

Opal 21

It works! The seals held and now the water should be totally free of mud! The power source took a bit of Stiletto's magic to keep going, but it's apparently not too hard a spell. It's kinda weird to watch it go, a water wheel powered by a pump that's powered by the same wheel. Ah well, it works!

27th Galena, 256

Hello Journal! nice to meet you. heh.
The Trade Caravan came today bringing all sort of stuffs, And there it is, just laying there amongst the other stuff.. a Journal! just what i've always wanted. Ponies keep saying that i'm bad with memories and forget things often.. well not anymore! now i'll have something to write in and remind myself of!

Speaking of Reminding, looks like there were some some trouble with the Caravan, a Foal attacked the guards or something. I couldn't imagine how that went.. but hey! at least i gets this Journal for free! Fighting ponies are best distraction.

19th Limestone, 256
It's my Birthday today, i was thinking of buying myself something new. Maybe getting a new dress or something to put in my cabinet. But the next Trading Caravan hasn't come yet and there's really nothing much i can get, and stealing from the storage doesn't sounds so good. So i settle with just a big fancy meal in the dining hall and a day of not-working. A year older..

28th Limestone, 256
Lady Virtue gave birth today! good times all around Dawnpick, I swear my heart melted and then exploded twice by how Adorable her foal is, how lucky of her to be born with such wonderful parents. Maybe i should go visit them sometimes if they're not too busy.

It seems a little odd that her Daughter's a Unicorn though, but i guess there's unicorn blood in them somewhere. Just how things works i guess.

2nd Sandstone, 256
Someponies went down the Cavern today from what i heard, and got beaten up pretty badly as well! why would they even want to go down there is beyond me.
Maybe if we have more guards.. then maybe less ponies would get hurt..

3rd Sandstone, 256
I've decided that i want to join the guards, and gathered enough Courage to go talk with that Militia Alicorn and her coltfriend today. Meeting new ponies, They said that i should go ahead and talk with Partisan about it.

Stiletto seems surprisingly nice, at first i thought she'd lodge an axe in my skull if i startled her or something.. turns out, no axes! Lucky me i guess.

7th Sandstone, 256
I heard there's some Militia training down in the Cavern today, Maybe this is my chance to get to talk to some so that i can join!.. but i think they're not the same as the guards. oh well.

I Hauled down a barrel of Cider into the Cavern so i'll have an excuse to be there and watch them train. Met even more Ponies today, One of them is a Second-In-Command of the guards! he asked me some questions and seems to like my answers. And then there's this Militia pony named Glyph, he seems like nice. Maybe Lazy seeing how he skips the training to sit with me though. But i think he have his reasons, don't know what though.

11th Sandstone, 256
So many good things happened today, First off, a Church finished. a Church! in Dawnpick! for the sisters! Faust save us all.
Then Partisan came over while i was having lunch and said that i can join the guards, i think i squee'd.

I Moved some things out of my house to the Barracks and they gave me a set of Leather armor and a Crossbow! I can't even begin to describe how great i feel right now. I'm going to spend the rest of the day trying to hit that Target that Partisan set up for us.

17th Sandstone, 256
Another Strange mood! This time a Foal! i didn't even think whatever gave ponies strange mood would do it to a foal as well! this is crazy.
But at least nopony got hurt from strange moods like theses. But they were grown Ponies.

23rd Sandstone, 256
Looks like this strange mood made a Crown, with a creature on it.. what is it i don't even..
i need a drink.

25th Timber, 256
Some Thieves tried to sneak into our fort today, I thought I'd finally get something to shoot at more than targets but the Militia took on all of them and none were left for us. Well, Back to shooting Targets i guess.. i'm honestly getting tired of shooting the same target in the same pattern over and over and over again. Although i think it helps make me shoot better.

9th Moonstone, 256
Today Lady Virtue moved into the Keep, and Partisan moved into her old Office, well good for them!
There's Rumors that Partisan dropped socks all over his new place when he got there. No idea how true this is, but if it is, i think maybe he have something Against Lady Virtue.. but it's just a silly rumor anyway.

21st Opal, 256
I was surprised when i saw Clean water in the well, looks like Stiletto and her Coltfriend Flux finished a Water purifier! FINALLY clean pure water to drink and wash.
Speaking of wash, i need to take a bath.

24th Obsidian, 256
The Trade Caravan arrived today, i heard that they lost an Animal by a thief. Then their guards took care of them. I just don't get what Thieves think when they decide to attack a heavily armed Caravan... that's just stupid.
Worst of all, there's nothing that i wanted coming with the Caravan neither! No Carrots, no new dresses, Guess i'll have to wait for the next one..

7th Granite
We Made a Surprise Party for Lady Virtue today, Dawnpick has become a Barony! I'll have to start calling Lady Virtue "Baroness Virtue" or something now i guess.
and Jaxler emptied the drinks again.. But otherwise, It was a good day.

19th Slate, 257
Apparently another strange mood happened to another pony again, i think it's becoming a common thing.. and since nopony's getting hurt, maybe it's not a bad thing after all?

11th Malachite, 257
Dear Journal.
I'm so bucking Excited.
the Ballista trap caught one of the beasts! sadly it fails to get a clear view to shoot.. so the Miners craved some fortifications for us and boy did we have a good time!
We spent the whole day just shooting at the poor thing with our wooden bolts, i think it hurts the thing or annoy it at least. but seems like we can't kill it with theses bolts, i'm kind of worried what would've happened if we didn't have this fortifications to shoot from. At least we had fun though.

16th Malachite, 257
Another Marriage! Today Doctor Panacea and her long-time Coltfriend Saw Dust got married, i think we partied almost as hard as Virtue's surprise party. as usual, Jaxler got wasted. Again.

20th Malachite, 257
Dear Journal.
Baroness Virtue gave birth to a little colt, now our Fort full of Foals! I really hope we'll be able to build something for the Foals to play and be at soon, i don't like the idea of letting them wandering around and all over the place, some might be caught in something Dangerous! Glyph have been saying something about something like that. Can't remember the exact word that he used but it seems nice, he's a Nice pony. Maybe too nice.

And by Faust!, The Iron bolts that they gave us worked better than i thought it would. Finally we manage to kill the thing. I feel kind of sorry for it that it's death weren't very quick though, but damn it feels great. Storm Clouds got the killing shot, maybe we'll throw a party for him or something.

Missionary Log
Galena, 256
The scrolls have finally arrived by caravan. Unfortunately, they came with my past. Skrillnozh. An old droog from my bandit days. It had been a long time since I last seen him, longer if I could have helped it. After he announced to half the SCHEISSE SOD FRACKING town about me being a bandit I roped him in to taking the scrolls back to the church. We had a talk there. I told him strait, not to come back. This wasn't some dammed bandit town, or black inn, or pirate port, or corrupt border watch, or a capital slum town, or a Sodding dark fortress. This is a good town, with good ponies and ponies like him were not welcome here. I wasn't his brother no more.
I expected him to stab me. He just walked out though. I hadn't seen it before just then, but the way he moved just then, the way he looked... He was broken. Just like all the others, he was just going though the motions now. That was the last time I saw him.

I should have killed him when he was walking out.

Limestone, 256
Ms. Virtue had her first little foal today. A beautiful little filly named Rose. Not much else this month. I'm surprised really. They haven't yet forced me out even when they know my past as a bandit. No pony even says anything to me.

Sandstone, 256
A busy month this time around, and not all good news. Jaxler, one of the best guards we have was terribly injured in the caves. I have seen ponies die from wounds half as terrible as his. He lived though, praise the sisters and praise our doctors! He has inded made a full recovery by the time of my writing.
Another of these odd moods has croped up again as well. I have heard stories of such moods among the dwarfs, but never among pony kind. Is this a blessing that creates these wonders, or a curse as the tails of mad murderous dwarfs would suggest?
Finally, the Church has been completed at last! Praise the sisters! Now I can begin my proper duties as a priest of the astrial ones.

Timber, 256
We had six thieves try to sneak in today. That is an unusually large number to say the least. I got a look at there equipment and it looks like a bunch of low quality stuff, mostly for other races. No doubt about it, were being used to bleed off unwanted recrutes for a raiding army. I can only hope we don't become a noticeable target, like a barony or something.

Moonstone, 256
I have been shaken in my faith. Granit came to me asking about what it was like to be a bandit. The question was not unsuspected. In fact, I expected it a lot sooner then now. It was the way he said it. That innocent way... with a hint of... wonder... adoration, even just the tiniest...
I told him to never ask again or I would tell his parents who was stealing from the stores again.
He brought up more bad memories than Skrillnozh did. If these ponies knew half of what bandit do, what I have done, they would have strung me up by now. I would deserve it too.

Opal, 256
Stiletto and Flux finally got there new well contraption working after quite a bit of trouble. They nearly flooded the tow on the first try. I wanted to congratulate them but...
It's better this way. Let others come to the light of the sisters rather than have me forcing it down there throat. All my free time is now spent in quiet prayer in the church now.

Obsidian, 256
Two caravans arrived this month, along with the outpost liaison. It all seemed to be an on the level operation from what I could tell. Surprising to say the least. I even here we made quite a good trade as well.
I have also begun to fast to further my meditations. I take only one meal a day of modest size and drink only water to purify my body and soul. I do not know when I will end, but I think not for a long time. My robes have hid the lost waight and skinny frame and I do my best too keep well groomed for ad the book of Harmony says, "Only the hypocrite goes into the temple to flaunt his pain to the others declaring it for the sisters. Fast in your home and let none know, for purity is it's own reward. Let your pain fro the sisters be for the sisters alone." (HARMONY 6:4-6)

I almost forgot, another foal was born today. There are so meany running around now a days, I seem to lose track.

Dear Diary,

I haven't wrote in you for such a long time. I lost track of where I left you and... well I found you. I've already lost track of time after the incident... I really pissed off that caravan and after looking through Virtue's diary I caused a serious dent in the economy. I hope nopony mentions that day anytime soon. I might make an appearance today, after Father finally released me from the prison known as the attic. I heard that Jaxler got really banged up in the caverns recently, I should of visited him, I've broken out of this god forsaken room so many times before it's not even funny. I think I actually learned how to pick locks in here, oh the memories.
I have another sister now. Great. Now I have two unicorn sisters. Does that run in the family or something? Or am I lucky enough to have the magical abilities of an earth pony, hah.
I haven't learned jack from Flux, but that's probably because I was locked in the goddamn attic for about, I don't know? Three? Maybe four months? Whatever. That punishment was way too harsh- wait, what the hell am I saying?! I could- and should- have lost a hoof for that or something! I should be thankful my body is relatively intact, I mean I severely pissed off a lasher! L-A-S-H-E-R! They are perhaps the deadliest type of soldier alive.
Oh Dawnpick is now on the map! Virutue is the baron... ette? Ess? Whatever, again. I probably bring shame to this town colony thing...
I bet everpony is ashamed of me. The only thing I ever gave to society was a very good reason to hate my guts. Ponies are going to glare at me everywhere I walk. "Oh hey did you see Granite? That drunk foal that put a massive dent in our economy? The foal that can't do anything right?! THE LESSER SON OF GLAZE AND CLEAVER!!!"

*the rest of the page is violently torn off, and there are a few damp spots on the page*

38

It took Indigo a few days to persuade himself to intervene, and warn his friend Kat about the danger she seemed oblivious to. He needed to talk to her, and soon. Fortunately their rooms were on the same floor, and he noticed his friend going to her room alone. He approaches and knocks.

Kat was just putting her Crossbow away, being done with the day of guard duty. Hearing the knock, she had to walk back to the door, unlock it, then open it up to see who it was. Seeing that it was Indigo, she gives him a friendly wave and a smile. "Oh, hey there Indigo."

Indigo gives a nervous glance at the corridor, but there is nopony there. "Hello Kat. I... I need to talk with you. Can I come in?". Normally his demeanor is more reserved, and Kat seems used to it, but this time he looks rather agitated.

Kat raises an Eyebrow and cocks her head slightly to the side, wondering what's up with Indigo today. "Sure!" she opens the door wider to let him in, then closes them after him, "what's it that you need to talk about?"

After walking inside, Indigo sits on the floor. "Well, I...", he stammers. "It is not my place to intrude upon Your life, but I believe I should warn you. I would expect the same from a friend." He pauses and frowns.

Kat sits down on her bed, still with a raised eyebrow and wondering what's it about. "Okay? So... what are you going to warn me about?"

"Well, I believe you got yourself into some bad company."

The Pegasus Mare's eyes turn rather.. stern. She looks at Indigo like he just said a bad joke. "And.. what makes you think that?"

"Well, I walk around the camp on various errands, and saw You with Stiletto on several occasions. I believe she is trouble."

Kat's eyes become even more stern, mixed with disbelief and suppressed anger. "So... you think, Stiletto... the Alicorn... the one that's in the Militia, the one that ripped thieves after thieves after thieves to save our lives countless of times with nothing but bare magic and an axe the size of a small pony... is trouble. Is that correct?"

"Yes. I believe she seduced two stallions, and made some kind of commotion. Such indecency is hard to believe, but I think it is true. I've seen her with Flux, and one of the militia tucked under her wings. True, she mostly keeps to herself, and is a good soldier when it comes to defending us from bandits, but I do believe her to be trouble nonetheless."
Indigo pauses, rather relieved to having said that, and waits for Kat's reaction.

The Mare just sat and listened. She wanted Indigo to continue and see what his reasons are, if any. Besides, she knows that it's not polite to cut somepony off while they're talking.
"So.. you're saying, that after risking her life protecting us, so we don't have to watch our backs or have more coffins made for us in the tomb, after spending days in days out helping everypony, training, working under all that steel, just because she has more than one Pony with her, she suddenly becomes Trouble?" Kat asks again, as to confirm.

Indigo was rather at a loss for words "Well, yes. I believe she treats both of them as coltfriends, and such a thing cannot be. If this is true, she will hurt them both. And possibly others."

Kat finally smiles up, patting Indigo softly on the shoulder "oh Indigo... Ponies gets hurt and worse everyday. And I think sharing a mare with another colt is a lot better than getting stabbed by a badger thief no? We hurt a lot of many things everyday in our lives. And I don't think just because she has more than one coltfriend makes her a bad pony. Remember cultural differences? Of course you do. You know me, Ponies from different places have different thoughts and feelings. Probably from where she's from, it's acceptable to have more than one coltfriend. We're not going to be silly enough to make a different culture block us from making new friends, are we now hmm?" Kat tries to reason.

Indigo opens his mouth, closes it, and opens it again, visibly shocked. Finally he manages: "I... don't come from, where she comes from. And I will not stand for unfaithfulness."

Kat smiles, laying back slightly onto her bed to relax out. "Well I'm not from where you are from, or she is from. And Unfaithfulness was a really big sin. But do you know what's even worse?" She would wait for him to ask “what?” before continuing, but he just stared. "Being close-minded and dismissing anyone that's different from us. That makes us the true monsters"

Indigo looks even more shocked 'She is lying on her bed... like that, is she trying to tempt me?' "I... monster... " he stammers, but quickly continues, as if reciting a remembered text. "Like I said, it is not my place to intrude upon your life. My warning was given sincerely." After a moment's hesitation he adds. "I was wrong about you."

Kat sits back up, cocking her head to the side slightly again. "Well, thank you for your warning. It shows that you still care, and it's really great. But.. what do you mean you were wrong about me?"

"I thought it would bother you, of course. I don't understand your attitude. This is foolishness."

Kat beams Indigo another smile, opening her saddle bag and takes out a bottle of Strawberry wine, offering it to Indigo at first "Indigo, I really need to talk to you about the great goddess Faust sometimes. Taught us to accept, to befriend, to tolerate.. and to choose."

"I... see. I won't bother you about it, then. I... need to think now." He nods, then sighs, and starts walking towards the door.

Kat perks her ears up, seeing Indigo walking away like that, she calls out "Indigo?"

He stops, but is still looking at the door. "Yes?"

"You didn't bother me. Not at all... Thanks for visiting" She says, clear as day and filled with that cheer in her voice that Indigo used to hear when she talked before she joined the guards... That voice of cheerful, unassertive Kat who shared drinks and meals with him... who laughed and smiled with him... that he-... no... probably not.

He looks at her, feeling better. "Yes. You know where to find me if you want to talk. Just today... I had enough. Oh, and Kat, we are still friends, right?"

Kat smiles at him, nodding and still offering him that bottle of strawberry wine she has "Of course Indigo, always Friends. Always."

"Thank you, Kat. Goodnight." Indigo walks out of her bedroom without even noticing the bottle, but looking relieved. After a moment he perks his head back into the room "Oh, and what was said, was said between us, alright?"
Without waiting for an answer, he heads back into his room. He has a lot on his head.

With Indigo out of her Room, Kat sighs, laying flat onto her bed. Rather worried at her friend, seeing that he's acting rather weird lately... wondering if it's really just about Stiletto... and if there's anyway she could help him... but for tonight... she rests.

For Indigo this conversation went very differently than he expected. At least they are still friends. His head feels heavy, but he can't sleep. 'She thought of me as a monster, not her. Is she under her influence now, and I was too late? Adultery is just wrong, why can't she see it? How can she possibly think opposing it can be worse than the deed itself?' She didn't even try to deny any accusations, seemed unbothered by them and didn't listen to reason. This is a very unsettling thought for him. He remembered her words: "Indigo, I really need to talk to you about the great goddess Faust sometimes. Taught us to accept, to befriend, to tolerate.. and to choose."
'But it is wrong to accept and tolerate evil. And what choice could she be talking about, when condemnation of adultery is the only option?' He was a rather smart pony, and it didn't take him long to figure that out. She was going to give him a choice to either turn a blind eye to Stiletto's excesses, or not be friends with Kat any more. She said, they would always be friends, but Indigo lived long enough to learn that there is no such things as always. Making friends was generally hard for him, and loosing them sucked. After a while he started quietly sobbing in the privacy of his room, and that finally brought him relief. It was a cleansing kind of crying, and it helped. The next day he almost felt all right.

39: Under the Tree

Out by an old familiar tree by the river, a certain gray Pegasus and a certain large amethyst Alicorn where stopping to chat after a short walk. Stiletto lays down under the tree to relax and turns to Kat to speak. "Well I'm glad I got the purifier working"

"And I finally gets to join the guards!"

Stiletto nodded and smiled "I am sure you will be a great guard." She then huffed and looked at the ground "No fish in the river, we need to build a dock in the underground lake if we want more fish."

"Looks like Jaxler scored some good kills lately"

Stilettos’ voice seems a little far off "Yeah I know, he is doing well." She then looks in Kats’ eyes "Kat, do you remember when we danced at Lady Virtues' wedding?"

"mmhmm. how can i forget?"

Stiletto"You are a very good dancer you know. Your movements were so graceful. Maybe, you would like to dance again one day?"

"mm.. thanks.. and, yeah. I'd like that."

Stiletto smiles "Then I hope we get something to dance about soon."

"Oh we'll see. Hopefully there will be! Dancing means good things happening. and good thnigs happenings are always.. well.. Good!"

"Many good things have happened, the well is clean, the church is finished, we have a keep, and there is more love in this fort then... well ever."

"Not to mention a lot of Foals from all the extra lovings.. by the way i kept forgetting to ask. What's with the 'Pegasus' war?"

Stiletto looks down on the ground with a look of shame on her face "Many years ago, when my people were war like and needed more land to grow, we had never seen a pony without a horn before, not one." She has to take a breath before continuing "They we met the... at the time we called them die Greuel, they had no horns but they had wings, it was madness and folly that followed."

"Ah.. Confusions."

Stiletto needed to get this out, her voice was heavy with guilt "We thought , oh sisters forgive us, we thought that somepony had taken their horns and was using that power to, to control their bodies, their dead bodies. The horn, the place our magic comes from, it is the symbol of the mind you see. We did not think a pony could be born without a mind."

"The Confusions and Mistakes of our Ancestors, oh well. It's an old past already. Things been done and fixed. right?"

Stiletto raises her forehooves to her chest "Yes, one day, after our army had finished sacking a city, they found a foal, the first to be called unvergessen. That is what we call your kind now, unvergessen."

Stiletto is trying very hard to hold back tears "Do, do you really forgive my so easily?"

"As much as i'd like to, Stiletto. i simply can't forgive you. because to me, there's nothing to Forgive." She smilles.

Stiletto opens her forehooves and softly hugs Kat "Kat, oh Kat."

Kat smiles and returns the hug, content of talking to a friend lately.

Stiletto nuzzles Kats' mane, and she cries, and whispers "meine schöne Liebe"

Kat simply smiles warmly as she holds onto Stiletto as she cries over her. not really knowing why she's crying, but at least it's not a bad crying.

Stiletto whispers "Kat, I want to kiss you, is that ok?"

Kat blinks wide-eyedly in surprise. "w.. what?.. you.. em.. um.. what?" she stuttered. Completely caught off-guard by such a request.

Stiletto speaks softly "I want to kiss you, you are beautiful."

"b.. but.. em.." Kat’s eyes go wide.

Stiletto continues to whispers "tell me no, if you do not want to kiss me tell me no, or I will kiss you." Stiletto touches Kats' neck with her lips

Kat gulps and gasps when she feels the Alicorn's lips at her neck, she almost looked pale, her blush were so bright that it could probably be classified as a red dwarf "b.. but.. i've never.."

Stiletto slowly kisses her neck, once, twice, moving up her neck with each kiss

Kat is already visibly shaken, sweating and blushing so hard yet frozen in place, poor thing looks like she'd faint any minute now

Stiletto speaking softly "I love you, I love you." she kisses Kats' cheek and looks into her eyes

Kat gulps and blinks. "!.. em... love you too.. b.. but.. um.. don't think i'm.. ready for a kiss just yet.." she said, trying not to sound rude or pushing away, she wouldn't want to make Stiletto sad after all. But she's also not up for a kiss yet.

Glyph walks past, seeing the two. "Stiletto? Kat? What's going on?"

Stiletto nods and nuzzles "Ok, I under stand." Then Stiletto opens her eyes a little startled by the sudden arrival "Glyph?"

Kat blushes even harder, to have Glyph seeing her being nearly kissed by Stiletto in this position. "uh... hi Glyph! *Grinsquee*"

Glyph walks over to the two. "Hello mein... umm...erfahrensten Liebe... Hello Kat. What are you doing? You okay Kat? you look... tense." He looks between the two, trying to figure out what was going on.

"I'm sorry, I just, I love Kat, I can not lie, she has such amazing beauty, and she lifts my heart."

"I... but you... umm..." Glyph closes his eyes, trying to sort out his words. "I was going to be... I... I love her. She's nice, and cute... she makes me feel better..." He blushes and shuffles his hooves a bit.

Kat wished that she could just dig a hole and hide in it until everything's over. Blushing ever so furiously from getting loved at so much. She didn't hate it.. in fact she likes it. to be loved is a good thing.. but she's pretty much getting drowned by it at the moment

Stiletto sighs and lets Kat out of her forehooves, and then opens her wings inviteingly

Now this is something Kat doesn't mind, and since seeing Glyph being here already, more cuddles! she moved under Stiletto's wing and sat down, trying to calm down her heart BPM. all the while hinting Glyph to join in.

Glyph smiles big and walks over, sitting next to Kat and snuggling under her wing.

Stiletto cuddles them both under her wing and smiles "There, much more comfortable.”

Kat "y..yeah.. much." she leans onto Stiletto, nuzzling the side of her head onto her coat.. then leans over to Glyph to give him a nuzzle of his own as well. Granted she's still blushing, but far, FAR more relaxed than their first cuddle for sure.

"I like it here... nice and warm... and soft." Glyph cuddles closer under Kat's wing, nuzzling her.

Stiletto reaches over and kisses Glyph on the forehead, then nuzzles Kats' mane "So Kat, do want to talk about anything?"

Kat sighed contently, wrapping a wing over Glyph's Back as they all cuddle under Stiletto's wing. exchanging nuzzles happily "Hmm.. yeah, talking's nice. Talking with nice pony's even better... and.. talking with.. loving ponies.. is best."

Stiletto smiles

"You have us both now... umm Stiletto? What would be the word here?"

"For her to call you or me? or do you mean us together?"

"Umm... all of those? I kinda meant me though..."

"Oh yes, she would call you meine tapferste Liebe, and me meine königliche Liebe. I will call her meine schöne Liebe. and we are liebe verbunden."

"So many words i don't understand.."

Glyph smiles, “Oh cool... bravest love... but you forgot one. What would I call her?"

"Wenig Liebe, Glyph. All of them are words of love, oaths of love would be closer Kat."

"Right... I had forgotten... If... if you're okay with that Kat..."

"Mm.. well.. i have no problem with it really." she said and beams them a smile, giving Glyph a nuzzle at the side of his muzzle

Stiletto cuddles them both under her wing "Good. Remember my wings if you ever need a place to sleep, or... other things"

"Good... mein wenig Liebe..." Glyph nuzzles Kat, smiling at his new love. "Can... can I k... Kiss you?"

Kat blinks, wide-eyedly, much like what her reaction was to Stiletto's request.. the intense blush returns to her shortly after. "um.. w..well.. em.. i've.. never really.. kissed anypony before.." she said nervously

"Oh... it's alright if you don't want to yet... I won't make you. But if you are okay with it..." He nuzzles her again.

Kat looks down slightly, still blushing. the thought of two ponies wanting to kiss her in the matter of a single day!* "mm.. y.. yeah.. not yet.." She says, then leans herself into Glyph's nuzzle some more, sighing contently.

Stiletto nuzzles Kat and then Glyph

"Okay... then I'll wait... just... let me know when you're ready." Glyph sighs in contentment, cudding in, and nuzzling Stiletto when she moves her head close. Kat rests relaxingly on Stiletto and Glyph, exchanging nuzzles and occasional nibbling on coats. pleased and rather happy with her position here

Stiletto Yawns and cuddles up close "I love you both." she kisses Glyph and nuzzles Kats' mane "Sleeping here with you both seems like a very good Idea right now."

Kat yawns aswell, curling herself up slightly and tuck herself away in Stiletto's wings.. feeling sleepy already again "mm.. mmhmm.. very good idea.."

Glyph cuddles close as well, pressing tight against them and yawning. "And I love the both of you... a nap sounds... nice..." He rests his head on Kat's nuzzling into her mane. "A nice little nap..."

40

Kat was enjoying her time off from the guards, since things have been relatively peaceful with the death of the beast. Trotting around the town back from the food storage with a bottle of Longland beer tucked comfily away in her wings. Until her ears picked up what sounded like someone smacking something against something from the barracks.. so she decided to go check it out and see what's up.

Glyph is standing in the empty training area, taking practice swings at a training dummy. He had missed practice, and he had to catch up. He moves and hops, sliding around the dummy and striking it from various angles. His focus completely on the target in front of him.

Kat peeked into the barracks from one of it's windows, seeing Glyph training all by himself there. a smile crept up her face as she watches.. slowly and quietly climbed into the barracks via the window, Sneakily.

Glyph continues his practice, slowly speeding up, trying to keep his axe and body in constant motion. "One, two, three, four." He counts out, seeming to be timing his steps and strikes like a dance of sorts.

Kat failed her sneak in the last moment as one of her rear legs caught the window frame, sending her face-first onto the wooden floor of the barrack with an audible "Thunk!" along with her muffed "Oof!"

Glyph stops dead at the noise, looking around to see who was there. Seeing Kat he runs over. "Kat? Y-you okay? What were you doing..."

Kat tries to use both of her front hooves to push herself up, tugging her legs down from the window. She blushes and smiles embarrassingly from what happened. having a drop of tear in the corner of her eyes from the pain of the fall, doens't look like she's about to cry though. "oh!... um.. hi Glyph! i were just... uh.. passing by.. yeah!"

"Really? Then why were you coming in through the window? He moves forward and brushes the tear out of her eye. "I'm glad to see you though..."

Kat smiles as Glyph wipes away her tear, getting up on all fours again "t-.. thanks..glad to
see you too.." she said, still with a light blush across her face before continuing with his original question "w-well.." she began, looking to the side slightly from shyness "i heard something.. and thought I'd see something interesting in here..." she paused for a moment before turning to face Glyph again, smiling "and i found something better.."

Glyph begins to blush, nuzzling Kat a bit. "Is that so... I was just planning on training and then going to bed... but now." He smiles. "Now I can spend time with mein wenig Liebe..."

Kat smiles and blushes happily from the nuzzle, pressing her head lightly against the nuzzle as well "mm~.. hehe, what about your training?.. or.. would you like to have a break already?" she asked with a wink, opening one of her wings to reveal the neatly-tucked away Longland beer. her new fave alcoholic drink from Cider.

"Hmm? What's that, it's not cider... I was done with my training actually, I just kept going for a bit. Not much for me to do otherwise..."

"Mmhmm! it's not cider this time, it's Longland beer! really nice. gives you a good buzz too." Kat chirped, placing the bottle down infront of her as she lays down on all fours. tucking her legs in. ”you should try it"

"Umm... okay, I guess." Glyph takes the bottle, taking a sip. "Huh... it tastes... interesting..." He
lays down next to her, tucking in his legs and leaning against her slightly.

Kat giggles as he takes the sip, she leans back against his lean and nuzzles at the side of his head lightly. Happy and content, She admired a fine Stallion lately. "mmhmm.. who would've known you could make beer out of grass.." she said, quietly like a hush while she nuzzles at him

"I wouldn't... but I don't know much about food..." He smiles and sighs happily, nuzzling her and cuddling close, starting to worm his way under her wing. "B-but the company is better than any drink..." He says quietly, blushing right after.

Kat blushes in return, smiling "mmhmm.. much.." she said, opening her wings a bit so Glyph can lay under it easily. holding onto him with her wing. "you.. have very good moves.."

"Y-you think so? I... I try. I'm still the least experienced out of the militia... but I do my best..." He cuddles in even closer, snuggling into the softness of her wing

Kat smiles warmly and rests the side of her head onto his neck, cuddling in with him "mmhmm.. i do.." she said, letting out a little sigh of content. being there with him, she stayed quiet for a little moment before asking, "now that you're done with training.. do you.." her voice hushed down into something more like a whisper "want to.. go somewhere?"

"Go... umm..." Glyph blushes a bit. "Maybe? W-where.... where did you have in mind?" He speaks in the same low voice, keeping quiet.
"Somewhere... private.." she answered.. keeping her voice just as low.. before raising her head up, nuzzling him along the way to his ears.. then whispers, even more quiet "I think.. I think I'm ready for that kiss I promised.." blushing intensely

Glyph swallows, blushing bright. "I... u-umm... w-where should we go? T-to... to one of our rooms?"

Kat pondered for a little moment to think. then smiles "mmhmm.. or.. we could go to somewhere more.. natural.. like.. in the woods.. the brook.. or maybe even.." she lower her voice to a hush again "the cavern.."

"T-the... cavern? That would be kinda dangerous... but it is pretty... I like the brook too... Wherever you want mein wenig liebe..." He stands and gently offers her a hoof up, nuzzling her as he does so.

the Pegasi Mare smiles happily as she accept Glyph's hoof to help her up. returning the nuzzle while she stands. "Mmhmm.. and no other ponies would be down there.. right?.. that means.. we'll have the place all to ourselves.."

"We... we would. Well the caverns it is. I'd offer you a wing but..." He smiles, and moves to stand next to her.

"Hehe... well, if there's anything nasty down there.. you'll protect me.. right, 'my bravest love'?" she asked, picking up her bottle of longland beer and tucking it back into her wings.

"That I will mein wenig liebe..." Glyph begins to lead Kat down to a pretty part of the caverns he'd seen before.

Kat had been down in the cavern before, months ago when she wanted to see the militia train... she continues following Glyph down "Mm.. do you remember? I think this is the place we first met.."
"Y-yeah... it is. I... I thought you were so nice, bringing down something to drink for all of us. Nice... and cute..."

Kat blushes away to the side slightly when Glyph called her cute.. again. Following him deeper into the cavern "Mm.. and I thought that you're... really nice.. aswell.." she said shyly, but
sincerely.

Glyph smiles, "I... I like it when you blush. Here... this looks nice..." He stops in a small area, with pretty florescent fungus and other pretty cavern plants around.

Kat stops next to him, staying close for safety. She look around the place, seeing that it is, indeed.. pretty. "mm.. who would've known that the underground can be so... beautiful.." she said, sighing softly in content as she admires the scenery.. that blush still lingers on her
face, her eyes closed half-way as she goes into a dreamy state.

"Yeah... even with the danger, there is so much beauty here..." Glyph looks around, drinking in the scenery. He moves closer to Kat, nuzzling her neck.

Kat blushes softly from the nuzzle, closing her eyes, she leans her head slightly to the side to give more space for Glyph to nuzzle, letting out soft 'Mmnm~'s as he does so, enjoying it just as much as him.

Glyph smiles, sighing contently, then cautiously places a kiss on Kat's neck. "So... mein wenig Liebe... may I kiss you?"

She shudders softly from the kiss on her neck, blushing gently.. she replies, with her voice as sure as it is sweet.. "yes.. you may.."

Glyph smiles wide, slowly moving up her neck, nuzzling and kissing. Finally he kisses Kat's cheek and moves in front of her, pausing with his mouth almost touching her lips. She closes her eyes fully, then closes the gap between them. bringing her own lips against his.. her blush strengthen, and her wings pomf'd up slightly.. the taste of a kiss.. much better than what she've imagined.

Glyph closes his eyes as he holds the kiss, happiness filling him. He presses his lips against hers gently, sighing in contentment.

Kat held the kiss as well.. enjoying every single moment of it.. time doesn't seem to matter anymore and the outside world was nothing.. just for a moment.. until they had to break the kiss.. leaving a thin bridge of saliva between them. She pants softly, gulps a little then smiles.. "first kiss.. my love.." she says, happily. The blush still there.

Glyph smiles as well, nuzzling Kat gently. "So... was it good? Did... did you enjoy the kiss?"

Kat blushed away slightly, but beaming with smile.. "y.. yes.. it was.. I really.. did enjoy it.." she said, then presses her head against Glyph lightly for a nuzzle. letting out a happy sigh.. "thankyou.."

Glyph nuzzles her, moving as close as he could. "Thank you... you gave me your first kiss... and your love..."

Kat sighs happily, pressing herself against Glyph, not wanting to move away ever again. She beams a smile for him as he thanks her, giving him a nuzzle to the nose, making her face scrunchy. "mm.. thankyou.. for loving me." she whispers to him while looking him deep in the eyes.

"You make it easy mein wenig liebe... I don't know how anypony could not love you..." He hugs her, pulling her close.

"Aww.. you're just saying it.." she said as she tucks her head in between them as he hugs her, warping her forelegs over his shoulders and pulling close to him as well, loving the embrace.

"I only say what I feel..." he says, cuddling her, and holding her tight. Glyph sighs happily, "I love it here... but there is one problem..."

Kat tilt her head slightly, wondering what problem might that be "because it's.. dangerous?"

"Yeah... means we can't take a nap in all this beauty..."

Kat smiles, blushing as an idea hits her "Mm.. well.. your apartment sounds like a nice safe place to be..."

"M-my... y-yeah, you w-will always be safe there...if, if that's where you want to go?" He pulls back slightly and looks into her eyes. "I will stay with you for as long as you want..."

Kat Smiles shyly to him, biting her lower lip lightly as she blush before saying, "Stay the night with me.."

Glyph smiles, nuzzling Kat, and whispering in her ears. "If that's what you want, I will... and every other night you want... do... do you want to stay in my apartment, or yours?"

"Mm.. yours.." She answered back to him, returning the nuzzle, her wings finally being able to fold back to their original places again.

"Alright..." Glyph reluctantly breaks the hug, standing up and helping Kat to her feet. "Do you want to get anything from your room first?"

Kat ponders for a moment, to think if she needs anything.. then shakes her head "nope. I'm fine"

Glyph nods, then leads her back to his room, keeping close and smiling. The pegasi mare follows, keeping close and pressing her side against his as they walk. not wanting to part. A smile sets up residency on her face along with it's neighbor the blush, and they're not going to leave for quite.. a long time.

Glyph opens the door to his room and walks in. The room is fairly plain, just a bed, a table, and a small bookshelf, with a few books on it. "Welcome... what do you think?"

Kat looks around, seeing how everything was placed "looks like my room." she said, coming inside.

"Really? Well, it's not the fanciest, but it's mine..." He moves to the bed and sits down.

Kat smiles, moving over to the bed to siting down next to him. giving his cheek a nuzzle with her nose "mm.. Fancy enough for me!"

Glyph wraps his forehooves around Kat and lays down, cuddling close to her. "Well... that's good... I don't need much... so I don't keep much..."

She smiles as she lays down with him, curling up slightly and tucking herself into his cuddle. sighing happily "Mm.. well.. I found what I need.."

"So have I..." He shuffles around, sliding the covers up over them both. "Thank you for spending the night... It's.... it's nice to have somepony close while I sleep... especially one I love, and who loves me..."

Kat snuggled closely into the cover with him, folding down her ears, smiling up happily at him, she gives him a nice soft nuzzle at his nose. whispering again "thankyou.." Glyph just smiles, holding her close, and closes his eyes. Slowly he falls asleep in his love's hooves.

41: "Hunting"

Kat had returned home from her guard duty, done with the day already. It was great that they allowed her to keep her uniform, weapons and bolts at her own house rather than the barracks. Already at night where not many ponies are awake, She stares blankly at her crossbow as she places it down on her bed. "Tonight's the night..." she said to herself, coldly.

She wanted to let out a sigh. She wanted to just blow it off and go to sleep now so she'll wake up all happy and ready tomorrow... But it can't wait any longer. Kat changed her uniform for her usual casual dress, putting her armor into the cabinet. Her expression was blank and cold. Because she knew what she'll be doing soon. After changing into something more comfortable, She picked her bolt quiver up and attached it to her side, then pick up her steel guard's crossbow and slung it. In her mind, she wanted to just drop it all into the chest and drop herself onto the bed. But no matter how much she wants it, she found herself already leaving her apartment, locking her room...

She spread her wings, and started to fly away into the night sky. Above the lights of the city, letting cold night air wash over her. She couldn't believe she hadn’t stopped. She was weak. She flew and flew. Finally, over the walls, hoping that nopony saw her leaving Dawnpick's safety.

Glyph leaves his house quietly, and then sees Kat fly overhead. Looking around, he decides to follow her, down the path, and out of the walls. He keeps his distance, wondering what she was going off to do.

Kat flew quite a distance away from Dawnpick, but not far enough to get herself lost. After all she wasn't looking forward to get herself killed or anything. She lands inside the sparse woods. Finally being able to let out a soft sigh for herself. She frowns as she unslings her crossbow into her hooves, pulls it's string back and loads one of her iron bolts into the slot. "You’re a Monster Kat... you know it..." she says quietly to herself as she inspects her crossbow like she does every morning.

Glyph moves in, keeping out of sight. He hears her words, and cocks his head. "Monster? Why would she think that..." He mumbles to himself, watching close.

Kat has that absent-minded look on her face, not the smiling blushing Kat. Her eyes were somewhat sparkle-less from how low the lights are, Kat began to sneak, her crossbow pointed out and ready. Already seeing her first prey tonight... a good-sized hare just nibbling away carelessly. Kat took her aim down the sight... whispers "I'm sorry..." then pulls the trigger mechanism of her crossbow, sending the bolt flying away with force, hitting the hare in the head, fracturing it's skull and tearing apart the brain, making it flip and roll from the force before eventually ceasing to move and live.
"Wow... she's a good shot..." Glyph keeps following her, trying to keep quiet and out of sight.

Kat reloaded her crossbow again before walking over to the dead hare, opening her saddle bag that she brought with her and put the dead hare in there, extracting her bolt from it's head. She had to grab the bolt by it's head with her own mouth, tasting the blood made her shudder... and is that... a blush? No... Probably not... can't be.

"A blush? Cou-... no... no way..." Glyph watches Kat move with interest, chewing his lip as he sees the blood on her muzzle.

Kat placed the bolt into her quiver; she didn't bother wiping her muzzle clean from the dribble of blood that it made. Rising her Crossbow again, she continues her hunt for a new prey... It wasn't too long before a new prey was found, this time, a white bunny, smaller than the hare that she just killed. Kat sneaks quietly until she has a clear shot, aiming down her sight, this time, without even a sorry, she pulls the trigger. Sending her iron bolt flying straight into the bunny's midsection, sending it flying back a good couple of feet, It didn't die instantly, in fact, it squirmed and wiggled, struggling to breath and trying to escape whatever monster that might be hunting it.

Kat slowly walks up to its dying body. It looked up at her with it's black beady eyes, gasping for air. No doubt begging for mercy... And Mercy she gave... she raises a hoof up and positions it above it's head... then bringing it down. Making a loud audible sickening *Crunch*

Glyph watches, and hears the crunch... he moves slightly closer, moving a little bit out of his cover. Kat picked the bunny up, and removed the bolt from it. Grabbing it at it's head again as she pulls it out. This time, Glyph could see her face easier, and that... look on her... it really looks like she's blushing when she tastes the blood... but... it can't be! He seems almost entranced by the sight, taking another step closer before realizing he could be seen and hiding again.

After removing the bolt, Kat frowns again, heavily, before putting the bunny into the same saddlebag with the hare and reloading her crossbow with that bolt. She lets out a heavy sigh, and mumbles to herself, "You're a sick, sick mare, Kat...” At that moment, while mumbling to herself, Kat saw another thing move. Seeing that it's a wild cat, she aims down her sight and fires. But the thing was too fast, making her shot miss and it bolting away Fast like a... well... cat. Heading directly towards... where Glyph is hiding.

Glyph tenses, seeing the cat run towards him. Seeming almost asleep, he raises a hoof and stomps down as the cat runs by. With a sickening crunch, the cat's spine snaps, and it falls to the ground paralyzed, but still mewling pitifully. Kat was surprised to hear the stomp and the Cat's painful mewling. She quickly reloads her crossbow again, fearing that whatever was finishing her job might be dangerous to her as well. Or worse...

Glyph grabs the cat’s tail in his mouth, dragging it behind him as he walks out from his hiding place. Kat almost dropped her crossbow when she saw who it was, seeing Glyph dragging the Cat by its tail "G... Glyph?"

"Hello Kat..." He flicks his head and tosses the cat down between them, the poor thing still mewling. "I wasn't expecting you to miss... but I caught it for you."

Kat wasn't expecting to see what she's seeing at all. Her eyes were wide, looking down between the mewling cat and Glyph, who doesn't seems to be shocked by what she's doing at all. "W... what? W... why?"

"Why what? Why did I catch it?" He shrugs, "It was running towards me... why were you shooting things in the night?"

Kat sighs heavily. She aims her crossbow down at the Cat's head and puts it out of its misery, splattering blood and pinning it to the ground. Kat whimpered, looking down shamefully. "Because... I’m a bad pony..."

"A bad... you're not a bad pony..." Glyph moves closer and places a hoof on her withers.

Kat closes her eyes, whimpering quietly, her body slightly shaking already "Y... yes I am... if... if I’m not.. I... wouldn't be out here... doing... This..." she forced out, finding it harder and harder as she says each word as tears threaten to burst out of her eyes.

"K-kat... mein wenig Liebe... you're not a bad pony... I... I know it..." Glyph pulls Kat into a hug, nuzzling her, not seeming to mind the blood at all.
Kat couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears began to form in the corners or her eyes, and her words began to get mixed in with sobs "B... but... I... I killed... things... defenseless... things... and... And... I liked it... I’m... a sick... and *hiccup* bad... pony. It’s... it's not right!" she said, hugging tightly onto Glyph, dropping her crossbow onto the grass.

"And? I... I enjoy that too... even... even that cat, I just crushed it... and enjoyed the feeling..." He hugs her tight, trying to give her some comfort. "I-it... it's just something we have..."
Kat continues to whimper, sniffing softly, she looks up at him with teary eyes "R... really? B... but... it's... wrong... and... bad..." she said, looking down shamefully again. "The... goddesses wouldn't... want ponies to... d... do this..."

"W-well... t-they c-created us... a-and we're like this... s-so... maybe... maybe I-it's okay? I... I never really t-though about it... but... either way, you aren't a bad pony... you joined the guard, you swore to protect the ponies of Dawnpick... a bad pony wouldn't do that."

Kat sobs softly, slowly feeling better. "They... they created... us... and... gave us... the ability to choose... I... I choose to be... doing... *whimper* this... while I can... choose to... not... I... if I weren't... out here... tonight... these critters..." she began whimpering again "they wouldn't... die so soon... by me..."

"T-they... I... I don't k-know much... I never really l-listened to G-grapple... and t-there wasn't a-any... any w-worship in Ironbridle... but, if... if they made it s-so we l-like..." He swallows, looking at the cat again. "Like this... then why is... why is it wrong?"

Kat whimpers and shakes her head softly, shuddering lightly, not wanting to look at the cat for the moment "T... they just... made us exist... a... and... let us... choose w... who we want to be... T... they were kind... to give us a choice... a... and... I..." she sobbed softly, "I choose poorly..."

"Then... then... but, this is how we feel... why... why c-can't that be... be alright... I never... never chose... I just always felt..." Glyph closes his eyes, taking a breath, and then carefully wipes the tears from Kat's eyes. "At... at least now I know I'm not the only one..."

Kat shudders as he wipes away her tears. She sighed softly and give him a soft nuzzle to the nose "Let's... let's go back... a... and clean... I... I don't want to stay here anymore.."

"I... but... okay..." Glyph gives Kat a kiss, tasting the blood on her muzzle, trying not to blush. He breaks the kiss, and gives her one last nuzzle. "Just... don't come out here alone again okay? I wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to you..."
Kat sniffed softly, looking down again "W... why should you? I’m... " She couldn't bare to finish the sentence and just walks with him instead, not forgetting to pick up her crossbow and retrieve her bolts as well, but leaving the poor dead cat there for whatever carnivore to find.

"You're mein wenig Liebe, and you're perfect like you are... now stop beating yourself up... please..." He stays close to Kat as they begin to return to Dawnpick, watching for anything moving.

Kat finally let out a smile, feeling considerably better pretty fast with Glyph close to her like this... She smiles up at him, then nuzzles him on the side of his head "Thank you."

They arrive at the river, and Glyph leaves Kat's side for a moment. "We... we should probably get cleaned up here, better than tracking blood into the village."

Kat nodded, she searching for a dry patch of grass, she puts her crossbow down, followed by her quiver, then her saddlebag. She seems pretty okay now, not crying or anything. But she also doesn't seem over-joyous either. "Ponies used to think I’m a Vampire or something..."

"A vampire? Heh, I suppose I can see why..." Glyph places his axe next to her gear. "Blood on your muzzle... do... do you like... the taste too?"

Kat blushed softly from the question. "A... a little..."

"Y-yeah..." Glyph blushes a bit, thinking of how she looked pulling the bolts out of the creatures. "I... I don't know why but... I do. And... and kinda how you look... like this." He looks away, hoping he hadn't gone too far.

That made Kat blush even more, and she didn't even bother to wipe the blood away either. She pawed at the ground shyly for a moment, biting her lower lips softly and looking down as she ponders something, then began to unbutton the top part of her dress rather... slowly...

"K-kat..." Glyph swallows, knowing how much that meant. "A-are you sure about..."

Kat perk her ears up from the question, then smiles as she undoes another button.. "Yes.. I’m not going to wash with my clothes on now... Am I?" she said, blushing. Clearly knowing how much it meant for them

"I... I see... guess you're right..." He reaches up and undoes a few buttons on his coat. "Can't get clean with my clothes on..."

Kat didn't stop blushing; in fact, she blushed slightly brighter seeing that Glyph is joining her in the undoing of cloths. As Kat unbuttoned enough buttons on her top dress, it was revealed that some blood has trickled down to her chest slightly, and it stands out in her coat even in the night like this

Glyph swallows again, something about the crimson standing out from her coat making him blush more. He undoes more buttons, shuffling a bit with nerves.

Kat finally undoes enough buttons, and pulls the top part of her dress off above her head, revealing her clotheless coat. She blushes from this and tried to use her wing to cover as much of her as she could

Glyph undoes the last button, sliding his overcoat off, showing his bare coat as well, and trying not to stare at Kat, having a bit of difficulty. "Y-you... you look really... nice."

Kat blushes deeper from the compliment. "T... thanks..." she replies as she fidgets shyly for a moment, before deciding to continue her stripping, undoing her skirt so she can pull it off. Rather slowly, finally revealing her hind legs, flank, and Cutie mark.

Glyph swallows and shifts, still trying his hardest not to stare. "I... I like your Cutie mark..." He slowly undoes his pants and slides them off, placing them next to his coat, giving Kat a view of his cutie mark as well. "Crossed swords... a talent for fighting?"

Kat blushes down as she folds her cloths together; her tail trying it's best to offer her some covering. "N... not a really... good talent... Is it?"

"I don't know... seems more on how you use it... as long as you enjoy what you're doing..."

Kat nodded softly, now being fur-naked. She couldn't help but to blush at this fact, even if normally ponies don't have problem walking around naked. But this, she feels somewhat embarrassed about this. "I... I guess..."

Glyph blushes a bit as well, moving closer and cautiously brushing against her side. the
pegasi mare doesn't seems to mind much from brushing, she's blushing more than usual when clothed though. But not a single hint of uncomfortableness was given. "Your fur is... soft..." He presses his side against Kat, nuzzling her a bit.

Kat let out a soft coo as she continues to blush, softly pressing herself back against him "Mmm... yours as well.." titling her head slightly to nuzzle it against his nuzzle, swishing her tail softly from side to side

"U-umm... I-it's nice to... to feel your fur..." His tail swishes as well, and he kisses her cheek, and her mouth, smiling softly. Kat gulps softly, blinking and blushing lightly from the kisses, then smiles softly up to him, nuzzling his nose with her own... and presses her muzzle against his for a kiss..

Glyph leans into the kiss, enjoying her taste, mixed with the lingering flavor of blood. Kat closes her eyes fully as she kisses... enjoying it just as much as their first kiss. Letting out a happy sigh, she warps both of her forelegs over Glyph's shoulders for a hug, pressing her bare chest against his. He pulls her close, making a happy little noise. He keeps the kiss held, loving every moment.

Kat couldn't help but to let her wings pomf up slightly, revealing herself just that much more, no longer embarrassed that she's clothless and is being held close by Glyph like that. She tilts her head slightly to the side, opening a chance for him to deepen the kiss if he wanted to. Glyph takes the opening, gently deepening the kiss, pulling Kat as tight as he could.

Kat gulped and shudders lightly, her blush returning as she begins to pant softly, feeling Glyph deepen the kiss, her wings fully pomf'd. Glyph begins to brush her mane, gently caressing her as he kisses her, he shakes slightly and blushes a bit, enjoying the closeness. Kat mmnms softly into the kiss, feeling him gently caressing her like that, making her forelegs pull tighter onto him, holding onto him closer, pressing more of herself against him, blushing hard and enjoying it just
as much as him.

Glyph begins to breath a bit harder, and slides his hooves along her back and along the joint of her wings. Kat gasps in softly, as she feels his hooves touching the joint of her wings, shivering softly and letting out little eeps and soft Mmmms, already panting slightly harder. Glyph, emboldened by the fact that she wasn't pulling away, begins running his hooves along what of her wings he could reach.

Kat shivers hardly when she feels Glyph's hooves running along her wings, making them stiffen even more, almost painfully, her blush intensifies and she holds even tighter onto him, letting out soft little moans from her sensitive wings being played with.

Glyph breaks the kiss for a second, looking deep into Kat's eyes. "Are... are you okay w-with me doing this? I... I don't want to make you uncomfortable again..."

Kat pants for air for a moment, before smiling up to Glyph, having that blush and dreamy looks on her face. "Yes... I’m okay with this... After all... " she said, giving him a soft nuzzle "You're my love..." she continued. nuzzling softly down his neck, nibbling at his fur lightly.

Glyph smiles, then brings his mouth back to hers, and again he starts to gently rub along her wings Kat shudders softly, letting out soft coos, she didn't held the kiss for very long, and when it broke, she presses her forehead against his, looking at him in the eyes as she whispers to him "I’ve got a secret to tell you.."
"What? Y-you can tell me... anything."

She smiles softly, nuzzling at him lightly at his neck again, happily, before whispering back. "I’m a vampire." She chomps at his neck skin with her mouth, hard enough to break the skin to make him bleed, but not hard enough to really REALLY hurt him badly. She holds tightly onto him and latches her muzzle on the bleeding spot that she made on his neck, suckling softly to make him feel as if she's really drinking him... and in fact, she IS... Blushing from his taste of blood, it tasted like what blood tasted like... but much better than any animal she has ever tasted before... it was... much more enjoyable for her.

Glyph tenses up, panic flashing in his mind for a second. He relaxes quickly, holding her close. "I... I see... e-eat what you need then... I know you wouldn't hurt me..." He holds still, letting her suckle.

Kat Mmnms into his neck from her suckle, she holds it for a little while, then while still having some of his blood in her muzzle, nuzzles up at him and gave him another kiss, sharing his blood for him to taste. He kisses her, tasting his blood on her lips, enjoying the taste, even though it was taken from his own body. Kat nuzzles at him lightly again after sharing his blood and breaking the kiss, still holding closely "Aren't you... afraid of me?"

"I'd never be afraid of you... I love you, and I know you love me. You wouldn't kill me, so I have no reason to fear." He nuzzles Kat. "And many reasons to stay right here."

Kat murmured softly as she smiles, leaning herself fully onto him and nuzzles lovingly, sighing happily "Mmm... Thank you... my love..."

"Did... did you enjoy your meal mein wenig liebe... did... did you get enough?"

She giggles happily and prods his nose with her hoof lightly "Silly, I’m not really a vampire... I don't drink blood for food normally."

Glyph blushes at being tricked. "Oh... I... you g-got me with that... but..." He swallows, and looks away. "Did... did you like it?"

That delivers another blush to Kat's face, making her shy away slightly "Y... yes... I did."

"That's... that's good... A-actually... it kinda felt nice... thinking I was feeding you... Didn't taste bad either." He chuckles, "Maybe I should try some of yours." He nips at her gently, not even hard enough to hurt, then nuzzles her again.
Kat eeped and giggles, blushing softly "Mmm... w... well... I guess... I wouldn't mind... "

"Really? You sure? I... I'd try not to hurt you too much..."

"W... well... I don't really like getting hurt too much... but I wouldn't mind if it's from you..." she said and nuzzles him softly, licking at his muzzle

"Okay... t-thank you..." He kisses her, then moves his mouth down to her neck, licking it once, and then biting down just hard enough to break the skin. He begins to gently suckle and lick at the blood. The taste was even better than his own, better than any animals. He blushes and closes his eyes, enjoying her taste.

Kat gasped, blushing and whimpering softly from the pain, shuddering lightly but overall she seems fine enough, holding closely onto him. Glyph licks at her for a while longer, than does the same as she had, smearing her blood on his muzzle and raising it for a kiss. She accepts the kiss, shuddering softly as she tastes her own blood. Holding tightly onto him. Letting out soft Mmnms..

Glyph holds the kiss for a moment, then breaks it, nuzzling her gently. "I... I didn't hurt you too badly did I?"

Kat smiles softly, having a single drop of tear on her eye from pain reflex "Mmm... Not really." She sits down on the patch of grass.

Some time later... Glyph and Kat have gone to Glyph's house to end the day. Glyph has just entered and is on the bed.

Kat followed in, making sure the door is closed and locked, she puts away her crossbow and bolts before joining him on the bed, staying really really close to him, and curled up slightly "Mmm... feels great to be here with you again.."

Glyph pulls the covers up over them both, nuzzling in close to her. "Yeah... I love being close to you... m-maybe... maybe we c-could do this more often? S-spend the night?" He yawns a bit, laying his head right next to hers. "And... Next time you go out for... for that... can you bring me?"

Kat blushes softly as she nuzzles onto Glyph, tucking her head in between them as she curls up comfortably, still shivering lightly from the warmth inside her "mm... yes... we can.. And yes... I will," she answered. Wrapping her legs around him to hold closely onto him, oh how she wants him to know so much of how great his gift for her feels.

"Good... I'll be looking forward to it... both of those..." He kisses her, closing his eyes and slowly drifting off to sleep. Kat was quick to drift into sleep as well. Snuggling closely onto her love. Once again... she was happy.

42: May I Have This Dance?

Stiletto approaches Kat at the coronation party "Hello, enjoying yourself?"

Kat perked her ears up, seeing Stiletto and hearing her calls for her. "Oh hey Stiletto! Yes, I'm enjoying myself pretty much.. but Jaxler emptied the drinks again.."

Stiletto rolls her eyes "I should have known, but there are many ways to have fun Kat." offers her a hoof

Kat looks at Stiletto's offered hoof confusingly, tilting her head a bit wondering what she wants her to do with it

Stiletto magically takes her hat off and puts it to her chest while she bows her head down to Kat "Would you do me the honor of giving me this dance, young mare?"

Kat smiles and beams up from the offer, getting up from her seat she accepts Stiletto's hoof, saying "Gladly."

Stiletto takes Kat up in her forehooves and slowly flies her to the center of the dance floor

Kat seems only slightly nervous about this dance, but since every other ponies are dancing, she's pretty okay with it.

Stiletto begins to slowly circle the center of the dance floor with Kat held close "Should I lead, or would you like to?"

Kat was following her steps, "i.. i think you should.. i don't really know how to dance.." she admitted embrassingly

Stiletto leads her in the steps of a traditional Deutschmeiner sky dance "Then you are the most graceful pony I have ever had the pleasure to dance with."

Kat blushes in responds to that, trying to follow the dance but also trying not to seems awkward by it. "but.. i can't even dance well.."

Stiletto smiles and gives her the tiniest little squeeze about the withers "You are doing very well."

Kat continues to blush as they dance, looking up to Stiletto, meeting her eyes.. she smiled.

Stiletto smiles back at and Kat and leads her all about the air above the dance floor.

Kat wasn't a great dancer she admit, but with Stiletto's lead, she did try her best and soon enough things begin to flow on it's own

Stiletto brings the two of them to the floor and lets their hooves touch the ground for just a moment and she half mumbles "Be still my heart."

Kat tilted her head slightly, confused. but she stayed still as Stiletto asked her to.

Stiletto stops as suddenly as Kat and giggles "I meant you were making my heart beat quickly Kat."

Kat blinks for a second before going all "OOooohhhh..." As realization hits her... and it hits her with a blush.

"That is so very cute Kat."

Kat: "R... really?"

Stiletto lifts her slowly back into the air and twirls her around "Yes."

Kat eeps and holds onto Stiletto as she's being twirls around by her like that.

Stiletto slows down and moves back into light easy movements.

Kat slowed down as well to match Stiletto's pace, sighing softly and smiles up at her as they danced in the air... she's already feeling more confident with her dancing dancing skills

Stiletto leads her in slow circles about the room, pulling her in close

Kat didn't mind being pulled in close at all, in fact, she also held onto Stiletto closer as well.. enjoying the moment

Stiletto lands on the ground as the song stops and then speaks softly into her ear "I love you, meine kleine Schwester."

Kat beamed happily from the whisper, still being held close by Stiletto, she whispers back "And i love you too.. พี่สาวของฉัน*1..."

Stiletto raises her wings to cover them from the crowd and keeps her voice low "Are you ready for a kiss?"

Kat blushes even more intense, she blinks and eeped shyly from the question.. "R... right here?.. right now?"

Stiletto closes her eyes and nods still whispering "Nopony can see, I bet you are a wonderful kisser too."

Kat gulped, sweating slightly already "B-but.. I've never.. kissed.. a mare.. before.."

Stiletto: "Who do you want to have kiss you first then?"

Kat: "I.. didn't really.. um.. thought about that... but.. you're nice.. really.."

Stiletto: "You have time to think."

Kat smiles from that... she held onto the larger mare even closer, then kisses her on the nose. "Do i really need to?"

Stiletto smiles back as she rubs her noes with her hoof "One day." she then kisses Kats' neck

Kat closes her eyes and shudders softly, letting out a soft quiet Mmmm~.. "I think.. I know the answer.. but yes.. one day."

Stiletto lowers her wings, steps back and bows "It was a pleasure, Lady Kat you dance divinely."

Kat bowed down slightly as well, beaming happily "Likewise, Lady Stiletto... Likewise."

Author's Note

*1: Translated from Thai: My sister

43

Stiletto waits under the tree for any pony that might come by. Glyph walks through the courtyard taking a break from his training. Seeing Stiletto, he wanders over. "Hello mein... erfe... erfar... erfahrene liebe.... I’m still not saying that right am I?"

"Hello mein wenig Liebe, you are getting closer. So Glyph, how do you feels about Kat?"

"Kat... The pegasus? She's... cute."

"Oh yes she is, but so very shy. You should try to get closer to her, but remember to be very gentle with her."

"Try to... you think she might be.... interested? In me?"

"Hehehe, yeeees, I think she /might/ be interested in you."

"I... I guess... but... would she be... umm... I... I'll try. J-just... be gentle right?"

"Very gentle, she needs to be coaxed out with honey."

"Honey? Well... I won't force her to do anything. I'll remember, stay gentle... where is she?"

"I saw her beautiful flank fly by earlier. I bet she will come here after I leave."

Stiletto stretches her wings "Speaking of which." stands up and gets ready to head to off to.... Sleep

"Bye, mein erfahene liebe." Glyph lays by the tree, watching the sky.

Much like what Stiletto predicted, Kat is trotting around nearby, and heading in this general direction. she seems to have a bottle of some drinks tucked away in one of her wings. being care-free and generally just roaming the fort like a good citizen. Glyph perks up when he sees Kat, calling out to her. "Hey Kat, where are you going?"

Kat Perks up when her name is called, then looks over to see that it was Glyph that called her, she smiles and waves a hoof friendlily at him* "Oh Hey there Glyph! I'm just taking a walk around." *she answered. Fine and clear.

"Wanna take a break for a bit? I could use some company, I was getting kind of bored."

"Sure? I wasn't really doing anything important at the moment anyway." She replies with a smile, walking over to him at the tree. "What are you doing out here alone anyway? shouldn't you be with Stiletto or something?"

"I was just relaxing... umm... and kinda... never-mind... what kind of drinks are those?"

"Oh, these?" She grabs the bottle out of her wing, holding it up. "Hard Cider. You like? we can share it if you want."

"Really? I would definitely like some, if you don't mind sharing."

Kat smiles as she pushes the bottle closer to Glyph, "well, i did brought a big bottle. And drinking with another pony always taste better than drinking alone."

Glyph smiles and takes a drink. "That it is... especially... never-mind." He pushes the bottle back towards her.

Kat accepts the bottle from him then takes a swig from it. Letting out a content sigh before passing the bottle back to him again "say.. Glyph? What have you been up to lately?" she asks, swishing her tail from side to side lazily as they relaxes under the tree's shade. Content and pleased.

"Nothing much, training with Stiletto, wandering the grounds... not a lot to do when I'm off duty except hang around with Stiletto and Flux."

"Mm.. must be nice to have great friends like Stiletto and Flux hmm? They seems nice.."

"They are, but I do wish I had more..." Glyph glances over at Kat, then looks away. "I... I think they'd like you..."

She tilts her head slightly, ears perked "you really think so?"

"Y-yeah... why wouldn't they? Y-you're... umm..." Glyph blushes a bit. "Well, you're nice..."

Kat blushed lightly as well, and giggles. It's probably the first time he ever heard her giggles. "mm.. well.. if you think they'd like me.. then.. do you.. well.. like me?"

"I... umm... y-yeah.. I do..." He blushes a bit more, flicking his tail nervously.

She smiles as she scoots just a tad closer to him. motioning a hoof for him to get his head in closer "here.. let me tell you a secret.." Glyph cocks his head, curious, and leans in. Kat whispers into his ears, quietly and blushing along the way "I like you too..."

Glyph's eyes go wide and he swallows. "I... Y-you... you do?"

She giggles again and takes another swig from the bottle of Cider. Smiling, that blush never leaving her face "mmhmm.. y.. yeah."

Glyph swallows again, and scoots slightly closer. "T-that's good... I... I thought you were... nice... and cute..."

Kat smiles down and paws at the ground in front of her slightly, blushing. "Mm.. t.. thanks.. but I'm really not that.. cute.." she said, still smiling. Seems like her shyness is returning again, but she doesn't mind Glyph getting closer to her.

"I... I think you're really cute..." Glyph looks over at her. "I... I'm not getting too close am I?"

"N..not really.." she beams him a smile again, regained that shy looks on her face. It's a wonder how fast she can change from one to another. "But i don't mind e-even if you are.. you're nice."

"You think so? I... I guess... I like seeing you smile... and blush..."

"mmhmm.." she replies shyly.. looking down again and blushing a little more from what Glyph said. and she decides to.. veeeeery slowly, lean in his direction until she's resting her side against him. The contact made her blush burn with the power of a thousand suns. But.. she liked it.

Glyph blushes as well, leaning slightly against her. "Umm... I..." Glyph tries to think of some words, and fails miserably, instead settling for moving his head over and cautiously nuzzling her. Kat lets out a small sigh of content. Feeling the nuzzle, she presses her head into the nuzzle a little more.. liking it. Seeing that He’s having some problem trying to think up what to say, she offers Glyph the bottle of cider instead. He smiles a bit and takes a drink of the cider, offering it back. "Thanks..." he seems to be speaking about more than the cider.
She smiles at his Thanks, nodded and spread a wing on his side out. Then rests it onto his withers, covering a bit of him with her wing, not exactly cuddling, but close. "mm.. Thanks too.."

Glyph smiles, and leans against her a bit more. "Do... do you mind if I... umm..."

"Hmm? do I mind if you what?"

"C-cuddle... a bit..."

Kat gives him a little happy blush, smiling just slightly wider. "Nope.. I don't mind at all.." she says and sighed softly, finally fully leaning herself onto him now that he mentions cuddling.. Glyph cuddles into Kat's wing, smiling wide. So they cuddled.. content and happy.. for once, Kat was pleased to be this close to another pony...

Author's Note

This is the first scene acted out on the forts Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel. This becomes more prevent with time, but will remain rare for the time being.

44: Falcata's Pain and an In-Home Concert.

As Flux finishes lunch on his day off, he sees Falcata walk by. Remembering how she seemed to have played music, he decides to see if she might want to get back into it. He approaches her a bit awkwardly, still unsure if she'd want him to just interrupt whatever she's doing.
"Um... Falcata?"

Falcata pauses, turning to acknowledge the greeting. Catching sight of Flux, she breaks out into a smile. He'd come a long way from hiding under his fillyfriend's wing when she so much as walked up to him.
"Hi, Flux. What's up?"

"Um, I was wondering if you wanted to, uh, get back into music? The other day at the smelter... it, er, seemed like you missed playing..."

Her jaw drops, hanging open for a long moment, before she clenches it shut. Her topaz eyes go wide with shock, and it takes a moment before she can reply. Even when she finally gets round to it, it is in a noticeably smaller voice than before:
"I.. I - don't play any more, Flux. Not for years." Fourteen years on the 23rd Granite, in fact. Not a note played since; not a single pluck of a lute string.
Falcata drops her gaze to the ground, unwanted memories diverting her attention from the earth pony in front of her. Oh gods, what will I tell him? He'll want to know why!
Her mind spins into overdrive, trying to think of something to say when the inevitable question came.

Flux shifts his hooves awkwardly, realizing he must have stumbled into something painful for Falcata.
"Um... why not? It, uh, sounded like you... miss playing."

Falcata continues to avoid his gaze, conducting an in-depth study of a nearby clump of grass instead.
"I do. But not as much as I miss him...". Her voice trails off into a hushed murmur, and her eyes begin to water. Struggling to maintain her composure, she makes a herculean effort to continue speaking.
"I'm sorry, Flux, it's just... I - knew someone once, back in Coupledye, years ago. I haven't played anything since he... since he passed on." What a way to put it, Falcata, she thinks to herself. You can't even admit it to yourself, can you?
She draws a forehoof awkwardly through the grass, still looking anywhere but at Flux.

Flux nervously inchs closer to Falcata to place a hoof on hers, hoping to reassure her.
"Um... you p-played w-with... or f-f-for him, r-right? H-He wouldn't w-w-want to take s-something else y-y-you love with him, r-right?"

Falcata allows the contact to endure for a few seconds, before gently brushing Flux away. She finally meets his gaze, her eyes still watery. The pegasus still looks like a strange mixture of despondent and nervous.
He doesn't understand at all, does he? If he knew...if anypony knew... I can't even justify it to myself, some days.
"I was - he was - I can't play without him, Flux. He taught me all the songs I knew. I don't even remember most of them."
Falcata lies through her teeth; she remembers them all note for note.
"I - I could probably try to play again, but the joy of playing left me forever the day I - the day Staccato died."

Flux nervously moves to try to look Falcata in the eyes.
"Th-Then play for h-him, Falcata. W-With a n-n-name like Staccato, I th-think he'd want y-you to k-keep playing."

Falcata turns her head away, beginning to lose her composure at the smelter's words.
"I don't think I can.... I - he wouldn't -"
She abruptly stops, not really sure how to put the real reason across to him. I can't just tell him! I haven't told anypony, not in all this time; I'm not about to start now! I can't even make peace with myself; who knows how everypony here would react?
"I don't want to keep playing, Flux. I don't deserve to play his songs." As if that'll ever happen. If that's what I really wanted, I would have thrown his dagger away a long time ago.

"But... but you s-said he wrote every s-song you know. He, um, must think you d-deserve to p-play them."

"Maybe he did think that. I don't. I have no right to play the songs of somepony I - somepony who died. Even the ones which aren't his, if I even knew which ones they were." Falcata murmurs evasively. Maybe I should just tell him; I shouldn't have kept this all to myself all these years. But can I really? What if he misunderstands, what if he tells everypony? What would they think then?
Glaive would know what to do. But even if he were here right now, he doesn't know either. I'd have to tell him first, and I'm not sure even he would look at me the same way afterwards. Nopony else was there, they only have my word for how it turned out!
Paralysed by indecision, Falcata makes no move to continue speaking, her emotions in a jumble as she tries to work out what to do. This certainly wasn't a normal lunch break walk.

Flux looks at her for a few moments, confused and concerned, before continuing.
"But... but why not? And... and if n-not his s-s-songs, m-maybe some others?"

"I -"
Falcata looks at him, stares at the confused, concerned stallion who's timidly been querying her for the past while. I doubt he's ever even lashed out at, let alone killed, anything in his life. Would he even understand?
The pegasus sighs. I've been running too long.
She makes a snap decision, years of yearning for absolution manifesting itself as her gaze becoming steely even through the tears and her voice taking a more serious tone despite its continuing shakiness. Part of her still disagrees, but she's already committed herself.
what are you doing what are you doing don't say it don't say -
"Do you really want to know?."
oh no why did you do that why oh gods above don't don't don't you can't tell anypony not even Glaive much less him you know that -
Falcata ignores her doubts, having gone too far for any of them. Part of her is shocked at the trust she's potentially putting in the forgepony, but she's not listening to her own misgivings anymore.

"Right," Falcata stutters, taking her time to compose herself. Once she's ready, she realizes that she doesn't really know how to begin, or how to lead into it, so she simply dives straight in.

Fourteen years ago, Coupledye

"Falcata! Falcata!" I turned around, smiling as I caught sight of the familiar cherry-red pegasus. As the only other youngish pegasus of my age in this predominantly-unicorn district of the city, he had been my dearest and best friend for as long as I could remember. He had always been a strange one, too; despite his musical note cutie mark and name, he wanted nothing more than to be a soldier, though his natural ability at music was undiminished and undeniable. I always liked to think we'd rubbed off on one another; for while I bore the mark of a sword and, naturally, wanted to join the guard as well, I had a fair amount of musical talent myself. We would pass our days with mixed amounts of fighting, composing, challenging one another and playing duets until the sun sunk beneath the horizon. Mostly fighting, though, especially when we were exercising our shared second special talents; the ability to effortlessly irritate each other into a wrestling match on demand. This in no way made us any less of each other's friend. Far from it.
"What is it now, Stac? More horrific caterwauling you want to pass off as a song?" I teased. He stuck his tongue out in response, not in the least insulted. Some ponies would have called us immature, but we preferred to think of it as being well in touch with our foalish sides.
"Yeah, yeah, real funny. Shut up for once and look at this!" He gestures to his right saddlebag, indicating that he wanted me to look inside.
My curiosity getting the better of me, I complied, reaching into the bag and lifting out something metallic and round. Not being able to see what I had in my mouth, I gently put it on the ground, stepping back to get a closer look. When I saw it, I let out a low whistle. "Nice!"
It was an ornate silver dagger, form and function perfectly blended into the most beautiful weapon I'd ever laid eyes on. When I managed to tear my eyes away from the weapon, I saw Staccato grinning fit to burst. Before I could even ask, he exploded in a torrent of proud explanation.
"Uncle bought me it from the zebra caravans! He says that if I really want to join the town guard, and I really, really, really do, then I should have my own weapon like a proper soldier! Isn't that neat?"
It certainly was "neat". I was almost green with envy, but thanks to a supreme effort of willpower, I was able to hide it under a mountain of scorn.
"Pah! That thing's only fit for displaying on a mantelpiece, not for actual fighting! Whoever heard of using silver for a real weapon? That's absurd!" My cascade of abuse, irritatingly, had the opposite of the desired effect, causing his grin to widen even further.
"Jealous! Mad! Falcy's all jealous!" Even though there was nopony around to hear him jeering, he still knew the fastest way to get on my wick. Abruptly, I launched myself at him, barreling him over as he shrieked in mock fear. We tumbled around, laughing as we playfully wrestled with each other.

Two weeks later, Ruins of Gleamvale

"Scared! Scared! A sword for a cutie mark and still a big coward when faced with a big dark ruin!"
For someone whose special talent was supposed to be music, he was doing a good job of making me look like a fool. I (metaphorically) stood my ground beneath his verbal assault, refusing to be so childish as to seek a height advantage before replying.
"It's no use teasing, Stac. You know we're not meant to go in there."
"SCAAAAAAAARED!"
"You won't-"
"SCAAAAAAARED!"
"I'm no-"
"SCAAAAARED!"
"Right!" That was it. Third time's the charm, as they said, and nopony was going to call me a coward three times and get away with it like that. Call it weak willpower, I called it sticking to my principles. Warnings be damned; honor was at stake.
"I'll show YOU scared, you sniveling little keshi!" With that, I bolted right past him into the arch doorway, hovering ten feet above the paved floor as I waited for him to follow.
"That's more like it! Woohooo!" He let out a huge whoop, speeding past me in a crimson blur and disappearing deeper into the ruins. I followed, recognizing the situation for what it was; a race!
I took off after him, accelerating to a significant speed within seconds, flashing past jutting pieces of sculpted stone as we went deeper into the ruined complex. Parts of the roof were long since crumbled, leaving the place at least dimly lit, but it was still difficult to see where I was going.
As I negotiated a particularly difficult corkscrew, finally catching sight of a speeding scarlet figure some ways in front, there was a strange snick noise from up ahead. Puzzled, I wondered if Staccato had dropped his saddlebag again, or if the strap had snapped under the g-force of his aerial maneuvers. I only realized that it was something far more sinister when he plummeted into the stone tiles, landing with a sickening thud on the ground twelve feet below.
"STACCATO!" I screamed, diving towards him and clattering to the ground. I bounced right back up, galloping to my friends side, but from the moment I saw him it was hopeless. An ancient spear, clearly from a centuries-old trap, jutted from his side, barely deep enough to break the skin. This was reassuring; what filled my heart with dread was the blue ichor smeared along the head. Every little filly and colt could recognize that substance, everypony was taught to recognize it and its creators should they ever be out in the wilds. It was giant cave spider venom; a highly toxic substance that paralyzed the unfortunate recipient within minutes, causing a slow, agonizing death by suffocation as it took effect. The one thing we all knew, though, the one thing ingrained in our minds about this particular poison, was the utter lack of a cure. No other creation known to ponykind could so much as slow the effects of this toxin, let alone prevent them.
I knew all of this, my brain throwing out the facts as he lay there, spasming weakly, but I didn't care. The spear was removed and hurled across the room, the wooden haft shattering against the granite wall. I grabbed him by the head, lifting it up to look at me even as his movements began to cease, seeing my realization of his inevitable fate mirrored in his own eyes. There was absolutely nothing I could do for him, and we both knew it.
Still in a sort of trance, I still hadn't really connected with the reality of the situation before his next actions.

He raised a forehoof slowly, shuffling it along the floor until it reached its target. I followed his gaze to the silver dagger which lay there; it must have fallen out of his saddlebag as he hit the ground. With an awful finality, I knew what he wanted. There was nothing I could do for him, certainly nothing that could save him, nothing except one thing. The last thing I could, or would, ever do for him.

It only took a second. The worst bit was how right he had been before we left; it was a functional weapon, as well as beautiful to the eye.
I told everypony he'd been speared by a diomedian while we were exploring the ruins, and that I had barely managed to escape with my own life. The dagger I kept; my last link to him. I smashed my lute to bits the next day, the wood fragments scattering everywhere like the shattered pieces of my cushy city life. I never touched an instrument since; I didn't want to be reminded, I just wanted to forget all about it. At least I could keep his prized dagger, albeit under wraps, as a way of honoring his memory.

Falcata finishes, eyeing the pony before her with extreme nervousness. I'm not sure this was such a good idea...
"Well, now you know..." she mumbles, anxiously trying to meet his gaze.
Abruptly, she takes a step forwards, a sudden realization having crossed her mind.
"Whatever you think, whether you think I was right or whether I'm a - a murderer, don't you ever tell a soul." Falcata hisses the words caustically, her own guilt and trepidation proving too much to bear for the shattered pegasus.

Flux sits down as she finishes her story, dumbfounded at the tragedy she's had to endure. He can't help but shed tears as he looks her in the eyes.
"Th-There was n-n-nothing you c-could do, Falcata. You are n-n-not a m-murderer. I sw-swear I w-won't tell anypony. B-B-But I do th-think you should p-p-play again. I d-d-don't think he'd b-b-blame you, or w-want you t-t-to b-beat yourself up s-so much over a t-t-tragic accident, Falcata..."

Falcata holds his gaze, staying silent for a long time. The knowledge that somepony else had faith in her motives that day is heartening to the beleaguered pegasus, and she takes comfort from it.
"I've spent fourteen years running from that day, Flux, and I still haven't been able to forget. I'm not sure if I ever can. Maybe I shouldn't. Maybe I should - I should play his songs, honor his memory that way."
She pauses briefly again, breaking eye contact once more.
"I- I'd need a lute. If I were to play again, I mean." The words are like a bell tolling in her mind, over a decade of self-doubt and guilt slowly beginning to wash away.

"Um... do you know h-how to play a lyre? You could, uh, borrow mine until you g-get a lute?"

"Just a little. I used to sometimes fiddle about with Stac's. It was never as strong an instrument for me as my lute, though."
Falcata gives the tiniest of smiles.
"I- I might just give it another go. He always meant for his songs to be played on a lyre, first and foremost. I think I remember the basics of lyre playing, too."

A large shadow passed over Falcata and Flux with a gust of strong wind following it. A moment latter, Stiletto touched down off to the left of the two ponies. She had a saddle bag loaded with scrolls on her right side.
"Hello, Falcata." *She says before nuzzling Flux* "Hello meine freundlichsten Liebe. I am not interrupting am I?"

Flux returns the nuzzle, smiling.
"Heya Stiletto. Um, Falcata and I were about to, uh, maybe play some music?"

Falcata sniffles one last time, wiping away any last tears with a forehoof. Smiling again, she nods.
"Yes, we were about to play some music, so we were."

Stilettos' eyes light up at the mention of music and she smiles, seeming to suddenly have forgotten any other reason for being there.
"I love music! Is it something one can sing a long to?"

"Um... maybe? Falcata says she knows some songs. Uh, Stiletto? Could you, er, take her to my apartment to get my lyre? I need to... um, get another instrument. Meet you there?"

Falcata shakes her head. "I don't think any of them have lyrics. Not that I know of, anyway."

Stiletto looked a little brought down by Falcatas' words but she was soon smiling again.
"Of course I can do that Flux."
Stiletto turned to the sky with a playful look on her face.
"You can keep up with me, can you not Falcata?"

Falcata snorts derisively, flaring her wings. Insufferably proud of her speed, she wasn't going to let Stiletto's teasing go without a witty retort.
"Rest assured that if I actually knew where Flux's apartment was, I'd be there before you'd even taken off." she ripostes, grinning as she does so.

Flux smiles as Falcata and Stiletto start to banter.
"Um, I'll see you two there, then!"
He turns to leave, trying not to think about what might happen if anypony sees him get the instrument.

Stiletto grins devilishly at Falcata and her horn begins to glow
"Ooooooh! Are you sure about that?"
Falcata finds her hooves are being magically held to the ground as Stiletto preforms a full force vertical take off

Falcata squirms and wriggles, but can't break free. A surge of irritation shoots through her; she hates being beaten, especially by perceived cheating. Stiletto may as well have challenged an earth pony to a telekinesis competition; this wasn't fair at all. As the alicorn surges away, she yells after her:
"HEY! Too scared to play fair, or is this how you always go about things? Unhoof me, and we'll see who's the real speed machine!"

Stiletto sticks out her tongue at Falcata as she releases the trapped mares' back hooves first and then her front hooves a half second later
"Glyph says that in a real competition, you must use all your advantages, or you insult your opponents' skill!"
The large amethyst Alicorn then darted off towards Fluxs' apartment.

The pressure suddenly disappearing, Falcata lurches drunkenly forwards like a door on a hinge before her forelegs become free as well. Startled by the wonky takeoff, she narrowly avoids colliding with a tree before she can get her bearings. Looking around, she spots the alicorn picking up speed, heading towards the residential area. Stiletto was too far away to yell something rude at; it was time to let rip. The pegasus rockets off like an arrow from a bow, accelerating rapidly towards the big cheating pink pony up ahead.

Stiletto knew Falcata would be right on her flank unless she used this moment. Now, she was not the fastest flier in Dawnpick, in fact she might be the slowest, but she had clear advantage in wing span and momentum. She had flown high for a reason, now she could dive down and take full advantage of gravity. Using the wind currents to guide her body to the path of least resistance, Stiletto managed to more than double her usual speed as she barreled at the door to Flux's apartment.

The wooden apartment building getting very close very quickly, Falcata has no time for long trains of thought. Focusing only on her destination, she reaches her maximum velocity, easily three times faster than the average pegasus without her armor to weigh her down.
Unsure as to just how fast Stiletto was going and where she was, and without the time to check, she hurtles towards the building, throwing caution to the wind. Despite the alicorn's significant head start, she could still win this.

Stiletto caught sight of Falcata in her peripheral vision but she had no time to pay attention to her if she wanted to make this stop right.
Both of Stiletos' massive chestnut wings flared open and caught was much of the updraft as possible. This caused a huge torrent of wind to blast the ground and send dirt flying in every direction, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. A moment later Stiletto touched down and reached out with her long foreleg to tap the door.

Flux walks to the main stockpile, trying to not look out of place. He is failing miserably, but at least nopony really watches the main pile very hard. He looks around before quickly reaching into a bin and pulling out a small, unassuming box. With it on his back, Flux turns to head to his apartment.

Falcata rockets onwards, the wooden door looming before her at a frighteningly short distance. Suddenly, it disappears from view in a massive cloud of dust, the wind from the alicorn's downdraft buffeting her and ruining her flight pattern. Barely catching a glimpse of Stiletto touching down just in front, presumably about to reach out and touch the door, Falcata is sent corkscrewing off on a diagonal vector, her momentum carrying her straight through a mercifully open window to the door's right. She impacts majestically with a soft mattress, sending feathers everywhere and causing the bed to fall over with a huge thump.
Oh dear.

First Stiletto blinked at the sight of her fellow militant flying through the window of her freundlichsten Liebes' house. The next thing she did was open the door and walk in to find Falcata on the bed.
"Do you not think that you might in fact be being a little bit too forward Falcata. We should go on one date at the very least."

Those words got her up quicker than anything else could. Falcata was well aware of Stiletto's polygamous habits, and she wasn't quite sure if the mare was one hundred percent joking. Now on all four hooves, she took a moment to survey the damage. Flux would definitely need a new mattress, but that looked like the extent of it. Once they got the bed upright again, at least.
She flares her wings again, grinning and taking delight in being insufferable in triumph.
"Too far forward in a rather different manner, I suspect. Not quite speedy enough, even with your fancy tricks!"

"That is a funny thing to say." *Stiletto quips as she saunters inside* "Because I remember it being a race to Flux's apartment, not his bed. If the latter was the contest, then I have beaten you by several months."
Stiletto walks over to Flux's desk and drops off her saddle bag. Then she opens Flux's cabinet to get the Lyre and a new hat.

"Quip all you want, sister, the best pony won." Falcata dearly wishes Stiletto would shut up; she's beginning to feel awkward under the alicorn's almost predatory gaze. Still, her victorious grin is undiminished, and she crosses the room to examine Flux's lyre.
"Um, why are you taking Flux's hat?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

"This is my hat silly. Do you think Flux would need blue silk sun-bonnet? I just leave some close here so I can get dressed before I leave."
Stiletto closes the cabinet and then used her magic to straiten up the apartment. The ruined mattress is placed outside along with the scattered feathers
"This will not be the first time we had to get a new mattress."

Falcata gives a little cough in the most awkward way possible.
"Um. You don't say?"
Oh gods, hurry up, Flux! This is getting unbearable.
Peering into the cupboard, Falcata is surprised by the amount of feminine clothing inside. The implication is obvious, and she quickly flicks her gaze to a nearby wall, suddenly becoming extremely interested in the woodgrain.
Glaive would not approve, were he here to see this! She giggles a bit at the thought of the prim bearded pony's potential reaction to all of this...debauchery, he'd call it.

As Flux approaches his apartment, he notices the destroyed mattress outside.
'...No, they wouldn't.'
Glad that nopony decided to interrupt him, he walks in to see Stiletto and Falcata looking around. Well, Stiletto is looking through the clothes she tends to leave here, and Falcata is looking everywhere except Stiletto.
"Um, heya Falcata, Stiletto. Uh... what happened to my mattress?"

"Falcata happened to your mattress. I swear, she just has no control over her self, always just diving into things headfirst. Well she got more then she bargained for this time."
Stiletto nodded as she got a new vest from near by coffer.

Falcata rolls her eyes, trying not to let the alicorn's comment faze her.
"What Stiletto is trying to say is that I may just have won the race, and might possibly have destroyed your mattress in the process. By means of a high speed collision."
She does her best to look nonchalant, having resigned herself to the fact that Stiletto was probably not going to shut up any time soon.
"It's a good thing you left your window open, by the way."

Flux looks confused for a few moments before he remembers the race.
"Oh, the race! Um, right. So... welcome to my apartment? I, er, don't have a lot, but, um, at least the tour is short?"
He smiles awkwardly, trying to keep the mood jovial. He looks around for anything interesting to point out, but find nothing.
"So, um, tour over? Are you, er, ready to play?"

"My hoof was on the door when you tumbled inside Falcata."
Stiletto sticks out her tongue and then winks. She finishes changing her vest but a moment latter.
"Yes Flux I am quite ready. Where shall we go?"

"Sure, and I'm the most magically adept pony that has ever lived. You're not fooling anyone with your fibbing."
At the mention of playing, Falcata's heart almost skips a beat. Show time.
"Uh, I think so, yes. Probably."

Flux carefully sets the box on his table.
"Um, I was thinking we should play here. Ponies are, uh, less likely to... notice here, I think?"

"Flux, what have I told you about hiding your talent? Music is meant to be heard and enjoyed by all. The dinning hall, or perhaps outside the temple would be best. It will also give me a chance to dispose of the 'evidence of victory' and pick you up a new one."

This time, Falcata's heart really does skip a beat, going into panic mode. I haven't played in fourteen years and I'm going to debut in front of everypony?
"Uh, actually, I'm not sure that's a great idea. I haven't - I haven't played in quite a while now. I'm not even that experienced with a lyre."

Flux's eyes widen in panic when Stiletto suggests somewhere public to play, but Falcata's response helps to calm him down.
"Um, yes. We shouldn't, uh, practice in front of everypony. Um... maybe once we're... up to snuff?"

"I really believe you will both excel, there is no need to worry about the petty criticisms of others."
Stiletto opens the door magically and indicates with an extended foreleg
"The world is waiting, show it that you are ready."

"Listen to me, Stiletto. I haven't touched an instrument in over a decade; you can be as idealistic as you want, but I am not playing anything in public until I've at least had a go at it in private first!" Falcata adamantly digs her hooves in, beginning to feel stressed again.

Flux looks at Stiletto, desperation plain in his eyes.
"P-Please? N-Not yet..."

Stiletto says nothing, the look of disappointment on her face says 'I expected more from you' more then adequately enough. The door closes quite slowly with audible groan, and very final sounding *Thunk click*

Brushing off Stiletto's rather melodramatic method of closing the door, Falcata steps up to the levitating lyre and takes it in her mouth, being very careful not to damage it. Rearing up and standing in place, she transfers the lyre into her forehooves. It fits snugly enough into her grip, the once-familiar feel calming her down a little. She shoots Flux a querying look, throat too dry with nerves for any words.

Flux keeps away from Stiletto's gaze and simply walks to the box he brought.
'If it was just me I would, but... Falcata needs to ease into it. Well... I hope they don't freak out about the piccolo...'
Opening the box, he carefully pull out the artifact piccolo and holds it in his hooves.
"Um... you lead, Falcata? I'll, uh, try to improvise a simple harmony to your melody?"

The particulars of the piccolo barely register on Falcata; all her attention focused on the lyre in her forehooves. She closes her eyes, doing her best to concentrate fully on the task at hand. Without preamble, she starts to play a slow, deep tune, strumming the strings with more vigor as she gradually recalls more and more of her technique. The song echoes about the room; a soulful melody which she remembered well as one of Staccato's favorite pieces. She continues to play, settling into a consistent rhythm.

Flux places the mouthpiece of the piccolo in his mouth and rears back to ready himself to play as he listens to the melancholic song of Falcata. He listens for about a minute to get a feel for it before he joins in, adding a quiet hopeful harmony to her melody.

The music continues on at a slow tempo, the two instruments working in concert to produce long quavering notes, mournful and profound. To Falcata, it's as if she's gone back in time a good fifteen years. With her eyes closed and the music still thrumming all around, the aural illusion seems almost believable.

Stiletto sits down on her flanks to relax while listening to the pleasant music. The two beautiful harmonies working together quickly enthralling her. The peaceful melody enticing her close her eye and join in, but she waits for the two artist to finish their amazing performance. As the song draws to its' end, Stiletto raise her forehooves and claps them together
"lediglich unglaublich!"

Flux carefully takes the piccolo into his hooves after the song ends and smile at Stiletto and Falcata.
"Um, yes. Falcata, you're very good. Um, if this is you rusty, I can't wait until you get back on your hooves."

Blushing slightly, Falcata puts the lyre back into her mouth and drops to all four hooves again. She mumbles something unintelligible around the instrument in her mouth, but she is clearly smiling. Crossing the room, she places it gently back in the cabinet. She ruffles her feathers, still a bit self-conscious.
"Thanks, Flux. You're great with a piccolo, too. That was really something. Maybe you were right, Stiletto."

As Falcata puts away his lyre, Flux carefully places the piccolo back in it's box.
"Um... Falcata? W-Would you, uh, like to... keep the lyre?"

Stiletto gets back to her hooves and trots over to the cabinet where the two of them stand.
"That is very generous of you meine freundlichsten Liebe."

Shocked by the magnitude of Flux's gesture of goodwill, it takes Falcata a moment to reply.
"Flux, I- I couldn't just take your lyre. I should get one of my own from the next caravan, if they have any. This one- it's yours. You must have had it for ages."

Flux blushes under the scrutiny of the two mares.
"Um... it's alright, Falcata. I have, uh, had it for a long time, but... I think you need it more than I do."

Realizing that Flux is totally serious, Falcata feels herself getting all emotional again. She finds herself lost for words for the umpteenth time, instead just standing there with her eyes watering and a stupid smile plastered across her face. She lifts the lyre with her mouth again, showing the utmost care to the ornately carved instrument.

A smile forms on Stilettos' face and places a wing over Fluxs' withers.
"Everything is much better now, is it not? Discovering excellence is always a joyous event. I will be waiting with great enthusiasm for your next concert."

I smile at Falcata, remembering how I felt when my family gave my that lyre so long ago. When Stiletto places her wing on me, I lean into her slightly, feeling great contentment.

"So will I."

45: In the Alley

Granite has finally gotten to leave the attic for the stunt he pulled. He said goodbye to Brownie Bits and walked out the door. After about an hour of aimless wandering tears start to form. He breakdowns in an alley and crys his eye's out. Two of the local bullies see him in his moment of weakness.
"Eey whassa matter wit' chu yah lil' foal?" The one to my right says.
"Yea wuts gotcha down yah crybaby?" His partner says.
They both laugh...
The one on the right pulls out a slicing knife.
Granite doesn't care what they do, he could be left dead in this alley and nopony would care...

Jaxler woke up inside an empty barrel of booze. He got out and found his crossbow was sticking out of the ground. He walked over and picked it up and scanned his surroundings, somehow he ended up in a dark alley and there appeared to be three figures off in the distance.
"Wha... Shit, what the hell did he get himself into this time."
Jaxler put a bolt in his crossbow and flew as fast as he could over to the end of the alley. When reached his destination he found Granite in a pool of tears and two larger foals, one of whom had a knife. Jaxler then said without a hint of emotion "Ya know, civilians aren't supposed to have weapons, you might poke your eye out" and pointed his crossbow at the knife wielding bully's head.

Granite's life flashes before his eyes, outgrowing his favorite blanket, his first word, his first drink of alcohol, his second drink of alcohol, Brownie Bits' first words, his new sister...
Through his tears Granite sees a red maned pegasus come out of a barrel and approach the bullies.
It's Jaxler! He thought, a single shred of hope came into his mind.
The two bullies run off scared as he raises his crossbow.
Granite momentarily pulls himself together. "H-hey Jaxler. How was your day?"

"Well, Horrible. I wake up and see two dumb-asses about to gut you like a fish. Now I have to talk to their parents and inform Partisan that there was an attempted murder committed by two foals and then I'll probably have to beat the snot out of em... are you crying? Don't tell me they hurt you."

"No they didn't hurt me." He gets up.
"I was thinking and found myself in this alley, then they showed up. I thought about the short and crappy-ness of my life. That caravan haunts me to this day. I almost caused a war and I sure as hell put a dent in our economy! I am perhaps the worst big brother alive, I mean I have to be an example for Brownie Bits and Wisteria, I don't want to know what example I set. I pity their future if they follow it."
Granite pauses and then it all comes out.
"I AM THE WORST CITIZEN OF DAWNPICK! EVERPONY IS ASHAMED OF ME AND HATES MY GUTS!!! AND I AM A FAILURE TO MY FAMILY!!!"

"Your not the worst. All you did was buck up, and trust me we all buck up every once in a while. You pissed off a caravan, and I walked past Barely two minutes before he gets decapitated. We all have our screw ups, it's not like your worse then everypony else."

"Okay, I feel slightly better now... I just made a mistake, only a mistake, it will go away eventually."
Granite takes a few deep breaths and stops crying. "Thanks Jaxler."
"I'm going to wander aimlessly some more..."

"fine, but remember I got the day off so if ya want to share a drink later just ask"

Granite feels more joyful when he heard Jaxler's response.
"You have the day off?! Why didn't you say so?! LET'S GO!!!"

"Great." And with that the two head off.

46: Indigo catches up with his Journal

Indigo's Dairy - 7th Galena, 252

After a long travel from Coupledye we finally arrived to Dawnpick. Hopefully it will be more interesting (and less crowded), then Coupledye and New Saddle. At first glance it doesn't look like much. No matter, I need to get some sleep now. I can look around tomorrow.

8th Galena, 252

This place is... less then I expected. I almost regret leaving Coupledye now, but it is too late to turn back. This town is still under construction, and it barely has the basic necessities. The best thing about this place is the pretty nice dining hall with kitchen, still and food stockpiles in the cellar. There are enough farms and fish to feed everypony, and fish stew is frequently served in the canteen. There are no houses, but there is a block of flats instead. I'll get my own room, which made me quite happy. Most items are kept in a large pile with a few adjacent workshops and no roof over it. There are no walls around the village, but there are a few soldiers to protect us. This place also has a trade depot ready (but apparently not much to trade), and Overmare's office.

Speaking of which, the Overmare is called Virtue, and seems pretty nice and competent. She made it pretty clear however, that this is a mining camp, and they don't need dyers. Or spinners and shearers and weavers for that matter. When Dawnpick needs clothes, she plans to buy basic quality cloth from a caravan, and set a clothier to work. That's prudent I guess, but it puts me in a bit of a predicament. I should have asked about the profile of the place before embarking. Oh well, looks like I'll have to be flexible, and do some odd jobs around the camp. While this certainly won't earn me any respect, it isn't so bad, and I'll be able to go anywhere and learn a lot about the inner workings of the camp. Understanding the infrastructure is a good and noble pastime.

9th Galena, 252

Fleece is going to help Harvest Moon with farming. Between the two of them they'll manage, which means I'll only be needed to occasionally help with the harvest. Looks like for the most part, I'll be just hauling around stuff that other ponies need for their jobs, and do whatever odd jobs are needed to fill the gaps. It includes cleaning a lot of fish. It is rather humiliating to work so completely outside my special talent and on thing anypony could do just as well, but what can I do? Well, it sure beats sitting on my rump doing nothing, and I'll get to know other ponies around here. They seem pretty nice, except for the grumpy militia commander Halberd. Well, as long as I don't bother him, and he protects me, we both seem to be fine with that. Porcelain changed her name to Naginata, and joined the militia. We have 2 guards now. In other news my tomcat Whiskers likes it in here. He brought me two dead frogs today.

12th Galena, 252

For a mining camp we sure have a lot of fish. Brook is pulling them from the brook, like there's no tomorrow. Maybe we should export salted or smoked or dried fish in barrels? We can barely keep up processing it, and have a sizable surplus. While I like fish and fish stew, I do have my doubts. I'm pretty sure we are supposed to be herbivores, but fish and carrot soup tastes really good, and Panacea said, there weren't any food poisonings from it. So I guess I'll keep hauling fish and turtles from Brook to the fishery. Well, at least fish aren't meat, right?

15th Galena, 252

A peculiar thing happened shortly after our arrival. A carpenter named Bevel was struck by inspiration, and made the most beautiful chair, I've ever seen. It is going to be the centerpiece of our dining hall. This is pretty uplifting. Another good news is that a lye maker named Detergent gave birth to a unicorn colt, and called him Sandstone.

20th Galena, 252

I've come to terms with doing odd jobs around the camp. While I'd love to dye clothes, or do anything else I can excel at, being a “generalist” isn't as bad as I thought. I'm far from being useless, and I do enjoy helping other ponies, so they can do their jobs uninterrupted, with efficiency, and excel at it. While everypony should always strive for excellence in his area of expertise, the needs of a society change over time and it is important to adjust, when there is little need for a particular skill set. For example a town like Dawnpick wouldn't need ten doctors or ten bone carvers, or even ten full-time farmers, because we couldn't possibly eat all their food. Well, unless we sell the excess to the caravans, but that's beside the point if you extrapolate it to the whole country overproducing something. All ponies need various goods, but there is no point and no added value in providing them in quantities vastly exceeding the needs. Dawnpick wouldn't need a thousand mugs for example, but a 100 is reasonable. Sometimes there are also gaps to fill. Some industries work in a pipeline with several half-products. At the end there are some specialists, but they can't work to their best capacity unless provided with enough pre-processed materials of enough quality. So some ponies have to fill that role, even if their special talents are different. This is true to a lesser degree with seasonal or occasional needs for a particular labor, like harvest, or processing something quickly before it spoils (in our case, fish). What I'm trying to say, is that while some ponies get to excel in their field, others are left with support roles. Or if a society is metaphorically thought of as a machine, some ponies are cogs, while others work as grease. A machine works better with the right amount of grease. At this time my job is to help other ponies do their jobs well, and efficiently. I suppose I can excel at that. They will get all the spotlight, and as long as I do everything right, I'll be invisible, but that is not a reason to be ashamed, or feel unworthy. My work is useful too. I can also do whatever is needed at the moment reasonably well, even if it is just swiping the dining hall.

6th Limestone, 252

As if the fish are not enough, we now have a butcher shop, and will be getting cooked meat in the kitchen. I'm really not so keen on this whole "ascension to carnivorism" idea. Well, we still have the farms, and our warriors may enjoy more variety, so I'm not complaining. We will also get some leather to tan, which is not so much different than dying clothes, really. Well, the stench is worse, I guess. We can also use to bones for something.

In other news: I mentioned, this town is still under construction. We are currently building barracks for the militia, and a hospital for Panacea.

Eight new migrants arrived today. Bad news is, we don't have enough rooms for everypony. Good news is, most of them can work with either wood or stone. This means we will finish the hospital and barracks sooner, and can build more houses.

16th Timber, 252

A tragedy. A bandit sneaked close to the camp, and killed Brook, who was ironically fishing in the brook at the time. Militia killed him in return, but it was too late for poor Brook. I guess it is some consolation, that she died quickly, and wasn't maimed and stuck in bed for life. And that it wasn't me. After all I helped carrying some of the fishes to the fishery. Maybe it is my bad, that I didn't notice him, but those bandits are damn stealthy. What sickens me most is the raw amount of malice. If that bandit just stole some trinket or food, and run off, I wouldn't mind it that much. We have some stuff to spare. But sneaking from the behind to kill and loot one of us? No, just no. I'll have to watch my back from now on.

17th Timber, 252

Brook's funeral was in the morning. Everypony is still somber, but it's only fitting. Virtue gave a short speech. Virtue, Halberd and Naginata feel guilty about what happened. I can't offer them any consolation, so I'll just avoid them for the time being. The bandit was a complete mess when militia was done with him. We threw what's left of him into the trash pile. Except his dagger, which may be of some use in a weapon trap. This was a bad day. Even the weather was bad, and Whiskers was nowhere to be found. Well, we still have a lot of fish and turtles to process, so off to work. Anything to take my mind off the tragedy.

18th Timber, 252

Everypony looks scared and snappy, and foals are kept inside. Virtue looks like she hasn't slept in a while. There is some talk of better defenses, a wall, some traps, and more soldiers. I think she is pretty good at her job. We were still building essentials during the attack, and needed a few buildings before a wall.

Another damn bandit has shown up close to the mines, and slew a water buffalo. This was probably some sick comeback for his buddy. Militia rushed into action, and killed him, but Halberd was wounded, and went to the hospital. We don't know how many of those bandits there are, and Naginata is all that stands between them and us now. The other guards are only recruits. This is very unsettling.

19th Timber, 252

A third thief sneaked on us, and almost killed Virtue. As if by a miracle, Halberd darted out of the hospital, and killed him. He then returned to bed. I'm as scared as I am impressed. We are lucky to have a guard with such willpower and devotion to duty. I hope he recovers. Panacea says the prognosis is good. She does a very good job too, by the way. Back in Coupledye some doctors would grow aloof to the point of ignoring their patients until bribed. Not her. The moment one of us is hurt, she jumps into action. She cares. We are lucky to be under her care.

23rd Timber, 252

Balista became obsessed with constructing some contraption, and is not responding to reason. Oh well, when I was in New Saddle such things also happened. To the best of my understanding there is something about the frontier that inspires some ponies to make wondrous items. Usually this is benign, or harmless. For the most part an inspired pony will grab a hooffull of items, and make something of such beauty, that it puts even the best of masterpieces to shame. It is however necessary to provide her with all the required materials. Otherwise the obsession is so strong, that it may lead to insanity and death. From utilitarian perspective these creations are usually trinkets fit for gifts to Royalty, or to put in display cases for everypony's enjoyment. Some ponies create nearly indestructible furniture, which has more uses, or weapons and armor worthy of heroes of legends. Some believe these items contain a piece of the soul of pony who created them, and inspiration never strikes the same pony twice. Most of those who fulfill their obsession become artists in their field.

25th Timber, 252

Thanks in no small part to Panacea, Halberd made a miraculous recovery. His wound looked serious, but after only a week in the hospital, he is back to guard duty. I admire his dedication. We all feel safer with him on patrol. No more bandits have shown up after the last three, but I fear that wasn't the last of them.

2nd Moonstone, 252

My birthday. I took a few hours off, and got mildly intoxicated.

6th Opal, 252

We finished building the hospital, including a room for Panacea, so she can stay closer to her patients. She seemed happy and not so happy about it at the same time. I think, I understand. She is glad to finally be able to take care of any sick or injured ponies, and dreads the thought at the same time. We will be moving to another project, possibly a well. We also need to finish the barracks. Overall I'm as busy helping with various jobs as ever.

In other news, a smelter was finally finished, and Flux started smelting magnetite to make iron. This is a bit late for a mining camp, but it is not for me to judge, and Virtue had other priorities with all those thieves, housing crisis, and all. Looks like I'll be hauling magnetite, wood and charcoal in foreseeable future.

1st Granite, 253

It is spring. there was a small celebration today.

16th Granite, 253

Flux smelted some iron, but it has low carbon content and is brittle. He needs limestone or other flux to make high quality steel. Miners were told to dig exploratory shafts and tunnels in sedimentary layers.

23rd Granite, 253

Balista made an inspired amulet. It is very pretty, but I was secretly hoping for a weapon or armor. Well, at least he is done, and will resume his duties.

28th Granite, 253

A strange thing happened. Miners stumbled upon a spacious cavern underground. There are some exposed gems and ore veins there, as well as mushrooms and glowing molds, and some bugs. These seem too good to be true, as where there are plants and vermin, surely predators dwell as well. From what I overheard while sweeping the dining hall, exploratory team didn't reveal anything hostile, but it is better to be safe then sorry. Masons are walling up those caverns to keep anything dangerous out.

29th Granite, 253

A caravan has arrived. Virtue sold some gems the miners uncovered, and bought a little food and drinks. There wasn't much of it, as it only took an hour to haul to the cellar under our dining hall, but a little variety is always welcome. The traders seemed moderately happy. I'm sure they expected more trade. Speaking of which it looks like the steel industry is going to take a while. Maybe we should make some trinkets to trade in the meantime? But that is not for me to decide. Virtue looks like she knows what she's doing, and she knows the big picture better than me, and probably has other priorities.

7th Felsite, 253

A unicorn colt was born to Naginata. She named him Rondel. We haven't seen any bandits lately, and Halberd is on duty, while some recruits are training, so she took some time off. It is good to hear some happy news for a change.

10th Felsite, 253

Another cavern was discovered and quickly walled up. It is unknown if they are interconnected, but both were enormous, and stretched far beyond visible range. From what I read those caverns are pretty dangerous, and so enormous, they stretch under the entire continent. If such tales are to be believed, there are great beasts and entire civilizations there. It may just safer to be on the safe side, and cut them off.

15th Felsite, 253

Thanks to Marble we now have a glass industry. This means using some charcoal for the glass furnace, and not steel production, but it will be nice to have glass windows in our rooms. There also seem to be some plans to use glass for traps to stop those bandits, but I don't know any details. For me it mostly means hauling charcoal, and bags of sand. Maybe there will even be some glass trinkets for sale to caravans.

23rd Felsite, 253

We had an election for Mayor, and Longshot was chosen. He is our hunter, and one of the original seven settlers that founded this outpost. I have nothing against him, and we often carry things around together, but I voted for Virtue, as she did a pretty good job so far. Oddly enough Longshot was unsure how to proceed as the mayor, and started by mandating a town hall. Other than that, he seems to be happy to cede running things on Virtue, so I suppose not much has changed.

Construction of the western section of the palisade was finished recently. Barracks and well were completed some time ago. There was a small celebration, and the work will continue on the wall, and more houses.

29th Felsite, 253

18 new migrants arrived today. There wasn't even enough room for all of us before they arrived, so we have to share more. Construction of another house block was committed. Virtue said in the dining room, that he will send a letter to Coupledye that Dawnpick isn't ready to accept more immigration. Good thing, we at least have enough food and drink.

4th Hematite, 253

After building a specialized workshop, Mortar demonstrated a spell to turn plants into a substitute for wood. Since the woodcutters can't keep up with the demand, and the number of trees around the outpost is dwindling, this is a very good news. It probably means expanding the farms, but Harvest Moon's team seems up to it, and it is easier to farm crops than forests. I'm learning that spell too, and had some limited success so far.

10th Hematite, 253

One of the new arrivals, Arablest is apparently an idiot. He talked Virtue into building a specialized workshop to produce siege engines. Dawnpick is a small mining outpost, what the hay do we need catapults for?

1st Malachite, 253

The farms were expanded, and now include an underground plot of Pig Tails. They are a curious plant that grows like mushrooms, and produces fiber suitable for clothing. It can also be brewed into a peculiar drink. So, we keep it in the dark, and feed it manure, and maybe I should change the subject. Oh, yes. We will be having rudimentary clothing industry, but without Dyeing. I find it hard to agree with Virtue's priorities. Clothes made of pig tails are brown, and uninteresting. A little dye wouldn't hurt, and could improve the mood, and I'm sure that there is some room for Dimple Cups next to those Pig Tails. Heck, we could even export some dyed cloth, it is always in demand. But no. We need only small amounts of it, and have to focus on important industries. Such as a freaking catapult.

4th Malachite, 253

Flux is working on making mechanisms, and setting up some traps. Wasn't he supposed to smelt steel? We have other competent mechanics.

11th Malachite, 253

8 new migrants arrived today, including an Alicorn mare, Stiletto. Most of them are soldiers, so it initially looked like a royal inspection. Virtue was quite nervous. I think he expected a reprimand for not producing enough steel for Coupledye. Surprisingly they were all just migrants, including the Alicorn. Most of them joined the militia, and there are now two squads, one under Halberd, and one under Naginata. Stiletto seems to be fine with being a soldier, and not even a squad leader, even tough she arrived with her own escort. This is rather suspicious. Is she an outcast? A spy? She scouted our entire camp, and looked rather distant and out of place. I should keep an eye on her.

13th Malachite, 253

I think the Alicorn was staring at me. I broke eye compact, and remembered about a job at the other side of the camp. I need to be more careful. Tough I must admit she looks pretty majestic, and well, pretty. All Alicorns seem to share that trait.

Oh, and there was another birth, but it's hard to even keep track of those things any more.

In other news the well is close to completion. Unfortunately it will use the water from a muddy pond, and not the brook.

28th Malachite, 253

Flux was stuck by inspiration recently, and made the most beautiful ornamental splint I have ever seen. I hope we won't have to use it. Panacea was very impressed by it, and asked for a few more splints and crutches for the hospital.

Diamond Shard's exploratory mining team finally found some marble, which is as good as limestone for making steel. Flux made a sizable stash of iron already, so he will proceed to make steel. This means more work hauling rocks, ore and charcoal, but is very good news. Our militia wants to convert some of that steel into weapons and armor. This seems like a good idea, this place definitely needs something to keep those damn thieves out.

An accident happened, but it ended well. Panacea went to see the new well, fell in, and couldn't get out. Thankfully her screams were heard, and Diamond Shard saved her in time. She was alive, and unharmed, but rather embarrassed. A staircase was put in place to prevent further accidents. Some were laughing at her, but I suppose accidents happen, and all is well that ends well, (ups, looks like I just made a bad joke). I think it hurt her to be thought of as clumsy, tough. A surgeon shouldn't be clumsy after all.

21st Galena, 253

Apparently the caverns weren't completely sealed off, and some animals called crundles crawled into the mines, and attacked the miners. Our militia disposed of them, and the miners made a heroic stand, and a few jokes about "mining organics" in the dining hall. Thankfully nopony was hurt. Masons will be inspecting the tunnels, and walling the caverns off for good this time. In the meantime Longshot went to hunt down what's left of them, and brought back a lot of meat. I think, I'll stick to carrots and celery and strawberries for now, thank you very much.

23rd Galena, 253

The steel smelting is finally up to speed. the first batches are going to be used for weapons and armor for the militia, and maybe some traps.

A Zebra caravan arrived, and Virtue sold some gems for exotic foods and drinks.

Detergent gave birth to another foal. There are quite a few foals around for a mining colony.

26th Limestone, 253

Another bandit has shown up today, and militia engaged it. From what I heard in dining hall, Stiletto crushed his skull with her horn in a blink of an eye. I'll give her a wide breath from now on. At least nopony is hurt, and she seems to be on our side.

11th Sandstone, 253

7 new migrants arrived today, including two soldiers and Billows, an EP armorer. We still don't have enough houses, and the dining hall got really crowded. The fact that it is used as makeshift kindergarten and school doesn't improve things. Virtue is planning expansions to both, but it is taking a long time.

The wall is progressing nicely, however. there is even a drawbridge with some traps.

14th Sandstone, 253

Longshot got fed up with having so little to trade to caravans, and mandated production of some trinkets out of rock. While we need rocks to build walls, this place has abundance of it, and miners can always mine some more. It is also a better use for them than that freaking catapult. Oh, and items made of rock can be surprisingly valuable.

22nd Sandstone, 253

I can't believe it. That idiot Arbalest went to Virtue, and demanded a catapult. Virtue finally agreed just to shut him up. I think she is being too nice, and trying too hard to please everypony. We don't have enough houses, and we are going to waste wood and stone on some siege engine. Well, there were some balistas back at Coupledye, but they were aimed at a bottleneck, where any invading army would be devastated. What is he going to aim for here, I wonder? We are surrounded by open space. that is a bad position to defend.

24th sandstone, 253

Arablest wasted a lot of wood, positioned his catapult to aim at nothing in particular, and is wasting stone we need to finish building walls. He boasts about slowly getting better. Well yeah, it takes years to train competent siege engineers, and tons of wood to build even semi-reliable siege engines. In addition they need to be positioned at bottlenecks to have a decent chance of harming invaders. Under these conditions they can be deadly. Thing is Dawnpick is a small mining outpost, and having catapults or balistas is both overkill and waste of resources in my opinion. I have second thoughts about voting for Virtue. At least the catapult is close to the entrance, and looks scary, but I doubt Arablest will hit anything. At best he may scare away some thieves, but I doubt it. Well, at least he is only using it during the days, but the noise is quite annoying too!

17th Timber, 253

Those insolent bandits tried to steal a foal today. Two of them walked right into the barracks, probably trying to sneak on an unprepared soldier, and avenge their buddies. They were killed quickly. But that was a diversion. A third thief walked through our main entrance, and somehow bypassed all the traps. Arablest tried to shoot him with his catapult, but predictably failed. The thief snatched Granite, Hickory's foal, and the militia barely caught him. Glaive was injured in the fight, and Panacea says, he'll be live, but his leg won't fully heal. While this ended well, those bandits have proven to still be a problem, despite the wall, and all our efforts to keep them out. Militia got some steel axes, and they work great (I was cleaning the mess), but they need better protection too. Virtue commissioned all the steel Flux has been producing to be used for armor.

2nd Moonstone, 253

My birthday. Nothing interesting happened. I played with Whiskers.

8th Moonstone, 253

This place acts as some kind of bandit magnet. A few more of them had shown up, and tried to rob some gems, but were killed by the militia. The wall is only half done by now, and Virtue made sure its construction is prioritized. I'm busy carrying stone blocks from the quarry to the wall. This is a lot of heavy lifting, but somepony has to do it.

9th Moonstone, 253

Apparently not all the tunnels into the caverns are sealed. Some kind of monstrosity wandered close to our mines, and the masons were tasked to wall it off. Fortunately it didn't attack us, so perhaps it didn't notice the mines, and will wander off. This is unsettling, even more so that I have to go to the mines to bring stones and ore. It seems that for every hole that the masons patch, the miners make another one.

14th Moonstone, 253

Glaive is still in the hospital, and his leg looks bad. I hope Panacea won't have to cut it off.

12th Opal, 253

Ocean Breeze gave birth to Peridot, a unicorn filly recently.

Militia is getting Champrons today. While helmets are good, they militia still needs more steel armor. So far their wounds were usually to the torso, so they are going to get Peytrals for chests, and Cruppers for their rumps next. With some armored horseshoes they should be a lot safer.

In other news, jewelers are getting a workshop to cut some of those gems from the mines. Miners were finding plenty of them, and cut gems can be used for expensive decorations of items, and are worth more. While Dawnpick is supposed to produce steel, there is no reason not to make the most of local resources, so I wholeheartedly support this notion.

5th Obsidian, 253

Corkscrew, a pump operator was struck by an inspiration recently, and made a beautiful decorated weapon rack. It was moved to the barracks as gift to the militia for keeping us safe.

10th Obsidian, 253

I'm amazed that everypony has so many friends here. In New Saddle pretty much everypony worked most of the time, and generally went about their business. Here there are frequent breaks, despite all the work, the dining hall is overcrowded day and night, and everypony knows everypony.

Stiletto continues to keep a low profile. I've noticed, she always covers her cutie mark. Nopony should be ashamed of their special talent. This is suspicious. She also acts very aloof, but in case of an Alicorn, that's justified, I guess.

16th Obsidian, 253

There was another attack from those badger bandits. Two of them tried to sneak into the block of flats, no doubt to try and murder us in our sleep. An effective, if cowardly tactics. Fortunately Halberd spotted them, and charged, followed by the rest of the militia. The bandits were killed, but put up quite a fight, and now Falcata is grievously wounded. I saw her in the hospital, and she has a nasty and deep cut to her side. I'm sure Panacea did what she could, but Falcata looks pale and has trouble breathing. It pains me to think, that she will die. Sarissa was wounded in a hoof, and went to the hospital too.

A third thief (they seem to operate on groups of three) was trying to walk in through the main entrance, but luckily a caravan arrived, and startled him. He ended up killed by a trap at the entrance. It was quite a mess to clean up. Thanks Flux.

17th Obsidian, 253

There is hope for Falcata after all. Oh, and Naginata gave birth to another foal today. Good to hear some good news.

Virtue looks horrible. I think she blames herself whenever something goes wrong.

The wall is progressing, and we're trying to finish it as soon as we can. Flux said, that steel armor production was also prioritized even further.

1st Granite, 254

A new year has begun! There was a small celebration. I've lived in Dawnpick for one and a half year, and grown quite fond of this place, despite the lack of clothing industry.

17th Granite, 254

After making a miraculous recovery, thanks in no small part to Panacea, Falcata left the hospital, and went back to barracks and military training. She has an ugly scar, but covered it with a Peytral. I admire her resolve. Glyph was released some time ago, but his leg is crippled. Despite that, he too continues his service as a guard. Sarissa is still in the hospital. Her leg looks bad.

1st Slate, 254

Detergent made some soap for Sarissa, and will keep Dawnpick supplied. Hopefully it will help clear her infection, and help Panacea keep her surgical tools clean. We can now take baths with soap! It was normal in Coupledye, and even New Saddle, but after so long a break, it sure feels like a luxury.

8th Slate, 254

Kiln made some statues, and they were put around the camp, and in the dining hall. They do look nice, but I thought it was a priority to finish the wall.

28th Slate, 254

Even with soap Sarissa's leg doesn't get any better. It also doesn't seem to get any worse. It is like she is hanging between life and death. Panacea is rather quiet lately, tough I'm sure she does anything in her power to help Sarissa. This situation is rather depressing, and I can do nothing to help, so I'll just stay out of their way for a while.

After all the wounds to our militia, Virtue commissioned a crypt for the soldiers. Today we hauled the last coffin, and every pony on active duty got one, while still alive. The purpose was undoubtedly to rise their spirits, and let them know they will be properly commemorated in case of their death. Some are ambivalent about it, and think this is bad luck, or it makes it look, like they are expected to die soon. I disagree, back in Coupledye we had a family tomb, and nopony complied about it. There are also some general-purpose coffins for whoever dies first. Well, it is good that we are prepared. I guess.

Militia looks more formidable by the day. Their heads, necks and torsos are now fully covered in armor, and they exercise regularly.

2nd Hematite, 254

One mason, Glyph, volunteered for the militia. They are now split in two squads of five, one under Halberd, and the other under Naginata, plus Sarissa, who is still in the hospital. Not that its any of her fault. Since the military generally operates by moving in whole squads, I guess this makes us safer, tough I'm not an expert on these matters by any stretch of imagination. It happened a few times, that those bandits attacked us from two different directions, so two squads could deal with two independent threats. It can also give a better coverage of patrols. Having both Glaive and Glyph around is a bit confusing.

The caverns still aren't properly sealed off. We are building a wall around the camp, and the masons busy themselves with things like statues, but they can't wall off a few tunnels? Anyway those crundles were back, but our militia dealt with them in no time. Which for me meant hauling their bloody corpses to the butcher. I think I'm going to be sick. I'll stick to carrots and celery, and avoid soup for the time being. Glaive was wounded, but nothing serious. His leg is still lumpy, tough.

5th Hematite, 254

Carmine won the mayor election, but just like Longshot ceded running the fort to Virtue. A good decision, I guess, as Virtue has proven to do his job reasonably well so far. Tough it makes me wonder, why are we having these elections at all. The best thing about is is that Virtue promised Carmine and me to find us something to do, other than hauling things around for other ponies. This makes me hopeful, but on the other hoof something tells me, I still won't be dyeing clothes.

19th Hematite, 254

Castiron was struck by inspiration earlier, and made a beautiful and durable grate. Maybe it will be used for another well, we shall see. This inspiration seems to be quite random. Perhaps one day I'll be affected by it too, make a thing of great beauty, and learn a great deal in the process.

Hickory gave birth to a Unicorn filly, Amber.

5th Malachite, 254

More of these crundles have shown up, and the military dealt with them again. Now I have to clean up the mines before they start to stink. Oh joy. One notable thing is, that Rondel, Naginata's Unicorn son, somehow got mixed into the fight. From what I heard in the dining hall, he stood his ground, and is all right apart from a few cuts and bruises. I hope this won't give other foals the idea to "be awesome". We all still remember, what happened to Sienna. Naginata looked quite furious, and I haven't seen Rondel himself, so I'm guessing she beat the stupid out of him.

14th Malachite, 254

I'm a mason now! Well, an apprentice anyway. Virtue decided, that since we don't have any need for dyeing clothes, and Glyph joined the militia, this place needs more masons. I wholeheartedly agree. While this has nothing to do with clothes, at least it will be more interesting than hauling various stuff all day. Carmine will be an apprentice mason too. This gives me access to plans of the camp, and information about planned constructions as well. Since we are painfully short on rooms, and share them and sleep in shifts, a new dormitory was commissioned. It is positioned in NE corner, by the wall, which should speed the construction up. This makes me rather excited.

In other news Glaze gave birth to a Unicorn filly, Purple Prose. Given our population, there are quite a few births around here.

26th Malachite, 254

Today the wall was completed! We should finally be safe from those bandits. Even the entrance has a drawbridge, which can be raised in emergency. Everypony is quite happy about it, especially the militia. There was a party for the masons, me and Carmine included. Yay! Of course this doesn't mean we can take some time off now, we still have a new dormitory to finish, and I'm sure there will be some things after that. I look forward to this productive future.

28th Malachite, 254

Sweet Nectar put some beehives close to the dining hall. I'll welcome some honey in my diet. Vegetables are good, but they get bland after a while. I was stung by some bees, and learned to avoid their hives. It hurt a bit, but not enough to disrupt my work. Panacea said, a bee sting once in a while is healthy, and makes ponies more resistant to disease. All right, I suppose I don't mind it then.

Flux came up with a pretty ingenious trap design for the entrance. I think it could use a few improvements, and be simplified, but the idea is great. In "off" position it will allow safe and convenient passage, and in the "on" position some drawbridges will retract, and any would invaders will have to cross a serpentine path filled with weapon traps. This design has many merits, but the best of them is making effective use of weapon traps.

7th Galena, 254

We were making progress on the dormitory, but Carmine decided it can wait, and instead we will be building a town hall. Well, I suppose any settlement needs one at some point, and Virtue's office is a bit cramped. Personally I'd rather finish the dormitory first, and finally have a room just for me, but I guess I can wait a bit longer. Carmine on the other hoof is very excited about the project, and I can't blame him.

With the wall finished Ocean Breeze had to run quite a long way to the brook without escort. He didn't want to end up like Brook, and we have plenty of vegetables and smoked fish (I checked out the stockpile under dining hall, while getting dinner), so for the time being there is still going to be tasty fish stew on the menu. Ocean Breeze will be safe, while doing other stuff, much like I did for two years after coming to Dawnpick, and before becoming a mason. The only downside is no fish intestines for Whiskers. Maybe he'll hunt rodents more diligently from now on.

14th Galena, 254

Some kind of monster showed up in the caverns, and was killed off by the militia. Every time we wall off a section of those caves, the miners turn up another one. The problem is, we need stone for constructions, and marble for making steel. As a mason I often have to go deep to fetch rocks, so monsters from the caverns concern me a lot. Crundles are annoying, but some legends speak of terrible and forgotten beasts who dwell under the surface. With all the things that live down there and bothered us so far, it may be that those monsters of legends are real, and can feed themselves. With every stone our miners dig up, the vibrations carry far in the underworld. This is bound to attract attention of some powerful predators eventually. That would be disastrous. I don't know what Virtue is thinking, but we should prioritize our safety over a town hall, and at the very least build some traps at entrances to the caverns, if not seal them off completely.

16th Galena, 254

I think some of those bandits follow the caravans, and attack small outposts on the way. A caravan of Zebras arrived today. Which probably means, we will be getting some exotic food, and they have bananas, but I'm trailing off. The bandits arrived just before the caravan, but fortunately that idiot with the catapult spotted them. Of course he didn't manage to hit any of them with a stone, but he made enough noise for the militia to notice, and kill them on the drawbridge. Nopony was hurt in the process. The caravan was greeted by a sight of blood, and freshly mangled corpses. Maybe they'll offer us better prices after that? It is fortunate, that Ocean Breeze laid off fishing for a while, and none too soon. Well, it is up to her to clean this mess now. Which is better than being dead.

17th Galena, 254

I had an interesting conversation about meditation techniques with Shikashi, one of the Zebras. I shared a meal with her, and I'll be having some lessons with her.

20th Galena, 254

Yes, those bandits operate in groups of three. They also keep coming, no matter how many of them our militia kills. This means those are scouts, and there must be a larger group somewhere. I fear they might attack in full strength someday. Anyway, three more of them came to Dawnpick today. Despite our militia having almost complete sets of armor, the bandits managed to put up quite a fight. Halberd and Naginata killed them, but not before Partisan, Falcata, Fuscina and Halberd were wounded. Most in their legs. Virtue said, they’ll get armored horseshoes soon, and I'm sure Panacea will take good care of the wounded, especially Fuscina, who lost a lot of blood. The fighting took place in sight of the trade depot, and while caravan guards didn't join it, the Zebras seemed impressed.

In happier news the caravanners happily bought a few bins of stone trinkets for some wine, cheese, and more importantly fiber and cloth. Still no dye, tough.

After all that fighting I saw Stiletto cleaning herself by the well. She looked ~~attra~~ majestic without her armor, and with wings outstretched, and wet mane... Anyway, I think she saw me staring, so I quickly darted into the mines to get another stone for the town hall. The visage is still in my mind, and I had indecent thoughts about her. Nothing like that happened in a while. This is unnerving. Especially after the carnage.

24th Galena, 254

Turns out, I'm not good at meditation. I think and worry too much. Oh well.

Work on the town hall and dormitory progresses at usual pace.

1st Sandstone, 254

Things are still busy at the hospital. Panacea says everypony should recover. Nevertheless that last fight has weakened our militia considerably for the time being, and proven their armor to be insufficient. Well, at least they have each other's company now. Falcata was pretty depressed last time she was hospitalized alone.

Billows finished the first set of armored horseshoes for the militia. Good, our militia's armor won't have unprotected spots for those bandits to exploit.

We finished the walls of the town hall today. All that's left is the roof. I'm a journey-mason now.

3rd Sandstone, 254

The legends we tell our foals to scare them are true. There are great and forgotten beasts living in those caverns. One of them wandered close to Dawnpick. It is some kind of giant bird. The miners heard its screams in the caverns. This is worrying, especially with so many the militia wounded. Halberd and Naginata took their squads, and went to inspect the tunnels below. They returned a few hours later, without seeing anything. Why can't we just build thick walls in the tunnels, hide behind their safety, and only get our stone from where it's safe?

7th Sandstone, 254

Speaking of mining stone, we were running low on stone blocks for construction, so Mortar, the chief mason, went to Virtue, and asked for more. He will be working with the miners in the quarry for a while.

There is a serious reconstruction of the trap system around our entrance going on. Flux knows a lot about military engineering it seems. Good, with those bandits around we can use all the safety we can get. Totem is helping him with the traps, as he run out of bones to carve, and is glad to tell me about their plans and progress.

It concerns me less then stone, but our wood supply has dwindled considerably, and Ashwood will have to cut down more trees. Recently he was mostly helping with hauling stuff around. The bulk of wood goes to making charcoal for the furnaces, as well as houses. The biggest trouble is, there are no trees inside the wall, and going outside for wood is risky with those bandits around. Even with spells to turn other plants into wood, and Harvest Moon's farmers providing plenty of material, smelting steel is very power hungry. I suppose the alternative would be to build another workshop for making artificial wood, and training a few more Unicorns in the spell. I hope Ashwood's team won't get ambushed. He seems enthusiastic about the task, and I can understand that. Carrying stuff for other ponies and various odd jobs need to be done, but pretty much any job I'm reasonably good at is more satisfying, let alone one in alignment with my special talent. Well, at least I'll remain within the safety of the wall.

18th Sandstone, 254

Pewter, a female PP metal-crafter, got trapped in a small dried pond, and her feathers got covered in mud. Eventually somepony heard her yells for help, and Diamond Shard collapsed enough of the cliff on the shore for her to come out. She will be fine. I'm both amused and worried at the Pegasai ability to reach places they can't escape. Maybe it is better not to have wings. I think Virtue will commission some more ramps to prevent further accidents.

5th Timber, 254

Sarissa left the hospital today, but her leg still isn't quite right. I guess after such a long time in the hospital it is as good as it is ever going to get.

9th Timber, 254

Barley, our Distiller was struck by inspiration recently, and made a leather shield called The Touch of Leaves. Somehow he managed to make it very hard, and light at the same time. Its decorations look stunning and the attention to detail is staggering. It is reinforced with steel edge and bumps. The militia is very impressed. The shield was assigned to Glaive and he made a joke, that considering the number of trees Dawnpick cuts down, the name is appropriate.

18th Timber, 254

Fuscina left the hospital.

We finished enough of the roof over the town hall for Carmine to move in. There is a comfortable bedroom, and enough room for meetings and keeping scrolls. Carmine was pretty happy, and threw a party. We should finish the town hall shortly. Oddly enough, Virtue is still doing most of administrative work.

21st Timber, 254

Falcata left the hospital today, and was so overjoyed, she spent an hour flying in circles all over the town. This cheered everypony up.

22nt Timber, 254

Another bandit has shown up, but he escaped before the militia could kill him. They said their heavy armor is slowing them down, but they need the protection. They still seem fast enough to intercept whatever threat comes our way, tough, so I don't worry. Come to think of it, even a strong pony must have some difficulty running in all those steel plates.

2nd Moonstone, 254

My birthday. I got some time off and, small party, and some banana rum. Yay!

13th Moonstone, 254

The town hall is finally finished. It was decorated with statues and quality furniture. I'm sure it will be enough for now. As for masons and carpenters, we will be working on more dormitories. Virtue told us to build them using the wall around the camp. This means some of us won't have windows, but should speed the construction up a bit. Its about bucking time too. While new migrants stopped coming some time ago, we still have squatters. Well, it helps a bit that married couples share rooms with each other, and nopony else, but housing policy shouldn't be a reason to get married. Just saying.

25th Moonstone, 254

The soldiers talked in the mess hall about the need for a support squad with crossbows to intercept fast threats and keep them occupied until the heavy cavalry arrives. Sounds like a plan.

27th Moonstone, 254

Dawnpick is going to have a moat. So far it looks more like a wide ditch, but the construction is slowly progressing. Today Marbles was working on it, when he spotted another of those bandits, and run inside screaming. Fortunately he was able to get away, but the thief gave chase and with all the improvements to the gate still being under construction, bypass all the traps. Fortunately Naginata intercepted him in time. She bit his face off! Literally! While having an axe with her. I don't know if she got enraged or wanted to demoralize those bandits, but I'm pretty scared of her now.

28th Moonstone, 254

UP Miner Chic told me there is a problem with marble supply. There is still enough of it left for a few batches of steel, but she said the vein they were following was getting hot, and detection spells reveal molten rock not far from the shaft. Virtue wisely told them to be more careful, and mine the marble elsewhere. I found that unnerving, but she assured me miners didn't disturb the rocks enough for the marble to burst on its own, and we won't be having an active volcano any time soon. That would be the end of us, to be sure.

13th Opal, 254

Falcata went on patrol into the caverns, and found a really creepy monster, but managed to kill it. There is nothing in the caverns that we need. Why, oh why can't we just wall them off, and be safe from such aberrations? I must talk to Virtue about it.

15th Opal, 254

Militia went to the caverns again, and Falcata found more of those evil eye monsters, and killed some. The militia also found and killed a giant or something. Luckily for all the fighting nopony was wounded, and the new armor passed its test with flying colors. Some soldiers even boasted, about proffering to kick enemies with their steel boots over finishing them quickly with axes. I find is somewhat unnerving to be defended by crazy ponies. I wasn't to the caverns, but Virtue went to see that Blind Cave Ogre, and the evil eyes, and is finally listening to reason. We will be walling off the caverns for good. I sure hope so, otherwise some monstrosity could hurt Chic, or sneak into the town.

24th Opal, 254

Miners heard some horrifying sound in the caverns. We were sent under escort to wall off any breaches. This means going into the danger zone, but I don't care and I'll gladly do my duty. Plus with over-abundance of stones and rubble in the mines, blocking a few tunnels will be quick. Even Carmine went with the rest of masons despite being the mayor. Or maybe because of it, and leading by example. In any case the more of us go, the faster we will finish.

25th Opal, 254

There is now a new squad of marksponies under Partisan. They will be getting lighter armor than the rest of the militia. There are only two of them now, the other being PP Miter, who changed his name to Jaxler. Oh, and they will double up as a police force. Personally I don't think shooting criminals with bolts is better than beating them up with blunt objects, but there was virtually no trouble from inside, so it doesn't matter.

4th Obsidian, 254

We walled off the cavern's for good.

While the rest of the militia trains as usual, Partisan's squad mostly watches over Sawdust's team, and ponies working on the moat outside the wall. This is good, we don't want more accidents, like with Brook.

6th Obsidian 254

I wasn't there at the time, but yesterday evening Jaxler got in a fight with Stiletto in the dining hall. Nopony knows what it was about, but they all agree he started it. The rest of the militia subdued him quickly, and tied him to a tree. Dawnpick doesn't have a prison, so this will have to do. I really don't get this guy's problem. Stiletto seems all right, even tough she keeps to herself most of the time. I tried to talk to Jaxler, and he seems to be a total jerk. He was recently drafted, so maybe that ticked him off? I don't like it that such a trouble maker is a guard, but I hope the rest of the militia will be keeping an eye on him.

12th Obsidian, 254

Golden grains, an EP farmer was struck with inspiration, and made a crown worthy of a Queen. Thing is, we don't have a queen, or any other nobility. Stiletto seems content as a soldier.

15th Obsidian, 254

Jaxler was released yesterday. Today he and Partisan were on patrol, when another bandit have shown up, but they chased him off. I can't help, but wonder what his buddies are up to.

A rainbow pony caravan has arrived. they got rock trinkets, while we got leather, wood, cheese and drink.

21st Obsidian, 254

A bandit managed to sneak into the mines, and wounded in a leg Verdant Flash, a foal who wandered there. Naginata's squad saved her son. Panacea says Verdant Flash will be all right, but he will be spending the next week in hospital. I'm glad I don't have to clean up what's left of the thief. I never had much stomach for it anyway.

23rd Obsidian, 254

I thought the bandits operate in groups of three, but today two more have flown over the wall. One went for the houses, and was killed by Falceta. The other went into the barracks, and was killed too. I've heard that Rondel, another one of Naginata's foals was in the barracks at the time, and joined the fray. Nopony was hurt this time. The same Rondel, who put up a fight in the mines some time ago. Looks like Naginata is upbringing our future guards.

Author's Note

Fun fact: This entire chapter is composed of just two posts.

47: Crundle Attack

A fresh cut stretched across Powder Miner's face as he backed away from the crundle, suddenly lunging forward for a swing, which took a bit of flesh off of the thing. it struck back, dealing Powder Miner a new blow. Powder Miner continued to back away again in the fight, moving towards the cavern entrance. He was hoping he'd be able to make it to the traps to take care of the thing.

Jaxler was on patrol, he had full leather armor and his steel crossbow. his patrol had recently been extended, now he had to walk all the way down to check on the caverns. He was halfway to the cave entrance when he heard fighting. Jaxler flew as fast as he could and found powder being attacked by a crundle. Jaxler put a bolt in his steel crossbow and aimed.
"RUN POWDER!!"

Glyph was resting in one of his favorite sections of the cavern, enjoying the beauty. Even though there was danger there, he still enjoys relaxing in the caverns, besides seeing as he's in the militia, he should be safe enough.
Glyph heard another fight going on, which didn't worry him at first, after all, with all the nasty things down here, he was used to hearing fights... then he heard Jaxler's yell.
Quickly, he ran to the sound arriving right behind Jaxler and drawing his axe. "Jaxler, you have a shot?"

"I'm not using my wooden crossbow right now, I couldn't hit the side of a mountain with this steel one."

"Alright... watch my back then." Glyph rushes forward at the crundle, placing himself between it and Powder, brandishing his axe.
"Powder, get out of here now!"

The crundle had turned to the sound of the voices, distracted. "No, I've got this!" Powder Miner buried his pick into the thing's skull. As a fairly accomplished miner, he could deal with singular threats. But not being militarily trained, he found that, unfortunately, multiple crundles were too much. Specifically he found this by a hammering punch to the back of the head which staggered him. He began running "I think I will run!"

Glyph just shakes his head at Powders action, he seemed to be alright though, so he focused instead on the threat in front of him. "Come on, you have better things to be doing... no need to chase Powder..." He strikes out at the crundle, striking a gash in it's leg, more focused on keeping it's attention rather than killing it.

Jaxler pointed his steel crossbow at the crundle from a few feet away. when he shot the bolt barely grazing it. Jaxler decided that the steel crossbow's only function was that of a 2nd rate mace and hit the crundle in the side with it. Amazingly he hardly even managed to bruised the thing, so he just resorted to kicking it.

Glyph sees the crundle's claw striking down at Jaxler and shoulders him out of the way. The attack bites into his foreleg, making it buckle for a moment, before he surges to his hooves and strike at the thing again. He sweeps his axe at its side, cutting deep and knocking it over. "Jaxler, get Powder out safe, I can handle this."

Jaxler was angry that Glyph acted like his shield. So he ignored his orders and walked up to the overturned crundle and stomped the things head in.
"I don't like it when ponies take my hits for me."

"Well too bucking bad. Come on, we should make sure Powder got out okay, there could be more of those things." Glyph moves to follow Powder, his leg giving him trouble. He stomps it a few times, then puts his weight back on it, limping only slightly.

Powder Miner cleared the boulder that he had let go of when attacked from the entrance. "*sigh*... Panacea is awfully busy these days."

Jaxler was following Glyph and noticed he was limping. "You should have let that crundle attack me, my armor could have taken the blow."

"Yeah, but I was there. I just take blows by instinct... and my leg is fine. A little pain is a good thing, besides, means it won't hurt as much next time."

"Let's just get above-ground," Powder interjected, "Standing here wounded helps noone."

"Ya, but now I feel accountable for you getting hurt."

*sigh* "The caverns are dangerous, and you can't possibly be everywhere at once."

"No one's responsible for my actions but me. You don't want me taking hits for you learn to shoot that steel crossbow, then any hits would be aimed at me anyways."

When Glyph brought up the steel crossbow it made Jaxler feel a bit stressed. "Sorry but I've been using my wooden crossbow for a while now and switching to a different weapon that I honestly don't trust is pretty hard."

"I can imagine, Probably just as bad as the few times I've tried to use a spear... Apparently it gets easier with practice, but still..."

"I guess so. Oh, looks like we're here."

Powder Miner knocked on the door of the hospital.

Panacea looks up from the textbook she was lazily flipping through at the sound of somepony knocking at the door. She closes the book and hops up before trotting over to the door. At least whoever it was didn't sound too urgent, so she wasn't overly worried.
"Hello?" she asks, opening the door to take in the ponies in front of her.

Glyph walks in, still limping slightly from the gash in his leg. "Hi Panacea, Powder got attacked by a crundle down in the caves... I got a bit of a scratch as well..." He smiles slightly, sitting down and showing his wound.

"Aye Panacea, ya got anything for a hangover?"

Powder Miner winced. Now he was beginning to feel the cuts. "Yeah, thing slashed me across the face a few times."

Panacea frowns a bit as she notices the cuts and motions for everypony to come inside. It didn't look too bad overall, thankfully. A few stitches for Glyph and Powder Miner, probably nothing more. She steps back to the coffers at the far side of the hospital and searches for some thread and wash cloth.
As she returns to inspect the wounds, she says to Jaxler, "Not much, I'm afraid." She motions to a small stock of herbs packaged on a shelf nearby. "Chewing some of those leaves will help a bit if you've got a headache though."

Jaxler wasn't all too optimistic that the leaves would really do anything, but he figured that as long as they wouldn't kill him it was worth a try.
"If I chew too many of those leaves It wont kill me, right?"

She smiles and shakes her head as she begins cleaning the cut on Powder Miner's face. "No, you'd have to eat a hundred times as much as we've got here before it would do something like that." She finishes cleaning the cut and sutures it closed as gently as she can, a delicate art she'd learned to do with just her mouth the hard way.
She then turns her attention to Glyph, whose cut was a bit deeper but didn't seem to have caused any permanent damage.

"So, hows it look? Pretty easy to move on, just needed to stomp it a bit." Glyph holds his forehoof out, looking at the cut strangely. "Been a while since I've gotten hit..."

She gives him a reassuring smile and takes a closer look. "It's not bad, the cut it is a little deep, but I think it'll heal up just fine." She gently cleans the cut, inspects it once more to confirm that it wasn't too serious and begins to carefully suture it.
"So, how did this happen?" she asks, trying to keep Glyph's mind off the procedure she was performing. "I thought the masons had sealed off the caverns?"

"I know of a few ways in, I... I like it down there. I'm careful though, there's no way something could get out into the fort from there." He watches the suturing, cocking his head slightly, not seeming bothered. "Dunno what Powder and Jaxler were doing down there, but I got gashed cause I got in the way of a hit."

"Oh, I see." She gives him a warm smile as she finishes the suturing. "That's very brave of you. I really think a lot of everypony in the militia and the guard. I sleep a lot better at night knowing all of you are watching out for us."

"Gold mining. The other gold mines ran dry, so if we wanted any gold to sell, we needed to get it from the caverns. Those... huge monsters were gone, so I volunteered."

Jaxler started chewing the herbs, they really didn't seem to help too much.
"Seeing as nether of you are gonna die I should "probably" get back to patrol"

Panacea looks over to Powder Miner and says, "Oh, I see. Well, I hope you can find some way to mine out the gold without getting too close to the monsters down there."

She nods toward Jaxler as he leaves then gives a smile to Glyph. "But I'm sure the militia will keep you safe." After a quick inspect of her stitch work, she stands. "I think you two should be good to go now. If the pain gets too bad, or if the wounds start to get worse, don't hesitate to come back and see me."

"Thanks Panacea," I say as I stand up, "I'll be sure to let you know if something feels wrong." I head out, with a final goodbye to Jaxler and Powder.

48: A Display of Speed.

Preparation is the seed of victory.
This little nugget of wisdom, among others, had served Falcata well through her life, despite two near-death experiences so far. As such, after getting an extra set of chain-mail in addition to having her existing armor made even heavier with gold studs, she decides to make sure that she can still fly properly in it.
Whizzing high above the town buildings, Falcata's not finding it as easy as she'd expected. A combination of not being used to the additional weight and the warmth of the sun at midday was taking its toll, though she would hardly admit this to anypony. Still, she presses on, corkscrewing lazily through the air, little rays of sunlight reflecting off the shiny metal of her armor as she goes.

Flux exits his apartment, ready to go to the dining hall for some lunch. As he walks, though, something flashes above him and catches his attention. Looking up, he sees a glimmer of Falcata as she soars through the sky. Lunch forgotten, Flux takes the stairs up to the unfinished third story of the apartment complex to get a better look.

Oblivious to anything below an altitude of about sixty feet, Falcata continues to drift onwards, taking a bit of a breather. Flying in full armor was hard work, and she'd been finding it tough even before being presented with even more of it. A passing swallow loops by, giving her a ridiculous idea. Loop-the-loops were difficult enough anyway, and not all that useful in any sort of aerial combat. There was absolutely no real reason to try one while covered in a thick layer of metal; she'd probably never have to use such a flamboyant maneuver in a real combat situation.
All of these things passed through her mind at some point, but the pegasus part of her brain wasn't really paying attention. She grins, spiraling upwards to get a bit more height while preparing herself for a nice long dive. She'd need quite a bit of speed for this one.

Flux sits down as he watchs Falcata fly. Few of the pagasi seem to actually enjoy flight, treating it as just another mode of getting from point A to point B. Even Stiletto didn't seem to fly very much, but Falcata just looked so in her element. He cranes his neck back to follow her latest ascent to the heavens, wondering what she might be preparing to do.

Stiletto was out in her full armor doing flying drills for speed in close quarter movement. Two hammers where strapped to her back and she was carrying two full saddle bags of rocks, on top of that she a bucket of water in her mouth. This quiet predictably made flying much much harder. It had to be done though, she needed to be faster, and this was only way she knew how. Stiletto circled around the palisade as fast as she could manage, timing each pass in hear head. after each pass she would weave through all of the buildings, while making sure not to spill any water. After five passes, she would drink the water and refill the bucket. This was what Stiletto called her "Light work out."

Finally reaching the apex of her ascent, the pegasus takes the opportunity to revel in the moment. The anticipation of the dive is almost making her more giddy than the high speed descent itself, and Falcata delights in it. After a brief pause, she decides it's time to go.
With her preamble finished, she points herself downwards, snaps her wings in, and begins to plummet towards the ground. The sensation of speed is intense, though nothing unfamiliar for her. A white blur speeding downwards, she rushes towards the ground with almost frightening speed.

Flux's jaw slackens as he watches Falcata drop, torn between worry that something might have gone wrong and awe that she looks so... confident while plummeting straight down.

Meanwhile, as Falcata is flying around overhead, Glaive is busy sparring with Commander Halberd. Glaive was far from untalented with his weapon, but the Commander was still his better, and it took all of the bearded unicorns concentration to keep up with him, if it wasn't for the Touch of Leaves he might not have been able to at all. But suddenly Glaive saw a white, red, and metallic steak through the sky and toward the ground very fast too fast, 'She's going to crash!' "Falcata!" he yells suddenly distracted. His momentary lapse caused a blow that Halberd had expected Glaive to avoid to smash into Glaive's head. Glaive twists with the blow and hits the ground. He is stunned, but his Chamfron has saved his life.
Halberd speaks, "Glaive! Are you okay?
Glaive manages to stand shaking his head trying to get his eyes to focus, and then frantically looks for any sign of his love.

Stiletto stopped just under the apartment complex and looked up at Falcatas' fantastic display of airborne acrobatics.
"I wonder if she would teach me that?"

The unforgiving, solid earth now getting very close indeed, Falcata flicks her wings out with blinding speed, altering her course to a more horizontal direction. She can't help but notice that she's still heading downwards a bit, though. A slight miscalculation, evidently; the armour was affecting her flight pattern more than she'd anticipated. Still hurtling towards the ground, slowly levelling off, she does her best to appear totally in control, just in case anypony happened to be watching.
Crap crap crap crap crap crap oh gods almighty come on come on
She skims the top of a bush as she finally levels off, much closer to the ground than she'd expected. Adrenaline surges through her, carrying her to new heights of elation as she pulls upwards and completes the loop.
By all the gods hnnnng still alive still alive all planned all good oh horsefeathers that was great now that's called calculations and I am never doing that ever again no way no how
Now flying at a more moderate speed not too high up, she passes over Glaive's sparring match, and can't help but giggle a bit at his stunned expression. She just knew he'd have been watching, and it made her happy to know he cared.

Glaive stands awestruck of Falcata's skill. 'I can't believe she just pulled out of that. That was close. Scared me half to death.'
Halberd stands nearby, "Glaive? Are you okay? Can you hear me? Dammit I didn't mean to hit him that hard. Somepony fetch Panacea."
Glaive turns to Halberd, "No, that's not necessary. I'm okay commander. It's just a little bump. Let's get back to work."
The two Stallions return to their training, working harder than ever.
'I worry to much. She's not a little filly. She's a strong and graceful mare. I should put more trust in her abilities.'

Flux applauds his hooves on the roof as Falcata pulls out of the dive, amazed at her skill and grace.

Stiletto looked on at Falcatas' daring dive and playful flyby. Right then and there she decided Falcata was definitely the one to teach her. There must be some technique that could help the massive amethyst Alicorn move fast enough to get to the fight before it was over. One problem though, all this bucking wieght she had strapped to herself made her even slower, no way could she hope to catch up with Falcata now, Unless... Stiletto darted around through the lower (relative to the sky) passages of Dawnpick and came out just to the left of Falcatas' flight path.
"Hello Miss Falcata! How are you today!"

Touching down on an open patch of grass, Falcata all but collapses onto the ground. She'd definitely pushed herself a bit far with that last stunt, and fatigue was setting in with a vengeance. Content to lie there for a bit, she spots Flux peering down from the apartment roof, and gives him a little wave. Briefly, she offers a quick thank-you to the heavens, feeling a bit obliged to the gods given that they might just have helped her avoid a thunderous impact of the worst kind. The last thing she wants is another trip to the hospital and that accursed bed.
I think I'll walk home.
Slowly, given her slightly dazed state, she becomes aware that Stiletto is hovering beside her, having just finished saying hello.
"Oh, hiya Stiletto. I'm great. Thanks for asking. A bit, uh, tired. Speed fatigue, I suppose you could call it. Armour too heavy," she gasps, losing the ability to form full sentences.

"Yes, that was amazing flying there, you could give my instructor from the flight academy some pointers. I was wondering if maybe you might possibly be willing to teach me?"

Flux wave back at Falcata, then starts back down the stairs to meet her and Stiletto.
'Maybe they want to get lunch together?'

"Thanks, Stiletto. As for teaching you, could give it a go. Never taught before though, much less an alicorn. Suspect you built more for long flights, not speed. Still, could probably cheat with magic. Hm?" Falcata smiles up from the ground, still resting on the soft grass.

"It is true, the Deutschmeiner fly more like a dragon and not very much like a bird. Though I believe a talented teacher can train one to do anything."
Stiletto landed next to Falcata with a thump, those saddle bags bouncing and rattling with there load.
"I can use my magic to grapple but it will not get me to your side in combat. You look a little thirsty, do need any water?"

At the mention of water, Falcata's eyes snap fully open, the single word being the most beautiful noise of all to her parched, dehydrated brain.
"Yes. Where?"

Stiletto lowers the bucket in her mouth and places it next to Falcata, it was still mostly full.
"Drink up, I can get more from the well. It is fresh and I do not need to boil it, so I can get more fast... well not very fast. When do think we could start?"

Flux finishes descending the stairs and makes his way to Stiletto and Falcata, almost prancing in happiness at having seen the act of aerial skill.
"Hey Stiletto, did you see Falcata? She was amazing!"
Flux's growling stomach interrupts his praise of Falcata.
"Oh, um, right. I was about to get something to eat. Uh, do either of you want to join me?"

The pegasus deigns not to reply immediately, instead submerging herself in the deliciously cool liquid and taking in great gulps of water. After guzzling a sizable portion of the bucketful, she finally lifts her head back out, shaking her mane in a half-arsed attempt to dry it.
"Tomorrow would do. After training."
As Flux arrives and proffers his question, she gets up. Water was great, and now food sounded even nicer. There was only one viable response.
"Yes. Very hungry after that."

49: Pen-father

Virtue is sitting quietly at the well, watching her two children play in the grass as she tries to enjoy a moment outside and away from her paperwork. Rose giggles as she chases an insect of some sort of another, while Valor prefers to stay near his mom and simply watch. As long as they didn't go anywhere near the well itself, she was content to just let them be foals and enjoy themselves.

Glyph walks over to Virtue chewing his lip. He hadn't really talked with her since the trade depot incident, and this was a big thing he was asking... Her foals playing nearby helped make his mind up though, and he stepped forward. "U-umm... baroness? I.. I had an idea that I wanted to share with you... hope I'm not interrupting anything..."

Virtue looks up from her playing children when Glyph addresses her. She gives him a warm smile and shakes her head. "No, you're not interrupting anything." She watches Rose to make sure she was still in sight and nowhere near the well before adding, " What's on your mind?"

"W-well... It's and idea from my old village." He looks over at Rose, smiling faintly. "Back home... none of the foals had parents... well none but the most lucky or important. Instead they all just lived in stables all together..." He shakes his head, snapping himself out of his remembrance. "N-not that I'm saying that we should take foals away from their families... that's not right... but.. I was thinking we could make one of our own, just to take care of the foals while their parents are working, or busy..."
Glyph cocks his head, trying to think his words through. "I'm sorry if I'm not explaining this well baroness... Mainly I just thought about captain Naginata, her foals would even come with her to training... I was always worried they'd get hurt... and it can be useful..."

She listens carefully as he speaks, cringing a bit mentally as he refers to her as baroness again. That still didn't feel right... "Glyph... there's no need for the formalities, I'm still the same pony I've always been."
She smiles to try and ease the atmosphere. "But I think that's a good idea actually. Now that I have two foals of my own I can see how much of a hoof full they can be." Valor huddles up next to her and makes a small noise, and she lays a hoof on him. "And I worry a lot about Naginata and her family. I've seen her foals watching the training too... and I'm concerned one day one of them might follow her into a fight..."
Her grip tightens a bit around Valor, who smiles and settles in next to her. "If Marbles can't look after them all of the time, somewhere she could leave them where somepony can... that sounds like a very good idea. I wonder who might could look after them though?"

He relaxes a little, she seemed to like the idea at least... now about the rest... "W-well b-... Virtue... I was thinking... I could? I don't have much to do when I'm off duty, so I would be happy to be the pen-father..." Glyph chews his lip a bit, thinking. "And... and I think Kat might enjoy it too... maybe some of the others..."

Glyph? He wasn't a father, but from what she knew, she couldn't think of any reason why it couldn't be him. She nods slowly, raising her free hoof to her chin. "Well, I don't see why not. If you think Kat would be up for helping out, she seems like a nice mare, so I don't see anything wrong with her helping."
Her eyes track to the various ponies milling around the various workshops. "I think it's a good idea, but I'd like to see what everypony else thinks about it too. And we'll have to think about where to set all of this up. I suppose we'd need a new building, maybe not too large though... we have... twenty or so foals I think? And you wouldn't need to watch but a few at a time I think..."

"Yeah we definitely would need a new building, but even without I could look after a few at a time easy enough." He looks over the grounds smiling softly. "Thanks for at least thinking about it though... and if you ever need anypony to look after your foals, I would be more than happy to. I... I hope the others agree..."

She looks down and smiles at Valor briefly before returning her eyes to Glyph. "Thank you for volunteering. I'd trust you to look after Rose and Valor if I ever needed it, and I'm sure Naginata at least would say the same." She looks over to the dining hall. "I think perhaps tonight I'll ask around a bit and see what everypony else thinks. We can probably get something started getting set up out behind the main housing area... I'll have to think about that for a bit..."

"T-thank you for that..." Glyph's heart swells at that, that both her and Naginata would trust him with their foals... that was the best complement they could give. "I suppose I'll let you think then... I think I have a patrol soon.... but thank you for listening."

50: Beast Attack!

Virtue's Diary, 5th Galena, 257

Today we finished relocating all of the workshops to more permanent and organized locations. Most of them are closer to their raw materials now, so everypony should have a little less trotting around to do while working. The masons in particular should be able to work a bit faster. I've drawn up a new map of everything:

This shows the new warehouses too, which hadn't been constructed yet. I forgot to take a screen cap earlier. Keep reading...

We moved the carpenter's shop, and wood conjuring stations to the wood stockpile, moved the mason shops to the stone stockpile, and relocated the craftshops to the north wall. They're a bit further away from their raw materials now, but I'll try to see about getting some stockpiles set up nearer to them with commonly used things.

The gate traps have also been completed. Flux oversaw the addition of some drawbridges that can be opened to force intruders down a snaking path of traps, where they can fall down a good distance if they get knocked off. It sounds terrifyingly effective, and I'm worried that somepony in the militia might get hurt too. I'm sure Halberd and Naginata will train their ponies to stay clear of the trouble though.

Lastly, I received some further letters from Coupledye about their expectations of us now. They're looking for us to export raw steel and iron, of course, but they're also interested in any steel armor and weapons we can produce. The liaison must have caught sight of our smith's work. It worries me slightly that the king is looking for war implements instead of just steel, but it's not my place to question their requests.

Of course, I'm just trying to skill up my smiths and get some better gear. A few masterworks were made for the troops, and this should get up my wealth for invaders. :D

15th Galena, 257

A party was thrown today for Sandstone, who is no longer a little colt anymore. He's a stallion now, and he had his first lessons today with the masons, who he'll be joining. We could have used his help years ago when he was still a little colt, but another mason is always in demand here. We've still got plenty of work for them to do.

We also had a zebra diplomat arrive today, completely without escort. I spoke with him at length today about our relationship with the zebras, which I'm pleased to report is in good standing. They're fond of our little settlement, but he expressed some concern at the lack of trading we've given them in the past. I assured him that our settlement is growing all of the time, and that we'd probably be needing more from them in the future.

He was quite polite and pleasant to talk to. I look forward to his next visit.

17th Galena, 257

Well, it looks like perhaps we would get a chance to live up to that promise earlier than I expected! A zebra caravan arrived today, and we traded a fair bit more than we have in the past. It's come to my attention that our food stocks are all but overflowing, thanks to the hard work of our skilled chefs and farmers. We traded the last of the scavenged badger pony junk along with a fair bit of our stocked celery and carrot stews, which the zebras absolutely fell in love with.

In exchange, we received a sheep, a lime tree, some milk, a little exotic drink and a lot of thread. Panacea told me that we were running low on both thread and cloth, and this should bring us back up to a good stock.

Oh, and apparently Pewter was ambushed by a diamond dog just outside of the fort walls earlier today. The guard rushed off after him, but he escaped. At least nopony was hurt, although we'll probably see more of them soon, as we usually do.

21st Galena, 256

I had a terrible scare today. Somehow, Longshot and Corkscrew got caught on the walls of the old pump network out by the brook, where they couldn't get down. He said they'd been up there for days when Storm Cloud found them, and both of them were very weak from the dehydration. We rushed them off to the hospital where Panacea took a look at them and started treating them immediately.

She said they had less than a day left apiece before they'd have died.

I feel horrible about it, even though they survived. How could we not have heard their cries for help earlier? I shudder to think what might have happened if we hadn't found them...

I'm going to go see them now. At least Panacea says they should recover completely.

Stupid ponies getting stuck on stuff. At least I saw the job cancellation spam on giving water, I'd have never noticed them otherwise.

22nd Galena, 257

Looks like I was right about the thief. Another diamond dog arrived, but the zebra caravan guards killed him before we could even make a move on him. Then the badger ponies showed up. I'm starting to wonder if the two are in cahoots with each other.

When the warning rang out, I ran for cover with the rest of the civilians of course, so I didn't see the battle, but I have Halberd and Naginata's reports to work from. The battle was swift, from what they say.

Naginata's After Action Report

My squad arrived late to the battle. By the time we got there, Halberd's squad was already engaging the badger ponies. Outside of the fort and past the traps.

From speaking with Glaive, he was already outside when the badger ponies charged the gate, where he slew two by himself. He dispatched them with a few precise strokes of his axe, and I must say I'm impressed. Falcata on the other hand used a bit less finesse when she killed the third.

Falcata doesn't play with thieves!

As I've shown the ponies under me though, you use any tactic that presents itself when you're fighting, so I didn't say anything to her about her methods. It's not my place anyway, since Halberd commands her, but he seemed to not be bothered by it either.

Virtue's Diary - 12th Limestone, 257

Not much to report today. We set up a loom to start maybe processing some thread and cloth into more useful things, and I also had Marbles make some more windows. A lot of homes still didn't have windows, but I hope to remedy that soon.

17th Limestone, 257

Glyph stopped to talk with me today when I was out watching the kids, and suggested that we set up a small building where the parents here in Dawnpick could leave their foals for others to look after while they were at work. I think it's a great idea, as I know Naginata and Marbles at the very least could use a little help, especially when Naginata is on duty.

He suggested that he could be the one to look after them, along with Kat. They both seem like fine candidates, but we'll probably need somepony else who isn't in the guard or militia, who would have more time. I'll have to think about that, along with where to build it all.

19th Limestone, 257

Well, I suppose any reprieve we were to have from the monsters below was going to be fleeting. After we cleared out part of the caverns, the unicorns in the militia set up some early warning spells to tip us off of any new arrivals. We had something turn up today, but at least it can't get to us.

24th Limestone, 257

I'm starting to retract my statement from before about not fearing what lurks beneath the earth. We had two more monsters arrive today. This time though, they were very deep down, and of no threat to us. I'm going to have to look into setting up new traps on those levels too, maybe we'll be able to clear the caverns for good one day.

1st Sandstone, 257

We started work on a new warehouse today. Although the rain and weathering hasn't caused too much in the way of trouble for our stockpiled materials, we're long overdue for one or two. We'll be moving our furniture and crafts inside as soon as it's ready, which Mortar says shouldn't be all that long.

While I was looking over his plans for the warehouse, Diamond Shard slowly trotted by and took over one of the mason's shops. I recognized the blank stare immediately as one of the strange moods that plagues everypony here, and after a brief moment to make sure she wasn't going to cause too much disruption, I left for my office to sort through some more paper work.

13th Sandstone, 257

Today I think I may have made the most difficult decision of my life.

Diamond Shard hasn't budged from her place in the mason's shop, and is getting antsy. She's asking for cloth, but is turning everything away that we have. She doesn't want any of it. She just kept insisting that we bring her something new. I didn't know what to do, the only other kind of cloth I could think of was silk and we have none here nor any easy access to it.

Diamond Shard hadn't eaten nor drank anything in a full day, and I was terrified that if we didn't get her what she wanted she would suffer the fate that Longshot nearly did.

There is only one source of silk in Dawnpick, and that's the caverns. Where the monsters live.

I had to choose if I wanted to watch one of my oldest friends in Dawnpick slowly wither and die before me, one of the ponies who has mined up close to half of all of the stone and metal ore we've produced, or risk the lives of somepony to go down to the caverns to get some silk for her. I agonized over the decision for an hour.

I chose to send somepony to get her some silk. Partisan, Storm Cloud, Jaxler and Kat went down to the caverns after opening the beast trap, and stood guard while Fleece darted in, grabbed some spider silks and darted back out. It was an amazing success, and they didn't have to fire a single shot at anything.

There WAS a forgotten beast in there, but it was a flying one who seemed to be busy flying around and doing nothing. I sent the guard with their crossbows so they might have a chance of crippling or killing it before it got too close, but it didn't matter in the end, thankfully.

Then something truly terrifying happened.

From a breach somewhere we haven't sealed, another monster flew out of the caverns into Dawnpick. I was standing out with Diamond Shard, trying to think of a better way to get her what she wanted, and worrying myself sick that I'd never see the five ponies who went underground alive again. The monster soared over the walls, somehow flying with its body composed of mud, and charged straight for us!

Diamond Shard snapped out of her trance long enough to defend herself against the beast, but it tried again and again to jam its massive stinger into her body, only to find her mining pick in the way each time. I thought she and everypony else here was doomed, and I froze in terror.

I'm stupid and forgot to take screenshots of it stinging her and getting deflected by her pick and clothes. Too much time passed and I can get it now. :(

I also don't know how it got out. It didn't go by Partisan else I'd have known it, I think it flew up an up/down stair case that breaches the caverns somewhere, but I can't figure out where yet. It wasn't the same FB I was watching for.

I screamed and backed away from the carnage I was watching, to be rewarded with Glyph and Fuscina galloping to the scene. Without missing a moment both set upon the monster, with Fuscina taking a few ineffective swings at it. She finally hacked part of it away, and while it was stunned Glyph leapt up and severed its wing with a single swipe of his axe. The beast fell dead at that moment, collapsing into a heap of unsightly mud when it smashed into the ground.

Glyph got the last blow but no credit for the kill. ??? He saved Diamond Shard's life though!

I was all but in hysterics at this point, but once Glyph and Fuscina assured me it was dead, I managed to calm down enough to see that Partisan was triumphantly leading Fleece to the workshops to get some silk made. I sat by Diamond Shard's side the entire time it was being made, needing her company as much as she needed mine. I nearly watched an old friend be torn apart in front of me, and that's something that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

I recovered slightly after that when Fleece presented a bolt of silk cloth to her, and her face lit up. She immediately set off to grabbing things and went back to work. I think Glyph and Fuscina need a reward of some sort, as do all of the ponies who went underground to save her.

I'm going to need a little while to recover from this, but I think I will. Just knowing that we've got such a connection between everypony here that we'd go through such lengths to save a friend, and to know that the militia is standing by when we need them, all of that puts my mind at ease.

18th Sandstone, 257

I wanted to celebrate today when I heard that Diamond Shard finished what she was working on. It was an absolutely beautiful stone throne.

I gave her a hug the moment I saw her and told her everything that happened, since she didn't seem to recall any of it. She was in tears at the effort we'd gone through to save her, and I want to make it clear to everypony in Dawnpick that I'd go through such lengths for all of them.

Everything else today was a bit more tame, thank goodness. We finished the warehouse and started moving our unused furniture there.

We also had a tiger pony stumble into the traps near the mines. That's unusual, as we've never seen any tiger ponies around here before. Hopefully they don't join forces with the badger ponies. I'm probably just worrying too much. After what happened, I think I can be forgiven for that!

The warning bell already tolling, Falcata speeds through the air ahead of the rest of Halberd's squad, skidding to a halt in front of the three invaders. Thankfully, they'd been spotted early, and so the militia had had the chance to engage them well away from any civilians.
In times of peace, she always liked to think of herself as a relatively pleasant pony; easygoing and generally amiable. When fighting, though, she was all business. These animal ponies came here only to steal, pillage and murder, and she had sworn a duty to protect the town and everypony in it.
Therefore, without any sort of preliminary shouting, screaming or any other sort of pre-battle nonsense some ponies liked to bugger about with, she lunges straight for the nearest enemy, her axe clashing off his sword with the sound of metal scraping against metal and a shower of sparks. Neither of them deterred much by the miniature fireworks display, both combatants circle one another for a short while, sizing each other up carefully before once again diving into a whirlwind of furious slashing and parrying.
Falcata isn't unduly bothered; though this badger pony is certainly more skilled than most she'd previously fought, she can tell that he's quickly tiring, whereas she feels like she could go on all day if required. Her aerial training had paid off too, it seems; she finds herself able to weave and dodge around her enemy's swings as if he were moving in slow motion, exactly as she was used to doing before receiving her extra armour.
Suddenly, in her peripheral vision, she catches sight of Glaive being advanced on by two enemies, and begins to panic. Though she has complete faith in his abilities as a warrior, her natural instinct to help her beloved begins to take over.
I have to help him!
With newfound fervour, she increases her onslaught, raining a furious volley of blows on the unlucky badger pony. Incredibly, he manages to parry most of them, the rest seeming not to affect the primitive beast, so filled as he is with berserker battle-lust. He giggles hysterically, mocking her futile attempts to end his life and sending Falcata into an uncharacteristic fury of her own, many times more intense than the usual anger she feels when fighting.
With her beloved in potential peril before her very eyes and finding herself unable to help, something seems to snap inside the pegasus' mind. With a feral snarl, she tosses her useless axe to the ground, hurling herself towards her still-laughing adversary with unrestrained rage.
Impacting with all the force of a ballista bolt, she forces him violently to the ground, in the same motion sinking her teeth into his throat and biting deeply. Feeling her jaws close around something tubular and (hopefully) vital, she pulls her head back fiercely, ripping the unfortunate badger pony's windpipe out from its rightful home inside the body in a spray of blood, spattering her muzzle and chest. He begins to splutter and spasm, the sensation of suffocation proving extremely distressing, but she doesn't let up, tearing several more chunks out of him before coming to her senses.
Slightly disgusted even at herself, she rapidly scoops her axe back up and bisects the invader, finishing the skirmish rather more clinically. Glaive has already finished dispatching his two opponents by the time she glances up again, and she stands awkwardly beside the mutilated body now that the fight is over . Naginata had always preached a policy of pragmatism to the militia, but this might take a little bit of explaining. And a very, very long bath.

51: Target Practice

Jaxler woke up; he was on top of his apartment. All he remembered from yesterday was that he started drinking. He got up and looked around, and found his crossbow was five feet to his left and realized that he had guard duty today and that should have shown up around an hour ago. So he flew as fast as he could to the barracks

Kat was already in the barracks, really wondering where everypony is at the moment, seeing that she's the only pony in the barracks at the moment. Shooting at the Target with her guard crossbow and its wooden training bolts.

Jaxler finally arrived and walked into the building, "Hay Kat, do you know who has to patrol today?"

Kat perked her ears when she heard Jaxler's voice, but didn't look yet as she's aiming down the crossbow sight. "I think it's Partisan's and Storm Cloud’s today… Seeing that you just came and I still have more training to do.." she answered, then fired her crossbow, hitting the target right where it should have its left eye socket. "Good morning Jaxler."

"Good morning to as well" Jaxler walked over to the closet weapon rack and traded his wooden crossbow for a shiny steel one. "You mind if I practice with ya"

Kat look over to Jaxler, seeing him switching crossbows, then smiles "Sure! It’s getting boring shooting alone anyway." After answering the other Pegasi, Kat pulled the string back and secure it, loading another wooden bolt in. "it was more fun shooting at that beast."

"Ya, but the last thing this town needs are more cave monsters". Jaxler put a bolt in his crossbow and fired. He completely missed the target.

Kat Aimed down the sights again. "Well, if there's more. We'll just have to kill more. Simple." she said, pushing the trigger and firing the bolt, hitting her target around its groin area. "You okay?" she asked, seeing that Jaxler missed his target by like a mile or something.

"I'm okay" Jaxler tried firing aging at the target but missed just as badly. He then tried again and actually hit a target but it wasn't the one he was aiming for.

The pegasi mare tilted her head slightly, seeing Jaxler's surprisingly bad aim this morning. "You just woke up hung-over... Didn't you?"

Jaxler laughed a bit at the question "What gave it away?"

Kat shrugged and smile. Well, at least he seems to be in a good mood. "I think you shooting my target instead of yours gave it away" she said, sticking her tongue out playfully a bit while reloading her crossbow. "But hey! Good shot! I think that one hit the lung or something."

Kat aim down the sights again at the target, firing her bolts again and hitting it, breaking the right false rib and jamming it into the target's lung... if it were a living thing anyway. "Heh, I don't get why don't you just take the steel one as your own and use it every time. To get used to, better that way."

"Do what? I came to town with my wooden crossbow and my crossbow has saved my life on many occasions. What kind of a pony would I be if I just dropped it into a stockpile and let it rot?

Kat raises her eyebrow at the question "Why would you drop it into a stockpile? Ask the carpenter to make a box for it and keep it for generations to come sounds like a good idea. Should give the poor thing some rest. But it's your crossbow; do what you want with it I guess?"

Jaxler laughed a bit and walked over to the weapon rack. He picked up his wooden crossbow pulled back the string put a bolt in it. When fired the bolt landed right between where the target’s eyes would be. "I don't think this thing wants to retire anytime soon."

Kat shrugged slightly, reloading her crossbow "Well, looks like you got your aim back. You're really used to waking up hung-over do you?"

"Yes, yes I am. Getting hung over isn't all too bad once you get used to the headaches." Jaxler then picked his steel crossbow back up and fired it. This time the bolt hit the ceiling.

"Yes, that... or your steel crossbow's aim is way off. Maybe you should get that thing checked out sometimes no?" she suggested. Firing off her own bolt and hitting the target's midsection. "I'm really getting tired of shooting targets all day, you know?"

"Well being part of the guard really isn't as action packed as it seems. If you think this is boring then just wait till you have to fill out paperwork, or listen to a pissed off old mare file a complaint about the sun being too bright"

Kat finally is pleased with all the shooting, she slung her crossbow across her back and stretches out, flexing her wings as well to see if it's still working and haven’t gone numb to death yet. "Well, at least we don't get sent head-first into a bunch of monsters like the militia anyway... But there's these rumors of sieges or something now that we're a barony. Probably why Partisan set up more targets and is making them further and harder… heh... a siege. What do you think?" She asked, leaving the shooting area of the barracks to find a place to sit at for now.

Jaxler walked over a weapon rack and traded his steel crossbow for his wooden one and followed Kat out of the firing range. "If we were to be besieged I'd say our chances of survival depend on how much the enemy wants us dead."

She reaches the lounging area of the barracks, finding a table to sit at and taking out her own supply, already wanting to eat. "Another factor would be how good we are, and how good THEY are." she continued, taking out her bottle of Longland beer and some carrots

"Ya but skill is irrelevant if they send 90+ ponies mounted on war elephants all of whom are wearing full metal armor."

"You want to know what’s irrelevant? Time of death." She said, biting onto the tip of her carrot before downing it with her Longland beer. "Whatever you do, whatever happens, whoever you are, you die. Simple as that."

"Yep, you die. Which is why you might as well decide enjoy the time you got. Time of death is irrelevant but being able to die with a sincere smile is."

Kat pondered for a moment as she takes another bite from her carrot "Hmm... I think I told you something similar when you asked me before I joined the guards.."

Jaxler laughed a bit. "Why are talking about something as unpleasant as death right now?"

Kat giggled before taking another swig of her drinks "Who knows? Maybe I’m a sick, sick pony who could only taste food if she talks about death and destruction." she joked. Taking a large bite out of her carrot

"Man, I just realized that I haven't eaten today. Can I borrow some money so I can go buy some food"

Kat tilted her head ever so slightly from the request "Don't you get free food? I mean, we're allowed to just walk in and grab something from the food storage anyway. Right? Or something from the Guard's supplies?"

"All the food here tastes bland. I was actually gonna walk over to the kitchen and pay the cook to make me something decent"

"Ah, sure! How many bits do you want?"

"Enough"

Kat taps her chin for a moment, then open her poach of bits, taking four bits out of it and place it on the table before pushing it towards Jaxler "There, should be enough."

Jaxler picked up the bits and said "Thanks". He then started to walk out the door.

Kat waves Jaxler goodbye as she continues to eat her food there where she is.

52: A Night at the Bar

Jaxler was in the meeting hall, he had his diner, a nice barrel of booze, and was sitting in his favorite seat. He had finished a long day of patrol and target practice. The day was coming to an end and he was about to drink away another day of repetitive mundane boredom, when he saw an orange pony walk into the building.

Flux sighs as he enters the dining hall, having nopony to eat with tonight. Glancing around, he notices the pony who saved his life in the caverns: Jaxler. He shrugs as he starts over to him.
'Who knows, maybe he'd like some company, too.'
"Um... heya Jaxler. Uh, want some company for dinner?"

"Hay Flux. Sure, drinking is always more fun with company"

Flux smiles when he agrees to his company, glad to not have to eat alone. He quickly grabs something to eat and a weak drink, then return. As he starts to dine, Flux trys to think of something to say to strike up conversation. All he can think of, though, seems a bit rude to ask.
'Well... he's a pretty straight forward pony, maybe he won't mind?'
"Um... Jaxler? Why, uh... why don't you like Stiletto?"

Jaxler slouched a bit. He really didn't want to think about alicorns right now, but he figured flux probably deserved some sort of reason for him disliking his marefriend. so he took a swig of booze and said "I don't dislike Stiletto I dislike alicorns..."

His answer just confuses Flux more.
'They're a bit intimidating, but that can't be why he doesn't like them. I don't think anything could intimidate him...'
He takes another bite before carefully continuing the topic, hoping to avoid any potential pitfalls.
"Um... all alicorns? But, uh, you haven't meet them all, right?"

"Yes all alicorns and no I haven't met them all but I still have my reasons."

He nervously takes another bite and another drink, finding the term 'liquid courage' to be a false one.
"Um... r-reasons?"

Jaxler didn't see any reason to say anything, he just moved his hoof over to where his left kidney would be. he was pointing out his huge faded burn scar.

Flux's eyes widen when he realizes what Jaxler is trying to say, but he can't help but keep talking.
"Um... but one alicorn being, uh... bad... doesn't mean they all are... right?"

"Who said this damned scar was the only thing horrible an alicorn has ever done to me and who said that it was all done solely by one alicorn?"

Flux looks away, unsure what else to say.
"Um... sorry..."

"Don't be sorry it's not like any of this is your fault."

"Um... what... what happened?"

"Please, I'd prefer not to talk about the event."

I look down at my hooves and mumble.
"Sorry..."

Jaxler noticed that Flux was a bit distressed.
"I know I already said this, but don't be sorry, it's not like any of this is your fault."

Flux shifts in his seat, uncomfortable with making Jaxler unhappy.
"But... but I brought up... something, um, painful for you."

"Heh, painful? Trust me, I have a pretty high pain tolerance, and as long as I drink a keg of booze every day or so, something as annoying as pain really doesn't bother me all too much."

He raises his eyes to meet Jaxler's, tears only just contained.
"But... but it must bother you, if... if you have to drink so much... if you w-want to f-f-forget..."

Jaxler bent over and picked up his crossbow. He then showed it's underside to Flux. Right above the trigger there was a some words carved into the wood that read "19th of Opal, 228".
"If I wanted to forget what happened why would I keep this crossbow for 28 years?"

"But... but what happened? Wh... what happened to... to m-m-make you hate them so m-m-much?"

"I refuse to tell you... but if you wan't to have a general idea of what happened, then take everything you love and set it on fire."

Flux stares in horror as Jaxler's words hit home.
'Stiletto? My friends? My family?'
He slowly gets up, eyes locked on his hooves.
"Sorry..."
Then he slowly makes his way for the door, half-eaten dinner forgotten.

"I SAID DON'T BE SORRY!"

At his outburst, Flux simply collapses into sobs; too wracked with guilt and sorrow to even apologize again.

Jaxler was confused as could be when Flux hit the ground crying. he walked over to the sad stallion and sat down next to him.
"Flux, I'm sorry, I didn't mean too... be such a belligerent drunken jackass. You didn't do anything wrong, It was me. I should have just changed the subject."

He continues sobbing, covering his eyes with his forelegs.
"B-B-But I k-kept p-p-pushing! A-And now I'm j-just making it w-w-worse!"

"So, you did nothing wrong, I was the one who yelled."

"B-But it hurts and... and I kept asking, in-instead of j-just d-d-dropping it!"

"Please don't think that I'm mad at you... Because I'm not angry with you, I'm angry with myself."

"But... but why?! I almost got you killed in the caverns, and the a-alicorns almost killed you, too! And... and..."
Flux breaks down again, frustration, sorrow and anger taking his words.

Jaxler just sat there silently.

Flux peeks up between his hooves at Jaxler, still sobbing.
"So... So why d-d-don't you hate m-m-me?"

"I don't hate you, in fact I'd go so far as to call you my friend."

"But they almost k-killed you, and y-you hate them! I al-almost killed you, w-why would you c-call me f-f-friend?"

"It's my fault that me and you almost got killed in the caves. I decided to go down with you even though I knew it was dangerous. And if you want to know why I see you as a friend it's because you where honestly the only pony in the entire fort who even bothered to talk to me when I was in a bed clinging to my life. Arbalest wondered in and Stiletto just followed you there and in the end only you decided to go out of there way to check up on poor Jaxler. You are the only pony who cared if I was alive or not, and that's why I'd like to call you a friend."

"Then... Then why won't you l-l-let me t-try to help y-you with... with whatever they d-d-did?"

"Because I would be a horrible person if I made my problem somepony else's."

Flux slowly start to calm down, forgetting his own issues to try to help Jaxler with his.
"But... But friends are supposed t-to help each other w-with their problems."

"There are some ponies in this world that are beyond help."

"N-Nopony is b-beyond help."

"Ya know, I really don't like it when ponies lie to my face."

"I'm n-not lying, Jaxler. As l-long as you're alive, y-you aren't beyond h-help."

"Being incorrect is the same thing as lying..."

"...No, it's n-not. And I'm n-not wrong, either. As long as you're alive, y-you can g-get help."

"Endlessly repeating a lie doesn't make it true."

"N-No, it doesn't. So s-s-stop lying to yourself, Jaxler!"

"I never lie."

"Then stop saying you're b-beyond help! Y-You're my friend, and I w-wont give up on you!"

"Then good luck, but I hope you realize that I've already given up."

Flux looks determined as he stands, looking Jaxler in the eyes.
"I've only started. So... what are you drinking?"
'Step 1: Get him to wake up in his own room.'

"I was drinking some really strong moonshine."

"Um, maybe I'll try something a bit weaker. I, uh, don't hold my liquor very well. But, um, I would like to join you anyway."
I follow Jaxler back to his table and order my own drink, carefully nursing it for as long as possible so I can have some hope to stick to my plan. I soon come to appreciate my decision to not try to out drink Jaxler: he's stacking barrels like most ponies stack shot glasses. After Jaxler drank what must be close to his own weight in booze, he gets up to stumble outside. Even in his extremely intoxicated state he remembers to bring his crossbow.
I follow him outside, finding he has managed to somehow pass out on top of the water purifier, cuddled up to his crossbow. I manage to get him down without dunking him, and carefully take him and his crossbow to his apartment. Once inside, I gently put him to bed and place his crossbow on his sidetable, then turn to head home to my own bed.
Sighing as I settle in, I smile.
'Step one: check.'

53

Bucking hell these tumblers are hard! Granite thought, Stiletto would be pretty angry if she found out I was trying to break into her house...
He notices the shadow of an alicorn covering the door as he works.
Crap. He turns around. "Hey Stiletto, how's it going?"
Granite tries to put on a sheepish grin in hopes she won't drive his head into the nearest solid object.

"Granite what are you doing to my door?"
Stiletto looked extremely agitated, but something was holding the lions' share of her anger in check. Whatever it was, however, was not stopping the clouds of steam coming from her nostrils.
"Just tell me you have a GOOD reason!"

"Uh, as you can see I was trying to pick the lock to your door! And... uh... I wanted to go grab and then read your diary... so I could find the trap designs you and Flux were talking about a couple nights back!"
Oh god please help me!

"You.. why... how!?... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAW!"
Stiletto smashed both hooves down on the ground, shattering the walkway beneath her. She just stands there seething for a moment.
"Granite, why? why can you not just ask for things? You are Flux's' student now!"
Stiletto breaths out heavily several times
"I would prefer that you come to me and ask for something."

"But asking yields a fifty percent chance of no. And my method works perfectly: eavesdrop off of you and Flux for any necessary information and then break into your house when your off on patrol. It works out well every time!"

"I caught you, and this is not the first time I have caught you. What is Kat saw you here? You would under arrest again. That means your plan failed. One more thing, how much Highpony do you know?"

"Well, you didn't catch me just yet- WAIT! Never-mind, you could just hold me with your magic..."
Wait, what if Kat saw? "Who's Kat? Is she hot? 'Cause maybe I would want to get spotted by her." Stiletto is so gonna slap me for that...
"And no, I don't speak highpony, it just sounds like some rich foreign dude yelling random gibberish, at least that's what Jaxler says..."
Problem Stiletto? Granite thinks to himself, a smile creeping on his face.

Stiletto gave Granite a look so flat it could level a mountain.
"Kat is a guard who, unlike Jaxler, takes her job seriously, she would have you in Irons in front of your parents again. Your ignorance of my language would be a hindrance because even if you had not been caught, you could not read my designs at all. Törichtes Kind, do you just not think? What is it that makes you act this way?"

"Well you see, my mom was an earth pony and my dad was a pegasus. My older sister is a unicorn, so what the doctors said was that my prodigal sister teleported mom and pa when I was born, Earth Ponies can't stand on clouds. So my dad chose to save mommy, while I went head-first into a pond. Also I drink a lot of booze, that alone must have killed a good portion of my brain cells. So yes, I was dropped on my head as a baby."
He pauses and decides to push Stiletto's forgiveness.
"You didn't answer my question though, is Kat hot? Because her name alone makes her sound like an eight out of ten."
If she can tolerate this then she must have nerves of steel!

"Nine out of ten." And then Stiletto smiled and winked
Stiletto looked over and around Granites' head, checking for scars.
"What are you really trying to say Granite? I do not speak midpony that well so please, be very clear with your intent."

That answer shocked Granite straight to the core. "You asked for my problems, I gave them to you. As in I was probably raised poorly by my family considering I am the only son amongst three unicorn sisters."
"Teen years are gonna suck when they figure out how to use magic..."
He remembered the stuffed animals they had and how torn they became after a little 'temper tantrum.'
Then he remembers Stiletto's response.
"I swear to you miss Alicorn if you hit on any of my sisters from now until twenty years later, I will... do... something... crap. Anyway are you gonna do anything to me for attempted burglary and possibly hitting on a member of the guard? Also threatening a member of the guard too? What if I were to pay you to look the other wa- NEVERMIND."

Stiletto sighs heavily and then unlocks her door
"Granite, you just seem like a sad little foal to me. I will not punish you, or tell on you, or steal your sisters away. I just want you to be a good little foal, one who finds his place in Dawnpick and excels. Is that not what you want?"

"Excel? What could I possibly excel at? My lack of strength hinders any success in the military, I don't see myself as a carpenter or mason, I might do something as a miner if I'm lucky, and Flux whines more about stuff then smelting ores! And I may have burned a few parts of Flux that you may want to talk to him about..."
He then contemplates his future.
"I will probably end up being the civilian form of Jaxler..."

"I think he would be rather disappointed to hear that. I do not think he saved you from the well so you could waste your life in self-pity."
Stiletto opens her door and magically brings a small book out. It hoovers in the air just out of Granite's' reach
"You get to chose your life Granite. Now tell me what you really want from it."

"What does Arbalest have to do with anything? I could have pulled myself out of the well eventually, I'm sure there's some service ladder somewhere and really has Flux ever mentioned any achievement I achieved while studying under him? No! Because I never achieved anything while working with him! Oh and please Great and Powerful Stiletto! Tell me what I'm destined to do for the rest of my pointless life!"

Stiletto reaches out with a hoof and musses Granites' hair
"Did I not just say only you can chose that? I know I do not speak midpony very well, but I should think that my question was strait forward. What do you really want to do with your life?"

"I want to protect people, but at the same time I am way too weak to join the military, so if there is a job to help protect those that protect people who need to be protected then I would sign up in an instant. That job I believe is to be a smith or a smelter, as in forging the ingots and then armor that could save a soldiers life as he engages an enemy force. Problem is I suck at smithing in general, just ask Flux."

"You need to work hard to get better at anything you do. If it was easy, everypony would do everything. You will be a great weapon smith if you try. Now, what did you want to take from my apartment?"

"There are lots of things I would take from your apartment, but the main things are those diagrams you had, course they're in old pony or whatever so I won't understand anything. I guess I'll just casually walk out your door and come back in maybe a few hours or so when your asleep..."

"If you come back then I can assure you, I will not be sleeping."
Five bits and a book fall to the ground at Granites' hooves.
"That book has been translated into midpony, it is a book on ores, take it and learn. Those bits are for you to buy yourself some candy. Please just stay out of trouble, there are ponies that worry about you Granite. Many more then you think."

"Okay, I really appreciate the book on ores, but money for candy? What am I? A foal?! But why give me a book after I attempted to break into your apartment? I guess I'll accept the gifts either way..."

"Spend it how you like, but I bet your sisters would rather see you enjoying some nice sweets then drunk in the dinning hall again."

"HEY!!! I made sure they didn't see me in my moments! But, I see where you're going with this... I guess I'll tone down on the drinking... and you know what? Maybe I'll make little flower crowns with them. And I'll stop stealing from people for awhile! YEAH!!! I'll become the best brother ever!"

"That is the way to be thinking, Granite!"
Stiletto smiled at the young Colt and nodded, quiet pleased at his decision turn over a new page in his little life.
"I know they would enjoy picking flowers with you, just remember to ask a guard or militant, who is not too busy, to go with you if you go outside the walls."

"Thanks again Stiletto! I totally won't go into a relapse within this month and go back to my old ways! I promise I will find my talent and achieve my destiny!"
Granite then walks out of the apartment, but then he trips over a rock and falls into the well, again.
"Horse feathers!"

54: Friesden

Friesden was running along the main road with her father. He was the nicest dad ever. He did everything with her, even this race! She couldn't think of what she'd do without him or mum.
She was too busy being happy to notice the well in front of her or her father's warning and tripped up over and into the well. After a couple of seconds of frantic swimming, she burst up from the well, gasping for air, and walked soddenly over to her father.
"T-t-t-that was FUN! Can we do it again?"

Carmine looked down at his soaked daughter and his eyes went wide as he saw her coat was running. He slowly pulled a pigtail cloth from his saddle bag and began to wipe her off. More color came off and eventually her stripes were plainly visible.
"WHAT THE BUCK IS THIS!"

Friesden quivers as her father yells at her. "Um. I. Um. I don't. Um. I don't know..."

"No! No! I'm not mad, mad at you! I'm mad at her!"
Carmine chewed on his cheek and seethed for a few minutes
"Ocean! WHERE ARE YOU! I need to talk to YOU!"

Friesden slowly built up the courage to tiptoe up to her father. Maybe if she gave him a hug then he wouldn't shout anymore. "D-d-d-d-d-dad?"

Ocean Breeze flutters to the ground near the two, eyes wide. "What's the matter?" She spots her daughter and sees the stripes showing on her coat. Uh oh...

Friesden hesitantly extends a forehoof to Carmine. "D-d-d-d-d-d-d-dad?"

Carmine barely notices his 'daughter'... no, somepony ells' daughter on his leg, or reaching out to him.
"Care to explain this?"
He clenched his teeth and snorted

She stammers something incoherent and makes a motion for Friesden to come to her. "It's-it's not... I-I mean, she-she is o-our daughter...."

"THERE ARE NO DAMN DIRTY ZEBRAS ON MY SIDE OF THE FAMILY!"
Carmine was literally jumping up and down with anger and bellowing at the top of his lungs.

Friesden sits down, hard. "D-d-d-dad..." Before she can say anything else, she bursts into tears.

She retreats a step and says, "B-but we-we raised her t-together, y-you're her f-father."

Carmine had raised her, that's right, he was raising her... He was raising somepony ells' foal
"She, she, belongs to somepony! Not me though! SOME BUCKING ZEBRA!"
He turned away chewing on his cheek. He had been betrayed.

Ocean Breeze is nearly in hysterics by this point. "Carmine, please... y-y-you're her father! I-I made a mistake... b-but..."

Friesden is lying on the ground, her sobs continuing.

Carmine was so mad he could hardly speak, and he was so sad he just wanted to run away. Run away from this pony he didn't even know any more
"H-her or us? Y-you got to chose *sniff* Ocean, h-her or us?!"

Friesden stops the sobbing for a second. "P-p-p-please d-d-d-d-dad, d-d-d-d-d-d-don't, p-p-p-p-p-please..."

Her mouth hangs agape for a few moments before she collapses to the ground, face in hooves as she begins to sob. What had she done? She had to choose between her daughter and the rest of her family. How could anypony do that? She is unable to vocalize at all for some moments, daring not to look up to her husband or child. Finally she croaks, "You..."
What had she done?

Friesden wraps her forelegs around her father's leg, as tight as she can. "P-p-p-p-p-p-please...."

Carmine looks at friesdizzy. his eyes quiver for a moment, and then pushes her away. He needed to help his wife, It was just one thing... wasn't it?

"I..I... lets' go home, Ocean, we, need to, to...."

He tries to get Ocean Breeze to her hooves again, and he was trying even harder to forget this ZEBRA that was not! His! Daughter!

Carmine has to all but drag his stricken wife from the scene, who fixes her eyes on her daughter as the filly slowly disappears into the distance.

Friesden just sits there sobbing.

Glyph was out walking when he heard loud yelling by the well. He ran over, just in time to see Ocean breeze and Carmine leaving, and young Friesden sitting on the ground sobbing. Slowly he approaches her, noticing the odd stripes, which he's sure he's never seen on her before, and carefully reaches out a hoof to touch her withers. "Little one? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Friesden doesn't answer, just sobbing her eyes out.

Deciding that caution wasn't going to help in this situation, Glyph wraps his forehooves around Friesden and hugs her close. "Hush now little one... just let it out... can.. can you tell me what happened? Where did these stripes come from?"

Friesden just continues sobbing onto Glyph.

"Come on... it's okay..." He brushs Friesden's mane, letting her cry. "Maybe we should find your parents..."

Friesden just continues sobbing, seeming to sob even harder.

"Please... just tell me what happened..." He wipes some of the tears from Friesden's eyes, worry starting to creep into his voice. "Please, there must be something I can do... are you hurt? Do... do you need to go to the hospital?"

Friesden tries to choke back a couple of sobs. "I-I-I...Dad doesn't like me...Neither does mum..."

Glyph blinks, her answer surprising him, then hugs her tighter. "Come on now... that can't be true... what makes you think they don't like you?"

"Th-t-t-t-t-th-th-they said they don't! That's why!"

"They said... oh sweetling..." He kept her held close, stroking her mane and letting her cry herself out. "H-here... I'll take you to your parents.. w-we'll get this all sorted out you'll see."

"R-r-r-really?"

"Yeah... come on." Glyph stands, keeping Friesden close. "We'll go and see them, and I'll make them explain what's the matter... come on." He leads the way back to Ocean Breeze's house, hoping he was right, and that this was just some misunderstanding.

Friesden sniffles. "Okay. Thank you."

After a while, they arrive at the house, Glyph reaches up and knocks on the door, swallowing slightly. "Carmine? Ocean Breeze? Are you here?"

Carmine answers the door slowly, his eyes are wide and keep flicking back and forth.
"Hello how are you Glyph? why are you here? everything is fine here, fine, fine, fine."

Friesden tries to speak up. "D-d-d-d-dad? Can I c-c-c-come home?"

Carmine looks at the little zebra filly with unfamiliar eyes
"I don't know you, you must be confused, no zebras in my family. Not a one, can't be our filly."

"D-d-d-d-dad? It's me, Friesden, your filly...Dad? Please? Tell me you remember me...please? Please, dad?"

Glyph's eyes open wide, stunned by that reaction. "Carmine... are you alright? This is F- wait... did you say Zebra?" He looks at Friesden again, the stripes suddenly making sense. "But.. this is Friesden, your daughter... and she's upset... you need to comfort her..."

"I, I," *his eyes shrink to little dots* "Have no idea what you are talking about Glyph. This filly is a zebra, I'm not a zebra, my wife's not a zebra, so she must be somepony ells'. I have four wonderful foals and a faithful wife, but no zebras."

"D-d-d-dad..."
Friesden begins to cry again.

Glyph grits his teeth at Carmine's words, and steps forward, his voice dropping to a low growl. "You want to run that by me again. Your daughter is sitting here, crying her eyes out. And you're denying her existence... What the buck are you playing at..."

Carmine dashes away from the scary soldier, but stops when he reaches his wife and foals, he had to protect them. He shook noticeably.
"D-don't h-hurt us m-mister Glyph! I swear I, I just don't know what you're t-t-talking about!"

"D-d-d-dad? M-m-m-mum? P-P-P-Perry? C-C-C-Chestnut? C-C-C-Crimsy?"

Glyph snorts and scrapes his hoof. "You... you..." He closes his eyes and take a few breaths. He really seemed to believe his lies... and looking at Friesden... Glyph couldn't keep pressing... He just had to get her away from this... "Virtue will hear about this... fine... she isn't yours you say? Then she'll stay with me tonight... but... don't think there won't be consequences for this..."

Chestnut tries to move forward but swept up by her father into a hug before she can take two steps. Carmine closes his eyes and shivers.
"Do what ever you what ever you need to Mr.Glyph. I know my foals, and my wife has always been faithful. Please don't hurt us Mr.Glyph, we didn't do anything."

"C-C-C-Chestnut, you remember me, don't you? Tell dad he's my dad! Please!"

Chestnut just starts to cry into her fathers chest. Carmine speaks over her bawling as he tries seemingly in vain to comfort his daughter, his real daughter, not somepony ells'
"Please, you're making us all so scared, please just go away."
The other two foals hide under their mother

"C-C-C-Chestnut..."
Friesden can no longer hold back her tears and bursts forth in another torrent of crying.

Glyph blinks back angry tears as he looks at the monsters he used to think were ponies... He may not be able to do anything for the other foals but... "Fine... we're leaving... come on little one..." He picks Friesden up and walks away, still seething, but trying to keep his emotions under control for Friesden's sake... Glyph slowly heads back to his house, trying to think of something to say... "Sweetling... I'm sorry.... I... I wish there was more I could do... but you can stay with me tonight at least..."

"W-w-w-why doesn't D-d-d-dad remember me? W-w-w-w-w-will he remember me tomorrow?"

He opens his door and walks inside. "I... I don't know little one... but you can stay with me as long as you need to..." He places Friesden on the ground, holding her close again. "You don't have to worry about me... I'll be here for you..."
'I... I wish Kat was here... she needs more love than one pony can give...'

Kat had seen Glyph and Friesden walking into his room, and it made her wonder why would Glyph take a young filly into his room like that.. something must be investigated! and thus, investigate she did. By walking directly over, seeing the scene filled with sad and dread. "Uh... Hello?"

I look up, still holding Friesden tightly. "Hey mein wenig liebe... Come here please... I... I think... I think this needs more than me..."

"I-I-I-I just want D-d-d-dad to remember me..."

Kat sensed something very.. VERY wrong going on here. as she quickly trots over, "What's going on?" she asked worryingly

"It's... it's a long story... Friesden is going to be staying with me for a while... Just, hold her too please... she needs the love... now especially." Glyph closes his eyes and nuzzles the filly, trying to give her all the love and comfort he can.

Friesden shivers. "D-d-d-d-d-dad used to do that...So did m-m-m-m-m-m-mum...Why don't they remember me?"

Kat got down on all of her four legs next to Friesden, opening her wing and warped her in close. Embracing her.. "There there..." She said softly... Soothingly... Getting ideas of what's going on already... Oh she's angry. She's really angry.. but Anger can wait. She has a foal to comfort...

"I just want d-d-d-d-dad...and m-m-m-m-m-mum...I just want them back."

"I know... I know..." Glyph strokes Friesden's mane as he continues to hold and nuzzle her. "I... I wish I could do something more... I wish I could tell you everything would be fine... but all I can do is be here... and promise to stay..."

Kat sighed, holding closely onto Friesden and nuzzle softly onto her mane.. she wanted to say something, but she knew that it won't help and the filly doesn't need that right now.. so instead.. she slowly.. and quietly.. begin to hum.. a song.. a soothing.. calming one. The one she remembers her mother humming her to sleep in those scary nights..

Friesden continues to choke out a few sobs before the crying subsides.
"H-h-h-h-he'll like me tomorrow? Right?"

Glyph blinks back a few more angry tears, trying to focus on the filly in his hooves. "I... I don't know... I wish I could give you more sweetling..." He continues to stroke her mane, looking to Kat for some sort of help.

Unfortunately for Glyph, Kat couldn't think of any other help other than just to be there.. She were too mixed with sorrow, anger, and it's giving her quite a lot of chest pain.. but so far she's been successfully fighting off the tears as she continues to hum away the song for the foal in her wings. Giving her a kiss to the side of her head softly.

"H-h-h-h-h-h-he might not? B-b-b-b-but then what will I do?"

"If... if that happens... then I'll take care of you... I... I won't let you be alone..." He kisses her gently on the forehead. "But... as much as I'd love to have a foal... I hope your father will come to his senses... either way, it's late, and we should sleep... do... do you think you could try to get some rest?"

"I-I-I-I...D-d-d-d-d-dad s-s-s-sings me to s-s-s-sleep..."

"I... I could try to sing for you..." Glyph gives her one last squeeze before picking her up and putting her on the bed. "I... don't know many songs though... maybe you have one that I can sing? Would you like that?"

Kat followed up to the side of the bed. "Or, i could sing for you if you want... Sweetie." she said, trying to give her a reassuring smile with that kind face of hers.

"I-I-I-I-I don't know the songs...d-d-d-d-d-dad does."

"W-well... I'm sure we could think of one... if you want..." He looks at Kat. "The both of us could sing to you... just for you..." He carefully pulls the covers over Friesden, brushing his hoof through her mane again.

"P-p-p-p-p-please..."

"Alright then..." Glyph climbs into the bed next to Friesden, holding her tight. "Like I said, I don't know many songs... but there is one my pen-mother used to sing a lot... Kat, you should join in too if you want..." He closes his eyes, and takes a breath, thinking back to his days as a foal... and he begins to sing, just a small lullaby, but one that always brought him comfort.

Kat wasn't very familiar with the song much, but after listening for a few moment, she joined in.. adding the soothing tune into the lullaby as she sings from the purest depth of her heart.. she sings for this filly in front of her that desperately need something for comfort.. and she's making sure it's going to be the damn best comfort she could afford for her...

Glyph cuddles in with Friesden, holding her tight as his song finishes... even with what happened he can't help but smile at the little filly asleep in his arms. He shifts slightly to look back at Kat and whispers. "At least she can get some sleep... you want to climb up as well? I think she could really use as many loving ponies around as possible..."

Kat looked at the bed, seeing that it's going to take some squeezing to bed all 3 ponies together.. but if they snuggle really close to each other that can happen. "Yeah.. she'll need it." she said climbing up onto the bed on the opposite side of Glyph, with Friesden in between them. she opens a wing to cover the young filly with as well, giving her warmth and cuddles. "Good night... Little one."

55: The Next Morning

Stiletto was trotting though the morning market, gathering things to make breakfast for her Liebe. Fresh celery, carrots, Diamond dog meat, Bee honey, apple cider, Ginny hen eggs, corn and bear milk where held in basket Stiletto was holding in her mouth. Magic held a piece of meat aloft and then dipped it the honey. The meat hovered in the air apparently cooking itself as Stiletto made her way to Kats' apartment first, as she was always up the first. Stiletto knocked on the door just the meat finished grilling. "Kat, Hello meine Liebe, are you home!". After a few minuets without answer, she decided that Kat must have had an early patrol, so she went to try Glyphs' house next. As Stiletto made her way there she used a ≡Small copper knife≡*1 to cut up the celery and carrots. Stiletto knocked on Glyphs' door and drops the mixed veggies into a nice wooden bowl.
"Hello meine wenig Liebe are you home? I have breakfast for you!"

Glyph slowly opens his eyes at the knocking, noticing that Friesden was starting to stir as well. "Good morning malyutka..." He murmurs at her, nuzzling her a bit, before climbing out of bed and opening the door, still half asleep. "Dobroe utro, samyĭ opytnyĭ lyubvi..." He blinks a bit, realizing his mistake, then shakes his head to clear the sleep from his mind. "S-sorry... I forget to speak in midpony when I'm sleepy sometimes..."

"You never told me you speak another language then midpony. Here."
Stiletto presents the basket assorted food stuffs to Glyph.
"I bought many things to eat. Something from all of the places that were open this morning."

Friesden yawns loudly from the bed and turns back over, still stirring.

Glyph takes the basket and heads back into the room. "Y-yeah... It's my homelands language... it's called lopony... thanks for the food, hopefully there will be enough for Friesden too... please come in."

"Oh, another Filly in your apartment. Are you trying to excel at keeping mares happy."
Then Stiletto spotted little Friesden oh the be, with her cute little wings and colorful stripes. "SQUEEEEE!" Stilettos' eyes lit up as she skipped inside.
"When did this happen and who is the lucky mare you Schlitzohr."

Friesden yawns again, and sleepily mutters "I knew dad would like me again..."

"Her... that's Friesden.. she's... she's Ocean Breeze and Carmine's foal... but..." I grit my teeth and look down. "Carmine is acting like he doesn't recognize her... that... that... Rogatyĭ prinosyashchiĭ smertʹ..." I sigh slightly, "I'm taking care of her... and Kat has been helping..."

Stiletto looks a little shocked, Carmine and Ocean Breeze where good parents with many foals.
"Now what could be the cause of that? Wait, how does she have those lovely stripes if she Carmines' child?"

Friesden turns over, another happy sound emerging from her mouth as she continues to dream. "Yes, dad, we can have another race! Of course we can! I love playing with you, dad."

Glyph winces as he hears Friesden speak, knowing what she was dreaming about. "Apparently Ocean got pregnant by a zebra... I'm just guessing though... Carmine... he didn't take finding out well..." He looks over at Friesden, chewing his lip. "Hopefully.... hopefully he'll be feeling better today... I wanted a foal... but not like this." Glyph walks over to the bed and puts his forehooves on the side, nuzzling Friesden gently again. "But if he doesn't... I may not be what she wants... but I'll be the best father to her I can be..."

"That is a very monumental task you are undertaking here Glyph. Let me talk to miss Virtue for you. This seems jealousy has ruined things again. I am expecting that much more consoling will be needed then the amount of cajoling."
Stiletto looked again to little zebra striped unvergessen and a tear came to her eye
"sie werden nie wissen, wie schön sie ist."

Friesden stirs again and her eyes flicker open. "Dad?"

Glyph reachs out and brushs Friesden's cheek with his hoof. "No malyutka... I'm sorry... it's just me... how did you sleep?"

"Where's dad? He likes me again, doesn't he?" Friesden looks around the room anxiously.

"Oh my, ummm, I will be speaking with him later. I am worried about you, I mean, him, yes him, that is."
Stiletto lifts the bottle of milk from the basket with her magic and brings it to within Freisdens' grasp
"Do you want some breakfast? A healthy foal always has breakfast."

"U-u-u-u-um. C-c-c-c-c-can I see dad first? He always makes me breakfast. He won't have forgotten that. He'll like me again."

He closes his eyes and swallows a bit, trying to think of what to say. "W-well... Stiletto made a nice meal for you, and I think we should let her and Virtue talk to your... to him before we go back to see him again. Then when you're back together again..." He stops, not able to finish the sentence, what if he didn't want her back still... He couldn't lie to her... "Besides, I was hoping we could play together today, I don't have any patrols today after all."

"B-b-b-b-but..." Tears well up again in Friesden's eyes. "But...Why can't we see dad now? I want to see d-d-d-dad, and m-m-m-m-mum, and P-p-p-p-p-perry, and C-c-c-c-c-chestnut, and C-c-c-c-c-crimsy...Why can't I see them now? P-p-p-p-please?"

Glyph swallows again and pulls Friesden into a hug, holding tight, and nuzzling her softly. "I'm sorry malyutka..."

"You poor wenig unvergessen. You need to stay with Glyph for a little bit of time. Please eat your breakfast or ponies will be worried about you."

"But...But I just want to see dad! Why can't I see dad?" Friesden's tears do indeed begin to burst forth like a torrent. "Please! I just want to see dad! I'm not hungry, I just want to see dad!"

He wipes Friesden's tears, kissing her gently on the forehead. "I know you do sweetling... I know you do... but if you don't eat then you won't be able to play any today... you have to eat to keep your strength up... We... we can go see him later... if you want..."

"I have already said you have to wait until Lady Virtue and myself talk to him." *She sighs* "I will leave now, please eat, you will get hungry before I return."
Stiletto turns to leave opening the door with her magic

Friesden collapses into tears.

Glyph hugs Friesden tighter, letting her cry into his chest. "There you go... let it out... just let it all out..."

"W-w-w-w-why is s-s-s-she so m-m-m-m-m-mean? M-m-m-m-m-m-mum never yelled at me like that..."

He nuzzles Friesden, "She didn't mean to seem mean... she's just worried about you and your dad... She really likes you... she just wants to make sure you're okay..."

The commotion from across the hall finally manages to break Flux's threshold of awareness and he groggily awakens. Eyes only half open, he staggers to the door and open it. Just across the hall, he sees Glyph door open and Stiletto in the threshold. More concerning, he can hear what sounds distinctly like a foal crying from beyond her. Flux slowly approachs, confused as to why crying is coming from Glyph's room.
"Uh... what's going on?"

"Pardon me for but a moment Flux."
Stiletto left the apartment feeling very low. She trotted down to the road, grabbed a piece of it with her magic... "RAAAAAAAA!" and tossed it into the air. When it comes down she catches it and places it back on the road magically. Stiletto then trots back up the stairs to Flux
"I am sorry, had to get that out of my system. I feel better now. The foal is Freisden, Ocean Breezes' daughter."

When Stiletto exits, Flux gets a good view inside and sees Glyph trying to comfort what looks to him a small winged zebra foal. Her explanation upon her return doesn't really clear anything up.
"Um... is Ocean Breeze a zebra? I didn't know zebra could have wings."

"I-I-I-I-I'm a pony, not a zebra!"

Glyph strokes Friesden's mane, "Yes you are, a beautiful little pony... but you're part zebra as well. That's why you have these pretty stripes."

"I-I-I-I'm not part Zebra! I'm a pony!"

"Does it matter what you are? You a very lovely foal, ponies care for you."
Stiletto sighs heavily again and turns to leave again
"I will be back after I have spoken with Lady Virtue and Ocean Breeze. I am truly sorry I can not do more."

Flux slowly walks to Glyph and the little filly, still confused as to what the situation is.
"Um... are you alright, little one?"

"Of course it matters! Ponies keep saying I'm a zebra and I'm not!"
She chokes back another sob.
"I just want to see dad!"

Flux glances to Glyph, the quizzical look on his face obviously asking why she can't see her dad.

Glyph chew his lip some more trying to think of something to say. "Virtue will want to talk to your... to him, after what happened last night... How about you, me, and Flux have some fun, and as soon as they're done talking we can talk to her about it... okay?"

"But...Why can't I talk to him now? I want to see my family! Why can't I go home?" She looks pleadingly at Glyph and Flux in turn. "I just want to go home..."

"They, they are having, family problems Flux, I think her father is suffering from memory loss." 'lass es sein, dass alle'
Just before she leaves Stiletto turns to nuzzle Flux and whisper
"Be kind to her Flux, she needs her father, but she can not have him now."

At Stiletto's words, Flux's expression changes from confused to deeply concerned.
'Kind? What kind thing can I tell a poor filly who may have just lost her family?'
After a few moments of thought, he walks over to her and kneels to look her in the eyes, gently wiping a few of her tears.
"Shh now, little one. I don't know the specifics of what's going on, but things will turn out for the best. They always do, as long as you don't give up."

"You can't because..." Glyph sighs... "I really want to let you... but Virtue will want to talk to him first like I said. Besides that... we should give him some time, let him cool off before we press him again..."

"B-b-b-but...Okay...."

Flux gives her a gentle smile before standing and looking in the basket of food that Stiletto left.
"That's a strong filly. Are you hungry? Oh! I never introduced myself!"
He turns back to her, looking a bit embarrassed at his rudeness.
"Um, I'm Flux. What's your name?"

"I'm Friesden, but Dad calls me Dizzy because I like flying around and around and around in circles until I feel dizzy. I'm not hungry."
Her stomach's rumbling puts a lie to her last statement.

Glyph chuckles a little. "Well, can you try to eat a bit? After all you wouldn't want to let the food that Stiletto bought go to waste would you?"

Flux chuckles a bit at the obvious lie.
"Well Dizzy, I'm not as good a chef as Stiletto, but I could probably make something with what she got us. Especially with Glyph's help."

"But...dad..."

"...Would want you to have something to eat. Um, right?"

"But he always makes breakfast for me. What if he's waiting for me to go back?"

"Well... it sounds like he'll be busy talking with Virtue and maybe Stiletto. Um, besides, we can't take you somewhere without giving you something to eat. That'd be, um, rude."

"Oh. Well...if we have to..."

Glyph nuzzles Friesden one more time. "Don't worry, he won't mind, after all, if we take care of you overnight, of course we'd make breakfast for you."

Trepidation begins to build on Friesden's face. "Y-y-y-you did tell him where I was, right?"

"Of course, remember? I told him that I'd be taking care of you tonight." Glyph strokes Friesden's mane a bit, "Don't worry, he knows where you are."

"Okay. I can wait here till he comes to get me."

He gives Friesden a big hug. "If that's what you want... but we could go out and play, I'm sure your father could find me... but for now, breakfast." He hops down off his bed and goes to help Flux with making breakfast.

"If you're sure."

Stiletto enters the keep of Dawnpick and knocks on the door to Virtues' office

Virtue looks up from her desk "Come in."

Stiletto opens the door and walks in "Miss Virtue, do you have some time? I need to discuses a very important matter with you."

Virtue gives her a concerned look and motions to a chair "Of course, what's the matter?"

Stiletto moves to the chair and sits across the desk from Virtue "A foal named Friesden has been... forgotten, by her father."

Virtue: "Forgotten? What... exactly do you mean?"

"From what I have been told, her father, Carmine, refuses to acknowledge her. I believe this is because of her recently discovered lineage. Friesden is a hybrid of Zebra and unvergessen."

Virtue raises an eyebrow and mentally chews the statement "Unver...what? And... recently discovered lineage? Do you mean..."

"Unvergessen... umm the midpony name is... Pegasus, yes that is the word. By that I mean what I said, she is half Zebra."

"But... but... I thought she..." Virtue is silent for a few moments "How do you know of this? I... I mean... she looks like a pony to me. Why would you think she is part zebra?"

Stiletto sighs and hangs her head "Second hoof information and observation. She is currently at Glyphs' apartment, he has taken her in, because her parents have kicked her out."

"I don't understand... Carmine... and Ocean Breeze... I wouldn't think that they would just kick her out like that... especially her if she is really her mother..."

"I promised Friesden I would get you to talk to them, but only if you are comfortable with the idea, and mentally prepared to do so, I also promised Glyph I would go with you."

Virtue looks away for a moment toward the dorms "If... maybe it would do some good. They're both reasonable ponies. I can't believe she'd cheat on him... but I also can't believe he'd do something like that to a helpless filly..."

"This might just be my opinion, but I believe this is what happens when jealousy is allowed into society. How much time do you need to prepare?"

Virtue sighs heavily "What preparation can there be for something like this? Let's go see if they're home..."

Stiletto nods and stands up while indicating for Lady Virtue to lead the way

Virtue stands and leads Stiletto to their home. She knocks at the door "Hello? Carmine? Ocean Breeze? Are you home?"

Carmine walked to has door and opened it just a crack "Baroness Virtue!?" he frantically opens the door all the way, then spots Stiletto and goes pail "I, I, Ummm," his voice gets really small "What did I do?"

Virtue tries to work a reassuring smile onto her face, but doesn't do a good job "Relax... I just want to ask you something. Is Friesden here with you?"

Carmine looks at her puzzled "I don't know anypony by that name."

"Of course you do... she was your second born daughter, remember?"

Stiletto scrapes a forehoof along the ground, tearing the dirt to pieces

Carmine chews his cheek "No, Chestnut is our second Foal, are you ok Baroness, you look a little... put off."

"Carmine... this is serious. Where is she? Do you not know?"

Stiletto moves to whisper to Lady Virtue

Carmine shakes his head "I know lost Foals' a serious matter Baroness, but I already asked Indigo to talk to the Zebras about the Foal Glyph brought by earlier."

Virtue frowns "Alright then... is Ocean Breeze here? Can I speak with her, please?"

Stiletto whispers "I have seen this before, he has retreated from reality to a more comfortable place in his mind."

Carmine Nods and makes a gesture to invite the Baroness and the Military Dragonpony inside "Why of course you can Baroness. She is with our Foals."

Virtue steps over to Ocean Breeze and makes a motion for her to speak discreetly "Ocean Breeze... where is Friesden?"

Stiletto looks at Ocean Breeze reassuringly "You can talk to us, unless something is making you uncomfortable here."

Ocean Breeze steps toward the door and leads them outside. "I... I can't talk about this in front of him. He refuses to say anything about it..."

Carmine "Where are you goin-"

then Stiletto cut in "She is going out on a walk with her friends, we are going to talk about Mare things, you understand, Yes?"

Carmine gulped "Y-y-yes M-miss Stiletto!"

Virtue waits until they are outside and repeats her question "Ocean Breeze... please, tell me the truth, where is your daughter?"

Ocean Breeze places her face in her hooves. "I don't know... he... he dragged me away from her when he found out. I... I think Glyph is looking after her... but... but"

Virtue: "Why would he do that? You can talk to us. What did he find out?"

Stiletto clenches her teeth, a near by statue has a crack form in its' base.

Ocean Breeze hangs her head and says, "She is not his foal. He knows now. It's true..." She looks up, tears forming in her eyes. "When he found out... he acted as if he'd never seen her before in his life..."

Virtue is taken aback "You mean... she really is half zebra?"

Stiletto move to put a hoof on Ocean Breezes' withers

Ocean Breeze nods somberly. "Yes. One day... when the zebra caravan was here... I was out at the pier... a bit drunk... and... and he came. One of the merchant guards. I... I'll never forgive myself for cheating on my husband... nothing excuses that..."

"What? Why? You where just..."

Ocean Breeze begins weeping, barely managing to finish with, "I love my daughter with all of my heart... but... when he got like that... I... I just... I didn't know what to do! I still don't... my other children... I..."

Virtue is speechless

Ocean Breeze collapses to the ground, crying uncontrollably. "I want her back. I'd do anything to have her back... but I don't know what Carmine will do... he might hurt her... or take the other children... I... I..."

Stiletto Offers a forehoof to her "We are here for you Ocean Breeze. I will do anything you ask if it will help."

Virtue doesn't know how to proceed. Tears are dripping down her cheeks as anger kindles in her soul.

Ocean Breeze looks up to her, failing to stifle the crying. "What can I do? He won't let her back into the family. If he hurt her... I... I couldn't live with myself..."

"Ocean Breeze, I believe you husband is quiet ill, in his head I mean, I do not think it is wise to let him near Friesden, not for sometime, his fragile mind is unable to deal with the current state of reality."

Ocean Breeze stares into the road below. "I think you're right. I... I'm a bit scared for myself and my other children... but I don't think he'll hurt us. But her..." She begins crying again. "What can I do? My child is out there without her parents... I... I'm going to be sick..."

Virtue sighs and lowers her head, she then chews her lip, failing to find words again

Stiletto: "Ocean Breeze, this is not you fault, you are a kind and generous pony. You husband has let jealousy overwhelm his judgment. Please believe me when I say you are a good pony, and your daughter will be well cared for."

Ocean Breeze blinks and looks into Stiletto's eyes for a few seconds. "B-By who? Glyph?"

Virtue considers the implications. Glyph wasn't her father. What did he really know about raising foals? And the poor thing needed her mother...

Stiletto nods, "Yes, Glyph cares for her very much already, he will be a good Ersatz Elternteil for her. For now." Opens her forelegs and wings "I am sorry I can not do more now, but I will always be here for you."

"If Carmine cannot be trusted around her... I see little alternative..." Virtue places a hoof to her forehead as she looks down, letting a few tears drip onto the shale stones under their hooves

Ocean Breeze continues to cry, but the sobbing has given way to more controlled weeping. "I'll never forgive myself for this. I've done something absolutely terrible to my husband and now my child... if only I could get her back... but I can't..."

Virtue crouches next to her and lays a hoof on her back "Rest assured... whatever happens... Friesden will be cared for. If Glyph can't give her the care she needs, I'll go hungry or without a home before she does." Virtue sighs again, wishing she had something more she could "Perhaps Carmine will change his mind... he was her father for years... but until then... if Glyph wants to look after her, I think he is capable."

Stiletto sits down and gently brought the two mares in close for a comforting hug "Things will get better, we can help you and your ill husband, If you ever need us we are here."

Ocean Breeze says nothing for a long time. Finally she says, "Please... don't let my mistake hurt my daughter any more than it already has... you... you have to help her... and help me..."

"We will. I'll do everything in my power to help your family."

Ocean Breeze sniffles a few more times and nods. "Tell her that her mother still loves her, and always will." She shakes her head slowly, looking down again. "Perhaps I can still see her... when he's not around..."

Stiletto pets Ocean Breezes' mane and presents her chest as place to cry "I promise I will, I will do everything in my power. I will bring you to see her when I can."

Ocean Breeze forms the smallest hint of a sad smile possible. "Thank you... both of you..." She stands eventually and says, "I... I should b-be getting back to the rest of my family...”

Stiletto wraps her wings around the two of them "You are both such strong mares. Lifting so much on your own. You do not need to bare it all on your own though, give me any pain you can not carry on your own."

Virtue nods her off and watches as she disappears inside their home. Emotional torment wracks her as she slowly turns to Stiletto

"Yes Lady Virtue."

"Why... why do things like this have to happen?" She wipes her eyes. "I... I thought everypony here..." her sentence trails off as her voice begins to fade into crying.

Stiletto hugs Virtue tightly in her forelegs "Everypony here is a good pony, they just forget sometimes."

"I... I... I just can't imagine... if-if Harvest Moon... or I... Rose... Valor..." Her crying intensifies for a moment before she manages to recollect herself. "Friesden... the poor thing... G-Glyph can look after her... b-but..."

"He will love her with all his heart, as will we all. I promise that to you as well."

Virtue nods and chokes out something unintelligible.

Stiletto: "I will be strong for you all, lean on me when you need to... I...I love you."

Virtue sniffles and pulls back from the hug "Th-thank you... Stiletto... you've been a fine example to all of us." Virtue sighs and wipes her eyes again
Stiletto nods and bows "Thank you my Lady Virtue, your words mean very much too me."

"Th-there's no need for the formalities..." she says, with a nervous smile. "I-if you see Glyph... tell him he has my full support, and to not hesitate to ask me for anything he needs." Virtue looks back to her own home "I... I d-don't know if I can do this right now... would you tell him that for me? I-I need to get home..."

"I will tell him. Is there anything at all I can do for you as well as that?"

Virtue shakes her head "No... thank you... you've done more than most ponies would already. Just see to it that Glyph knows what happened tonight..."

Stiletto spreads her wings for take off "He will know soon, it will make him sad, but also happy, he already loves her."

Virtue nods and returns home to find Harvest Moon and their children. She gathers them all together and gives them a loving embrace. She'd never hurt her family like this... never...

Author's Note

*1: Indicates item quality, in this case an exceptional Small copper knife.

56: Indigo Gets Involved.

After waking up Indigo ate his breakfast, and went to the craftpony's workshop to make some things for sale to the caravans. This is going to be a productive day, he thought. After talking to traders about what they like best and working with stones for a while, he was getting pretty good at it. There are so many things that can be made from simple rocks. Some minerals, while not real gems, look quite good when polished, and are suitable for jewelry, like earrings and crowns. Some are strong enough to be made into some kinds of furniture, or even musical instruments. There were some pitfalls to stone crafting of course, as sometimes a stone would have an incursion in the middle, and break easily. Rocks are also quite brittle despite their durability, need to be handled with care, and can't be made to thin. But once you get the hang of all these nuances, rocks are a lot of fun to work it, and can be made into a cornucopia of decorative and useful items, like bowls, pots and mugs.

Carmine was walking towards the mines to make some stones into blocks. He noticed his fellow stone crafter, mason and dyer working on a stone harp. "Hello Indigo, good work today? Any inspiration for anything special?"

“Hello, Carmine. I'm making a stone harp. The caravan wants one. Are you here for these mugs? Or do you want to chat?" asked Indigo, continuing his work.

"I could use a mug, but a chat could be nice too, I'm just making blocks again, got to work for the community. It has been helping me lately to take my mind off all this nonsense." said Carmine.

"Yes, I made some blocks for constructions too. They seem easy compared to a harp, but need to be smooth to fit each other nicely... Wait, what nonsense?" inquired Indigo.

"Glyph came to me and said he found one of my foals, and then he shows me this zebra foal. I was really kind of scared by him." complained Carmine.

"What?!" Indigo puts his tools down, and turns around to look at Carmine. He frowns. "I haven't seen any zebra foals around, but there is a zebra caravan in town. They usually leave their kids at home, but maybe one wanted to be adventurous, and followed them. But why would Glyph bother you about it is beyond me."

"I know, he kept saying it was mine, and then he threatened me."

"That is really weird and unsettling. What did he do exactly?" Indigo frowns, "And what happened to that foal anyway?"

"I think he took her home with him. He said he was going to talk to The Baroness about me not taking care of my family."

"I really don't understand what's going on. I mean I know you're married to Ocean Breeze, and take care of all four of your foals, and none of them is a zebra, but these accusations are so outlandish, it can't simply be a prank. I think you should talk to Virtue about Glyph's behaviour and to the zebras about a lost foal. Or maybe I could talk to Kat, she knows Glyph." Indigo looks rather upset, his work abandoned for now.

"I know, but I don't want the speak ill of a military Pony, and what would I say to the Baroness anyway?"

"Well, you shouldn't let yourself be pushed around for no apparent reason, but I see your point. Talk to the zebras then. If they lost a foal, and want her back, the problem will solve itself. " Indigo frowns again. "Maybe she met Glyph, he asked where are her parents, and she led him to your door? Kids lie sometimes, and something like that could make a soldier very upset. I can't shake the feeling, that there must be a second bottom to this."

"Zebras,” Carmine says, “I don't know if I can talk to Zebras. The are... well you know... Zebras."

"Well, I've talked to them before. I sometimes ask them for feedback on the things I make, and so should you, really. They are a bit weird, and unsettling, but not so bad once you get to know them."

Meanwhile, behind some piles of items, a grayish Pegasus mare listens... pretending to be busy with moving things around. She manages to stay unnoticed by the two talking stallions.

"OK, but I just can't talk to them, not after this. I'm not some foal-napping Diamond Dog."

"If you don't want to ask them yourself, then I can. It's not a problem for me. At worst it will rule out one possibility." said Indigo. "Don't worry, I will ask politely, and won't mention your name."

"One weird thing though, the zebra foal had wings. Do you know any zebras with wings?", asked Carmine.

"Well, most of them are like striped Earth Ponies with freaky culture. Some have wings, and can fly, tough. There is a even zebra equivalent of Unicorn, I think. Wings would actually explain a foal getting lost, if she was flying and following their caravan."

"Then it must have been one of them Winged ones."

"So, do you want me to talk to them, or not? Because I'm rather upset by this whole situation, and want to see it resolved, so that things go back to normal.”

"Could you please talk to them for me? I'm sorry, but I'm really afraid."

"I already said, its alright. And you are too agitated to talk to them calmly, and might rub them the wrong way.” Indigo pauses for a moment. “Maybe I should see the foal first, tough. Speaking of which, I'm sure she is scared and lost, so don't be too mean to her, no matter what ridiculous lies she says."

"Well you should go to Glyph and talk to him, then." said Carmine.

"Maybe I should" Though I must be careful, not to upset him, or upset the foal, and piss everypony off. "Alright, the sooner I do this, the sooner it will be over." Indigo walks to the barracks. He rarely ever goes there, but Glyph is probably training with the rest of militia. Unless he is in his room with that foal. Indigo walks into the barracks, and sees some soldiers sparring, but not Glyph. He asks Naginata about him, and goes to his room.

Indigo figured it would be a bad idea to confront Glyph unprepared, so he made up a quick pretext. Reassured, Indigo knocks on Glyph's door.

"Who is it? You can come in, the door's unlocked." Glyph is sitting in the middle of his room watching Friesden fly around.

Indigo opens the door to see Glyph playing with unfamiliar striped winged foal. "Hello Glyph.." he stares for a moment.

The amber coloured and periwinkle (light blue) striped foal flies in circles, faster and faster. She’s almost dizzy...

"Hello... um... what's your name again?" Glyph asks, cocking his head and trying to remember. Friesden eventually has to land to keep from banging into something.

"I'm Indigo." He keeps observing the foal, noticing details, and trying to remember her as well as possible.

Friesden totters on the ground, slightly off balance, with the first hint of a smile Glyph has ever seen on her face after her father...'forgot'...her.

"Right, Indigo. I was just playing with my little Friesdizzy here. What did you need?" Glyph walks over to Friesden, putting a hoof out to steady her. She almost steadies herself, but eventually gives up and rolls over onto the floor.

The strange foal didn't even notice Indigo, which was good. Now for the pretext. "Do you know where I can find Kat? I need to talk to her about something. She wasn't in the barracks." Indigo
observed, that the proportions of the foal’s body were more akin to a pony than to a zebra, but he hasn't seen all that many zebras, let alone foals, so he couldn't really decide.

"No, I don't know where she went... I think she was planing to come by after her patrol to play with Friesdizzy here." Glyph smiles and pokes Friesden's stomach. She giggles a little, though the smile doesn't grow any more.

Ah, all right, I'll catch her later then." He couldn't help but smile at the laughing filly. "See you later, Glyph". Well, at least Glyph doesn't look upset now, and he sure seems to care about this filly, so she is in good hooves. But wasn't Friesden the name of one of the foals that run around here? Why would he call this filly Friesden? I may not know all the foals around here, but I’m pretty sure, I’d remember one with stripes.

"You sure you didn't need anything else?" asked Glyph.

"I um... Maybe later, I still have some work to do before sundown". There was no point in asking Glyph questions now. "See you later." Indigo left Glyph's room.

Glyph quickly slips out the door. "Indigo, one more thing..."

Indigo stopped in the corridor, somewhat stunned. "Yes?" Okay, this just couldn't go as smoothly as I intended. what does he want? Of course he isn't stupid, and knows why I'm here. Is he going to yell at me? Tell me this is my foal?!

Glyph moves outside and motions for Indigo to follow. "Keep your voice down," He says quietly. "I don't want Friesden to hear this."

Not good Indigo complies.

"You... you're one of them too... have you talked to Carmine?"

Really not good "One of whom? I occasionally talk to Carmine, he is a mason and stone crafter and dyer, like me. Why?" Indigo backed up a bit, looking tense.

"Has... um... Kak ya mogu eto slovo... Has he mentioned Friesden at all?"

Very bad. Did he just speak in devilpony to me?! "He mentioned you yelling at him." Indigo whispers, looking afraid.

Yelling... what? I didn't yell but... so he still doesn't... "So... he still won't clam his foal then? I... I did want a foal but... to have her kicked out of her family..."

Indigo tries to compose himself, and reason with Glyph, even tough it looks like a lost cause. "Um. Glyph. I'm pretty sure, I haven't seen a striped foal around here. What is it about her being Carmine's daughter?"

"Well... that's the thing... from what I can gather, she's not Carmines foal... just Ocean Breeze's..." Glyph awkwardly shuffles his hooves, seeming uncomfortable about the subject.

Indigo looks taken aback, and very put off. "WHAT?" He exhales, then laughs, then whispers "You mean his wife cheated on him with a zebra? But that's... How can that be... even hiding a foal like that... she would have to dye her coat... I'm sure I would remember striped... I don't..." He stops talking, and just stares, visibly stunned.

"I'm just guessing... but I was there, I saw Friesden try to talk to her family... and that... that... Rogatyĭ prinosyashchiĭ smertʹ, I saw him deny her existence... When I saw her stripes though... She was all wet, I think she had just climbed out of the well..."

"I'm really confused now," said Indigo. “This sounds crazy.”

"So he's still... still refusing to acknowledge that she's his foal? Not... not even a small hint of it?"

"Well, I... if his wife cheated on him, this is a very bad way to find out about such a thing. He might have snapped... Have you asked Ocean Breeze about it?" "And do you want me to believe this craziness?" Indigo asked, more angrily?

Friesden has heard some shouting and is currently trying to decide whether to go out or not.

He doesn't believe me... of course he doesn't... Glyph sighs, looking defeated. "Fine, you don't have to believe me, just... don't mention this to Friesden please. She still hopes her father will come and pick her up... I haven't talked to anypony about it, but Stiletto said she was going to talk to Virtue... I just had to focus on keeping her safe. And as happy as I can... I'm her father now, at least until Carmine comes to his senses." Glyph sighs again, looking back at his room. "Although... even though I hate the thought of her being abandoned... I still love being her father...
I'll miss it if she goes back to her real family."

Indigo nods. "Look, I'm rather upset about this situation, and want it resolved, and without making anypony too upset. I'm willing to give you the benefit, of the doubt. I'll come back shortly" Indigo frowns, and starts to leave. Stiletto is involved in this? I should have known.

Friesden builds up the courage and goes out the door, just in time to see Indigo walking away. "G-g-g-glyph? Can we go and see dad?"

Indigo turns, and says "Carmine is busy making stone block for the warehouse, and there is some commotion outside. Nothing to worry about, but you are safer here." With that he walks away.

Glyph nods, "Yeah... but we could always go somewhere to play if you want malyutka."

"Oh. How long till I can see dad?"

Indigo walks straight into the dining hall, to get enough food and drink for a lunch for three, as well as some candy (carrot slices with honey), then walks back to Glyph's room.

Meanwhile Stiletto flies in and lands on the complexes' upper level. She waits at the top of the stairs for an opportunity to confront Carmine.

"I...I just want to see dad... I just want him to like me again..." said Friesden.

"I know... but until you do... can you try to be happy as my little Friesdizzy?" Glyph moves over and hugs Friesden. "Just a little bit?"

"O-o-o-okay..."

Indigo made the trip as quick as possible. With the candy in his saddlebag, and food on a tray, he walks back into Glyph's room. "I brought you lunch."

Friesden mumbles a bit. "'Thank you."

"Wow, thank you Indigo..." Glyph looks over at Friesden, a flash of sadness in his eyes. "Come on malyutka, lets eat..."

Indigo eats his food quickly, and waits for them to finish. Friesden makes slow progress on her food, her head facing the door as if waiting for somepony to walk in. At some point Indigo looses his patience, but doesn't show it. "So Friesden, want to play a game? I'll ask you riddles, and for every one you answer you get candy."

"Riddles?"

"Well yes, you don't like games? Or candy?" Indigo pulls out a jar of carrot slices with honey.

"Okay...” Should I ask what riddles are?

"That could be fun, I bet you'd be good at it too Friesden." Glyph smiles, trying to encourage her.

What follows is a series of questions such as "Who is Virtue's husband", "What colour is Rondel", and "Where is the place, where Flux makes rocks into metal". for every correct answer Indigo floats a slice of carrot, and moves it around the room with telekinesis, for the filly to fly up and catch. Friesden gets most of the answers correct, but doesn't understand some of the questions. After the candy is exhausted, Indigo says "Well, I hope it was fun, because this exercise is good both for your body and mind. I need really to go now, tough". He looks at Glyph, shrugs, then nods, and collects empty dishes.

Glyph nods back, having understood the intention of the game. "Well it was nice seeing you Indigo."

"Bye". Indigo walks back to the kitchen to drop the empty dishes. Well, I suppose I should still talk to the zebras anyway. I promised Carmine. With a frown he walks towards the depot to find Sekashi.

Carefully choosing his words Indigo inquired Sekashi about the caravan, zebra foals, flying zebras and zorses. She was quite surprised at the subject of the conversation, and made a joke about him clumsily hitting on her, so he was forced to explain that there is apparently a zebra or a zorse foal in the camp, and asked for her discretion. He learned that the caravan had no foals with them, what the name for flying zebras is, and that zorses are possible, but their stripes are usually white. Sekashi wanted to see the foal for herself, but he persuaded her out of it. The filly could be upset to see a zebra, let alone be questioned by one, and some ponies seemed already on edge about this situation. None of them wanted another caravan incident, so Sekashi agreed to wait. Indigo once again apologised for the topic of the discussion. He now has much fewer doubts about Friesden. It was pretty clear the caravan had nothing to do with her, and that she was in Dawnpick for some time. Besides, Sekashi wouldn't lie to him, would she?

He returned to the craftpony's workshop, but Carmine wasn't there. Oh well, a lot happened during this day, and he had some thinking to do. What should he do now? Find Carmine? Talk to Ocean Breeze? Go to Virtue’s office, to check the census, look up the name Friesden, and read about the laws on divorce, adoption and dispossession of a bastard? Technically handling situations like this was Virtue’s responsibility. Indigo only got involved because Carmine asked him. Maybe letting other ponies figure it out, and hoping for the best is not such a bad idea? He still had some work to finish today, and already wasted the whole morning. Nothing like working on a nice harp to take his mind off all this trouble.

57: Plans for Carmine

Glyph quietly opens the door for Kat. "Shh... Friesden is sleeping..."

Glyph sees that Kat's not wearing her guard uniform today, but instead, her casual dress that blends her in well with the rest of the citizens of Dawnpick.

"Ah, right," she replied quietly, looking to the left and right to make sure nopony was looking before entering his room. "We need to talk..."

Glyph moves back into his room, sitting down. "About what?"

Kat keeps her voice low, so she wouldn't wake the filly up. "About what I'm going to be doing..."

"What's that? Is... is something wrong?"

Kat lets out a little sigh. "Yes Glyph... there's something wrong. There's a monster in the city... a true monster."

Glyph thinks for a moment... "You mean... you mean Carmine don't you."

Kat nods in reply. "Yes, that's him."

Glyph grits his teeth. "Yes... him... that... chudovishchnyĭ rogatyĭ... what about him?"

"Well... he's a monster. And as a guard of the city, it's my duty to remove any threat that comes to our city and her ponies... and I think a monster within our walls is a threat.."

"Yes... but what are we going to do about it?"

"Well... I'll try to take the monster out of him..." Her voice becomes lower, and somewhat colder. "Even if I have to cut it out of him..."

"Cut it out... do you mean... krovavaya rabota... as if he were one of our bunnies?"

Kat leans slightly onto Glyph as she looks down and thinks... "Their deaths were swift and painless... monsters doesn't deserve that. And... I never knew you could talk highpony."

"I can somewhat... but that wasn't highpony... that was my homelands language, I think it's called lopony here... And you're right... monsters deserve much more... a true... krovavyĭ simfoniya..."

"A true... what?"

"How do the words translate... a symphony of blood, would be the literal translation..."

"Mm... a symphony of blood.. I like that."

"Yes... it does sound nice... especially for this one... but..." Glyph looks over at Friesden, sleeping peacefully. "It would have to be quiet... maybe he takes a walk in the woods, and doesn't return... for her sake, she can't know..."

"She won't know... but I know she still wants him... but he doesn't deserve a sweet filly like her... nopony should suffer the punishment of being with him."

Glyph nods solemnly, "The others... I felt sorry for them... Friesden, I could take her, but the others..."

"The others wouldn't want to see their father gone into the woods and never return..."

"I would adopt them too, if I could... even Friesden wouldn't want to see him disappear..."

"As much as we want it, Glyph... we can't just make a pony disappear... not without getting ourselves into some serious trouble... but I'm not going to stand around and not doing anything about it either... lessons must be taught.."

"Yeah... we can imagine, but there's no way we could..." Glyph sighs. "How can we teach him a lesson though?"

"I'll do it... and... well... I'll find a way..."

"I... I want to help..." Glyph looks at Friesden again. "I have to help..."

Kat smiles softly, even somewhat sadly, then nuzzles Glyph softly. "You're already helping... you're taking care of her.."

"And so are you... I... I just wish that... that this seemed to be doing anything..." Glyph gets a sad look in his eyes. "Why can't I help in this? I... if it's going to cause trouble, I should be the one to do it."

Kat wraps her forelegs over Glyph's shoulders to pull him into a hug... "You shouldn't... because you need to look after little Friesden... that's why..." she sounded a little bit more sad now. "That's why I should do it..."

"Kat... mein wenig liebe... I... I need you too... Friesden needs you... promise. Promise you won't do something that will take you away from us..." Glyph pulls Kat tight to himself as he speaks.

Kat closes her eyes as she rests her head on his shoulder, sighing softly. "I... I don't know... but I promise that... I won't do anything that's too much... maybe... maybe I'll get removed from the guards... jailed... and maybe... beaten some... but I promise I won't do anything that'll get me... gone."

"Kat... no... it's not worth that. he's not worth that."

Kat shook her head lightly. "No... mein liebe. It's not about him... it's something that I must do... I... it... there's a monster inside me that... if I don't do something... I'll probably go insane... and... and if I do... I'll never be able to see you again... it's like... it's like an inspiration... it just HAS to be done.."

“M-mein... mein..." Glyph blinks a few times, trying hard not to break down. "I... I understand
n-needing to... to do s-something... but... if y-you get thrown out of the guard... beaten... jailed... I... I might not be able to stop myself..." His gaze finds its way over to the sleeping filly "E-even... even for her..."

Kat put on the best smile she could muster, nuzzling Glyph softly again "Trust me... I won't get in much trouble... you know me. if... if it'll make you feel better.. I could... lie. and, make up things... but... you wouldn't want that... do you?"

"No... just... I am having to hold myself back... like I said... a krovavyĭ simfoniya... I... I need to do something... I need to help... and... and knowing that you might get into that kind of trouble..."

Kat smiles softly, a gentle, sad, soothing smile. "You're not a monster... mein liebe... don't turn yourself into one..."

Glyph smiles, his a dark smile. "Mein liebe... you know better. You know what I am... how I feel... if you got... no... it wouldn't... wouldn't end well... for anypony. Just let me help, we can perfect what needs to be done... together. I... I can't let you do it alone... even if that means leaving her for a while... Stiletto, Flux, they can watch her... this is something that needs to be done."

Kat sighs in defeat. "Very well... but... if there were only one... we can lie... we can say that he'd gone mad and attacked us... or something... but if there's two... well.... I... I guess we could scare him... but... but what if he tells other ponies?"

"Tells them what? That the mean old militia ponies scare him? Let him fear... let him catch a glimpse of our monsters... and who would believe him? The one who threw away his foal... nopony will buy his stories... or care if they're true."

Kat nodded lightly.. "Mm... I guess you're right... who would've thought... right? Me and you... well... I guess they could imagine about you... but... well... what about that unassertive smiling cheerful Kat in the guards? She couldn't possibly be like that, can she?" she said, giving him a wink and a little giggle.

Glyph laughs. "Now now, certainly that hard working, friendly, Stallion, the one who adopted a foal that was thrown away like trash, certainly he couldn't be like that?" He winks back at her, giving her neck a little nip.

Kat eeped a little from the nip and giggles, nuzzling back softly at Glyph's ears. "Mm... course not. He's such a sweet, kind Stallion that only wants good things for everypony. Surely he wouldn't bother his time scaring some heartless old pony when he still has a foal to look after, right?"

"Of course not... and the both of them are even offering up their free time to watch all the other foals so they stay safe, how could they be ones who would threaten anypony?"

"Mmhmm, of course they'll never do that."

Glyph nuzzles Kat for a while longer, before looking up at Friesden again. "We have a foal now... a perfect little filly..." He closes his eyes, holding Kat close. "I just wish I had wings, so I could fly with you both..."

Kat smile softly and nuzzles onto him softly again. "Well... Stiletto mentioned something about mechanical wings from her homeland..."

Glyph smiles softly as well. "Mechanical wings... if only... I would love to be able to fly with you... it looks so nice up there."

Kat nodded and smiles. "mmhmm.. It sure is... I’d love to cuddle with you on a patch of clouds... you'll love it."

"I... I'm sure I would... maybe I can ask Stiletto... Are... are you looking forward to the stable mein wenig liebe? All those foals, all under our protection..."

"Mmhmm... I do... It's going to be lovely!" Kat chirps happily, opening her right wing for Glyph to scoot into.

Glyph snuggles in under Kat's wing, smiling at the thought. "I wanted to be a pen-father for a bit, back in Ironbridle... but I didn't have the choice... if... if the stables seem to do well, I was going to suggest to Virtue... well..."

Kat tilts her head slightly, "Suggest to... what?" she ask. Glyph could also feel a cold bump under Kat's wing.

"Well... suggest that she assign a small guard group to them... just you and me at first... and others that would either join, or just cycle in and out... but I think just us two would be enough..." He cuddles closer, then feels the bump. "Wait... what's that Kat?"

Kat perks her ears slightly, then realize something "Oh." she moves away from Glyph just a bit so he can see under her wing, revealing her steel guards crossbow hiding snugly under her wing along with a sheathed small dagger just below it. "Those..."

"I see... staying armed... even out of uniform. Hard to hide my axe though, isn't it."

Kat nodded and smiles "Mmhmm, it's useful to always be armed."

"But why are you hiding them? You're a guard, and even if you weren't, I don't think there's a rule against going armed... wonder if I could conceal a dagger in my overcoat..."

"Well... I was stalking Carmine... and I don't want him to notice... so I had to look like just another pony in the fort. Happy, smiling, clothed, armless, and... why'd you want to conceal a dagger anyway?"

Glyph shrugs, "Never know when you might need a weapon nopony knows you have...and technically, wouldn't it fit in more if you went clothless?"

"I can't easily hide my things if I went clothless... besides, I think he's seen me in the guards, wouldn't want him to recognize me."

"True enough... better than if I tried, I don't think there's any way he wouldn't recognize me..."

"Well... at least I think I know when and where we can find him alone..."

"Oh really? Good... that should be very fun... maybe... maybe we go for some fun in the woods first? That might add a bit of... impact."

"Wm... oh? What’s on your mind?"

"Well, we do tend to sometimes get a bit... messy in the woods... and most ponies seem to be... unnerved... by blood."

"Hmm... I just suddenly had an idea... what if... we pretend to be hit by one of those 'inspiration mood' things? Then claim we don't remember a single thing after? They'll believe us... right?"

Glyph laughs. "Yeah... there are some that make it so the ponies don't remember anything..."

"But what would the inspiration be?"

"To scare the crap out of a heartless pony?"

"Yeah... blood... fear... sounds like a fun night..."

"Mmhmm... sure sounds like it..."

"Hmm... so how are we going to do it? Just walk up on him... strike some terror? Maybe catch a few of our bunnies before?"

"Maybe... yeah... maybe we could also pretend to be possessed by some divinity or something, coming to deliver the news that he’ll have a special place just for him... a pony whom force an innocent foal away from her mother and family... and forcing a mother to abandon her foal."

Glyph smiles evilly. "Yeah... perfect... of course... if we scare him too bad... he might take Friesden back..." Glyphs face falls a bit at that.

Kat grinns just as evilly "Yes... maybe I'll even collapse right there and you come back to sense and think he did something to me? That's going to be SO great."

"Ohhh... you are evil... I like that idea a lot... maybe we wait until somepony wanders by to have that happen, so all they see is the very end..."

Kat nods, giggling "Yes... yes I am."

"But... if he takes Friesden back... just ‘cause he was scared... that wouldn't be good for her..."

"Mein liebe... you know full well he doesn't deserve her.."

"No... he doesn't... not even close."

"Well... the 'divine' can warn him to be very careful of what he'll do next... because there's hell... and there's a thing worse than that, that no word in pony will describe it.."

"Maybe, and there is plenty else you can do to scare, can't you moĭ malenʹkiĭ vampir..."

"Ooohh... to be a Vampire again hmm? Well, it's all very tempting but... wouldn't the other ponies just... you know? Put me to death for being a vampire?"

"Hmm... I suppose that one’s hard to put off to possession huh... well, you can still feed on me whenever you want..." Glyph nuzzles Kat, brushing his neck along her muzzle.

Kat smiles and nuzzles her muzzle softly at his neck, sighing lightly. "Mm... still, I wouldn't want any foals to see us like that, though... especially not Friesden... she'd probably run to Carmine and try to protect him or something... or it'll scare her for life. Other foals too, not good if we're going to be their pen father and mother."

"Yeah, so at night then, when all the foals would be asleep? Would add to the fear as well, two seeming specters of death walking out of the darkness..."

"Well, it's settled then?"

"Seems it. Now the only question is when."

"As soon as the time is right?"

"Maybe tonight... maybe tomorrow? Should be soon..."

Kat nods. "Yep, very soon!"

58: A Plan Set in Motion.

Carmine is on his way home from a long day at the masons' shop. He has been satisfied with work lately.

Kat managed to sneak back into the town unnoticed so far tonight, her clothes and bits of her coat have splatters of blood on them, still fresh and warm and dribbling slightly. As soon as Carmine's in sight and alone, she would stumble out of her hiding place. She put on a blank far-away expression on her face, like the ones she sees when ponies get their 'inspirations'. She admits to herself, when she practiced in-front of a mirror, it damn well looks like she's really possessed.

Glyph sneaks back into the town, his front hooves still dripping blood, some running down his muzzle and chest as he approaches the hiding spot he had chosen. He let his eyes go disconnected and far away, and tried to take on the persona of one of the possessed ponies he had had to watch over just in case they became violent. He seemed to be doing a good job of it too.

Carmine is walking down the road to his apartment now, looking forward to a pleasant evening at home.

Glyph slowly walks out in front of Carmine, blocking his path with blood still slowly dripping from his muzzle.

Kat slowly comes up from behind, saying almost like singing a sad song of a siren... "Oh Carrmiine..."

Carmine starts to run away from the blood covered Glyph, but then runs into the bloody Kat and hears her speak. He then runs to the side towards the well.

Glyph moves quickly and cuts carmine off. "Now now... you can’t be expecting to flee that easily..." His voice sounds dead and distant.

Kat spread her wings and flies forward, landing on the other side of Carmine. "Oh... Carrrmiiine~" she sings again, less like a song and more like a hiss this time.

Carmine shrinks away from Glyph and Kat. "Don't hurt me Mister Militant, Miss Guard. Why won't you leave me alone?" He asks, starting to shake.

Kat continues her song-like speech as she begin to slowly circle around Carmine. "Silly mortal... your guard and militia aren't here tonight... it's just you... me... and him... and a message from above... or... in this case... below.."

Glyph begins to circle as well, close enough to strike out at Carmine if he wished. "Yes... we are looking forward to seeing you down there..."

Carmine faints.

*An odd noise is heard from the stock pile*

Kat stares blankly at the fainted Carmine, then sighs a little. Hearing some noises from the stockpile, she decides to continue being possessed for now.

Glyph laughs fell and terrible. "He fainted... foolish mortal couldn't even hear our message..." he keeps the voice, and the faraway look, for all intents and purposes still seeming like a possessed pony.

Carmine lays on the ground defenseless.

*An odd song fills the air*

Kat grabs one of Carmine's forelegs and gestures for Glyph to do the same with his other foreleg. "The message must be delivered..." she says coldly as she begins to drag him over to the well.

*Loud wing beats can be heard from above*

"Indeed it must." Glyph takes the other foreleg pulling him along.

Kat continues to pull Carmine, with the help of Glyph, over to the well with fresh cold night's water in it. "Then he should be awake for this."

"That he should... a bit of water to wake him then." Glyph moves Carmine right next to the well.

Nightmare Moon stands in the light of the moon, her wings flared. Her majestic black coat shines brightly as her long blue starlit mane waves in the wind. She looks down on the group with glowing blue eyes.

Kat feels a disturbance in the air...

Nightmare Moon speaks in the royal Canterlot voice: "What do you think your doing?"

"We are delivering a message of course.” Glyph looks back at Kat, “Are we going to take the water out, or put the pony in."

Kat: "I say take the water out."

Nightmare Moon buffets her wings, causing a massive gust of wind. "You have NO right to do anything!"

Kat hisses back at the Alicorn. "Watch us."

"No." She lands next to Carmine and stands before them. "I think I will just stop you myself."

Glyph glances to Kat. "Do we worry, sister?"

"Why should we?"

"I don't think we should."

Nightmare Moon smiles. "Yes you do, I can see through your brave act as easy as I see the lives of all mortals."

Kat shrugs. "Come on brother, we've got a goal to finish. The sooner we get out of theses bodies the better. It disgusts me."

Glyph nods. "Indeed sister. Foolish mortal, had he not fainted we could have left by now." Glyph moves over to the well and takes the bucket.

Nightmare Moon pulls the bucket from 'possessed' Glyphs' mouth with her magic and dumps the water all over 'possessed' Glyph and slams the bucket over his eyes. "You are finished."

Kat let out another sigh. "Why oh why must this be harder than it should be hmm? just why.." She opens her wings and pulls out one of her iron bolts, holding it with both of her hooves and placing the sharp bit of it to her throat lightly. "Well, good for me then. If the goal can't be achieved, then I'll just take this mare's life back with me."

"Oh is it time for that sister? Good, I can finally get out of this disgusting body." Glyph places his axe on the ground with the blade facing up, and lowers his neck to the blade. "Quicker this way, than dealing with the current annoyance."

Nightmare Moon narrows her eyes. "Oh really?" She takes Kats' quiver and Crossbow and throws them over the wall. "I decide who lives and who dies."

Kat grins pretty wickedly as the alicorn says that. "Oh we'll see about that.." She then begins to move the blade of her bolt across her throat slowly, just enough to cut for blood. It's small blade wouldn't actually be enough to kill her right away, though.

Glyph smiles darkly and begins to slide the blade across his neck, slowly working it across his neck, but not deep enough to kill him immediately.

Nightmare Moon looks intrigued. "More then one blow? Do you like pain?"

Kat almost laughed. Almost. "Pain? Oh this has nothing to do with pain my dear. We simply want to ask you a question before we go that's all."

Glyph grins wickedly, a knowing grin.

Nightmare Moon smiles. "Oh but I decide when you go." A silver key appears around each of their necks. "But feel free to ask."

Kat almost looked startled... almost. "Oh is that so? Then how about you take that book of yours out and check it one more time if theses little ponies won't be going tonight, hmm?"

Glyph doesn't even seem to react to the key, simply continuing to grin.

Nightmare Moon sighs. "Fine." A large ornate book appears, hovering in front of the Goddess. The pages turn themselves until the middle of the book is reached. "Oh here they are... Oh my."

Kat "Well?"

Nightmare Moon perks her ears up. "These two are protected. Do you know what a Slayer is?"

Kat perks her ears up, her eyes going slightly wider and she almost looked a little paler at the mention of 'Slayers'. The name itself made her take a step back in surprise. "O...Of course I know! Slayers... killers of... d... demons..."

Glyph shies away as well, shaking a bit in fear. "S-slayers... s-sister, y-you assured me that these t-two..."

Nightmare Moon nods. "That is right, she will pull your essence out and slowly devour it. You will be undone as she feasts. The hosts will suffer, but you will feel none of it, just the slow inevitable numbing. The cold comes for you. Leave and you may be spared, maybe." As she finishes the sound of wings beating in the distance becomes audible. "You might want to hurry."

Kat gulps, already visibly shaking and sweating. "C... come on brother... t... this isn't worth it." She stutters out before taking another step back, then gasps in, head snapping up, mouth hanging open and eyes rising up. Her body shakes heavily for a couple of seconds before she collapses fully onto the floor.

Glyph stumbles back again, his voice wavering, "I... I a-agree... n-nothings w-worth that!" His body tenses and his head and eyes roll back as he trembles. He finally relaxes, and seems like a massive weight had descended on him, his legs wobbling like a newborn foals as they try to keep him up. "B-blood... K-kat... ohh my head..." Seeming to use extreme effort he lifts his head, looking at Nightmare moon. "You... w-who are... d-did y-you h-hurt K-kat?" his voice wavers, seeming to take most of his strength.

Nightmare Moon lays a kiss of pleasant dreams on Kats' forehead, "This is a dream." and then places the same kiss on both of Glyphs' cheeks, the power of sleep in each kiss. She speaks when they both close their eyes "I will always fight for you, my loves. Any demon, I would slay them, for you." Then she speaks in an unsure whisper "Even if they are your own.” Nightmare Moon then picks up Carmine in her forelegs and blows on his nose, waking him.

Carmine shakes his head slowly. "Wha...? I? Where?"

Nightmare Moon looks into Carmines' eyes "You are safe now my child. Tomorrow you will have your whole life to be a good and joyous pony, and tonight will be a dream. Remember that we love you, and you have the power too chose." and she kisses his horn.

"I, zzuu?" Carmine goes cross eyed and passes out.

Nightmare Moon lifts Carmine onto her back and flies him home.

Kat is still left sleeping and bleeding in her own little pool of blood near the well.

Stiletto arrives on the seen an hour later as the sleep spell wears off. She stands above Glyph and Kat singing quietly.

Kat slowly and shakily wakes up from the sleep spell wearing off, feeling all dizzy and light-headed from the blood-loss, still not wanting to get up "Nn... whu?"

Glyph barely cracks his eyes, still feeling groggy from the sleeping spell, "G-gde.... Kat, are you... okay? Stiletto? Is... is that you... singing?"

Stiletto presents them with a basket full of crundle steaks and blood orange juice bottles "I find you two in the strangest places, what were you two up to tonight?"

Kat groggily tries to stand up, finding the floor had developed the ability to move on it's own. "Nn... I have no idea... was I bleeding from my neck?"

"B-blood... I got cut on something?" Glyph drags himself to his feet, wobbling a bit. "Kak zhe my... why are we here..."

Stiletto looks over their wounds. "How did that happen? You should eat and drink to get your strength back."

Kat nods as she gets to her hooves, still feeling dizzy. "Nn... yeah.. ugh... it smells here... I want to clean..." she complains.

"I... but... wait, Friesden... where is she? She... she's okay right? I... I need to go back to her..." Glyph takes a staggering step towards the apartments, then stops, looking at himself. "B-but all this blood... I n-need to clan myself first..."

Stiletto takes some cloth from her saddlebags and hands it to the two of them. "Lucky for you two are near the well. Clean up and I will take you home, Falacata has been teaching me how to fly faster, and when we get home I will finish my song."

Glyph nods, then goes over to the well. "U-umm Stiletto... why are you carrying a basket of food around this late?"

Kat stumbles over to the well as well, looking at her bloodied dress and frowns..

Stiletto looks to the side. "It was... a snack, I like Blood orange juice very much, and I need protein after a hard work out."

Kat picks up the bucket so she can use it get some water, before noticing something. "Um... why is there a big dent on the bucket?"

Glyph rubs his forehead. "There is? Uuugh... my head's hurting a bit too..."

Stiletto trots over to take a look. "There is?" She examines the bucket. "Glyph, this kind of looks like your head shape, did you fall in the well?"

"I... I'm not wet..." Glyph looks himself over. "I don't think so... we should really put a grate on that thing though... it seems like everypony falls in..."

"Yeah..." Kat shakes her head slightly as she dips the bucket into the well to get some water so they both can wash. Her stomach growling with the ferocity of a manticore interrupts her, though.

Stiletto nods her head. "We should get somepony to do it, first thing in the morning. But right now we should get home and eat."

"Yeah... malyutka... I hope she's still asleep... I promised I'd always be there for her... If she woke up..." Glyph quickly rinses the blood from his coat, continuously glancing over at the apartments.

Kat was just as quick in cleaning herself, though she'll still have to change into dry clothes later. "Mm... wait.." she realizes something when she open up her wings, her eyes going wide in slight panic "My crossbow! And quiver! It's gone!"

Stiletto checks Kat over one more time "Oh dear, what do we do? Do you remember what you last did with them? Wait, why is there blood all over? Do you know what happened, do you need to see Wool and Panacea?"

"I... I don't know... I think I'm fine... wait... my axe where..." Glyph looks over and sees his axe. "There it- wait... there's blood on it..."

"Did you get hit on the head and fall on your axe, Glyph? What were you doing last night, is this more," *whispers* "play time?"

Kat sighs about her lost crossbow before continuing to wash herself with more water, trying to get the blood off... and it's not coming off easily "It's going to strain so bad..."

"Fall on it? But... why would I have had it out though..." Glyph shakes his head. "I just hope nopony was hurt, with all this blood..."

Stiletto smiles. "That just means I get to take you dress shopping Kat." She then nods solemnly at Glyphs' words. "I will check the hospital, if you want me too."

Kat perks her ears up from the word 'dress shopping'. "Oohh! You’re right! I guess I found my excuse to buy more dresses!"

"Might be good... I hope that I didn't..." Glyph shakes his head again, cleaning his axe as well before slinging it. He sighs a little. "Back home you were lucky to have more than work clothes... and usually only one set..."

Stiletto reaches for her bits pouch "I can give you money to buy some new clothing Glyph. So clean up, and we can get home."

Glyph picks up his hat and puts it on. "I'm ready... I really hope Friesden's okay...”

Kat nods and sighs, finishing up cleaning herself. “Yeah I'm ready too... I guess I could go search for my crossbow later.”

Glyph leads the others back to his apartment, quietly opening the door and checking on Friesden. Luckily, she seemed to not have stirred, still sleeping just as he had left her.

Stiletto quietly walks in and smiles at the sight of a peacefully sleeping Friesden.

Kat follows in, seeing the still-sleeping Friesden. She smiles warmly at that.

Stiletto quietly speaks. "Eat, drink and then get ready to sleep. I will sing a lullaby to you all, for sweet dreams."

"You will? Thank you moĭ samyĭ opytnyĭ lyubvi, that will be nice... will you sleep here too Kat?" Glyph begins to eat a bit as he talks.

Kat smiles at that as she begins to eat a bit as well, nodding "Mmhmm... that'd be really lovely.."

Stiletto takes one bottle of blood orange juice and begins to drink. "Is that the lopony words for my love title?"

Glyph nods, smiling. "It is, it feels nice speaking my home language again..."

Kat sighs in contentment after eating a bit of the food, leaning over to nuzzle both Glyph and Stiletto. "So many languages to hear... so many languages to speak."

Glyph leans into the nuzzle. "Do you know any other languages Kat? I'd love to hear yours sometime."

"I did take me a long time to translate this lullaby... that is a good question Glyph, I have heard you use odd words before Kat."

Kat smiles and giggles as she blushes slightly from the question, pawing at the floor slightly "Mm... yes... I know the language of my homeland."

Glyph smiles more. "It's kinda fun, hearing new languages, and learning them... We have so many now..."

Stiletto finishes her blood orange juice. "These things are very interesting, but they should wait until morning. Now let me tuck you in and sing you to sleep."

Glyph finishes the last of his food, then nuzzles Stiletto once more before climbing into bed and cuddling up to Friesden.

Kat follows Glyph up onto the bed, opening a wing to cover little Friesden under it and smiles as she rests comfortably on the other side of Glyph. "Mm... sounds lovely."

Stiletto sings in an enchantingly relaxing tone:

The sun is sleeping quietly

Once upon a century

Wistful oceans calm and red

Ardent caresses laid to rest

For my dreams I hold my life

For wishes I behold my nights

The truth at the end of time

Losing faith makes a crime

I wish for this night time

to last for a life-time

The darkness around me

Shores of a solar sea

Oh how I wish to go down with the sun

Sleeping

Weeping

With you

Sorrow has a human heart

From my god it will depart

I'd sail before a thousand moons

Never finding where to go

Two hundred twenty-two days of light

Will be desired by a night

A moment for the poet's play

Until there's nothing left to say

I wish for this night-time to last for a lifetime

The darkness around me

Shores of a solar sea

Oh how I wish to go down with the sun

Sleeping

Weeping

With you

I wish for this night-time to last for a lifetime

The darkness around me

Shores of a solar sea

Oh how I wish to go down with the sun

Sleeping

Weeping

With you....
((Song: Sleeping sun by Nightwish.))

With three fast asleep, Stiletto exits the apartment silently and flies to the church. She bows before the statue of Luna and then kisses it on the top of her muzzle. “Forgive me for borrowing your form Goddess.”

The next morning, a bucket of black paint and a bucket of dimple cup dye*1 were reported missing.

Author's Note

*1: A blue dye.

59: The Mark of Glaive.

Slowly making its way across the inky expanse that was the night sky, the moon shone clear and bright on the lands below. With no clouds to block its ethereal rays, the landscape was tinged all around with the unique colour of moonlight. Two figures can be seen; one pegasus, one unicorn, both sprawled on the grass some way outside the high walls of Dawnpick, lying underneath a majestic oak which has stood vigil over the forest for centuries past. The otherwise unbroken silence of the night is gently teased apart by a soft tune of music, lilting and gentle, coming from Falcata's lyre as she coaxes another song out of the burnished metal and taut strings.
Coming to the end of her performance, she lets the last note hang in the air for a while before gently setting her instrument down on the grass and addressing Glaive, who is sitting opposite her, looking (as far as she can tell) attentive and interested.
"Well? How was it?" she asks, very much looking forward to hearing his reaction.

Glaive listens, intently to Falcata's performance. The lovely white pegasus seems to shine in the pale moon light, as the music soothes every ache and sore muscle from Glaive's long day of training.
"That was beautiful Falcata, I had no idea you could play so well." Glaive smiles at her, before turning to look up at the night sky. The moon was full and the sky completely clear, the stars were countless. "Hmm, it looks like you have made gods jealous with your talents, they have really gone all out on tonight's sky." He pauses for a moment before asking, "Who taught you to play?"

She flinches ever so slightly, the memory's emotional impact dulled but in no way eliminated by her talk with Flux beforehand.
"A friend of mine, from Coupledye. It's one of his songs, actually. We used to play together, years ago, but he, ah, he passed on and, I- I stopped. Playing, that is. I stopped playing." Managing to keep her composure, she nevertheless raises her gaze to the stars above, just in case.

Glaive's smile fades as Falcata speaks. 'A friend. His songs. An old lover perhaps.' Glaive suppresses his jelously, 'No Glaive, even if he was her lover, that was before she met you, no need to get jealous. She loves you now.'
Silently he moves closer to her and sits as close to her as he can, before putting a foreleg around her. "I'm...sorry for your friend. Did...did you want to talk about what happened? I'll listen if you want to talk. I'm always here for you."

You were always going to have to tell him; you knew that when you started playing music again and came out here tonight. You've already told Flux; it's not like then telling Glaive, of all ponies, is any big deal! Come on, get it over with. He loves you, he won't judge you; you know that! And don't you dare lie to him; he is your beloved and he deserves to know the truth.
Finishing her internal monologue and coming to a decision, she begins to speak in a low whisper.
"It was over fourteen years ago..."
She recounts the story once again, more smoothly than before and without the tears, though her eyes are watery when she finally finishes.
"...and that's why I stopped playing." She finishes lamely, her method of ending her reverie seeming a little flat considering the magnitude of its content. Feeling her emotions build up and threatening to overwhelm her, she pre-emptively buries her face in her forehooves.

Glaive listens without interrupting to Falcata's story. When she finished, he tightens his grip on her a bit. "I had no idea you'd had to deal with so much in your life. He'd be glad you're going to start playing again. Your music is wonderful, and the world would suffer from it's loss. I suppose if we are sharing the past, I should probably tell you the story of how I got my cutie mark. It...It isn't a happy story, though, do you want me share it?"

Sniffling slightly, she pushes herself into his side, allowing him to pull her closer.
"If you want to talk about it, Glaive, then I will listen. It's not about what I want."

Glaive moves away from Falcata, and stands, he takes a few steps away and with his back turned to her, he begins his tale.

"You might remember that I told you I didn't always want to be a soldier, but something changed that, and you might also remember when I mentioned before that, that I had a sister. Her name was Balisong. Heh, a strange name for a filly. Father wanted to name her Balista, and mother wanted to name her Morning Song, they compromised. It happened when I was 4, nearly 5, years old. Nearly a full grown stallion, but still without a cutie mark. It was, uh, embarrassing. But my little sister, she was about 2 when it happened. She was a unicorn also, though she hadn't really learned much of any real magic yet.

I was looking after her one day. We went to the park, it was only a few minutes from home. While we were there, alone, a pair of young stallions, they couldn't have been more than 6, came up to us. One of them, a dark green unicorn grabbed her roughly with his magic. The other, a brown earthpony, approached me and when I tried to get his friend to put her down, he bucked me in the face. It wasn't a strong blow, and I knew how to roll with a buck, but it still put me on the ground.

The earthpony then said to me that they were taking her to "have a little fun."

He was open, I could see it, and he was weaker than I was. If...If I had attacked then, I could have stopped them. If I had fought back..." Glaive begins to tear up. He chokes for moment, then continues. "I, I didn't stop them. They drug her off. I ran home and told father and grandfather what happened. They grabbed their weapons and alerted the guard, and began to search. My mother was hysterical. They told me to stay behind. I sat there, in the study, for an hour alone, not moving, not speaking just sitting and waiting, and blaming myself.

In that room, on the mantel, above the burning fire, sat my great grandfather's =bismuth bronze axe=. It was a strong weapon when it was new, and was used to kill dozens of Diomedians, and Zebras, and even a buffalo or two, during the old wars. He had named it, Widowgrief. Looking up at that weapon, I recalled all the stories my family would tell, of the many battles it had been through, of the lives it had saved. I couldn't just sit there and do nothing. Not while she was in danger. But I couldn't face my elders. I knew they would blame me for not protecting her, and they'd never let me come with them anyway.

I began to search on my own. It was merely by chance that I found them first. Held up in some abandoned house in the dark side of town. One of them had left to buy some drinks for them and I followed him back. It was hard to conceal the weapon under my cloak, but I somehow managed. When he went inside, I considered my choice of action. I could go get the guard, or my father, or I could confront them myself. I should have gotten help, it was stupid to do otherwise, but, I didn't listen to reason. I walked right up and bashed the old rotting door right off it's hinges.

I called out for Balisong, but she didn't answer, I searched the house, and and I..." Glaive stops, his tears are flowing freely now. It is several moments before he can continue. "I found them, they were sitting in the basement, Balisong was, she was already dead. They'd, they'd done horrible things to her. There was blood, and bones, and and much worse. I can't even describe it. I don't remember what happened next. The next thing I knew, I was standing over both of the stallions bodies, I was coated in their blood, and the family axe, it was broken, the blade shattered, I don't know what it hit.

Long story short, I was arrested, and put on trial for murder. Due to my father's connections, my being a minor, and the circumstances, I only spent one year in jail. While I was in prision, mother, she couldn't take it and she, hung herself. After all that, Dad, changed. But during that time, I swore that I would never stand by and let another get hurt. That's when the shield and axes mark appeared."

Mouth hanging open in utter shock, Falcata can do nothing but stare in horror for a moment. Then, collecting herself for his sake, she moves quickly to the despondent unicorn, enveloping him in a comforting hug and murmuring condolences in his ear.
"Glaive, you mustn't blame yourself for what could have been. You couldn't have known what they were planning, couldn't have known if you could have fought them off. You did the right thing by alerting the guard, truly! You might have gotten yourself killed as well if you had confronted them, and then- then where would I be?"
She pulls him even closer, her voice dropping to the lowest of whispers.
"And you avenged her death, Glaive. Whatever the law may say, you honoured your sister's memory in the eyes of the gods by ending the lives of her killers, and ensured their damnation in the world beyond. Whereas she and you will be together again, some day."

Glaive is relieved to feel Falcata's touch. He returns her hug.
"I should have told you earlier. I'm sorry, but I was a coward and a murderer. You deserve better, Falcata. If you don't want me anymore, I will understand."

Defiance flares within her at Glaive's words, and she breaks the hug, grabbing him by the head and ensuring that she makes firm eye contact with her beloved.
"Don't be absurd, Glaive. If what you did was cowardice and murder, then surely you must judge me as a murderer of an innocent and a fugitive from justice. Since you did not judge me as such, my love, why do you judge yourself so? If anything, you are more than I deserve, and you are a fool to think I would ever cease to love you."

"Falcata, thank you. You are right of course. You are more than anypony deserves." Glaive looks deep into his beloved's eyes, "I love you too, and I always will."
Glaive places a tender kiss of Falcata's lips.

60: A Good Spar and a Good Talk.

Glaive and Falcata stand in a clear area, in the center of Dawnpick. All the other ponies are keeping their distance, for fear of accidentally being hit. The lovers are clad in all their shining steel, and face each other, looks of deep concentration on each of their faces. Sweat runs down each of their faces as they circle each other. Suddenly Glaive thinks he spies an opening in the pegasi's defense. He lunges with a war-cry swinging his blade for his lover's head.

She spots the attack coming a mile off, and sidesteps the swing with a touch of smugness. However, she fails to account for a certain variable in the equation of combat; namely, the relatively unassuming rock by her left foreleg. The rock happily sits still, tripping the battling pegasus easily as she tries to evade Glaive's blow.
Crashing to the ground with a thunderous clang of metal, she is acutely aware that for all her agility, not even she will be able to dodge the unicorn's next attack.

As Falcata dodges the downswing of Glaive's axe he smiles to himself. 'Just what I knew you would do dear.' As he twists the blade in the air turning the downward swing into a horizontal strike. The blow would surely have connected if not for Falcata's luck in stumbling on the rock. Glaive's swing goes over her head as she falls, leaving him open with his shield and axe on the wrong side of him from Falcata.

Not quite sure why she hasn't been finished off yet, Falcata is nevertheless grateful for it as she scrambles to her feet in a frantic flurry of flapping wings and tries to regain her bearings. Noticing Glaive's shield and weapon twirling in a confused sort of fashion off to her left, and the unicorn himself off to her right, she quickly darts forwards at him, her axe making a pleasing whooshing noise as she launches her assault.

Glaive manages to stumble backwards barely avoiding the first strike by a hair's width, his shield to far away to be useful and his axe is twisted the wrong way in his mouth and unreadied, he drops his concentration on the shield causing it to drop to the ground with a thud and instead he reaches out with his magic to grab hold of the shaft of Falcata's axe, beginning to wrestle with her for control over the weapon.

Suddenly Glaive is hit by the white pegasus and they tumble together to the hard ground. Glaive lies on his back with the mare on top of him. The blow knocked Glaive's axe away from mouth, but he maintains his telekinetic grip on Falcata's weapon and knowing he can't beat her in this position begins to pull it in close from behind her, hopefully before he get's a face full of hoof.

Yes! Yes! Victory!
Already with a triumphant fanfare playing in her head, Falcata savours the moment, trying her best to work out exactly where to plant her forehoof after Glaive's little display of cheatery. The face would be good, she decides, flashing him an insufferable grin as she prepares to let her leg drop.
"I'm disappointed, dear. You couldn't even lose fairly, could you?" she quips, her eyes glinting like those of a predatory animal.

Falcata's victory is cut short as she suddenly feels the gentle touch of her own axe's blade on her neck glowing faintly in Glaive's magic grasp. Glaive had pulled the axe around behind her back and caught her unawares. They had each other at each other's mercy.
"Sorry dear, but I guess this time it's a draw. Maybe next time."
The smuggest grin Falcata had ever seen beams across Glaive's face.

Eyes widening in surprise and irritation, Falcata hits him in the face anyway, hoping to remove that unspeakably annoying smile from her lover's face before her blood pressure got any higher.
"You cheated, you stole my weapon with your magic! She spits the word out as if disgusted by it, though privately she knew she was just making excuses. Another nasty thought crosses her mind, and she narrows her eyes.
"Is that my axe scraping the back of my neck, dear?"

Glaive takes a second to recover after being hit in the face. After making sure his jaw was still in the right place, he levitates the axe around to give it back to his beloved, and sure enough it is her own weapon.
"Indeed it is my dear. You let it go but I still had a grip on it. And I don't apologize for 'cheating.' One day you may have to fight a tentacle pony*1, or an Underlord*2, or something else with similar powers, and I couldn't let you be unprepared for that. Besides, without my magic I wouldn't be a match for you and you wouldn't have had nearly as much fun."
Glaive is clearly tired and out of breath from the sparing and rests his head back on the ground, looking up the sky above, while Falcata is still sitting on his chest.

Scowling petulantly, Falcata knows perfectly well how right Glaive is. She places her axe gently on the ground after having it returned, resting atop the unicorn afterwards.
"You're right, as always. At least one of us is sensible, hm?" She smiles, the tension and serious demeanor that accompanied her sparring washing away in a wave of fatigue and quiet contentment.
"Sorry about your jaw," she murmurs guiltily, placing a gentle kiss on his lips in an attempt to make amends.

"Aw my jaw will be fine, although, hehe, a few more kisses might speed it's recovery."

(Several minutes later:)

The two ponies relax in the grass cuddling up to each other and looking at the sky, watching the clouds lazily float by. They are still in their armor in the same spot where they tumbled together minutes ago. Glaive speaks, "Falcata, what's it like? I mean being able to fly up among the clouds and the stars in the sky. You pegasi have such luck to be born with wings, while the rest of us are forever held captive by the forces of gravity."

She ponders briefly, wondering how best to put her feelings into words. Even just thinking about flight is enough to imbue her voice with a dreamy tone.
"Flying is, well, glorious. I sometimes feel more at home soaring through the clouds above than anywhere on the ground. To be so free, so unbound...I wouldn't have it any other way. Some pegasi actually prefer the ground, but for the life of me I can't think why. For me, every flap of my wings, every inch soared far above the ground is cause for joy. I'm not sure how to properly explain it. Maybe you feel the same way about your magic?"

"I'm sure it is." Glaive thinks to himself for a moment, not sure how to explain the senses and feelings that sounded his magic. "Magic is, well, hmm...When a Unicorn is using their magic, they can sense the world in a whole new way. You can see the connections in everything around you, and by pulling on the different threads of fate you can change reality itself. It's beautiful to see how the whole world is intertwined like that. The heavens and the earth, predators and their prey, ponies to each other, and everything to everything else. It is difficult to explain. It's like trying to tell a blind pony what "red" means, or actually more like trying to describe a symphony to a deaf pony."
Glaive pauses for a number of seconds before adding, "My magic may not be all that great in the larger scheme of things, but I'd not trade it for anything in the world. Still, I do wish I could see the skies the way you do, at least once."

Most of the explanation going rather predictably over her head, Falcata nods slowly, still trying to process Glaive's words.
"I see. Or, well, I don't see, but I sort of understand. I'm not sure I'd prefer magic to flight, though. Wonder what it's like for an alicorn, having both. Or an earth pony, with neither."
She looks like she's about to continue speaking, but stops short, instead looking thoughtful once more.

Glaive ponders for a moment, "Yes, the Alicorns, they are truly blessed to have been born with both. Though for the most part, in my experience they either take their powers for granted, wasting away their potential, or act like just having wings and a horn makes them better than other ponies. Not that there aren't exceptions to that. And the earthponies, well I've been told that they have some more subtle magics, things to make their plants grow better and to better understand the rock they mine, or the trees they cut, but I still pity them. I can't imagine growing up and seeing your friends learn to fly, or to harness powerful magic, while you can only make the apples grow a littler bigger, or little faster, with months of effort and work. It must be hard."

"Hmm. I agree; I don't think being an earth pony would be for me, personally. I wouldn't say I pity them, but...I can't help but feel lucky."
She shuffles her wings proudly.
"I'll tell you one thing, though; Alicorns can't match us pegasi in flight. Maybe for long, endurance flights, but they're way too bulky to match even a weak pegasus flier's agility and grace. I know they have really strong magic, though. How do you feel about that?"

Glaive considers the implications of Pegasi being faster than Alicorns. 'Square cube law, affecting the ratio between mass and surface area of the wing? Or maybe Alicorns have denser bones like an earthpony creating a more dense pony overall? Probably both. Maybe ask Stiletto later, don't want to bore Falcata with that.'
Glaive's thinking is interrupted when he realizes that Falcata had just asked him a question.
"Well to be honest, it would probably bother me more if more of them really used it. As rare as Alicorns are, there's what one in all Dawnpick, combined with the fact that not all of them are really all that strong with their magic, they don't really rule the magic circles. A strong, or heavily practiced, unicorn can be much more magical then an average Alicorn. Still the strongest of Alicorns are beyond the powers of any unicorn. But, Unicorns have them beat in shear numbers. I suppose it doesn't much bother me, since I know their are a lot of unicorns more powerful than me. I know a few simple spells, and could probably learn more if I put my mind to it. But mostly I've just focused on using my telekinetic powers to help fight. Though if I had invested more time and effort into it and found I was still not as good as some naturally talented Alicorn, who worked half as hard for half as long, and that I could never catch up, I'd probably be envious. That's probably why a lot of ponies don't like them much."

"Why wouldn't you learn as many spells as you could? It seems a shame to waste any of your potential, and you never know when it could come in useful. Especially in our profession."
An idea begins to form in Falcata's mind, based off something Glaive said earlier and something he'd just said tying together all of a sudden. Gazing up at the sky above has catalysed a couple of stray thoughts in her mind.
I wonder...
"Glaive?" she queries, with a hint of excitement. "Did you really mean what you said about wanting to see the skies the way I do, even just the once? Surely there's a spell of some sort that could help? I don't mean, like, one designed for proper flight, but even some kind of...makes-things-lighter spell; could that work?"

Glaive detects the excitement in Falcata's voice and realizes what she is suggesting. Glaive sits up thinking for a moment before excitedly adding.
"A proper flight spell is probably beyond me BUT, unicorn foals for their first year or so sometimes get powerful magic surges, this can occasionally create a little flying incredibly powerful magic foal. Has driven more than one non-Pegasus caregiver insane. But that does prove it's possible to lift ones self with magic. I could probably harness something like that to make me seem lighter, at the very least. Then...we could... uh, fly together...if um...you'd carry me."

"Of course I'd carry you! I just wouldn't feel safe to do it if you weren't, eh, lighter. I mean, I wou-"
Cutting herself off, Falcata decides not to mention the many and varied different ways that things could go wrong, instead choosing to focus on the positives.
"I hope you can find the right spell somewhere! It would really be special to sit on a cloud, so high above the ground and sharing the view with you."
She has a few less gentle ideas in mind, depending on how stable any possible featherweight spell might be, but she intends to keep those as a somewhat cheeky surprise for her lover, should they ever become possible.

Already feeling tingles of anticipation, she resolves to practice on her part as well. While she's well aware of her own exceptional capabilities in flight, heavy lifting isn't something she's had much cause to practice.
I wonder if I could help out at the trade depot, next time there's a caravan. Hmm.
Mind already racing with a thousand different possibilities, she takes off and heads back to the barracks, smiling all the way. Now this was going to be fun.

Author's Note

*1: A caste of Diomedian pony analogous to unicorns, but possessing a tentacle in place of a horn.
*2: Cave Pony*3 royalty. Four times larger then a normal pony, with eight legs, two magic tusks, the ability to make silk, and a mane like that of a lion.
*3: Norse-inspired ponies who live underground.

61: The Next Next morning

Friesden slowly stirs the next morning.

Glyph smiles as Friesden wakes, hugging her close. "Good morning malyutka, how did you sleep?"

Friesden smiles as she wakes and hugs Glyph in return. "I slept well, Glyph. How did you?"

"Perfectly, seeing as I was holding my little Friesdizzy..." He nuzzles Friesden. "So, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Um. I don't know. Whatever you think is nice?" She returns the nuzzle.

Glyph thinks a bit, before climbing out of bed. "Nothing specific comes to mind, maybe we should just go to the dining hall and see what looks good?"

"Okay Glyph!"
"Maybe I'll see dad there. He'll remember me. Or mum. Or I'll see both of them!"

He shuffles his hooves a bit, "Y-yeah... maybe..." I grab my hat and go to the door. "Either way, should be nice. Maybe we can play some after?"

"Oh. Um. Okay! If we don't see dad and mum."

Glyph leads Friesden down to the dining hall, trying to keep his mood up. He walks in and looks around, hoping not to see Carmine, and trying to think of what to eat.

Friesden keeps looking around the room, hoping to see her mum or dad. When she doesn't see either, she lowers her head and continues to follow Glyph. Maybe tomorrow.

"Well, you wanna get something, or just find us a seat?" He notices Friesden look down and puts a hoof on her withers, not really knowing what to say.

"Um. I'll find a seat."
Friesden looks around, trying to find a table with two seats.

Glyph nods, and walks off to find them some food, still a bit worried about Friesden. 'What's gonna happen when she sees her father again... He's just going to deny her... I hope she'll be alright..."
He gathers a small pile of food, and looks for where Friesden is.

Friesden has eventually found a suitable table, and is sitting at it with a smile.
"Glyph! Over here!"

He trots over to her, placing the plates in front of her. "I don't really know what you like, so I just got a bit of everything. Sorry I couldn't make you anything... maybe tomorrow?" He smiles as he sit next to her. "Maybe I could find some nice recipes..."

"That would be nice. Maybe if you ask dad he'll tell you how to make them! If he's not too busy. Wait! You could ask mum, too!"

"Your mother? Might be nice to see her, I would like to cook something for you. I want to see Virtue too... but for now, food." He begins to eat, trying to think of some things to do with Friesden.

Friesden eats as quickly as she can, the food almost vanishing in front of her.

Glyph chuckles a bit, watching her practically inhale her food. "What's the rush? Nopony's gonna take your food away from you."

Friesden's inhalation of her food slows to a stop.
"R-r-really?"

"Course not, Kakaya glupaya idyeya... who would do that?" He smiles as he take another bite. "Just take your time and enjoy your food."

"U-u-u-um. N-n-n-n-nopony," Friesden stammers, and turns back to her food.

Glyph cocks his head, curious now. "You know you can tell me anything, right sweetling? If you're ever worried about something just tell me."

"U-u-u-u-u-um, i-i-i-i-i-it's n-n-n-n-nothing." Friesden continues to try and look at her food, not wanting to taint her memories of her family.

"It's okay malyutka..." He gives Friesden a quick hug. "Just forget I asked." He returns to his food for a bit before speaking again. "So, what do you think we should play after we're done with breakfast?"

"Um. We could have a race!"

He chuckles again. "A race? Sounds like fun, what else do you like to do? Maybe hide and seek?"

"That sounds fun too! Can we go play now?"

Glyph nods, finishing the last of his food. "If you want, lead the way." He smiles, enjoying the thought of spending a day playing with Friesden. They head outside, ready to have all kinds of fun.

62: Indigo's rough night.

Sekashi was intrigued by Indigo questioning her about zonies and bastards. He thought himself clever, and tactful, but she's been around, and could read between the lines. Despite his age he was still such a foalish fool and needed to be taught a lesson about life. How could she refuse to help him? The gods themselves put him on her way. Besides, It will do him and the ponies around him a lot of good. On the eve of the caravan's departure she prepared herself, took a flagon of a special wine with her, and in the evening went to the Craftpony's workshop to meet the pony. She wasn't wearing any clothes, just her usual jewelry. Indigo was working on a stone pot, and didn't even notice her approach. She sneaks on him pretty closely, and puts a hoof on his rump. "Hello Indigo."

He is as startled by her touch as he was as focused on his work. "Whoa... Oh, hello Sekashi. I haven't expected you. I made everything you requested. Is there anything else you need?" Why would she touch me like that? She is usually not this direct.

Sekashi smiles playfully. "Why, it would be rather late for that, don't you think? I've come to celebrate all the good trade we have done, and say goodbye to my friend." She gestures towards the flagon, she is skillfully balancing on her back.

"Ah. Of course we can talk." He looks at his pot. "I'm almost done, can I finish this first?"

"Certainly, I would never dream of interrupting your important work." Sekashi smirks looking at the pot, and a few finished ones next to it. Without a word he turns back towards the pot to continue his work. He didn't even get the sarcasm. Sekashi is patiently watching him smoothing the stone for the next half hour. He is pretty good at it, but she has seen him work before, and that is not why she is here today. Nonetheless her presence makes him work faster and better.

Indigo finishes the pot, looks over it one last time, checking for flaws, decides that it is quite an ≡Exceptional≡ piece, and puts it away. He turns towards the waiting zebra. "I'm done for today, are you hungry? I can take you to the dining hall."

"Actually I want to see how you live and talk to you without a crowd of noisy ponies. Why don't you get the food from your kitchens, and we go to your place?"

Indigo frowns I don't think there are any rules against inviting our guests to the dormitory, but is it proper? Well, I guess we've known each other for some time, and there is no harm in inviting her. "I... alright, what would you like to eat?"

"Why, I'm not picky. I'm sure, you can think of something suitable."

"Ah... Yes, come with me." He leads her towards the well and cleans himself, then they go to the dining hall. He enters alone and leaves ten minutes later levitating a tray with cups, pots, salad, fish soup, and carrot juice. Finally they go to his room. A few ponies eye them curiously, but say nothing. Indigo's room is on the second floor and the same size as all the others in the dormitory. It is big enough for a family with a few foals, so it is pretty spacious for a single pony. A lamp under the ceiling and another on the table are the only light sources, and Indigo lights them both up with his magic. Everything is clean, and neatly arranged on its place. He puts the food on the table, and gestures for her to sit. They start with the soup. Indigo says "I'm hungry, let's eat" and begins to gulp his portion quickly.

Sekashi looks at him. "Don't eat so sloppy."

"Humph?"

"Taste the food." She takes a sip of the soup, and chews on it slowly.

Indigo stops slouching, and eats slower. "It is good."

"So why not enjoy it?"

Indigo frowned. "Food is just for sustenance. I eat quickly to do other things... but I suppose there is no rush now."

Sekashi smiles, nods, and they both enjoy their own bowls, looking at each other. When they are finished with the soup she adds. "And even during the day an extra few minutes for a meal won't make a difference. Celebrating a meal is a very simple exercise."

"Exercise?" asks Indigo.

"Yes, you asked me to teach you how to meditate."

"I tried, and wasn't any good at it. You said, I think and worry too much."

"You still do, but you just enjoyed a meal without worrying, didn't you?"

"I guess."

"Tell me, when you work with your stones, what do you think about?"

"I look at them, notice all the little details and imagine how it looks inside until I see what parts to remove. Then I do it."

"Focusing on one thing, and one thing only. That is also an exercise. You can do the same with eating, walking, even breathing." Indigo starts thinking about it, remembering his work at the workshop, and not even noticing, that Sekashi poured each of them a cup of her wine. "Want a drink?"

"Hm? Oh, I don't drink alcohol. I’ll have juice."

She cocked her head playfully. "Never ever? Not even with your friends?"

"Well, sometimes," he sighs, "but I don't like, what it does to me."

"It is alright to enjoy a drink once in a while. Just don't make drinking into a habit." She gives him a sly smile. "Besides, it is rude to deny a gift".

"Well, if you insist. One cup won't kill me." He takes a small sip of her wine. It is pretty strong for his standards, and tastes of some herbs.

"That's the spirit." They proceed with the salad, drinking their wine. She pours each of them another cup, but after that he refuses, and drinks carrot juice instead.

"So what did you want to talk with me about?" asks Indigo. It is getting late, and Indigo is slightly drunk, but for some reason isn't even sleepy.

"Oh, nothing in particular. I just want to spend some time with you, before I leave with my people."

"Ah well, thank you. I thought you wanted to discuss my crafts or the Ocean Breeze incident."

"I already told you, what we need. I have seen the filly, and the incident is a thing of the past."

"Past? But it is still fresh."

"It ended happily." More or less. "The filly found another home, and your friend is still with his familly. This thing doesn't even concern you directly, and you could make it worse by trying to help. You made the right choice to let other ponies work it out. There is no need to worry about it." I need to talk to him, like to a foal.

"But what of the implications? Carmine was ostracized. He was even threatened by a guard. I'm afraid, what it can mean..."

"For you? Are you afraid of your own guards?"

"I... don't know. And I shouldn't even be telling you this..."

Sekashi just laughs. He still doesn't get it. "You silly pony, your guards would do anything to protect the foals, and much to protect you." She waits for it to sink, then adds "If you are still afraid of them, then don't give them a reason to mistreat you. It is as simple as that."

Indigo thinks about it for a while. "You're right. They never mistreated me. I worry too much."

Sekashi looks at him with a spark in her eye. "You can also train yourself to fight."

"What? Why?"

Sekashi lashes out, and pins him to the ground before he has time to react, puts a hoof in his mouth, then whispers in his ear "To be prepared for the unexpected. Guards will do what they can, but they won't always be there for you." After a few heartbeats she gracefully jumps to her hooves, releasing him.

For a moment Indigo is to stunned to do anything, but then rolls on his hooves. Still, despite the shock the sensation of her body touching his was far from unpleasant. She is soft and warm, while muscular. Am... am I getting turned on? "How... why did you do that?"

"You weren't paying attention. I wanted to wake you up."

"But I'm not asleep," protests Indigo.

"Oh? Can you see the cricket that has been chipping in your room all evening? Can you hear the guard walking the corridor outside? Your heart beating? Yourself breathing?"

Indigo listens to the cricket, then finds the source of sound. There are indeed steps of metal horseshoes on the corridor. Focusing on his own breath and heartbeat is only slightly harder. Those things were clearly there the whole time, but they were the background. They didn't matter. Why would she be pointing them out? He tries to hear her breath, but can't. She is watching him the whole time, smiling. "How is it that you hear these things?"

"How is it that you do not?" Sekashi laughs.

Is this her way of telling me to be aware of my surroundings, and notice things from small clues? He notices something else. "I think there is a pony crying."

"A foal, behind this wall."

Indigo looks at the wall and frowns. "Granite. He is nothing but trouble for everypony."

"Is that so? Maybe that is his way of asking for help?"

"Help? He is not my responsibility. He has parents. And how would I help him anyway? He just drinks, breaks stuff, and annoys ponies. I don't want him to be like that, but what can I do?" She just said, I was right to stay out of Ocean Breeze incident, but wants me to try and help this foal? This is insane zebra logic at it’s finest!

A cloud briefly passes over her face. "That is for you to find out. But know this: you live in a small community, and a suffering pony affects others. Finding a way to help him may help you too."

Indigo frowns at that. Perhaps helping this foal will be easier than helping Carmine "Maybe I could try to help him find something to do. He must have some calling in life." Well, unless he is destined to become another Jaxler. This line of thought is interrupted by Sekashi touching him again. He didn't even notice her getting next to him.

"Why are you so tense all the time?" asks Sekashi.

Whoa... why are you so close to me? "Tense?" He makes a few small flexing movements. "What do you mean, tense? I feel fine."

"Your whole body is tense. It is as if you are wearing armour made from your muscles, but it doesn't protect you. It just slows you down, and tires you. Limits your movements. Try to loosen up."

What the hay is she talking about? This makes no sense at all. "I feel normal, and if I relax my muscles, I'll fall to the floor."

Sekashi laughs. "You think so? Lie on your bed than, and try it."

I know I asked her to teach me some things, but can it get any crazier? "Fine, let's see." Indigo lies on his bed on his tummy, with his legs stretched in every direction, and tries to relax. After a moment he shifts his pillow for easier breathing. He feels somewhat relaxed, and for some reason isn't sleepy, even though it is getting late. He closes his eyes. The cricket is still chipping. Is it getting hot in here?

Sekashi observes him for a while, lifts his fore hoof, and drops it back. "You are still tense. Here, let me help you." she jumps on the bed and begins massaging him, releasing the tension, working the hardness out of his muscles. "Breathe and relax."

To Indigo this is just unexpected as it is pleasant. He begins to relax, and almost lets his guard down. Why am I getting turned on by a zebra? What is she doing? Is she trying to seduce me? Would she? I made it pretty obvious, I wouldn't marry a zebra. She seemed responsible, and understanding. Is she trying to trick me?

Sekashi notices the shift in his mood. He is ashamed of his body, and how it reacts to mine. She whispers in his ear: "Do you know, why I'm really here? I have a gift for you."

"Another gift?" Indigo is intrigued. She already gave me some wine and massage. What gift? Does she want me to be happy so she can exploit it? He tenses even more, opens his eyes, and perks his head to look at her. Why is my horn glowing like that?

"I can spend the night with you if you want."

"WHAT? You mean..." Indigo stands up, throwing her off of him, and Sekashi lands gracefully next to his bed. He looks at her in shock. I knew she wanted something!

"Yes," she flexes, "what's the matter? Is it because I'm a zebra? Don't you like my stripes?" His expression is priceless.

Indigo is shocked by this turn of events. I should have known! "W... we can't. We're not married!"

Sekashi gives him some more breathing space, by moving two steps backwards, and sits on her rump. "Yes, neither you, nor me is married."

"You... Is that your way of offering to marry me? I don't even... Where would we live?"

Sekashi laughs "Silly pony. No, I'm not offering you marriage, just this night."

"You mean... you're one of them? But... I thought you were more responsible. What if there is a foal?"

"Ah, so you don't want another zony bastard who has no place among your or mine people. That is responsible of you." she gives him a sly smile "But do you think, that I can't take care of my own foals? Or that I can't brew moon tea to prevent pregnancy? There will be no foals."

"You have foals? But you said, you were unwed!" says Indigo, angrily.

Sekashi sighs "I was married twice, and am divorced now. My foals are all grown up. I don't need more of them, thank you for your concern." says Sekashi calmly. The moment is gone.

Indigo doesn't like what he is hearing. "Divorce? But what about commitment and enduring together? Do promises and contracts mean nothing to you?"

Sekashi sighs "It doesn't always work like that. A relationship can work for a while, and then one of you moves on, until your philosophies differ too much for staying together to make sense. It is better to divorce, and stay friends than be forced to suffer each other for life. That way each of you can find a more suitable partner. I'm even friends with my first husband's second wife."

More insane zebra logic! Indigo listens with growing disgust "That sounds awfully convenient. Part of marriage is commitment. Looking after each other. What if one of you gets sick? What about the foals when you divorce?"

Funny how he is lecturing me on marriage. Silly pony doesn't even see the irony. Sekashi breaths in and out. "None of us was sick. We didn't abandon one another in need. We just decided, this was be for the best. As for foals, they were taken care off, and saw both their parents. Do you think it would be better for them to watch their parents fighting all the time?"

Indigo just glares. She is clearly wrong, but what can I say to this? He grits his teeth. "What you are proposing is still sexual misconduct."

"Oh?" she cocks her head and flexes again, now standing with her side to him "I am not forcing you. None of us is married, so this is not a violation of an oath. There won't be any foals or diseases. I explained all of this to you. How is that misconduct?"

Indigo keeps looking at her, and frowns. It still feels wrong, but what can I say to her? "Why me? Surely there are some zebras interested... And I never gave you a reason to... And I know, I'm not so attractive... Why me?" Her offer does sound tempting. I'm... I'm blushing?!

Sekashi laughs "Because it would do you a world of good." She cocks her head. "What's the matter? Have you never been with a mare before?"

"That is none of your business!” He looks at her smiling and sighs. “Fine, I'll tell you. I was never married, but I know enough to do my duty as a husband."

"Oh?" she curls her lips. That’s just the thing a bride wants on her wedding night; a husband who knows how to do his duty.

He sighs again. "I... shamed myself... with a mare."

She laughs again. This is getting interesting. "Shamed yourself? Oh yes, that must have been a truly memorable experience."

He just glares.

"So? Tell me about it."

This has gone too far anyway. I might as well tell her. "We... we were engaged. We were in love... or so we thought. We were supposed to wait until after marriage. It... it was her idea. I should have refused... known better. Instead, I gave in. We were discovered, separated, and drafted. She died in a battle." He looks somber. My would be wife was weak.

"I'm sorry for you. I really am. Was that your only time?" She moves in closer to hug him. This explains a lot.

He notices her approach, and moves away. "Don't."

He wasn't so opposed to me giving him a massage. She stops. "Was that your only time?"

"I went to a... a courtesan. Twice. But that wasn't what I wanted. And I was never rich. I couldn't afford her anyway. And I never negotiated another marriage contract after the scandal. There was always another buck who got married instead of me. Eventually my desire waned, and I gave up." Until recently, it seems. Does she even know, what she is doing to me? He looks on the floor. "So now you understand. I told you everything."

Sekashi isn't really turned on by this turn of events, but still rather fond of this silly pony, and she still wants to help him. She hugs him.

Indigo is very confused at this point. "Stop!" I want to... but I can't. This is not right. My body is betraying me!

She complies and moves away. Is he beyond help? "Why? I can see, how you want it."

"And then what? Your caravan leaves tomorrow. You won't stay with me. I'll miss you, and suffer for it. How can you even suggest it? Do you even know, what it will do to me?"

Sekashi looks at him, and laughs. She laughs hard. "You silly pony. There are some unmarried mares here, if you look around."

"And you think this is going to improve my chances with any of them? Why are you laughing? And calling me silly?"

This lesson needs to be harsher than I intended. "You are being silly, and it is only fitting to find fools funny. Why would they persist so hard at their foolishness if they did not wish us to laugh at them?”

This ridicule is unbearable to Indigo. "GET OUT! Your insane zebra logic is silly, not me!"

She slowly does so, laughing even harder, and swinging her hips as she walks.

Earlier today Stiletto saw a blue unicorn and a zebra walking towards the dormitories. A few hours have passed since then. Shortly before midnight Stiletto decided to go visit Kat. When she is walking the corridor connecting the rooms on the second floor, she hears some yelling, and then sees a zebra exiting one of the rooms, laughing very hard. She is not wearing any clothes, just jewelry and is seductively swinging her hips.

"Miss, are you lost?” asks Stiletto. “Do you need help with anything?"

Sekashi looks at the big Alicorn, and doesn't stop laughing. "Thank you for concern, I'll find my way." She continues walking towards the stairs.

Indigo is filled with conflicting emotions, but somehow seeing her leaving makes him recompose himself. He notices the bottle she left on the table, and trots towards the door. He sticks his head out of the room, carrying a bottle of wine with telekinesis. "You forgot this."

The zebra still laughs her rump off, but looks back at him "Keep it. It is a gift. It may do you some good one night."

He normally avoids alcohol, but doesn't really care at this point. "I should escort you to the depot."

"I'll find my way."

He just looks on with shock, disbelief, desire, and confusion as the zebra walks on towards the stairs and then out of sight, still laughing her rump off. I thought she was a friend. How could she do this to me? Then he notices Stiletto, and retreats back to his room. The bottle apparently forgotten on the floor.

Stiletto picks up the bottle of wine and taps lightly on Indigo’s door "Sir, you left your a bottle outside."

Indigo yells from inside the room: "I don't bucking want her bucking wine!" Then he kicks his bed. "And I'm not a sir. I work for a living!" another kick.

Stiletto gives the stairs where she can still hear the zebra's laughter a sidelong look, but is pulled to attention by the sound of kicking "Are you aright in there S... Mister."

Indigo groans, then says "Nothing to report."

"If you are sure, but this wine was a gift, it is a little bit rude to turn down a gift." says Stiletto, looking at the bottle he forgot outside.

Indigo opens the door. Stiletto stands close enough to see the inside. It is tidy and lit by two lamps, one under the ceiling, another one on the table. There is some leftover food on the table, and the sheets on the bed are ruffled. This looks like a romantic dinner gone wrong. The unicorn is clothed and slightly out of balance. He quickly snatches the wine, and puts it in a corner with telekinesis. He then looks at Stiletto. "Fine, I'll keep it." He appears rather distressed, and looks at her with a mix of emotions on his face. At first mostly anger and fear, but desire is there as well, and seems to be winning. His horn starts glowing, he blinks, blushes, and does his best to look at her hooves.

"Are you sure you all right? You look as if you might be concerned with something." asks Stiletto with worry in her voice.

Indigo looks at Stiletto, exhales, blushes and looks at her hooves again. His expression shifts to anger. "Concerned? Oh I bucking am concerned. By all these crazy, perverted mares, spreading depravity. Including you!" He points his hoof at Stiletto, sways to the side, but manages to keep standing, and looks angry.

"Are you inebriated Mister?" asks Stiletto, frowning.

"What?” Indigo looks at his own hoof. “I think so." then he looks back at Stiletto, again with mixed hatred and desire, then at her hooves. "So what if I am? Jaxler gets drunk all the time."

"If you have impaired judgement, you should think very carefully about any action you take. Jaxler is not a role model, and personally I feel he should take his jobs more seriously."

"What action? And I don't drink. She gave it to me." His fear seems mostly gone, but anger, desire and confusion are still there.

Stiletto nods and looks it the direction of the caravan "Do you know her well then?"

"Humph? Do I ever know a pony well? I thought she was a friend. I thought Kat was a friend too". He sadly looks at the floor. "But you! You are not a friend! I know that!" He points his hoof at her again.

"I do not really know you, that is true, you have never introduced yourself to myself." She uses her magic to lift her hat off and then bows. "I am Stiletto TrustedGood, I am quiet pleased to make your acquaintance."

Indigo is rather shocked by the gesture, then says. "Well I'm NOT pleased to meet you. You're trouble, not me!" He then adds "So what... What do you want from me? I did nothing. And you're militia, not a guard."

Stiletto raises her head back up and gives him a stern look "Do you have something against Destuchmeiner? I was concerned you might need help, you are a very rude pony though, not even returning a proper introduction."

Indigo is only slightly scared by this, and too angry to care. "I have something against you! I don't care about the rest of your kind, I don't know them! And I can be rude if I want to. I don't need your bucking help!"

Stiletto shakes her head slowly "If that is how you feel, rude pony, I will take my leave of you." she turns to the hall.

"Fine! I want nothing more from you!" Indigo closes the door, and groans.

Kat slams her door open, bed-hair, messed coat, rustled nightgown that she wears while she sleeps. She clearly have been woken up and she's not pleased one bit about it. "What... the hell.. is going.. on...?"

Stiletto looks to see Kat come out of her door "The rude pony next door to you felt the need to insult me for trying to help him, meine Leibe."

Kat sighs and face-hoofs as she slowly flies over. "What's his problem this time?"

"I think he is quiet inebriated by some wine he received as a gift from a very nice looking zebra merchant." says Stiletto.

Indigo kicks his bed again, then groans.

Kat wipes her eyes slightly before letting out a yawn. "Mm... who knows? maybe he got drugged or something... maybe we should check him out and see if he's not going insane or something... He could be dangerous if he is."

Indigo kicks his bed again. "Bucking insane zebras and their insane logic!" Another kick and a groan.

"You check on him, he has already dismissed me. I shall go to the caravan and make some inquiries."

"Neigh, you're staying here and I'm fixing whatever problem he's having with you. He already keeps saying that you're trouble and not wanting me to be your friend or something. I'm not going to put up with it any more." says Kat, quietly enough so Indigo wouldn't hear.

"Alright meine Leibe, but I really think I should at least check on the Zebras before they leave tomorrow. We do not want to get a reputation for mistreating caravans." says Stiletto.

Indigo trots back and forth in his room and groans again.

"We could do that when we leave and are more decent. but for now, let's focus on the problem at hoof." Says Kat, then knocks on the door a few times with her hoof.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Indigo shouts, angrily. "You said, you were leaving!"

"I haven’t said a single thing to you tonight yet Indigo." Kat called out.

"Whoa? Kat? This... is not a good time."

Stiletto looks herself over "I am fully dressed Kat. Oh dear he does not sound good."

Kat knocks on the door a few more times "Common Indigo, open up. We need to talk... unless... you know? you don't want to talk or something like that."

"I told you, it is not a good time. And you... you're one of them! I told you to buck off you crazy, perverted mares!" yells Indigo, and the door doesn't open.

Stiletto asks "What is 'perverted' and 'depravity'? I do not know what those words mean."

"Get a bucking dictionary! In Virtue's office! Away from me!"

Kat sighs as she tries to explain. "Well... I don't think those words exist where you came from Stiletto. but let's say, it's a kind of insult used on Ponies who, show their affections more than one can handle." She knocks on the door again "Indigo! those insults were uncalled for!"

"Oh you think so? that's because you have no concept of fidelity! And they are not insults, they are facts! And I told you to leave me alone!"

"Such a rude language. Why are you the ponies of this land so restricted? They called me conservative in my homeland. It is crazy, most of the ponies here walk about showing their cutie marks." Comments Stiletto.

Kat is getting slightly disturbed. "Indigo, you just insulted a stranger and a mare that's your friend. That's also a Fact!"

He kicks his bed again, and groans in pain from hitting a vulnerable part of his leg.

"Fact? Sounds like an opinion to me." Says Stiletto.

"And you insist on bothering me! I did nothing!"

Kat yells back "Yeah! Including being Polite!"

"I'm bucking drunk! Buck polite!" Answers Indigo and gives out another groan.

"I am concerned for everypony in Dawnpick. Lady Virtue has more than enough things to worry about already." Stiletto tries to reason.

"Fine! We'll talk to you later when you're less drunk then. Let's go, mein liebe. We should go check on the caravan - no wait, wouldn't they all be asleep by now?" says Kat.

"I saw one leaving his room. She looked happy." Answers Stiletto.

"Finally." says Indigo, and continues trotting back and forth in his room.

"One leaving his room? maybe he got a good time with somepony tonight? Couldn't be though, he's not that happy about it... Maybe they drugged him with something? Maybe we should investigate mein liebe."

"I tried to ask him about it, but he was evasive and accusing he would not even tell me his name.” Stiletto looks at Indigo's door “Nothing but hurt insults, you rude unfeeling pony."

"I admit, he's not one of the most social ponies. I think I’m one of only a few friends he has here in the town... And when he's drunk, his social skills got even worse!" explains Kat.

"Damn right! I told you repeatedly to leave me alone, and you still didn't!" Another thump.

"I am over here with meine Leibe, rude pony, and I was planing on leaving as soon as she is ready." says Stiletto.

The steps inside Indigo's room stop. "Your... love?! What the hay do you mean by that?"

Kat couldn't help but grin at Indigo's surprise. Oh she's going to like this already.

"Kat is my love, is that a problem?" asks Stiletto.

Indigo opens his door. "What do you mean: your love?" He looks back and forth between them, confused and shocked.

"I mean that I love her, she lifts my heart when we are together." Says Stiletto and nuzzles Kat softly. "I can not imagine not loving her."

Kat smiles and returns Stiletto's nuzzle. "Mm-hum, and she's always been there with me throughout the goods and the bads. Always lifting my heart up... Making my day better than yesterday every time I see her..." she says, sighing dreamily.

Indigo is dumbfounded for a moment, then moans and makes a run for the stairs, not even caring about closing his door. He almost bumps into Kat, but she flies out of the way just in time. Military training has its uses.

Stiletto is slower to react "Is going to be alright? That moan sounded... bad."

Indigo runs out of the dormitory, not even caring if he is being chased. He turns east, then south when he reaches the wall, then east when he reaches the corner.

With Indigo gone, Kat lands and stands there with confused expression.

Stiletto is quicker to snap out of this surprise. "We should go after him. He is not in full control of his faculties and may hurt himself. But first I need to check something." Stiletto enters Indigo’s room, takes a small sip of the wine, and tastes it. With her extensive knowledge of herbalism she determines that it contains ‘Mushroom Dew’, ‘Maiden berries’ and something else. Both these herbs affect mood. She leaves the wine, closes the door behind her and decides to fly after Indigo, and watch him from above. "Come along Kat. I will need your help, unless you are too tired."

Kat stretches and yawns out as she flutters her wings a few times to fly a little higher "Mm.. I’m fine. Alright, let's go!"

Indigo runs randomly around the camp, keeping to the southern and western part, groaning occasionally, and after a while of this darts into the barracks. He uses a light spell, and begins hitting a target dummy with a hammer, all the while kicking and yelling at it.

Stiletto follows Indigo into the barracks "Mister please halt, you need to rest and drink water if you are this inebriated. These training facilities are for the guard and military Mister Indigo. You need to calm down."

Kat sighs at the outraging Indigo "Well meine Liebe, looks like he's throwing an tantrum. At least he's controlled enough to release it on training dummies and not random ponies. I can give him that."

Indigo stops, breathing heavily, and covered with sweat. He looks at the two mares, weapon still in his grip. "I'M NOT THROWING A TANTRUM! You... you monster! You corrupted Kat!" He then looks around the barracks with growing panic. There is only one exit, and Stiletto is standing there. He picks up a shield in his mouth, and glares.

Stiletto looks down at the scared little pony before her "Calm yourself before you say anything else. These activities will be reported to Lady Virtue."

Kat flies in nearby as well. "Corrupted? You must have had a big tantrum or very drunk to think of that Indigo. You know I’m always up for changes if I like them. I wouldn't cross the goddess-damn ocean if I wanted everything to keep being oppressed and strictly freedom-less and getting treated like an object." She huffs out. Not very pleased.

Indigo backs away into a corner, still with shield and a hammer, breathing heavily. He speaks with breaking voice "I... I told you to leave me alone!"

"You're out here, in the dark, holding a shield and a hammer. It is our duty to make sure that no harm comes to you and that you won’t do harm to anypony." says Kat.

Stiletto takes one step forward "Put the weapon and shield down, they are unnecessary. I can not allow you to hurt anypony."

Partisan is close to the barracks. He hears some yelling inside. He isn't sure what it is all about, but it sounds like a major argument, so he comes to investigate. He is just a few feet away from the door. He pauses for a second and listens, barely a clatter of weaponry, which means that no fighting had started yet, if at all. As soon as Stiletto speaks, he races toward the entrance and waits.

Indigo becomes enraged one last time, for the +4 bonus, and charges at Stiletto. This would give him weapon and dodge skills around 5, but against a more skilled, bigger munchkin, who likes strangling bandits with telekinesis, he is almost sure to fail.

Stiletto reaches out with her magic and locks Indigo to the ground while shaking her head "You are not going anywhere."

Indigo is kicking and screaming, and trying to get free, but fails. At some point he looses his shield, an in less than a minute his breath as well. He stops wiggling, and collapses to the ground, breathing heavily. He is defeated and exhausted.

Partisan watches the fight occur from the door. "Hold on here!" he says, concerned that two military personnel are surrounding a restrained civilian. "What is going on here?"

Kat was just about to draw her crossbow from it's hiding place under her wing, but seeing Stiletto having everything under control, she closes her wings down again, giving Partisan a Salute when he walks in. "A pony gone drunk and threw a tantrum sir."

The pony in question just lies on his side, with his eyes closed, grasping for air, and says nothing.

Stiletto salutes while maintaining a solid grip on Indigo "Guard captain."

"Drunk is fine. But we cant have any tantrums. Can’t afford them at all. I want to hear this from Indigo. What is the problem?" asks Partisan, looking at Indigo.

"I think he needs help, he has been spouting nonsense this whole time." says Stiletto.

"Hold on. Let him speak. If he has a reason, then it can be reasoned out, if not. . . " Partisan says as he steps closer to the old buck lying on the floor.

"He seems to have been drunk on some sort of a... I don't know. Stiletto says, she saw a zebra walking out of his room. I suspect he might be drugged or something, he's not acting like himself." explains Kat.

Indigo is just lying there exhausted, still breathing heavily, and curls up slightly. He says nothing.

"I see." Partisan replies as he walks closer. "For now, lets take him to his room. I am sure he can do less damage there than in here. Heaven forbid that he gets away and takes one of the many weapons here. Or gets in a lucky strike." Partisan takes a couple of seconds to look at Indigo's face, trying to judge weather or not he would actually be that dangerous.

Indigo's eyes are closed, there is some foam on his mouth, and he just rests and breathes.

"Never seen my friend like this Captain, something must've snapped him off." says Kat.

Indigo groans weakly, covers his head with forehooves, and keeps breathing deeply.

"Can I trust your judgement Kat?” asks Partisan “I mean, he looks stressed, but also unhappy, angry even. That could be the worst combination. I have seen someone like this take down several Diamond Dogs and his fellows."

"Captain, let me make a quick full-on report about it to you here then. From what I understand, he had quite a talk with Stiletto, well, much more like him insulting her and not liking her in general and Stiletto didn't like it much. I came out from my room, awoken from the noise to see what's up. Apparently somepony was with him in his room. He didn't want us to bother him, but we were simply worried. Then Stiletto mentioned something about me being her love, Indigo here seemed to be severely surprised, and when we tried explaining, he ran here and started hammering away at the dummies. So There you have it Captain. I recall his exact term is calling us 'perverted' and 'depravity' mares."

"Indigo, is it possible that this is a misunderstanding? Stilleto does speak. . . . Highpony. I never really understand what she means by her words, even though I know a bit myself." inquires Partisan.

"Don't believe their lies." Indigo says weakly. He still breathes heavily, and curls into a ball "Why can't they just leave me alone?" he asks, opens his eyes, and starts shaking.

"Captain, he doesn't look so good.. maybe we can save the interrogation for later." Kat suggests.

"I. . . ." Partisan pauses looking at him again. They were right. He doesn't look well. "Yes. We can talk about it later. Maybe with Virtue to help." With that he nods at Stilleto and tels her to take him to his room.

Indigo's breathing slowly stabilizes, but his heart is still beating loudly. "Don't leave me with her alone. Please." Indigo looks like he is about to cry.

"We will all go with you then." answers Partisan. They all go to Indigo's room, with Stiletto carrying him in her telekinetic grip. Indigo is limp like a kitten the whole trip.

When they make it to Indigo's room, and he is released, he crawls under his own bed. His breathing and heart rate stabilized somewhat, but he is still barely able to crawl.

The room itself is the same size as all the other rooms, which is quite big for a lone buck. It is tidy and lit by two lamps, one under the ceiling, another one on the table. There is some leftover food on the table, and the sheets on the bed are ruffled. There is also a bottle of wine in a corner. This looks like a romantic dinner gone wrong. Partisan looks around the place for the first time, and his eyes rest on the bottle of wine and food. "Oh. I see. Kat. Stiletto. We should give him a moment in his room alone. We need to talk anyway." he said as he motioned his nose to the door.

"Aye sir." Kat nods and gives her commanding officer a quick salute before leaving the room. The Alicorn takes one last look at the rude pony hiding under a bed, and follows.

Partisan closes the door from outside. Like most of the rooms, Indigo’s bedroom has only one way in and out, so they will need to guard only one door. Unfortunately, due to procedures he set up in the first place, someone has to do it. "Ladies, I think you should be relieved of duties for the night. Also, I think I should mention this: that dinner on the table was meant for two, not one. Anyway, I will stand watch here. You two have much to talk about."

Kat gives Partisan a straight salute with a hoof. "Yes sir. if you don't mind, I will be returning to my sleep... I was kind of awoken up from the noise. an Extra hour before guard duty on the morning would be... much appreciated sir. but it's okay if I wouldn't get the extra hour. I’ll manage."

Partisan guards the door to Indigo’s room. He occasionally walks up and down the corridor a bit to stretch his legs. He listens through the door from time to time. There are a few moans, but not much else. After a long while the light under Indigo's door goes dark, and for the rest of the night and the whole morning there is peace and quiet. In the afternoon Partisan is relieved by Jaxler, and nothing interesting happens for a while.

After a while Indigo gets out from under the bed, locks his door, and drinks all the juice that was left. He then lies on his bed, listening to the noises from outside, but can't fall asleep despite exhaustion. He is also still horny. He wants to go to the hospital to get some milk of the poppy to help him sleep, but seems to be under house arrest of sorts. He just undresses, lies on his bed, puts out the lamps, and after a few hours lulls himself to sleep shortly after dawn. He dreams of a female striped Alicorn making advances on him, while he refuses. He wakes up in late afternoon. His sheet is wet, and that is not the smell of piss. He is thirsty, hungry and still tired. He decides to relieve himself first, then clean himself and his sheet, then drink and eat, and only after that deal with the events of last night... or better yet, go back to sleep. The zebras are long gone by now, which suits him just fine. He couldn't take her laughing at him again. How could she do this to him? He almost thought of her as a friend. Everything she ever said to him, all her lessons were a prelude to her trying to use him? He decides it is better not to think about it now and focus at refreshing himself.

Stiletto had taken a sample from the bottle of wine and used her extensive knowledge of herbalism to determine what was added to it. After finding both ‘Mushroom Dew’ and ‘Maiden berries’ in the mix, she felt the need to talk the Zebra merchants. She approaches the trade depot and hails them. “Hello, may I talk to you. I have some questions.”

It is two hours before dawn on the day of the caravan’s departure. The zebras are awake, and packing. One of the guards comes to Stiletto, and says. “Sorry, pony. We leave soon. No more trading. You should come to us sooner.”

Stiletto salutes the Guard “I am not here to trade, I am sorry to say. I have some questions about a beverage that I believe came from here.”

The guard looks at the big pony, nods, and walks towards one of the wagons. Some of the other guards are looking at Stiletto, but keep working. After a short while the guard returns with a female zebra, who Stiletto recognizes from earlier tonight. The zebra looks at Stiletto with a smile. “Ah, ponies. Always coming to me for answers. I’m Sekashi, and I sell most of our herbal remedies. What beverage do you want to ask me about?”

Stiletto nods “I am Stiletto TrustedGood. Do you know a pony by the name of Indigo? I found a very strange concoction in his room. He informed me it was a gift from yourself, I believe. Did you know it contains plants that promote birth cycles in both genders of pony?”

Sekashi’s smile shrinks. “Ah, you mean the lover's wine. Yes, I made it and brought it to a dinner with him. You are incorrect about birth cycles. It does nothing for pregnancy chance, it is only a mild stimulant and aphrodisiac. In fact I drank my moon tea to prevent pregnancy. I explained this much to him. Why, what did the silly pony do? Did he drank it all himself after I left, and went on a rampage looking for a mare?”

Stiletto put her hoof to her chin “Something like that. I think he may not like mares though. Do Zebras’ make much of this Lovers wine? I am asking because there have been some difficulties lately.”

Not like mares? I wouldn't think so. “Depends on the demand. We usually sell it to married couples who want to rekindle their relationship. There were very few complains so far. What kind of difficulties do you mean? And what did Indigo do to cause trouble?” asks Sekashi.

“I believe this wine may have been used on a mare without her knowledge, never mind her expressed consent. If Indigo’s actions are any indication, it causes a temporary leave of cognitive senses.”

Sekashi waits for the pony guard to finish. After a while when none of them says anything, she responds. “We sold three bottles during our stay here, all of them to married couples who came together and asked. We are rather responsible about not giving it to young males in general, as that can cause some problems. As for troublesome behavior that is caused by the alcohol, not the herbs. Maybe I should experiment with making tea instead, some ponies have low tolerance for alcohol. And you still didn't tell me, what that silly pony did.”

Stiletto scrapes the ground with her hoof “I do not want to gossip. If you must know though, he insulted me and my Liebe and then caused a ruckus in the barracks. It was dealt with by the guard, with little interference from myself. I am more concerned that some of this wine was used to seduce a friend of mine.”

Sekashi explains calmly “Well, it is a stimulant and an aphrodisiac. If he drank it all at once after I left, he would be horny, and unable to sleep. He has a very restricted opinion on what is proper sexual conduct, so I see how that could be stressing for him. As for your friend, I do not know. I told you about all the bottles we sold here this year...”

Stiletto lets out a long sigh “Perhaps I am not being direct enough. Did a Zebra male take some of this wine and use it on a Pegasus mare by the name of Ocean Breeze? This would have been two years ago at least.”

“Well... that is possible. The recipe is common knowledge among alchemists. I was here with every caravan before, but cannot tell you if this wine was used or not. Ponies questioning me about Friesden couldn't tell me anything about her father. One of the caravan guards maybe? I visit here regularly, but others come and go. If the mother can’t point out the one who did this, I cannot tell you, if the wine was used, or not.” Sekashi shrugs, then adds “There are also more dangerous mixtures. Some can make a pony unconscious in minutes, or very gullible, or cause hallucinations or strong emotions. There are even some recipes for so called love potions. The lover’s wine is very mild compared to all that. We normally don't sell anything stronger, but there are some alchemists who would sell any potion to any zebra. There is no telling what brew could have been used three years ago, and by whom.”

Stiletto looks thoughtful “This is unfortunate. I was hoping to gain more insight into this matter. Now about Indigo. Did you leave him... wanting?”

“Seeing as the fool threw me out of his room, I did. Well, maybe it was inconsiderate of me to leave him the rest of that wine. But I’m afraid my crime was infinitely worse.” Sekashi says with a solemn expression, as she looks at Stiletto. “I laughed at his foolishness. I suppose it was too much to hope that he would laugh as well.” she bursts into laughter. “What better way to point out a his foolishness to a fool, if not by laughing at him?”

Stiletto rubs the side of her head “Well he is an ignorant foal as far, as he has presented himself to me.” then she laughs as well “Oh I should not be gossiping. I hardly know him, though that is his fault for judging me without thought.”

“I often talked with him, but mainly about his work. At least tell me, if he is alright, and if he didn't hurt anypony. Despite everything I’m rather fond of that silly pony.” Asks Sekashi.

Stiletto looks intrigued “How fond?”

Sekashi cocks her head. “Why, fond enough to teach him some lessons about life, and offer to spend a night with him. Why didn't you answer my question? Did he hurt himself, or just embarrass himself?”

Stiletto raises an eyebrow “I told you, he caused a ruckus after insulting myself and meine Leibe. He was detained by the guard. Nopony was hurt.”

“Well then, he will sleep it off, and deal with the consequences later.” Sekashi laughs. “Do you have any more questions about the lover’s wine?”

Stiletto shakes her head “There is no need for such a wine in my home land. I think Indigo still had the bottle when I left him to the guard. Should it be confiscated?”

“No need? It can and sometimes is misused, but many elderly couples would disagree with you. As for confiscating it, he seems responsible in his own way, and I doubt he will try and use it to seduce a mare, or do anything foalish like that, but I was wrong about him before, and this thing is not for me to decide.”

Stiletto smiles “There is no need for such things when you understand love. I will inform the guard to keep him under watch.”

Sekashi smiles at that. “It is easier to learn alchemy, let alone drink a brew, than to understand love.”

Stiletto scratches her chin “Not where I am from.”

Sekashi looks the big pony in the eyes. “Is that so? You look sad. Unloved, perhaps? I've seen a lot of ponies around here are afraid of you.”

Stiletto looks very confused “They used to be. Lady Virtue has done much to alleviate their ignorance.”

Sekashi raises her brow “Ignorance about what?”

Stiletto points a hoof at herself

“Well, I see you care about this town, and the ponies. They don’t show you enough gratitude for it, is this what you are trying to tell me? Or is it that they don’t truly understand who and what you are, and how you feel?” asks Sekashi.

Stiletto considers a moment “The latter most of the time. It difficult for me as I have had to learn this rude language. I could hardly communicate at all when I first arrived.” ‘und ich war zu spät, dann’

Sekashi nods. “Ah, you are a stranger in a strange land. Leaning the language is necessary, and the language of ponies doesn't sound rude, to me at least. What is equally important, you must learn to understand them, and their customs. You can explain how you think and feel to your friends, but not a whole settlement. It is their place, and it is you who must be careful and elastic. Otherwise you may unintentionally aggravate them. I’ve learned this much as a trader.”

Stiletto yawns “Oh excuse me. I missed my morning nap with meine Leibe. I have made myself quite familiar with their culture. They can ask anything from me about mine. If they are angered by my actions, they should just come to me and talk. Meine freundlichsten Liebe has been helping me learn the language.”

Sekashi smiles again. “Alright then, we still have some packing up to do. And since you have no further questions and are tired, let us say our goodbyes” she bows.

Stiletto bows and takes off her hat “Thank you for all your time, and good luck in all future endeavors.” She turns to leave.

Sekashi watches her leaving. what a strange pony. As for that old fool, the lesson didn't go quite as planned. She sighs, and returns to the packing. The caravan is leaving soon.

Stiletto returned to Kats’ apartment. She had not gotten the information she had wanted, but the trip was none the less informative. For now she needed her rest, there would be more work soon.

Author's Note

Maklak said: ((Fun fact: Sekashi was supposed to be an episodic character for Indigo's dairy. Her picture was part joke, part GIMP exercise. Now she has about as many scenes as Indigo, and I have to roleplay her much more often than I intended. It appears, that I managed to... troll myself.))

63: The Day After

After guarding Indigo's door for a few hours Partisan was sleepy, and decided to give this post to an underling. Fortunately for him Jaxler, a fellow guard, lives opposite door from Indigo. Partisan woke him up, told him that Indigo went on a rampage last night, and it is Jaxler's assignment for today to make sure that Indigo doesn't hurt anypony when he wakes up.

Jaxler is guarding Indigo's door. He has been there for the last 4 hours and is bored, annoyed and dangerously sober. He was also supposed to be off-duty today. "Hay Indigo, why the hell did you have to go piss off Partisan?"

Indigo is woken up by somepony shouting outside his door. He is feeling real bad, so he just moans and turns over on his bed, waiting to fall asleep again.

Jaxler hears a moan from the room behind him. He hates it when ponies ignore him so he figures he might try asking again but louder "HAY INDIGO, WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TO PISS OFF PARTISAN!"

They won't even leave me alone. Wait... why are my sheets wet? That smell is not piss, it is... buck! This didn't happen to me for years. Ouch, ouch, everything hurts me. The yelling is making Indigo's head hurt even more. "I didn't do anything! Just let me sleep!"

"Fine!" After hearing Indigo yell back at him Jaxler sits down leaning on Indigo's door, silently waiting, as the hours drag on by.

After that there is no more shouting and Indigo drifts back to sleep. He wakes up in the late afternoon. He is still sore and tired, but needs to relieve himself badly. He crawls off his bed, and staggers towards the door. He opens it and blinks, blinded by the light.

Jaxler falls back when the door, he was leaning on, swings open. After getting back on his hooves he sees that Indigo comes out of his room, looking rather run down. "Looks like somepony finally got up." Jaxler looks around. Indigo’s room looks tidy in general, has a bed, a table, a chest, a cabinet, some shelves and two lamps: one under the ceiling and one on the table. On the table are some empty plates and cups. There are a few neatly arranged tools here and there as well as some scrolls and books, but otherwise the place looks pretty empty.

"Humph?" The blue unicorn blinks in surprise at the pegasus, who fell into his room. He recognizes the drunkard guard living next door. "Jaxler?"

"Yes my name's Jaxler"

Indigo sighs, then stumbles and groans. "Am I... under house arrest? I need to go to the privy."

"I'm kinda supposed to just follow you around all day and make sure you don't kill anypony."

"I... don't think that I will. Fine then. I have some... errands to run. Wait... was somepony shouting when I slept?" The unicorn slowly recomposes himself, but still looks frazzled, tired and smells bad.

"Yea, that was me. I was supposed to be off duty today but then Partisan knocked on my door early in the morning and told me I needed to follow you around." Jaxler then breaks eye contact and picks up his wooden crossbow.

Indigo starts slowly walking towards the stairs. "Ugh... don't shout at me, please. My head hurts. What were you yelling earlier? Did you want to check if I was still alive?" Indigo stops, turns back to close his door, then makes for the stairs again.

Jaxler follows Indigo as he walks down the stairs. "Neigh, I was just tired, bored and pissed, but I was also confused as to why Partisan wanted me to shadow you all day."

Indigo stops and thinks. "Ah. He thought I was going to turn violent after Stiletto almost strangled me in the barracks. I think." He walks towards the closest privy.

Jaxler shrugs "Heh, I guess that makes sense, but why did you pick a fight with Stiletto?"

"I had a really rough night. She wouldn't leave me alone no matter how much I told her to buck off, and then Kat yelled at me that I’m rude, and then they cornered me. Besides I hate that slut. Oh, and I was drunk, and angry too."

Jaxler chuckles "Did you get any good hits on her?"

"Nope. Not even one. I'm no match for her." Then he adds "I had a hammer, but kinda forgot about it in the struggle. Maybe... it is for the best that I didn't hurt her. She might retaliate, or press charges or something." He stops again. "Did Virtue want to see me as soon as I wake up?"

"No, she didn't sent for you. I was supposed to interrogate you about last night, but seeing how you just told me your side of the story, I really don't have to anymore."

"I just gave you a short version. I want to see Virtue later anyway, but first..." Indigo goes to relieve himself. When he is done he says "If you need to go too, I can wait."

"I'm fine." Answers Jaxler.

"Okay. I need to clean myself next." He walks towards the well.

Jaxler follows Indigo to the well "So about those errands, what exactly are they?"

"Clean myself, eat, go to the hospital, that sort of thing." They make it to the well. Indigo drinks a lot of water, then cleans himself, especially his private bits. This takes about three times longer than normal, but at least he looks fresher now, and doesn't stink. Somewhat refreshed Indigo goes back to his room, collects all the empty pots, and then they go together to the dining hall. Indigo picks up some vegetables and juice, and walks towards a few empty seats. It is not dinner time yet, so the hall is mostly empty.

Jaxler notices Indigo's selection of food and a drink. "Vegetables and juice aye? Excuse me, but I'm gonna go get a barrel of booze and some meat."

Indigo simply nods and eats his food, then gets some more vegetables and eats them too. Finally they are done. They go back to Indigo's room. After a moment Indigo emerges carrying a sheet and some clothes curled up in a ball. "So Jaxler, got any laundry?"

Jaxler thinks for a moment. "Well, I really don't know. I guess we could go over to my room and check."

Jaxler walks into his room. it is a bit of a mess, with a few empty barrels scattered about and it smells of moonshine and grease. Jaxler goes over to his coffer and takes out a few pieces of clothing. "I know this place looks like a mess but I really don't spend much time in here."

Indigo looks around through the door frame. "I think you should move the empty barrels to the stockpile. Brewers and cooks can always use some. If you don't want to carry them yourself, just leave them out the door in the corner, and somepony will pick them, I think." Otherwise he keeps his opinion to himself. This is messy, but not as much as I expected.

Jaxler shrugs and makes his way out the door. "I can take care of the barrels after I'm done with this laundry." Together they take the washables and go to do the laundry. Indigo slowly proceeds with his, and spends the most time on his sheets.

Jaxler puts his crossbow down and starts washing his laundry. He really isn't paying much attention to Indigo at this point.

The unicorn is more accustomed to this kind of work, but he is feeling bad today, and wants to clean his sheets very thoroughly, so they finish at about the same time. Then they go to hang their laundry, and back to the dormitory. Indigo enters his room again, this time closing his door without saying a word.

Jaxler sees Indigo walking back into his room and closing the door, which worries him slightly. He says aloud "I kinda need to know, why you're in there", hoping that Indigo could hear him through the door.

"Oh, I'm dressing myself. We're going to the hospital next, and Virtue's office after that, and I want to make myself presentable." After a long moment Indigo comes out with his mane and tail combed and wearing a robe and saddlebags. He still moves as if he had sores in every part of his body, but is less sluggish than when he woke up. One of the saddlebags has something inside.

When Indigo comes out, Jaxler notices that he looks a lot less worn out than he did earlier, but Indigo is definitely still tired. Just as Jaxler is about to turn around he notices, that one of Indigo's saddlebags has something inside. "Uh, I really need to know what's in that bag."

Indigo frowns at that. "It is something I need to take to Panacea. I'll tell Virtue about it, but don't tell Stiletto or Kat where it is, and don't try to drink it." Indigo closes his door again, and turns towards the stairs.

Jaxler frowns and sighs "I need to know exactly what it is".

Indigo stops. "You are getting out of your way to be a good guard today, aren't you? Fine." He opens the saddlebag, and inside there is a bottle. "It is a wine I got from a zebra. Are you happy now?"

Jaxler looks at Indigo with disgust. He honestly doesn't care about the bottle anymore, but Indigo's little comment really rubbed him the wrong way. "What the hell do you mean. I do a great job guarding this city."

Indigo bites his lips and closes the saddlebag. Yeah, you get drunk all the time, and mistreat your weapon, but if I start arguing with you now, you will yell at me, and my head hurts. He sights. "Fine. You saved a few ponies from death. Look, I'm really not feeling well now, and want to get this over with, so if you want to argue, lets do that some other time, alright?" Indigo looks at Jaxler with tired expression.

"Fine." answers Jaxler.

The two of them go towards the hospital in silence. At the entrance Indigo turns to Jaxler "I need to talk to Panacea alone, and there is only one exit. So just wait here unless somepony screams or something. It should be quick." He looks at Jaxler, and waits for him to nod or protest.

Jaxler shrugs and leans on the side of the building "I doubt you'd kill anypony, so I'll let you talk in private."

Indigo enters the hospital, closes the door, then looks around. “Hello Panacea. I need a checkup.” He undresses himself.

“A checkup? What's the matter?” She gives him a concerned look, as he goes about the process and turns away from the chest of things, she was organizing.

“Well, I got drunk last night, and I normally don’t drink, so my head hurts. Everything else also hurts, because I got really tired and then Stiletto started to strangle me for using the barracks. Oh, and I haven’t slept the whole night, but slept through most of the day. I feel bad, so I’ve come here.”

Panacea's expression grows even more worried, but she gives him a reassuring smile and moves to examine him. “That's some bruising you have there... but it doesn't look too bad. Just a bit of pain from the hangover?” She fetches a small bottle from a shelf and gives it to him. “This should help with that. The bruising should heal on its own. If it gets worse or if it starts to hurt too much, I've got a few things I can give you for that.”

Indigo accepts the bottle and drinks some of it. It tastes... like a medicine, but will alleviate his pain. “Thank you. Just as I hoped, no permanent damage, and the rest will heal itself with some rest. Good.” Indigo nods, opens his saddlebag with telekinesis, and puts a bottle in front of Panacea. “There is another reason I’m here. This is a bottle of special zebra wine with some kind of aphrodisiac. There is still over half it left. I don’t want it, so just hide it somewhere, and give it to some responsible, married couple who want it.”

“Any responsible married couple?” Panacea makes sure.

Indigo shrugs. “Yes, I don’t care who gets it, as long as they are married, responsible and have use for it.” He dresses himself, says goodbye, and exits the hospital.

Panacea looks at the bottle with an air of curiosity as Indigo leaves as abruptly as he came. She'd have to figure out what it was exactly before she let anypony have it. Indigo looked a bit rough, but whether it was from the drink or not she didn't know. It probably wasn't poisonous... maybe she'd give it a small taste later and see if she could identify it...

Finally the Unicorn walks out. "She said, I'll be fine. Virtue's office next."

Jaxler stops leaning on the side of the build and stretches. "Lead the way then."

They make their way towards the keep. "I think, you should enter with me. I only gave you the short version of what happened last night, and besides this is Virtue, and you were tasked with keeping watch over me. Well, unless you want to find Partisan first." Jaxler shakes his head.

Indigo knocks at Virtue's door, then enters with Jaxler. “Hello Lady Virtue. You probably want to hear my version of what happened last night.”

Virtue turns to face him across her desk from the stack of books she was flipping through. “Oh, Indigo! Yes... I think that might be good. I'm a bit hazy on the details...”

“I was just finishing my chores yesterday, when Sekashi, a zebra from the caravan approached me, and said she wanted to spend some time with me, and say goodbye. I often talked to her over the years. In the beginning I mostly wanted feedback on the stone trinkets I make to trade, but she often had some interesting things to say, and we gradually became friends. Or so I thought. She said she wanted to eat dinner with me, and talk before leaving. I got some food from the dining hall, while she brought a ‘special’ wine with her, and we went to my room. Now, just for the record, I’m not aware of any rules against inviting our guests to the dormitory. Anyway, I normally don’t drink alcohol, but she told me, it is rude to deny a gift, so I did.

We talked for a time, then she told me my muscles are stiff, put me on my bed and started giving me a massage. I should have been more suspicious about it, I admit, but it was nice. Her wine had some kind of aphrodisiac in it, and at some point I started getting uncomfortable. Then she told me, she wanted to spend a night with me. Yes, that way. I refused of course, because I’m not married to her, but she started arguing with me, that there is nothing wrong with having sex when not married. She actually did that after the Friesden incident! Anyway eventually she started laughing at me and my morals, and called me a ‘silly pony’. Me! She was laughing at me!” Indigo looks very angry, but closes his eyes, breathes, and calms down enough to continue.

When Indigo looks just about ready to explode, Jaxler switches his position to combat stance, and readies his crossbow.

Virtue is a bit stunned at the outpouring, particularly at the direction the conversation had already taken. “I... um... well, no there's nothing against the rules with inviting somepony to the dorms... but, I, uh...”

“Anyway, I kicked the zebra out, and she left. Then Stiletto came to my room, and started bothering me. Now, just for the record, I see all kinds of perversion she spreads among some of the more naive ponies, and really don’t like her for it. I told her, I had nothing to report, but she was persistent in her questioning, so I told her to buck off. To her credit she almost did, but called me rude.”

“Wait... Stiletto?”

“Yes, Stiletto. She has at least two buckfriends, and they got into a fight over her, I think. She also seduced Kat, who used to be my friend. From what I've heard, she will call anypony who sucks up to her “her love”, and let him ride her. I'm inclined to believe these rumors. She calls her depraved ideology ‘love’ and opposing it ‘jealousy’. As if that had anything to do with it.”

Virtue is growing quite uncomfortable about things now. Stiletto really was beginning to cause trouble, even if she didn't mean to. She had no idea Indigo was so upset about this though. Words leave her for a moment.

“Anyway, Kat showed up, started banging on my door, calling me rude, insulting, and other such things. I told them both to buck off and leave me alone. Then they started talking to each other something about love. I was rather shocked by what they said at the time, and perked my head out of my room, and they were kissing. Mares! Kissing!”

Uncomfortable wasn't the right word anymore, but she didn't know what was. What was she supposed to say to him? She couldn't control what the two did like that... “I... I see...”

“At this point I could barely take it anymore, so I decided to try and get so tired, I’d pass out on the spot. I went running, but that didn’t do the trick. Then I went into the barracks and started hitting a target dummy. Just for the record, I underwent basic military training. I got rather rusty, but I don’t think I’d hurt myself. Oh, and besides I had a hammer, not an axe. When I just started my intensive training (which often causes blackouts after minutes), Stiletto showed up with Kat, blocked the only exit from barracks, and they started yelling at me again. So I told them to buck off and leave me alone. They wouldn’t, so I tried to run away, but Stiletto started strangling me. Again to her credit, she used just enough force to restrain me without causing any lasting damage.

At about this time Partisan showed up, and rescued me. I just about collapsed from exhaustion, and they took me to my room and left there. When I woke up Jaxler was guarding my door, and then we went about the camp so I could clean myself, eat, go to the hospital, and finally come here.”

Jaxler chuckles, but says nothing.

Virtue is speechless. Stiletto choked him? Even if she meant to restrain him that sounded quite harsh.

“So as you can see, I’m not some kind of psychotic pony throwing tantrums. I just had a very rough night. And I don’t think there is a need for the guard to follow me around, but that’s up to you and Partisan of course. I didn’t do anything violent today.”

Jaxler nods.

Virtue: “I... I think I see... I don't think there's any need to have Jaxler shadow you anymore. Are you alright now?”

“Not even close. I mean physically I'm in pain, but Panacea gave me some painkiller, and I should be fine in a few days. The thing is, I was betrayed twice last night, both by ponies I trusted. I'm still shocked and angry about it.” Indigo closes his eyes and slouches.

Virtue gives him another concerned look. "I'm sorry to hear that..." She didn't know what else to say, really. Indigo usually kept to himself, so she couldn't think of much that might console him. Perhaps time to think about it was what he desired and needed more than anything she might could say.

“By the way, are civilians allowed to train in the barracks, when they are not used by the military?”

"Well... as long as they're careful and don't disturb anything, I don't have a problem with it... but you'd have to speak with Halberd to be sure. The armory would probably remain locked, of course, without special permission."

“Oh, I almost forgot. I mentioned getting a 'special' wine from that zebra. I got rid of that wretched thing.”

"Got rid of it? What did you do, just throw it out?" She didn't want any of the children stumbling across it, and hoped he had sense enough to not pour it down the well.

“Well, pouring it on the ground would be wasteful, I wouldn’t sell it, because it is a gift, and I certainly don’t want it to be misused. I left it with Panacea to give to some responsible married couple. That way at least it can be used for something good.”

“Oh, alright... I'm sure she'll find a good use for it.”

“I’m hesitating whether to press charges against Stiletto and Kat for harassment. I’ll let it slide this time, I guess. I was really on edge that night, nopony was seriously hurt and I have no witnesses. I will however, want to look over our code of laws tomorrow.” He sighs. “I seem to be unintentionally getting into all sorts of trouble lately, so I want to at least have a general idea about what's in stock for troublemakers.”

Virtue shifts nervously in her seat and nods slowly. “Alright... I've got a copy of everything relevant here if you need it.” She really, really hoped it didn't come to him filing charges for one reason or another. She didn't know how she was going to take it if it came to that...

“Oh, one more thing, what can you tell me about the Friesden incident? Carmine asked me for help, but it looks like he doesn’t even acknowledge her being Ocean Breeze’s, and I really don’t know what to tell him. It is probably best if I stay out of this, but he may come to me again.”

Virtue frowns and looks down briefly. “I'm not sure what else there is to say, really. I think you know about as much as I do. At some point Ocean Breeze cheated on Carmine with one of the zebras. When Carmine discovered Friesden wasn't his foal, it's as if he lost his mind. He acts as if she never existed, and doesn't bring up the question of his wife cheating on him at all.”

She adds “It's really sad and confusing. I don't know what to do about it. I was worried what would happen to the poor filly, but at least Glyph has taken her in for now. I'm still hoping Carmine might change his mind and let her back into their family, but so far nothing.”

“I don't know, if he will. I mean he denies her very existence, and seems to be believing it. Glyph might be the next best thing for her, and cares about her.” Indigo frowns “If Carmine comes to me again, I'll tell him what he wanted to know from me. That the filly didn't come from the zebra caravan, and that she has been here for a long time. If he persists, I'll tell him the whole truth, but I really don't know how he'll take it. I'm rather worried about Carmine. His wife did a terrible thing, and then Glyph yelled at him. I really don't want to make matters any worse for him, and I'd rather stay out of it.”

Virtue's expression falls a bit. If she'd hoped Inigo had good news on that she was deluding herself. "I fear it won't get any better either. I worry mostly about little Friesden, but I think Glyph will do as good as anypony but her family could right now." She sighs. "Just say what you think is best to Carmine. I worry about him too."

“Goodbye. Sorry to cause trouble, I know it worried you.”

"It's alright," she says, but her voice is clearly troubled. "I hope you feel better soon."

After the talk with Lady Virtue Jaxler walks off for a drink, and Indigo goes to get some supplies from the stockpile. He is unwell, but there is still one thing to fix. He picks up some carpenter’s tools, glue, putty, brush and paint, and just in case a plank. He goes to his room, and fixes the damage to his bed from kicking it last night. When the work is done, he returns the tools and supplies to the stockpile, cleans his face, eats dinner, goes to the privy and finally back to sleep. Hopefully he is going to feel better tomorrow.

64

After that memorable night life almost went back to normal for Indigo. He was working as usual and the guards didn't shadow him anymore. With enough rest his body stopped aching. The only thing that didn't heal were his feelings. After being betrayed twice in one night, both by ponies he considered friends, he decided not to trust anypony, and was still burning with silent rage. The work offered him some relief, but it wasn't enough. By now he figured it out. It must have been Stiletto who sent that zebra after him.

He just finished his chores for the day and ate his dinner. He is headed to his room, hoping for a good night's rest. When he climbs the stairs, and turns towards his room, he sees Kat standing there. His spirit sinks. Perfect, just what I need right now. She comes to bother me again. He sighs and approaches her, seeing no hope getting into his room without confronting her. At least she isn't wearing her guard uniform, which means she is not going to lock me in my room or something. I might as well get this over with.

Kat sees Indigo approaching and gives him a worried look. "Indigo, we need to talk." She begins.

Indigo sighs and gives her a stern look. "Talk about what?"

"Everything." says Kat.

Indigo stops and thinks for a short while. "Very well." He opens the door and enters, then stops in the middle of his room and waits for her to enter and close the door.

Kat nods as she follows him into his room. "You're upset, aren't you Indigo? Very upset."

"Yes." Indigo sits on the floor, and glares at Kat, waiting for her to talk. He could tell her a lot more, but decides to restrain himself, and wait for her to begin.

Kat sits as well. Looking back at Indigo she says "Then I'm here to set things straight. I'm here to get our friendship back. We've been friends for a long time Indigo and I'm not letting that go."

Indigo sneers. "Oh really? You already made that choice." He laughs darkly. So, Stiletto sent you to gain my trust? This isn't going to work.

"I've made that choice a long time ago Indigo, the first day we met, and that choice is to be your friend. I'm not backing down from that choice now." says Kat with determination.

Indigo looks at her and after a pause says "I was pretty fond of you, when I thought you were my friend, which is why I'm even talking to you now. But three nights ago you've shown both your true colours and where your true loyalty lies. You opened my eyes, Kat. You are not my friend. You never were."

Kat sighs "Indigo, I've always been your friend. I Still am, and always will be, no matter what you think. This is probably about Stiletto right? I know you don't like her and what she does, but don't let that destroy our friendship! Because I'm not her."

Indigo's anger begins to show. "Not her? You accept her ‘morals’ and 'values' as your own, without even seeing any problem with that, speak her language, call her 'your love', tell me she is your best friend and is always there for you, kiss her and who knows what else, yell at me for 'insulting' her, and still tell me this is not about her? You wouldn't even leave me alone when I ask for it, and still dare call yourself my friend? I will not associate myself with Stiletto or the likes of her. Friendship requires loyalty, and you are loyal to her." Indigo stops ranting, and just glares.

Kat bites her lower lips as she bites down her tears. "I accepted her morality, but not all of it. As much as you might think otherwise Indigo, I can still think for myself. And I'm loyal to you as much as I'm loyal to her. I would've just stopped bothering you and leave you to your misery, if I didn't care. But don't you see that it's tearing me apart inside to see you walk home looking like a corpse, and knowing that it's because of me?"

Indigo softens a bit at that. How much of this is acting and how much is sincere? "Part of it is because of you, but not all of it. I know the main culprit is her. But you can't be friends with two enemies. At some point that always puts you in a position where you have to choose between them. You made that choice." I'm not good enough of a manipulator to try and keeps her close and learn from her about Stiletto. Much safer to just be sincere with her. A few conflicting emotions show on Indigo's face.

Kat sighs softly again, with a look of guilt on her face "I know, that part of it came from me as well Indigo... I won't lie and say that I'm not wrong one bit, but we all make mistakes. I just want us to be friends again. I know that we probably won't be able to get back to where were were again, at least not in a long while, but you're a good friend to me Indigo, and I don't want to lose that... There's always a neutral ground. We can be there together, instead of fighting each other." She says as her face softens up slightly into a sad smile. "I miss having Lunch breaks with you Indigo... and when we chill out after work in the evening... and when we share stories together..." Recalling the memories was enough to make her tears begin to form, but she's struggling to not break down and be a pathetic crying foal in front of him. "I miss having you as my friend Indigo." She finishes, not wanting to sob out words.

Ah, so this is about her loosing something and wanting it back, not about something she has to offer or share. After a long silence Indigo says. "I do not want to be your enemy, but friendship requires trust." He frowns "I do not find it within me to trust you." Why is her pain both satisfying to me and hurting me, shouldn't it be one or the other?

Kat nods sadly at that. It could've gone a lot worse, but it's still not good enough for her. "I'm sorry." she whispers and sobs softly, trying to bite away the sadness, so she can continue talking. "It's my fault, but I want to fix it... I want you to trust me again. Our friendship is a treasure to me Indigo. I don't want it gone..."

Indigo gives her a long look, remembering all the things she said about not crossing the ocean to be restricted, and the things she said to Stiletto, and her yelling at him. It was a stark contrast to her looking broken on the floor. I'm not sure what to think anymore. "Trust can be earned and spent. As to you not wanting it gone, there are choices in life. Sometimes you have to choose between two things, and can't have them both, even when it is difficult for you to accept. Especially when it is difficult to accept." Indigo sighs.

"There's always a neutral ground, where two things can co-exist Indigo. There's always a way. Maybe it will cost a bit of both sides in order to be neutral, but there's always a way..."

“You are far from neutral in this.” Indigo adds, looking a bit confused. "At least tell me, why do you find her so appealing. I just don't understand it. She is causing trouble, and talking nonsense. There is only one true way of marriage and sex: one mare and one stallion. Married. Any deviations from this rule cause problems, like divorce, unwanted foals and worse. Friesden incident is a glaring example that only bad things can come out of debauchery. So why do you still cling to Stiletto?"

"Because... Indigo, I love her. She was raised that way, what is she supposed to do about that? I admit that her way contrasts against some of my ideology as well, but every method has it's own pros and cons. No method is perfect, and I just want to act on my heart. If I love somepony, then I love that pony. And if having other ponies to love her will make her happy, then I'm happy that she's happy as well. I understand if you're disgusted by that thought, but not everypony is raised the same. For example, where I'm from, I'd be shunned and probably stoned to death just for wanting to join the guards!"

Indigo listens barely understanding the meaning behind Kat's words. He understands "I love her" though. Love makes ponies do and accept some things blindly. "And why can't she just marry Flux or Glyph or whoever, and be done with it?"

"Same reason why I couldn't just join the militia back in my homeland and be done with it. Things like that doesn't exist where she's from."

"What do you mean by that? Marriage is universal. Are you seriously suggesting, she doesn't understand even obvious things like that? Because she doesn't strike me as feeble-minded."

"It's just how she was raised. Monogamy just contrasts what's been taught to her. It'll be like telling you to marry more than one mare."

"WHAT? None of this makes any sense. Marrying more than one mare... absolutely not. They would fight, and I couldn't make up my mind. Even if there was a war and almost all bucks died... just no. Some things are simply wrong, and that's it. Besides she came to us. Even if you honestly believe this, which I don't, it is her who should adjust or leave. Not cause problems." Indigo frowns, and looks angry again.

Kat sighs "Sometimes, you need to learn to accept new things Indigo. Both you and her..."

"The only thing I'm willing to accept about her is the water purifier, which as it happens I helped to build. As for you... no, this is too much. Just leave." Indigo opens the door behind Kat with telekinesis.

After leaving, Kat feel down... very down. To her, it feels like it was so close... and yet so far. She failed to repair what's left of their friendship, not even to it's neutral spot. Kat, you're such a failure. She thinks as she walks away with her head hung low. There once was a Kat whose smile would lift a pony's day, whose dance would bring smiles, whose voice would bring joy... That Kat is not this one.

Indigo watches Kat leaving broken and without another word. He closes the door behind her, and remains motionless for a long while. Their conversation was upsetting, but gave him a lot to think about.

She speaks to me of neutral ground, but there isn't any, or rather the predominant freedom of this place is as neutral as it gets. This 'neutral ground' Kat speaks about must mean that she wants me to turn a blind eye to Stiletto’s excesses, but how could I? If I won't oppose wrongness, I'll be guilty of letting is spread, and not even trying to set things right.

Should I attribute Stiletto's behaviour to malice or stupidity? She isn't stupid, that's for sure... Kat would have me believe, there is a whole nation of sluts, who don't even know what marriage is. Impossible, it would collapse quickly. Just... impossible. And even if this absurd were true, marriage doesn't exist where Stiletto is from, and ponies have sex like animals, with whomever they want, marriage does exist here. Can't Stiletto be made to understand it? Can't Kat explain this to her, if she calls herself Stiletto’s friend? After all, telling each other of their mistakes, is part of what friends are for.

Even I were to believe that Stiletto is just misguided and not evil, why would I adjust to her? It is Stiletto, who is a stranger among us, not me. I'm already pretty lenient about other ponies giving in to lust, but her level of debauchery simply can't be tolerated. Sooner or later it will lead to a disaster. It always does.

There are good reasons for keeping mares out of the military. Mares... mean foals. Fighting or even training can cause miscarriage and besides foals often follow their mothers, even when they are on guard duty. There hasn't been any tragedies in Dawnpick yet, but Rondel got caught up in a fight at least twice, when following Naginata. A dead foal always upsets ponies more than a dead adult soldier. The reason for keeping mares out of the military is to avoid such tragedies. Indigo remembers the foal in New Saddle, who was impaled on a spear, because she wanted to follow mummy into that special training room, which killed some animals earlier. He feels sadness of that day again. On the other hoof, being shunned for wanting to join the military I can understand. A soldier is an unpleasant occupation and meant for taking lives, while mares give life. But being stoned to death for even just questioning this is simply wrong. Of course assuming she told the truth, and didn't exaggerate. On yet another hoof Kat isn't married, so foal accidents aren't an issue for her now, but they can be in the future. Though I wouldn't put it past Kat to get pregnant even without a husband...

In any case, Kat said something about being freedom-less in her homeland, but she has freedom here. Why is this not enough for her without doing outrageous and stupid things? Does she have so much freedom, compared to what she is used to, that she just doesn't know where to stop? It is rather unsettling, that Kat has so many explanations for Stiletto’s perversion and craziness. Some of it might even sound reasonable to a more gullible pony. Sadly, Kat seems fully converted to Stiletto’s ideology. I tried to warn her. If Kat wants to be Stiletto’s lap pony, there is no stopping her, but why would she want to be my friend at the same time? She seemed sincere about it, but what can I do? I tried to explain to her, that she has to choose, because I certainly don't want any of their corruption. I even made that choice for her, but to no avail.

Marrying more than one mare... what nonsense. Did she seriously think, I'd find that tempting? A young and stupid buck maybe, but me? That would be just... too many complications, even if it wasn't amoral. Indigo looks at the floor with watery eyes. Besides, I have trouble finding even one. I'm just unlucky with mares. Those suitable for marriage, always choose another pony. This line of thought is rather depressing, so Indigo moves on, rather than scratch an old wound.

I don't do evil, but don't do much good either, apart from working. Stiletto’s group is either very smart, or there really is some good in them. Even Glaive said, Flux is alright, and his traps greatly contribute to our safety. Even though traps are meant to take life, those bandits are so ferocious, that the militia would have to kill them anyway. Glyph adopted an orphan. Kat is... nice. Even Stiletto herself has good manners, and all things considered seems rather reserved. Should I remain diligent, or give them all the benefit of the doubt? Spending time with Kat was nice and I'll miss it, but how could I pretend that nothing happened, and associate myself with the likes of Stiletto? Should I give Kat a chance? Talk with her some more? Inquire further about this 'neutral ground' she has in mind? I just don't know anymore. I... I need to know more.

Eventually tiredness from a full day of work overwhelms Indigo, and he goes to sleep. That night he has no dreams.

Author's Note

Indigo is such a bigot... :facehoof:

65: You'll Never Guess Who Ends Up In Jail.

Jaxler woke up in his bed. He sat up, looked around, and saw his crossbow was on the side table. After taking in his surroundings Jaxler moved out of his bed and realized that he had a head ache. Even though Jaxler had a splitting pain in his head he couldn't just spend all day in bed, so he walked over and grabbed his crossbow and took his quiver and a few bolts out of his coffer. with his weapon and ammunition he walked out of his house. The moment he went outside he was greeted by blinding light. It took Jaxler a few moments to get used to the the sun but once he did he noticed that a familiar face was coming towards him.
"Yo powder"

Powder was hauling a boulder back form the caves he had recently mined. "Hello Jaxler." After answering Jaxler, he continued the work song he had been singing under his breath, something in another language. "Len zrai lon zraid y len zrai i zraid jen eezzeerreenn..."

Jaxler noticed that powder was carrying a large rock. Jaxler hadn't talked with powder sense the incident in the caverns so he figured he might as well take the opportunity and strike a conversation.

"Do ya need any help with that boulder?"

"Nah, not particularly. I carry these things a lot."

"Suit yourself. Ya know, I really haven't gotten to talk to you since you about got eaten by that crundle."

"Yeah, well mining is a pretty isolated profession, and I spend a lot of time on it because I want to get good."

"I guess that makes sense. Speaking of mining, how exactly has the whole digging thing been going for ya recently?"

"I'm actually getting pretty good at it. Let's see... the term was 'Accomplished' that my clan came up with."

"It's good to hear that you're still getting better at mining, but what exactly is the rank after accomplished?"

Soft music can be heard emanating from Falcata's apartment, though only those passing close by would even hear it. She and Flux are playing together: Her on the lyre and him on the piccolo. The song is a simple one, more of a warm up than a true song, but it's still quite beautiful. The combination of lyre and piccolo makes for a uniquely haunting sound, perhaps not unlike what a siren might sing.

Carefully plucking and strumming the lyre's strings, the gentle thrums resonate around the room like waves lapping against a beach of pebbles. While the song she's playing is hardly complex, she still puts her best effort into it, and her expression is one of intense concentration.
Not bad, not bad.
She'd made sure to only play to Glaive, or in private either by herself or with Flux so far. Nerves prevented her from trying to hold any sort of a concert, despite what Stiletto had almost roped her and Flux into a good while back, and she was just thankful the subject hadn't been broached again. Maybe in a few years. Or decades.
She continues to play, trying to eke a bit more volume out of the burnished metal instrument.

Glaive is walking down the hall toward Falcata's room. They had the rest of the day off and he hoped to spend it together with her. As he approaches he hears a soft and beautiful melody. 'She plays divinely.' Glaive thought, but after a few seconds something dawned on him. That wasn't the sound of just her lyre. She was playing with someone else? 'Who here can play that well?' He thought, before slowing opening the door and seeing Falcata and Flux their attention fully fixated on their music.
Glaive not wanting to speak and interrupt their song, walks in and closes the door behind him quietly, and prepares to wait for them to finish.

As the warm up draws to a close, Flux opens his eyes and lowers the piccolo. He opens his mouth to compliment Falcata, but only a squeak escapes as he notices Glaive in the room.

Not having noticed Glaive's quiet entrance, Falcata follows Flux's gaze as he lets out a squeak. Turning and seeing Glaive standing there, she jumps slightly, surprised that he'd managed to get in without her noticing.
I hope he doesn't jump to conclusions; it's just music. Nothing else. But if he knows about Stiletto and her, uh, ideals...
"Glaive! Hi! When did you get here?" she blurts out, breaking the slightly awkward silence left behind in the wake of Flux's tiny squeak.

"Just a few moments ago." Glaive begins to walk closer to Falcata, and sits down next to her closer than would be strictly necessary, and across from Flux.
"I didn't know that you could play Flux."
Glaive's eyes find the piccolo in Flux's hooves. "Is that the piccolo that Willow made? Does Lady Virtue know you have that?"

Flux's eyes widen in guilt at Glaive's questions. After stammering for a few moments, he settles for the truth.
"Um... yes it is and no she doesn't? I, uh, almost have enough to give her an offer for it, though..."

Glaive sighs, "You're lucky I'm not in the guard or I'd have to do something about that, but I'd rather see it in the hooves of a musician that can use it then sitting around collecting dust. Still you should ask for permission to use it. But I won't say a word about it."
Glaive continues thinking to himself. His mind racing. 'Flux always seemed like a good pony, but he's been around that Stiletto a lot, and who knows what ideas she's put in his head. I trust Falcata, but can I trust him? I'm don't like him being here alone with her.'

Setting the lyre down carefully, Falcata frantically tries to think of some way to break the quickly thickening ice.
"So, uh, Glaive, have you not heard Flux playing before? He's a master with the piccolo, he really is. Plays it more beautifully than anypony else I can name; never mind that he's playing it with his hooves and not magic like a unicorn would!"

"Ah, no I can't say I have. Why don't you every play in the dinning hall Flux? Or out in the yard. Someplace where everypony could appreciate your talents? Dawnpick could use more entertainment."

"Um... because I don't want to get arrested? I, uh, suppose I could play my lyre, but Falcata's really good with it."

"Heh, well obviously I didn't mean playing this one, at least not without permission."
Glaive considers the other words Flux has just spoken. "Your Lyre? I thought that belonged to Falcata?"

Wincing inwardly, Falcata tries to deflect the unicorn's query with a minimum of fuss.
"Uh, no. It was Flux's, but, uh, he gave it to me, since I didn't have an instrument of my own to play." She holds up the burnished metal lyre for Glaive to see, perhaps hoping he'd get distracted examining its sculpted form.

Glaive examines the lyre more closely then before. It was bronze and clearly very old, it's age had not been a surprise to him when he thought it had been Falcata's from all those years ago, but Flux had obviously had this one a long time. And it's craftponyship was excellent. And the sound it produced it was a wonderful piece of work.
Glaive turns to Flux, a serious expression on his face. "This instrument is a work of art Flux, but please I don't understand something, did you give it to her, or did you lend it to her, until she could get her own?"

I consider for a moment. After all, I never really specified if it was a loan or a gift, did I? I glance to Falcata, still thinking.
'It just... fits her, I think.'
I nod slightly to myself, decision reached.
"It's, um, hers now."

Realising what Glaive is getting at, Falcata opens her mouth as if to speak, but closes it again, the unvoiced words dying away.
No, Flux isn't stupid, he'll say he lent it, won't he? Or maybe Glaive doesn't mean to come across like that. That's probably it. One of them. Probably.
It takes her a moment to process that Flux has just spoken during her little reverie, and her tail immediately starts twitching and jittering nervously. While she continues to smile, her mind is already racing.
you silly bastard auuugh don't worry Glaive will be reasonable won't he he's a smart pony he won't get angry or anything no sir he'll be fine
As an afterthought, she lowers the lyre, pulling it back in close to her chest. Just in case.

Glaive glances back at the lyre, 'It's a bit worn, but it would likely still fetch several hundred bits at market,' thinks Glaive to himself, 'this is no small gift.'
Glaive has a brief look of sadness across his face. Before it turns to a more serious look. "Flux, I'd like to talk with you alone for a moment. Care to take a walk outside?" Glaive asks, with no hint of a question in his voice, while already standing to open the door.

Falcata blinks. That wasn't a question. Acting swiftly as usual, she rallies to her friend's defense. She knew that tone and what it foreshadowed.
Surging up onto her hooves, the lyre tossed aside to land with a soft thump on her bed, she tries some damage control.
"Glaive, if you have something to say, you can say it right here in front of me or not say it at all." she challenges, her voice steady.

Glaive's 'question' seems anything but, so Flux stands to follow him outside. Falcata's reaction, however, startles him into backing into the wall. He nervously glances between the two of them, getting the feeling that things are about to get very awkward indeed.

Glaive tenses as Falcata speaks and then sighs, with his head still facing the doorway, Glaive just says, "Falcata, I love you, but please, I can't have this conversation in front of you. Please stay here. I'll be right back....I promise I won't hurt him. We're just going to talk."

"...promise I won't hurt him."
Far from reassuring the pegasus, Glaive's words made her even more uptight. Even the fact that he'd mentioned that was scaring her, and there wasn't a hope in hell of him taking Flux out of her sight.
"You won't hurt hi- what? Why would you even suggest-"
She takes a moment to collect herself, trying to ignore the surge of adrenaline that Glaive had prompted with his ominously specific promise.
"Say it here, Glaive. If it concerns me, I have a right to hear it."

"Rahgahgahgah! Okay! We'll do it here."

Glaive turns and walks right up to Flux. Glaive stares Flux in the eyes and says, "Flux, I don't appreciate you showering my Falcata with expensive gifts. I don't know what your trying to get out of her but I can guess. I don't know what sick ideas that whore Stiletto has been poisoning your mind with, but Falcata and I want none of them. We aren't interested. And I don't want to find you in here again. Out!" He stomps his hoof hard on the floor with the last word.

Flux shrinks away as Glaive approaches. When he calls Stiletto, his Beautiful One, a whore, his eyes harden. He stands as he finishes and fix him with his own gaze.
"It is not an expensive gift, Glaive. It's a meaningful one to a good friend. My family got that harp made from the first bit of bronze I ever smelted. I got my mark when they presented it to me. When Falcata told me of her friend from her childhood, how she never played music again after he passed, I knew she had to have it. She needed it more than me, and she still does!"
Flux leans forward, having to get on tip-hooves to look Glaive further in the eyes as he whispers to him.
"And if I ever hear you say something so vile about Stiletto again, I will find a way to make you regret it."

Stunned, Falcata doesn't say anything, instead gaping uselessly at the two furious stallions. Being a musician was so complicated sometimes. And in her own room, too. Glaive telling somepony else to get out of her room was a bit too far, but she decides not to bother interrupting either of them. Glaive was perfectly justified in being angry, though maybe not in insulting Stiletto like that. Flux, for his part, was standing up for himself pretty well.
With all this in mind, she remains silent, her expression a mixture of worried and very surprised.

"If even a fraction of the things I've heard about your Stiletto are true, then she is the vilest, most disgusting pervert I have ever had the misfortune of knowing."

Wordlessly, Flux stomp at Glaive's right front pastern: the delicate bones just above the hoof.

Glaive expected a response to that. What he didn't expect was a hit to a weak point. His lack of faith in this earth pony's fighting abilities has cost him the use of his right front leg as the bone is badly fractured.
"Ahh." The pain was bad but would have been much worse if Flux had struck him in one of his good legs.
"Ragh!" Glaive now angry, and ready to defend himself, grabs Flux with his magic and shoves him as hard as he can manage toward the door to Falcata's apartment.

Now very much regretting not saying something, Falcata is torn between distress and apoplectic rage. Abandoning all pretences of conversational niceties and decorum, she lets loose at the top of her lungs, though she is reluctant to dive headfirst at a unicorn generating a magical field.
"OUT! EVERYPONY OUT NOW ASDFHGHG" she bellows almost incomprehensibly, accentuating her intended destination for the two combatants by pointing out the door with a foreleg.

Flux's eyes go wide in horror as he hears the snap from Glaive's leg, the sound snapping him out of his anger. He doesn't resist at all as he magically shoves him out of the apartment.
"Sisters above! Glaive, Falcata I'm sorry! I was just... I'm so, so sorry!"

Seeing that Flux is out of the apartment, and hearing Falcata yelling, Glaive moves to exit the apartment. The limited, numb feelings he gets from his now also broken leg is not enough to prevent what happens next. Glaive takes but one step toward the door, but his leg gives way just above the hoof where Flux struck him, the sudden loss of balance causes Glaive to tumble and hit the ground hard. Glaive swears loudly as he hits the ground. Anypony looking would see that his right front hoof is bent at an unnatural angle.

With all the force of a rock to the forehead, Falcata realises her mistake.
"GLAIVE! Oh gods above, did he break your leg?" Crossing the room in an instant, she moves to help him up, doing her best to support him.

Flux stands in the doorway, unsure if he should try to help or simply stay out of the way, tears starting to well up as what he's done starts to sink in.

Jaxler was trying to ignore the commotion in the upper levels of the dormitory, but that last yell really pissed him off. He put a bolt in his crossbow and said "I'll be right back, Powder". Then he flew up to the sight of the yelling and saw pony on the ground, whom had a badly broken leg.
"What the bucking hell happened here!"

Glaive accepts Falcata's help in getting up, and with his good foreleg wrapped tightly around her and his useless and broken leg dangling to the side, Glaive takes a look at it. "Oh Noval Istbar that's broken real bad. Thank you for the help Falcata, I'm sorry it came to blows, I didn't want that to happen."
Glaive then looks up and sees Jaxler arrive on the scene. "It was Flux, the *Buy some Apples**2 suckerbucked me in my leg."

Head down, Flux stands to the side and says nothing. Glaive was right, after all.
'I'm a terrible pony...'

Wordlessly, Falcata hugs Glaive tight in a show of support, but turns her attention to Jaxler once he arrives. Of all the guards, the one on duty right now had to be the pony who seemed to spend more time paralytic under a tree than actually doing his rounds.
In no mood to deal with an interfering guardspony, Falcata is rather more aggressive than she had intended.
"What does it look like, you blithering imbecile? Glaive's leg is broken; somepony go and get Panacea!"

Jaxler found it strange that Flux could have done this, let alone have done this without being provoked. Something about this whole event seemed weird. But regardless of how much Jaxler wanted to ask questions he couldn't just sit there and talk. "Falcata, you get Glaive to the hospital. I'll go grab Flux for questioning". As Jaxler was about to leave to room to talk to Flux, he spotted something on the ground.
"What the hell is this piccolo doing in here!?"

Falcata and Glaive, taking Jaxler's advice begin to move away from Falcata's home, stopping only for Glaive to magic the door back into place, and heading to the hospital to have Glaive's leg set.

Jaxler watched as Falcata took Glaive out of the room. He would have picked up the piccolo but he knew better then to tamper with a crime scene. With this in mind he walked out the door and saw Flux weeping. He sat down next to him not really knowing what to to say.
"Um Flux... I need to talk to you..."

Flux raises his eyes to look at Jaxler, answering him almost emotionlessly as tears continue to fall.
"...Yes?"

Flux's reply and tears made Jaxler a bit discouraged, but he maintained his composure.
"Flux, why was Glaive on the ground with a bent leg?"

He looks away from Jaxler, but answers him.
"He tried to walk after I broke it..."

Jaxler never would imagine that Flux would act so violent unless he had a good cause.
"Please tell me that you were provoked by Glaive. I can't imagine that you would do this without a good reason."

Flux's stoic demeanor starts to crumble as he talks.
"He said... s-some things. I, um, told him to not s-say anything l-like that again or I'd m-make him r-regret it. He s-said more things... so... so I... b-broke h-h-his l-l-leg!"
The walls crumble and he starts bawling, his retelling of what happened being his final damnation. Flux turns away from Jaxler, still crying, wishing he didn't have to waste his time on arresting him.

"What did he say?"

"H-h-h-he insul-sul-sulted Stiletto!"

"Then you did nothing morally wrong in defending the honor of a loved one, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to arrest you for battery."
Jaxler was feeling sick to his stomach to be doing this to such a fragile pony and to make things worse he would have to question Flux about the piccolo later on in the day.

Flux takes a few moments to try to get himself together before standing. Head hanging, he prepares to follow Jaxler wherever he leads him.

As the two walk over to the keep the sadness radiating off of Flux becomes unbearable.
"You did nothing wrong in suckerbucking a jackass. I actually respect you more for doing so."

He gives a small grunt in response, not really processing what he said for a moment. Once it sinks in, though, it almost shocks Flux right out of his current depression. His head snaps up and he gives Jaxler a confused look, tears still dripping down his face.
"Wait, what? But... you don't like Stiletto..."

"Yeah, I don't like her, but you do. All you did was stand up for what you believe in, and I respect that"

He simply stares at Jaxler, unsure how to respond to that.
"I... um... thanks, Jaxler."
He gives him a small smile before remembering that he is, in fact, under arrest and heading to somepony qualified to sentence him. Looking at the keep, he swallows, wondering just what his punishment might be.

The two finally reached the keep. "Looks like we're here." Jaxler extended his hoof and knocked on the door.
"If it makes you feel any better, I can promise you That I'll try my best to convince Virtue to let you off with as little punishment as possible."

Virtue looks up from the stack of papers on her desk as somepony knocks at the door. "Come in!" she calls, a bit too caught up in what she was doing to get up and open the door herself.

Jaxler opened the door and walked inside the keep.
"Aye Virtue, I kinda had to arrest Flux."

Flux sheepishly shuffles into Virtue's office behind Jaxler, his eyes locked on the floor.

She looks up from her papers as she hears the two enter, not quite sure what to expect. When she hears Jaxler say that he'd arrested Flux, and sees Flux' crestfallen expression, her jaw drops. "Wh-what? Arrested?"

Jaxler pulled out a chair and sat down
"yep, Flux snapped Glaive's leg like a twig"

He winces at Jaxler's response, then quietly nod his head.

Her mouth hangs agape for a moment. Quiet, kind Flux had done that? Surely it was an accident. Surely. "Flux... wh-what happened?"

Keeping his eyes down, Flux again relates what happened.
"Glaive... insulted Stiletto. I, um, told him to not do it again or he'd regret it. He, uh... did it again and I... broke his leg..."

"Insulted Stiletto? Why would..." She cuts herself off, not sure she wants to know the answer to the question, which was beside the point anyway. "So... you... did it on purpose then?"

"Yes... I, um, stomped on his pastern... uh, just above the hoof."

"Flux... I... I don't know what to say..." Her eyes dart between the two. "Is Glaive alright?"

"Falcata had to drag him off to the hospital. He might have some permanent damage seeing how his leg was bent the wrong way. I should probably go question him, seeing how he might be guilty of assault"

She watches Jaxler leave and places her head in her hooves before running them through her mane. She blows out her breath and looks down. "Flux... I... I must admit I'm shocked about this... but... unless Glaive doesn't press charges... there's really only one thing I can do..."

Flux keeps his eyes down, unable to meet Virtue's.
"I know... but I couldn't just... let him talk about Stiletto like that..."

She nods slowly, a frown on her face. "I... I understand that... but I don't understand why Glaive would say something that upsetting about her... she's done nothing but good from what I know."
A sigh passes her lips. "But that doesn't excuse attacking him... I'm pretty sure you didn't mean to hurt him that badly... but still..."

Flux finally looks Virtue in the eyes so she can see the truth behind his own.
"But... I did mean to hurt him, the pastern is very fragile. And... and no matter how he feels about Stiletto's... polyamorous ways, I shouldn't have wanted to hurt him."
He returns his gaze to the floor, waiting now for Virtue's passing of judgement.

She looks deeply into his eyes as he tells her the truth, and feels more than a bit of apprehension well up inside of her. He was right about one thing, he shouldn't have wanted to hurt Glaive like that... but he did, and there was only one thing to do. She'd have never believed she'd be doing this for him, of all ponies...
"I see... Flux... there's only one thing I can do..." She fishes a book from under her desk somewhere and sifts through it with a very unhappy expression on her face. "...yes... by the law of the land of Coupledye, which we are held to... the sentence is two months in jail..." She looks up to him. "I'm sorry... but that's the law... unless Glaive himself wishes for less..."
She could override the law, and who would know, anyway? But... Flux had done something worthy of punishment... and... she couldn't just look past that...

"I know..."
After a few moments, he realizes that we don't seem to actually have a jail.
"Um... do we have a jail?"

She nods solemnly and stands, motioning for him to follow. "Yes... I had a small space set aside below the keep." She steps over to one of the doors leading out of her office and opens it. "In case we ever needed it..."
She leads him down the stairs into the small cellar, then over to one of the four cells. As she leads him inside, she adds, "I'll speak with Glaive when I get a chance..."

He glances around the cell, seeing nothing but floor and walls. He shuffles to a far corner and curls up there.
"If you think that'll help..."

"I hope so..." She sighs heavily as she turns to leave. "Sorry about the accomodations... I never had the cells finished... Didn't think we'd need them... I'll see about getting you something to sleep on."

Flux mutters a small thanks to Virtue as she leaves. Once she's gone, he curls up tighter and quietly weeps, knowing this is exactly what he deserves.

Author's Note

*1: Dan Noval Istbar, or Dan the bride of Roses. The Unicorn God of Love.

*2: KingStrongbeard Says: ((Using *Buy some Apples* as a way to censor things best left unsaid is a reference to the fan videos Friendship is Witchcraft. You can find them all on Youtube. They are okay, not great, but okay.))

66:Thinking Things Over.

Having seen Glaive safely to Panacea and Wool's caring hooves at the hospital, Falcata hurries across the town, avoiding all contact with anypony else as best she can. While she loves Glaive, and fully intends to to one hundred percent support him should she have to, she still cares for Flux, and she'd been worrying about where he might have ended up after being left alone with Jaxler. She has a certain nasty idea of where he might be, and though she hopes she'll prove herself wrong, she makes a beeline for the town's jail.
Rapidly approaching the keep, the pegasus slinks inside with all her military-grade stealth, grateful for her armour's absence. Seems like nopony's posted guards yet, assuming he's even in there. Oh gods, I hope he isn't.
Sure enough, as she descends the stairs into the makeshift jail, she spots the curled-up orange pony crying in the corner. Her heart wrenches at the sight, and she pads quickly and quietly across the room, moving right up to the steel bars separating Flux from the outside world.
"Flux!" she hisses, keeping her voice low lest she be heard. "What happened?"

Flux's quiet self-loathing is interrupted by Falcata. He slowly looks her way before again lowering his eyes and quietly responding.
"I got two months for battery... or maybe assault... I'm, uh, not sure on the distinction..."

Two months. That long spent in a jail cell would kill me, having to stay in such a confined space for such a long time. Two months without seeing the sunlight.
Shuddering at the thought of it, she takes a deep breath.
"Flux, I'm so sorry. I- everything got out of control. I should have let Glaive had his talk with you someplace else. Maybe then things wouldn't have gotten so far out of hoof. Glaive should be fine, by the way. Panacea told me it's, uh, it's quite a c-clean break."
She trails off into an awkward silence, not really sure what to talk about. In the space of about half an hour, her lover had been badly wounded and her best friend had been incarcerated for two months. It was like some kind of surreal dream; while she felt rather detached and able to cope now, she was fairly certain that she'd feel a fair amount of emotional fallout come tomorrow morning. That was how battles always went; clinical and precise during the fight, but afterwards all the blood and carnage was always hard to deal with.

Flux gives a weak smile when Falcata says that Glaive would be fine with time.
"It's not your fault, Falcata. It's mine. I shouldn't have... have lost my temper like that. Um, at least Glaive will get better. I, uh... thought I might have hobbled him permanently..."

She winces slightly at the idea. "Don't even go there, Flux."
She releases the deep breath she's been holding, letting out a huge sigh and fixing him with a piercing gaze. "I feel like I should be angry at you, raging and condemning you to deserve every last day of your two months. But-"
Falcata takes a short pause, choosing her next words carefully.
"But he crossed the line. It was utterly uncalled for him to call Stiletto all, uh, that. I think he just got carried away. I mean, well, you know more than anypony her, um, unique ideals. Glaive doesn't exactly agree with them. I think he thought you might have been, uh, "influencing" me. Or trying to. With the lyre and all."
She breaks eye contact, swinging a foreleg back and forth, gently scuffing the stone floor.
"He's very sweet, usually. I haven't seen him that angry since, well, ever. Although I heard he went even more berserk when that- that thing down in the caverns almost got me."
Falcata's topaz eyes begin to water almost imperceptibly.
"I don't know what I would do without him. And I don't think he knows what he'd do without me. I don't think he could deal with it if I was with somepony else. I think that's why he got so very, very angry."

Flux sighs before answering Falcata, finally starting to understand what Glaive was thinking.
"I would never try to take you from him, Falcata. You two just... seem right for each other. I guess I get why he got so mad, then. If he thought you might start to be like how he thinks Stiletto is..."

"I know, I know. But he doesn't. I'll have to speak to him once Panacea has finished. See if we can sort this all out." She bites her lip, still feeling no small measure of guilt for the whole debacle.
"I'll see what I can do about getting you out of here. I'm sure Glaive will be more reasonable now that he's calmed down." In truth, she's not sure at all, only hopeful, but she says it anyway in hopes of reassuring her despondent friend.

He shakes his head when Falcata mentions getting him out of here.
"I deserve to be in here for what I did to him. Um... if you'd tell him... sorry for me the, uh, next time you see him, I'd... appreciate it, Falcata."

"You don't deserve this. Not even close; anypony who knows you can see that." She casts her gaze around the room once more, taking in the dreary surroundings. "He brought it on himself, really. And he won't suffer any lasting damage." I hope, she thinks, before pushing the poisonous thought to the back of her mind.
"Virtue is a fool to have sanctioned this." she mutters under her breath, before raising her voice to an audible level again.
"I'll tell him you said sorry, once Panacea says I'm allowed to see him. Hopefully I'll be able to bring you a sorry back in addition to my own. I really am, Flux."
With very little more to be said, she makes to leave, before remembering something important. Something concerning the rest of Stiletto's little harem.
"Um, Flux? I wouldn't ask this, but...everypony else "involved" with Stiletto is a soldier, one way or another. Could you- could you maybe try and make sure nopony gets too, um, worked up over this?"

"Um, yes. I'll try to, uh, keep them calm."
'Assuming they talk to me before they do anything rash...'

"Thank you, Flux. I'd hate to have this get blown even more out of proportion." Looking slightly less strained and distressed now, she steps carefully across the cellar to the stairs, still unwilling to take any chances regarding being seen down here. She turns one last time before she leaves, her tone still halting and tinged with sadness.
"Flux, I- take care of yourself, Flux. Even if I can't get you out, I'll be sure to visit. Frequently. And I'll bring your lyre, too; I think you need it more than I do right now."

Flux smiles, small but genuine, as she prepares to leave.
"Thanks, Falcata."

She nods one last time, giving a tiny smile of her own before slinking upstairs and discreetly exiting the keep again. Upon reaching the outside, the pegasus flares her wings and launches herself into the sky. Falcata needs some time to think, and she does her best thinking while airborne. More than that, though, she really, really has to de-stress somehow. The day's events had taken a heavy toll.
Arcing upwards, she bursts through a small cloud, disappearing from view.

67: Kleptomania and Hints of Jaxler's Past.

Jaxler woke up in his room. He had a splitting head ache and noticed that there were 3 empty barrels scattered around in the apartment. When he got out of bed he scanned his surrounding more thoroughly he noticed that his crossbow was nowhere to be found, which wasn't out of the ordinary, but he would haft to search around for it. Knowing that needed to have someway of defend himself he went over to his coffer and took out his brass-horseshoes. After leaving his room Jaxler walked around the fort for about an hour before finding the whereabouts of his weapon. His crossbow was in the hands of a small pony.
"HAY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT CROSSBOW!"

Oh man this is so totally bucking rad! Granite thought, the greatest grin splattered on his face.
Jaxler's gonna be so pissed when he wakes up without his beloved crossbow! He snickers to himself, his body barely able to contain his excitement!
It was a simple task, break into Jaxler's apartment after he passes out, find his crossbow, take it, and then run like hell! Thanks to his eldest sister's cat, he had learned quickly how to run long distances without tripping or getting tired out. If he did, well then Mr. Fluffykins would leave some lasting damage... Regardless, Granite was very slow to tire, and it had it's perks, he could run a lap around the keep without breaking a sweat! But he ended up running several instead.
He was tired, he knelt down against the crossbow and almost dozed off, when I heard it...
"HAY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT CROSSBOW!"
Oh dear... "Hey Jaxler, uh... is that a sentient floating keg of booze punching Stiletto in the face?!"
Hoping he takes his eyes off him for a split second, Granite darts off sprinting away.

Now that Jaxler knew that somepony had stolen his crossbow he was really, really, pissed. After noticing that Granite was running Jaxler flew up a few feet into the air and gave chase.
"GIVE ME BACK MY DAMNED CROSSBOW, GRANITE!"

Oh crap he started flying already! Granite really starts going, galloping as quickly as possible.
"Ah come on Jaxler! You'll have to catch me first!" He stick my tongue out at him, careful to keep low and avoid trampling some poor pony. He dives over a fruit stand and keeps moving, trying to reach the moat at the edge of the walls.
Almost there... As he reaches his destination he jumps in the air and dives in the moat. He yells out "Let's see if a pegasus can swim!"
Thank god all the time in the well taught him how to swim...

Jaxler kept on chasing Granite. Jaxler was flapping his wings at an alarming rate and refused to let the Foal get out of his sight for more then a moment. when Granite Jumped into the water Jaxler followed, but there was one problem. The poor pegasus actually didn't know how to swim and sunk like a rock.

Oh crap Jaxler's drowning! Crap, crap, crap! Okay, maybe I could shoot him in the leg with a bolt attached to a rope. No, no, that would cause a metric tone of pain! Wait, maybe he could take it, and now he's really drowning. Crap!
Granite tests his idea, he shoots Jaxler in the leg with the crossbow, it hits. The water turns a slight crimson, oh crap! He quickly extend Jaxler's wings and puts the wooden weapon beneath his body. He slowly floats to the surface as Granite rips out the bow string and ties a knot around the bolt's shaft. He bears the other end in his teeth and swim up to reach the surface, the crossbow making his body slightly lighter.
He hauls himself out of the water and drags Jaxler out by the string rigged to the bolt embedded in his front leg. He then trys to stomp on Jaxler's chest in an attempt at CPR.
He's going to be so pissed.

As Jaxler sinks in the water he feels a sharp pain in his hind leg, a bolt from his crossbow had embedded it's self in his leg and then to make things worse he was being dragged out of the water by said bolt. Once he gets out of the water he realizes that his crossbow's string was pulling him which pissed him off even more. But just before Jaxler was about react he felt Granite stomp on his midsection, which caused Jaxler to snap. Right before Granite could manage to stomp him again he bucked Granite in his left Kidney, his brass horseshoe leave a dark hoof shaped outline. After Granite hit the ground Jaxler gets up and ignores the pain in his leg as he inspects his crossbow.
"Ya know... your lucky I'm a guard, and your even luckier that you didn't kill yourself with this thing"

If the air hadn't escaped Granite's body with that hit he would have yelled out: "OW BUCKING HELL WHAT THE BUCKING BUCK BUCK-BUCK!!!"
But instead he slumps over and writhes in pain on the ground.
"Jaxler *cough* oh god... what the buck man?! I just save your drunk ass from drowning and you kick me the kidney! Was the *cough* *cough* was the bucking horseshoe necessary?!"
"Owwww!" He whines out.

"You stole my bucking crossbow, if you were anypony else I'd still be beating living tar out of you. Do you even realize how dangerous this crossbow is?"

"I didn't steal it, I borrowed it, and really, dangerous? I find that funny..."
Granite looks up to Jaxler from his position on the ground, a tear comes to his eye, his mouth quivers almost ready to say 'sorry' but then,
He yells out, "So Jaxler, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO GET SHOT IN THE KNEE BY A FOAL?!"
"I USED TO BE AWESOME LIKE YOU, BUT THEN YOU TOOK A BOLT TO THE KNEE!!!"

"Do you realize that this crossbow can misfire if I so much as wave it around a certain way or hit it in the right spot? And as for the bolt in my knee..."
Jaxler sat down and pulled out the bolt without showing any sign of pain
"I have a really high pain tolerance. NOW tell me, why the hell did you steal my crossbow?"

"Well you see Jaxler, I am a kleptomaniac, and I'm bored as hell, AND I had some paints lying around, soooo I decided to give your crossbow a makeover- OH MY GOD WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!"
Feeling his masculinity falling at a disturbing rate, he quickly replys with, "I was going to paint it bright pink and put flowers over it and crap, but most importantly I was going to carve 'I love alicorns' into the side of it... with this knife!"
He then flashes out a knife and almost cut himself with it.

Jaxler was having a hard time processing what Granite just did/said but after an awkward silence he managed to speak
"First off, if your implying that you plan to use that knife on me then go ahead and try. Secondly, if you had done ANYTHING to deface this crossbow then you wouldn't have the upper portion of you head anymore. And thirdly why the hell didn't you tell anyone that you have kleptomania?"

"I spent enough time with my butcher of a father to know what knifes do what, this little dirk can't even break your skin, it was simply used to carve wood..." He then casually throws the blade over his shoulder.
"Besides Jaxler, you're my bucking hero! I would never try to cause you harm, but I will cause you a serious headache from time to time. Am I still your little drinking buddy?"

"That depends... do yo know how much this crossbow means to me? And why the hell haven't you told anyone that you have kleptomania?"

"Alright Jaxler, is this the first honest time you've seen me commit theft? I do crap like this all the time. And no, I have know idea how much the weapon means to you, you are what I like to call a closed book. I'm game for a story if you ask me..."

"Not all thieves have kleptomania..." after a few seconds of awkward silence Jaxler continues "Do you really want to know why this crossbow means so much to me?"

"Yes Jaxler, I really want to hear your stories! Every. Single. One!"

“When I was a foal I was very, very, poor and the only living family I had was my crippled Grandfather. We were so poor that we couldn't even afford our own house and had to live in abandoned buildings. I spent every day doing whatever I needed to survive and One day I was walking about the streets looking for ponies to pick pocket when I saw it. Right there in the bower’s workshop mounted to the window was my crossbow. Now back then this crossbow was amazing, it was pure masterwork, some might argue that it was possibly above masterwork. It was encrusted with opals and all the metal parts were platinum, it was amazing. Now, to an impoverished foal such an astonishing item would blow one’s mind, and it did but It’s not like I could ever dream of having enough money to buy such an amazing weapon. So, Years went by and the owner of the store never sold my crossbow, and I of course wasn't dumb enough to steal from an arms dealer. But one day long after I had grown up and became a stallion…”
Jaxler broke eye contact with Granite and put his hoof on his scar.
“Things erm… happened and I woke in the street. Everything was… burning and I had a hole in my side. I laid on the ground watching my world burn to the ground as I die. But as I was just about to give up and keel I remembered that you can burn wounds shut. I Managed to somehow sear myself shut, and then I blacked out. When I woke up I honestly thought I had died and gone to hell and I still think that I might have. I had spent my entire life in that town and all I could see was ashes. At that point I got up and started staggering through the streets when I stumbled upon what used to be the the bower’s workshop. When I looked at the place I noticed something. Still mounted to the shattered window was my crossbow completely unharmed. I walked over and took it down and stared at it for what seemed be an eternity. Then after staring at it I carved the words “19th of Opal, 228” which was the date. after that I…”
He cuts himself off before he continued.
“I guess, years of misuse abuse and overuse have taken its toll on my crossbow and now it's in disrepair and hardly even works."

Granite sits there wide eyed, taking in every detail of his story. "That's horrible... I'm sorry for bringing up bad memories..."
He sits there in silence for awhile, then gets an idea...
"Don't worry Jaxler! I promise when I become a smith I will rebuild your crossbow into a well-oiled killing machine! Plastered in gold! Custom built with blades attached to eighty-five percent of it! It will be the coolest crossbow ever! Perfect for the coolest pegasus ever! And then we'll kill the freaks that stole your kidney!"

Jaxler just gazed at his scar.
"Thanks..."

"Yeah... well I guess I'll just be leaving then... goodbye."
Granite tries to make a break for it while he's distracted.

Jaxler noticed that Granite was about to run off.
"Ya know, I'm gonna need some help getting over to the hospital, and if you assist me I could forget about this whole event."

"Oh yeah, I forgot I shot you in the leg with a crossbow! Alright, how are we going to do this? Should I drag you there or maybe you rest your bad leg on my back or something... maybe I can find you a crutch or a cane, you know I think the length of the crossbow would be long enough for a walking stick, but we would have to cut off the bow parts, how's that sound Jaxler? Yeah, this isn't going to work out very well... got any ideas?"

"You could knock a branch off a tree and use that as a walking stick. I'd fly over to the hospital but I Kinda sprained both my wings..."

Flux sits in the cell, depression lifting slightly to be replaced by boredom. Kat steps down from the stairs, still in her guard uniform. She looks around until her eyes lay upon Flux, confirming her fear.

"Flux!.. so you really were arrested."

Flux looks up at Kat's exclamation, then looks back down in shame.

"Um... yes."

Kat walks over to the front of Flux's cell, then sits down on her rump there in front of the door. "Heh, never thought you'd have it in you Flux. I heard you made Glaive's leg bent the wrong way."

Flux winces as Kat repeats his crime to him.

"...yes. I, uh, broke his pastern..."

"it's always the quiet ones they say."

Flux fails to notice Kat's joking tone, starting to sink back into depression. Kat attempts to head it off.

"Aw.. come on Flux, it wasn't that bad was it? I mean, sure, you suckerbucked his leg the other way and all that, but hey! I heard it was justified. Honor defended, nopony gets really hurt. Plus it's just 2 months in Jail, could've been a lot worse. You know? Back from where I was from, something like this would get a pony's head hacked off repeatedly by a rusty axe, or maybe just a leg if lucky. Maybe starvation execution, nasty stuff.. buried alive.. yeah, it's a lot nicer here. Lots."

"It's... it's not the punishment. It's that I wanted to hurt him. I... I could have found some other way to... to defend Stiletto's honor than to break his pastern like that..."

Kat sighs slightly as she looks at the miserable pony. "Flux. What's done is done, it's the past, woosh, gone. You could focus on now.. or what haven't happened yet. Seeing that you don't really have anything to focus about now, maybe it'll be nicer if you think what will you do when you're out."

Flux sighs heavily, knowing Kat is right.

"Um... Kat?"

"Yes? Flux?"

"Do... Stiletto and Glyph know I'm in here yet?"

"Glyph's still with Friesden.. so I don't think he knows yet.. but I think Stiletto have heard already."

"Um..." Flux considers how to ask his question.

"What's... um... how's she doing?"

Kat ponders for a small moment "Well.. can't say she's happy about it. But I think she have plans."

Flux looks a bit worried at that. "Uh... plans? They aren't... rash, are they?"

"Oh no no, well.. at least I hope not. Glyph probably wouldn't be doing anything while he's taking care of Friesden. I'm not so sure what will Stiletto be doing, but I guess it will have a lot of talking."

Flux breathes a sigh of relief. "I don't mind her trying to talk to ponies about anything, but I just don't want to see any of you end up in here for what I did."

"Oh don't worry about it Flux.. and if it helps, I'll be here with you for quite a while whether you like it or not!"

Flux smiles slightly. "Not that I don't enjoy your company, Kat, but don't you have other duties?"

Kat smiles and open up a wing, revealing a ring of keys under it "This is my Duty Flux."

Flux chuckles at Kat. "So, uh... how's your day been? Um, apart from finding that I... was arrested."

Kat closes her wing back down again. "It's been pretty okay actually. Speaking of which, are you hungry yet Flux? Because I'll have to feed you too."

Flux opens his mouth to answer, but the growling of his stomach makes it obvious.

"Um... yes."

Kat smiles and gets back from her seat. "Alright, do you want anything specific?"

"Um... just some green apples, if that's alright."

Kat beams him a smile. "I'll see what I can find." Then leaves him be there to search for food. Flux decides to take Kat's advice and try to think of the future: what he'll do while in here and once he gets out.

"Compose, think, uh..." Flux looks around the empty dungeon. "...count bricks?"

Kat took a little while before she returns, with a saddlebag full of apples and another one full of carrots, along with bottles of drink neatly tucked away in her wings. "Lunch time!"

Flux can't help but smile as Kat returns. Even in the dim dungeon, she somehow brings some happiness and light. "Thanks, Kat. Uh, what drinks did you get?"

Kat sets the saddles down, then the bottles. "Cider!"

Flux settles down near the bars of his cell to enjoy lunch with Kat. "Sounds good to me."

Kat offer the bottle of cider to Flux and the saddle bag full of apples as well as she noms on her carrots. "Could've gone worse hmm?"

Flux takes a big bite out of an apple, enjoying the juicy crunch, and nods to Kat.

Kat had her lunch with Flux, sitting around nearby and talking to him to keep him sane. Hours passed and she's currently just sitting against the cell bars. Seriously something she would clearly not do with other prisoners, since Flux would easily be able to choke her to death or snatch away her weapons if he tried to. Flux lays next to the bars as well, happy to be next to Kat and deep in thought.

"Two months.. come to think of it, it's ain't that bad is it?"

"I guess not... boredom seems the biggest threat down here..." Flux sighs. "Though I doubt Virtue will sell the piccolo to a convicted felon..."

"She'd sell it to Stiletto or me though, right?"

"I guess? I didn't know you played, Kat."

"Played? Oh no no. I don't play.. maybe Stiletto. But you're not getting it Flux! I mean, we could buy it.. for you!"

Flux looks at Kat, confused for a moment, before what she's saying sinks in. His eyes go wide when it does.

"But... You don't need to do that for me! It's too expensive, I... I don't deserve to play it anymore, anyway..."

"Aw Flux, you're not going to hurt our little pony hearts by refusing our gifts are you?"

Flux looks at Kat, dumbfounded and jaw open, before chuckling and shaking his head. "That's just not fair, Kat."

Kat smiles innocently and giggles. "Whaat?"

Flux gently rubs her withers with a hoof, the bars preventing a proper nuzzle. "Heh, you know what."

Kat smiles from the rub, she doesn't seems to be alarmed from it "hmm? What?"

Flux continues rubbing her withers. "You know precisely what, you devious mare you."

That just made her giggle more. "Oh maybe.. maybe."

"Alright, I guess..." Granite look over at the nearby tree.
That branch could work... He thought to himself as he sees a suitable candidate for a walking stick. Nothing around to knock it down with, He decide to start climbing. At first he wraps his forelegs around the trunk and tries to pull his way up. he make no progress at all. Next he tries using his other legs as well and try to inch his way to the branch. That also doesn't work.
"Screw this!" He yells. He then walk over to Jaxler and grabs the bolt attached to the string. He then slams his carving knife into the trunk to use as a foothold. Bolt in mouth he thrusts it higher up into the wood. He then latches on to the string and climbs up on top of the bolt. The bolt breaks. He falls to the ground.
"Ow! Bucking branch!" Granite shouts out. His temper rises and in frustration he bucks the side of the tree. The branch cracks and breaks off the tree. It falls down and strikes him on the head.
He loose consciousness...

Stiletto goes to visit Panacea, having just missed Falcata leave the hospital. She sees Glaive in a bed, getting treated.
"Oh no Glaive, what happened? Did you fight a great beast again?"

Glaive stares at his wound as Panacea examines the break. He hears Stiletto coming inside, and hears her concerned question. Having had a chance to calm down, the last thing he wants right now is to get into a fight with her too. He thinks for a long time before answering, without looking away from his injury.
"No...Got in an argument. Got kicked in my bad leg. Doesn't hurt too bad."

Stiletto tilts her head to the side. It was unlike the brave warrior she knew to pick fights.
"You should have not gotten in such a harsh argument with Naginata. She is very defensive and even I fear her ferocity in combat. What did you do to her?"

Glaive sighs, knowing this isn't going to end well.
"I wasn't fighting with Naginata, and I didn't try to start a fight, Flux hit me first."

"Flux... what? why? how?"
Her eyes point in two outward directions at the same time.

Glaive considers being tactful, or diplomatic, but the emotions are still to fresh, and the full truth slips out, against his better judgement.
Glaive glares at Stiletto.
"This is your fault. You and your disgusting ideals, have corrupted Flux. I found your coltfriend in my Falcata's room, and he has been giving her expensive gifts. I know what you are all like and what he was trying to do. I told him to leave her alone, and to stay out of her bedroom, and what I think of you and your harem, and he kicked me. I threw him out the door, but my leg was already broken, and now I'm here. Last I knew, Jaxler was going to deal with Flux."

"Your! YOUR! SHE BELONGS TO YOU NOW DOES SHE! LIKE AN OBJECT! IS THAT ALL SHE IS TO YOU!? SOME PRIZE THAT YOU CAN BUY!"
As her already powerful voice became a gale of wind, her mane became a wreath of flame, her wings spread out and turned to a dark crimson, finally her eyes became to balls of white flame.
"HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT HER THAT WAY! I SHOULD END YOU WHERE YOU LAY! IF YOU HAD ANY HONOR YOU WOULD DIE HERE!"

Glaive falls backwards out of the bed and scrambles a few yards away from Stiletto on his three good legs. He reaches out for the nearest object he can find, a chair, with his magic to defend himself if necessary.
"What the HELL are you yelling about. I love Falcata and she loves me. She is mine and I am hers. And I won't let you or your degenerate ideas corrupt her like the others, even if it costs me everything."
Glaive steels himself for a potential confrontation, with the angry alicorn.

Stiletto looks at the chair and reaches out with her magic and turns it to a pile of splinters
"MY DERANGED IDEAS! YOU PERSPICUOUS SELF-RIGHTEOUS JEALOUS PATHETIC INTOLERANT FOAL! YOU ARE THE MONSTER THAT THINKS SLAVERY AND GREED CAN SOME HOW BE JUSTIFIED! YOU WOULD BE BANISHED FROM THIS LANDS FOR YOUR CRIMES IF IT WAS MY CHOICE! YOU TAINT YOUR LOVE AND DISGRACE FALCATA'S NAME WITH YOU BLIND MISTRUST! SHE HAS A MIND OF HER OWN! SHE DOES NOT NEED A MISGUIDED IGNORANT flügellos TO THINK FOR HER AND PROTECT HER FROM THE 'CORRUPTION' OF A CIVILIZATION THAT WAS OLD WHEN YOURS' FIRST NAMED A CITY!"

Glaive reaches out with his magic and grabs a scalpel and holds it ready. He has lost all sense of decorum at this point. All the things he's wanted to say to Stiletto for months begin to come out.
"You civilization may be old but it is in decline. You have abandoned true love in favor of the easy. In favor of your hedonistic pleasures. You have no sense of true love, or loyalty, or family. You have perverted it all. And you would force other ponies to give up their virtue and be like your ilk, and shun those who have true love for another. Love is Jealous Stiletto. If it isn't then it isn't love, it's just lust. Your civilization has forsaken the teachings of our gods and will in time crumble for it. And I for one shall not morn it's passing."

Stiletto folds her wings in and lets her mane fall
"Again you show nothing but ignorance. We are just as strong as we have ever been. We only seek excellence in all things. Greed is a weakness, jealous is a greater weakness still. Love in not so weak that it shatters with so little effort. Now I just feel sad for you. You hold up these things that hold you back and pull you down. We have had different gods, gods to be aspired to, gods worth emulating. We accept new gods as well, provided they have some excellence. We keep moving forward, yearly we make new discoveries and build even greater works then year before. Each is made stronger by the forming of stronger intertwining bonds, each Leibe and Freundin helping to make a greater family, building ever upwards. We will stand shining and tall as you brake yourselves down. We think for ourselves and encourage others to do the same. These are the ideals we follow. The petty mewling of the weak have no effect on the truly strong. Wallow in ignorance and weakness if you must, but to try and drag others down with you is an crime even the gods should not forgive."
Stiletto calmly sweeps the splinters into a pile and turns to leave.

Glaive said nothing as Stiletto left. Though her irrational rage had made him decide he'd start sleeping with his axe, just in case. Still he knew he was right. He knew the way Stiletto's civilization acted was wrong, but he knew they wouldn't last. No civilization in history lasted with such excesses. That's what happened to the Old Pony Empire, and that's what would happen to the Deutchmeiner. It was only a matter of time.
As Panacea got back to work on his leg, Glaive thought to himself of the other things he'd wished he said to Stiletto, about the value of blood and family, about the bonds of true love, about the lies her beliefs were founded on, etc.
After Panacea finishes putting a cast on his leg and releases him he goes outside to wait for Falcata to return. He knew they had much to talk about.

The sight of Granite concussing himself made Jaxler rather depressed, now he had to get both himself and Granite over to the hospital. Jaxler ignored the pain in his leg long enough for him to walk over to where Granite and the walking stick laid. After balancing Granite on his back he used the stick as a makeshift crutch and started walking over to the hospital.

Granite's eyes open as he notice he's on Jaxler's back. "Hey Jaxler I got the stick..." He says, yawning afterwards. "How much farther is the hospital?" He yawns again, "How long have I been out?"

"You've been out for a few minutes and the hospital is a few minutes away. You kinda gave yourself a concussion so I decided to bring you to the hospital."

"Great. Hey Jaxler, I'm sorry I shot you in the knee with your own crossbow, then broke your own crossbow in an attempt to save you from drowning, even though I caused that, too. I am not sorry, however, for stealing your crossbow. I mean, you let a foal steal your most prized possession. And you're a guard too! Oh man Partisan would give you so much crap if he heard about this!"

"Well, I've been sewn back together after being slapped around by a cave ogre so, a lowly knee injury really doesn't compare And as for Partisan. I Don't think he'd get too angry at me for having my crossbow stolen. In fact last time I checked he called me his 'partner' and seeing how he still lets me be second in command after all the shit I pull, I really doubt he'd get too pissed.

Granite's ears perk up, "Wait, what did you say about a cave ogre?"

"Oh, a couple months ago after the caravan incident I had to save Flux from a Cave ogre and a flock of giant cave swallows, would ya like to hear the story?"

"Yes, please! And don't even think about sparing me the gory, gruesome details!"

"Well, one day I woke up in the mines with a hang over, and I started wondering the tunnels looking for a way out when I ran into flux, who was looking for new metal veins. then Flux asked me to follow him into the caves in case any monsters show up and I said yes. once we worked our way into the caves Flux started scanning the walls of the place looking for ore, when out of nowhere a huge sixteen foot tall behemoth came out and started charging me and Flux. I noted the brute's charge and fired a bolt at the monstrosity but to my surprise the sound of the crossbow firing echoed through the caves and enraged a flock of more than half a dozen giant cave swallows. So, knowing that I was pretty much screwed at this point and that odds were that ether me or flux or both of us where going to die down in the caves, I told Flux to run while I slowed down the monsters. so I flew into the air and fired off all my bolts in order to grab the creatures attentions, and in the process I killed two swallows and pelted the ogre with bolts. this however, left me surrounded by five cave swallows, a pissed off cave ogre, and without a single bolt. Now the first cave swallow of the five went down pretty easy after I charged it and smashed its brains in with my crossbow, but the second one was more difficult. I was flying toward the damned thing when it somehow managed to cut my leg a few seconds before I could bash the things head in. I went in to attack another swallow when... The cave ogre picked up a half ton of earth and flung it at me. The damned bastard broke my wing in 20 different places and to make things worse, I fell twentyish feet and broke both my front legs and I dropped my weapon. I then forced myself to stand up completely ignoring the pain when the huge ogre walked up to me and slammed me into the nearest wall breaking 3 of my ribs, one of which tore my lung. As I laid in a corner coughing up blood I still managed to spit out the words 'buck off' to the ogre. The ogre laughed at this but just as he was about to mangle me further... uh... erm...
I kinda blacked out and woke up on an operating table, if ya want the rest of the story ya might want to ask Flux or uh... stiletto"

"Wow, you took that ogre on despite it being at least twenty times bigger and stronger than you! That must take courage! But, uh, what was that last part? You said 'talk to Flux or' and then you muttered something after that..."

"well, erm... Stiletto Kinda had to decapitate the Ogre and drag me off to the hospital..."

"Well it is embarrassing, though I doubt ponies will think lesser of me. It still kinda makes me feel demoralized and and ashamed that I needed an alicorn to save me."

"Why does it matter that an alicorn saves you? Would it matter if a unicorn or earth pony were to save you?"

"You are aware that I hate alicorns, right?"

"Yes, but an alicorn saved your ass! If a diomedian saved me, I would still hate them, just not the one who saved me."

"I don't expect you to understand..."

"Fine!"

"Wait... why am I still carrying you?"

Already on her way to the hospital, Falcata spies Glaive as she flies towards the building, and she touches down haphazardly in a flustered manner. Without waiting for Glaive to speak, she envelops him in an embrace, hugging him tightly. Her relief and affection is compounded by a couple of burning issues, though, and she has already come to the decision to address them immediately.
"So help me, Glaive, but you are a fool." she murmurs, clasping him even more closely. "At least Panacea was able to fix you up."

Seeing his beloved returning to him fills Glaive with both joy and fear. What would she think of him now? Would she yell at him too?
Glaive is relieved to be held once more by Falcata. "You're right Falcata. I'm sorry. I don't regret what I said, but, just, how I said it. I'm sorry."

Sighing heavily, she breaks the hug, making firm eye contact before her next words.
"I know, Glaive. And I think I know why you said it, why you were so angry; and I'm telling you, Flux had absolutely no, um, untoward intentions whatsoever. Even if he did, do you really think I would react any other way to them aside from rejecting them utterly? That lyre was a gift from one friend to another, nothing more."
Falcata gazes critically at him for a moment.
"And another thing; I'd steer clear of Stiletto for a while. I probably don't have to tell you this, but she's an immensely powerful alicorn, and I think your, um, poorly chosen description of her might pooooossibly upset her, if she hasn't already heard it."

"I'm sorry, it's just well, I'm all covered in these scars, and my one leg doesn't work so well, and half my ear has been bitten off. Sometimes I wonder why a beautiful pegasus like you... But you're right, I knew you wouldn't have done anything, I just was afraid."
"Stiletto came by earlier. She kept asking me what happened. I...I told her. She was so angry, I thought she was going to kill me. She blasted Panacea's chair into shivers, and kept yelling. I tried to argue with her, but she wouldn't see reason."

Eyes wide as saucers, Falcata groans inwardly. Things were moving faster than she'd anticipated.
"You told her everything? Please tell me you didn't use those exact words to her face? And what were you arguing about, anyway?
Biting her lip, she avoids eye contact for a moment, broaching an awkward topic.
"Oh, and, um...Flux is in jail. Two month sentence. For, well, you know why."
Falcata masks her dejection at Flux's imprisonment, instead focusing on gauging Glaive's reaction to the news. Maybe, just maybe, I might be able to convince him to drop the charges, and smooth this whole thing over before it gets really out of hoof. Maybe.

Glaive thinks to himself. Two months? He didn't know what he felt about that. On one hoof, Flux did throw the first blow, and probably deserved it, but on the other, if somepony had said something like what he said about Falcata, he'd have done worse than break their leg, but on the other other hoof, Stiletto was everything he said about her. Glaive thought it best to not say anything about it unless being specifically asked and merely nods in acknowledgement.
"I uh, did tell Stiletto what I thought of her, but I didn't use the same words I used with Flux, though they weren't much better. She got angry, and basically yelled that I should be exiled for my jealousy. We shouted back and forth, but she wouldn't listen to me, she's convinced her own way is right, and that we are the uncivilized barbarians, all the while tearing the hospital apart and terrorizing poor Ms. Panacea. It was madness."

Even with the understanding that Glaive's account was almost certainly biased, Falcata can't help but feel anger flare within her. Even leaving trashing the hospital to one side, she found Stiletto's reported wording troubling. So Stiletto was angry at Glaive's jealousy? But...
She lets her thought process carry over into actual speech, musing out loud to her lover.
"Jealousy? I don't understand. We are together, you and I; it's not a matter of jealousy so much as, well, loyalty to each other. She doesn't expect everypony to subscribe to her philosophies, does she? And did she really start smashing up the hospital?"
Falcata decides to leave the Flux issue to one side, feeling that she'd be better off broaching the topic later.

Glaive gestures and the two ponies begin to walk away towards the housing area. As they walk Glaive returns to the conversation.

"I think she does. I tried to explain, but I was too angry and a bit afraid she'd try to start a fight, to really explain well. It was mostly just insults both ways."

Glaive thinks back, "But saying she tore up the hospital, might have been an exaggeration. But she was hovering and blowing wind all around and I swear her magic made her mane look like a blazing inferno and her voice sound like it was coming from a giant. And I wasn't exaggerating when I said that she obliterated a chair with her magic. She might have just been trying to intimidate me into going along with her philosophies, but, she might be dangerous."

"Because you bucked me in the chest with a goddamn horseshoe! Meanie!"

"Ug... I know you have a concision, so what I want to know is weather or not you can still walk straight. I really don't think that I should be carrying anything while I have a busted knee."

"Walking? Yeah I can walk just fine. I've been able to walk since I woke up, all I have is just a mild headache... I'll just get off of you now..." Granite rolls off Jaxler's back and proceeds to walk beside him.

"Really? Even if it was only a chair, that pony has no business flaunting her magic offensively in a place of healing. Or putting on some sort of scary magical display."
Falcata snorts defiantly, getting a bit worked up.
"She can be as dangerous as she wants; if she ever lays a hoof on you she'll have me to answer to, and no amount of magic would save her. If she really does want to intimidate us, let her try; it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Nor will it. We are each other's, and whatever her people might think, I will have no part in it."

"That's good, but you should still get your head looked at."

"I'm still going to the hospital, don't worry! But, I'm more concerned about getting kicked in the gut by a full grown pegasus wearing horseshoes!"

"Just be happy I'm not telling your parents or partisan, and I'm sorry about the brass horseshoes but I kinda needed some sort of weapon seeing how somepony stole my crossbow."

"Okay, okay Jaxler! Jeeze..."

Jaxler noticed that they had finally reached the hospital.
"Looks like we're here."
Jaxler extended his hoof and knocked on the hospital door.

"So, how are we going to explain the days events?" asked Granite, "Are we going to lie or tell the truth?"

Panacea looks up to the door away from the ruined pile of wood that Stiletto had created in her rage. She was going to make it a point to stay away from the alicorn mare for a while, and never ever do anything to anger her if she could help it. Glaive too, come to think of it. She steps over to the door and cautiously opens it, worried she'd find the enraged alicorn there. Relieved it was somepony else, she says, "Oh, Jaxler... Granite... c-come in. What's wrong?"

"All we have to do is not lie."
After replying to Granite, Jaxler noticed that Panacea had come to the door.
"Hay Panacea, I kinda got shot in the leg and sprained my wings while trying to chase a thief. Oh, and Granite got a concussion from the very same thief."

Her eyes go wide and she ushers them inside. "Come in, let me take a look at you." She begins fishing for things in a nearby chest. "Are we still under attack? Is anypony else hurt or fighting?"

"No, the thief ran away, but the asshole badger pony did manage to come out of nowhere and kicked me straight in the kidneys! And he was wearing some dumb-ass brass horseshoes he probably got when he was having his midlife crisis!" Granite glared at Jaxler.

Jaxler walks into he hospital following Panacea and Granite
"Well, I guess I'm gonna haft to make sure that I start killing those thieves." Jaxler then tried bending his leg, he was a surprised when I made a strange popping sound. "em... Panacea should that worry me?"

Yes, that should worry him, but she'd learned long ago that keeping ponies calm was half of the fight when it came to this sort of thing. Although he seemed to take mortal injury with stride. She trots over to his wounded leg and gives it a close look. "It doesn't look that bad... looks like the blade missed the bone." She motions for him to get on a bed and gives him something to drink. "Here, take this, it'll ease the pain."
As she begins to examine and clean the wound, she says to Granite, "How are you, dear? Are you dizzy or do you feel sick? If you get sleepy tell me immediately. I'll get something for you in just a second."

"I feel relatively fine Panacea. The only thing I have is just a mild headache and maybe some bruises from the kick. I guess I'm slightly dizzy, but that's about it..."

"So... My knee isn't too messed up, right? And what exactly do I do about my wings being sprained?"

"No, I think it'll be fine. The joint is pretty strained though, it's almost like somepony dragged you by it. It's not dislocated though, so it'll recover." She finishes cleaning the wound and starts to suture it. "If you just sprained your wings, they should recover on their own in a few days. Just try to lay off flying as much as you can, it'll delay the healing."
As she finishes stitching the gash, she grabs a small bottle and gives it to Granite to drink. "Here you go, dear, drink this. It'll help keep you alert. Now, let me take a look at you..." She gently runs a hoof down his side near the bruise. It was a bit warm, as she expected a bruise would be, but it didn't seem any worse than that. "Does this hurt a lot? Deep down? Does anything feel funny? Tingling?"

"It doesn't hurt that much, definitely not deep down. And I don't feel anything funny, just someone poking me in the side..."
He looks over to Jaxler. "Man that thief was an ass; kicking a poor, defenseless foal in the gut!"

"Ya wanna hear something funny Panacea? The damned thief stole my crossbow and broke the string after shooting me with my own crossbow. I'm amazed the damned thief was stupid enough to drop the damned thing."

She smiles and stops prodding him needlessly. "That's good. It's just a bruise on the skin then. If anything feels wrong, be sure to tell me right away, okay?" She stows the things she'd been handling and adds, "I should go let your parents know you're here and what happened. You'll be perfectly fine."
She pauses as Jaxler speaks up and gives him a concerned look. The wound did look strange for a dagger stab. "Oh my... you were fortunate then... I dare not think what will happen if they start bringing their own crossbows..."

"Thanks for the checkup Panacea, I can let my folks know what happened..."
Granite listens in on Jaxler's line, and put in his two cents... "But I do understand where the thief was coming from though, Jaxler. What would that worthless piece of crap of a wooden crossbow be worth on the market? Probably wouldn't even fetch a single bit..."

"Ya, the thing has seen better days, but what kind of pony would I be if I just dropped my crossbow in a stockpile and let it rot. The thing has saved my life on many occasions and I trust this crossbow a lot more than any pony."

"I'm not saying it's a crappy weapon Jaxler, I'm saying it's a worthless eyesore that would probably rot within a week." He snickers at him.

Jaxler really didn't want to get in an argument with a foal. He also knew that he couldn't really defend the quality of his crossbow.
"Really, I'd give my crossbow about two weeks but meh, what do I know. Anyways Panacea, can I just get up and go or do I need to hang around a little bit longer?"

"Oh, um..." She thinks for a moment. "You should be fine to go. As always, let me know if it doesn't seem to be getting better, or if you think you're getting an infection. You should try to take it easy for a few days, and it's going to take weeks for your leg to get completely better. I'll send word to Partisan to let him know you need to be on light duties for a little while."

Jaxler was happy to know that he could leave now but just as he was about to get up and leave he noticed a pile of splinters over in the corner.
"Oh that's great... Why is there a pile of splinters over there?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, why are there splinters everywhere?"

Glaive is filled with a mix of relief and more than a bit of pride when he hears Falcata's words.
They reach the entrance to the housing complex.
"I'm glad you feel that way Falcata. But I don't know what we do now. Stiletto and Flux have a lot of...friends. They could make things hard on us."
Glaive takes one of Falcata's hooves with his left (the unbroken one) but can't bring himself to look her in the eyes. "And with Flux in jail, they will likely blame me. We probably haven't heard the last of this."

Reaching under his chin with her free forehoof, she tilts his head up, forcing him ever so gently to make eye contact.
"I doubt it will come to that. Flux isn't the type to try and incite anything, truly. As for the rest of the bunch... well, most everypony here is pleasant enough. I don't know them well, but I hope they follow the same pattern."
In a supportive gesture, she transfers her forehoof to Glaive's shoulder instead.
"But if I am wrong, if anything should happen or anypony try anything...you know I stand with you. Always."

Glaive looks into Falcata's eyes. He was free of all doubts, he was ready, but now wasn't the time or place for it. But he knew it would be soon. The day of their first flight was fast approaching. Glaive was almost confident enough in his magic to try cloud-walking with her, and then on that day he would do it. He would ask her the question that had been busying his mind for months.
"Thank you Fal, and know that I will always stand by your side, through anything." Glaive touches his forehead to hers, his eyes are closed. "No matter what."

Panacea is silent for a moment and considers he next words carefully. She didn't want to aggravate the situation with Stiletto, and it was no secret that Jaxler wasn't fond of her. But what was a plausible explanation?
"Um... there was an accident with some magic... nothing to worry about."

"Well, I'd hate to piss off whoever did that."
After that remark Jaxler got up and made his way out the door.

"Well that sounds interesting. Anyway, thanks for taking a look at that Panacea!" Granite follows suit and leaves as well.

Author's Note

Now longer, with rest of scene added.

68: Stiletto's long visit.

Stiletto knocks lightly on the door of Lady Virtue’s office. "Lady Virtue, I need to talk to you."

Virtue slowly looks up from the papers she'd been pretending to pay attention to on her desk. "Come in..." she says in an apathetic voice

Stiletto opens that door and trots in, she bows. "Lady Virtue. First I would like to ask how you are feeling, do not be afraid to say anything. I promised to be your support when you needed it."

Virtue looks up and sighs. "Terrible, really. I never thought I'd have to put somepony in jail..."

Stiletto clenches her jaw. "You will have to make many hard decisions. If it helps, I have read your laws, you did make the choice that they recommend."

Virtue nods and sits up in her chair, trying to collect herself. "Yes... I did what I had to, I suppose." She tries to even her facial expression. "Sorry... I didn't mean to get off topic. What did you want to talk about?"

Stiletto lowers her head. "I am sorry Lady Virtue, but this is what I wanted to talk about. I am requesting to be placed in the cell with Flux, this matter was caused by the way I choose to live."

Virtue is speechless "Wh-what?" She blinks in confusion a few times. "This isn't your fault Stiletto..."

Stiletto looks up trying to hold her tears in. "Yes it is. I am the one who has the 'Hedonistic life style'. If I had just lived like the rest of you, this never wood have happened, Flux and I could have been happy together, just the two of us, but that was not enough for me."

Virtue bites her lip and fights for something to say. "Stiletto... I... I'll admit that our cultures are different... and that I don't completely understand... your... love life... but, this is still far from your fault." She sighs. She wished she knew exactly whose fault it was, or if there really was something that could have been done to prevent it. "Glaive... shouldn't have spoken against you like that... and Flux shouldn't have attacked him." She chews her lip for another moment. "You're all adults... and whatever it was between you all was done willingly... I don't see the harm in it..."

Stiletto walks toward Virtue. "Then this is a request. It is selfish, but it will alleviate my guilt."

Virtue looks down at her desk for a few awkward moments. "I... won't stop you if you want to spend time with Flux, of course... but I'm hesitant to actually lock you up with him... what if you're needed? What if... what if somepony hears about this and takes it the wrong way? I... fear tensions are high enough as it is..."

Stiletto breathes out heavily "I should have thought of that before I drove these ponies into such a jealous rage. I wish to remain imprisoned with him until his sentence has ended."

Virtue shakes her head. "Please don't beat yourself up over this..." She stands slowly and takes a step toward her. "...but maybe we should talk to Flux, first?"

Stiletto shakes her head. "Lady Virtue, you have already taken enough pain from this. Please let me take some of the burden from you, spare you some pain. I can bare it, I swear to you."

Tempting as that was, this was Virtue’s responsibility. "I..." She lowers her head slightly. "Thank you for the offer... as I've said before you're a good example to everypony, even if sometimes some ponies don't see it." She looks over to the door and adds: "Let's go see Flux... and talk about what you want to do..."

Stiletto nods slowly. "You are much stronger than anypony knows."

Virtue leads her down to the cell where Flux is being held. "Flux? There's somepony here to talk to you."

Stiletto trots slowly toward the cell. "My kindest love."

Flux looks up at his new visitors, unable to suppress a smile as he recognizes Stiletto. Seeing her expression, however, makes him uncertain. Flux bows to Virtue before addressing Stiletto.

Virtue frowns slightly at the bow and looks down.

"My Beautiful One. How are you, uh, doing?"

Stiletto touches the bars with her fore hoof. 'nur ein wenig Druck und ich konnte ... NEIN!' "I am here to join you."

Flux looks shocked. "What?! No! What... what happened?"

Stiletto closes her eyes. "This is my fault. My choice of life caused this to happen. I must share your punishment, my kindest love, I have made you hurt another pony." 'Ein böses und eifersüchtig Pony unwürdig leckte meine, NEIN!'

Flux looks at her, confused and relieved. "It's not your fault he... said something he shouldn't have. And it's not your fault that I... um, hurt him."

Stiletto points at the lock, "Lady Virtue, if you would please."

Flux worriedly looks at the lock as if he could keep the cell closed with effort of will. "Stiletto, you did nothing wrong!"

Stiletto frowns. "If you believe that you are guilty then I have."

"I would have done that if he had insulted anypony I love. You don't control him, my Beautiful One." Flux reaches a forelimb through the bars to try to caress Stiletto's muzzle."You did nothing wrong."

Stiletto sighs "I control how I present myself, my kindest love, this would not have come about if you and I were a jealous couple, like everypony else."

"It's not your fault how he chooses to react to you. Or... how I chose to react to him."

Stiletto brushes the lock with her forehoof "Please Lady Virtue, before I rip these bars from their hinges."

Virtue hesitates a moment before raising the keys to the lock. "If... if that's what you really want..." She unlocks the door.

Flux looks concerned, but doesn't say anything.

Stiletto trots in slowly and lays down next to Flux and whispers: "I could not stand to be away from you this long."

Virtue frowns slightly. "P-perhaps I should leave you two. Stiletto, if you change your mind, you're free to go... of course..."

Stiletto opens one wing. "I will stay with my most kind love, Lady Virtue. I will not go until he forgives himself."

Virtue nods slowly. "I see. I'll come check up on you two later..." She turns to leave, trying to think of something to say, but fails and just lowers her head as she begins to walk away.

Flux watches Virtue start to leave. "Um, Virtue?"

"Yes?" she asks, looking back

Stiletto looks at Flux with longing eyes "Do not feel any guilt over this."

Flux: "It's... not your fault I'm in here, either."

Virtue sighs and looks away. "Perhaps not... but I can't help but feel responsible." She is silent for a moment. "Before... before Rose was born... before I had any children, I often looked at everypony here as family. I still do. Maybe it's silly... but I felt like some of you really were my children. I can't help but feel proud when you do well... or upset or concerned when something happens to you. I just worry about you... all of you... so much..."

Stiletto tries to pull Flux under her wing "Share with me your pain, and know that I still love you both."

Flux grudgingly accepts the embrace, though he still addresses Virtue.”That's, um, why you're a good leader, Virtue. Just... try not to beat yourself up when we make mistakes..."

Virtue’s expression softens a bit to a teary eyed smile. "Thank you Flux... I'll try." She thinks back to Brook and Barley's deaths and barely contains her emotions. Finally, she says, "I... I'll be upstairs in my office if you need me. I can hear you if you call me... and I'll come check up on you in a bit..."

Stiletto snuggles close to Flux. "Lady Virtue. You are one of the strongest leaders I have ever had the pleasure to meet."

"Th-thank you..." she says sincerely, tears finally forming in her eyes. Perhaps she'd done something right at some point. "Take care, you two. I'll send some food down in a bit... and do whatever I can to get you a proper place to sleep."

Flux can't help but snuggle into Stiletto, her strength and warmth helping him forget the dreary surroundings.

Stiletto lays her head on Flux "I can sleep fine here. Flux is the best pillow ever."

Virtue forms a small smile, nods and heads upstairs.

Flux nuzzles Stiletto, quietly chuckling."I don't think you quite understand how a punishment is supposed to work, my Beautiful One." Flux says, smiling.

"In my homeland, there is only redemption my kindest love."

"I don't think I'll feel very redeemed until either Glaive forgives me or my two months are up..."

Stiletto nuzzles Flux' mane. "One or the other."

69: Living arrangements for Friesden.

Virtue knocks at the door. "Hello? Anypony home?”

Glyph looks up from tickling Friesden. "Ba- Virtue? Please come in!"

Virtue steps inside with Ocean Breeze, smiling nervously. "Hello, you two."

Friesden flies into a tackle of Ocean Breeze, beaming with happiness. "MUM!"

Ocean Breeze throws her hooves around her daughter. "Friesden! I'm so glad to see you..."

Friesden looks around in the corridor. "Is dad here?"

Ocean Breeze strokes Friesden's mane and lets out a small sigh. "No, he's at work right now."

Glyph seems a bit worried, but smiles when he sees Ocean Breeze's reaction. He walks over to the two. "Well, I wasn't expecting to see you, Miss Ocean, But I'm glad you came by. Malen'kaya odna propushchennaya vami."

Friesden's smile falters a bit for a second, then brightens back up again. "Can he see me later? I can't wait to see him again!"

Virtue and Ocean Breeze give Glyph a quizzical look at the peculiar language. "Um, I'm... I'm not sure I caught that last part." She looks down to her daughter and adds, "You'll get to see him soon..." It's clear her heart isn't in her words.

"Sorry..." Glyph thinks a bit. "I said that Little one missed you..." He steps forward and puts a hoof on her withers, whispering in her ear so Friesden wouldn't hear. "But it's good you came, nice to see you're still her mother."

Friesden smiles even /more/ than possible. "That'll be the *best*!"

Ocean Breeze half-frowns and averts her eyes from Glyph. She gives him a small nod, rather than say anything to upset her child.

Virtue steps over to the two embracing ponies and kneels down to Friesden's eye level. "Hello, little one. How are you?"

Glyph bites his lip at that reaction, reminding himself to talk to Ocean privately later.

Friesden smiles at the nice mare. "I'm happy! I'm going to see dad later! It's going to be the best!"

Virtue nods and smiles, already dreading what that meant. "I'm glad to hear it."

Glyph brushes Friesden's mane, then looks back at Virtue. "I'm glad to see you too, Virtue. I wanted to ask you some things."

"Oh?" She looks to the door, wondering if it was private. "What's that?"

"Yeah... I was hoping I could have time off from the guards while I'm taking care of Friesden." He looks at Friesden again and smiles. "I could still run the stables, but I'd prefer not to have to either leave her alone, or bring her to training."

"Oh, I see." She ponders it for a moment. "I'd have to talk to Naginata and see what she thinks, but that shouldn't be a problem. If the badger ponies are on schedule, we shouldn't see them for a while yet."

"Good..." Glyph glances over at Ocean, "Have the others said anything about the stables? I know you said you were gonna ask..."

Friesden is busy hugging Ocean Breeze.

Ocean Breeze is still busy clutching her child and failing to withhold a few tears. Virtue watches for a moment, nearly tearing up herself before turning back to Glyph. "I did ask around, and all of the families I asked seemed to be supportive."

Glyph smiles at the thought. "I was hoping... I've been gettin' plenty of practice, haven't I little Friesdizzy." He smiles again, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Plenty of practice at what?"

"Watching Foals, silly." He reaches out, then stops, not wanting to disturb Ocean’s hug. "You seem to have been having fun at least."

"You're almost as fun as dad!"

Ocean Breeze makes a small noise and subconsciously tightens her grip a bit.

Glyph tries very hard not to tear up at that. "T-thanks malyutka..."

"I know! I'll call you almost-dad!"

Glyph has to try even harder this time, closing his eyes for a second. "I.... t-thanks..."

Ocean Breeze fails to contain the tears that Glyph did, breaking into obvious crying. Virtue dithers for a few moments before stepping over to her and laying a hoof on her back.

Glyph moves over as well, putting his hoof on her withers, and trying to remain strong.

"W-w-what's wrong, mum?"

She sniffles for a few moments and gives Friesden another gentle stroke. "Nothing... I'm just so happy to know you're safe." Which was true, but hardly why she was crying.

Glyph chews his lip a bit more, "Malyutka... would you mind playing outside with Miss Virtue for a bit while I talk to your mother?"

"Miss Virtue? Can I?"

Virtue gives her a warm smile and motions for her to join her at the door. "Of course, honey."

Ocean Breeze reluctantly releases her grip on Friesden and says, "Yes, run along, we'll come get you in a bit."

Glyph brushes Friesden’s mane one last time. "See you around, Friesdizzy. Hope you have fun!"

"Okay!" Friesden goes and walks up to Virtue.

Virtue leads her outside. "Let's go over here..." she begins, leading her away

Friesden follows Virtue happily.

Ocean Breeze stares into the floor where her child was moments ago, not looking up to Glyph

Glyph waits until Friesden is gone before turning to Ocean. "Now then, what's the matter? I... I know it must be hard on you but..." He sighs, moving over to put a hoof on her shoulder again. "You're still her mother... and you still want to be."

She sighs and continues to stare into the floor. "Everything... everything is the matter..." She places her face in her hooves. "What have I done..."

"Maybe... maybe if you told me, I could help?" Glyph sits next to her.

"How much do you know?" she asks. "About... about where she came from?"

"I... not much. I guessed that her father is a Zebra. But that's all." Glyph cocks his head, "Is there more?"

"Nothing that matters... Her father is a zebra. Carmine is not." She wipes her eyes and stifles more crying. "I'm a horrible wife and mother... there... there's nothing I can do to fix this..."

"You..." Glyph thinks for a moment. "You care about Friesden. Even now, when her father won't even acknowledge her existence, you still wanna be her mother. That makes you a good mother. As for a wife... I don't know much about that stuff... but you still care enough about Carmine that you'll stay with him, even with how he's acting."

She remains quiet for a few moments. "I love her just as much as any of my other children... I... I just... oh, gods help me... there's nothing I can do to get her back... I'd give my life if it would solve all of this..."

"What do you mean? You still have her, just look at how happy she was just to see you." He shakes his head. "Killing yourself wouldn't solve anything... but there are always ways."

"But what about Carmine? He was a loving father... he might not be her true father, but he raised her like his own for years... what will I tell her, when she asks if she can see him again? What about the next time she runs into him?"

Glyph 's head droops. "I... I know... I've been trying to think of what to say myself... but. That doesn't mean you can't have her as your daughter. She loves you, and you still love her. Carmine... I... I'm trying not to say anything bad... but... is he even taking care of your other foals now?"

She nods. "He acts like nothing has happened. I... I truly do not understand. Carmine is not like this... I knew he would be upset about it... but I thought he'd be angry at me, not her. He loved her so much, for so long..." Her eyes stay fixated on the floor. "But he still cares about our other foals, yes."

"I... I see..." Glyph chews on his lip as he keeps his hoof on Ocean's withers. Trying to think how to word what he wants to say... and failing. "If... if he's really sick... then..." Glyph sighs. "I'm no good at this..."

"I... I just don't know what to do..."

"I... I don't know..." Glyph takes a deep breath. "If... if he really still cares about the others... but... with how he reacted to Friesden..."

She sighs and simply shakes her head. "I still hope that he will come around. I don't understand why he acts like he does... but I have hope." She looks up to him. "...until he does though... would you keep watching Friesden for me? And thank you for watching her so far..."

"Yes, of course. And you're welcome." Glyph lowers his head and mumbles something in a language she doesn't understand. "I just have to keep happy... for her..."

"Yes... that's all we can do right now... I'm afraid..."

“I... I suppose...” Glyph sighs. “I’m a horrible pony... when... when I heard Friesden call me almost-dad...” he looks away, closing his eyes.

“Y-... no... you’re not horrible...” Ocean sighs, trying and failing to stop more tears from forming in her eyes. “N-no horrible pony would... would ever do... so much good... help Friesden...”

“But I...” He sighs, still looking away from her, “when I heard that, I wanted to not hear the almost... I... I know she’s not mine... but still...” He blinks a few times, and Ocean can see a few tears hit the ground. “Sometimes... I find myself hoping that Carmine... that he won’t get better, so I can h-have her for my own... and I hate that. I shouldn’t feel that way...”

Ocean’s face hardens a bit as she tries to think of how to respond. “I... that doesn’t make you terrible... Friesden’s so sweet... I think most ponies would share your feelings... don’t worry... as long as you...” Ocean takes a moment to sniffle and blink away tears, “as long as you can keep taking good care of her... you will never be horrible.”

“T-thank you...” Glyph finally looks back at Ocean, his eyes still watering a bit. “Y-you’re a good pony... no matter what.” He swallows. “If... if you need anything, I’ll help... any way I can, and whenever you wanna see Friesden, you can just come by. You’re still her real family, not me. I... I’m sorry for... for feeling like I do about Carmine... I just... don’t wanna lose her. Not my first foal... even though she isn’t really mine...”

“Y-you’re a good pony, too... don’t you forget that...” Ocean smiles sadly. “I know what it’s like to lose a foal... Carmine, he’s reasonable... usually... I’m certain he’ll let you watch her when he gets better...”

Glyph sniffles again, moving closer and putting a foreleg over Ocean. “You... you haven’t lost her. She’s your daughter, and nothing, nopony, will change that.” He closes his eyes and takes a few breaths, trying to calm himself a bit. “I... I would like to keep taking care of her a bit... even then... and if you need help with your other foals... I’d love to help... even past what I’m doing with the stables.”

“Th- thank you...” Ocean returns Glyph’s embrace. “It means... more to me than you know...” Ocean uses her other forehoof to wipe her eyes of tears. “And it means more to Friesden, too, I bet... she really seems to love you... my mom always said that family wasn’t always about blood.”

Glyph chews his lip trying to keep his composure a bit. “Semʹya , ya ... YA ne dumal o nyeĭ nravit·sya , chto...” He sniffles. “Thank you... do... do you mind staying here for a bit? I... I don’t want Friesden to see me like this, it would make her worry...”

“It’s... no problem... perhaps we should wash our faces off, too...” Ocean smiles. “Th-thank you so much...”

70: On the care of a Zony.

Glyph and Friesden walk into the trade depot. The Zebra caravan is there, although they'll be leaving soon, which is why Glyph had chosen now to come and find one to speak to. 'If I need to know something... after all, a zebra is different than a pony... and a... what would the word even be.. Zony? Whatever it would be, they might react badly to some things... can't take the risk of Friesden getting hurt by something that should help her... or anything like that.'

Friesden is happily flying in circles around Glyph's head as he thinks, he looks up at her. "Careful Friesdizzy, make sure you don't run into any of these boxes."

"I won't!” About one second later she does, knocking a large crate to the ground.

Azikiwe hears the crash, and comes to investigate "Careful, young one, your parents might not be pleased should your lack of care cause injury, or break some item of far-off-lands."

Friesden eeps and flutters back over to Glyph.

"I'm sorry sir, my malyutka didn't mean to hurt anything." Glyph puts a foreleg around Friesden. "Actually I came down to speak to one of you... umm... did anything break?"

Azikiwe watches the filly get up, and then straightens the bumped box, before pausing and looking over at her. "it should be fine, that box was filled with fabrics." he pauses, contemplating his wording... "such a lovely filly, she is.."

Friesden remembers her manners. "Thank you mister Zebra."

Glyph smiles. "That she is. But I should ask your name, can't just call you zebra."

Azikiwe smiles to Friesden "You are quite welcome, young one. and, most call me Azikiwe"

"Um. Thank you mister Azikiwe."

Glyph chuckles. "So Azikiwe, do you have time to talk? I know you're all probably busy but..."

Azikiwe nods. "I can spare some time, Of what did you wish to speak?"

Glyph thinks a bit, trying to find some... tactful way of putting it. "It's about um..." He glances at Friesden. "Well, zebras really..."

Friesden perks her ears up. "Why do you want to talk about Zebras, almost-dad?"

"Well, you are special malyutka..." Glyph smiles at her.

Azikiwe nods. "Ah yes, it's not terribly uncommon for one to have questions, I shall, try and provide answers as best I can."

A female zebra is watching the foal playing, and comes closer. "Ah, you must be the filly, Indigo told me about."

Friesden 's eyes boggle. "Ponies are talking about me?"

Glyph looks at the new zebra. "So, you know about Friesden then. I hope you don't mind me coming by looking for answers miss...”

“I'm Sekashi. You would be the second pony to ask me for answers recently. I'm not an oracle, but only a simple trader. You can ask your questions, and I'll answer what I can." She then turns towards the foal and says "Yes, ponies are talking about you. It is uncommon for a pony to have stripes like yours."

Friesden looks at herself. "I only got these stripes recently..."

"Well, they are quite beautiful, aren't they?" asks Sekashi

"...I liked how I looked before..." Friesden looks a bit wistful. "Why do I have these stripes anyway?"

"Maybe you have a zebra ancestor, little one." says Sekashi.

“Well I think your stripes are beautiful malyutka.” Glyph looks back at Sekashi and shakes his head. "Name’s Glyph, don't really need an oracle, just basic information. I want to make sure Friesden is taken care of right, and I don't want to mess anything up because of a lack of knowledge."

"I see, so you are looking after her now, and you want to know about foals, yes?" asks Sekashi.

Friesden scrunches her head in thought. "Why do you need to ask the zebras about how to take care of me? Can't you ask mum? Isn't that what you were talking about?"

"I've had my foals, and your mum isn't here. I can answer his questions, if he wants me to." Sekashi looks at Glyph, then at one of their wagons, then at Glyph again.

Friesden 's face is marked with confusion. "But... But... Mum was talking to him!"

"Glyph is concerned about you, child. He wants to learn as much about upbringing foals as he can. From your mum, from other mums, and from me. If he wants to learn about the zebra way of rising children, who am I to deny him the knowledge?" asks Sekashi.

"Not about foals in general... I remember enough... actually I'm acting as a stabil'nyi˘ otets for the foals here. Just about Friesden... I don't know if I'll need to do anything... different." He rubs the back of his head. "Mainly medical stuff probably."

Azikiwe smiles to Friesden. "It is rarely harmful to seek the advice of another. And, if you are as special as you might be, it could be helpful for your... caretaker, to understand more of our kind."

Friesden has confusion on her entire body now. "But I'm not special. I'm just another pony."

Azikiwe chuckles "As we all are."

Friesden has still got confusion all over her. "Aren't you a zebra?"

"It matters not, if you are special. Just if you are happy with it. And yes, we are zebras. We are not so different from the ponies." Sekashi looks intensely at the filly, than adds "I see this is a difficult time for you, child. Just have faith that things will turn out for the best for you. Ponies care and look after you. As for your friend, he looks for his answers wherever he can find them." She then looks at Glyph, and walks off towards one of their wagons.

Glyph looks at Friesden. "Do you mind just playing with your new friend here? I think Sekashi wants to talk to me privately."

"Um. Okay." says Friesden.

Glyph tousles her mane, then goes to follow the zebra

Azikiwe smiles and nods "Yes, tell me more about yourself, young one while Sekashi and your friend talk."

Friesden tells him about her mum and dad, and almost-dad and her siblings. Azikiwe smiles and listens, sometimes asking her questions. Eventually she gets excited, and starts flying around in circles again.

Sekashi walks towards one of their wagons, jumps inside, looks through a chest, and emerges with a book. They are both still in sight of the filly, while Azikiwe keeps her occupied. “Talking about zebra foals confuses and upsets her. It is better for us to talk alone.” She taps the book with her hoof. It looks rather old and used. “What would you like to know? There are some differences, brews we make for the foals to make them stronger, trials, exercises. None of these things is truly essential."

"I just want to make sure I don't cause problems. I... I don't know a lot, but I know some medicine and other things will even effect the different kinds of ponies differently..." He looks back at Friesden. "I don't wanna hurt her by accident..."

"Ah, I see. Yes, some kinds of potions work differently with ponies and zebras, but regular food and drink are the same. If her mother was able to hide her here this long as a Pegasus, I wouldn't expect any problems. Do you know how much zebra blood does she have exactly?"

"How much?" Glyph cocks his head, "Um... her father was a zebra... is that what you wanted to know?"

"Yes, that is what I was asking about.” Sekashi nods, then asks "Do you know if she has wings after her mother or father? Ibises usually keep to our homeland."

“Her mother was a Pegasus.” Glyph shrugs, “Dunno what her father was... didn't think I should ask... does that change anything?”

“No, it shouldn't change much. She has wings either way. But why is her being a half-zebra such a problem to ponies? She looks healthy, if unhappy for a child." asks Sekashi after a moment of silence.

Glyph shrugs. "I don't care. I love malyutka's stripes, and the rest of her. Although I think the fact that her mother is married might be a part of it."

"Ah, I see how that would cause a problem. As to your questions, she could be more vulnerable to some herbs, but nothing that should matter. There is a chance of sterility, and other disabilities, but she looks healthy, so that shouldn't be a problem either. I've seen only a handful of zonies in my life, and most managed just fine. As for zebra foals," she opens her book. It is in zebra, but there are some illustrations. "I can tell you a lot, but it will take some time. From what I have seen ponies teach their foals to rely on each other, while my people consider self-reliance and ability to survive a great virtue. So we teach our foals the basics of survival before they are sent on a journey to discover their glyph.” explains Sekashi.

"I see, so the glyph... that's what you have instead of a cutie mark right?" He looks at the pictures. "Dunno which one she'll have... though she probably won't wanna learn too much about zebra culture... she still doesn't seem to understand what she is."

"At some point you will have to tell her, but now is not the time. Yes, if she wants to be a pony, and grows among ponies, then bring her up as a pony. The cutie mark is what you ponies have instead of glyphs, true. But glyphs are more symbolic in meaning, and only clear to those who can read them. She will be raised by ponies, so she is more likely to have a cutie mark, than a glyph. Not that it matters, as both are just external representations of our special talents." She looks him in the eyes "You are now her caretaker, yes?"

Glyph chews his lip. "I suppose worst case I can always ask the next caravan questions... yeah I’m acting as her father now. Why do you wanna know?"

"You are taking care of her, that is good. But what about her family? Her mother?"

"Her mother..." Glyph gets a faraway look in his eyes for a moment. "She... she still cares deeply for Friesden, and she will try to spend as much time as she can with her but..." Glyph shakes his head and sighs. "Her father... that Smert' rog... he threw Friesden out, and there are the other foals, Friesden's siblings, her mother can't just leave them..."

"Ah, that must be hard for all of them.” her smile disappears briefly. “I have an advice for you. The most important thing to teach her is the ability to be grateful for the gift of breathing. To endure and thrive in any conditions. That, and not standing in the way of what she is to become. But those are lessons for later, she may be still to young to understand."

"The importance of breathing huh..." Glyph thinks a bit. "Not sure I even understand fully... but like you said, that can wait for now."

"Are you happy? Or are you worried now?" asks Sekashi, cocking her head.

"No, not worried...." Glyph watches Friesden flying around Azikiwe's head. "Not for me at least... I want to do everything right for her... no matter what she feels... she's my daughter now... my first..."

Meanwhile, Azikiwe sits back with a smile, watching the filly circle happily.

"There are always some things you must do. Some trials you must face. Some things to prepare for. But as long as you know you can handle them, you don't need to worry. You are still young and healthy. You can handle life. Teach her that. She is now your responsibility, and you need to take care of her. Look after her, and learn what you can about foals, but don't worry. You don't need to." Sekashi looks Glyph in the eyes, and then at flying Friesden.

"I... I will." He smiles a bit. "Thank you. I may know how to take care of foals... but this is different... this one's mine. I won't worry, I'll just be there for her... always, just as I promised."

"I see that this is difficult for you and her family, but things will work out in the end. Trust in that, and take care of her. As for her mother’s husband, bucks sometimes value their honor above their responsibilities. From what I heard, he took his wife's infidelity very badly. Try to convince him to let his wife and children see the filly."

"Let them?" Glyph chuckles darkly. "He doesn't have a choice in the matter. Besides, she now has a father in the militia, and two mothers, one guard and one militia. I don't think he he'll be refusing her anything."

Sekashi notices the change in Glyph's mood. Two mothers? "So you are going to threaten him? He took this hard. If you push him too much, he may snap. The blue unicorn said, he doesn't even recognize the child."

"He doesn't seem to. But that's no excuse. There is absolutely no excuse for hurting a foal. Especially this foal." Glyph smiles grimly. "But no, I won't threaten him. Not unless he does something intentional to harm Friesden."

"Yes, he did hurt her, and his wife and their other children. That is his crime. But did he do it to hurt them, or because he himself was hurt? How long has he known, she is not of his blood? How did he find out? Do your laws say he can abandon a foal that is not his? Consider these questions. It is good that you seek only to protect the child. Hurting the old fool further won't do any good to his wife and the foals, and it won't teach him anything."

Glyph shakes his head. "I just said, I'm not going to threaten him. I'm just angry at the hurt he caused. You may be right, and I doubt he did it to be malicious, but it's still not something easy to forget." he scuffs the ground with a hoof, "But I won't hurt him. It wouldn't solve anything, and it would break Friesden's heart."

"Good, so you understand this is about making things better, not revenge.” Sekashi puts a hoof on Glyph’s withers. “Tell me about the blue unicorn, Indigo. How is he involved into all this?"

"Indigo... he works with Carmine apparently, and Carmine asked him to do something about me and Friesden." Glyph shrugs. "Like I said, he really doesn't seem to remember her."

"He came to me asking if we lost a foal. He then told me there is a striped foal in the town, that wasn't here before, but she knows things about the camp, as if she were here for a long time. He mentioned this Carmine only briefly. Perhaps I should talk to him again. He wasn't malicious, but rather apologetic for even asking. He seems concerned about his friend, and the foal as well, and most of all confused. I told him to help his friend if he asks, but let other ponies handle this otherwise." Sekashi sighs. "And that we didn't lose a foal, and would notice an Ibis following our caravan."

"Are you telling me to stay out? Or... why are you telling me about this?"

“Because you need to understand the situation well to handle it well, and there are a lot of ponies already involved. You said, the blue unicorn is working with Carmine. It may be so, but I do not think he will be causing you trouble, or trying to hurt the filly. If he tries, explain things to him alone. He means well, but is confused." Sekashi laughs "Otherwise the silly pony wouldn't be asking me about a lost foal."

Glyph looks confused. "Of course he doesn't mean harm, he was trying to help me, and her. At least it seems like he was... even I could tell he wasn't trying to hurt anypony."

After a pause Sekashi adds, "The biggest thing of concern about him is how he reacts to the mother. From what I gather he finds infidelity to be a great crime."

"Oh... I hope he won't cause problems there... or for me, some ponies might see Stiletto, Kat, and me as... wrong. Maybe... still don't understand a lot of that stuff." says Glyph with concern.

Sekashi raises her brow at that, but decides not to inquire about their relationships. Instead she says: "Well, your responsibility is taking care of the filly now. You can't protect every pony in this place, but other guards could keep a discrete watch on Carmine's family, for a few weeks at least. You also have other things to consider. You should find out what your leader has to say about this. What does pony law say about dispossessing and adopting a child? These things may not seem important to you, but it is good to handle them properly, so that nopony will cause her trouble."

"Maybe... I've talked to Virtue... but everypony seems to think Carmine will get better, and just... take her back." Glyph looks over at Friesden sadly. "I... I'm not so sure... and I'm even less sure which would be better..."

"Perhaps he will. Perhaps he won't. Indigo said, Carmine doesn't even seem to remember her now. He could by lying. He could be insane. He could be shielding himself from shame and hurt. In any case forcing him to take her back will do her no good. You can't make him love her."

"I..." Glyph sighs. "I don't want him to take her back really... um... don't tell anypony that though. I... I really shouldn't act like that..."

Sekashi looks at the circling filly. "I understand, and your secrets are safe with me, as long as they endanger nopony or zebra. You care about the filly, and want the best for her. Adopting her might be a better course of action than giving her back. Just make sure, she can see her mother, and play with other foals. This won't be easy for her, but in time she will understand."

"Of... of course, I wouldn't take her away from her mother... never. But... I don't know if the others would allow me to adopt her, like I said, they all seem to think he'll get better and take her back."

"Time will show. My best advice is to be ready for both. For now just take care of her as best as you can, and talk to your leader about adoption.” After a pause Sekashi adds “Now, is there anything else you'd like to ask me about?"

"I... I don't think so. Like I said, mainly I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to hurt her by accident."

"Would you like to buy something then? Or did you just come to us to talk?" Sekashi speaks with a sudden spark in her eye.

"Buy something? I kinda just came to talk... didn't know there was more to do..."

Sekashi puts away her book. "Well, you asked me for advice, and I gave it to you, but our main service is trade. Just look around if you want anything. We have cloth, food, jewelry, herbal medicine, some curiosities and other things." She gestures towards their wares and smiles.

“Trade..” Glyph shakes his head. “Why would you... never-mind. I should probably just head home. Or maybe take her to see her siblings, Carmine should be busy at work right now.”

“Of course. Come back if you need anything or have further questions. As for why would you... buy something from us, is that what you wanted to ask? We are a trade caravan. Shall I explain you how this works?” asks Sekashi with a playful smile.

Glyph chuckles slightly. “I think I get the idea, just still don’t understand why, I have food, shelter, my clothes... and now I even have some family... why should I get anything?” He shrugs. “Guess this is what Stiletto has to deal with a lot. It was nice meeting you Sekashi, you think you’re going to be in the next caravan?”

“Ah, a pony of little needs, are you now? That is commendable. As I told you, our people consider self-reliance to be a virtue.” she smiles and looks into Glyph’s eyes, then adds. “Lady Virtue does most of the trading with us, but some ponies have special needs and want various trinkets for themselves. And yes, if the gods are good, I’ll be back next year. Goodbye to you, then.” Sekashi walks Glyph and Friesden out of the depot, and waves her hoof at them, while Azikiwe bows, and says “It was a pleasure to meet you”.

Glyph walks home, smiling as he watched Friesden flying around. ‘She might not understand what she is... but she’s still happy. With what Sekashi said, looks like I won’t have to worry about doing anything wrong because of her heritage either.’ He trots forward, next to Friesden. “I bet I can beatcha back home!” He chuckles and runs forward, happy to have made a new friend in the caravan, and happy to have his daughter.

71: A visit to the jail.

Jaxler was making his way to the jail. He had a lot to think about after Granite told him that he was a kleptomaniac. Jaxler knew that he couldn't handle this on his own so he was going to talk to a pony who could help. As he made his way down to the dark jail room he saw him. There Flux was, but to Jaxler's surprise there two others in the room.

Stiletto perks up when she notices the new visitor. "Hello Jaxler, I thought Kat was our guard."

Flux looks up from lounging by Stiletto as best the cell will allow. "Hmm? Oh, um, heya Jaxler."

Kat steps down the stairs with a tray of food that she was sent to fetch for the three of them and almost bumps into Jaxler, but manages to stops herself first. "Oh! hey there Jaxler. Whatcha doing down here?"

"Hello Kat and... Stiletto. Yes, Kat is your guard but that's not why I'm here. I need to talk to Flux in private about the safety of one of our citizens."

Flux cocks his head to the side, confused. "Me? Uh, what?"

Stiletto eyes the food, her hunger growing. "Oh, well I really can not leave here yet."

Kat tilts her head slightly at that. "The safety of one of our citizens? With Flux?"

Jaxler nods. "The problem is currently a personal mater and the guard hasn't been informed of it yet, mainly because the parties involved wish to stay anonymous at this time."

Flux still looks confused, but goes along with it. "Um... ok?" He looks to the two mares. "Um, Stiletto? Kat? Can Jaxler and I, uh, have some privacy?"

Kat sets the tray down on the table nearby for now. "well.. I could, but what about Stiletto?"

Flux glances at Kat's wings and the keys underneath. "Uh... the keys? I, um, don't think it'll take long?"

Stiletto looks reluctant to leave Flux's side. "For you my kindest love." She then looks to Kat. "I can show you how I cook."

Flux nuzzles Stiletto to try to reassure her that it'll be alright.

Kat smiles and nods, opening one of her wings to take the ring of keys from it's place, unlocking the cell door and opening it for Stiletto to come out. "I still have no idea how you're going to cook this."

Jaxler watches the two leave the room but doesn't say a thing until both of them are gone. "Flux, are you still Granite's master?"

"Um... maybe? I don't know if, uh, being arrested stops that. Um, why?"

"Well, *sigh* Granite stole my crossbow recently and after I caught him he told me that he has kleptomania. Seeing how you have some influence on him, I thought that you could help me try to help him with it."

Flux looks concerned, but not too shocked. "I...I'll try. I, um, don't know how much he'll listen to me, but I'll do what I can."

"Also, I think that you might want to talk to him about his drinking problem."

"I've, um, talked to him a bit about it, but he... still shows up to the furnace drunk sometimes."

"I'm sorry, I'd talk to him about his drinking problems, but I'm not really one to give advice when it comes to drinking."

Flux opens his mouth like he wants to ask something, but decides against it. He instead gives a small nod and apologetic smile.

"Also, the foal has some self-esteem problems and thinks that everyone hates him."

Flux sighs, knowing self-esteem problems first hoof. "I think I can help him with that, at least."

"Good, 'cause I really can't do crap about any of those things, but I really need to get the kleptomania in check before he gets arrested."

"Um, I think he might be doing it because of his self-esteem issues."

"Cool, but I need to find a fast way to help him handle his kleptomania. So, do you have any ideas as to how I can take care of this quickly?"

"Um, I don't know if this can be fixed quickly, but..." Flux sits down, considering for a few moments. "Um, I have a bag of bits under my, uh, mattress in my room. Would you... take some and buy an instrument? He needs something to focus his energy on. I, um, think an instrument might be just the thing."

"Sure, but before I go, you need to promise me that you won't tell anyone about this, not even Stiletto. I wasn't even supposed to tell you about this."

Flux solemnly swears, complete with the motions. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Jaxler nods, relieved. "Good, then I guess it's probably about time I leave."

"Um... ok then, Jaxler. Thanks for, um, visiting."

Jaxler got up to make his way to the stairs but stops at the first step. "Oh, I almost forgot. Can you please stop using that piccolo?"

Flux looks down, having forgotten about his other crime. "Um... ok..."

Jaxler then makes his way up the steps. "See ya later Flux"

Flux keeps his eyes in the floor. "Um, ya... see you later, Jaxler..."

72

"...and I'm telling you again, you got it completely wrong about that pony. Please, Glaive, just come and talk to him with me! We can sort this out if we sit our rumps down and discuss it properly instead of flinging barbed insults around left right and centre!" Slightly flustered and sporting a harassed expression, Falcata puts her best pleading tone on, knowing she'd have more luck this way than by shouting at him. Glaive had done more than enough shouting last time, and she had no intention of getting him worked up should she actually succeed in convincing him to talk to Flux down in the dark dungeons beneath the keep.
Already facing towards the door as if the decision were already made, she glances back over her withers at Glaive, swishing her tail with poorly concealed impatience. "I promise you, you'll feel better if you fix this now and don't let it fester."

It had been several days since Glaive fight with Flux, but Falcata would not let him forget about, try as he might. Eventually, he decided that if trying to talk to Flux would make Falcata happy, he would try.
"Okay Falcata, okay, I'll go, but I don't think this will end like you think it will."
Glaive stands up and grabs his axe (he didn't go anywhere without it anymore), and put his steel boots on three of his legs, the forth wouldn't fit over the cast. Glaive and Falcata then begin to head to the keep. They begin to walk down the stairs to the prison cell, Glaive stops before reaching the bottom, not yet having line of site on the cell or it's prisoner.
"Flux, are you there? (Stupid question he thinks to himself just as the words leave his mouth) It is Glaive, and Falcata, I... can we talk?" he calls down

Stiletto had Flux safely nestled under her wing when she heard Glaive call out. She nudged him ever so gently and whispered
"What do I do? Glaive is coming, the last time we spoke he pulled a weapon on me. Should I call out and let him know I am here or just try to ignore him?"
She wanted to stay with here kindest love and comfort him, especially at a time like this, when a jealous military pony with an irrational mind was coming to "Speak" with him.

Kat perks her ears up from hearing the call, she'd recognize that voice anywhere. Quickly getting onto her hooves she takes a few steps away from the cell's door, after all, as much as she cares about the two ponies inside it, she wouldn't want other ponies to think wrong about it. "Oh dear.." she squeaked quietly.

'Uh-oh. Ok, um, think think think... uh... Stiletto first!'
Flux nervously looks into Stiletto's eyes, hoping what he's about to say wont upset her.
"Um... maybe you should leave the cell for now? I, uh, really would like to talk to him."

Stiletto looked to the cell door, then the stairs, and finally back at Flux
"I can not get out without going past him, and I want to be here for you. I also do not trust him to not try and take vengeance on you. I could hide, but that would just cause more questions. No I think it is best we face this now. Kat, call him down."

The pegasi mare nodded at that, taking a few steps closer to the stairs just to be sure she could be heard.
"The Prisoners are here, You can come down." she called out. cringing slightly to call them 'Prisoners'.

'Oh gods, was that Kat's voice? She's one of Stiletto's...friends, isn't she, this just got worse. Wait did she say, prisoners? We have more than just Flux locked up?'
Glaive moves down the stairs nods to Kat and looks toward the cell. He sees Flux and Stiletto curled up on the floor. He really didn't want to talk to her, especially with how she acted the last time they spoke, he looks to Flux hoping for a way out of this, "Is now a bad time? Should I come back later?"

Flux reluctantly stands and leaves Stiletto's side, walking to the bars of the cell.
"Um... I'm not really... going anywhere?"
He winces as his attempted joke flies like a rock.
"I'd, um... really like to talk, if that's... alright?"

"Yes, talk," interjects Falcata, hissing the words into Glaive's ear. "You're not getting away that easily. 'Come back later'; as if! Now go on! With that, she propels him gently towards the cell, rolling her eyes behind his back. Honestly.
Raising her gaze towards the heavens beyond the stone ceiling, she offers a silent prayer to every god she knows that everything will go smoothly. Even the minor deities whom nopony bothered much with; she wasn't taking any chances after all the "excitement" of last time.

'Why is Stiletto locked up? Is she just visiting Flux, or is it for her behavior at the hospital? She certainly deserved to be locked up, but I'm surprised that Virtue would do it.'
Glaive hesitates a bit before moving right up to the cell door. "Yes Flux, talking is why I am here. Talking, not fighting, not shouting, just talk." Glaive looks to Stiletto and then back to Flux, "But, I'd rather not talk about this in front of her."

"Why not? He will tell me later in any event. There are no falsehoods between us."
Stiletto stands and walks with deliberately nonthreatening movements to Flux's side
"There is also no need to be nervous about my presence here." She bows here head "I am very sorry that I lost my temper with you earlier and scared you. That is why I am here, but also I am here to support meine freundlichsten Liebe."
She raises her head and nods once

'Scared me! Does she think I'm some foal. No Glaive, you don't need to get in another fight. Just ignore the B^!@% and focus on talking to Flux. She's just trying to provoke you.'
Glaive sighs, "Very well Stiletto. Stay if you must." Glaive looks at Flux, thinking very hard about what to say.
'I don't know what Falcata wants me to tell him, and I'm not going to take back my words about Stiletto from before she knows that, I guess I'll make it up as I go.'
"Flux, I don't apologize for what I said, but that doesn't excuse the way I said it. I apologize for provoking you. I'm sorry."

Having previously planted a forehoof firmly on her face at Glaive's clumsy objection to Stiletto's presence, Falcata now dares to peek out from behind it.
I hadn't expected him to agree to her staying. Maybe somepony up high really is listening after all. Or maybe Glaive is finished being so damned stubborn.
Then, Glaive comes out with one of the worst attempts at starting an apology speech she's ever heard, and her confidence drops like a stone.
He doesn't apologise for wha- only how- but- that's not even...so his fillyfriend is still a, what was it, vile, perverted whore? Except he should have said that more nicely?
Containing a huge sigh and a rising desire to fly very far away very quickly, Falcata decides that it must have been divine intervention after all. Her love was still more unyielding than an oak tree rooted to the spot, it seemed.
Just lie, just lie...tell him you've had a gods-damned epiphany or something and you think she's a splendid mare! Normally Falcata found Glaive's gentlecoltly truthfulness sweet and charming, but now she just wishes whichever god made him agree to Stiletto staying would come back again before he got another leg broken.

Kat Watched. but stepping away from the group to give some breathing ground and towards her little table with a bottle of drink on it.
'well.. looks like they decide to sit down and talk about things.. oh I hope they'll work something out.' she thought hopefully, sitting there at her table ears up at attention. pulling her wings closer to herself to feel the things she kept in there to reassure herself. 'Hopefully..'

Flux glares at Glaive for a moment, then shakes his head to try to clear his rising anger.
'He's entitled to his opinion, no matter how wrong it is.'
He look back to Glaive after taking a few calming breaths.
"...Alright. Um, I'm sorry for, uh, breaking your leg..."

'What does a pony say to that?' Glaive is quiet for just long enough for it to feel awkward, before he speaks again.

"Its...Its okay Flux. I understand. If you had said the things I had said about Stiletto, about Falcata, I probably would have done at least the same. I think I can forgive you."

The words tasted a half-lie to Glaive. Truth was he still felt like he was in the right with everything he had said, and he hadn't fully forgiven Flux for initiating the violence, but he knew that accepting his apology was the right thing to do, and if he was going to keep the moral high ground, he couldn't turn this into a personal grudge, as much as he might like too.

'Well... thinking he can forgive me is better than I feel about me, so...'
Flux reaches his right hoof through the bars to offer a shake, then sheepishly changes to his left. After all, Glaive probably isn't capable of shaking with his broken leg...
"Um... peace?"

Glaive watches as Flux hastily changed hooves, slightly amused by his actions. Glaive reaches out to shake Flux's hoof and says, "Peace."

Speechless, Falcata looks on with delight at the two ponies shaking hooves.
Oh, wow. He did it. I think he just did it. A silent, mental fanfare erupts in her head, and she breaks out into a shaky, relieved smile. Glaive hadn't let her down by refusing the shake or by doing anything else stupid.
Okay, maybe they weren't exactly best friends just yet, but with luck maybe they were just beginning to set foot on the path to proper friendship. A pony could dream, right?

After his talk with Flux, Glaive walks back up the stairs. He pauses for a moment outside Virtue's office. He thinks to himself for a moment, but before Falcata can ask him why he stopped, he turns and knocks on Virtue's office door.

Virtue looks over from the cabinet of books she was fussing over and says: "Come in."

Glaive reaches out a hoof and opens the door. It creaks a bit as he pushes it aside as he walks in. "Miss Virtue, It's Glaive. I'd like to speak with you, if you have a moment. It is about your prisoners."

Virtue feels a knot form in her stomach at the statement. "Alright, what's on your mind?" she says, moving back to her desk and motioning for him to take a seat across from her.

Falcata hovers uncertainly at the door, both worried and curious as to what Glaive is up to.

Glaive takes his seat across from Virtue. "Uh, well, first I'd like to ask you a question. How much time is left on Flux's sentence?"

Virtue frowns slightly and does some math in her head. "Let's see... fifty-eight days, I think..."

Glaive frowns as well. "I see, uh, since I was the wronged party, could I request that he be let out sooner than that? I... I just talked to him, and I don't think you need to worry about us getting into another fight. And I did provoke him a bit. I don't think the full two months is required."

"Oh... I, um, yes... you can do that." Virtue looks a bit surprised, but her expression quickly changes to relief. "Th-the law says that he gets two months for assaulting somepony of your station... although the offended can increase or decrease that sentence to a degree if desired... What did you have in mind?"

Falcata wordlessly moves forwards to place a hoof on Glaive in a gesture of affection, smiling in joyful disbelief. Glaive was full of surprises today, none of them bad ones either.

Glaive thinks as he looks out the window and sees the sun still high in the sky. He turns back to Virtue. "Let him stay here tonight. Give him time to think over our talk, but let him out in the morning in time for him to get back to work. Dawnpick needs it's smelters running."

Virtue perks up and a small smile forms on her face. "Oh... that's... that's very generous of you! Alright, I'll do that." In truth, once the charges had been filed she shouldn't be able to reduce them to less than two weeks, but for this she'd make origami out of the rule-book.

Falcata beams at her love. "Glaive, I- I'm so proud of you. You-" Unable to articulate her delight and pride fully, Falcata just hugs the bearded unicorn instead, letting the gesture convey her feelings better than any words ever could.

Virtue feels her smile form into a small grin at the gesture.

Glaive, deep down, wasn't sure that this was the right thing to do, but Falcata's hug and show of support strengthened his resolve. "Thank you Falcata." Glaive turns to Virtue, "Thank you for this Baroness. I'm sorry that our disagreements have caused you this much work, but it should be over, for now." The ponies bid their farewells and Glaive and Falcata leave.

73: Ain't No party like a Dawnpick Party!

Author's Note

Never before published! I do not know where the beginning of the scene is...

73: Ain't No party like a Dawnpick Party!

"P-party!? I... I don't know..."

"PARTY does that mean free booze?"

"Um... yes?"

"How much free booze?"

"Where's the stew?"

"You do not have to worry Cherry; all of your good friends will be coming."

"Uh, maybe a barrel per pony?"

"B-booze... you mean like alcohol? Umm... d-do you have any mead? I like mead..."

"Only one? Ug... Oh well at least it's free"

"I would say four, in honor of our fine brewers." *whispers to Flux* "I will pay for the extra; I have been at the still with many herbs lately."

Flux whispers back to Stiletto: "It's not the price I'm worried about..."

"Aye flux, I'm bringing my crossbow with me"

Stiletto whispers again "I need two for myself just to get buzzed my kindest love."
Stiletto nods "We will have plenty of mead Cherry."

"Will there be any moonshine?"

"Um, alright Jaxler. I know how important your crossbow is to you."

"I think Sweet Nectar can make some from onions Jaxler."

"Do we have Beer too? Please tell me we have some of those beers too."

"S-Stiletto... Flux... th-thank you for inviting me... I don't get invited to parties... and we didn't really have big parties at home..." Kat stammered, "Parties are nice."

Stiletto starts to set up the Still and dance area "You are most welcome Cherry, have fun and enjoy yourself."

Cherry Pop looks around for anyone else she knows, but doesn't see anyone, so she steps a tiny bit closer to Kat. "Hi... how... how are you today?"

Kat beams Cherry pop a smile as she was looking for some more drinks "Pretty great! And you?"

"I'm alright. I'm... not really comfortable around so many people... but I'll be alright, I think. Wh... would you like to do something?"

"Sure! Anything on your mind?" Flux nervously sets up a music stand and places several sheets of music on it.

"Well... I don't really know... I've never danced before..."

"Oh? You’re missing out! Seriously, Flux's music's something anypony could dance to. Want me to help you out?"

"Uh... okay..." Cherry gulps as she follows Kat to the dance floor.

"Now we could wait for the music to start before starting to dance, wouldn't want to get ponies looking at us silly now would we?"

"That seems like a good idea, I guess. I've never really danced before..." Cherry seems to shrink again.

Flux sets up a 2nd music stand with accompanying music sheets.

Stiletto sets up a table with many mugs and several dozen barrels around it

Deciding not to waste a party like this just walking around, Midnight also heads up to the dance floor and waits for the music to start.

Falcata bursts in through the doors, flustered at being late and with the huge ornate bronze lyre crammed haphazardly into one saddlebag.

Flux runs a hoof over the case of the piccolo, still not quite believing it's actually his now. He starts a bit as Falcata bursts in.

"It's alright, I haven't danced much before neither. But just relax okay? No need to do anything flashy. Just enjoy yeah?" she said, trying to calm Cherry down and beaming her another smile.

Cherry Pop jumps at the noise, sliding a few millimeters closer to Kat. "O-okay... just enjoy myself..."

Stiletto waves at Falcata "Welcome to the party, food or a drink to get you started."

Midnight flinches from the pony bursting in. Clearly he's still not used to being with such a loud group.
Flux smiles and waves at Falcata, his nervousness about playing in front of so many temporarily forgotten.

"Thanks, Stil, but I'll pass," she saunters on by, making a beeline for the music stands.

Jaxler walks into the building and notices a pony whom he was unfamiliar with but decides to go over to the corner and starts draining the booze supply

"Um, hey Falcata. Is... Glaive coming?"

Stiletto looks at Jaxler and chuckles "Save a bit for latter Jaxler, you do not want to pass out before the music do you?"

"Um....maybe. I don't know. Um."

Jaxler heard the alicorn which ruined his decent mood. "Why the hell wouldn't I want to pass out as soon as possible?"

Flux mentally kicks himself for bring it up and tries to change the subject. "Uh... ready to, um, play?"

"The brewers spent a lot of time on those, you should enjoy the flavor Jaxler, and the pleasant feelings it brings." *Takes a mug of mead for herself.*

Falcata extricates the lyre awkwardly from inside her bag, lifting it into a somewhat playable position. "Ready if you are, I guess." she shrugs, trying to balance on two legs while holding the heavy instrument.

Jaxler started to drink again and said quietly to himself "I really don't need any advice".

Stiletto trots onto the dance floor and begins to dance a little jig with Midnight

Midnight smiles wide as he dances with the hostess.

Flux considers what to play next as the first song starts winding down, his apprehension fast fading as he sees the others so happy

Kat beams cheerfully as she sees Cherry starting to loosen up and swaying with the music. "There you go, a good start no?"

Falcata hesitates barely a second before transitioning into the next song: a quick and jolly reel, noticeably faster than the previous tune.

"Yeah... this isn't so bad."

Flux follows Falcata's lead, tapping a hoof in time as he enjoys the music.

Cherry Pop adjusts her small dance to the new tune

Midnight pauses for a few moments. Listening to the new beat before dancing along with it.

Stiletto nods at midnight "Hello, I am Stiletto TrustGood I do not believe we have met." dances with the beat of the new song

"I'm Midnight. Though many of my friends simply call me Blue, or Dusk. You can too if you'd like."

"I think Midnight is a fine name, you dance with great agility."

"Thank you. You're skilled as well."

Kat offers Cherry pop a hoof "how about some sky dancing? I’m sure you'd love it!"

"Sky... dancing? Uh... okay..." Cherry takes Kat's hoof.

Stiletto nods "I practice as much as I can, I love to dance."

"It really shows."

Stiletto looks at the refreshments table and then back to Midnight "I had a very good time dancing with you, I really need get to back to hosting though, come get some food or a drink when you can."

Kat noticed Cherry pop's lack of wings and Blushes embarrassingly, but tried to think up of a way to make it work, she ends up just hovering a feet or two above the ground and danced along with Cherry, helping her off of some of her weight so she'll get a feel of lightness "Not much of a sky dancing huh?"

Midnight adds a quick bow to his dance. "It's been a pleasure."

"N-not what you had in mind?" Cherry blushes herself, letting go of Kat and abashedly resuming her ground dance. "I'm sorry, Kat."

Glaive arrives at the scene. He was clearly uncomfortable, he didn't really want to be there. He'd had Flux released, but didn't really feel that anything about this was worth celebrating. Plus Stiletto was the hostess. Still Falcata was there and didn't want her to have to be here all alone. He looks around for Falcata, upon finding her he moves to her side.

Flux notices Glaive enter and signals to Falcata to take a short break after this song is over.

Falcata starts abruptly, almost dropping the lyre and nearly losing the tune entirely. She hadn't expected Glaive to come, much less him to sneak up on her like that.

"Sorry, Falcata, I didn't mean to sneak up on you." Glaive continues to feel out of place.

"Aw don't be sorry, you dance well!" she said, trying to cheer Cherry up.

Glyph finally arrives at the party, looking around at all the others who were already there.

Stiletto trots up to Glyph and gives him a nuzzle "How are you my young love?"

Cherry looks around a bit. "H-hey, its Glyph. Does he like to dance?"

Coming to the end of the song anyway, Falcata places the lyre gently on the ground before replying. "Relax, relax; I just wasn't...expecting you, that's all. I'm glad you came, though." She hops off the stool onto all fours again. "Drink?" she queries, indicating the refreshments table across the hall.

"Good enough... sorry for being late..."

And with no music to listen to, Midnight heads down for a drink and some food.

Flux waves at Glyph once the song is over, then relaxes on his stool for a bit, watching Falcata and Glaive.

Glaive thinks to himself. 'I guess I should try to enjoy myself.' "Yeah, a drink sounds nice." Glaive begins to walk over to the table.

Stiletto hands Glyph a drink "You are here, that is all that matters, I bet Cherry wants a dance."

"Glyph? Oh thanks for reminding me Cherry, I don't think I've danced with him yet"
Kat waves over for Glyph to grab his attention "Glyph! Come dance with us!"

Cherry Pop waves too, a bit more abashedly.

Falcata follows the bearded unicorn across, engulfing an unfortunate cupcake in one bite before eyeing up the selection of drinks.

Glyph smiles slightly. "Thanks." He trots over to Cherry and Kat. "Did you say dance? I... umm... I don't really dance..."

Midnight walks up to Falcata half shyly. "H-hey. You’re good with playing music, thanks."

"Neither does she! Right Cherry?"

"N-neither do I..." Cherry smiles bashfully. "B-but I'm dancing. If I can dance, you can..."

Glaive acquires two drinks, some hard apple cider for him, and Falcata's favorite drink for her. And moves to offer her drink.

Flux picks up the piccolo and starts to play a simple song for background.

Jaxler just finished his third barrel of booze and was fairly buzzed at this point. So, he made his way over to the refreshment table looking for some more booze.

"Y-you are?" Glyph scuffs the ground. "Well... I guess I could try...."

Stiletto hop skip glides over to Glaive and hands him a coffer wrapped in green cloth "Hello Glaive I am glad you came. I had this made for you."

"S-so... what happened to the music?"

A dark furred earth pony with red eyes wonders into the party. Still getting used to the new faces he, decides to walk around a little, and enjoy a few refreshments.

Glaive is utterly shocked and confused and more than a bit afraid that this is a horrible trap. "Wuh...Why would you get me a present?"

Jaxler noticed the alicorn had come near the refreshment table, so he just tried to keep his head down as started dragging two bottles off.

Flux continues to watch and play the simple melody, hoping things aren't about to get out of hoof.

Cherry Pop starts to dance again, gently trying to encourage Glyph to dance as well.

Glyph chews his lip a bit before joining Cherry in a dance, not really knowing what he was doing, but stumbling along okay...

Cherry smiles gently at her dancing partner. "You're doing well... at least I think so..."

Slightly worried about Stiletto and Glaive being in the same room as each other, let alone actually in a conversation, it takes Falcata a minute to reply, and when she does it's with no small amount of distraction. "Uh, thanks," she mumbles in reply, focusing more on what Stiletto had brought Glaive than anything else.

Kat was swaying along with the tune and started to dance a slow dance along with the two other ponies "See? You’re doing just fine"

"...If you say so."

Zearoth shyly wonders about the party. Wondering who he should introduce himself to.

Midnight gives a slight nod to himself as he picks up Falcata's uneasy attitude. He keeps enjoying the refreshments as he listens to the melody.

"I bought you a gift because I wanted you to know that I have no ill will towards you, and would very much prefer we be friends." hovers the present towards Glaive slowly "Go ahead and open it, I hope you will like it."

Zearoth decides that he should enjoy the party instead of just wondering around. So he does so in the best way and brings two barrels of booze over to Jaxler. "Thought if anythin' I should share a good drink."

Glaive ponders for a moment before saying, as calmly as he can muster "I can't accept this. Stiletto, I can't take your gift, and we can't be friends. I don't want to fight, just leave me alone. Please."

Rose quietly wanders into the party, looking wide eyed at all the adults. He mother wasn't here yet, but Miss Kat and Mister Glyph were even if they were busy dancing right now.

Jaxler looked up at the pony who had just walked over to him. He really didn't know the pony. "Sure drinking is always more enjoyable with company. So, what’s your name?"

Zearoth takes a bit of a breath. Seeming a little outside of his comfort zone. "I'm... Zearoth. Here." He nudges one of the barrels over to Jaxler before sitting back."Don't know what it is yet. But if you're drinking it, then I'll drink it."

Flux shakes his head sadly when he sees Glaive refuse Stiletto's gift.

Deciding not to get more then buzzed at the moment. Midnight wanders around a bit to see what else there is to do. He pauses for a moment as he sees the foal running about. He heads up to her with a kind smile. "Hey, what are you doing running around here?"

Stiletto takes a step back "If that is your choice there is not much I can do."

Glaive turns away from Stiletto, trying not to think about her or her gift, and goes back to Falcata.

Falcata coughs awkwardly, very much confused by what had just transpired. "Uh. So."

Jaxler looked up at the pony who had just walked over to him. He really didn't know the guy. "It’s really strong moonshine."

Flux blows a little harder into the piccolo than normal, trying to get Falcata's attention while continuing the music.

Glaive not actually wanting to talk about Stiletto, or Flux, or any of that. Instead offer's Falcata the drink he poured for her, and asks. "So, sorry I was late. You been having a good time? I saw you on stage. Everypony really seems to enjoy your music."

Zearoth looks at the barrel before having a few sips of moonshine, coughing a little from it. "You weren't kidding." He says before taking a few more sips. Handling it much better this time. “I’ll have to get used to this stuff."

Stiletto trots back to the refreshments table and places the gift on the ground and takes up a tray of candied yams to give to all the guests.

Kukri wanders cautiously into the party. Going to large gathering of ponies was certainly not an event that filled her much with much joy, but she figured that it was probably the quickest and easiest way to get acquainted with some ponies that she didn’t know, perhaps someone would be of some interest.

Falcata accepts the drink, glancing across to Flux at the piccolo's unexpectedly loud squeal. She raises an eyebrow at him, wondering what he was trying to communicate, before shrugging at him and returning her attention to Glaive. "Nice enough time, I only ran through a couple of tunes before you got here. Haven't really spoken to anypony yet; turned up a bit late and went straight into playing."

"Yeah, it's pretty strong stuff, but meh, it's really the only stuff I can drink."

Flux tries to gesture to the dance floor when Falcata looks to him.

"Really? Can't handle anything else? Food wise I mean. If you drink this then alcohol wouldn't be an issue."

Stiletto walks up to too her squad mate Kukri and offers her the tray "Hello Kukri, I am very glad you could make it out here tonight."

"That's good." Glaive was unsure what to say or do, he had always felt uncomfortable around large groups like this. He'd much rather be at home, or sitting alone on the wall or with just a few close friends, and he wasn't very good at small talk. He hoped Falcata would know what to do.

"U-umm..." Rose shies away from the new pony for a moment. "M-miss Stiletto said everypony was invited... right?"

Realizing what Flux meant, Falcata pokes Glaive gently in the ribs. "Hey. Know what else is good? Dancing! If your leg's up to it, that is. I promise we'll take it slow?" She puts on her best pleading face, hoping to get the somewhat reticent unicorn at least a little bit lively.

"She did. I just didn't expect a foal to come here by herself."

Jaxler laughed. "You'd be wrong about that"

Kat spotted little Rose, she trots over and cheerfully to greets her, seeing that she's with a stranger pony "Well hello there rose! Glad you could make it here!"

Oh great, the alicorn, and I was hoping to meet someone of interest, Kukri thought to herself. "Hello there, Stiletto" she replies softly, whilst taking one of the yams "I'm glad to have made it myself, this is a wonderful party!"

"I... I thought mom would be here... but since I'm here anyways, I was just looking for something to do. Oh! Hi Miss Kat!"

Zearoth peeks up out of the barrel at Jaxler's response. "Huh... At least I'll know what to bring whenever we drink together." He says before taking a few more sips.

Midnight listens quietly. Not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

"Uh, well, my leg… it isn't the break that's the problem, it’s that leg just can't move like it used to...I'm not sure if I can."

Stiletto smiles at Kukri "Be sure to enjoy yourself, and maybe you could save a dance for me." Winks and heads over to Zearoth and Jaxler

With Falcata not taking no for an answer, Glaive finds himself nudged closer to the dance floor by the insistent pegasus. "I'm sure you can, though. Come on!"

Zearoth peeks up from the barrel before turning his gaze to the large pony. He sits upright and uses his hoof to wipe his mouth clean. "H-hi... Thanks for letting me join the party, miss. It's better than training all day."

Flux smiles with relief when he sees Falcata leading Glaive to the dance floor as he finishes the current simple melody.

Jaxler noticed the alicorn was walking over. He chugged about half his barrel of booze hoping she would just go away "Ug... what do you want stiletto?"

Flux picks up a new song, lively and happy, a song that says all is right in the world. Falcata may find it oddly familiar.

"Oh I will!" Kurki responds with a beaming smile whilst watching Stiletto walk away. Oh I will, when Luna and Celestia themselves descend and give free back-rubs to everypony in this damned fort, she thought to herself.

Stiletto offers the tray of yams to Zearoth and then Jaxler "You are very welcome Sir Zearoth and I just wanted to offer you some treats to you both."

Kat beams Rose a smile, as well as Midnight "and Hello to you too! Rosey dear do you want anything to eat or drink?"

Midnight simply gives her a nod and returns the smile.

Jaxler just chugs the rest of his barrel and ignores the treats.

Glaive upon reaching the dance floor sighs, ‘If you’re going to do a thing, might as well do it right.' he turns quickly to Falcata and pulls her close with his magic, and then he then begins to lead her in a formal dance, the kind that the rich and upper class of the capital would do. Glaive thinks back to his foalhood lessons and for somepony who hadn't danced at all in years, and had one less good leg than then, did well. He only stumbled a few times, and not once did he fall to the ground. He silently thanked Halberd for the extra training in keeping his balance.

Rose nods. "I'd love something, but... what is there? Mom wouldn't want me having some of these drinks."

Zearoth smiles and takes a yam from the tray. “Thank you, Stiletto. I love yams."

"I think there is plenty to eat. Miss Stiletto is passing out yams."

"I think there's plenty of cupcakes around as well"

A minute or two into the song, the tempo suddenly shifts to a far more somber tempo, the melody that seemed so happy and lively now sounding of grief and loss.

Zearoth takes a bite of the yam and closes his eyes. Blotting out the sad music.

Having recognized the first song at once and finding herself led into a rather gentlecoltly sort of dance, Falcata beams with joy. She spreads her wings like a contented peacock showing its plumage, letting Glaive and his magic do all the technical dancey bits for her.

"Cupcakes!" Rose bounces a bit, looking around for them. "I love cupcakes!"

Stiletto magically pulls another barrel of cave onion moon shine and places it next to the two "It is a party, enjoy yourself as much as you can, there is plenty for all." torts over to Rose, Midnight and Kat while swaying softly to the music

After a brief battle with a candied yam, Kukri returned her attention to the party at hand, she took note a few pony’s that she was aware of, most notably was the forgetful drunk doing what he does best, drinking. With some mental effort, Kurki decides to set out to find somepony new to talk to and trotted off deeper into the party as the music changed.

Zearoth gives a nod to Stiletto in response then starts drinking again.

"Oh, hello miss Stiletto. Nice to talk to you some more."

As the song changes tempo Glaive adjusts his dance accordingly, he slows his movements and looks Falcata in the eyes. "I hope I'm doing okay," he says, "I haven't danced like this since the Grand Galloping Gala, of 245, and I had another working limb then."
Stiletto offers Rose the tray "Hello rose, and greetings again Midnight." then she nuzzles Kat "My Love, how are you?'

As the song changes, Falcata shoots Flux a confused glance. Was this still the song she'd seen him scribbling down months ago, or a whole new one? And why had he changed to such a sad sort of melody, anyway? Returning Glaive's gaze, she smiles softly at him. "You're doing great," she reassures him, still letting him lead the dance. "You really know how to sweep a lady off her hooves, don't you? Literally!" she laughs, referring to the aura of his magic steering her around.

Kat beams a smile for Stiletto and nuzzles back at her "I'm having a good time, and you?"

Rose carefully takes one of the yams from the tray. "Thank you Miss Stiletto." She noms a bit of it, while staring up at Stiletto, still amazed at how big she was.

Midnight takes one of the yams for himself and takes a bite off of it with a hum. "These are good."

Jaxler thought to himself for a second. "Ya know what, I really don't even know your name."

As the song continues, a strong and steady harmony slowly comes in to join the sorrowful melody, slowly returning it to happy and hopeful. The melody is strengthened by the harmony, and the harmony seems uplifted by the melody. The song draws to a close, letting the two parts slowly fade, together.

Glaive chuckles. "Yes, well father said that a good soldier should have many skills on and off the battlefield, and that that included dancing."

Flux relaxes on his stool, wondering if anypony grasped the symbolism of the song, let alone the two ponies he was hoping to have dance to it.

Stiletto kisses Kat gently "I am very happy to see all my loves here this night, and all these wonderful guests." she pats Rose on the head lightly "You are Lady Virtue's cute little flügellos are you not? Eat up and enjoy yourselves."

"Hmm? Oh. I'm Zearoth. I... thought I had told you already. What's your name? If I may ask."

Midnight blushes a little as he watches the two ponies be cute.

Rose giggles. "Flügellos, that's a funny sounding word... thank you for letting me come too!"

"My name is Jaxler Blackflutes, I'm second in command of the guard and glad to make your acquaintance"

Kukri trots slowly through the crowd, figuring it wasn't going to be long before she ran out of ponies, she turned to the nearest group and decided to great them with a hearty hello, "Hello!"

Kurki said heartily to Kat and rose.

Kat couldn't help but to beam her smile even wider from the filly's giggle, then noticed Kukri greeting her "Hi there!" she greets back cheerfully, waving a hoof. Something in her guts turned.

"Likewise. But it's good I met you. I was thinking of joining the guard. Put my aim up against more then hay and cloth."

Flux carefully places the piccolo back in its case, needing a break to get some refreshments and perhaps build up some courage...

Midnight smiles at the new pony. He still keeps his silence as to not interrupt anything.

"I'd be glad to see you join the guard, but I need to ask you something first"

The sheer cheer in Kat's response was overwhelmingly sickening to Kurki, perhaps it reminded a little too much of what she was trying to be, perhaps she just felt overwhelming sickened by most new ponies she met, perhaps her stomach didn’t agree with candied yams. Regardless, some kind of effort needed to be made before she gave up on her "This is a love

"This is a lovely party, isn't it?" she managed with a smile*

Flux walks to the refreshment table and grabs and apple and a glass of cider and finds a seat somewhere out of the way to do a bit of pony watching as he eats.

Meanwhile Indigo was watching the dining hall from the roof of the dormitory with silent rage. This proves that assault and wounding of a guard and a citizen of Dawnpick has no consequences as long as the culprit is one of Stiletto's goons.
And for doing what? For telling the truth? (Well, technically the correct term for her is slut and not whore, but that's irrelevant). Stiletto intimidated Glaive into doping all charges and somehow bewitched Virtue to not listen to reason. She is having her underlings corrupt the foals. On the surface it looks innocent enough, but this Glyph knows devilpony. She somehow manages to turn my friends and allies into traitors. She was behind Sekshi's incident, I'm sure of it. It was awfully convenient for them to meet at the corridor. And of course she is using Kat against me. But it gets worse, I seem to be the only one seeing what's happening in Dawnpick. Nopony will stand by me.
She lulled the others with her gifts. She even has the audacity to organize a party to celebrate her victory, and nopony seems to have a problem with that. Can't they see she is mocking us and our laws? She won this battle, but hasn't broken me. I must remain unwavering. For now I need to hit something before I explode.
Indigo runs down the hatch, and into the stone stockpile. For the next several hours he piles up rocks and hits them with telekinesis. After that, he goes to his room, tired but still angry. I must forge my anger into a weapon, and trust nopony.
He finally lulls himself to sleep, but feels horribly the following day.

"What do you need to know?"

"Yes, it is indeed quite lovely." she replied back, less energetic than when she greets her. She could feel like her guts trying to tell her something... But what?

"Um, Miss Kat, is something wrong?"

"I need to know whether or not you’re willing to die in the place of any and every pony in the fort."

Falcata smiles warmly at Glaive's words. "If he taught you to dance like this, then he taught you well. Color me impressed." Now that the music has stopped, though, she leads Glaive back to the refreshments table, already on the prowl for unsuspecting delicious treats.

"In all honesty I'm already dead." Zearoth takes a sip of the moonshine. “I’ve no care for myself when compared to even the worst of the fort. I will fight and die for every single pony here if I had the choice. Oh of course! I love fighting and dying for ponies!"

Jaxler laughed "You answered correctly. Heh, you kinda remind me of somepony I know"

"Uh... nothing's wrong." she replied to Midnight 'Not yet anyway…'

Glaive follows Falcata back the refreshment table, and helps himself to some snacks. "You kept up very well, Falcata, if you want I can teach you the proper steps sometime. You might need to know them someday."

Stiletto looks at Rose and smiles "It is the word the Deutschmeiner used to describe your kind Rose. I bet Glyph could teach you more languages if you wanted to learn."

"I'll hope it's somepony you like."

"Or, alternatively, I could just let you do all the work all the time, hmm?" she giggles, ending another cupcake's existence in one fell swoop. "Itsh not like danshe steps will ever shave my life or anything," she mumbles through a mouthful of muffin.

"Oh! Like when Glyph calls Friesden malyutka? That's cool... wonder if he will, I like how they sound." Rose smiles, continuing to nom on her yam.

Midnight sits as he listens to the conversation. Seeming content, even without joining in.

"I really don't know the pony anymore. Last I checked the pony became a drunken mess and fled to some outpost off in the countryside. But still, you remind me of the guy before he became a mess."
Said Jaxler "which is a good thing"

"Sorry to hear he went down that road. I'll make sure I don't follow his hoof prints. “He says as he finishes the first barrel, and starts on the second. “Being a guard means I'll need to stay well for every pony and not just myself."

Glaive laughs. "No I guess they won't." Glaive smiles to himself, thinking back to the last time he danced like this, and how much better it was with Falcata, then with her. Glaive continues to make small talk with Falcata.

"I'm happy that you don't plan on ending up like that guy."

Zearoth tosses the last of his yam in the air and catches it in his mouth, eating it happily. “Maybe if I meet him I'll be able to get him on his hooves again. I have a knack for helping others."

Kukri stares briefly at Kat, the sick feeling didn’t seem to be going away, and her drop in tone was certainly of note. Kurki may not like this Kat, but she certainly was the most interesting pony that she had met so far, and she intended to delve a little deeper. "...So" Kurki begins with an inquisitive tone, "What do you make of all this?"

Jaxler shrugged "Some ponies in this world are beyond help"

"That is very nice thing to say Rose, have as many treats as you like, but do not give yourself a tummy ache." Stiletto headed back to the refreshments table to get another tray, this one had syrup smoked carp squares on it

Kat didn't back away from Kukri's stare and instead stares right back, but shifted slightly when Kukri dropped the stare and to ask her "Well what do you mean? If you mean the party, I’ll say it's okay. Have music, have free food and drinks, have ponies, meeting new ponies... It's nice if that's what you want to hear." she replied

Flux finishes his apple and cider and tries to work up the courage to talk to Falcata and Glaive, being only partially successful.

Rose looks at the two ponies, cocking her head at their conversation. "Umm... miss Kat? I'm going to follow Miss Stiletto for a while okay?"

Flux nervously walks up to the two, hoping he isn't interrupting anything.

Kat nodded and Flash Rose a smile before watching her trots away with Stiletto

Glaive noticed Flux approach but seeing as how he hasn't said anything yet, tries to ignore him.
Glyph leads Cherry to the side, and chats with her a bit after the song ends, then wanders over to Kat. "Hello love, and you too Kukri"

Falcata turns to help the floundering orange pony. "Hi, Flux, nice song! One of your own?" She smiles encouragingly.
"I've never thought anypony to be beyond help. But I've been wrong before..."

Flux smiles in relief when Falcata addresses him.

Kat beams Glyph a smile "Hello, Ahh, Kukri, the Mare that's in the same squad as Stiletto right?" she asked, then followed by a "No wonder...” that's a little quieter.

"Um, yes. Did you two, um, enjoy it?"

With no music to dance too, Midnight goes back to the refreshments and getting more to drink. Kukri smiled "Oh yes it sure is a lovely party," She scans the room "A lovely party indeed" She turned back to Kat and gave a reassuring smile "But I'm talking mo...” She paused as Glyph walked over and introduced himself. "Hello there" she replied, disappointed that he had interrupted the conversation just as things were getting interesting."

"Well, I tried to help this pony and so have others and I can promise you that this pony is indeed beyond help"

"Yes", Kukri smiled back at Kat, "No wonder indeed." her reassuring soft smile stayed strong

"I'll only hope things only get better for him then."

"Loved it. You're really an artist, you know. You create music just as spectacularly as you play it. That's rare talent."

Kat looks around slightly, before moving in closer to Kukri into whispering range "Yes, no wonder why you smell like a murderer." she whispered to her, having a knowing grin on her face.

Stiletto trots up to Glaive, Falcata and Flux, offering the tray to them "Eat up and enjoy." she then nuzzles Flux

Glyph nods at Kukri, getting the same twisting feeling from her that he had been for a while. "I'm sorry I haven't been at training lately, I got some time off while the stables get set up."

"Meh, things probably won’t get better for Miter... Why are we talking about something so depressing? I mean we are at a party, right?"

Flux blushes as Falcata compliments him, and gladly nuzzles Stiletto to try to rebuild his courage a bit. "Um... what did you think of it, Glaive?"

Midnight peaks over at the large pony from time to time. Smiling as she gets cute with another one.

"Of course. Let's enjoy our drinks, and new friendships." Zearoth says with a smile, tipping his barrel to clunk it into Jaxler’s somewhat like for a toast.

"Yeah" with that Jaxler took a swig of booze and smiled.

"Your music was very good Flux. You are a true artist. I haven't heard anything that nice since I heard the Coupledye Orchestra play." Glaive tried to avoid making eye contact with Stiletto, trying to pretend that she wasn't here.

Flux takes a breath to steel his nerves, then continues on.

Zearoth joins in and swigs from his own barrel. Enjoying the company and seeming happy to finally be out of his shell.

"I, um, wrote it for, uh, Falcata... and, um, you too, Glaive..."

Stiletto wraps a wing around Flux as she hovers the tray to Falcata "My Kindest lover is a stallion of many talents."

Glaive looks confused, "What do you mean?"

Kukri leaned in towards Kat "I'm hurt, Kat, I'd rather not be personally associated with Mrs. Sluthooves over there" Kukri leans back a bit, but remains in whispering range "I'm no murderer either, I'm just..." She pauses "...New"

Falcata raises an eyebrow quizzically. "For us? Um...why?"

Glaive*looking at Flux, not Stiletto

Midnight's smile grows. He looks at his drink before taking another gulp from it.

Falcata also relieves Stiletto's tray of some of its contents, guzzling them down rapidly.

Jaxler took another swig "So what brought you to Dawnpick?"

Kat raises an eyebrow from Kukri's words "New? You’re around as new as me Kukri. Unless… that's not what you meant?"

Flux takes a treat and a drink before he explains.
"Um, Falcata told me her... past. That's what, uh, most of the song was. Her happiness, then... tragic loss."
Flux fidgets a bit.
"And, um, the end was... the two of you..."

"Well. When you've been wondering the wilds for an age a fort seems like a haven. So I came here in hopes of safety as well as purpose. Seems like I've found both, finally."

Friesden, having managed to elude Glyph, waits in hiding for her father to arrive.

"What are you whispering about?" Glyph asks quietly leaning closer to Kat and Kukri.

"That's interesting, I'm glad to know that you’re happy."

Kukri gives a little giggle and leans up from Kat, "Oh, nothing"

"Thanks. I just hope everyone welcomes me here. If anything I'll know I can just enjoy a drink with you."

Kat leans into Glyph and pushes him and her just slightly away from Kukri for a whispering "she smells like a murderer, Glyph. Can't you feel it?"

"I'm always glad to have a new drinking buddy"

Touched by Flux's explanation, Falcata gives him a small smile. "I see. That's...certainly something. I'm honored you, uh, decided to compose about Glaive and I, of all ponies."

Cherry Pop is presumably still dancing, although she's starting to feel the effort. "Uh... I think I'm going to get a drink..." she says to no-one in particular before heading to the drink table for whatever happens to be left.

"I... yeah I could..." He looks back over at her. "I wasn't sure though... think she goes... hunting too?" Glyph chuckles darkly. "Nice to see another if she does..."

Kat grins and giggles from that and gives Glyph a nuzzle "Maybe...” she whispered back before leaning back up, beaming Kukri another smile

"Although you seem to be able to drink me under the stables easily..." Says a somewhat tipsy Zearoth as he nudges the barrel away. “I’ll keep talking. Though I'm done drinking for the evening."

Cherry Pop finally gets a hold of what's actually happening before taking her mead and giving it a few gulps.

Glaive is still not sure what Flux's motivation is. "I see, well the song was very nice Flux, thank you. But why write about us?"

Glyph smiles at Kukri as well, glancing back at Kat. "Does she know about me? I am sorry for interrupting your discussion."

"I, um... compose about all my friends..."

Seeing the new pony come by for a drink. Midnight decides to walk up to Cherry and introduce himself. "Hello, miss."

Stiletto gives Flux a nice wing cuddle and a kiss, then picks up barrel of mead as she heads to see If Cherry is alright

"I don't know, why don't you ask her hmm?" she said and nudges Glyph a little at his side

Cherry Pop looks at the pony a bit nervously. "H-hi... might I ask who you are?"

Kukri gives a smile back, it certainly wasn't genuine, she hadn't done that in a while, but she did feel something, entertained. Perhaps this carnival of weirdo’s could provide something for her to do after-all.

"Meh, suit yourself" Jaxler takes another swig

"I'm Midnight." He replies with a smile and a bow.

"Yes... lets." Glyph walks back over to Kukri, leaning in and whispering. "Well, that explains my odd feeling about you... so, what do you know about me?"

"Hello, Midnight. I'm Cherry Pop. It's nice to meet you." Cherry bows herself, a bit bashfully.

"The pleasure's mine, Miss Cherry Pop."

"You can c-call me Cherry... if you like..." Cherry seems to still be a bit nervous.

"Oh, okay, Cherry. Blue, or Dusk seems to be popular nicks for me." Kukri sweet smile remained, "Absolutely nothing". That wasn't entirely true, she knew that he clearly had some sort of companionship with Kat, friends, lovers, drinking buddies, she didn’t know, she also knew that he intruded her interesting conversation.

"I... I like Midnight... it's a pr-... nice name... if you don't mind, of course..."

Stiletto offers Cherry and Midnight the tray of smoked carp "A little something to go with your drinks?"

"I'll be back shortly. I'm going to see what there is to eat. Would you like me to bring you anything, Jaxler?"

"Oh, hi Stiletto. I'm really enjoying the party..." Cherry tries a bit of the smoked carp. "This is really good... the mead's good too."

"Oh, thank you, Stiletto. And you too, Cherry. Your name is lovely as well. And of course I don't mind."

Glyph smiles darkly again for a moment. "Oh really, I'm surprised. I would think you could guess if I could. Wouldn't have come out and said you smelled like a murderer though, glad that Kat did."

"Get me some carp meat"

Stiletto smiles at the two of them "Are you enjoying your selves?"

Kukri’s smile faded slightly, "And as I told Kat, I shall tell you, I'm no murderer" she said quite firmly, but with no harshness in her voice. "I'm in the militia to protect, not to kill" Kukri wasn't a fan of his accusations, nor was she a fan of his grin.

Zearoth wonders around the table a little. Though soon notices that Stiletto has a tray of carp in... magic... And so walks over. “Excuse me, Miss Stiletto. Mind if I take a couple pieces of carp?"

Kat giggles at Kukri's answer. "You can say that Kukri, we all can. But I’m sure you'd be lying to yourself if you didn't at least 'liked' when you gets your chance at the killing part of protecting.." she said, cheerfully mixed with a little bit of dark.

"I am, Stiletto. Sh-should I call you Misses Stiletto?" Cherry looks like she's a little embarrassed at her bad manners.

"Yeah, maybe my grasp of midpony isn't as good as I'd thought, but I can tell a Krovʹ tantsor... or at least you seem like one." His voice mirrors Kats, his usual demeanor having a small amount of darkness mix in.

"I am enjoying myself, of course. You are a great hostess."

"Why thank you very much the both of you. It is very kind of you to say that."

Fantastic, Kukri thought to herself, bloody Sadists. "I'm not so sure I would be" she responded flatly "Not everypony has your interests" Whilst it was true there was a plethora of ponies that kukri wouldn't mind "gone", killing things wasn't exactly what made her day, the Militia had actually been quite dull for her, despite having a few kills under her belt.

Kat simply shrugs at that "never said you are. Just smells like one. Maybe you don't have the interest in taking lives, but something else possibly? You surely doesn't... seems... like any other normal ponies around here that's for sure."

"Cherry, you may call me Stiletto, though my family name is TrustGood."

"Thank you, Stiletto." Cherry takes another sip of mead and piece of carp.

Glyph shrugs, "True, just an odd feeling, but now you have me curious. You're different from the others... and that makes you /very/ interesting."

Midnight keeps eating happily. Enjoying the bit of small talk he got.

Zearoth soon returns to Jaxler with a couple small trays of smoked carp. He hands him one before sitting down and eating.

Jaxler noticed that Zearoth had come over with a tray of carp. "Looks like ya got the food"

"Well. I wouldn't say I would get food and go against it. I hope you like it in this preparation."

Kukri gives another reassuring soft smile "Feelings and smells aren't facts, remember that"

Kukri lets out a soft adorable little giggle "Well I hope you both enjoy the rest of the party, I better go see what else is going on around here!" she trots away, back into the crowd

"So, what food did you like the most so far? Or have you just eat the carp?"

Jaxler took a bite of carp. "Damn, this is pretty good."

Friesden continues waiting in hiding around the door. Her dad would be sure to come in soon.

"Very. I'll have to find out who made this to thank him."

"Want to hear something funny?"

"Why not? Tell me."

Kat watches Kukri leave, as her eyes trails along, she spots a colorful zony hiding just under the table. She nudges Glyph softly "Look who's at the party too."

"Malyutka? Of course she's here, I brought her... I was hoping she would have been playing with somepony though, not hiding..."

"Just the carp, so far. I honestly usually do not eat meat, but it is a celebration..." Cherry takes another drink of mead.

"According to Domidian legend the carp used to be the greatest of monsters. It apparently could take down a grown elephant, that is of course till they challenged the gods."

"Ah, well I really liked the yams. If there's any left you should get one."

"Wow... And yet we're here, eating freshly smoked carp. Should we consider it a gift from the gods?" Zearoth lets out a short laugh.

"I'll see if I can find some, thank you." Cherry nods before walking off to find the yams.

"Pfffft, if there are any gods"

Midnight takes another sip of mead. Humming the tune of the last song to himself as he does.

Kat frowns slightly "poor filly.."

"Well if there weren't then we wouldn't be eating carp, now would we?" He says as he adds onto his joke.

"Yeah, and I 'spose Grapple would be out of a job

Glaive thought about what Flux said. "I see." He would have thought negatively of Flux if he said he'd wrote it just for Falcata, but the fact that he wrote him and her together into the song relieved him of his primary fear. But the action still confused him. "I, uh, thank you for it then
Flux." Perhaps Flux wasn't so bad, he'd just fallen in with a bad crowd..

Cherry Pop notices a small foal standing by the doorway as she wanders around, looking for the yams. She goes up to her. "Hey there, little one. Are you waiting for someone?"

"Uh-huh! I'm waiting for dad!"

Midnight keeps track of the group's movements. Seeing where he could blend, dissapear. or just hide and mess around with unobservant ponies. Something he had enjoyed since he was a foal. He quickly spots a simple hiding spot being used by another foal. And watches as Cherry pop talks to her.

Flux nods and gives a small smile in relief.

"Aww. Well..." Cherry looks up, looking outside the door. "Would you like to hang out with me while you wait? I won't let you miss him, and we can have a lot more fun doing stuff than waiting."

"Nah, I'm happy to wait!"

"So Zearoth, how are you with a crossbow?"

"Oh, well, would you like someone to talk to at least? Maybe a little food or drink?"

"I'm not hungry!"

"I trust my life in my aim. I've actually trained myself to use two at once. Takes a little longer to reload but it's still faster then just firing one."

Friesden's stomach rumbles. It's about as loud as a forgotten beast's roar.

"Um, well... I'll uh, let you and Falcata do... whatever it is you two are gonna do?"

Unsure of what to do now, Kukri walks towards Cherry and watches her talk to the foal from a slight distance

Midnight decides to be nice and starts to hunt for yams while Cherry's busy.

Flux makes a thoroughly graceless exit from the two ponies.

"Don't be silly. I'll grab you something to eat." Cherry walks off, soon returning with a few of the yams she was looking for. "Found these. Here, have one."

Kat notices something very, Very wrong.. she's still sober. "Glyph dear, I think we're still sober. Maybe we should go grab ourselves some drinks and bite hmm?"

"No, I'm not hungry."

Midnight scoffs his hoof. Having almost made it half way with a tray of yams. He goes to the drinking table and eats a few of them. Using a decided path to practically disappear, and reappear at the table.

"Please eat. It makes me feel bad to watch you go hungry." Cherry gives a sad smile, trying to convince Friesden to eat.

"I just want to see dad again. I'm not hungry."

"Aww. Would you like something to drink?" Cherry this time offers a fresh mug of mead.

"Hmmm, that's interesting." Jaxler waves around his decrepit wooden crossbow "I'm glad that this time we're getting a recruit who actually knows how to use a weapon"

"Dad says I'm too young for alcohol."

"I'm sure it'll save some time on my training.”

Kukri finally interested enough by the foals last statement regarding his father, trots over to

"Where is the foals dad anyway?"

"This isn't that strong. If it was, I wouldn't be drinking it." Cherry takes a gulp of her own mead.

"But dad says no alcohol for me. I'm too young."

Cherry Pop turns to Kukri. "Oh... hi. I don't know."

"Hmm. I was drinking when I was your age. As long as you don't drink too much, you'll be fine."

"Nuh-uh. Dad says no drinking for me. I'm too young."

Without much anything else to do. Midnight starts weaving and blending into the crowd. Moving about stealthily and reappearing at different parts of the crowd. If only to get some practice in.

"You really trust your dad, huh. Did he leave you here while he took care of something outside?"

"Yeah, It should."

"No. Dad forgot me. Almost-dad and scary lady and miss buffalo don't want me talking to him."

Stiletto returns the tray to the refreshments table and gets a tray of blood orange puddings

"He... forgot you? What do you mean?" Cherry looks a little confused and worried.

Zearoth finishes up his tray of carp."I'm also pretty strong and fast already. I'd even say I was ready if I didn't know it to be so bold."

"I don't know. He just forgot me."

Midnight walks up to the tray of Blood pudding. "Ooo, May I have one, Miss Stiletto?"

Flux looks around the party, wondering if he should try to introduce himself to anypony else today, or simply stop putting off what he's been putting off.

"Lets’ go find him, then. I don't know if he's coming here, so we might as well go to him, right?" Cherry offers her back for Friesden to climb onto.

Glyph walks over to Cherry and Friesden. "You alright Little Friesdizzy? Good to see you talking to new ponies."

"Dad says not to go with strange ponies."

"Hi almost-dad."

"When is dad coming?"

Kat finally noticing Jaxler talking with another pony, and seeing Glyph going over to take care of Friesden, she decide that, if she's going to have a drink, Jaxler would be the drinking buddy any pony could ask for. Going over to take some drinks of her own and approaches the two, giving a Jaxler a quick relaxed salute with one of her wings instead of hooves

"Mind if I drink with you lot Jaxler?"

"I'm not that strange, am I?" Cherry looks herself over. "Oh, you mean you don't know me. I'm Cherry Pop."

"I'm Friesden. Dad calls me Dizzy."

"Not at all Kat, Zearoth was just telling me about his combat skill and how he wanted to join the guard."

"That's sweet." Cherry holds out her hoof to Friesden.

Glyph winces at Friesden's words. "U-umm... I don't think he's coming Malyutka..."

Zearoth gives Kat a nod.

"No, miss buffalo said he was coming."

"Miss... Stiletto isn't a buffalo silly." He smiles and pokes Friesden's side. "But I don't remember her saying that, when did you talk to her?"

Flux approaches Kukri, deciding he'd rather face a new pony than one he knows right now.

Kukri gradually losing interest in the foal, Kukri turns back around, scanning around the party for another pony she could talk to, the evening hadn't been a complete waste, but it certainly hadn’t been the best either.

"I heard her say she invited him. And she is a buffalo."

"People don't always take their invitations, though."

"Oh? Another one? An Extra bolt would come in handy." She said as she plops down close to them, setting down her drinks "I'm Kat by the way, nice to meet you." she said with a smile, offering a hoof at Zearoth

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Sometimes they're busy."

"Dad couldn't be that busy."

Stiletto gingerly floats a blood pudding to Midnight "There you are, eat well." trots over to the large gathering of ponies

"Maybe we can see him instead if he is busy, though?"

Zearoth uses the magnetic hoof powers to shake Kat's hoof."Nice to meet you as well, Kat. I'll try and serve the guard well."

"Um, h-hello. Uh... enjoying the party?"

Midnight digs in happily.

"If you want, I can help you find him."

Kukri much to Kukri's delight, a willing pony was trotting up to her. She put on a smile "Hey there"

"No. We shouldn't bother him. If he's busy he's busy." He gives Cherry a look.

"Awww..."

"Maybe we can wait till he's not busy then see him?"

Kat nods at Zearoth's words "oh I’m sure you'll serve the guard well. As long as you actually work."

Cherry Pop goes closer on Reflex. "Is there something I should know?" she whispers.

"Well I've never been shy of work. I'll keep going until I give out if I have to."

Glyph leans closer, whispering back, "Her... father... had some kind of mental break. He doesn't even remember her being his daughter, and he threw her out... I've been taking care of her for a while now."

"Wait...what? Is that even possible? I've never heard of something like that happening before..."

"Almost-dad? Can we?"

"Sure am!" she lies, "And yourself? You enjoying the party?"

Jaxler took a swig of booze and said "so Kat how have things been?"

Midnight can pick up on a negative atmosphere as he watches the two ponies talk about the foal. He lowers his ears, wondering how many ponies are still enjoying the party.

"Umm... I think we should just leave him alone... maybe your mother will come though."

Glyph whispers back to Cherry. "It's either that, or he's simply a monster. I prefer to leave Friesden's mother with some hope..."

"I'd like to talk to him... a father should take care of his child." Cherry snorts in disgust.

Flux looks nervous, but gives a small smile.

Kat took a swig from her own drinks, deciding that she's not going to leave the party sober "Things been pretty well actually, especially now I can get back to do some more patrol duties now that Flux's out of the jail. I'm not going to be finding you drunk under a tree the next time it's our turn to patrol together.. Right?" she asked uncertainly.

"Um, yes. I... didn't really expect to, but it, uh, keeps getting better."

Flux facehooves at his rudeness.

"Aww....Please? I want to see him."

"Um, sorry, I didn't introduce myself. Um... I'm Flux."

Midnight soon finishes his pudding. Seeming to enjoy it much less than before.

Glyph shuffles his hooves. "I... I just don't think it would be a good idea..."

"Flux, eh?" after a brief moment of ignorance she was struck with realization "Oh, aren't you the one this party is for?"

"But..."

Flux shifts his hooves awkwardly."Um, yes, I suppose..."

"Oh...Okay..."

Midnight shakes his head. 'This is a party, I can't let a couple ponies bring me down.' he thinks to himself. He decides to walk around and find more ponies to talk too. Quickly remembering the foal following the massive mare hosting this party.

Glyph sighs and pulls Friesden into a hug. "I'm sorry Malyutka... but can you try to just enjoy the party?"

Kukri was taken aback by Flux's shyness, she was almost certain this pony was just locked up for breaking someponys leg, she really should have learnt about this party a bit more before deciding to join

In a soft tone, Kukri asks "Well, happy with your new found freedom?"

Friesden sniffles. "If I...If I have to..."

"Hey little one, are you enjoying the party?" He asks as he walks up to little Rose.

Flux seriously considers the question before answering. "Um..."

"Well Kat, that depends on when I had my last keg of booze"

"Aww, I can help you feel better, Friesden. If you'd like to hang out with me, of course."

"...I'm not sure..."

Rose looks up at Midnight and smiles. "Uh huh, Miss Stiletto throws a really good party!"

Kukri is genuinely puzzled by his answer

"You'd rather be back in the cell?"

"Dad says not to go with ponies he doesn't know."

"But I know your daddy." Cherry lies. "Isn't that right, Glyph?"

"Yes, she does. Did you get anything else to eat? The pudding's really good.”

Flux glances to where Glaive and Falcata are, still feeling guilty about breaking his leg.

"Does she, almost-dad?"

Flux then looks to Stiletto, Kat, Glyph and Friesden.
"...Not really."

Glaive winces in pain for moment from putting too much weight on his leg, coincidentally just as Flux looks at him.

"What if I go with you" Glyph rubs Friesden's back. "He'd be fine with that right? Besides, Cherry is a good pony. Dunno if she knows your.... father though." He leans over to Cherry whispering to her again. "I try not to lie to her about anything... I have to keep her trust."

"Makes sense."

"Um...I think that would be okay..."

Kukri watches as flux glances around before giving his answer, noticing Glaive wincing at his leg
The contrast between the two was amusing, this shy little pony broke HIS leg? Kukri almost wanted to laugh

Rose looks around, "Pudding? I haven't had any of that at all! Bet it's really good."

Midnight smiles. He grabs one and motions Rose to follow him to a table.

"Sometimes Jaxler, I just think you should have booze with you all the time.. Oh wait, you already do."

Kukri beckons towards Glaive, "So he's the one that you...? " She trails off, figuring that outright stating what he did probably wasn't going to help him open up a bit.

"Um... yes..."

Rose follows Midnight, glad that she had decided to come, even without her mother.

Zearoth chuckles a little at Kat's joke.

"I've already told you that I need my booze. If I could go without it I would but I can't. So, please stop getting mad at me for being an alcoholic."

"Go on, eat up." Midnight says with a smile as he grabs himself more to drink.

Rose pulls the pudding over to her and begins to nom on it, continuing to look at Midnight.

"Mister Midnight, when did you get here? I don't remember you being in the fort before...'

Kukri smiles brightly at Flux "Well, he's not at your throat, that's a plus!"

"I'm not mad at you Jaxler, in fact, I think I got used to it. But really, I really do think you should keep some drinks with you at all time, because honestly? You being slightly drunk all the time is actually more likable than being VERY drunk at some times and being sober at some other times."

"It's hard for people to see me, actually. But I haven't been here long."

"I, um, suppose. He did ask for me to be let out of jail early..."

"I'm sorry Kat but if I need to get smashed for the alcohol to have the desired effect, staying buzzed all the time won't work."

"Well, alright. I guess now that we're getting another Guard you sleeping off on sometimes wouldn't be as much of a problem as before."

"I guess I'm proving useful already..."

"That he did! How many other pony's would let you out of jail after you broke their leg?" she paused, realizing that was missing quite a big piece of the puzzle "...Why...why did you break his leg?"

Rose noms a bit more pudding. "Well... do you have any friends here?"

Flux winces a bit at the question, but answers it anyway.

"Um, not really, no."

"He, um... insulted Stiletto after I... told him not to."

"Oh..." Rose looks down... then back up, smiling big. "Well then I'll just have to be your friend! Even though you’re an adult... mom won't mind... right?"

"Did I hear you say you wanted pudding Rose?"

"Well, I don't know if she would or would not mind. But I'd love to be your friend, Miss Rose."

Kukri was disappointed, she could probably get behind some pony insulting Stiletto. Still, this shy little psychopath seemed to be alright despite his choice of mare for valiant deference, she could respect him a little for standing up for himself.

Rose giggles. "I got some from Midnight, but thank you Miss Stiletto."

"It's very good, Stiletto. Thank you."

Kukri gives a reassuring warm smile "Well, there's not much pointing in worrying about it now, he seems to have forgiven you." I know I wouldn't

"Can I ask you to stop bringing that up. The new recruit just met me and I'd prefer if I left a good impression.

Flux sighs.
"I don't know..."

"You welcome my cherished guests, I really just want all the ponies here to be happy." her tone indicating that she actually meant all of Dawnpick

"Don't worry, sir. I don't look down on anything like that. You're fun to be around and know what's what. That's good enough for me to be impressed."

"You are a very nice mare, Miss Stiletto. I'm honored to have met someone so kind."

"The feeling's mutual Zearoth, but there's no need to call me sir. I'd prefer if we stayed informal"

"You don't know what?" Kukri responses inquisitively

"Alright. I'll leave the formalities for the others."

"Good impressions can only go so far Jaxler. I remembered how our first impression went. And how it turned out"

"If he's... actually forgiven me."
Flux mutters to himself: "I haven't forgiven me..."

Rose walks over and gives Stiletto a little hug. "Well I'm happy."

Midnight smiles wide at the sight. "You seem to get a lot of affection, Miss Stiletto. Seems like a lot of ponies have noticed your work."

"Kat, I already hate Grapple, Alicorns, and taxes and if you don't shut up I'm gonna end up adding you to that list."

Stiletto slowly and with great caution lifts Rose to her chest and returns the hug "I am glad that so many have, all the ponies here are good ponies Midnight."

"Then I should really like it here."

Kat rises an eyebrow "wait, you're saying you haven't already added me to your list-o-hate? Wow Jaxler. I-, well. I haven't even considered of you not hating me already. I'm not even joking here, that's nice of you. Thanks I guess."

Virtue approaches the dining hall, tired and hungry after another day of shuffling papers and making sure that everything important was up to stock. She pauses as she draws close, noting the above average level of activity and noise

Zearoth sits quietly. Trying not to listen to too much of their conversation.

Friesden hears the noise of an approaching pony, and her face lights up. "That must be dad!"

Virtue opens the door carefully and peeks in. "Hello, everypony," she says as she notices the large mass of ponies.

Zearoth waves to the new pony.

Kat tore her attention from Jaxler to Virtue, giving her a wave and beam her one of her bestest smiles "Baroness!"

Friesden"...oh."

"Wait, you thought I hated you? Why would I hate somepony I was supposed to protect?"

Midnight smiles and waves at the new pony

"Baroness? So that's who runs this fort. I was wondering when I would finally meet her."

Rose peeks out from Stiletto's hooves, and waves. "Hi mom!"

"Hello, there. I don't think I've met you."

Virtue steps inside. "My, looks like everypony is here right now." She carefully wades past a few ponies to move inside before noticing her daughter and several other ponies waving at her.

Glyph hugs Friesden. "It's okay malyutka..."

Stiletto takes a mug from her saddle bag and fills it from the barrel she has nearby then walks to Lady Virtue "Hello Lady Virtue. Would you like a drink, or some food?"

"Well of course I thought you hated me. With all my whining and bitching about your drinking and how we get into fights so often and how I tried to get you off from your second-in-command with Partisan, you were there too. Yeah, all of those. I thought you'd already hate me for them. Seriously though, if I were in your place, I'd hate the hell out of me."

"Oh, there you are Rose, I was wondering where you'd gotten off to." She dithers for a moment at the sudden attention. "Oh, um..."

Midnight grabs another pudding for himself as the hostess goes to great the pony.

"That's it?"

Friesden 's stomach rumbles again

"You want some food now Friesden?"

"I suppose..."

"Unless I can think up some other reasons, yeah, that's it."

"Here." Cherry hands Glyph the yam. "She won't take it from me."

"Sometimes there isn't anything you can do to make someone hate you."

"And sometimes, there isn't anything you can do to make someone stop hating you. That includes saving your life."

"Ya know, I have a damn good reason for hating alicorns"

Virtue accepts Stiletto's offer with a smile. "Thank you, Stiletto. What's the occasion?" she asks, marveling at the congregation.

"Yeah, and I have a very damn good reason for hating males. All of em."
"But I didn't anyway.. But whatever, I don't want to start it with you. Since I’m still not in your list-o-hate, I prefer NOT to be on that book-o-hate of yours."

Stiletto extends the foreleg Rose is held in so she can get to her mother "Flux is free, and we are a happy family again, not every pony forgives me yet but I am a scary pony."

Midnight decides to walk up to the group and great the new pony. "Hello, I'm Midnight." He says as he takes a bow.

"You're not scary Miss Stiletto," Rose says, reaching out to hug her mom. "You're pretty!"

Virtue takes Rose and gives her a small nuzzle. "A scary pony? What do you mean?"
Virtue looks over to the new arrival with a bit of surprise. "Oh! Hello, I don't think we've met?"

"We haven't, Miss. I'm glad to see you made it to this well thrown party."

"Fine Kat... pardon me but why do we always have to be at each other’s throats?"

Cherry Pop walks up to Virtue too, a little embarrassed and disappointed that she was passed up. "Uh... hello... I'm Cherry... Cherry Pop... I'm sorry if I'm being a bother..."

Stiletto blushes at little Rose's comment, but this is very hard to tell with her coat "I am so big, I can get angry sometimes and then there are those that are intimidated by my lifestyle Lady Virtue"

"That's a shame. You're a wonderful pony, Stiletto."

Kukri sighs, this was probably one of the main reasons she kept to herself for so long, all this pointless messy fuss about this and that that. "You don't know if he's actually forgiven you? Tell me then," she nods in Glaive's direction "why is he attending a party thrown in your honor because you got out early for the crime you committed against him..."

"Because we usually think differently, and what we do makes the other finds offensive or something? And it's just kind of something that's been going on as always?"

Even if he let you out for some other reason, why the hell would he show up here?"

"Yes, it is a nice party... glad to meet you, Mr...?"

"Midnight. Blue, or Dusk if you would rather."

"Okay Kat, I have one more question. Do you hate me?"

"Glad to meet you Mr. Midnight." She makes a small gesture to herself. "I'm Virtue Cookales. How did you get here, and how long have you been?" She splits her attention to the red pony who just approached her and gives her a warm smile. "Hello Cherry Pop, don't think we've had much chance to speak before. You're not a bother, how have things been?"

Flux shuffles his hooves and looks down.
"Because Falcata came?"

"Oh, you know me..." Cherry blushes. "I'm okay... I've been taking good care of the crops..."

"Falcata?..."

"His, um... fillyfriend."
Flux waves a hoof at the two.

Kat tilts her head slightly at Jaxler's question "Only if you hate me really. But if you just dislike me then I'll just dislike you back. After all, you're my squadmate, I'll tell you now that I'd trust my back on you without fearing that you'd shoot me in the back or something. Would you trust your back on me as well?"

"I got here through simple migration. I haven't been here long."

Virtue smiles again. "Yes, Harvest Moon tells me about you sometimes. I'm glad to hear you're doing well, and taking such good care of things."

Stiletto offers the tray of puddings to all present "Yes she has, best harvest of sky blubs I have ever seen to date."

Zearoth eyes the pudding and snatches some. Eating it happily as he lets the others talk.

Virtue looks back to Midnight. "Oh, I wasn't aware we'd had any more migrants show up. Has anypony shown you around?" She accepts the bowl of pudding from Stiletto's tray and offers her a word of thanks.

"Can I have some more pudding mom?" Rose says, still smiling.

"What, his fillyfreind convinced him to both let you out and come to this party, despite want he wanted?" There's a brief pause as Kukri contemplates this herself "Why would she do that?"

"Of course, honey," she says, handing a bowl to her.

"Not really, no. I've managed to find a few important areas by myself however."

"Well at least make one of us... Anyway yes I would trust my back on you, but don't trust me to have your back. As long as
I'm second in command I'll be taking both your front and your back"

"Um, she's my friend?":

"Oh, okay then. We should talk a bit when things settle down so I can help you get acclimated."

Kat raises her eyebrow slightly, surprisingly enough, there's a little blush on her, she'd pass it as a little drunk blush anyway as she giggles "Oh Jaxler, are you hitting on me or something? Caught me off-guard.”

Zearoth can't help but let out a laugh."Pahahahaahaha! Oh! No my pudding!" He says as he looks at the almost dropped bowl."

Rose smiles, nomming a bit of pudding. "Thanks mom! This is really good."

"You didn’t steal his cupcakes here, you broke his leg, does Falcata really control him that much?" noticing that Flux is still pretty nervous and shy, she flashes him another smile.

Flux looks at Falcata and Glaive again. Flux relaxes a bit, smiling and shaking his head.

Virtue nods at Rose and takes a bite of her own. "Yes, it is quite good, did Skillet prepare it, or somepony else?"

"I wasn't hitting on you, what I meant to say was that, I'm second in command so it's my job to defend anypony below me with my life so that they don't haft to."

"No, she doesn't. I... guess I'm just worrying over nothing, aren't I?"

"Ah, well don't be too ready to die and lose your position there Jaxler. You've got ponies like me doing that for ya." She said and gives him a smile as she takes another swig "Heh, and I wouldn't really mind if you were hitting on me anyway."

"I think my kindest love could use a little bit of support. Please excuse me all my guests."

Midnight turns down the helping of pudding. Already feeling full from all he's eaten.

Zearoth steadies his pudding and starts eating again."That was close... I can barely even protect my own pudding it seems."

"Exactly, you've been let out of jail early and thrown your own bloody party for it, do you really want to waste it moping in the corner worrying about what someone /might/ still think?"

Jaxler shrugged "Sorry, I know a handsome stallion like myself is quite a catch but I'm not looking for love"

Kukri catches herself stepping out of character a bit too much for her own liking, she gives a polite little cough and attempts to settle herself down a bit

Kat giggles from what Jaxler said and took another swig. "Good one." she comments before turning her attention to Zearoth "say, Tell us more about yourself."

Flux considers what Kukri was saying, though his mind also applies it to something else he needed to do tonight. "Um, I guess not. Thanks, Kukri. I... guess I tend to over-think things sometimes."

"Hmm... Not too much to tell. I've mostly been running around the land. Living off of it and such. That's how I learned to shoot so well." Zearoth takes a bite of his pudding. "And taught me how to move around the ground. Which should help me in being a guard."

Stiletto trots up to Flux and nods to Kukri "Enjoying yourself my kindest love, can I get you a drink?"

"Oh, so the hostess is in love with the guest of honor?"

Flux smiles warmly at Stiletto. "Um, yes I am. And I, uh, would like a drink, actually. Thank you for the , um, party, my Beautiful One."

Stiletto nuzzles Flux and kisses him "You are very welcome my kindest love"

"They're cute too..."

Stiletto looks to the sky as grabs a barrel of sunshine for Flux "Oh my, we have been here for hours, it is almost the middle of the night."2

"Just travelling around do you? That’s nice. I traveled as well."

"Have you? Been anywhere in particular?"

Rose giggles. "They do look cute..."

"Well, Around. Traveled across the ocean from the far east. Biggest adventure I’ve ever had."

"Yes, they are..."

"You were cute too, walking up and hugging her like that." Midnight says as he smiles at Rose.

"Ohhh... What's out there? I've rarely seen the water."

Rose smiles, walking over and hugging Midnight too.

"Thanks Mister Midnight."

Midnight smiles wide and hugs Rose back. "Awww, you're a really nice friend, Miss Rose. Flux finally notices the late hour when Stiletto points it out. Flux looks around for Kat, but sees she's busy talking with somepony, and it'd be rude to just leave Stiletto and Kukri.

"I, um, guess time flies when you're having fun?"

Midnight

"At the ocean? Water. Lots of lots of lots of water. So much water. SO much. Or are you talking about where I came from that have the ocean between here and there?"

Kukri considered that for a moment, she had actually enjoyed herself to a degree, "That it does, perhaps I'd better be heading home"

"Vast oceans..." Zearoth seems more interested in the subject than your average pony."You can tell me about your home if you'd like. It's nice being able to talk to someone again."

"Heh, tell me about it. The first few months I got here, I couldn't take to anypony at all... Just... doesn't understand what they're saying you know what I mean?"*Couldn't talk to

“Um, do you have an early shift tomorrow?"

"I just haven't been around anyone for a long time. Even after I got here it took me a little to decide to finally say something."

She didn’t, but Flux had conveniently given her the perfect excuse to leave early "Yeah, I'd better get some rest in" Kukri stretches out before turning back round to flux and giving him one last smile "Thanks for the party"

Stiletto brings Flux the barrel of sunshine "That it does my kind one." Kisses him again "Though everyone seems to have enjoyed themselves at least a bit. I think we have a day off tomorrow."

Flux lovingly kisses Stiletto back, glad to have here there to boost his confidence.

"Well, nice to see you starting to talk to other ponies then. Always good to make new friends."

"Did you hear that mom? I have a friend!" Rose hugs Midnight tighter

"That's great, honey!" She gives the two a smile.

"Just took an amazing party thrown by... A rather awesome pony. I don't think I've ever seen any like her. But go on and tell me a little about your home if you want. I'd hate to take over your conversation."

Midnight just keeps smiling as he holds the hug. "Does she have many friends? Or am I really the first?"

Stiletto pulls a mug from the table, dips it into the barrel and hands the full mug to Flux. "Your favorite drink I f I remember?" Smiles

"Oh it's alright.. Any about my home? Well... I can say that it's as horrible as it is nice really. Memories, Great and bad. It follows me. But Dawnpick is my home now. And I don't regret one bit about it."

Flux smiles and lifts a hoof to gently caress Stiletto's muzzle "Second favorite, I much prefer to drink of your lips."

"Something we have in common. I just hope no one minds me calling this place my home. Even if I have yet to make a house for myself."

"You don't have to. You get yourself a free apartment room."

Stiletto lets Flux have one drink before scooping him up in her forelegs "We will have as much time for that as we want my kindest love." and she whispers "The second we get home."

"Oh? I wish I had known that. Though it'll take me some time to adjust from sleeping in trees..."

"She has a few friends around the town, and two brothers besides." She looks about. "Speaking of which, I hope they're with their father or close by..."

Flux hugs Stiletto for a bit, drawing strength from her love, then tries to get down.

"I dunno, I came here cause I thought you'd be here."

Stiletto gently puts Flux back on his hooves "I think it is time to retire for the night, unless you have another song to sing?"

Midnight "I wouldn't know what they look like. So I can't help either. Guess I'll stick here with this cuddly little foal."

Friesden has fallen asleep.

"Um, not quite. I... need to talk to somepony..."

Flux looks to Kat.

"Sleeping in trees isn’t bad, especially if you got some clouds to make bed for yourself there."

"Alright, it was nice meeting you. I think I'll go look for my husband and sons." She looks down to Rose and adds, "Take care, I'll be back for you in a little while, okay?"

Zearoth "Sadly I can't really make use of the clouds. Being an Earth pony and all. I've just done it for so long that I'm used to laying in bark and branches. Oh. There's a pony looking at you now. He may want to speak."

Kat perk her ears up "oh?" then looks around to see which pony that's been looking at her, then spotted Flux, she gives him a wave and beaming him a smile

Glyph: "Bye mom" Rose waves at her mother. "Don't worry, I'll stay with mister Midnight or Miss Stiletto."

Flux swallows nervously and approaches Kat.

Zearoth finishes his pudding.

Midnight sits down as he hugs Rose tighter

"Um, h-hey Kat. Uh... enjoying the... party?"

Glyph smiles at the sleeping Friesdizzy, giving her a gentle nuzzle.

Friesden wakes at the nuzzle, sleepily asking "Is it time to get up, dad?"

"Not yet little one, sorry for waking you. Just sleep as long as you like..."

Friesden "Mkay..."

Rose snuggles into Midnights chest as he hugs her

Rose snuggles into midnights chest as he hugs her

Midnight smiles as he sees this. "Guess you're comfy?"

Glyph "Uh huh, you're a good huger Midnight..."

Friesden goes back to sleep after a bit.

Midnight lets out a short chuckle. "So are you."

Kat beams a smile at Flux, seeing him approaches her. "Mmhmm! so far so much. You played well Flux!"

Flux blushes at her compliment.

"Um, thanks, Kat. You're, um, a good dancer. I enjoyed playing."

Flux gets an idea.

Kat giggles at Flux's blush and beams even happier from his compliment "aw, thanks Flux."

"Um, Kat? I, uh, actually have one more song I'd like to play tonight. If you'd... care to hear it?"

"I really like hugs..."

Rose says

“I do too, Miss Rose."

"Of course Flux, it's your song after all." She said, smiling warmly at Flux as he walks to the case with the piccolo in it and pulls it out.

"Um, actually... it's yours..."

Flux begins to play a waltz, one seemingly very regimented and ordered, no room for a single miss-step.

Kat was somewhat surprised when Flux said that it was hers.. Her ears perk up as she takes in the tune of his piccolo... closing her eyes and smiling as she enjoys in the music.

As the music continues, there are occasional bouts of more free music, for the kind of dance that flows from the heart than a stilted waltz, but the waltz returns each time. Eventually though, the free spirit of the dancing song breaks free, the song becoming a joyous tribute to the free soul and the expression thereof.

Zearoth smiles, seeming to enjoy the song as well.

Stiletto listens to the song and dances to the tune.

Zearoth looks over to Stiletto."Even for such a strong build, she's a graceful dancer..."

Kat couldn't help but find herself turning and dancing to the song, so free, so flowing, so cheerful. It truly did touched her, and she loved it, and she's not afraid to show it.

"Hey, wanna dance with me?"

"Dance? "I've never danced before..."

"Just follow my steps. Come on." Midnight says as he motions for Rose to follow him to the dance floor.

Rose follows along, keeping close to Midnight.

Midnight starts a simple dance that should be easy to learn.

Rose attempts to follow the steps, stumbling a little every once and a while

Midnight "that's it, you're getting good at this." Midnight says reassuringly as he keeps dancing.

Flux finishes the song, having watched Kat dance to it fills him with confidence and love. He sets aside the piccolo and approaches her.

Zearoth stands up and puts the empty pudding bowl away. He walks over to Stiletto, still smiling a little."Sorry if.. I'm bothering you. But I just wanted to say that you're an amazing dancer."

Kat smiles and sighed happily beaming ever so happily at Flux "That was.. Very wonderful Flux.. Will you explain it's meanings to me please? I really liked it."

Stiletto smiles at Zearoth and bows her head "Thank you very much Mister Zearoth."

Zearoth "No. Thanks for this wonderful party. And.. You can just call me Zearoth, if you wish."

Stiletto "I surely will then Zearoth, you are truly welcome, it was good of you to come."

Flux smiles at Kat, emboldened by how much she enjoyed it.

"Well... I couldn't distance myself forever. I've even found a few friends for myself."

"Like I said: it's your song. "Your life, overcoming a society too rigid to hope to contain you, finding your way here to Dawnpick. To all of us."

Flux leans closer to Kat.

Kat beams even brighter. "It’s so... wonderful Flux... like you."

Flux "You are so bold, Kat. I... I love you."

Rose stops dancing and sits down. "Umm... did I do good?"

"You were wonderful, miss Rose. Thank you for dancing with me."

"It was fun!"

Kat froze for a small moment, just a few seconds, her eyes went slowly wider, her blush slowly surfacing on her face as what Flux said slowly sinks in. "you… what?"

"Yeah, A lot of fun. Want to get anything else to eat?"

Zearoth looks back and smirks. Seeming to have overheard."Looks like I'm not the only one who's gained a friend..."

Flux's resolve wavers, but he refuses to try to pretend he said something else."I love you, Kat. I... um, love you."

"All the ponies here are good ponies, the sisters have truly blessed the colony of Dawnpick."

"I'm glad. I think I'll really like it here. But... I should probably take my leave. It's getting a little late for me. Thank you again for inviting me to such an amazing party, Miss Stiletto."

Kat slowly beams up even brighter, smiling and, probably just the lighting, but she seems just a tad less grey.. She leans in closer and bumped noses with Flux before whispering "I love you too Flux..."

"Ummm... maybe? What's left?"

"You may also call me Stiletto, or Lieutenant TrustGood if you wish to be formal."

"I'm sure there's plenty. And I don't think you finished your pudding."

Flux releases a breath he wasn't even aware he was holding, then carefully and lovingly kisses Kat.

"I'll remember that, Stiletto. Have a good evening." He says, taking a bow and starting to walk off.

Kat closes her eyes slowly when she feels Flux giving her a kiss, her blush slowly grows, but she didn't pull back, oh no she didn't. She kissed him back... and she liked it.

Stiletto waves good bye to Zearoth Stiletto trots over to Kat and Flux "So this is what you where talking about my kindest love, the bond between us grows stronger."

Kat eeps in surprise from hearing Stiletto so close like that, making her recoil back from the kiss and blinks a few times, her burning blush returning

"I didn't?"

"You kinda hugged me instead."

Flux pulls back slightly as well, blushing furiously as Stiletto talks.

Stiletto takes Kat and Flux into her forelegs, pulling the three of them together "I love you both so very much. It makes me happy to see you together."

"OH! Well... I should eat that then!"

Kat smiles at Stiletto's hugging them like that, she returns the hug and nuzzles onto her lightly. "Mm.. you do?"

Rose watches the three, sitting by his new daughter. He smiles softly, happy that Kat had found more love... but also slightly sad, more others meant less time for him.

Flux blushes and says nothing, instead smiling and looking at each of his loves and hoping he can simply keep up.

"Okay, let’s go get it then." Midnight says as he heads back to the drink table. His own half eaten pudding still there

Stiletto nuzzles them both and whispers "So where do we all sleep tonight?" Stiletto looks over at Glyph holding Friesdizzy. She gently levitates the two of them over to her* "A strong bond of love, between us all."

Glyph snuggles close to them all, still with his small smile.

Kat beams up happily when two more ponies joins their hugs, so she proceed to nuzzles exactly everypony she can within her deadly nuzzling range of nuzzles. Friesden included

Friesden was asleep, but gets woken up by Kat.

Flux smiles and enjoys the group hug.

"The biggest bed is at my apartment."

Glyph brushes Friesden's mane.

For all curious ponies. Zearoth has just plopped down on his bed, struggling to get comfy."Mphm... Trees are better..."

"It time to wake up now?" she asks sleepily.

Glyph "I thought you would enjoy the hugs."*Stiletto folds her wings over the whole group of them*

74

It is the night of the day after Stiletto's party for Flux. Glaive stands alone in his room. He is exhausted and is looking forward to get some undisturbed sleep.

Indigo looks around the corridor, but doesn't see anypony following him. He doesn't want to attract attention to himself, he just wants some answers. He knocks on Glaive's door.

Glaive is surprised to hear a knock at his door. “Who would be calling at this late hour?” Glaive walks over and opens the door.

Indigo looks around at the empty corridor, then says. "Hello Glaive. I'd like to talk to you. Can I come in?"

Glaive looks out at the strange pony, "Oh, hello Indigo. Uh, sure you can come in." Glaive steps out of the doorway and gestures a hoof toward the inside. His room is simple and unadorned. There is a bed, a chair, a cabinet and not much else. Sticking out from under the bed is an large iron strongbox. It is locked, but a key lays nearby. "Just take a seat anywhere." says Glaive.

Indigo looks at Glaive's leg, then looks around, and finds a place to sit. "I want to talk to you about Flux and Stiletto. I want to know what really happened, and why did he get out of prison so easily. If that is alright with you, I mean."

Having only the one chair, Glaive instead sits on his back legs. "Ah, well, I can tell you about that I guess, but why would you care? Are you a friend of Stiletto, or Flux? I can't recall seeing you with them before?"

Indigo looks at the chair, then at Glaive, and sits on the floor. He'd rather the wounded pony get a better seat. "Oh, I am no friend of Stiletto. I only know Flux in passing him sometimes. Besides, she wronged me, and I hate to see her get away with anything so easily." says Indigo angrily. Then adds "You look tired, wouldn't you prefer to sit on a chair?"

"No no, you are the guest here, I insist you take the chair." Glaive continues to sit on the floor. "I am glad to hear that at least one other pony here is no friend of Stiletto. Her lifestyle is cancer on this community, but how has she wronged you?"

Indigo walks around the room as he speaks with anger, often glancing at Glaive. "Where do I even begin... She doesn't respect our traditions or even common decency. She has several lovers, and there are always, always problems with that. She also corrupted Kat, who used to be my friend, and tried to use her against me. She bewitched Virtue to agree to anything she wants, and think Stiletto is the best of us. She has her underlings taking care of our foals, no doubt planting dangerous ideas in their little heads. She harassed me, and tried to choke me for opposing her. Finally one of her goons broke your leg, and got away with it. I checked the code of laws. The minimum punishment for that is two weeks. But not only did Flux get out after three days, is happened right after Stiletto did something to you in the hospital. They even dared to throw a party to celebrate how little they care about our laws, or even basic decency, and from what I've seen you were forced to attend. That monster deserves exile at best. So, are you still surprised that I want to know, what she did to you, so that Flux walks free, while your leg is in a cast?"

Glaive listens intently to Indigo's rant. He agreed in general with most of it, but thought the need to tell him what actually happened that day. "I see, well I think I should tell you all the details about what happened between me and Flux." Glaive breathes deeply before continuing, "I was heading over to Falcata's house after work, we are um, involved together...”

"A white pegasus guard with red hair, she was wounded twice." Nods Indigo.

Glaive continues, ignoring the interruption. “I heard music coming from the room. At first I thought she was just playing by herself, but then I heard a second instrument, I opened the door and found her and Flux alone together, playing music. Now I wasn't happy to see this, but I trust Falcata, I trust her that nothing inappropriate was going on. I sat next to her as the song finished and we began to talk. He told me that the wonderfully beautiful instrument she's been playing was a recent gift from him. I assumed at this point that Stiletto's ideas had corrupted Flux, and I don't think I was wrong about that. I thought he was trying to seduce her, and while I trusted her not to do anything, I needed to stop it. I wanted to talk to him alone, but Falcata insisted that I say it to him in front of her. I told him that I didn't appreciate him giving her expensive presents, and that we wanted nothing to do with that slut Stiletto's depraved ideas. He got defensive and threatened me if I said anything else about Stiletto. So naturally I did, and he kicked me. He only fractured my leg, it was me suddenly putting all my weight on it that broke it. Then he went to jail, and I to the hospital."

Indigo just listens on with somber expression.

"Stiletto found me in the hospital later, she didn't know what had happened yet, but kept asking questions, I told the truth and she got violent. No, she didn't hurt me, but was floating and using illusion magic to appear as if on fire, and spoke to me in a giant booming voice. We yelled back and forth. I thought she was going to kill me, she was shouting that I should be exiled... for my jealousy of all things. I garbed a chair to defend myself, but she crushed it with her magic. Then I took up a knife, and she calmed down and left. She seems to think she won the debate."

"It seems that she did." Indigo looks sad. "I see you have a lot to loose in opposing her. I also understand, why you got so worked up with Flux. Musicians are notorious for their infidelity. But how did she get Flux out of prison? Tell me what I need to know before I go talk to Virtue. Oh, and did you press charges against her for that assault in the hospital? Were they dropped? And exiled? You? Really?"

"I never pressed charges against Stiletto, perhaps I should have, but I did not. However, I think you are mistaken, Stiletto didn't get Flux out of jail. She insisted that she be locked up too until his sentence was finished. I requested Flux be released early."

"WHAT? How? Why?" Indigo looks at Glaive with shocked expression until realization dawns on him. "Falcata. They used your finance against you, is that it? They tried with me and Kat."

"It's difficult to explain. But they didn't use Falcata against me. She just asked me to go talk to Flux, to work out our differences. I was reluctant but agreed. I told him I was sorry for HOW I said those things, and he apologized for hitting me. If he had said the things I said about Stiletto about Falcata, I would have done worse. I told him I'd try to forgive him. And when I was leaving, I stopped by Virtue's office and asked her to have him let out in the morning."

Indigo facetables on that, then groans. "Why would you even want to do that? If you said nothing, they would both stay out of sight for two months. More if you pressed additional charges. You still have a bum leg, what does this kind of forgiveness even give you? Don't you understand crimes must be punished?" Indigo sighs, and looks depressed.

Glaive sighs, "It wasn't an easy decision. More than a small part of me wanted to say nothing, and I'd consider Stiletto being locked up a grace for the town. I'd have her exiled if it was up to me. But Flux, he's a good pony, he's being mislead by Stiletto, but he has a good soul. I don't think having him locked up with her for 2 months would help him."

Indigo sighs again. "She seems to be targeting ponies who are shy and naive first. I hardly know Flux. On the surface he seems alright. But he still broke your leg, and I don't think going free and staying in Stiletto's company is going to improve anything. Besides how can she be locked up with him? Do we only have one prison cell? Visitors are allowed, but not permanently. It seems that either way she wins, but by staying free she wins more."

Glaive frowns "We do have multiple cells, but Virtue allowed them to share one, and was letting her stay with Flux indefinitely. But perhaps you are right. Maybe it was the wrong move. Maybe I did buck up. Don't think I haven't second and third guessed myself endlessly since then. Stiletto, I think she does think she is winning. She tried to give me a gift during the party, tried to become friends, she said. I refused, telling her we could never be friends, and walking away."

"Yes, she strikes me as very sly, has good manners and all. But underneath she is still a corrupted slut." Indigo frowns. "Refusing her gift is at least something I can respect you for, but I would have broken it on her head then and there and called her for it." He looks at the floor. "Well, maybe... I can try to talk to Virtue and undo some of the damage you've caused, but she is so impressed by Stiletto, that she is unlikely to believe me." He looks at Glaive "Thanks for telling me what happened. Unless you want to talk to me about something else, I'll go now. It is late."

"I would add one more thing. You mentioned before about Stiletto's group looking after the foals. I was, AM, concerned about that as well. That's way I try to help out when I can, teaching them things, and telling them stories meant to teach lessons. If you are worried about them, you should help out too. We likely can't have them banned from helping with the foals, but we can make sure they aren't the only influence." recommends Glaive.

"Foals? I'd rather some decent family be running the kindergarten. I'm not so good with them. I might drop by, but I think a better idea would be to talk about the problem with the parents here." Indigo then adds. "And at least I know now that Stiletto's influence isn't absolute, and there is at least one pony willing to stand against her, beside me."

"I'm glad I'm not alone in this either. But yeah, I'd suggest talking to the parents alone, about leaving their foals with Glyph and Kat. That might help," Glaive yawns, "but it's late now and I've got an early shift in the morning. I should really get some sleep."

Indigo nods. "Goodbye Glaive, I'll see what I can do tomorrow, and talk to you later."

Glaive shows Indigo out and locks his door. Ready at long last to go to sleep. He reaches down and unlocks the iron box, he takes out a shard of metal and looks at it while offering a prayer to his gods as he has done every night for years. He wraps the shard back up in cloth, and puts it back in its resting place and climbs in bed.

Glaive lies in bed and thinks about what Indigo said, maybe he'd been wrong to have Flux freed, it had felt like the right thing to do at the time, but maybe he was being too forgiving. Maybe he'd messed up. He didn't know what to think any more. Or maybe Indigo was wrong, he hadn't talked to Flux and hadn't seen the regret in his eyes, maybe Glaive was right. He just... didn't know anymore.

After the talk with Glaive, Indigo's mood improved for the first time in weeks. He slept well that night, and had a lot to do tomorrow.

75 Author's Note

Contains link to a specific post in the original thread.

75

Next evening, Indigo walks to Virtue's office with determination on his face. He knocks, then enters. “Hello Lady Virtue, I need to talk to you.”

Virtue starts a bit as she sees Indigo's expression. From what she'd seen, he was always a serious pony and if he was upset, she knew it had to be something major. "Indigo? What's the matter?"

“I want to talk to you about Flux. He hurt Glaive. The minimum punishment for that, even with all kinds of palliations is two weeks. So how come he got out of prison after three days, when it should have been more like three months?”

Her expression shifts curiously for a few moments. "Well... Glaive and Flux talked to each other, and he decided to drop the charges..."

“I know Glaive dropped the charges, I talked to him. But that doesn't mean, nothing happened. Just think what kind of message this tells to ponies here: That Stiletto and her group can ignore our traditions, laws and common decency and get away with it. They even organized a party to mock the law, and show they can get away with anything. Now Glaive walks around in a cast, and Flux walks free.”

Virtue's mouth hangs agape for a moment. "Mocking the law? I don't think... I mean, I don't think anypony believes that..." She raises an eyebrow cautiously. "...what did you want me to do? Put Flux back in jail?"

“No, I don't recommend imprisoning Flux again. That would show the ponies here that you hesitate or regret your decisions, and it wouldn't be a good thing. However a lesson that nopony is above the law must be taught to them. That day Stiletto went to the hospital, intimidated Glaive and destroyed a chair. Nopony pressed charges against her, and I intend to remedy the situation.”

"Sh-she destroyed that chair?" Virtue's eyes go wide. "Panacea was reluctant to tell me what happened..."

“The hospital suffered no structural damage, and some gypsum and paint was enough to renovate it, the chair was replaced and Glaive was not hurt further, but that doesn't mean she should feel entitled to walk around and intimidate ponies, especially in the hospital. She is guilty of assault, harassment and property damage. I need to look over the code of laws again, before filling the paperwork.”

Virtue is silent for a moment. This was exactly what she didn't need right now. Was everypony going to turn against Stiletto? Was this going to devolve into a feud between her friends and everypony else? She really, really didn't need this... but Indigo had a point, and she did need to be held accountable for what happened. She nods slowly and passes a book to him. "The information you need should be in here..."

“Don't get me wrong, I wish for her to be exiled for all the things she's done, but for now teaching her a small lesson about crime and punishment is the least I can do. Maybe giving her a taste of being held responsible for her actions will calm her down before she really hurts somepony. Mm... a month in prison, and 300 bits for property damage for the hospital sounds like a very moderate punishment, doesn't it? This is the first time she is facing charges after all. Panacea can buy some more supplies with whatever is left after replacing the chair and the renovation.”

Virtue's eyes widen a bit as she hears the word exile. Did he really hate her so? Did... did anypony else feel this strongly about her? Did Glaive? Somepony else she didn't even know about? She rivets her mind back to the conversation at hand with some difficulty. "...Panacea has already replaced the chair and fixed up the damage..."

“Yes, I think a new chair was given to her by Stiletto. Just subtract the value of a chair from 300, so she pays whatever is left.”

"300..." She looks down and thinks for a moment. "I... need to talk to Panacea about this... she might not want to press charges..."

“She doesn't have to. She just has to testify. Or Glaive can. Anypony can press charges. I have less to loose than Panacea or Glaive, and I no longer care if Stiletto's group blames it on me. As long as Stiletto pays for all the damage, and spends a few weeks in jail, the lesson will be taught.”

She chews her lip briefly. "If... if that's what you want to do..."

Indigo gives Virtue a long look in her eyes. “Like I said, laws need upholding. It is one of your duties. It is not pleasant to you, which I find reassuring, but it still needs to be done. Do you think I liked scrubbing the floors, and shovelling manure for the fields? I didn't, but those were my duties, and they needed to be done, so I did.” At least I could do that with my horn, not mouth, like those Earth Ponies. “And trust me, you really don't want the ponies around here to think they can ignore the law without any repercussions.”

Virtue's ears droop and she gives him a weak nod. "You're right, of course..." There had been more than a hoofful of times she wished she hadn't been saddled with the burden of leading anypony, much less nearly a hundred. To be tasked with judging ponies too... she really wanted to just go and hide somewhere, throw down her title and never have to face this again. But that wouldn't accomplish anything, really. She shuffles through a stack of long neglected papers and pulls out the forms. "...you'll need to fill these out..."

They fill the papers. When they are done, Indigo looks at Virtue, seeing her rather broken, and really not wanting to imprison anypony, so he tries to comfort her. “I think I should tell you what I think about your rule in general, you may find that reassuring. Overall you are doing a good job. We have everything we need, are reasonably safe and the steel production is running. I suppose I might offer a few small suggestions if you want to listen to them, but I still think highly of you as our leader. One thing I see as your weakness is that you are trying too hard to please everypony, and accommodate for the weirdest of requests, even at the cost of a few months work for a team of ponies.”

Virtue's face goes through a couple of conflicting expressions. It was good to know that somepony thought she was doing a good job... but with everything else going on she didn't know how much she believed it. And Indigo was probably right on that last part. She had irritated some ponies with Grapple's church, she knew. And they had a point. Who knew who else she'd annoyed by action or inaction? There wasn't any right answer to some questions, and she hated it... still, Indigo was trying to be helpful, she knew. And he had a point. Her face eventually settles on a troubled smile. "Thank you... I understand your concerns. And if you do have any suggestions, I'm always willing to listen."

“Ah, alright then.” Indigo lightens up and presents a long list of suggestions, much like in this post, as well as some ideas about relocating workshops and stockpiles, to shorten the travel distance and improve efficiency. He also suggests building a chapel dedicated to all the gods popular in Dawnpick and Coupledye, and installing unicorn magic suppressors in at least one prison cell. (And if the installation is fast enough, guess who is going to be affected by it.) He ends by "But other than that I admire the work you're doing managing this place."

Virtue listens intently, taking in the suggestions as best she could. Most were quite reasonable and made a lot of sense. She'd do what she could to put as many in effect as she could. The chapel was a good idea. She didn't know if there was anypony here who would be willing to lead services, else she'd have done it years ago, but it might help ease the tensions a bit. And a magical ward in the jail was an excellent idea, even if she dared to dream it wouldn't be needed. "Thank you... those are all very good suggestions, and I think I should be able to start on some of those very soon."

Indigo looks rather happy. "I'm glad, I could help. I'll come see you, when I have anything else to tell you. Goodnight Lady Virtue." It went much better than expected. Not only did I manage to press charges against Stiletto. Years of observing ponies and workshops and stockpiles, and understanding how it all works together paid off in some suggestions, that will actually improve things. I even managed to lift her mood up by the end of our talk. He turns to leave.

Virtue watches as Indigo leaves, and sinks back into her chair before reluctantly jotting down his suggestions and returning to her paper work with rather less enthusiasm than when he entered. She felt a little better than when the conversation first started, but regardless she felt as if she'd been hit by a bin of blocks from the mason shops. With Indigo gone, she rests her chin on her hooves, blows out a breath and closes her eyes. What would be next? Would this infighting escalate? Would she be sentencing somepony for murder next? She shakes her head and slowly gets back to work, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. It would all settle... eventually.

76

Indigo wakes up, cleans, dresses, eats something fast and goes to find Partisan. It turns out, that there weren't any arrests recently, and Partisan wasn't informed about any warrants. They both go to see Virtue. Indigo knocks, then enters.

Virtue flinches mentally as Indigo enters her office, and doubly so when she sees Partisan enter. She knew exactly what this was about, and wasn't in a particular hurry to explain what had happened. She knew, he wasn't going to be happy about it. "Oh, hello Indigo, Partisan," she says, looking to each in turn.

“Hello Lady Virtue, why hasn't Stiletto been arrested yet? We filled the papers yesterday.”

She adjusts herself in her seat and considers what happened the day before. "She... well, before I can actually follow through with any charges I need to hear the testimonies. Since you don't hold a public position, you can't press charges for the damages. Right now the most I can do is make her pay for the chair, which she already has."

Indigo frowns “What was it about public position? Do you mean that only injured parties or government officials may press charges?” This law must be to prevent accusations based on hearsay. I doubt Virtue would make something like that up and it does make sense. So be it, I won't be able to get that burden off of Glaive.

She nods, prepared to fetch the law book to prove it to him if he so desired. "Yes, that's right."

“I just filled the paperwork. Glaive or Partisan or you can press charges. I'll go get the testimonies now.” Do I have to do everything by myself? Including Partisan's work? Maybe it is for the best, at least I can make sure, they don't sweep this under a rug.

"Alright then." As Indigo leaves, Virtue breathes a small sigh of relief. He hadn't jumped down her throat, like she feared he would, but somehow she doubted it would be much easier when he went to talk to Panacea.

Partisan follows Indigo as he leaves, preferring to hear any testimony for himself first hand. He was just a guardspony, not a judge, but it would help keep things simple. He wasn't happy about potentially having to arrest somepony in the militia, given the backlash there might be for it, but he was going to see to it, that justice was done. If Stiletto had caused property damage and potentially threatened somepony, she needed to pay the price.

Indigo wants to get this over with quickly. He walks to the hospital first, and enters the building, with Partisan following him and greets the doctor “Hello Panacea.”

Panacea lets the two in, and her expression grows concerned as she sees Indigo's expression. Had he gotten himself into a bad situation again? "Indigo? You look bad, are you hurt?"

“No, I'm not hurt,” answers Indigo. “Stiletto is charged with assault, harassment and property damage in the hospital on 12 Felsite 258, and your testimony is needed to prove her guilty.”

"Property damage?" She looks over to the newly replaced chair. "She already came by and apologized for the disturbance, and replaced the damages."

“You mean disturbing peace in the hospital, and harassing a patient undergoing a medical procedure is alright, because she apologised? I thought you cared more about your patients not being hurt, molested or otherwise distressed, while in the hospital.”

Panacea is a little hurt at the accusation that she didn't care about her patients, but she manages to keep a straight face. "She didn't actually hurt anypony. Even when Glaive insulted her, she never hit him. And she told me, she was sorry. I assume she and Glaive have apologized to each other."

“Being sorry is not enough. Her behaviour was unacceptable, and her crime must be punished. You need to testify to make it clear, that harassing your patients can't be tolerated. Ponies should feel safe in the hospital. And even if he did insult her first, it was shortly after her lover broke his leg. I'm sure he was pretty angry about it, and she was the last pony he wanted to see. Plus he was just hurt, stressed, and rude. It was her, who crossed the line.” says Indigo, clearly annoyed.

"He's the one who brought the chair up like a weapon," she explains. "She probably shouldn't have responded like she did..." She pauses for a moment, concerned about what her words might mean about Glaive now. "...but what about him? Is he going to be charged too?"

Indigo grows even more annoyed. “Like a weapon? Did he attack her with it? Throw it at her? Or did he just grab something to put it between them, when she started yelling at him? That monster can be pretty scary and Glaive is a soldier. Holding something to defend his life with must have been his natural reaction. And Glaive charged? With what? Being honest and telling the slut a few words of truth about her?” How can Panacea even take her side?! Unbelievable!

Panacea shrinks away from him at the tone of his voice. "Yes... I suppose he was probably just defending himself. I just didn't want him to be in trouble too..." The pegasus gives him a pleading expression and says, "...but Glaive started it when he provoked her. I admit things got out of hoof, but it's not entirely her fault. She isn't going to just attack ponies for no reason."

“Provoked her? Whatever he said, it was her, who caused any kind of damage.” Indigo sighs and turns to the silent pony in a corner. “What about you Wool? Will you testify?”

Wool looks up from the coffer, he was organizing, no longer able to feign as if he wasn't interested in the conversation. "Sorry, I, ah... wasn't around when it happened. I don't know any more than you do."

Indigo closes his eyes, sighs and after a pause says to Panacea “In any case, matters like this should be resolved and not swept under the rug. You were here when it happened, so your testimony is crucial. Let us get to Lady Virtue now, so you can tell her and Partisan your version of the story. You should do that anyway, and waiting will only make you more anxious about it. Let's go now, and it will be over for you in an hour. I'm sure you'll feel relieved afterwards.”

The three of them come to Virtue's office. Virtue and Panacea clearly don't like it, but the testimony is written down. Indigo does his best to remain calm and interferes only to get Panacea to tell as much details as possible, including the exact words, who touched the chair first, was it thrown against one of them, what else happened, what was it about exile, how it all ended and how did Stiletto compensate for the damage so far . Overall he manages to get a pretty accurate account of the events out of her. He also asks about Glaive's leg, how bad it is, and how long is it going to recover. He gives Virtue a meaningful look to where papers documenting Flux's release are kept and says, that it wouldn't be fair for Glaive to walk around in a cast, while those who did this to him walk free, and that insults and assault are crimes of quite a different magnitude. After all is said and written down, he thanks Panacea for doing her duty, and goes to fetch Glaive.

Indigo is annoyed by this turn of events. He has to do everything by himself. Virtue was evasive as always, and Panacea is too nice and soft to do anything. She is great in caring about her patients, but unwilling or unable to defend them. At least Glaive has some backbone and agreed to play his part. Halberd's squad doesn't train in Felsite and Glaive still has his leg in a cast, so he probably wouldn't be training anyway. Indigo goes to Glaive's room an knocks.

Glaive, at the sound of a knock on his door, pulls his head out of the old text he'd been buried in. Turning his head to face the door he mutters "Door's open."

Indigo opens the door, comes in, and closes it. "Hello. I talked with Virtue and filled most of the paperwork. She insists that your confession is needed and that only injured party can press charges against Stiletto. Unfortunately she is only eligible for a month in prison and a small fine. So let's get this over with."

Glaive sighs and closes the book. "Indigo, I know you dislike Stiletto, and I don't like her either, but do we really need to push this? She yelled, I yelled back. She broke the chair, but no pony was hurt and she replaced it. Can't we just let it pass for now?"

DISLIKE?! "What? Why? We talked about it, and you agreed. Don't you understand, what it will mean if she gets out of this so easily?" Indigo was annoyed when he came here, but now can scarcely believe his own ears.

Glaive stands up. "I just don't want to be responsible for this feud escalating, if she were to do something like that again, I'd be more than willing to do something, but for now, I just kind of want to forget it ever happened."

"Forget and wait till she harms somepony? If you let this slide now, their audacity will only increase. Flux broke your leg, and Stiletto assaulted you, apart from all the other bad things she is doing to this town. Can't you see, this is an opportunity to teach her a lesson about consequences to her actions? I thought we had an agreement, I just don't get it. How can you stand for such an injustice?!"

"Flux hit me once, after I provoked him. Him breaking my leg, was purely bad luck, he never intended it and he was in tears afterwards. It is of no consequence. Stiletto's threats... perhaps you are right. She seems to be gathering a lot of influence, and I'll regret not speaking out if she gains to much. Very well, let us go see Lady Virtue." Glaive sighs, he isn't looking forward to this.

Indigo sighs with visible relief. "Thank you. I was beginning to feel, like I'm in a town of blind uncaring foals, who prefer to look the other way than face a problem." He looks at Glaive "One more thing, though. You aren't going to drop charges this time, are you? Sorry, but I have to ask. If you do, you may as well not go with me now. And remember, Stiletto deserves worse. This punishment is just to give her a taste of what's in stock for troublemakers and teach her, that she is not above the law."

"Yes, I understand. Don't worry, I won't drop them, not for her." promises Glaive.

"Oh, and about escalating a conflict in Dawnpick: It is going to escalate either way, or otherwise she will slowly corrupt the community. To use a metaphor, sometimes you have to cut out the rotten parts to save the healthy ones from disease." Despite Glaive's old age, Indigo feels, like if he was talking to a foal.

Glaive sighs again, "You are right of course Indigo. Let's get this over with." The two stallions walk towards the fortress keep and Virtue's office. Glaive knows, that this is right, but still feels uncomfortable. He tries to hid his uncertainty behind a shield of determination.

Author's Note

From Maklak:

((This part was supposed to be done as a scene between Virtue and Glaive, with Partisan and Indigo present, but it wasn't, so I'm just posting a short summary of what happened.))

Glaive presses the charges, he tells his account of what happened in the hospital, and says that Stiletto should be punished for it. He is a bit uncomfortable with it at first, but by the end he convinces himself, that it is right and is more sure of himself.

(( At this point the papers are in order, and it cannot be swept under a rug. Stiletto's testimony and the aftermath comes next. (Between Telgin and Tallpanzer.) Since our time zones conflict, assume that after doing what's right Indigo left the rest to the guard. He could want to come with them, but they may not want him around and he still has a lot to do that day. ))

(( If she is in prison, Indigo wants to make sure, that the procedures are followed. Visitors only during daytime, magic suppressors installed ASAP, she can't have some items, and whatever else inconveniences Telgin may come up with. I'm sure this would rub Kat, Flux and Glyph the wrong way. Stiletto too, but judging from her previous scenes, she sincerely believes that yelling at the hospital was wrong. ))

77

Virtue is busy reading over the testimonies from Glaive and Panacea as she waits for Stiletto to come speak with her about the fiasco. She already had a pretty good idea of what she was going to do, and was now trying to work out how to bes be diplomatic about it all...

Stiletto enters Virtue's office, this was beginning to become a recurring event, "Hello Lady Virtue, you need to talk to me?"

"Yes, come in," she says with a weary tone in her voice. She pushes the testimonies aside. "Did anypony tell you what this is about?"

Stiletto shakes her head "No, but if I had to guess, I would say it is about the pony that has a grudge against me."

"Yes... that's right," she responds, motioning for Stiletto to take a seat. "He's gone and collected some testimonies..." she continues, intentionally skipping over the names, "...and is pushing for as severe a penalty as there can be for the damages..."

Stiletto tilts her head "Who exactly is pressing charges, he had better not have harassed other ponies into fulfilling his personal vendetta."

Virtue looks away, no longer able to skim over the details and keep other ponies out of this. "He convinced Glaive to press charges... he also asked Panacea to tell her side of the story. She didn't want to press charges herself, but she did tell me all of what happened."

Stiletto close her eyes "I see. This is just a little out of line do you not think? Are citizens normally subject to this level of personal attack?"

Virtue shakes her head. "It does seem a bit excessive to me... but there's little I can do about it. Now that charges have been filed, I have to do my job," she says in a low voice.

Stiletto raises her head and nods "I would one thing first, who are the charges filed with?"

"That would be me," she replies, tapping a small stack of papers on her desk.

Stiletto nods "So this will be fully your decisions, with no over sight into your actions? I ask for clerical purposes only."

Virtue nods in turn. "That's right. It's just me... and the law," she says, making a small motion toward the dusty tome next to her.

Stiletto sighs "Do you think it will end with this? Will he leave you alone after this?"

Virtue is silent for a moment. "I... don't know. I dearly hope so." She looks up. "I hope he leaves you alone as well."

Stiletto stands ready "Then I will accept your judgment. What ever it may be."

Virtue lets out a drawn out breath. "Alright." She picks up a paper and pretends to read it carefully. "Indigo pushed for jail time, which I am permitted to sentence you for... but it seems quite excessive. He also pressed for the largest fine possible, which was several thousand bits." She gives Stiletto a weak smile. "But that's also excessive..."

"Since you've already replaced the chair and apologized... I'm only going to give you the minimum fine." She pauses for a moment, verifying the numbers. "That works out to six hundred bits. It's... the least that I can assess."

Stiletto reteaches into he saddle bag and produces one gold dragon that she places on the table "There."

Virtue gives her a slightly confused look. "Thank you, but that's a bit more than the fine..."

Stiletto looks to the side "Consider it a donation on behalf of the Deutschmeiner nationhood. I will need no more then a note of recondition." *Coughs* "I also do not have anything smaller on me right now." She looks at the ground

Virtue nods and gives her a small smile. "Thank you. Perhaps we can put this behind us now... and it would probably be best not to tell Indigo that I lowered the fine." She sighs. "I'm sure he will question things when you're not jailed."

Stiletto stands at attention "He might be deterred from further harassment if I was at your door."

Virtue shakes her head slowly. "I'm sure that would be effective... but I fear it would just agitate him secretly... and he may do worse then." She smiles. "But I do appreciate you looking out for me."

Stiletto nods "I would once again like to offer my serves as a royal guard, to your person Lady Virtue."

Virtue continues to smile. "Again, I fear that might stir up trouble..." She reflects that so far such a thing would be unnecessary, and hopes it continues to stay that way. "Fortunately, I don't think I am in any physical danger. If that changes... well, you'll be one of the first that I speak to."

Stiletto shuffles her hooves. "I worry about you Lady Virtue, I am sorry, but I do. Please come to me, for any help you might need, with anything."

Virtue gives her a single nod. "Thank you Stiletto. I really appreciate your thoughts. If you're going to be alright after this, then so will I."

Stiletto closes her eyes and sighs "If it will bring an end to the harassment. I have nothing against this troubled individual, but from now on he had better leave me and my liebt in peace." She turns to leave

Virtue watches as Stiletto moves to leave. "I hope this will be the end of it all too. I think maybe it finally will be."

78: Virtue's Diary, 23 Sandstone, 257 to 16 Galena 158

Virtue's Diary - 23rd Sandstone, 257

Glaze gave birth early this morning to a little unicorn filly the family named Tangerine. She was quite orange, so it seemed like an appropriate name to me. Glaze has been working hard with the masons to make blocks lately, so I gave her some time off to bond with her new little filly.

16th Moonstone, 257

There were two more little foals brought into the world today. The first was Hickory's little unicorn colt, who the family named Alpine. Loom gave birth a few hours later to an earth pony colt named Cypress. Panacea and Wool were pretty bushed after helping with both births, but I can say from experience they weren't as tired as the mothers.

Anyway, I spent some time going through our stocks today and noticed we've got a few things we could shape up a bit on. We've got a lot of bones lying around from one source or another, so I asked Totem to start making some bolts from the bones. That should save some wood and metal and give Longshot something to use. Seems efficient to me to be using the bones of things he brings back to eat.

We also have found a few veins of gold underground, and the miners brought up some nuggets to smelt. I'm not sure what to do with them yet, but we'll figure something out. For now though, I've asked the masons to start building a second warehouse next to the first to start storing some more of our stocks. We might need a third, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

24th Moonstone, 257

We had another birth today, this time to Detergent. Her family is getting quite large! The family named the little pegasus filly Summer, which is a pretty name I think. I've been thinking for a while now that we might need to build some larger homes for the large families like hers and Naginata's, but I'm not sure if or when we'll get to it.

12th Opal, 257

Today was a bit interesting. Things started out with me directing the masons in setting up some fortifications on the keep's roof, where they could fire at any invaders that got inside the walls, should it come to that. While overseeing that, I noticed Carmine heading for one of the craftspony shops with the distinct look of a pony possessed on his face. I went by to check on him, and sure enough, he was busy fetching things to build something mysterious.

Hopefully we'll find out what soon enough.

26th Opal, 257

Carmine finished the cabinet he was working on today, which was absolutely beautiful. I'll have somepony help him move it to his room as soon as possible. I hope he enjoys it, I know I'd like to have a cabinet like that!

Oh, I also remembered that I went to Panacea this morning to check up on a suspicion I had... which she confirmed! I'm pregnant again with our third foal!

I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I'm happy to have another child, but I'm pretty busy as it is and I fear I don't spend enough time with Rose and Valor as it is. I suppose the new baby will be coming one way or another, so I'll have to plan accordingly!

11th Obsidian, 257

After discussing some of our options with the militia captains and Flux and Stiletto, I decided we should line the monster trap with some remotely triggerable spears. This way if something dangerous shows up down there that they can't get close enough to shoot safely with their crossbows, we can still deal with the problem.

I set up a lever way out of sight, so if a deadly duster or such gets caught in the trap we can spear it dead without risking anypony getting caught in dust.

I also picked out a spot for the stable for Glyph to watch over the foals of Dawnpick. It seems to me that the easiest and most reasonable place to put it is next to the warehouses, which I'll have the masons start on as soon as they can. It won't be too large, but a few of the families here have expressed interest in the stable, so I hope it's big enough.

18th Obsidian, 257

We had a few caravans arrive today, including the liaison from Coupledye. Today was the day we had to show that we're willing to do the duties we were given and produce steel. To that end, we sent about fifty thousand bits worth of steel bars, weapons and armor headed back to Coupledye, which surprised the traders I must admit. I think they were impressed with the quality of the goods, but if I'm honest we kept the very best of it for our militia, who all got some nice upgrades on their gear.

Between home and the rainbow ponies that showed up, we got a lot of leather, cloth, and thread, which we've been very short on lately. We also picked up a bit of cheese, a pig, three lemon trees, a few wooden chests, some bags (something else we can never get enough of), a few cages for the animals and some sweet pod seeds.

All in all, it was kind of exciting to perform such a large transaction, and to send so much back to Coupledye. I'll prove to them that they chose the right ponies for the job here!

22nd Obsidian, 257

As is usually the case when the traders arrive, we had some badger pony thieves show up too. The fight was fairly intense from what the captains tell me, but based on what I heard Glaive was personally responsible for felling two of the monsters. Falcata took out a third, and Stiletto finished the last by taking his head from his neck and dumping it into the moat.

I'll have to remember to not wander near the bridge any time soon, and to tell everypony to not drink the water straight from the moat. That probably wouldn't be healthy.

Stiletto took a stab to her wing during the fight, but it was so minor Panacea told her that there was nothing to really do for it but clean the wound. She'll be perfectly fine, which is always great to hear. I'm glad nopony has been hurt in quite a while. That always tears me up inside when it happens.

18th Slate, 258

Today was just awful. The only good news I have is that we've started setting up crenelations on the walls for shooting at enemies should we ever need them.

We also finished constructing Glyph's stables today. They aren't much to look at, but it should be enough room for him to look after any children whose parents are too busy.

I didn't really know what to do, so I just built a little building with some tables chairs and windows. It'll suffice I suppose.

Which brings me to the horrible thing that happened today. I don't know all of the details, and I don't think I want to know them, but somehow, at some point, Ocean Breeze cheated on Carmine with one of the zebra merchants that trade with us on occasion. Friesden, or Dizzy as her parents sometimes called her, isn't Carmine's foal and is half zebra.

That's bad enough, but of course I'm only finding out about this because he found out. In the aftermath, he's abandoned the poor thing and left her to her fate. Ocean Breeze was all but inconsolable, but he wouldn't let the filly back in their house.

I'm an absolute wreck over this. Knowing that the child can't be with her family right now... knowing that both Carmine and Ocean Breeze have done awful things... I just don't know what to do.

The only vague light in all of this is that Glyph took her in for now and will care for her until we can decide what to do.

I can't think about this right now. I need my family now... to be reassured that something this horrible will never happen to us.

21st Slate, 258

My little earth pony colt was born today! I'm pretty exhausted, which I knew I would be after having two children already, but the moment I laid eyes on him any nervousness I had about a third child disappeared. It took Harvest Moon and I a little while to decide what to name him, but of the names we'd picked out, we settled on Rampart. He's a strong little colt, and I can't help but wonder what life will hold for him?

I also heard that the plans I'd sent to the masons for a second floor of our furniture warehouse are being put to use. I hope with a second floor we'll have enough room to store everything now, but I won't be able to go check up on it today!

8th Felsite, 258

Today has been a long time coming! For years, little Rondel has told everypony that he wanted to be like his mom and join the militia, and today he is officially a stallion. The family had a small party to commemorate the event, and afterward Naginata took her son to get him equipped for his first day starting tomorrow.

She asked for him to be placed under Halberd, which surprised me at first but she explained in quick order. This way she wouldn't ever be in the place to choose between her mission and her son. I think I understand, but the entire arrangement would worry me to no end.

I don't think I've ever seen Naginata drink before today, but she and Marbles had a fair bit after she got Rondel's gear picked out.

I hope the best for their entire family, I really do. I count our blessings every time she comes back from a fight, and now I have to worry about her son too.

Hard to tell, but the red pony standing next to the blue militia pony is Rondel next to mommy. He'll do her proud.

12 Felsite, 258

I never thought I'd see the day. I had to lock somepony up today for breaking a rather serious law, and that pony was Flux. Timid, kind flux. Apparently Glaive got into an argument with him over Stiletto's morals, and after a few insults were thrown, he broke Glaive's leg. I don't believe any of it, but it's true.

There was nothing I could do but lock him up for the next two months. I feel awful about the whole situation. Just knowing animosity like that sits just beneath the surface, I worry what might be next. I don't understand why Glaive would think so badly of Stiletto, but if it was bad enough for Flux to want to fight him I probably don't want to know.

I'll go see Flux next morning and see how he's doing. I really hope we can get this behind us quickly.

14th Felsite, 258

I was surprised to have Glaive come by today and ask for Flux's sentence to be lessened. I'm extremely happy to know that they've mostly settled their differences, and that we really can get this behind us. It also means Stiletto can go free and get back to work, which was an arrangement I was never really pleased with. She's done nothing wrong, but insisted on staying with Flux.

At least it's over now. I'm going to go give them the good news right now, and they'll be free to go in the morning!

21st Felsite, 258

I knew it had to happen soon, but Panacea finally gave birth today. She and Saw Dust were both very excited to have a foal of their own, but nature had a bit of a surprise for the couple. They got two instead of one!

I knew she was absolutely exhausted just getting around lately, and the poor mare looked fit to pop weeks ago. But, today was the day, and Wool had to experience helping give birth without her help, since she was the mother this time!

The two foals were adorable: an earth pony colt they named Lancet, and a unicorn filly named Peppermint.

It's a good thing Wool is around to give Panacea some relief. She's going to need a while to recover from that, and to spend time with her now much larger family! I'll stop by and see her tomorrow if I get a chance. Both of the parents were so happy.

As much as I wish this happened naturally, it was because if me messing around with the raws while experimenting with the relationship / parenthood hacking. I accidentally saved, so two babies she gets.

15th Hematite, 258

We had another possession today, which was a bit different from the rest. Today was the first time one of the militia have been taken by the strange moods, and nopony in the militia was able to convince Kris to leave the clothier's shop she took over. I don't think anything bad will come of this, but if she was to lose her mind, the damage would be a lot worse than if most anypony else did.

No, I won't even consider that. We haven't lost anypony to this yet, and we're not going to start with her. I'll keep a close eye on her.

25th Hematite, 258

Ocean Breeze gave birth again today to another pegasus filly she and Carmine named Gust Front. Normally I'm quite excited to hear that a family grew larger, but I can't help but wonder about the filly. I don't think Ocean Breeze would cheat on Carmine again, but trust can never be rebuilt when it's destroyed like that.

I'd best stop thinking about that right now or I'll be depressed for the rest of the day. I'm sure the filly will be alright.

The other news is that Kris finished what she was working on today: a set of braies. I'm relieved that she's done with her ordeal, but I'm not sure if they're really her style. Either way, it's up to her to decide what to do with them.

13th Malachite, 258

Today was a bit busy. Sienna is officially a mare today, which is a day I'm probably as happy to see as she is. Those years ago when she was nearly taken from her family... we all owe a lot to Glaive for his bravery that day. Anyway, after a small celebration, she went off with Ashwood to learn a bit about helping cut wood and work it. It's something she's always been interested in, which is why she was caught outside in the first place. I just hope we don't have a repeat of that day.

We also started building a gym of sorts for the militia and anypony who wants to to work out in. I'm sure the militia will appreciate a chance to work out in ways other than just swinging their axes around, and it will probably help alleviate a bit of boredom.

This is actually already having notable improvements in the attributes in some of the soldiers. I hope to get them all up to at least baseline stats soon!

Lastly, we finally got a kiln set up. I've meant to do this ever since the day Naginata arrived in Dawnpick, back when she still went by the name of Porcelain. We've got a lot of clay just under the surface, so the chance to put somepony to work making clay pots or something should be interesting.

16th Galena, 258

The zebras arrived today, with their caravan and a diplomat. I was looking forward to speaking with him, as he's quite pleasant. I spoke with him in my office for a little while, chatting about our relations and how they're still quite pleased to stop by Dawnpick on their trade routes.

While we were talking though, the inevitable warning went out, as it almost always does. A group of badger pony thieves showed up just behind the zebras and set upon them. We scrambled the guard to rush out and deal with the threat, but we were out of bolts! I'm such an idiot, I forgot to keep sending work orders out to keep our stocks up!

Thank goodness, the guards were able to hold them off until Partisan and his ponies got there. From what he says, they all took turns beating on the badger pony until it stopped moving, and as usual I'm glad I wasn't there to see it.

Two more thieves tried to enter through the gate, where they ran into Flux, who was hauling mechanisms down to the monster trap to set up the spears. He dropped what he was doing and ran for his life, where the badger pony ran into Grapple.

I still don't understand why Grapple takes it upon himself to fight when we have the militia, but he might have saved Flux's life. When the badger pony threw itself at him, he defended himself with commendable skill, from what Halberd told me.

Seriously, I thought he was a goner when he rushed the badger pony, but he bruised its heart, then its guts then broke its spine. Kung Fu master at work!

Halberd said that Kukri finished that badger pony off with a few decisive hacks with her axe, while Naginata killed a second that ambushed her with a single stroke of her axe.

The fourth and last was killed by Sarissa as he fought another zebra guard.

The entire battle lasted for some time, and everypony was exhausted. I invited all of the zebras into the dining hall to let them have some of our stews that they are so fond of. We eventually got around to trading a few things, but unfortunately the zebras didn't have a whole lot we needed.

We ended up taking some cloth, leather and a few exotic foods in exchange for a lot of the stews and baked goods our chefs have prepared. Apparently we've got enough to last for years if we needed it, so I let the zebras have a little more than I strictly should, but I want to keep relations good, and swapping a little of the same old food out for something new never hurts!

79

Kat's Diary - 18th Obsidian, 257

Dear Diary. It's been a long while since I've touched you. But today's Caravan that came to our fort reminded me to start writing again, even though now i don't seem to have much of a forgetting problem than before.
Today's nice, i helped moving some steel to the trade place even though i don't really have to do it anymore being a guard and all that, but it's nice to feel like I'm useful sometimes. Maybe i'll buy something tomorrow, Stiletto's been giving me some bits lately, awfully nice of her.

Dear me, Writing is hard..

22nd Obsidian, 257

Thieves! Like the usual, following the caravans as if it's a good idea. The militia took care of them, As usual. We didn't even have to do anything. I really should be happy that we don't have to get ourselves into fights and all but, really. I want some actions too sometimes.. Not that i wish there'd be actions for us to take but..
I need a drink.

16th Granite, 258

Glyph's been telling me about his idea about 'Stables' for the foals. I think it's a good idea, I offered to help aswell at the place. Maybe i'll find something to busy myself there. Would be nice to feel useful again.

20th Granite, 258

Last night was just.. bad. Jaxler didn't show up for our night's patrol and i had to work twice the workload. And i found him drunk off his flank under a tree!
sometimes, i seriously wonder why he's still in the guards. He's a good shot at all when he's sober but, I just think he could be working a lot better.. Maybe i'll talk with Partisan about this later. Or maybe talk with Jaxler again when he's less drunk.

5th Slate, 258

Thing's been.. bad lately. I feel stressed. I think i might have to go do 'that' again tonight. Can't believe it, it's been so long. Can't believe I'm even writing this down, reminding myself that i'm such a-

6th Slate, 258

Last night was... Unexpecting. Glyph found me in the woods and, Things suddenly look a lot less Dark. I should've known, Moving to Dawnpick was the best choice i've made ever since leaving that place. I foresee good things in the future. Lots of lots of good things.

18th Slate, 258

Glyph's Stable is finally done! now i can start helping everypony there. Oh things just gets better and better.

I wrote too soon. A filly was found abandoned by her parents by Glyph, Why would anypony do such a thing? HOW could anypony do such a thing? I need to know more about this.. maybe something's not right.. maybe.. I'll have to talk with Glyph.

19th Slate, 258

Monster! we have such a Monster in the fort! a Pony that could do that to a Foal, That's.. That's not a Pony. Something must be done, Lesson must be taught.. Something. I'm going to talk to Glyph and see if we'll come up with something.. I feel sick. I thought this was a Happy place Damnit!

21st Slate, 258

Baroness Virtue gave birth today. Finally some good news since.. that. We had a little cerebration, i swear i could've forgotten about problems for a while. And think that things are all nice and nice again. With all the births happening, i might have to stop writing them down eventually. Never mean that it's any less good though. New foals are nice. Always.

23rd Slate, 258

Tonight will be the night, We've prepared and planned to give Carmine a lesson he'll never forget. I feel a little sorry for him really, But part of me keep saying that a monster doesn't need your sorry. I just hope everything goes as planned and nopony finds out. Well, Wish me luck Diary. I'm going to need it.

24th Slate, 258

Last night, i had the weirdest dream. I dreamed that me and Glyph carried on the Plan that we had for Carmine, but then we met with the Goddess of death herself. It's weird, most dreams i just forget but this dream felt so real, as if it really did happen. I was scared. Very scared. But I pushed my luck i think. Then something about having my throat slitted..
The weirdest thing is that i woke up today with Glyph and he seems to have the same dream.. Maybe it's foretelling something, maybe it's saying that we shouldn't do it.. So we agree that we probably shouldn't carry on the plan if the goddess of dreams visit us personally like that. I wouldn't want to get on her bad side that's for sure!

8th Felsite, 258

I heard there was a Party for the Militia, Naginata's foal officially became a Stallion today and joined the Militia just like his Mother. Too bad the guards weren't invited, but i guess that's for the best, Else Jaxler would empty the drinks in minutes. And i think it's more of a family-thing. Hope everything goes well for them.
Maybe we could start a party sometimes on something.. hmm...

12 Felsite, 258

Amazing, simply Amazing. Flux got arrested and put in jail! For breaking Glaive's leg! i never thought he'd do something like that, But after hearing from his side what happened, i'm amazed he didn't do something more. Well, atleast i was able to talk Partisan into letting me be the Jail's guard. even though we probably wouldn't need one. But if he's going to be in there for 2 months, i'd prefer to be there and keep him sane. Can't imagine to be alone in a small cell for 2 months.

Today's just full of Surprises. Stiletto came over some times after Flux got arrested and Wanted to be in there too! well, i guess it's not just me that wanted to keep him company. Still don't get why would somepony call Stiletto bad things, she's such a nice mare.

15th Felsite, 258

Yesterday Baroness Virtue came over and tell us that Glaive dropped the charge! i've never thought it would happen but it did anyway. Which is a good thing! means Stiletto and Flux will be free today and i'll beable to get back and help Glyph at the Stable again! good times all around. Maybe we should make a little party or something, that'd be grand.

21st Felsite, 258

I know i should probably stop writing down entry about Foals being born, but i can't help but to be happy for Panacea and Saw Dust! They were always a cute couple, And She have a Twin! I really wish i could visit them and see, but can't yet.. Got to find some times for that surely. Seeing soo many births, I wonder what it'll be like to be a Mother. Must be amazing.. I wonder if Glyph were thinking about something like that aswell. Probably not, he already have all the foals in the stable to look after. But a Filly can hope couldn't she?

15th Hematite, 258

Well, seems like Even the Militia aren't safe from theses possession things ponies kept getting. There goes our little hope that we'll never gets that. I hope this time everything turns out as good as always.. Hopefully.

13th Malachite, 258

The Baroness ordered a Gym to be built! Good news for the Militia. I hope they'll let the guards use it aswell, i could really use some workout besides shooting my crossbow. And maybe another reason to get out more.

20th Malachite, 258

Got into an Argument with Jaxler again today, I swear we were ready to swing hooves Until Partisan came over. I thought Jaxler would behave but Nope. I seriously wonder why Partisan still kept him around as Second-in-Command. Jaxler's not going to be a type of Pony I'd enjoy serving under.. But i Trust that Partisan have his reason.. some Reason. But i can't help but to start wondering. Partisan's good, i know that. But if somepony put Jaxler in second-in-command, can that pony be 'that' good?

16th Galena, 258

Today was Great, The Zebra Caravan arrived Along with some more Thieves, and We got some Actions today! Granted we ran out of bolts and our crossbows were next-to-useless but we went into a fight anyway. Partisan leaded us out and we found a Badger pony, Then we took turn beating it with our crossbows and hooves until it stopped moving. I must say, it was the most damned pleasing thing i've done in a while, great for Anger venting! And the feels! to see that spark of life being beaten out of it's eyes! none of my 'huntings' could've ever compared to this! I almost wish that this would happen more often.

After all that's done, we had some nice dining with the Zebra and got some more exotic foods from them. I always loved their food, especially with carrots. Too bad they don't have much else for us to buy, and i'm not a fan of decorating my room with odd Zebra crafts.

Jaxler’s journal, 26th Opal, 257

Today Carmine made a cabinet, the thing looked pretty damn neat. The thing was encrusted and looked pretty high quality. It had hanging rings of iron and looked amazing but the one thing that caught my eye was the image on it. The image is a badger pony berserker which looked simply stunning.

18th Slate, 258

Well, the walls got some Fortifications made for them today, which should allow us to shoot at enemies without getting killed. Also glyph had some building made. Apparently he’s gonna take care of all the foals in town while the adults are off working and whatnot.

12 Felsite, 258

I had to arrest Flux today. He broke Glaive’s leg like a twig. I can’t say I blame him though, Glaive insulted he mare friend. I respect the pony, most ponies would just sit there and do nothing but instead he went up and actually did something. All I can say is that I respect the guy.

13 Felsite, 258

Today Granite stole my crossbow. I had to chase the foal down about drowned in the process. In the end I ended up with a bolt in my leg and a pissed off little colt. Though, somehow Granite ended up telling me that he had kleptomania. After hearing that I decided to go talk to flux seeing how there is no way in hell I can even dream of handling this alone. He said something about getting a musical instrument for the foal. So, now I guess I got something to do tomorrow.

14th Felsite, 258

Flux got out today. Turns out Glaive decided to go drop the charges on the poor guy. So, at least things will get back to normal.

16th Galena, 258

We didn’t have any bolts… today some thieves showed up and we didn’t have any bolts. We had to resort to smacking there’re heads in with ours crossbow. I can’t honestly believe this happened. Ug… I couldn’t even get a single hit in with that damned steel cross. I’m gonna talk to partisan about switching back to MY crossbow.

Glaive's Journal 20th Sandstone, 257

I spared with Falcata outside the barracks today. She is unbelievable skilled. I was able to force her to a draw though. She didn't keep track of what my magic was doing, and I got her from behind with her own axe. She is skilled but I worry about her one day having to fight somepony with magic. But afterwords we fell onto the grass and watched the clouds. We talked and she said that she wanted to try and help me get there. It's an amazing thought. I've looked up for so long and now to finally be able to go... But preparations must be made. I'm too heavy for her to carry on her own. But I think, with some practice I can make myself effectively lighter, by pulling myself up with my magic, so that she could carry me. I also know that a spell exists that allows the target to have the pegasi's ability to stand on clouds.

I don't know that spell, but I hope that one of the caravans soon will carry a book with a copy of it. Once I have that, we are going to the sky.

Glaive's Journal 8th Obsidian, 257

I've been practicing my telekinesis for several hours everyday, my lifting strength with it is almost enough. To reduce my weight by effectively half. The problem isn't the weight that I can lift is too small it's just harder to apply that force to yourself. Though not impossible, magic is funny like that.

Glaive's Journal 11th Obsidian, 257

Glyph, one of those ponies in Stiletto's camp, along with Kat, have managed to convince Virtue to build a sort of kindergarten to watch over the young ones while the parents are working. While the idea has merit, and it is something that is needed, I don't much care for the ponies who will be running it. I fear that they may plant some less favorable ideas in the heads of the foals. I hope they would not be deceitful enough to try and do that on purpose, but it does look suspicious.

18th Obsidian, 257

The caravan from Coupledye arrived today. I had a look through all of their goods for every book they brought, their was only two. The Metaphysics of Mathmatics, and an old battered spellbook. The first was a highly technical mundance tomb that I had no iterest in, but the old book, it had some potential, unfortunately, the book seems to be written in Old Pony, and I can only make out a few words. If only I had a dictionary of Old Pony words, I might be able to make sense of it.

I sent a letter with the caravan to my father. I told him all about Falcata, and Dawnpick, and everything that has happened so far. I also requested that he send a few books here, as we don't exactly have a library. I requested a copy of the Old Pony textbooks he taught me from, but I hope to get this translated before the year is up and the caravan returns.

22nd Obsidian, 257

More thieves, attacked, I managed to kill two of them, Falcata got the other, I don't see why they keep trying. Not one of them has ever comeback from here successful.

18th Slate, 258

Construction has finished on Glyph's stables. I still don't like the idea of him and Kat looking over the foals. I think I'll help out, when I have time. I don't know much about raising foals, but I know a lot of old stories that I can share with them. Good stories, with good morals. Maybe that'll help counteract Glyph and Kat's influence.

12 Felsite, 258

I found Flux in Falcata's room today. Flux one of Stiletto's "friends" I suspected he was trying to seduce Falcata. I trust Falcata not to fall for it, but I didn't take kindly to him trying. When I heard that he gave her the beautiful lyre she's been playing, that was too much. I told him to stay away from her and that we wanted nothing to do with Stiletto's debauchery. He kicked me, hard. It broke my bum leg. Didn't hurt to bad, but I tossed him from the room with my magic. Falcata started yelling but when I tried to put weight on the broken leg, it snapped completely.

While I was in the hospital with Panacea Stiletto came in and started asking questions. She didn't know what had happened. I told her, the truth. Curse my honesty. She started flying and her magic went crazy she looked like she was on fire. She was yelling supernaturally loud, and in a threatening tone. I scrambled for something to defend myself from the crazy mare, while we continued to debate. I grabbed a chair but she crushed it like it wasn't there. How can anypony fight something like that. If she could do that to lump of wood, I can only imagine what she could do to a pony. Still I wasn't going to be intimidated by her and grabbed a scalpel. She eventually cooled down and left.

Later I met up with Falcata, I thought she'd be angry, but she was just happy I was okay. I love her. She's the most amazing mare I've ever met. I have something I want to ask her. But it needs the right setting. I think the clouds will do. Anything less wouldn't be fair.

14th Felsite, 258

At Falcata's urging I went to talk with Flux. I admit that do feel a little guilty about the whole ordeal, not about what I said but how I said it. I did provoke him. I went there and Stiletto was in the cell with him. I didn't want to talk in front of her, but, for some reason I went along with it. I apologized to Flux for provoking him and he apologized for kicking my leg. When I left I told Virtue to let him out in the morning.

16th Felsite, 258

Stiletto is throwing a party in honor of Flux's early release, I don't know if I want to go. I don't want to see Stiletto, and the emotions from the fight with Flux haven't really faded in it's entirety, but Falcata left about a half and hour ago. I guess, I'll go. Just need to get ready.

16th Galena, 258

The zebra caravan arrived earlier, I went down to talk with them, during Falcata's shift. I looked around and sure enough they had what I was looking for. A raw uncut diamond from their homeland. I have been saving my money for some time for this, so I bought it right away. It was expensive but I'll all be worth it. I took the gemstone to the jewler's here in town. I talked with the owner Quartz and arranged a deal with him to cut the gemstone, I told him I'd pick it up in 3 days. After that, I ran back to my room, to retrieve something from the locked chest under my bed. I pulled out a piece of great grandpa's axe. It put my family where it is now, and now it would help to strengthen us once again. I made my way to the smelter's where I saw Flux hard at work...

On the 16th of Galena a few hours after the zebra caravan had set up to trade, Glaive walks into Flux's work area. He has a bit of cloth that seems to be wrapped around something solid, floating nearby him. "Hello Flux." he says.

Flux starts, not expecting Glaive of all ponies to walk into his smelter.
"Um, heya Glaive."

"Flux,I got some work for you." He makes his way to a table and places down
the cloth, he unwraps it and reveals a large shard of bismuth bronze. It
is clearly from a larger object, but is difficult to tell what. But the
metal is old and worn, and not as strong as it might once have been.

Flux looks at the bit of bismuth bronze and gives a low whistle.
"Oh, wow. That must have been from something huge..."

Glaive responds "This was part of my Great Grandfather's Battle Axe, it was enormous. He was a mighty warrior and made most of our family's fortune as an adventurer. But I...er it is broken beyond repair now."

Flux gently prods the piece with a hoof.
"Um, if you want it reforged, I'm... not the right pony..."

"I know that, I don't want it reforged. I want something new made out of it, but first I need this piece smelted down into something the metalcrafter's can work with more easily, and if possible can you strengthen the metal, so that is strong like it used to be, and not brittle from metal fatigue?...I'm having something made for Falcata."

"Aahh..."
Flux nods in comprehension.
"I think so. Do you want it weapon grade?"

"It isn't for a weapon...It's for a piece of jewelry. The axe's name was Widowgrief, my Greatgrandpa used it in the Old wars to slay many foes and then as an adventurer to make his fortune. This metal has built my family to what it is. But it has caused enough grief. It is time it was used to strengthen our family without killing. To make a wife, not a widow.if you take my meaning."

Flux 's eyes widen and he gasps, looking at the bit of metal in a new light.
"Jewelry... Um, yes. I can do that."

"Thank you Flux. How much will the work cost me?"

Flux 's mind races with all the tricks he can think of to give the metal a better lustre when polished.
"Um, nothing, Glaive. It, um, won't take too long to smelt this properly. I should be able to sneak it in between steel orders."

Glaive smiles, "Thank you Flux, that's very generous. But don't tell Falcata, about this I want it to be a surprise, okay."

Flux nods.
"I promise. Um... come by in a few days, I should have it smelted by then."

Glaive "Alright, I think Falcata has a shift when I'm off in 3 days. I'll come by then okay? And thank you again, but remember, it's a secret to everypony." Glaive begins to leave.

Flux wraps up the chunk of bismuth bronze to hide it.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Glaive glances one last time at the old shard, remembering the stories, remember how HE broke the family heirloom, and feeling a twinge of guilt at having it melted down like common scrap, but he knew it would be worth it. He exits the smelters workshop and heads toward home.

17th Galena

I've been trying to understand the spells in the book I acquired, but I can't remember enough of my Old Pony lessons to make sense out of any of them, so I went to Baroness to request her aid.

Glaive approaches Virtue's office, a tattered old book with a black leather binding held in his mouth. He knocks on the door.

Virtue takes one more look at the stock record she was updating and looks over to the door. "Come in!"

Glaive enters the room, he takes the book from his mouth with his magic and closes the door behind him. "Baroness," Glaive bows, "I have come to request your aid in something."

Virtue gives him a nervous smile. "There's no need for the formalities, Glaive." She eyes the book. "How can I help?"

Glaive takes the book and lays it before her. He flips it open to a page that has a detailed drawing of a Unicorn walking in one of the pegasan cloud cities. "It's about this book. It's a spellbook I bought from the caravan, but I can't read it. It's all in Old Pony, and I only know a few words. I know you are no unicorn, but I thought you might be able to help me translate it.

Virtue cocks her head and pulls the book closer. "Well, you're right about one thing... I don't know a bit about magic... but I do know a bit of Old Pony." She looks away thoughtfully. "It's ages..." "I'm not really sure what I'm looking for here... the spell, that is...."

Glaive is a bit disappointed. "This is the spell I am most concerned with. I think it is the Cloudwalking spell. though I can't be sure. I know enough about magic that I think could work out the spell though, if I understood what it's trying to tell me to do,
but it's probably pretty heavy on the jargon, that you might not know....Do you perhaps just have a dictionary or text book for Old Pony? If I had that, I might be able to do it myself. I sent a letter to my dad asking him to send me some of his books, but they won't arrive for months, and I'd rather not wait that long.

"Hmm, perhaps... let me see if I can find it..." She stands and moves over to a bookcase to her side. From the dozens of books on the shelf, she pulls two thick dusty tomes down and places them on her desk. "I think it's one of these..."

Glaive approaches the desk and blows the dust off the books and examines them.

Virtue "This one..." she says, pointing to the larger, "...is a dictionary. And the other is a bit of a learner's book on the subject. For grammar and syntax. I admit it's been decades since I've looked in either, but maybe they can help you." her expression grows a bit worried. "I... don't think you'll find anything about magic in them, but maybe it would be enough to get you started..."

Glaive lights up, "These are exactly what I need. If you don't use the books anymore, might I buy them from you?"

She gives him a warm smile. "They're yours, I haven't had a use for them in ages."

Glaive bows to Virtue yet again. "Thank you Baroness, you are too kind." he rises. I must go I have much work to do. He levitates all three books and starts toward the door.

Virtue cringes mentally at the bow but maintains her smile. "You're quite welcome Glaive. Good luck to you, if you have any trouble, I think Panacea might know a bit of Old Pony herself."

30th Galena, 258

I have spent the last 2 weeks with my head in these books, and practicing what I could understand. I think I have the cloudwalking spell down. Plus my telekinesis is stronger than ever, and the item is ready. I am ready to go to the sky with my love. As soon as we have a mostly clear day, with a few clouds to sit on, we shall try it. I'm excited but also really nervous. If I mess up the cloudwalking spell, or don't have it right, or can't keep up my magic long enough, best not to think about it.

80

Stiletto knocks lightly on Willow’s door. "Ms.Willow, are you in today?"

Willow opens the door. "Hello?"

Stiletto smiles and bows while putting her hat on her chest. "Good day to you, Ms. WiIlow. Do you have time to speak with me?"

Willow raises an eyebrow at the formality. "Uh, of course. What is it?"

Stiletto magically lifts a barrel from behind her. "I have heard that you like strangler wine. I came across a large patch of the plant while I was removing Badger Ponies from the hill. May I please come into your apartment and share it with you as we speak?"

"Oh, um, alright." She motions for Stiletto to follow her inside. "What did you want to speak about?"

Stiletto trots inside and removes her hat. "Straight to the matter at hand then. I have come today to talk to you about the artifact you created." She places the wine down and opens the cork to let it breath.

Willow raises an eyebrow and thinks for a moment. "Artifact? Oh, you mean that flute?"

Stiletto takes a pair of mugs from her saddle bags "Yes. I wanted to tell you that meine freundlichsten Liebe has taken quite the liking to it. I was wondering if you would consider allowing him to buy it from you?"

Willow has a dumbfounded look. "Your who?"

Stiletto fills the mugs and offers one to Willow. "Meine freundlichsten Liebe, Flux. He is an incredible musician."

Willow accepts the mug and sips at the contents. "Oh, Flux... haven't seen him around much these days." She sips again. "You say he's a musician? Really? Wouldn't have guessed."

Stiletto takes a drink from her mug. "Indeed he is. He has many talents. Would you please allow him to buy the Piccolo from you?"

"Buy it, huh?" She sips again and ponders it for a bit. Truthfully, she'd forgotten about the thing, but she couldn't just pass up an opportunity like this. "Um, how much is he offering?"

Stiletto looks to the ground. "He does not have very many bits. He has been saving for a long time now and only has one dragon. Maybe there are other things he could do for you to earn it?"

Willow feels a bit bad for trying to extort the poor smelter. "Um... well..." Willow sips again. "Tell you what... I'll let it go for half that... how's that sound?"

Stiletto gulps down her entire mug as her eyes go wide. She then puts the mug on the barrel. 'es ist mehr als viereinhalb Platin Drachen wert! Ja Möchten sie ... oh my!' "That is incredibly generous of you, Willow. I do not know what to say. Is there anything I can do for you, anything at all?"

"I... uh... well..." She gives what must be a cheesy grin. "Just make sure it's going to a good home?" It was a pretty stock thing to say to something like that, but she was 500 bits richer now, and didn't really care what happened to the thing.

Stiletto put her forehoof on the side of her head. "I just..." She shakes her head "I have never met such a generous pony before in all of the years I have lived." She pours out another mug. "I toast to you, Willow. May you goodness be repaid tenfold."

Willow grins sheepishly. "Oh... it's nothing..." She prepares to say something about it being worthless to her, but she still had the 500 bits... "Just glad it could go to somepony who can use it."

Stiletto holds her mug out to Willow to finish the toast. "I am glad to have met you. I do hope we can become close friends."

Willow completes the toast with Stiletto and maintains her small grin. "Of course, it's always good to get to know new ponies." Although she'd heard a few strange things about Stiletto... she'd just have to be a bit cautious if that sort of stuff came up. Willow savors the flavor of the drink in her mouth and nods. "Yes, and take care of that flute.

81

Jaxler woke up under a tree. He had a splitting head ache and the sun was blinding. After getting up he scanned his surrounding and saw that his crossbow was a few meters away on top of a boulder. After he picked up his crossbow, he saw a pony walking his way.

Kukri trotted softly towards the crimson haired pony, she had observed his slow stumbling into conciseness with some amusement. She merely intended to trot past and continue with her walk, but the crimson stranger gave her a look, that to her dismay, looked like conversation.

As the pony got closer decided he might as well start a conversation. "Aye there Kukri."

Kukri sighed; she knew this conversion was unavoidable. "Hello there" she said sweetly.

Jaxler was surprised by the sweetness in the Kukri's voice. "So, how’s the militia?"

‘Gut wrenchingly dull’ Kurki thought to herself. "Oh just wonderful!" she said with enthusiasm "They're all so very kind to me over there, it's nice"

"Well that's good to hear."

Kukri spots the crossbow by Jaxler's side, and with a smile says "Ah, and how is your line of work treating you?"

Jaxler looked at his decrepit wooden crossbow and though about the question. "Meh, it’s been pretty good"

Kukri lets out a light giggle, "Up late guarding this tree and boulder then?"

Jaxler shrugged "Nah, all I did last night was get drunk."

Great, Kurki thought to herself, a drunken guardspony, I've never felt so protected and secure. Kurki lets out another giggle, "Enjoy yourself, then?"

Jaxler thought for a moment, he really didn't have any memory of last night. "I really don't know."

‘A forgetful drunk, even better.’ Feeling that she had talked enough to not seem rude, Kurki was about to get away from the drunken gaurdpony, when it suddenly struck her that this was the most interesting event that happened in her in weeks. She stared at Jaxler with a puzzled look, contemplating this realization. A brief uninteresting conversation was of note in her life. Perhaps I need to get out a bit more, she thought to herself.

Jaxler noticed that kukri seemed to have zoned out. "Uh, Kukri, 'whatcha starring at?"

Realizing her soundings Kukri jumps back into awareness with a shock "Oh! Er, nothing, just thinking" she ponders for a second more, and with a little effort manages to blurt "Hey, I tend to keep to myself, so, uh, anything interesting going on?"

Jaxler pondered for a moment. "No, not really. Things have been rather boring recently."

Slightly disappointed with his answer, Kukri lets an unintentional audible sigh. Catching herself she straightens up and smiles brightly at the garudspony. This was only the view of the forgetful drunk, after all. Perhaps someone pony in this damned fort had something at least mildly interesting to say. She certainly wasn't getting much out of him anyway.

As the awkward silence fell Jaxler decided that it was about time he made his leave "Hay, I should really head off to the Barracks before Partisan realizes I'm late."

Kukri nods "Alright, I won't keep you" Thankful that the garudspony is taking his leave, Kukri turns her mind back to wondering just what to do with herself. "Perhaps I'll see you again...er..." She trails off, it hit's her quite suddenly that she has no idea what this pony's name is.

Jaxler looked at Kukri and laughed, "Let me guess you don't know my name."

Kukri was sorely tempted to say "Forgetful drunk?", but she knew that, that probably wouldn't be the best move for her. Instead, Kurki lowered her head and dragged her hoof back and forth across the ground. "Um...mabye?" she said with a squeak. Perhaps she could use this lack of knowledge to her advantage.

Jaxler: "Well in that case my name is Jaxler Blackflutes. I'm second command of the guard and also glad to make your acquaintance."

Kukri gives a slight curtsy "Please to meet you, Mr. Blackflutes"

Jaxler found the curtsy to be a bit overkill and somepony calling him Mr. seemed rather strange to him. "Please everypony just calls me Jaxler, and there really isn't any need to be formal"

Kukri took keen note of that, she should have guessed this guy would much prefer informal conversation, regardless the lesson was learned. "Alright Jaxler, I'll see you around" she rather hoped that she wouldn't, but had a feeling that more encounters with him were now unavoidable.

"Hopefully" and with that Jaxler made his way over to the barracks.

Kukri turns around and trots away, continuing her stroll. She couldn't deny that she was unbelievably bored, perhaps spending some time with the rest of these gits would help elevate some of that boredom.

82: A proposal in the Clouds

At last, after months of preparation, the day has finally arrived. Excellent weather, many long hours spent poring over spellbooks and even more hours of lifting heavy things all around the town have at last come together, and now the ultimate goal of all these things is within reach.
Glaive and Falcata stand on the walls on the edge of town. The sky is mostly clear, save for a few clouds; the weather is perfect for what they had planned.
Glaive is wearing a thick cloak, unusual for him on such a nice day. Additionally, he has a saddlebag, tied tightly to himself, laden with food and drink for the two of them to share. He is feeling nervous, but also excited to begin. The lump of metal in the cloak’s inner pocket weighs heavily on his mind; he’s both hopeful and fearful of what her reaction to it might be.

Glancing over at the bearded unicorn, Falcata notices his anxiety. Attributing it to an understandable fear of flying without actually having any wings, she drapes a forehoof across his withers reassuringly.
“Hey, chin up. I promise I won’t let go,” she jokes, flashing him a teasing grin. “Oh, yeah, and keep a hold of your food when we’re up there, won’t you? You and I might find the cloud solid enough, but apples, cupcakes and such won’t. Trust me, I know from experience.”
Glaive smiles. “I know you won’t. Are you ready to go?”
Scanning the air one final time for the perfect cloud, Falcata’s gaze alights once again on a medium-sized comfortable-looking little beauty floating some distance away. It was the perfect day for this sort of thing, really. Not sunny enough to impair her vision while in flight, no rain to be seen, and a wide selection of plump, creamy-white clouds hovering in a clear blue sky. She’d intended to prepare a cloud especially for the occasion, but wasn’t going to take any chances with fatigue while carrying such important cargo.
Shrugging with an attempt at nonchalance, she flares her wings, preparing for takeoff.
“Ready if you are. I’m just flying like I normally would; it’s you who’ll be maintaining a spell. Are you ready?”

Glaive reaches stealthily into his cloak, making sure the mysterious item would not fall out. Once he’s sure that it would stay put, he says, “Okay, I’m as ready as I ever could be.” His horn pulses with magical energy, and an aura of light envelops the unicorn, his cloak and hair beginning to billow a bit as if everything was being pulled upwards. While lifting his full weight is beyond his magical ability, he manages to successfully cut his effective weight by half; a rather impressive feat, more than most could do, but he only hopes that it would be enough. “Okay, I should be easier to carry like this, but I can’t keep it up forever. Let’s go.”

Without further discussion, Falcata lifts off the ground, manoeuvering herself into position above Glaive. Like a mother would embrace her foal, she wraps all four legs around his midsection, making certain to have as firm a grip as possible, given the unpleasant ramifications if he slipped from her grasp. Certain he’s as secure as she can make him, Falcata slowly lifts the unicorn into the air, wings flapping furiously to provide the necessary lift. Not as hard as I was expecting, she ponders, with a hint of relief. At least, as long as the spell holds. She briefly considers checking on her passenger’s state of being, but, recalling his slightly ominous statement about the spell being temporary at best, she decides not to waste any time and begins their ascent, flying both of them slowly and with the utmost care towards her chosen cloud.

As the two ponies ascend into the sky, Glaive manages to enjoy the sights even as he concentrates on the spell. It was beautiful, looking out from this height away from Dawnpick at the untamed wilderness outside the walls. He could see for miles as they got higher and higher. Glaive looked down at the ponies of the village below; they looked like a bunch of multicolored insects skittering about in their wooden and stone nest. He glanced upwards at Falcata; she was clearly having to work to lift him, but she seemed to have it under control, so long as his magic could hold. But he had trained well for this, he could reliably hold the spell for about a half an hour before he would have to drop it; more than enough time for what they had planned. Glaive refocused on his magic, while waiting for Falcata to choose a cloud to land upon.

A short while later, and now beginning to feel the strain of lifting half a unicorn’s worth of weight a few hundred feet up in the air, Falcata finally brings herself and her love to a rather wobbly suspension just above the thick, fluffy clump of wooly material. Delicately, she allows herself to glide down towards the hopefully-unicorn-impermeable cloud while alerting her love to their imminent arrival.
“Glaive,” she calls urgently, “there’s the cloud. Is your other spell ready?”
Glaive’s moment of truth had come, he believed he had the cloud-walking spell perfected, but this would be the first real test. He’d been using it to touch clouds that pegasi would fetch for him in training, sure, but this would be his first time actually standing on one. “Falcata, I’ll have to stop lifting myself for the moment I cast the spell. I’ll need to you hold on tight, if it doesn’t work I’ll start lifting myself again immediately.”
“Okay, Glaive, got it. Switch the spells when you’re ready!”
Glaive releases his telekinetic lift, and casts the spell as quickly as he can.

Caught off-guard by the increase in weight despite having somewhat anticipated it, Falcata is only partially successful in keeping the two aloft. She keeps a firm hold on her passenger, but the two lurch drunkenly downwards towards the cloud. Before she even has time to cry out, though, they impact with a soft poof, landing softly but messily on top of the apparently safe cloud. Extricating herself from the tangle of limbs, Falcata lets out a huge sigh of relief at the sight of Glaive perched on the cloud beside her. She’d known his spell had worked as soon as she’d felt him collide alongside her, of course, but it was still reassuring to actually see the unicorn safe and well hundreds of feet above the ground with her.
Glaive had hit the clouds a bit harder than he expected, but fortunately the clouds were soft, almost like a giant marshmallow. He gets to his hooves, and feels for the object in his pocket; it’s still there, good. He begins to look around. He sees Falcata pulling herself to her hooves next to him, but once he’s sure that she is also unharmed by the impact he begins looking all around himself. ‘I’m on a cloud.’ he thinks to himself, barely containing his joy. He wants to bounce around like a foal on Hearth’s Warming Morning, but contains himself. He quickly moves up to the edge of the cloud and looks out. No longer needing to concentrate on his magic, he could finally truly enjoy the sights. It was everything he could have hoped for. A number of songbirds, as if on cue, fly by the scene, singing a lovely melody. Glaive looks to Falcata, his eyes slightly moist from joy. “Thank you Falcata, this is the best thing anypony has ever done for me, thank you.”

Bouncing across the cloud to his side, Falcata grins from ear to ear. “You did it yourself, Glaive. You gave me the idea and provided the magic to make this possible; all I did was a bit of lifting. And here we are.” She gazes out across the landscape below, taking in the magnificent vista. Rivers, streams, trees and meadows; the view is breathtaking, although in itself it is nothing special to the flight-accustomed pegasus. No, what makes this moment so special is the unicorn by her side to share the sight with her. Recognising the expression of wonder on her love’s face as he regards the world so far below, her smile gets even wider. She knew how he felt; it was the same feeling every pegasus got on his or her first flight, although most ponies experienced it at a much younger age than Glaive currently was.
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” she murmurs softly.
“It’s amazing Fal, and it’s even more wonderful than I had ever dreamed,” Glaive moves closer to Falcata and wraps a foreleg around her withers, “all because I’m here with you.”
Leaning affectionately into his side, she feels a shiver of pure joy run down her spine. She could hardly believe it herself; never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she’d ever find herself up in the sky with Glaive, let alone that it would be so... so perfect. Even the wind had been compliant today; normally she could expect at least a bit of turbulence during a flight of this length, but the air had been completely still during their entire ascent. Even now, at a height where the fiercest of gales could often be found, there was merely a pleasant breeze.

Glaive takes out the bag of food and drink, careful to remember that it isn’t under any magic yet. He casts the spell again, this time on the object, and gently places the bag on the clouds surface, only letting go when he is sure that it will stay put. He unwraps the bag and lays it out flat: bread, cheese, wine, and some fresh cupcakes for dessert.
Raising an eyebrow, Falcata feels slightly envious of the unicorn’s magic. “That’s a neat trick. Might have come in handy a few times for me if I could make other things sit on clouds, I can tell you.”
Glaive chuckles, “Heh, it’s simple to do when you know how. But still, that trick would be worthless to me without your wings.” Glaive pours himself and her each a glass of the wine, passing her on of the glasses, “Careful with that, I didn’t enchant the glasses yet.” he mumbles. Glaive thinks for a moment, “What were you doing in the sky that would have a made it handy anyway?”
She cringes slightly at the embarrassing memory. “Uh, well, it involved a chocolate cake, a thousand-foot drop, yours truly and a very disappointing birthday for somepony...”

The two ponies spend several hours in each others company, enjoying the food and drink Glaive had brought with them. They talk and laugh and tell stories, until the sun begins to set, alighting the clouds with an orange and red glow, as if the sky itself was on fire. The two ponies sit next to each other on the edge of the cloud, watching the sun fall below the horizon.

Eventually Glaive knew the time had come. The setting was just perfect, the two of them alone together on this cloud with the most beautiful sunset Glaive had ever seen. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. He was still nervous, he wasn’t sure how she’d react, but he was hopeful.
“Falcata,” Glaive starts nervously, “Meeting you was the grandest thing that has ever happened to me. You are everything to me.” Glaive reaches into his cloak’s pocket and pulls out a small steel box. “I love you more than the sun or the moon.” He opens the box, inside is a glistening bismuth bronze bracelet with a large cut diamond, seeming to glow gently with the fire of the setting sun, set in it. “It would make me the happiest stallion in the world, if you would do me the honor of being my wife.”

Stunned, Falcata can only gape wordlessly, first at the burnished bronze ornament with its immense, sparkling inset diamond; then at the unicorn perched atop the cloud beside her. Choked with emotion, it takes her a moment to fully regain the power of speech, during which her mind begins racing, a thousand thoughts, questions and answers passing through her mind in a millisecond. Doubts, fears and worries find themselves obliterated in an instant, and she finally manages to scrape together a couple of words.
“Glaive...Glaive, I- yes! Yes, I will!” Finding herself tearing up and unable to add anything more, she launches herself at the unicorn, wrapping him in a ferocious embrace, the possibility that the bracelet might not be enchanted for cloud-safety seeming utterly insignificant when compared to her need to express her love. Glaive would have thought of that anyway, and even if he hadn’t, they could always search for it later. Right now, she was mostly concerned with making sure her love knew just how much she meant that yes.

Glaive barely manages to catch the falling bracelet with his magic after Falcata hugs him. Once it was safe he hugs her back just as tightly. After a few moments of this, Glaive levitates the item back over to him and his love. “I’m sorry it isn’t gold. You deserve gold, but there is meaning in my choice of this metal.”
Glaive hesitates for but a moment, “You remember when I told you about how I broke my great grandfather’s axe, and how I kept a shard of it with me? This was made from that shard. The axe's name was Widowgrief, he used it in the old wars to slay many foes and then as an adventurer to make his fortune, my family’s fortune. This metal has built my family to what it is. But it has caused enough grief. It is time it was used to strengthen our family without slaughter. To be a symbol of love, not of war.”
Her vice-like hug slackening in intensity, Falcata looks at the piece of jewelry with a newfound understanding. “I would find it the most beautiful bracelet in the world no matter what it were made from, Glaive. From the cheapest wood to the most expensive, rare gold; what makes it so wonderful is the fact that you gave it to me. But it is all the more meaningful for the material you used, the history behind it.. It- it’s magnificent, Glaive. Truly. An instrument of war, reforged to unite two ponies who make their living in the same bloody profession. It’s...poetic.”
She carefully threads it onto her right forehoof, marvelling at how perfectly it fitted her. Somehow, he’d gotten the measurement perfect. She’d have to ask how, some day. For now, she locks gazes with him, her eyes still watering with emotion.
“I hope you know how much I love you,” she whispers softly.
Glaive whispers back, “I think I do, but I’ll always love you more.”

The two loving ponies, resting in each other’s embrace, in the clouds above their home, relax and just enjoy each other’s company, watching as the sun finishes setting and the moon rises, eventually falling asleep together in the sky.

83

Jaxler was making his way to Flux's house with a lute that he had bought the other day. Jaxler needed to talk to the him about Granite's music training because he was honestly quite skeptical that Granite would agree to Flux's training unless he was there to endorse it, and also he needed to talk to him about trying to help the foal with his many problems. so as the Jaxler finally got close to Flux's door he extended his hoof and knocked "HAY FLUX, ARE YA THERE?"

Flux sits on his bed, simply relaxing and thinking. Jaxler's pounding on the door, though, shakes him from his thoughts, and he slowly get off the bed and go to answer him.
"Yes, I'm here, Jaxler. I'll get the door."
Opening the door, Flux smiles when he notices the lute.
"Ah, nice lute! I guess you want to go talk to Granite, then?"

"Yeah, I do, but I'd also like it if you could help me with something other than giving him music lessons."

Flux steps outside with him, assuming we'll talk on the way.
"Something else?"

"I'd like it if you could um... talk to him about his drinking problems... seeing how I'm not really one to give advice on such things."

'Maybe he'd be some decent practice to prepare for you...'
"Um, I'll try, Jaxler."

"Good then" Jaxler then turns around and starts walking towards Granite's house.

Flux follows Jaxler, trying to think of something to say to Granite to get him to stop drinking... and stealing...

Once the two got to Granite's house Jaxler knocked on it's door. "HAY GRANITE, IT'S JAXLER!"

Granite hears Jaxler yell from outside the house. "Don't worry guys, I'll get the door! It's fine mom, I'll be fine! No ones going to kidnap me Glaze, jeeze!"
He open the door. "Hey Jaxler, what's up?"

Jaxler was happy to see that Granite came to the door as apposed to another member of his family. "Aye there Granite, me and Flux got ya a gift!"

"Um, heya Granite. How are you doing?"

"What is it? Is it a piano?" I look at Jaxler with anticipation and excitement. Hey, there's Flux in the background! "Hey Flux!"

"Your pretty close" Jaxler then shows Granite the ≡bloodthorn*1 Lute≡*2.

"Holy buck! It's a ukulele guitar thingy... what is it exactly?" I look to Flux. "Hey mentor, sorry about the alcohol incident with the forge a couple days back..."

"It's a lute. Um, the alcohol..."

"A lute? Like loot right? Anyway why are the two ponies that might have the most influence on my decisions standing on my doorstep?"

"Well ya see, Flux here wanted teach you how to play this lute and I bought this instrument so I figured it would only be fair if I came along when he told you about the free lessons."

"Okay then, hey Jaxler do you think Friesden will dig my soon to be epic lute skills?"

"Who knows, but some mares are really in to music."

"Cool I guess, so is there anything you want to talk about?"

Jaxler tensed up slightly when he realized that now was the time to bring up the drinking problems
"Well there was one thing that Me and Flux wanted to talk to you about"

"Okay, what is it?"

Jaxler looked over to Flux. "Well Em... Flux is kinda the pony who needs to talk to you about this."

Flux shifts his hooves, trying to think of a way to put this.
"It's, um... your drinking, Granite. It's, uh, not healthy to drink like you do. We're both worried about you."

Jaxler didn't want to sound like this was his idea. he knew that Granite could get defensive and assault his own drinking problem. So, Jaxler just nodded.

"Drinking problem? Are you bucking kidding me?! What the hell else can I drink? Water? Fat chance! I need to drink something, so what are the alternatives? And Jaxler, what the buck? This was your fault! You made me drink! Well more so than I used to... Flux, is drinking really an issue here, or is there something else?"

"Um... the drinking is becoming an issue, Granite. Well, it's, um, been an issue for a while now, actually. Furnace work is dangerous even while sober, and you'll, um, never get very far if you're always... disappearing into the bottom of a barrel."

Jaxler looked down at his hooves, knowing that there was some truth to Granite's words.

"Damn right your ashamed Jaxler! Friggin' bad influence... and Flux, why can't I show up drunk to a smelter, what's the worst that could happen?"

Jaxler snapped out of it and went on the defensive.

"IF THAT'S THE CASE THEN WHY DO YOU CHOSE TO LET ME INFLUENCE YOU!?!"

"BECAUSE YOU SAVED MY ASS FROM A KIDNAPPER!!!"

Flux looks Granite in the eyes, deadly serious.
"You could trip into the furnace. You could char any or all of your limbs. The molten ore is hot enough to set things of fire without even touching them. If... if you show up drunk again... I may have to... to release you from my apprenticeship."

"Like I was even worthy of being your apprentice in the first place Flux!"

"You have so much potential, Granite. Don't drown it in alcohol."

"FINE!!! I'll stop drinking a lot, and only drink a little! Happy?!"

'Well, it's a start at least...'
"Um, yes. Uh, speaking of potential... want to start learning how to play the lute?"

Granite hears Flux's request, "...only if I get a cool hat..."

Jaxler's eyes widened at the mention of the hat.
"Hay, when I was haggling with a merchant yesterday trying to buy this lute I kinda was able to get a cool plumed hat out of the deal."

"Give it here and I'll consider the offer."

"Oh then I'll go get it"
Jaxler then starts walking off to his house.

Flux smiles and starts to follow Jaxler, motioning for Granite to follow.
"I think you'll like the lute, Granite. It takes a lot of dexterity to play, which is why I think it'll be perfect for you."

"What the hell does dexterity have to do with me?"

Flux chuckles at Granite a bit.
"I think you know exactly what it has to do with you, Granite. But we should hurry up, you have a hat to collect. And then you can put your hooves to work making music."

"Alright then Flux. What are we waiting for? Let me just say my goodbye's and I'll be off."

Author's Note

*1 - Trees found in the third cavern level, produces the densest wood in the game.
*2 - Indicates Exceptional quality.

84

Jaxler was in the meeting hall sitting in his favorite seat. He had a barrel of booze and some food and was about to drink away another night of boredom when suddenly he saw a familiar militia pony walk by. "Yo Glaive"

Glaive notices a familiar sight, Jaxler next to a whole barrel of booze, but this time something was different. He was calling out to him. Glaive hesitated for a moment, what did the drunken guard want with him. They'd never really talked before. But he approached the table anyway. "Uh, hello Jaxler, what's going on?"

Jaxler sipped some of his booze "Well, I'm just sitting here and drinking some moonshine."

Taking a seat across from Jaxler, Glaive says, "So I see. Where's your drinking buddy? Little Granite not with you today?"

"Um, Granite's been trying to slow down on the drinking recently."

Glaive smiles when he hears this news. "That, that is very good to hear. He's shown up at the stables hungover more than once, when I was there helping out. I considered talking to his parents... anyway, how've you been doing?"

Jaxler shrugs at the question "I haven't been doing to good recently"

"Oh, I'm uh, sorry to hear that. Did you want to talk about it?"

"Sure, now you know how I'm second in command of the guard, right? Well, one of the new members is trying to snatch away my rank."

"Who would try and take your position? Why would they do that?"

"Well Kat is, she thinks that I'm too much of a drunken mess to be second in command"

Glaive thinks, Kat might have a bit of a point, but Glaive thinks back, he can't remember Jaxler ever being too drunk while on duty, though, not being in the guard he couldn't be sure about that. "Well, uh, have you been drunk on duty before? I've seen you drinking after work sure, but you usually seem alert when your on the clock."

Jaxler though for a second "well, I think I've only been drunk while on duty about three times in my entire time serving under Partisan and only once while Kat was a member. though I do have tenancy to show about late and hung over."

"Well, if you don't make a habit of it, I don't think you'd have to worry about Partisan or Virtue demoting you. I know you do good work, and you've been around long enough, you deserve your position. Still, probably best, not to give them ammunition to use against you. Maybe, if you try to cut back on the drink, just a smidgen and show up on time from now on then you won't have to worry about what Kat is saying about you."

Jaxler took a swig of booze and said jokingly "If I cut back on drinking then bad things will happen"

"What do you mean by that? What bad things could come from being a bit more sober?"

"No offense, but I really don't know you well enough to go into detail."

Glaive decided not to press the issue, it's true he didn't know the Pegasus that well. "I understand, I'll say no more of it. But still, showing up late and hungover, won't help your case to keep your position, you've earned your place, but keeping it might require sacrifices. You'd do well to keep that in mind."

Jaxler sighed "yeah I know, but I really shouldn't haft to.I mean it really just pisses me off that somepony new walks in and tries to steal my position and that I am expected to trust this pony with my life."

Glaive sighs "I can understand your frustrations. But have you confronted Kat about it? I mean, why sit here getting drunk about it, when you can go tell her, what you think of her trying to usurp your position? Or maybe go see the Captain, have you talked to him about it?"

"Well, whenever I talk to Kat we usually end up yelling at each other and if I talk to Partisan about it I'll probably end up sounding paranoid."

Glaive shrugs. "I guess so. Don't really know what else to say, Jaxler, other than that I'd rather have you in the position then Kat, or any of Stiletto's other friends."

Jaxler smiled "thanks"

Glaive stands, "Well Jaxler, it was nice talking to you, we should do this again, but I've got places to be. May the gods watch over your path."

Jaxler chuckled "If there are any gods"

Glaive considered saying something to the pegasus, but decided that now wasn't the time for that. "Good-day Jaxler." bids Glaive as he walks away from the table.

Jaxler waved "See ya later Glaive"

85

Jaxler woke up. He had a nasty head ache and had somehow managed to black out on top of a boulder. When he got up he scanned his surroundings and saw a barrel five feet off in the distance. Jaxler also noticed that his crossbow was a few feet away laying on the ground. He stumbled over and picked it up scanning it for damage when he realized it was unharmed he sighed. Now knowing that his crossbow was unharmed he looked up and saw a young foal was hopping his way.

Friesden was hopping around the fortress. Ever since she'd seen one of the cute little bunnies, she'd decided she wanted to be a bunny. Hop hop hop.
In front of her was a big stallion, and she stopped hopping. "Um, mister? What's your name?"

Jaxler looked down at the foal who had just hopped in front of him. "There's no need to call me mister and my name's Jaxler Blackflutes. May I ask what yours is?"

"Okay, mister Jaxler Blackflutes." Friesden hopped a couple of times on the spot. "Meow, meow."

Jaxler tilted his head in confusion "I'd prefer if ya just called me Jaxler and um... why are you going meow?"

"I'm a bunny, silly!"

Glyph runs up, panting a bit and stoping next to Friesden. "There you are! I was worried... please don't just wander off like that Friesdizzy..."

Friesden deflates a bit. "Oh...Okay, almost-dad...sorry..."

Jaxler was surprised that glyph seemed oblivious to his existence "Um... Glyph."

Glyph jumps a bit, looking up at Jaxler. "Oh! Sorry... I was so glad that Friesden was alright I didn't see you... guess I should pay more attention." He gives Friesden a hug. "It's okay Friesden... I'm not mad, I just didn't know where you went, so I got nervous."

"Okay!" Friesden hops a bit more. "Meow, meow."

"Um Friesden," Jaxler asked,"you know that bunnies don't go meow, right?"

"I don't know what sound bunnies do make. Meow meow!"

Glyph cocks his head, thinking a bit. "Hmm... neither do I really..." Not exactly true, he knew a lot of noises that bunnies made... but they didn't need to know about those. Nopony but Kat did.

"Almost-dad! I'm a bunny! Meow meow!"

Jaxler was confused at the foal's last comment "Why do you call glyph almost dad?"

"Because he's like dad but he isn't dad, silly! Meow, meow!" Friesden continues hopping on the spot.

Glyph chuckles a bit at Friesden's playing. "Oh? I thought you were a pretty Krylatye odin. Should I start calling you Friesbunny then?" He look over at Jaxler, a hint of a smile still on his face. "I've kinda adopted her, nothing official, but she's been staying with me for a while now."

Glyph's response made Jaxler curious "How long has this been going on, and what about her family, and why is she striped?"

Flux shakes his head. "That's a lot of questions... and I'd prefer not to talk about them here. But I've been taking care of her for a good long while now, my little Friesdizzy." He smiles again, hoping that Friesden wouldn't notice the questions, she seemed so happy right now...

Friesden continues hopping around the two, giggling in delight. "Meow, meow, meow! I'm a bunny!"

Jaxler decided not to press the question. Glyph probably had a good reason not to share that information in front of the foal, whom was hopping around like a rabbit.
"Yes, Friesdizzy you're doing a great job being a bunny."

"Meow, meow! That's bunny speak for 'because I am a bunny!' Meow, meow!"
Friesden continues to hop around.

Glyph laughs again, tousling Friesden's mane. "Well you're a very cute bunny. Of course you're cute no matter what you are."

"Meow meow. That's bunny speak for 'Thank you almost-dad.' Meow meow!"
She jumps around even more.

The foal's playfulness was so adorable that Jaxler couldn't maintain his composure and smiled for a moment before catching himself. "So, why do ya want to be a bunny?"

"Because bunnies are so cute and fluffy and nice and they're the best ever!"

"But you're cute and fluffy and nice anyways. Besides, Pegasus can fly, that's even more awesome." Glyph gives his daughter a hug. "You're already perfect, but it is cute to see you playing pretend."

"I'm not playing pretend, I'm a bunny! Meow, meow!"

Jaxler was puzzled by the foal's response. "Are ya sure?"

"Uh-huh! Of course I'm a bunny! Meow, meow!"

She begins hopping around again.

Glyph looks at Friesden, concerned. "But... you're a pegasus... a beautiful one."

"Nuh-uh, I'm a bunny! Meow meow meow!"
She continues her hopping around him, giggling all the while.

Jaxler was starting to feel a bit awkward now "Um... okay then..."

"But... don't you like being a pegasus? Being able to fly through the air."

"But I like being a bunny! They're so cute, and cuddly, and furry, and warm, and nice, and everything! Almost-dad, can I get a pet bunny? Please?"

"I don't know... pets are a lot of work. I'm not sure we would have time to take care of it right..." Glyph gives Friesden a hug and a quick nuzzle. "But if you wanna be a bunny just to be cute and all that, you already are, no need to say you're a bunny for that."

"Awww...Okay then..."
Friesden spots Jaxler's crossbow hanging in a sling. "Mister Jaxler Blackflutes, what's that in your sling?"

Jaxler looked down at his decrepit weapon "Oh, that's is my crossbow"

"That's a cross bow? Why is it cross?"

Glyph chuckles at Friesden's question. "That's just the name of the weapon silly." I tousle her mane again. "Dunno why it's called that though, do you know Jaxler?"

Jaxler shrugged "They probably named it a crossbow because the weapon looks like a cross, and because it's a type of bow"

"Ohhh. Why do you have it?"

Jaxler thought for a moment as he considered a way to describe his his job without traumatizing the foal.
"I have it so that I can make monster go away and protect ponies like you"

"Oh. Oh! Oh! Can I help make the monster go away? Maybe if I ask nicely they'll leave us alone!"

Jaxler smiled "Well, that depends on the monster. Some monsters listen when you talk, while others won't. Which is why I sometimes haft to use the crossbow."

"Does the crossbow help you talk to them?"

"It does if they're smart."

"That's cool! Almost-dad, can I get a crossbow to help me talk with the bunnies?"

Glyph chuckles, happy that Jaxler was trying to put his job gently. "No, not yet malutka, you're still not old enough to use a crossbow. Maybe someday though."

"Awww....Okay then...Can we get a pet bunny then?"
She hops up and down in front of Glyph hopefully.

Jaxler looked at glyph then at the adorable little foal and then back to Glyph and said "Come on man, you can't say no to that."

Glyph laughs and shakes his head. "Like I said, I'm just not sure we'd be able to take care of it like we'd need to. I wouldn't want it to be in a place that it wasn't really well taken care of..."

"I could take care of it! I'll take extra special care of it and I'll feed it every day and do everything!"

Glyph thinks for a bit. "Okay, I'll make you a deal then. There are a few little jobs you could do in the stables, I'll give you a few of them, and if you do well, I'll see about getting a bunny."

"Okay! Okay! I can do that!"
Friesden hops up and down in happiness. She was going to get a bunny! Maybe not now, but soon!

"Aye Friesden, when you get that bunny make sure you let me know."

"I will! I will! I will!"

Glyph laughs more, before pulling Friesden into a hug. "It's nice to see you so exited. Like I said, show me you can be responsible, and I'll get you one." He nuzzles her a bit. "Guess I should figure out what you're gonna need to take care of it."

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you so much almost-dad!"

"It's no problem malyutka..." His voice drops, to the point where even held in his hooves Friesden can barely hear him. "Anything... for my daughter..."

Friesden doesn't say anything else, just hugging her almost-dad tight.

Author's Note

Not going to be at all surprised if people go Daww over this chapter.

86: 19th of Opal, 228

Few ponies would willingly spend their day off digging through the archives in the keep, and likely fewer still would be doing so because of Jaxler. Flux, however, is... not most ponies. He digs through tomes, looking for everything he can get my hooves on about the happenings of the year 228. Each book is opened to the month of Opal and then quickly replaced.
"Come on... there has to be something about where Jaxler came from... some record of the attack he suffered..."
He continues his search, and eventually finds a record of the attack.
"...Oh no..."

19th of Opal, 228

After decades years of steady decay the nation of Topoireneis crumbled to its end.

Sense the beginning of recorded history Topoireneis had been at war with the neighboring Domidian civilizations, neither side gaining an edge on the other until alicorn / Pegasus wars during which the country’s military was nearly annihilated (more than 60% of the population were pegasus ponies). After Topoireneis military was crippled the Domidians began to start winning battles and eventually started to claim land. Even with a crippled military the country was able to effectively slow down the Domidian’s onslaught. After decades of slow destruction the Domidians war machine finally reached Topoireneis’s capital (and only surviving) city. The city was seen as impenetrable, mainly because of its great wall which ascended into the very havens. The Domidians tried to capture the city for 7 years before they finally realized they couldn’t breach the great city with their meager forces, so they hired mercenaries. The mercenary group they hired was comprised of alicorns and known as the “die dämonischen Engel” and was renowned for their legendary mastery of pyromancy. With their help the Domidians were capable of taking the city's wall after months of sieging. With wall captured the city was practically defenseless. As opposed to going house to house and sacking the city the Domidians asked the die dämonischen Engel to destroy the city in quickest way possible. The die dämonischen Engel then decided to test an experimental spell that required the group to channel their power. The spell effectively harvested the very essence of the sun and rained hell fire upon the city and the very town cooked inside its own wall. Thus ending Topoireneis.

Due to the Domidian’s normal brutality there are virtually no survivors of the civilization.

Flux stares at the page, dumbstruck. The obliteration of an entire nation, reduced to a simple report.
'It's no wonder he didn't want to talk about it, and hates alicorns... I need to talk to him!'
He rushes outside to search for Jaxler. He don't know what he'll say to him, but he knows he needs to talk to him.

Jaxler was in the meeting hall drinking some booze, when he saw a frantic looking stallion come in and start walking toward him.
"Hay Flux, what's the matter?"

Flux had almost calmed down by the time he found Jaxler. As he approaches him, however, he starts thinking about what must have happened to him. Tears start to form as he imagines what it'd be like to witness everypony he loved be burnt to cinders. The loss, the pain... Flux collapse in front of him, crying his eyes out and sobbing incoherent words at Jaxler.

Jaxler was shocked to see Flux collapse in front of him. "TELL ME WHO DID THIS. If somepony hurt you I'll beat the living crap out em!"

Through his sobs, Flux manages out a single word.
"T-T-Top-po-poiren-n-neis..."

Jaxler tilted his head in confusion.
"What?"

'Pull it together, Flux! How do you expect to help him when you're dissolved into a puddle of tears?'
He takes a few moments to try to calm himself, or at least to speak clearly. He stands and sniffles, rubbing his face to try to remove the tears. They don't stop flowing, but they at least slow.
"I... I was l-looking through th-the archives to t-try to find out what h-h-happened to you. O-Opal 19, 228: The F-Fall of T-T-Topoireneis..."

"Why the hell did you..."

"B-Because I w-wanted to h-help. I thought... if maybe I knew what happened... I could help..."

Jaxler took a swig of booze and said somberly "I already told you that some ponies in this world are beyond help."

"I d-don't believe that, Jaxler. N-Not for a s-second."

"If you refuse to believe that simple truth then you'll end up in the same hell that the pony your trying to help is in."

"Then... then maybe we could find a way out, together..."

"Heh,Then welcome to the valley of the damned... So, how much do you know?"

"A lot... um... and nothing. The report... only had an overview. I, uh, know what happened to them, but... not to you."

"You really don't want to know what happened to me"

"I, um, do want to know. That's... why I asked, Jaxler."

Jaxler sighed "On Opal 19, 228 I was walking down a street when suddenly there was a flash of blinding light. When I woke up I had a hole in my side and everything around me was on fire. I managed to burn my wound shut and then I blacked out again. When I faded back into consciousness everything was cinders and ash... Well, Everything except for this." Jaxler then pointed his hoof at his crossbow.

"Almost all my family died to an epidemic when I was 2 years old. So, The only family I lost during the siege was my Grandfather. And as for friends, nopony would ever dream of befriending a lowly thief like myself."

Flux reachs up to place a reassuring hoof on Jaxlers withers.
"Um, I'm your friend... right? And, uh, you aren't a thief, Jaxler. You... you protect ponies... you saved my life..."

"I suppose we are friends and your right, I'm not a thief anymore." Jaxler then Gazed over to his crossbow and sighed.

Flux looks to his crossbow as well, finally seeing the wear it's taken in Jaxler's long journey.
"It's... been your only companion for so long... hasn't it?"

Jaxler nods and adds, "It used to be masterwork."

Flux tries to think of something to say about the crossbow, but he knows woefully little about them.
"It... um... must be pretty dependable?"
He tries to shift the topic from the weapon and hope to lift the mood a bit.
"So... um, what do we drink... in the Valley of the Damned?"

Jaxler shrugged. "Moonshine, I guess."

They talk and drink for a long while. Well, Flux tried to talk a lot more than drinking, as he can't hold my alcohol nearly as well as Jaxler. He doesn't recall very much what they talked about after that, and woke up the next day draped over the ballista in the caverns with a splitting headache. His first thought was for some water. His second thought was to talk to some of the craftsponies around the fort. Jaxler deserved to have his crossbow in proper condition.

Author's Note

Definitely earns the dark tag in this chapter...

87

Stiletto is at the trade depot, reading a letter. Next to her is a large coffer. "Elend, wirklich?"

Flux wanders into the trade depot, intending to shop some. When he notices Stiletto, though, he smiles and walks over to her.

Stiletto smiles at Flux and opens a wing for him. "Hello meine freundlichsten Liebe."

"Hello Stiletto, my Beautiful One. How are you today?"

"Umm, I do not know the midpony word for this feeling, verwirrt is the word I would use though."

"Verwirrt?" Flux notices the large coffer. "Uh... did your family send you something again?"

"Yes they did, money, to buy a house."

Flux looks a bit confused. "To buy a house? But... you have an apartment?"

Stiletto sighs and nods. "Yes, a very large and well furnished apartment. My parents refer to it as 'Below my station' among other things."

Flux is obviously not getting it. "So they say you have to have a house? Um... but I don't think there are any houses to be bought?"

"They sent enough money for me to have one built. I guess I should find a place for it."

Flux raises an eye at the coffer, then looks back to Stiletto. "Um, ya. There's not a whole lot of room within the walls any more."

"Yes, but there is the hill nearby. I will need to remove the current occupants first though."

"Uh, current occupants?"

"Honey Badger ponies, three or maybe four of them. The coffer has the money in it, three million bits, do you think that will be enough?"

Flux's jaw drops."Three... million?!"

"Yes, It think that is how much these platinum bard are worth."

Flux sits down roughly as the full force of Stiletto's status hits him, looking slightly dazed.

Stiletto puts the letter down and picks up Flux in her forelegs. "I guess I should have explained more about my family."

Flux nods dumbly.

"My mother is a top ranked military official and my father is a diplomat, and I told about my great Uncle, Challenger Longshanks."

Flux nods again, still looking a bit overwhelmed.

Stiletto hugs Flux close. "There is nothing for you to worry about though. You can come and live with me when it is done."

Flux seems to return to his senses as Stiletto holds him, able to lay aside his worries, at least for a moment, in her loving embrace. "Um... really?"

"Of course. You and Glyph and Kat too."

Flux thinks for a few moments when Stiletto mentions Glyph and Kat, considering Stiletto's culture and odd rules for love.

"Um... Stiletto?"

"Yes Flux?"

"You, uh, said that ponies earn loves for doing amazing things? What... what happens if a pony falls in love with more than they've earned?"

Stiletto looks a bit surprised "Oh, umm, that has never really happened. The system is somewhat set up so that does not happen."

"Um... never?"

"Well, Iceberg did technically go over, but then he earned one for being such a skilled lover. And then he invented a new type of bath."

Flux looks down, deep in troubling thought.

Stiletto tilts her head. "What is wrong meine freundlichsten Liebe?"

Flux keeps his gaze down, feebly trying to deflect the question. "Um... just thinking..."

Stiletto isn’t letting him off that easily. "Thinking what?"

Flux looks back up to Stiletto, looking deep into her eyes and feeling immensely conflicted. “...Um..."

Stiletto sighs heavily "You're doubting yourself again, are you not?"

"Um... maybe? I'm, uh... just having to... accept my, um, limitations..."

Stiletto looks confused. "What limitations... wait, did you finally get another Liebe? You should have three by my count."

Flux looks shocked. "Wha... three? What?"

"Yes, one for your kindness, one for your life saving traps, and one for you. Did I miss one?"

Flux simply looks dumbfounded and disbelieving.

Stiletto kisses Flux on the cheek.

At the kiss, he progresses from shock to mild panic, still having trouble processing what Stiletto has just said.

She nuzzles his mane. "So what were you worried about?"

"But, I'm not... I'm just... Three?!"

"Yes three."

"But... I don't... I'm not..."

"You do not what?"

Flux takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself enough to at least say a full sentence.

Stiletto smiles and cradles Flux in her forelegs. "Take your time."

Flux does, and the combination of focusing on breathing and being held by Stiletto eventually calms his nerves. "I haven't done anything great. Anypony could have made the traps, and... and kindness shouldn't be so exceptional..."

"You think too little of your achievements. When I first arrived, not one pony would even get near me, never mind try to talk to me. You though, you made me feel beautiful again."

Flux blushes.

"Your kindness is truly exceptional, it made me love you like a madmare. The amazing traps you created have saved countless lives, again excellence, and your musical skill will most assuredly earn another Liebe for you."

Flux looks a bit overwhelmed, but doesn't argue with Stiletto. Instead, he gently nuzzles her as emotional tears begin to well up.

Stiletto nuzzles Flux and kisses his tears. "Now tell me what it is that brought you to think about this so hard?"

"Um... Kat."

Stiletto smiles "She is lovely, is she not?"

"Um, yes. She's also so... bold. She's so daring, brave... unstoppable."

Stiletto grins impishly and whispers, "Unstoppable? You have already 'tested her endurance'?"

Flux blushes furiously, and stammers for a few moments before calming down enough to answer her. "Um, no. We've uh, barely... kissed."

Stiletto hides them both in her wings. "Like this?" She kisses Flux softly on the lips. "Or like this?" She tightens her embrace and kisses Flux deeply.

Flux kisses Stiletto back, warm and safe behind her wings. Once the kiss eventually breaks, he again blushes.

"Um, like... this." He gives Stiletto a peck on the cheek, just like he had with Kat.

Stiletto giggles. "Oh, play kisses. She will 'warm up' to you very quickly, I would wager many bits on that fact."

"Um, she says I'm... nice."

"That is an understatement if I have ever heard one."

Flux smiles, looking lovingly into Stiletto's eyes. "You, my Beautiful One, are a flatterer."

Stiletto nuzzles Flux closely, a wide smile on her face all the while. "I speak as close to the truth as I can, mein..." she concentrates a moment, "My most kind love."

88

Flux' Journal

Today was fairly busy, Journal. I talked with the bowyer about repairing Jaxler's crossbow, and it's going to be very pricy to do. My meager savings won't be even close, even if I hadn't already had a plan for them. I got a small steel ingot for the jeweler today, and they even had a lapis lazuli in my price range. It's nothing compared to the jewelry Stiletto must be used to, but I hope she'll like the amulet I commissioned for her.

I wonder if the bowyer might take a trade for the repair work? It feels a bit dishonest to have only payed 500 bits for it, then turn around and trade it for thousands of bits worth of repairs, but that crossbow means the world to him. I'll at least ask. I guess the worst the bowyer could say is no.

Sarissa's Journal - 6th Galena, 258

Excellent! I got another chance to do what I was born to do today! The caravan of stripeys that showed up today was attacked by badger pony thieves, and I managed to kill one! Ha! How do you like that? I planted my axe right down the middle of his back! That'll teach him to interfere in our affairs! All other thieves better think twice before pulling a stunt like that. Tomorrow, I'll get to cleaning the skull so that I can add it to my trophy collection. Peeling away the flesh is not the most enjoyable task in the world, but the final result is more than worth it.

Well, that was the highlight of the day. I seriously need to get more sleep. I've been having those stupid dreams again. You know, back when I was filly? All of those other ponies making fun of me for my weight? I've come a long way since then, but my ideal figure still eludes me. Those few stubborn pounds just won't turn loose of my frame. At least now I've got the skill and weaponry needed to silence any of my critics if they dare make snide comments about my appearance!

Also, there seriously seems to be some problems here at the fort in regards to proper relationship etiquette. Apparently, one of our ponies had an adulterous affair with a stripey. Adultery is bad enough in itself, but with a stripey?! It's not natural. Our two kinds should not mix. Plus, there are other unwholesome rumors of unusual relationships going on around the fort. I just want to facehoof whenever I think about it. Why must I dwell among them?

On top of all of that, I was rather disappointed that our dear Virtue would give extra food to the stripeys. We don't need to spoil them with free luxuries produced through our hard work. Who's to say they won't take advantage of our trusting nature and stab us in the back some day? They're a strange bunch, they are.

High above Dawnpick, a beautiful and haunting melody can be heard upon the wind. Flux stands on a cloud with Stiletto, playing for his Beautiful Love on the piccolo. Her magic allows him to stay up here as he weaves her song. It starts calm and quiet, happy and beautiful, before slowly starting to become more hardened. Soon, though, a happy harmony joins the melody, and takes on a joyous sound, dancing on the wind. Eventually, the happy harmony fades, and the melody is lost on it's own again, slowly hardening once more. Just as it seems the song might end, another harmony joins in, simple and caring, drawing the melody to again soften. The simple harmony and beautiful melody uplift each other, filling in chords and making each better. The song ends with the harmony and melody almost dancing around each other, with just a hint of the first harmony joining in, almost watching over them.
As Flux finishes, he lowers the piccolo to smile at Stiletto, his Beautiful Love.

Stiletto had been enthralled by Flux's song, she had swayed to the sound of each note, carefully so as not to rock the large cloud they had found. Now her eyes fluttered open, and she smiles softly at her kindest love. With great care she embraces him with her forelegs and wings, kissing his neck and then nuzzling his mane.
"That was wonderful. You are so talented Flux. I am proud of all of the work you have put into this new excellence."
A wineskin filled with sunshine*1 floats from her saddle bag to hovering in front of Flux, as Stiletto returns him to the surface of the cloud
"This was a wonderful idea, my kindest love."

Flux smiles at Stiletto and accepts a drink of Sunshine.
"Thank you, my Beautiful Love. I... was hoping you'd like it."
He carefully puts away the piccolo in his own saddlebag, and pulls out something wrapped in a simple cloth. He smiles up at her as he presents it, lost in her eyes.
"I, um, hope you like this, too..."

Stiletto slowly unwraps the the gift with her magic
"I love any gift you would give. I know thought and effort would be put into it. Just like your songs, and wonderful traps."

This is a well-made steel amulet. It is encrusted with a lapis lazuli. On the item is an inscription reading "Schöne Liebe"*2

Flux watches anxiously as Stiletto unwraps the amulet he commissioned for her. It's fairly simple, but polished to a mirror shine: accentuating the lapis lazuli in the center and making the inscription on the back clear as day to read.

The amulet hovers in the air and rotates slowly. Light shines down on to it, illuminating each gem facet as Stiletto looks on with a mixture of aw and happiness.
"Oh Flux, it is absolutely amazing, did you make this for me?"
Smaller clouds begin to pull closer to the main cloud, pulled in by Stiletto's magic.

Flux scuffs a hoof in the cloud, wishing he had the skill to make something like the amulet.
"Um, no. I, uh, commissioned it for you. I picked out the steel and the gem, but had to ask the jeweler to make it."

Stiletto smiles and slips the amulet around her neck and turns her head about to show it to him
"You remembered all the things I like, How dose it look on me?"
The smaller clouds begin to form an arch over the larger cloud

Flux beams at Stiletto, overjoyed that she likes the amulet.
"It pales next to you, my Beautiful Love."

Stiletto takes Flux into her forelegs again as the clouds surround them. She kisses him passionately as she rolls over onto her back in the cloud house they now find themselves in.
"We are alone now you know."

Flux smiles down at his Beautiful Love, resting on the soft fur of her chest and belly.
"I love you, Stiletto. My Schöne Liebe..."

Author's Note

And fade to black...

*1- An extremely valuable type of alcohol made from Sun berries, found naturally only in good aligned biomes.
*2- Yes, this is how items are described in the game.

89

Amor hollowly screams as a feign mute, trampling her hoofs into the Highwood bed to muffle her exhibited seething. Jumping down from the jumbled furniture where she rests her head at night, to the rough cinnabar floor causing it to sound out in protest. She sneaks with her barrel almost causing friction with the floor; she reaches her destination under the green-glass window. The glass was true to its name as around the edges of the acacia wood frame, the glass was an opaque lime tint but nearer the center, it allowed light through and with that sight.

The copper coat mare crept from below the window frame and peered out with ears swept back.

Look at them unaware of the spy that dwells among them, how she watches their every action and if willed their very thoughts. If the Unicorn were a emissary of evil, oh what malicious she could sow. Her brains grasps many spells, one such would allow her to slowly let seep the mercury in the cinnabar floors, no-pony would be the wiser as they slowly turned insane. “Oh, Master why you imparted such vile intellect into my psyche?” She muffled the words. Ponies strolled on the shale road outside my quarters, which lays on the ground level, and that is how I desire it… for now.

She sets on her romp further from the window, anger building and falling with every deep inhale and exhale.

Why the Crown seen to propel me on this mission was no puzzle but why the clandestine nature? For these five years in Dawnpick, I was to live as impostor among good ponies before those years, three more traveling the kingdom as some mock regal engraver. I would achieve anything for the Princess and King; my will is their will… but this causes my heart to smell of brimstone. Sometimes the lies become the reality and the truth becomes a cadaver. “I am not some Common Cuckoo.” More words subdued by her lips.

A telekinetic field envelops a wild strawberry chest at a bed’s end and levitates a few centimeters from the stone floor. The mare aims for the window for a moment and lets the magical field explode; clunk goes the trunk on the vermilion ground. The Little Pony drops her rage like the red chest.

It has been decades since she was a filly, not today will she throw a tantrum akin to one. Amor chooses how to act and feel, not the aristocratic, they may have dealt her these cards but she decides how to play them. She am going to canter right into the baroness’s office and inform the truth… “Horse-apples, I did not consider that far.” She utter under a short groan. She pads to the green glass portal to her room, stopping short so she gets her full reflection in its gloss. She returns to her rump, her fore-hooves landing in front of her muzzle. “My Lady Virtue, I am a Pretty-Pretty Princess. My father’s duchy is contesting for Dawnpick and the Crown favors him.” She mouths into the polished glass.

The mare breaks the harebrained act and returns her hooves to the floor; she turns as she gets up to walk over to the Highwood cabinet on the other side of the window opposing the bed. Laid atop it was the source of the Unicorn’s paroxysm, an inconspicuous envelope bearing only the Little Pony’s alias.

With her magic, Amor warms the sealing wax enough just to open it with telekinesis and remove its contents; then melts another seal. Reading the encrypted writing twice, faintness replaces her vexedness and she plops against the wall, She coos: “Oh, my King if not for your lover’s heart, I would kiss much more then your hoofs next time I depart.” Angst soon returns to her mind as the concept of telling the truth now would be arduous. “Our will be done.” She sighs.

The mare puffs her unkempt goldenrod locks from her emerald eyes and gets ready for an audience with her Baroness. She acquires a royal rope reed manuscript along with other documents from a hidden compartment in the floor under her kist. To claim her birthright she had to bring poof… even if they were royal sponsored forgeries that bear the real imperial seal.

Oh, what garb would be fitting; uncolored peasantry cape-like jacket and flounced skirt was just right for the cooler weather at summer’s conclusion? “Any pretext to cover my flanks.” Amor says, peering into the poor mirror sheen of the green-glass door as she dons the attire; paisley pattern shawl replaced with a similar ornate saddlebags on her back. Whimsical, how the nobility espouses the customs and costumes of other parts of the realm, even from outlandish lands. Such as covering the cutie mark; concealing two or more limbs under an uncountable layered dress and even slip in a heinous corset.

The Unicorn mare retches at the notion of herself in a corset. She levitates the documents into her bags and trot to the door undoing a hidden embedded lock within the glass that only magic can contact. Subsequent she departs her room, behind her the door closes and relocks. She enters a masquerade of both blissful and magical ignorance. The mare steers her path, as not to avoid anypony on the road on her face is the expression of a goal.

Distractions from ponies are normal just make acquaintances; do not elongate into a chat and press-on if they move along. Past the paranormal perpetual motion water will; avoid the bloodletting infirmary; the sock filled guard captain’s office and finally the marble peel tower glinting in the midday sun. She should have trotted around more to clear my mind; Amor breaks into a sweat worthy of summer. Her right hoof ascends and clops against the marble door. “I am vassal Kiln Kurollodel; I seek audience with Baroness Virtue if she wills it.” Her voice vibrates the door more so then my hoof.

The Little Pony’s brain works akin to a duel processor formulating and organizing at light-speeds but it does her no good. The same conclude comes up and she may attempt treason today; why necessary the truths be treason and fabrications the edict. Worse yet was her actions already foreseen and she cannot leave this game until her death. Now the mare recalls her revulsion for politics.

Virtue looks up from the stock records she was attending to as somepony knocks at her door. "Oh, of course! Come in," she calls to whoever it was.

The copper and goldenrod mare pushs the door open and closes back as she enters. Her joints and nerves leak her nervousness in crackles and pops but she soon is consume in a cool claming breeze by her effect on the door.

“Baroness; thank you for allowing my presents.” Amor pronounces with newfound strength as she walks to Virtue’s desk. She bows out of respect before the gray tint mare.

“Can I set myself down? This may take a long time…” The Unicorn looks away for a second fearing her Virtue's eye would read her falsehood before she could let free the truth.

Virtue nods and motions for her to take a seat. "Of course, what did you want to talk about Kiln?" Something seemed to have the mare spooked. Virtue sighs mentally. She was hoping to avoid more stress, but if it was something she could help Kiln with, she'd do what she could.

Amor sighs as she acquires the seat that Virtue motions to…

She returns eye-contact and thinks a flash of a thought and recollects her will power to confront the Baroness. One does not simply tread on the trust of others, but after such tramping how to re-establish it before it is lost. “Baroness, what is it that compels ponies to lie?”

Her tongue clicks against the roof of her mouth, but her awareness of this habit causes its sound to not leave her jaws. How much Virtue's words could harm Amor now and she has no clue, how much hers are going to also hurt her too. Amor drops the formalities fully and adopt a more comfortable pose; more Virtue's sake then hers. “Also, Virtue what do you sincerely think of liars?

Virtue's expression grows concerned, despite her best efforts. "I... well, I suppose there are a lot of reasons for that... and..." She looks away briefly before returning her eyes to Kiln. What did she mean by that? Was she about to lie to her? "Well... I don't like the idea of lying to anypony... but... there are things sometimes... that are best kept from others... for one reason or another..."

Virtue’s words turn to arrows in the copper mare’s mind and fly towards the Unicorn but all are off their mark… or did they hit just fine?
“Virtue, in my experience I can read lies and dodged questions. If you expect others to be truthful with you then you must be truthful in return. Please enlighten me to the truth?” I huff but keep my cool. Why does she dodge my questions? I want to be candid; can she not see that in my eyes? She tilts her head and stares like one of her foals would.

Virtue sighs almost imperceptibly. "What I said was true. To put it... bluntly... I don't like lying or being lied to. But I do see its purpose. Sometimes lying is the least... bad... option, when there are no good ones. That is how I truly feel. Why, what troubles you?"

Amor sets up with her docks in the stool and in contemplation she claps her hooves together slowly as not to make a resonance. Hearing the words of Virtue as they sound of glass in her ears, the Baroness’s words may be what she want but not what she should receive. “We… I have been living a fabrication for the last eight years. Five here doing very little nothing but evading ponies and spying; three more on journey around the kingdom even past the great seas as royal engraver but once more as a spy.” She says but the words hollow my heart.

I must say more, no I will. “What do you have of me? What of my thoughts? I wish only to live in the light of the truth. There are no reasons of my own to sow such lies…” Her forces drops and she slump with the conclusion that she is the very thing she hates… a shadow among shadows. “…but it was my will.”

"A... spy?" Virtue feels her spine ice over. For who? Who would spy in Dawnpick and why? "Kiln... a spy? Wh...why? For who? Why here?" She pauses. "And... you want to live in the truth? Do you mean you don't want to be a spy anymore? Or..." she trails off, eyes wide. "I... I'm sorry, this is just so much to take in..."

Amor sits back up slowly and seizes control of the situation. “Forgive me Virtue, I am better at these things then I may appear but you have this effect on ponies. Understand I gave-up my rights to an identity; most of all friends and numerous others privileges. It was all for the right ponies but not the right method; we could have avoided deceit…”

So not to provoke my Baroness she motions to her saddlebags. “May I show you a manuscript that may ease your fears?” She moves in such a way to allow Virtue full sight of the contents in her bags before removing the over elaborate document. When she allows her she shuns the use of her magic and physically remove it herself gifting it to her on the desk.

Here is the Artifact "Cedebat Sanguis per dux" (Duke by Blood Forgery), there are only two like it. The paper is Masterfully made from rope reed thread; adorn with Exceptional script in Sliver barb black dye that pertains to the nature of Amor Kurollodel as Duchess over the land-holds that Dawnpick occupies. The sovereign Coupledye hoof-shoe sigil relief embellishes the middle of the paper. The Pink Lemon symbol of The Meandering Gloss with prostrating ponies is within the relief.

Virtue reads the manuscript slowly, taking in the enormity of what it says. "Kiln... or... Amor? Is... is this true? Are there really other claimants to these lands? From... your family?"

Amor peers at Virtue in her analysis; does she buy it? To stake her intelligence Virtue must believe it; the manuscript is very much genuine but not fully so in context. Her tongue returns to its clicking; then holds off her habit as she listen to the Baroness’s words. She reads at express, Amor gives her that. “N… yes my family declare Dawnpick and so does two others houses. But we have yet to place even a count. …I wish to go by Amor from now on…” Her voice betrays the lies; why in almost nine years does it do it now.

Amor would launch across the desk but she control herself; the truth is so easily turned aside. Her ears sweep back and she looks down to the marble floor… She casts a shadow on its white surface. “I hold further secrets and even more lies… even now the truth evades us.” Amor look up as an innocent beast beaten by its livid master. “Do you want to hear them… even if it is treason?”

Virtue is speechless for a moment. "I... I see. I don't understand... why would the king grant us these lands and a title to me if it was not rightly ours?" She gives Amor another concerned look. "Kiln... I mean, Amor... I won't ask you to do something that would endanger you on counts of treason... but, I will listen to anything you have to say."

She perks up in concern for Virtue. “Treason can not only be what action I achieve or statement I could utter; Our very ears are capable of treason.” Amor says, not even looking for eavesdroppers in the foreknowledge that there is none. Her treason would become Their treason. “Much of what I alleged is true but I am only a pawn… a lowly one in my opinion.” She face-hoofs at the arrogant foal she is. Her Master’s lessons were too good; and in the end she always wins.

“These lands are yours but the Crown knows these lands worth; the right hooves must have it. And my father the true Duke is favored by the Crown…” She attempts not even to hide the truth. “Reality is everything I do may even be in favor of the King and his Princess. The truth; the lies, all of it.” She says with no verve.

“Can you forgive me?” Sorrow is left in her words. “Even if it is your will to accept me; what of your vassals? I could see it easily why they would accept me without knowing even of me; I was more then accomplished in avoiding others. I was less then than a footnote in their minds.” Amor looks to the door as if to freedom. “I could claimable up the tallest building and announce the truth?”

This was... complicated. Virtue nods in feigned understanding, trying to buy a moment to process everything. "I... I think I understand. There may be... contention for the land and resources here..."

She listens to Amor's plea for forgiveness and nods with a small smile. "Yes, I forgive you. And I thank you for coming forward with this information." She widens her smile a bit. "I wouldn't worry too much about everypony else. If... if you feel the need to tell them all the truth, then I won't stop you, but I don't think it's necessary."

Inside, she was a whirlwind of questions she wasn't sure there were answers to. What did this mean of Dawnpick's future?

Amor's ears turn forwards at hearing my Baroness’s forgiveness but she controls her excitement. “Thank you Virtue. Now the long wait until I forgive myself.” She says looking into her eyes; her very own betraying my age of one-hundred-and-seven. “I will reflect on my future actions but announcing my truth to the world atop the fort might make me appear as some pony possessed.” she has a light laugh. They had enough possessed ponies here.

She lightens up and attempts to rebuild her confidence. The desk was piled with work that no pony could do alone… unless that pony was Virtue. “I desire no special station at this time but maybe I can accept some of your burden. I am an adequate mathematician see.” She stand and out loud counts her hooves that ascends and descends but stops short of five. Amor pokes her tongue out in tease. “Also in my travels as artisan of stone I am more than an expert in masonry.” She lets her body fall into the routine she picked up by her three years as mock regal engraver and mimics holding a chisel and hoof as hammer.

They talk more but of diminutive things; this is the first authentic discussion Amor had had in over five years. Virtue and her could talk the day away but she had responsibilities in Amor's opinion that outweighed hers, so she excused herself before another hour passed us by. Amor was more then proficient in letting ponies go.

As Amor leaves, Virtue settles back into her work, more than a bit concerned. If what she'd just been told was true, then the future of Dawnpick was uncertain. Would the lands be contested? Would there be fighting? How much of this would she see and how much would she be tasked with dealing with?

Not for the first time since she'd come to Dawnpick, she wished there was somepony else leading the ponies here. She'd managed so far, but how long would it be until she made a horrible mistake that cost ponies their lives? She'd give up her title in an instant if it meant preventing something like that. Was this going to turn into a decision like that?

She mentally sighs and sets back to work. She was going to need some time to think about this and what it meant. Perhaps the politics would all be above her head and she'd never hear another word of it. But somehow, she doubted that.

90: Wedding Bells

The autumn sun soars high in the sky as the ponies of Dawnpick gather in the open space in front of their dining hall. The trees are all ablaze with the many vibrant reds and fiery oranges of the autumn season, creating a warm, cosy atmosphere as the vast majority of the ponies take their seats in rows on two sides of an empty column, facing the front. Before them stands Glaive and the Baroness, Lady Virtue. The bearded unicorn is dressed in a formal military uniform, dark in color with chains of gold and buttons of silver, with his armored boots of polished steel shining in the sunlight, and Lady Virtue is dressed in her familiar blue dress, the best she owned if a bit mundane for someone of noble status. Glaive’s thoughts are swirling in his head; he is nervous, not about being married to the most wonderful pony he knows, but about the ceremony that was almost imminent.

While everypony else is enjoying the fresh air and natural beauty of autumn outside, Falcata finds herself standing somewhat apprehensively inside the hall itself, screened from view by the heavy, oaken double doors, which are closed firmly in front of her. She is dressed in a lighter version of her usual armour, her gold-embedded peytral polished to such a degree that it almost seems to radiate a lustrous glow, even in the relatively dim indoor light. In addition to her usual armour, she wears a long, white, flowing gown, most of which would trail along the ground as she walks.

Again, she glances towards the doors, wishing that she could see through them instead of merely being able to hear the burble of many ponies conversing outside. The only cue she and little Friesden, the yellow, stripy flowerfilly, would be getting would be a sudden hush as Virtue silenced the crowd, once everything was ready. I wish there was a window or something so I could see outside What if I start daydreaming and miss the cue because I’m not listening? No, wait, Friesden will be going out first, won’t she? Of course she will; but what if I miss her leaving? No, don’t be silly, you couldn’t miss those great big doors opening if you tried, Falcata. Relax.
As the pegasus idly stands there, repeatedly running over the planned sequence of events again and again, determined not to let anything go wrong, the noise from outside dies down abruptly. Swallowing a lump of apprehension, she watches as Friesden bounces up to the door and opens it wide, almost bouncing out of her skin in happiness.

As Virtue quiets the crowd, Glaive swallows and looks toward the door. Flux raises his instrument to his muzzle and begins to play, and then the huge hall doors begin to open.

Friesden bounces forward in the aisle between the two columns of seats, scattering flower petals from a little container hanging from her neck. “Meow, meow!” she said in happiness, which was bunnyspeak for “This is so fun!” She continued to bounce forward, scattering the flower petals.

The wooden doors having been opened, Falcata steps hesitantly forward, slightly daunted by the vast array of ponies arranged before her. The multicoloured display is somewhat intimidating for the pegasus, who generally preferred to avoid being the centre of attention, let alone walking out in front of a crowd so large to participate in a highly formal ceremony. Silently, she runs her mind over her prepared speech for the umpteenth time, Her flagging resolve soon strengthens itself again, though, upon her catching sight of Glaive and Virtue, the two already standing in a clearing in front of the crowd, at the end of a path leading from the hall’s entrance. Even from this distance, she can clearly tell that Glaive is even more nervous than she is, and she’s fairly amused at the thought. Still, all he has to do is stand there; she has a long, slow walk to be getting on with, and Flux has already started the wedding march, the sound of his perfectly-tuned bronze lyre carrying high and clear through the otherwise silent day.
Best hoof forwards, then.

Following the trail of brightly coloured flowers Friesden was happily and enthusiastically throwing everywhere, Falcata proceeds towards the bearded unicorn, a warm smile already taking up residence on her face. That uniform really suits him. Almost looks too stylish for him to have come up with, I wonder who he got his fashion advice from? I’ll have to get it out of him somehow. With each step she takes, more and more of the tension caused by the large audience melts away, her bearing and poise becoming more self-assured.

As Falcata makes her way out of the hall and into Glaive’s line of sight, the unicorn stands awestruck by her. Her flowing white gown, coupled with her shining gold plate and flaming red mane made her look stunning. She had never looked as beautiful to him as she did now. As the triumphant, lilting music plays and she grows closer, he watches her approach and looks into her golden eyes from afar. He offers her a smile, though he fears it betrays his nervousness. The crowd while mostly silent, let out a few murmurs at the sight of her in her gown. Glaive tries to block out the thought of the crowd of ponies staring at them, and to instead focus on Falcata, his very soon to be wife.
Eventually coming to the end of the line, Falcata maneuvers herself deftly into place by Glaive’s side. Catching his eye, she flashes him a grin, her previous anticipation having totally transformed itself into excitement and joy, now that the moment she’d been longing for had finally arrived. Shuffling her hooves and fidgeting slightly, she gazes with interest as Virtue starts the ceremony.

She looks out over the crowd and offers a warm smile. “Friends and family of Dawnpick, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Glaive Regshetbeth and Falcata Odomgeles in marriage. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife.

“True marriage is more than joining the bonds of marriage of two ponies; it is the union of two hearts. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but thrives on the joy of each new day. Marriage is love. May you always be able to talk things over, to confide in each other, to laugh with each other, to enjoy life together, and to share moments of quiet and peace, when the day is done. May you be blessed with a lifetime of happiness and a home of warmth and understanding.”

She looks to the couple. “Glaive and Falcata, today you choose each other before your family and friends, to begin your life together. For all the tomorrows that follow, you will choose each other over and again, in the privacy of your hearts. Let your love and friendship guide you as you learn and grow together.” Her eyes return to the crowd. “We will now hear the couple’s vows.”

When it becomes time for Glaive to speak his piece to Falcata, he looks deep into her topaz eyes and then, without breaking his gaze, he begins: “I, Glaive Regshetbeth, take you, Falcata Odomgeles, to be my wife, knowing in my soul that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love. On this day, I offer to you in the name of Reg Keepersearches and in the presence of all those in attendance my sacred vow to stay by your side as your faithful husband in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, through the good times and the bad.
I promise to love you without reservation, to honor and respect you, to provide for your needs as best I can, to protect you from harm, to comfort you in times of distress, to grow with you in mind and spirit, to always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.”

Virtue turns her eyes to Falcata, a smile forming on her face as she ushers the mare on.

Falcata beams at Glaive's well-delivered vows, chuckling slightly to herself. By the book, Glaive, by the book. I hope you'll approve, dear, because I'm doing this a bit less traditionally. And I've gone over this a thousand times already, so bugger changing anything, else I’ll only get confused. Oh, I hope this goes well... Giving a short nod to Glaive, she breaks eye contact, turning to face the assembled crowd, Falcata takes a single step towards them, tilting her head back to leave the scars on her throat clearly visible. She calls out in a strong, clear voice, making sure that it would carry far enough to be audible to everypony present. "Bear witness, each and every one of you all, to Glaive Regshetbeth; he who many months past slew the fell beast of legend, Cog Bisekurist Gulgunorshet, may its name be forever damned. In achieving this heroic feat, not only did he ensure the safety of all the lands from its poisonous, vile influence, but he, Glaive Regshetbeth, did save my life on that day, delivering me from an otherwise ignoble and bloody death!" Speaking with a frenetic passion and with her eyes seeming to burn with intensity, she paces back and forth rapidly before the crowd, occasionally punctuating one of her points with a vehement stamp of a forehoof.
“Remember, if you will, his selfless actions many years ago, when he earned the right to bear the artifact shield known as the Touch of Leaves. Remember the way in which he unrelentingly gave chase to his elusive quarry, the scurrying, foalnapping badger pony, and saved another life by virtue of his tenacity and determination!” she proclaims, suddenly raising a forehoof to gesture at Sienna and Hickory, the mother and daughter situated side by side as they watch the proceedings.

"Let it be known that I, Falcata Odomgeles, do love and cherish him with all my heart, for he is a pony of honour and of kindness, of valour and of gentleness, of pure soul and of unequalled integrity. For these reasons, for his legendary feats and for our mutual, undying and eternal love, I, Falcata Odomgeles, by the grace of Tolun Peacefulrights do find this unicorn, Glaive Regshetbeth, worthy, and I do pledge myself wholly to him as his wife, in accordance with the vows he himself has today laid as a foundation for our unending, binding unity." Head now bowed, she finishes her speech, moving back towards Virtue and her love.

Glaive is taken by surprise by Falcata’s sudden nontraditional speech, but he is touched by her words all the same. His nerves now almost completely calmed, he watches her as she reassumes her place beside him before he turns to Virtue, listening as she begins to speak once more.

Virtue is moved by the pegasus’ words. It was all true, of course. Dawnpick was a much better place from both their actions, and she couldn’t think of anypony else the two should be with. It takes her a moment to compose herself, and she continues, “By the power vested in me by the kingdom of Coupledye and the barony of Dawnpick, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” She smiles broadly. “You may now kiss.”

Glaive locks eyes with Falcata for a moment, before grabbing her in his forelegs, pulling her in tight, and planting the deepest, longest, most vigorous and most passionate kiss he had ever given her upon her lips. The crowd stands and stomps their hooves on the ground in celebrations, a few playful calls and shouts can be heard as well. The two lovestruck ponies do not separate for a long time, but when they eventually do so, they run off together to join the celebrations with the other ponies. The ceremony was finished, but the day was still young, and there was much to celebrate.

91: Jaxler's Chest

It was a warm summer evening as he climbs up the side of Jaxler's apartment. The crickets could be heard chirping in the grass, while Jaxler's only window gently opens. The grey colt carefully plants himself inside Jaxler's room through the window. He then quietly makes his way to the chest tucked away in the corner. "I'm sure he has some bit of jewelry she'd like..." he whispers. He cautiously pulls out the chest and begins picking the locks. Granite always loved using his lock picks, so much in fact that he referred to them as the "Skeleton Keys." The two key-locks were foals play, but the final lock threw him for a loop. It was a simple lock that had a simple combination for it. Of course Granite had no idea what the combo was. "Maybe it was that date Jaxler engraved in his crossbow..." Suddenly light flooded into the room.

"Oh crap."

As Jaxler opened the door to his apartment he was shocked to find Granite trying to open his coffer.

"GET THE BUCK AWAY FROM THAT!"

"Crap, crap crap CRAP!!!" Granite yelled as Jaxler opened the door. Doing what the guard said, he takes multiple steps away from the chest. "Hey Jaxler... how's it going?" Granite says nervously.

Jaxler completely ignored Granite and ran as fast as he could to his chest, hoping that Granite hadn't opened it yet.

"Granite... I NEED to know if YOU OPENED this chest."

"N-n-n-nooo..." Granite stutters. "I got past the two key locks, but couldn't figure out the combo. Is there... like a demon in there or something?"

Jaxler sighed and sat down.

"Well, there is a demon in there but I doubt it would mess with you, BUT WHY THE BUCK WERE YOU MESSING WITH BY BUCKING CHEST!"

"Well you see Jaxler, I totally want to date Friesden, and I figured I would need to give her some form of jewelry and I'm very poor, so I also figured you would have jewelry so I decided to break into your house and check the chest. Understand?"

"The only this that I have in this chest that is even closely related to jewelry is a 12 foot long gold chain used for smacking around JACKASSES LIKE YOU."

"Why in god's name do you have a golden chain in your chest?" Granite asked. "Are you a sadist? And what the hell else in in there and why is it so important?"

"I'm not a sadist and the contents of this chest are a collection of items that I've held on to from before I came to Dawnpick. The reason why it's so important is because there are things in here that I really shouldn't let anypony see without a solid explanation as to why and how I obtained them."

"Well then tell how and why you obtained all these items." Granite says as he looks to the chest.

Jaxler sighed

"Only if you promise not to try to steal from me again"

"Okay, I promise not to try to steal from you."

Jaxler bends over his chest and spends about a minute putting in all the numbers to the combination lock. Once he opens the chest he stars pulling out a variety of strange things, among them were: more than two dozen foreign daggers, a long spiral horn, two brass-horseshoes, a black leather cloak, and huge golden chain, a granite box, a set of lock picks, a totem, and several strange masterwork wood carvings.

"Each one of these items has a story to tell."

"I find it funny how there's a granite box and lock picks next to it." Granite comments. "Please tell me about these things and what they mean."

"I'll tell you the meaning to any item in here, you just pick which one."

"Okay, start with the box I guess..."

Jaxler picks up the box.

"The contents of this box are by far the most valuable thing in this entire town. When I said there was a demon inside my chest I was not lying for this right here is said demon. I obtained the contents of this box 7 years ago, and it was the last time I ever, erm... redistributed wealth in a less than legal manner. I'm afraid that I cannot tell you what is inside this box, it would be cruel of me to."

"Understood, tell me about that chain Jaxler..."

Jaxler picked up the golden chain.

"This weapon belonged to a diomedian. The bastard was a huge, gnarly toothed, jackass who kept on talking in third person. Now, I ran into the guy a few days after I got my crossbow. the bucktoothed pony used this chain thing like a freaking whip and was planning on smearing me across the ground with it. I could barely dodge his strikes because of the wound i had in my side. Anyway I ended up killing the guy after learning two things. 1: wings can make pretty decent meat shields and 2: crossbows can make half decent hammers. Anyway, I kept his chain out of respect for the guy."

"Wow Jaxler, that's awesome! What about the horn over there?"

"Well, that horn belonged to an alicorn. It's a relic from my grandfathers service in the alicorn/pegasus wars. Grandfather never told me how he got it, but it probably had something to do with him losing his wings and getting paralyzed below the waist."

"Alright then, um... what about those daggers?"

"Each one of these daggers belonged to something I killed. Some of them I earned from the badger ponies/diamond dogs I killed here in Dawnpick, while some are from before I came here." Jaxler then picks up a long curved dagger. "This one right here belonged to the badger pony that tried to kidnap you, you can have it if you want."

"It belonged to a buffalo, I got this around 12 years ago. I was in a pool hall hustling ponies when this guy walks up. I screwed the guy out of 120 bits before he became aware of the scam. he was so pissed that tried to kill me. He broke about 7 of my ribs and my right foreleg before I was able to get a clean head shoot with my crossbow. Anyway, this totem belonged to him, and I kept it out of respect."

"Damn, so what about the brass horseshoes and the leather cloak?"

"Those along with my crossbow and those lock picks are the tools of my former trade."

"Okay, were you a thief or something?"

"I wasn't a thief, I was a master thief."

"Oh really?"

"Yep"

"Care to go into detail about your last career?"

"Well I got to travel the world. one kingdom to another. I had to flee before anypony knew who I was. In fact, for every place I went I made up a new name. I never knew anyone I just kept on moving. Every day was a gamble on how I was going to earn my next meal. It was disgraceful, demoralizing work. Every bit I stole was at the cost of a little bit of my soul. I lied, I was disloyal, I was harsh, I was greedy and I was lucky to be forced to leave my profession."

"That sounds like a sad life, I hope I never have to change my name or get forced out of my home. Hey Jaxler, if you don't mind me asking, what was your real name?"

"I've honestly forgotten it."

"Okay then, so what about those wood carvings?"

"I stole those wood carvings from somepony about 18 years ago. I kept them, because when I was getting them appraised I learned that they were created by somepony I once knew."

"Ah, I think that's everything in the chest, well thanks for all the stories, I guess I'll be off!"

"Don't forget the dagger."

"Don't worry, I won't!" Granite picks up the dagger and exits the building.

92: The Fight on the Hill

Stiletto had put out the call for brave ponies to help her remove the threat from the hill. She had paid Lady Virtue a large sum to have a mansion built there and had agreed to remove the Honey Badger ponies for free so that lumber could be harvested.

Kat answered the call. She was more than happy to help Stiletto clear out the lands to build her new mansion. Besides, she have always wanted to get more action.

Jaxler decided to help as well. Regardless of how much he hated the alicorn, it was his job to help Dawnpick, and clearing that hill of combatants would.

Zearoth wanted to try and help out as much as he could, so he jumped at the chance to help clear the hill.

Midnight was happy to have a chance to help a pony like Stiletto, and to do something to help Dawnpick as well.

Glaive arrives at the predetermined place, a bit earlier than was planned. He stands in his full armor. It gleams in the sunlight, having been freshly polished. His axe across his back was ready for a fight, having been magically sharpened by the unicorn this morning. Glaive still did not desire to help Stiletto, but knew he couldn't sit out while the militia fought an enemy so close to home.

Glyph arrives after leaving Friesden with Flux. It had taken a bit to convince himself, but he couldn't let both his loves fight while he did nothing.

Flux tries to watch over the various foals in the Stable as his friends go fight. Worrying doesn't help them any, but he still does.

Soon after, the silent footsteps of Midnight can be somewhat heard as he arrives at his destination.

Friesden gets to stay with Flux. He's not as fun as almost-dad, but he knows all kinds of songs and dances and games. Friesden hops along happily going "Meow, meow."

"At least foals are easy to keep entertained." thinks Flux as he finishes a song on the piccolo. He then puts it aside to prepare to tell a story.

Stiletto is in full armor, with her big axe on her side and a new bronze shield on her other side.

Kat arrives, ready and content. She is in her guard's uniform and had made sure to pack plenty of bolts this time around.

Jaxler arrives. He is wearing no armor except for a leather hood and chain-mail shirt, though he did bring his brass-horseshoes, his crossbow and an iron chain.

Zearoth soon shows, wearing simple armour and a crossbow rigged to his shoulder with another crossbow slung over his back.

Glaive stares at the face of his artifact shield, studying every inch of it. It was amazing the blows this thing had taken without leaving a scratch. It was clearly some sort of powerful magic that could make it so strong, yet so light. But while he seems occupied with the shield, in truth his mind is elsewhere. Glaive is thinking about the battle, about the fight to come. His time in the army had been mostly uneventful, and nearly every battle he'd fought in Dawnpick had been against surprise and ambushes, he wasn't used to this waiting. He feels like he would lose his mind if the waiting persisted.

Stiletto speaks. "Are you all ready for this? These Honey Badgers have all been named by the locals. I have a plan though, if you will hear it."

"Plans are good," said Kat.

"Of course," Glyph says sitting down to listen. "What is it?"

"I'm fine with a plan," stated Jaxler "so long as you don't send us all in head first."

Glaive stares at Stiletto. "Yes, but other than names, what intel do we have on the enemy? Numbers? Entrenched positions? Can we expect traps? What sort of gear and weapons do they possess? Do we know anything?"

Stiletto addresses Glaive politely. "All good questions, Glaive. There are five of them, they are positioned in the grove east of the large pond, they have no traps, and they have leathers and iron weapons."

Glaive ponders. "Only five, and they are poorly equipped. This shouldn't be difficult. What plan did you wish to propose, Alicorn?"

"Glaive, Glyph, and I will attack from the west, forcing them toward the pond. Kat, Jaxler, and Zearoth stand on the other side of the pond and provide covering fire. Midnight, you move in from the south after we have begun the engagement."

Jaxler: "Seems fine to me," said Jaxler.

Midnight gives a quick nod at the orders, making him seem a lot less talkative than the pony they met at the party.

Zearoth also nods to Stiletto.

"A valid plan, though they have the high ground," Glaive pointed out. "It is entirely possible they would see us setting up forces around the hill and try to escape before the battle commences. While that could well be a victory in and of itself, if we wish to make sure they don't come back to bother us again, might it better to bait them into an ambush of our own?"

"Can't we just keep shooting bolts at them from a safe distance?" Kat asked.

"Can you do that after they run into the woods? Can you shoot a pony behind a tree, Kat?" Glaive questioned "If you can I'd love to see it."

"We could... burn the woods down with flaming bolts? Besides, the smiths could always use more charcoal."

"Good point Glaive, not all of us can move as quietly as midnight and I. Um, Kat, no, we need the lumber."

"Ah."

"You wish to burn the whole forest? To kill 5 Badger ponies? You are truly a ruthless strategist Kat, the biggest reason we are doing this if for the lumber those trees will provide."

"Right, the lumber."

"Pardon me," interjected Jaxler, "but can't we just have one of the groups get behind them while another charges from the front?"

Stiletto thinks for a moment. "Kat, you and Jaxler take two clouds in the north. Zearoth, you provide cover from across the pond. Midnight and I will come in from the west, Glyph and Glaive from the south, leaving them nowhere to run."

"Cloud sniping! Woo!"

"Yes, ma'am."

“I doubt anypony is a good enough shoot anything from that high up."

"Stiletto's plan is good, though I would offer an alternative. I would suggest that we send a small fast group, say 2 of us, to goad the enemy into a chase. They then lead them into a crossfire and the waiting militia. I'd volunteer to be the bait, but I can't really run with my bad leg. We then surround them and wipe them out."

“I'll volunteer.”

"Me too."

"We can just fly away if things gets too nasty."

"I brought a metal chain expecting some melee"

"Why would you put yourselves in danger when we have all the advantages? They will run into Glyph and Glaive as you snipe them from on high."

"I suggest we put it to a vote then. My plan or Stiletto's. Those in favor of my plan say aye." Glaive raises his hoof and says "Aye."

Kat was unsure on whose plan to vote for. Both plans sounds equally great.

Midnight keeps quiet.

Jaxler also keeps silent.

Glyph and Stiletto are silent as well.

Glaive is disappointed in having no show of support, from any pony. "And those in favor of Stiletto's plan?"

Jaxler keeps silent again.

Kat was still unsure on what to vote so she kept silence.

Glyph and Stiletto both say "Aye."

"Aye." Zearoth says as he raises his hoof.

Glaive sighs. "Alright then. We'll do what she said. Are we ready to move out? Everyone understand their part?"

Midnight gives a quick nod.

"Get on a cloud, scares the badger ponies into running into an ambush. Then clear them out!"

"Use my magic to make me and Midnight even more silent and flank them."

"Cut off their retreat with Glaive."

Jaxler breaks his silence. "Lets get going."

Glaive, not willing to take any orders from Stiletto so long as he can help it, moves forward and speaks again to everypony. "Alright soldiers, move out, and may the gods grant us victory this day."

Jaxler laughed and added, "If there are any."

Stiletto nods to Midnight: "Lets go around."

Zearoth nods and trots off to get into position.

Kat pulls the string of her crossbow back and load a bolt in then muttered "Goddesses protect us.."

Midnight stands up and gets ready to move. It starts to seem unlikely that he'll say a single word...

Glaive begins to walk toward the gate. Without looking he says, "Glyph, follow me. We need to hurry and get into position."

"Are you sure I should follow? I am really tough, and Stiletto has trained me to move much better in my armor."

Jaxler sighs. "Why the hell do I have to fly? I really don't like flying."

Glaive looks confusedly at Glyph. "What are you talking about? The plan was for us to cut off their retreat if they head south. We should get going, if you have doubts about the plan, you should have said something earlier."

Stiletto's horn glows for a second and then it stops as the shadows fold in on her and Midnight, the sound of their hoof falls vanishing.

Midnight smiles and gives Stiletto an approving nod.

Glyph hops past Glaive. "I mean you should follow me, ya old grump."

Glaive has never been so insulted in his whole life, he looks about to buck Glyph in his smug face, when instead he just says, "You are right, you shouldn't follow. You stay here. Dawnpick needs soldiers, not foals playing pretend," and proceeds to walk past Glyph.

Kat flares her wings out. "See you there, everyone. Let's go, Jaxler."

"Fine, Kat"

"Don't be jealous just ‘cause I have training from the best in the fort and you have a bum leg." He passes Glaive again, this time at a trot.

Stiletto thinks to herself 'vielleicht sollte ich auf meinem eigenen weg haben'

Glaive continues to walk without looking at Glyph. "Best in the fort my ass. She's not as perfect as she thinks she is."

Midnight's smile quickly fades into an emotionless expression as he keeps following.

"Kat, please excuse me if I'm a bit edgy during this mission, I really don't like flying and I hate killing things."

"Oh, you hate killing things now?"

"She doesn't think she's the best, I knowshe is." He stops just south of the hill. "So, those two trees on the crest, should we set up there?"

"Yes I do, why exactly does that shock you?"

Kat settles herself comfortably on the patch of cloud, her crossbow aiming down. "Because you're Jaxler."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're Jaxler. And that it surprises me that you don't like killing?"

Glaive examines the place indicated by Glyph, "Yeah, that looks good enough. I'll head up there. You might want to head home now, foal. You don't want to get hurt when the fighting starts."

Stiletto makes a small motion to midnight indicating two heavy-branched pine trees.

"Oh, so you dodged the question, allow me to reiterate. WHY the BUCKING HELL do you think I like killing things?"

"Just try not to trip and fall in the pond, old man."

Glaive curses under his breath Stiletto for pairing him up with such an insolent foal. Somepony needed to teach this B@$!@^d some discipline, and some common bucking courtesy.

Midnight gives a slight nod before moving to hide behind one.

Zearoth hides across the pond, drawing the string on one crossbow as he uses a pulley system to ready the one on his back.

"Because you're Jaxler? That's my answer."

Glyph readies his axe and sticks close the tree he pointed out keeping a direct charge line between him and Glaive.

Jaxler lands on the cloud. "I order you to give me a better answer than that."

"Well, you're a drunk, violent pony who have been seen beating a foal to blood. So it's simply assumption that you would like killing as well."

Glaive moves into position behind the tree and draws his axe in his mouth and magics his shield onto the ground next to him, ready to grab it with his magic as soon as it was time to join the battle. While he doubted the enemy would even get this far with their small numbers and the archers in the clouds, he hoped he'd get a chance to prove himself again. Glaive also hoped to himself that the foal wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Oh, well then allow me to promise you that I ONLY HURT THINGS WHEN IT'S JUSTIFIED!"

Stiletto waits for the universal signal of screaming badger ponies to attack, hiding well. Not as well as Midnight, but well.

"Yeah, still. Sorry if i offended you or whatever. I just assumed that you liked to kill as much as you liked to beat stuff up." she says as she aims her crossbow down at one of the Badger ponies strolling around down there.

The Badger ponies mill about in the clearing, eating the remains of parasprites they had killed earlier.

Jaxler decided not to respond and just aimed his crossbow and fired. The bolt hit one of the badger ponies in the leg.

Kat fired as Jaxler fired, hitting another badger pony in the back. "Leather armor ain't so tough against iron bolts it seems."

Jaxler noticed that the badger ponies were startled. "If we start charging them right now, they'll probably start to run."

Kat reloads a bolt. "Just the two of us? Doubtful."

The one hit in the leg stumbles and falls on his face. The one hit in the spine gurgles blood. Two run south, just as predicted, and the last one stops to grab the remains of the parasprite first.

Glyph shifts into a more comfortable stance, watching the badger ponies. "Looks like it's almost showtime... Vremya dlyatantsa krovi." He grins slightly, focusing on the one that looked most likely to pass close to him.

"Looks like they're running, you chase the others while I put down the crippled one"

"Let's just stay up here and shoot. Nice, safe, fun, and the others can take care with the running ones. I like moving targets." She aims down her crossbow and fires, nearly hitting one of the running badger ponies which makes it run even faster.

The one grabbing the parasprite is suddenly held fast by a magical aura..

Glaive hears the battle begin. He tightens his grip on his axe, waiting for one to reach the tree line. He strains his ears and can hear the sound of hooves. 'Closer...closer...closer' he thinks. Just as his target is about to rush past the tree, he grabs his shield and strikes at the badger pony. If his timing was right, it should run straight into his swing.

"Fine." Jaxler aims at the crippled badger pony and pulls the trigger, the bolt hitting the badger pony in the head.

Kat snickers from Jaxler's fine marksponyship. "Looks like you've just created a badger unicorn Jaxler, good shot."

Midnight fires off a bolt, glancing one's cheek. He moves back into cover to ready another bolt, still showing no emotion, not even any irritation at missing.

Glyph bursts from behind tree, running full tilt at the badger pony, trying to ram it with the full weight of his armour.

"Meh, i should have gotten him on the first shot." Jaxler was holding off on shooting again, he couldn't get a clear shot.

Kat reloads her crossbow again as she watches the fight, unable to risk friendly firing.

The badger pony was not expecting a shield to pop up in his face. It knocks him right upside the head and stuns him. As Glyph slams into the other badger pony, who is surprised by the ferocity of his attack, they tumble to the ground, tangled together.

Glyph backs off, slightly grinning, as he slams his axe down on his opponent’s back leg. "And where do you think you're going?"

Zearoth takes aim at one of the bound badgers. He lets his bolts loose, one glancing the fur of the badger as the other penetrates deep into its shoulder.

The badger pony runs, terrified of the bolts raining from the sky, thinking of his family, trying to escape. He sees the tree line, 'If I can make it there, I'll be safe.' He puts on a sudden extra burst of speed, suddenly, a glowing shield flew around the corner as he smashes into it at full speed. He falls, stunned, unsure of what has just hit him. He looks up and sees a bearded unicorn, with a somber expression on his face. The last thing the pony sees is shining metal axe falling toward his face, then all went black.

Glaive looks at the foalish one charging off. 'that wasn't the plan.' he grumbles, as he hurries over to the surviving enemy.

Stiletto steps out of her hiding spot, pulling the held badger pony toward her. One slash and its head goes sailing into the pond.

The badger pony looks down at the severed stump that used to be its foreleg. It dives at Glyph with its knife, making a desperate strike.

Zearoth reloads his crossbows and takes aim. Releasing another pair of bolts as he provides covering fire."Fire... Set, aim, fire... Set, aim, fire..." He says to himself.

Kat just enjoys the show from above for now.

"It's sad isn't it, Kat?"

"Kind of, yeah. But it's war, sad things happen."

"Meh, I just find it rather depressing. I mean, think about it. The only reason why we kill them is because they killed us and they kill us because we killed them. It's been this way since before recorded history, and in the end neither side can justify what they do."

"Just how things are. Until both sides stop killing each other, killing will happen."

"Or until both sides kill each other off."

"With all the killings.. I'm just worried that the goddesses will never come down. We were tasked to create the paradise on our own, and look at what we're doing. Killing and fighting."

Glyph ducks his head, catching the knife on his helmet right between his eyes. "You," He flicks his head, knocking the knife aside. "Shouldn't have," He kicks forward, knocking the badger pony on its back. "Done that." He slams his axe down on its neck, removing its head on one swing.

"Oh, they'll never come, because there are no gods. And if there were gods, do you really want to worship them if they allow this to happen everyday?"

Kat gives Jaxler the odd looks "There may be no gods, but the goddesses are out for sure. and of course they allow this to happen, they gave us the power to choose. It's our own fault to choose fighting and killing over helping each others create the paradise that they tasked us for."

"Or maybe they enjoy watching us fight."

"Maybe.. maybe not. who knows?"

"Yeah, as not-real as death."

"I'm not going to argue something as pointless as religion with you. Sooner or later we will all know weather or not gods exist, and I'll be proven right."

"Yeah, except you'll be proven wrong when you stand before the goddess of death herself judging where you go next."

"Well I'm already in hell, so I guess the only thing she can do is send me back here. And also, what kind of a benevolent being sends you to hell for not believing in them?"

"They don't care about you believing them or not. It's what you've been doing in life."

Zearoth spits the rope out of his mouth and slings his crossbow onto his back. "Impressive fighters... All of them."

"That's funny, because if there were any gods then they sure as hell have made a game of seeing how much shit they can throw at me before I just give up, so achieving nothing would only be obeying their wishes."

With the battle over, Glaive searches the badger pony he killed. Finding nothing of interest, he takes out a rag and begins to clean the blood and brains off his axe.

"They gave you the power to choose what you do with yourself Jaxler. Do whatever with that. Nobody have the rights to deny you the gifts from the goddesses themselves."

Glyph smiles a bit at his kill, walking over to the hill and looking around for Kat.

"Every 'gift' I have ever been given has been stolen from me. So, all I can say is that they probably want me to go to hell."

Midnight sets his crossbow over his back, his expression already returning as the battle ends.

Kat is still talking with Jaxler over the hot topic. "We already are in hell."

Stiletto surveys the scene. "Done with. Good." She says to herself, "Beim nächsten Mal schneller."

Kat flares her wings and leaves the cloud patch, flying down to the group and seeing Glyph looking around.

"Then let us regroup, Miss Stiletto," Midnight says before quickly making his way back to the staging point. Even at a fast trot his hooves are barely heard.

Glaive finishes cleaning his axe and walks toward the center of the badger camp to regroup with the others.

Jaxler flies down, landing next to his kill.

Glaive looks to the landing pegasus. "Nice work, Jaxler. You and the others in the clouds did most of our work for us."

Zearoth strolls back to the staging area, thinking to himself along the way.

Glyph looks up, seeing Kat and waving to her, as he continues walking.

Jaxler bends over and picks up the badger pony’s weapon. It’s a barbed dagger. "Thanks Glaive, you did a great job as well."

"Yes, very good shooting, both of you."

Stiletto heads back to the staging area with Midnight and Zearoth.

"My apologies. I should have trained a little more before trying something like this."

Jaxler decides to keep the weapon. "Hey, does anypony have a problem with me looting these guys?"

Glaive checks around the campsite for anything worthwhile: stolen goods, something that might give away other badger pony plans for attacks, or valuables. He finds nothing worthwhile, just some iron tools that Dawnpick could melt down as scrap. "Take what you like, I am sure the rest will be taken by the haulers."

Jaxler searched the corpse but found nothing worthwhile aside from the dagger. When he got over to the second badger, he noticed that he wasn't dead yet.

"Everyone needs training. Even I do."

"Perhaps. But you managed to hit something. And perhaps you can help me later."

"Don't expect me to teach you how to use a rig like this, but I'll try and train you how to use a crossbow."

"Thank you, Mister Zearoth," Midnight says and takes a slight bow.

"Making sure my brothers can fight is something I'm more then happy to do. And please, just call me Zearoth. I don't deserve any title."

Kat spots Glyph looking in the air for something, so she trot up to his side and gives him a little surprise nuzzle. "Looking for something?"

Jaxler lashed the badger's head with his metal chain. he then searched the body and found nothing worth value. "Hey alicorn, I'm gonna head back to the fort."

"Very well."

Glyph smiles more, wrapping his hooves around Kat and pulling her close. "Gotcha! Was looking for you mein liebe..."

"Ok Jaxler, be well."

Kat giggles and sinks into his hug. "Eep!"

Glaive, after finishing his search heads back home in silence.

Midnight smiles at the two ponies hugging, despite the fact that one of them is coated in blood.

Glyph nuzzles Kat a bit, smiling as he notices that he's getting her all bloody. "Looks like you couldn't avoid getting all messy, huh, love..."

Jaxler starts walking home silently.

Kat giggles as she nuzzles back, getting the blood smeared on her as well "Well, where's the fun if not?" she says with a wink.

Glyph grins wider, giving Kat a squeeze, and leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Not quite a hunt, but fun either way..."

Kat grins and giggles from that. "Sure is!"

Midnight cocks his head to the side for a brief moment. Though sets it straight before anyone notices.

"Don't mind them, Midnight. Some people don't mind blood."

"Anyway. It's time to go home. There isn't anything for me here," Midnight says before heading off.

"Thank you for your help."

"My pleasure. If you need more help, I am happy to take the offer."

Glyph kisses Kat once, then leads her off to get cleaned up.

Zearoth nods. "Thanks for for assisting us as well, Stiletto. I'll be happy to help you again if you ever need it," he says before walking off.

"I will keep you in mind."

93: Wanted Posters

Virtue hums quietly to herself as she sorts through the latest stack of mail that arrived with the last caravan. Most of it was mundane or routine, but one particular letter catches her eye: a notice of a wanted criminal. She reluctantly opened the note and read the contents, and her heart sinks. In particular, mention is made of a pony with black fur, a red mane, red eyes, a violent disposition, a dagger and a cog for his cutie mark, huge burn scar on his side, and who always carries around an old crossbow. He is considered very dangerous.

There was only one pony in Dawnpick that matched that description, and he matched it too well to ignore: Jaxler. He was wanted for major theft... at least it wasn't for something like murder. But what would she do? Should she bring Jaxler in for questioning or ignore the new letter? Jaxler had his problems in the past, but he'd mostly come to terms with everything in Dawnpick and hadn't caused any violent upsets in a long time.

She lets out a long sigh and stares at the letter for some time. It... was probably best to talk to him about it. She wasn't convinced she was going to arrest him or anything like that... but she needed to talk to him. And if he became violent... she didn't want to be alone. She could go find Partisan or somepony else in the guard to find him, but maybe somepony in the militia would be better. He might not suspect anything if one of them asked him to come see her.

She stands and makes for the door, hoping she could find somepony in the militia mostly covertly. Jaxler was probably sleeping off a drinking binge right now anyway.

A copper-furred unicorn paced down the dark, stone-floored hallway, the only light being the greenish glow cast from her telekinetic magic. The energetic aura she emitted from her spiral horn was being used to carry her weapon of choice; a mildly-worn axe with a noticeable chip in one of its dull, silvery blades. She planned on having it sharpened after all of the use she put it through. Though it was composed of tough metal, hacking through bones year after year had taken its toll on the edge.
"Don't worry, I'll get you back into blood-spilling shape soon enough," Sarissa hummed to herself with a smirk.

As Sarissa makes her way along to the weaponsmiths to have her weapon tended to, she bumps into Virtue, who is just leaving the empty barracks. Virtue flags her down with a worried wave of her hoof and trots over to her. "Sarissa, I'm glad to see you. I... need your help. Have you seen Jaxler lately?"

Virtue cringes mentally at the small bow, but decides not to say anything. Telling ponies to stop doing it hadn't gotten her anywhere, so she was just going to have to get used to it. She gives Sarissa a nervous glance before looking over her shoulder.
"Um, thank you Sarissa. Could you go find Jaxler for me and bring him to my office? And... if you could... try not to make it a scene. Just tell him I want to see him, okay?"

She raised one of her eyebrows, "Make a scene? What'd he do, exactly?"
Her interest grows.

"I... I'm not sure. He's just... been known to be excitable is all." Virtue flounders over her words for a moment. "It's nothing, sorry, just ask him to come see me. And... come with him, please."

She was hoping for something a little more interesting than a simple retrieval task, but Sarissa would do anything for her Lady.
"As you wish, Lady Virtue."
She gives a final bow before making off to the first logical place to search; Jaxler's room.
"Looks like that sharpening will have to wait for a few minutes. Be patient, my dear," Sarissa tells her levitating axe before kissing it softly.

Jaxler woke up, he was on the floor next to his bed. He got up and realized that he had a nasty head ache and didn't remember list night. he then took in his surroundings, there was an empty barrel of booze of in the corner, and his crossbow was under it. He also noticed that there was a large dent in the wall and his cabinet was knocked over. Jaxler went over and inspected his crossbow and sighed when he found it was unharmed. Then Jaxler heard a loud knock on his door.
"WHO'S THERE?"

Sarissa's eyes narrowed in annoyance at the yelling that emanated from within the closed room.
"It's Sarissa. Your presence is required by Lady Virtue. How about opening up, huh?"

Jaxler walked up to the door and opened it up
"Aye, there Sarissa. Can you tell Virtue to talk to me tater in the day?"

He looked rough. Probably another night of drunken revelry. Pity. The unicorn moved her ax in to block the door from shutting.
"Sorry sleepy, but Lady Virtue wishes to see you now. I'm here to make sure that she gets her wish."

Jaxler gave Sarissa an angry glare
"Fine, let me go Grab my freaking crossbow."

"That's better..." the mare responded, growling internally at his bad attitude.
She stood and watched as he went back in. Now what would he want his weapon for? She would keep her eye closely on him.

Jaxler took longer than necessary to grab his crossbow, he also grabbed his quiver and some bolts and made his way back out the door.
"I don't go anywhere without my crossbow."

"After you."
The unicorn marched behind him, wary of what he may try to do. She continued thinking of possible reasons for Virtue wanting him. More importantly, why would she have wanted him escorted?

Jaxler starts walking to the keep.
"So, do you know what Virtue wan't to see me?"

"I had asked the same of her, but she wouldn't given me a straight answer. Whatever it was, it was something that seemed to make her uncomfortable. Makes you wonder why she requested for me to bring you back myself, doesn't it? Apparently she didn't want you walking there yourself. Have you done something to upset my Lady, Jaxler?"

"Sarissa, I honestly don't know what I do past 9 PM. So, if I did anything really bad recently I doubt that I'd remember it"

Kat has decided that it's time she brings the matter of Jaxler's behavior to the highest authority in the fort. Which happens to be Virtue, She stood there in front of the door in her guard's uniform for a moment, gathering herself and what she prepared to say so she won't make some sort of a mistake once inside, then Knocks on the door "Lady Virtue? Are you busy?" She called in.

Virtue trots over to the door and opens it, unsure of what she'd find. When she sees Kat alone, she replies, "Oh, Kat. I... uh, I am a bit busy. Could you wait out here for a bit? I've got to see somepony else, I'll be with you shortly."

Kat raises an eyebrow, seeing that Virtue seems to be Nervous about something "Oh, Okay Baroness. I'll just, uh, wait here. It's nothing urgent so, don't worry about it."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Sarissa snorts as they near Virtue's office.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sarissa groans.
"Do I really need to spell it out for you? You're a drunkard. Plain and simple."
Kat comes into view, though Sarissa does not realize why she is there.

"You'd be a lot better off if you learned how to criticize ponies without insulting them like a jackass."
Just as Jaxler finishes responding to Sarissa he realizes that they are close to the keep and that Kat was sitting outside the building in full uniform, which was strange.

She rolled her eyes, "I just call 'em as I see 'em, Jaxxy. I say more ponies should have the backbone to do the same."
Sarissa motioned to Kat, "Is Lady Virtue still in her office? I've done my duty as requested of her."

Kat waved slightly to both of them before answering Sarissa "Yeah, Lady Virtue's still inside. She seems nervous.. i wonder what's up."

Jaxler gave Sarissa a nasty glare. he then walked up to the keep's door and knocked on it.
"AYE VIRTUE, WE'RE HERE"

Her heart skips a beat as the moment arrives. She paces back to her seat and takes a moment to even her breathing. "Come in," she calls, trying to keep her voice level. This probably wasn't going to end well.

Sarissa enters the room as requested, although she does not take a seat. This was probably a matter strictly between Virtue and Jaxler. Besides, it may be best to guard the door, just in case anypony else might come in and interrupt them. Sarissa liked to be on her feet often just in case there is a need for rapid reflexes.

Jaxler walked in, and took a seat.
"So... Virtue, what exactly is it that you want to talk to me about?"

Virtue nervously taps her hooves together, wishing in the time she'd spent thinking up to this point she had an easy way to break this to Jaxler. Worse still, she'd completely forgotten she asked Sarissa to come inside too. She'd have to say this where Sarissa would hear it... what to do? Guess there was only one thing... "Well, it's... um..."
She slides the paper across to him. Motioning to it. "...this came in the mail bundle with the last caravan..." she began, hoping she didn't have to connect the dots for him out loud.

Jaxler started reading the paper and as soon as he realized what the document was he about panicked. Jaxler's body froze and his eyes turned to little tiny dots when he came to the realization that he practically walked into a trap. He had no way to escape for there where two armed ponies on ether side of the only exit. All he could do was sit there.
"What... I... what the hell do you plan on doing to me?"

Taking note of the unusual change in Jaxler's mood, Sarissa twisted her face in confusion. What had been on that paper?

She chews her lip indecisively for a few moments. A good question. "I... I don't know. I suppose I should first ask... is this true? And is that about you? Am I making a mistake?" she asks honestly.

"I can't answer that question."

She lowers her eyes. That's all he had to say. "I... see... I suppose that means that it is true." What now? "Jaxler... if... if this is true... then... I'm not sure what I should do..."

"If at all possible, I'd prefer to keep my life"

Now this was interesting. If Jaxler feared for his life, then he must have committed some great offense.
Sarissa's muscles tense as she mentally grips her ax more tightly with telekinetic power.

Her eyes go wide at the implication that she'd ever consider executing somepony. "Wh-what? I.. I'd never! I mean... no, the... the normal course of action would be to send you back to Coupledye for prosecution... but... I... I'm not sure... if I should..."

"Why the hell not? Does the idea of sticking me in a small, cold iron cage with no food and just enough water to keep me from dying during my deportation to Coupledye, and getting executed once reaching the city, make you feel uncomfortable?"

Virtue blinks in bafflement for a moment. "Well... yes, it does. Jaxler... I... I don't know every detail... but I don't think you deserve death. You... we've had our differences in the past... but I think you're a good pony at heart." She nervously traces a hoof across her desk. "I... don't think I'm going to respond to the letter... but I'm not sure what else to do..."

"You could burn that document and pretend this never happened."

She nods slowly, having actually considered such a thing. But now Sarissa knew about it. Or that Jaxler had done something quite bad. It was likely only a matter of time before the other ponies found out. Then what? Would they be outraged that a criminal was part of the guard, doling out justice? Much less second in command?
"I... don't know if I can do that. I fear what will happen if everypony else finds out." She motions to Sarissa. "Even if only we knew... I fear that others will get similar letters, or see them on caravans. I'm not sure if they would trust you being in the guard..."

"I'm not leaving the guard and what happens if such letters don't get sent out and nopony ever knows about this aside from me you and Sarissa?"

"Well... I... suppose..." she trails off, unsure of what she even wanted now. "...what were you charged with, exactly?"

"More accounts of grand theft then one could keep count of."

Sarissa flinches, "Wh-what?!" The unicorn's eyes widen as she looks back and forth between Virtue and Jaxler, as if searching for an explanation among their expressions. Her face then contorts into a grimace as she lowers her head, "We've have a master thief in the guard this whole time?! Have you stolen from us, too?!"

Jaxler gazed angrily at Sarissa.
"I haven't stolen anything in 7 years, and if I had stolen something, I would have fled Dawnpick the moment I got my hoofs on it. IN FACT, I came to this little outpost planning on ending my life as a thief."

Virtue feels a knot of apprehension grow inside her. Perhaps Sarissa wasn't the best pony to have present for this. She was a dedicated soldier, but from what she'd heard she was a bit... enthusiastic... about fighting. Jaxler was easily provoked too. She had to do something to ease the tension... but what could she do?
What was she supposed to do? Jaxler was a wanted criminal, and even if she wanted to just sweep all of this under a rug and pretend she'd never even seen the letter, it was too late now. Sarissa knew, and the first rule about keeping secrets is to tell nopony. The moment somepony else finds out about it, it's no longer under your control and will get out eventually. What to do... what to do...?
And Jaxler should be held accountable for his crimes. If Flux had to be held accountable for attacking Glaive, then Jaxler should be accountable for what must have amounted to an immense number of bits in theft. But if she turned him in to Coupledye, they may well kill him, and she couldn't live with herself knowing she'd signed somepony off to their death. And he didn't deserve that. But what did he deserve? He hadn't stolen from anypony here. And maybe he was telling the truth about wanting to turn over to a new page in his life in Dawnpick.
"E-Everypony... please, let's calm down. I-I need to think a moment..."
Maybe she should speak to Partisan? He might know what to do... dealing with criminals was his job, not hers directly. And he was Jaxler's captain, he deserved to know about this if anypony did.

At Virtue's request, the brown mare lowered her levitating ax, which had been subconsciously raised during her initial shock. She attempted to control the aggression in her voice, "Well...if you're looking for suggestions, my Lady, might I suggest that we lock him up until a decision is made? I don't like the idea of letting him roam freely. He could well use the opportunity to flee, and I don't think we can have that. Besides, once he is locked up we can do a thorough search of his room to determine if he is being truthful or not."
She never took her eyes off of Jaxler.

"I'm not going to let anypony search my room, but I will understand if you want me locked up. Just so long as you let me have a decent amount of booze and my crossbow, and if you promise me that I'm not going to get executed."

That was an improvement... if Jaxler was being cooperative she could at least sort this out on her own time and decide what to do. She definitely wanted Partisan's input though.
She nods slowly and stands. "I'd never execute anypony. But... I think I need to speak to Partisan about this. He's the final authority about these matters, aside from me... and I want to know what he thinks... I can't make any promises right now..."
If Jaxler didn't want them searching his room, that meant he might be hiding something. She didn't want to violate his privacy, but if she had to... she would. She wouldn't do it without Partisan's agreement though.

"Yeah, we should let Partisan know of this. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have this little piece of information," Sarissa stated sarcastically.
The offended feelings in her heart were joined by eagerness as she slowly spun the ax around in the air, "So, shall I cage Jaxler for you, my Lady?"

"WAIT, I ain't going in no cage, I'm fine with a jail cell but I ain't going in no cage!"

"N-No... that won't be necessary Sarissa. The... the jail cells are just down there," she says, pointing off to a door at the far side of her office. She takes a moment to look Jaxler in the eyes, and lets out a deep sigh. "Jaxler... do you have anything to hide from us? If... if you tell me now... I can... lessen any penalties. I don't plan on searching your room, but if Partisan thinks we should... then I will side with his decision."

"I have some items that I cannot and will not allow any pony to confiscate."

"Define stolen..."

"I see that metaphors are lost on you, Jaxxy," Sarissa responds, in reference to her calling the jail cell a cage.
After his last line, she points a hoof at him in accusation.
"Ah ha! So you do have something to hide! Who'd you take it from? It better not be from me!"

"Stolen..." Her expression grows worried. This probably wouldn't end well at all. "...I suppose we wouldn't know if it's something stolen from somewhere other than Dawnpick, but we'll have to use our judgment. Again, I can't make any promises, about anything."

"Okay then, also I need to know if I'll be getting any booze while I'm in Jail?"

"I'll see what I can do. It probably wouldn't do you well to be cut off from it completely abruptly." She looks to Sarissa. "I suppose you should go ahead and take him down to the jails. I need to speak with Kat."

"At your will, my Lady." Sarissa motions to Jaxler with her ax, "Alright pally, time to go to the stony lonesome."

"Is it fine if I bring my crossbow with me, so long as I don't keep any bolts?"

She nods after a brief moment. "I... think that will be fine. Just leave your quiver here."

Sarissa pushes the door open, "Just don't try any funny business, or Elegy will have to take a bite out of you."

Jaxler took off his quiver and left on the ground next to him. He then walked over to the prison entrance.

"Why the hell would I try to do anything 'funny' to a pony who has full metal armor and an axe?"

"I can never be too trusting of a thief, now can I?
She taps him on the rear with the broad side of her ax.
"Now let's get a move on."

Jaxler sighed and said "I'm not a thief anymore" and went down the stairs. The place was dark smelly and didn't seem very pleasant but it wasn't the worst hole he'd even been trapped in. "So, which one of these cells is mine?"

"Um..."
Virtue hadn't told her where to put him, but all four of the cells looked more or less the same. She hoped that it didn't matter.
The unicorn groaned, "Oh, I don't know...just hop in one. Each is as gross as the next."

Jaxler walked into the closest cell
"Well, buck this isn't going to be very pleasant."

The unicorn shuts the cell door and clicks the lock into place.
"I'd say that's rather appropriate. Look at the vomit stains in there. At least that should be familiar to you, my dear wino."
Sarissa begins to trot off back to Virtue's office, wondering what kind of things Jaxler may have hidden away in his room. Would Partisan allow a search of it? What punishment would he recommend?

Jaxler sat down on the cold ground an laid his crossbow on the floor right next to him. Jaxler didn't know how long he was going to be down in the cell. He also didn't have the slightest clue what was going to happen to him now, and he didn't completely trust Virtue when she said that she wasn't going to execute him. So, all he could do now was sit down in the dark smelly room, and hope that he got a barrel of booze before his sanity gave up on him.

Sarissa's concerns were calmed for the time being. Jaxler was in jail, and even if he did escape, he didn't have any bolts with him. Unless, perhaps, he was hiding some on his person somewhere. Sarissa kept that possibility in mind...
"The deed is done, my Lady," Sarissa saluted Virtue after returning to her office, "Would you have me see if I can find Partisan?"

"Yes, please do that. Thank you," she responds, returning to her seat with a heavy drop. Every day... every day it seemed she was learning something new to stress her out... "Oh, and send Kat in when you see her, please."

With a bow of respect, Sarissa complies, "Will do, my Lady."

The unicorn mare steps outside, browsing the area for the pony aforementioned, "Kat? Lady Virtue will see you now."
With that said, Sarissa began her search for Partisan. As her girded hooves clicked against the stony floor, she thought about how Virtue's mood had change over the period that she had been here. Even though the gray mare hadn't said it aloud, Sarissa could tell that she had a lot on her mind. Obviously not the most joyful of things, either. Well, Sarissa would make sure that Jaxler wasn't going to be a problem for her. One less thing for her to worry about, she felt.

Kat nodded as Sarissa came out to tell her that she could go in now. Not really seeing Jaxler being taken to the Jail and was slightly confused when she didn't see him in the office with Virtue. But she's glad that he's not there anyway. "Lady Virtue? It's about Jaxler.." She began as she move into Virtue's office, closing the door behind them. Seeing the Obvious worries in Virtue's face, she wanted to ask what's wrong but decide against it and just focus on getting what she needs to say to be said "I'd like to Complain about him being Second in Command, Unguardly behavior and showing obvious distrust to everypony and challenging Partisan's authority. I.. don't think he should stay Second-in-Command of the guards." She managed out, keeping a calm voice so it doesn't sound like she have some personal beef going on with him.

Unaware that Jaxler just got into some serious dung already and that this would just make it worse for him.
"And Partisan seems to be going too easy on him as well." She adds.

Virtue tries to sigh inwardly, but some escapes her lips anyway. Why was this happening now? Her head is beginning to ache at the thought of where this was going, but she puts all of her effort into giving Kat her full attention. The pony certainly had a point. Jaxler wasn't a stellar example of a guardspony, although when he was on duty he did a decent job. But in light of recent events, Partisan may well want him expelled from the guard altogether. Maybe Kat did too. Maybe even Storm Cloud.
"I... see." She considered telling Kat what had just happened, but decided it best to leave that for Partisan. "I know he hasn't been the most shining example... but he does do a reasonably good job when on duty. Has anything specific happened? Have you talked to Partisan about this?"

"Well, when he's on duty he does a fine job. But the problem is, he's not on-duty as much as he should. Comes to work late daily, most of the time hung-over, And I've talked with Partisan and Jaxler about this and Partisan said he'll look into it. But it's been a while and i still don't see anything happening at all so i decide that it's best bringing it straight to you lady Virtue." Kat explained. before adding "I don't like the Idea that the guards are a laughing stock of the fort because of how our second-in-command behaves..."

After finally getting hold of Partisan, Sarissa explained the situation to him as best as she understood it. The unicorn mare insisted that this new information provided sufficient cause for Jaxler to be removed from his position. It's not like Sarissa believed him to be the best material for a guardsman anyway. What good would it do the fort if it came under attack when he was sloppy drunk? A fighter should be ready at a moments notice, she believed. Partisan stated that he would handle the matter once he had taken time to consult Virtue. Sarissa reluctantly nodded and left to attend to her original business. Time to get back to sharpening Elegy; that ax was her most valued possession here at the fort.

All valid concerns... but it wouldn't make this any easier. It should, but it wouldn't. Jaxler needed to shape up. Anyplace but Dawnpick and he'd have been dismissed long ago. By rights she should have dismissed him long ago, or had Partisan do it. She wonders for a moment if maybe Partisan was as soft as she was. She couldn't blame somepony for having the same failings as she did... and he was a good commander otherwise.
"I... understand your concerns." She hangs her head slightly. "I've sent for Partisan. I suppose we need to decide what to do about this now. Jaxler is doing a good job when he is on duty, but it will tear my heart out if somepony gets hurt or dies when it could have been prevented. If doing something about Jaxler could prevent that..."

Kat wanted to do something to comfort the baroness, maybe even give her a pat on the back. But she knew that it wouldn't exactly be the most appropriate thing for her to do right now. "Lady Virtue.. you can't carry the world on your back. Things will happens, Ponies will die. Those who were saved would still die anyway later. It would be better for everypony if you don't stress yourself too much on things that you couldn't fix, so that you'll have a clearer head to fight the problems that you can fix."
She let out a little sigh, then Smiles. Wanting to atleast put a smile, no matter how small, on Virtue's face. "But no matter what, Baroness, let it be known, Unlike Jaxler, I trust you and Partisan with my life. I Believe that you'll choose the right decision."

Kat was trying to be nice, and was mostly right, of course, but that didn't do a whole lot to help Virtue's mood. Still, the mare was trying, and she could appreciate that. "Thank you, Kat... I trust you with my life as well."

She opens her mouth to speak again, but is interrupted by a knock at her door, followed by Partisan peeking inside. "Excuse me, Lady Virtue? Sarissa said you were looking for me?"

Virtue nods and waves him in, trying to mask the extreme unease she felt. Time to get this over with. "Yes, please come in. Kat and I were discussing something about Jaxler." She searches her mind for the best way to break the news to both, and doesn't do a terribly good job. "She has some valid concerns about his performance and appearance in the guard... are... you aware of these problems?"

Partisan nods slowly and averts his eyes for a moment. "Yes... we've talked. I've been trying to find ways to get Jaxler to put a bit more pride in his position, but so far not much is working." He thinks a moment more and glances between the two mares. "I'm really not sure what to do. There's only four of us in the guard. He's a good shot too, and is quick to respond to trouble. But I do worry about it all..."

Virtue takes a deep breath and shuts her eyes for a moment. This wasn't going to be easy. At all. She opens her eyes and looks the two straight on. "I know. To make matters worse... I recently discovered that he is wanted for numerous counts of theft. He hasn't stolen from anypony in Dawnpick to my knowledge, but it still worries me to know that we have a criminal working in the guard. He says he came here to put all of that behind him, but it's something I can't just dismiss." She gives both a pleading expression. "I... don't... know what to do."

Partisan's mouth drops open and he simply stares back at Virtue.

Kat rise an eyebrow in slight surprise.
"Well.. that.. wasn't as bad as I expected." she mutters out, seeing the resigned expression on Virtue's face seems to have confused her as if she's asking a very simple question. "Um.. Lady Virtue? if you don't mind. I'd like to suggest that we live with now for the moment. Jaxler's been here for a while and if he haven't been stealing for a while then it shouldn't really matter to us anymore. What matters more is about him being in the guards and not exactly acting like one. That's what's happening now, that's what happening everyday. So what if he was a thief a few years back? I've been things worse than that years ago, But today we're the guards of Dawnpick. And that's that. But if you so think that something that have been done a long time ago should be held accountable now, then I won't object. Just suggesting that we really should focus on the current on-going problem. Not the dead ones in the past, else we'd find everypony guilty for something..."

Perhaps truer words had never been spoken. She nods understandingly, and replies, "You're right. We need to work this out... worry about that if we have to..." She turns her attention to Partisan. "What do you suggest?"

"I... well... I'd sort of intended to ask you that... but I think there's really only one thing that can be done right now." His eyes fall to the floor. "Jaxler has not shown the responsibility he should for his position. I've tried to be reasonable about it, but I think we've gone past reasonable. Storm Cloud is next in line, in terms of seniority. I'm going to place him second in command." He turns to look at Kat. "You're up after Storm Cloud, of course. Jaxler is at the bottom of the list now. If he shapes up, maybe he won't stay there if we get more recruits."

Oh, how he hated to do that. Jaxler had been in the guard nearly as long as he had, and hadn't been a bad soldier. But this wasn't the time to let personal feelings obscure the truth. Storm Cloud and Kat probably deserved the position better than Jaxler. There was more to this job than just holding a crossbow and shooting diamond dogs. Jaxler was good at that... but the rest of it he seemed to hold with relatively little respect. And it reflected poorly on all of them.

Kat looks like she was about to object Partisan's decision, quite obviously disagreeing in his choice in choosing the new Second-in-command, But choose to not take back her word in trusting that he'll make the right decision.. Although it might be the one that she don't quite agree on. She Straighten up and give him a quick Salute "Aye Captain.." She said in acknowledgement, After mentally clearing that sentence from any bitterness that might be mixed in her tone.

Virtue nods slowly at Partisan's decision. At least it was his word, not just hers. "Then it's settled... perhaps we should go break the news to him." She leads the group down to the cells and locates Jaxler in his cell. "Jaxler... we've got something we need to tell you..."

Jaxler was still siting on the ground when the group came down. he was also surprised to see that Virtue seemed more stressed now, then she did before.
"Let me guess, you're going to behead me?"

"No... of course not," she responds, shaking her head slightly. Well... she could let Partisan take all of the blame here, but it was her job to be the leader in this place, no matter how much she hated it sometimes. "...we... have decided to let you stay in the guard... but you'll be working under everypony else. Storm Cloud is now second in command, and Kat third."

"Let... me... out... of this cell..."

She had planned on doing that... but after hearing the way he requested it, she thought perhaps that would be a bad idea. "I... think perhaps it would be best if you had some time to... think about this... first." She takes a cautious step closer to the the bars. "...but I don't think we'll be holding you for the charges of theft..."

"let... me out... NOW!"

Virtue recoils at the verbal explosion. She backs away and shakes her head. "No... no, I don't think that's a good idea..." She thinks for a moment and fails to think of anything remotely good to say. Perhaps they should just leave.. come back to see him tomorrow...

"LET ME OUT OF HERE SO I CAN PUT A GOD DAMNED HOOF SHAPED RESIGNATION LETTER THROUGH PARTISAN'S BUCKING HEAD, YOU SICK BASTARD!"

She backs away from him completely up against the cells at the far side of the hall. "I... I'm sorry Jaxler... I..." She takes a step toward the stairs leading back up. "I... I'll let you three talk this through..." She hurriedly makes for the exit, incapable of taking any more of this. She hated to put Partisan and Kat through this... but they'd dealt with him before... on a regular basis.
They might have the nerves for this... but she didn't.

"LET ME THE BUCKING HELL OUT OF HERE, YOU BUCKING COWARD!"

Kat watches the enraged pony yelling and shouting, then says "You know, yelling and shouting and doing what you're doing right now isn't going to get you out of that cell any sooner. We'll just wait until you calm down first then let you out. Sounds good Partisan?"

Partisan stood there for a few seconds as he though of what to do. He looked at Kat and then slowly looked at Jaxler, rage evident on his face. "Kat, its up to you, but I would rather you stay out here. Jaxler, this was my decision. One that I, and I alone, had to make. I will take full responsibility for it. First, though, I need to know that you understand, under the normal situation, all the charges that would be against you, and what the punishment for them would be. Please repeat them to me."

"I'm... guilty... of lots of grand theft... and I'd probably be put to death... by A SICK, BUCKING, BASTARD LIKE YOU!"

"Jaxler, calm down now. That's an order." He gives the incarcerated pegasus a stern look. "Nopony is getting executed!"

"Fine."

Partisan eyes him cautiously. He looked better. "Alright then." He cautiously opens the jail cell. "You're not being charged for any of the theft here."

Jaxler got up and walked out the door. Once he got out of the cell he looked Partisan dead in the eye and said "Aye Partisan, I resign". Jaxler then flung his hoof toward Partisan's face.

Partisan is caught by surprise by the swing and takes the blow hard on his cheek. He staggers backward several steps before instinctively reaching for his crossbow. He fumbles with the weapon as he tries to clear his dazed vision, and stammers something about not believing what just happened and insubordinating foals.

"Come at me, bro!"

Kat was less surprised than Partisan and quickly whips up her crossbow, seeing that at this distance shooting it wouldn't really work so well and that she might accidentally shoot Partisan instead, she grips her crossbow like a club and charges at Jaxler, bringing a wide swing aiming for his head.

Partisan rallies and swings his crossbow at Jaxler, aiming for whatever part of the pony presented itself.

Jaxler took the blow to the forehead. He didn't even budge when the crossbow came into contact with his head. Though, he did hear a ringing in his ear and felt slightly dizzy but it wasn't more then he could ignore. Jaxler then took note that Kat was within range of his hoof and that partisan was aiming at him.
"Feel free to strike me down."
Jaxler then swung his right hoof toward Kat.

Kat spotted the incoming hoof, so she strikes up at the swung leg with her steel crossbow, deflecting the blow enough that it only flicked her ear "We will if you won't stop!" she hissed

Partisan leaps on Jaxler and attempts to pin him to the ground. "Oh no, you're not just walking away from this!"

Kat pulls out her iron bolt from her quiver and loads it onto her crossbow while Partisan tries to pin Jaxler to the ground "Now you're charged with assault."

Jaxler was still dizzy from the strike to his head and went down easily but still managed to fling his right foreknee towards Partisan.

The blow catches Partisan in the chest, but his peytral stops most of the force. He rolls Jaxler over and kicks him free, sending him into the jail cell. Without another word, he leaps to his hooves and slams the cell shut before locking it. "You'll be spending a while in here," he says to the pegasus with a barely contained snort. How he considered Jaxler such a comrade was hard to remember at this point...

Kat still kept her crossbow loaded just in case. "I Knew he was trouble.. I always knew.."

Jaxler was surprised to be knocked into the cell but still managed to stay on his hoofs.
"Up yours, Partisan. UP... YOURS... AND WHY THE HELL DON'T YOU BUCKING SHOOT ME, KAT? C'MON I'M WIDE BUCKING OPEN"

Partisan raises a hoof to forestall any motion Kat might have been planning to make. He steps up to the bar and motions to the crossbow. "Hand it over Jaxler. Civilians aren't allowed to keep weapons."

"If you take my crossbow, I'll straight up kill you."

"Handing out death threats to the guards? I knew you weren't very smart Jaxler.. but this?" Kat shook her head and sighs.

Partisan sighs himself. Well, he certainly couldn't let Jaxler keep a weapon. Especially not in this mood. But it was in the jail cell with an equicidal pony. What to do? Perhaps he should go get somepony in the militia, a unicorn who could stun him magically or something...
"You've got a choice Jaxler. You can stay in there forever, or you can give me the crossbow and stay for a long time. Because you're not getting out of there where you can get to ammo for that weapon."

"I will guard this weapon with my life. I managed to posses it before I joined that guard. I'm gonna posses it until the day I bucking DIE, and I honestly rather die than have it stolen from me. SO, ether you kill me where I stand or you let me keep MY crossbow."

"Well, you said it yourself." Kat shrugged and raised her crossbow.

"Go ahead and shoot. So, long as I get buried with my crossbow."

Partisan gives her a horrified look and tries to knock her crossbow out of line. "What are you doing!?"

"No, Partisan. I want to see if she's got the guts to shoot an unarmed pony."

Kat didn't fight to get her Crossbow back into the target. "Well, He's armed with a weapon. And you know that ponies armed with weapons are dangerous. And a Crossbow, even unloaded, is still considered a weapon so, we either disarm him or kill him. That's what we do isn't it?"

Jaxler was surprised by Kat's willingness to kill him, but he knew that she had always wanted to see him gone.
"Oh, it's okay Partisan. I'd rather die then lose my crossbow."

"We're not shooting him. He's got a crossbow, but no bolts. I'm not letting him out until he hands it over, but he's harmless like it is." He rubs his bruised cheek and adds, "I'd rather not see any more injuries today if I can avoid it."

Kat gives Partisan a little confused look, just for a brief moment, then remove the bolt from her crossbow so she shoots blank at the floor, putting the bolt back where it belongs. "As you command, Captain."

Jaxler was coming to the realization that he still felt dizzy from when Kat hit him, and that he still felt sleepy as well, but he decided to ignore it and continue to defend his most valuable possession.
"I'm not giving up my crossbow, and if that means that I get a life sentence then FINE!"

Partisan snorts and makes for the door. "Fine, if that's what you want. Come on, Kat, we'll see if he's more reasonable after sleeping this off. Sober."

Kat nodded and slung her crossbow back onto her back "Shouldn't we keep eyes on him Captain? Thieves are known to pick locks after all..."

Jaxler hits the ground face first, unconscious, and makes a loud thud.

"Best get him to the hospital... and restrained. And take his weapon to the armory." Partisan cautiously unlocks the cell and moves to disarm Jaxler and relocate him.

Author's Note

And that seems like a good spot to cut this chapter off.

94

Jaxler woke up. As soon as Jaxler tried to move he realized that he was chained to the bed and couldn't move an inch. He then tried to look around, and managed to deduce that he had ended up in the hospital, and he couldn't find his crossbow. Jaxler felt shear fear as he came to the realization that his crossbow might no longer be his.
"Panacea... Panacea."

Panacea shakes off the grogginess she had felt up to this point trying to remain vigil over her unconscious patient. He was awake... that was good, that meant he would be okay. She stands and steps over to him. "What is it? Do you need something for the pain?" Perhaps not the best thing to start off with, but she was too sleepy to think clearly after having stayed up all night.

Jaxler was confused, afraid, and had a massive pain in his head and All he could manage to say was "P- Panacea... w- where is... where's my... my crossbow?"

"Crossbow?" She blinks heavily and barely manages to recollect something. "I... saw Partisan with two, now that you mention it. I suppose he took it to the armory."

"I- I need my crossbow. C- Could you please, go get my crossbow from the armory... I can't really move right now with all these chains."

She gives him a concerned look. "I'm sorry... I don't have access to the armory. It's very early in the morning, everypony with access to the armory is still asleep."

"Could you please unchain me? I need to go get my crossbow back."

She nervously paws the ground for a moment and avoids his gaze. "Partisan... told me not to let you go, and not to even let you out of the chains unless somepony in the guard or militia were in here with me. I... didn't question him."

"Can you at least give me enough booze to put me into a coma? I really don't want to be conscious if anypony from the guard shows up."

"I can Ignore the pain. I just need a sedative, or my crossbow."

A knock can be heard at the door. It is followed by a vocal request, muffled slightly by the solid wood that the sound must pass through.
"Panacea? Are you in? Is this the right room?"

"Oh god, what does she want? Can you please hurry up with the sedatives? I Don't want to be completely aware with her in the room."

"Thank you, Panacea. I was just looking for..." turning her head, Sarissa took notice of the pony lying strapped to the bed, "...Jaxler. Looks like this is the right room afterall." She trots over to the bedside, giving a slight chuckle as she smirks, "Well, well, well, I know about your little scrap with Partisan. When I heard I just had to come see for myself. Looks like your temper finally caught up with you, eh?

Jaxler gazed over to panacea, hoping that she would give him something to make Sarissa's annoyance go away. He then said somberly, "Please just go away Sarissa... You shouldn't kick a pony while their down."

"Now who said anything about that? I'd say you've done a pretty good job of getting yourself kicked down." Sarissa prods the heavy metal shackles with one of her front hooves, "Wow, looks like Partisan really doesn't want you escaping. What exactly did you do to him?"

"Please just go away, I don't want to talk to you right now... I can't talk to you right now."

Panacea gives Sarissa a concerned look. "He's still recovering. It... would probably be best not to agitate him..."

Interesting. Jaxler really seemed down right now. Where was that fiery temper he usually had? Guess losing the guard position and getting hospitalized in one day was a bit much on him. Even though Sarissa believed he deserved it, perhaps she should back off for the time being. "Well, hopefully you'll take this lesson to heart. You can't run around starting fights with just anypony that makes you angry without consequences eventually following. As a guardsman, you should have had better discipline." Sarissa looks down at the bruise on his head, "As much as the results of your tussle amuse me, I'd have to say that I'm still rather disappointed in you." The medium brown unicorn begins to walk back towards the door, "Hopefully, you'll find some way to be more responsible in the future."

Jaxler sighed when she left, he already felt horrible and didn't need her scorn. All, he needed was something that would make yesterday's events seem to disappear.

"Panacea, How many painkillers would I need to take before I lost consciousness?"

She sighs and gives him a sad expression. "I'm sorry Jaxler... that much might kill you. I can't take that chance."

"I already know that and honestly, I wouldn't mind death at this point."

Kat Knocked on the door, having two crossbows with her. She didn't notice Sarissa exiting and was hoping she's at the right room. "Hello? Panacea? Is Jaxler in there?"

She sighs and fails to find a satisfactory response to Jaxler. She opens the door, hoping whoever it was wouldn't make the situation any worse. "Oh, hello Kat. Yes, he's here."

Kat nodded as she enters the room, seeing Jaxler being tied down like that, "I brought the Crossbow back to it's owner." She said as she unslung that wooden crossbow to let Jaxler sees it.

Jaxler was visibly relieved to see his crossbow back.
"K-Kat, please bring my crossbow over here."

"Yes actually... So, are you going to unchain me, or am I supposed to just lay here until Partisan comes up with a decent way to execute me?"

"Execute this Execute that, what do you think this is, Executionville? Hel-Lo Jaxler? Time to wake up? do you honestly think we're going to execute you? I mean, I know you're not the brightest tool in the shed but, Seriously? Execute you just for that? I'm honestly awed by your ability to focus on getting executed. It's getting old Jaxler, we're not going to execute you. Until you start killing ponies that is.. So just enjoy getting your crossbow back until somepony decide otherwise." Kat vent out all those frustration.

"I'm Sorry, but I've traveled to a lot of places in my life, and I've been places where you get executed for saying a god's name in vain, or for looking at someone the wrong way, for having the wrong fur color and I've been places where insulting a government official in the privacy of your home is gets you assassinated. So, I'm kinda used to being in a position were hitting the captain of the guard or calling the Baroness a coward would get me killed and I'm honestly sorry if that's an inconvenience."

"Look Jaxler, those places doesn't matter anymore. You're in Dawnpick now so might as well act like you are. I'm also from places different than this, A place where i'd be traded away like an item and gets stoned to death just for wanting to join the guards. But that doesn't matter now, Because we're in Dawnpick now. See? Live with the present Jaxler. Carrying the past on your back is just going to slow you down."

"Those whom forget the past are bound to repeat it, and why would I personally want to be stuck in the present? And considering how much I drink, I really doubt I have much of a future left."

Kat let out a sigh before continuing "To let go the past does not mean to forget it. But means to not let it be a burden. You know what? I don't care anymore. They say that only you yourself can help yourself, and seeing that you don't want to help yourself, Then I'm in no place to try and help. The sisters gave us the ability to choose, Jaxler. Choose whatever, However, Whenever. You choose to be a thief, you choose to came here, then you choose not to steal. I don't know what you'll be choosing next, and frankly, I don't care. Just realize wherever you stand, it's because of what you choose."

"Heh, you call me simple minded when you fail to realize the obvious. I do wish I could fix myself, I do with all my bucking heart, but I can't. no mater how much I drink and how much I try I only damage myself even more. Isn't the fact that I'm chained to this bed proof enough. And don't give the 'sisters' or any god any credit for anything. If they do exist then all they do is sit up on a gilded throne and laugh at us as our world rots... At least you're smart enough to realize that I'm beyond help."

"You know you can fix yourself Jaxler. You simply choose not to. You choose to continue to drink and damage yourself. So if that's what you choose, then why should i make you choose otherwise? I don't care if you believe in the sisters or not, You choose not to, that's your choice. I care not for what you choose Jaxler, but as long as your problem does not cause other ponies problems, then we'll all be fine. You can be as drunk and as damaged as you'd like to, but when you start damaging other ponies, then consequences happens. Just know that, alright? I choose to let you keep your Crossbow and if anyone ask, tell them to come to me about it. Even Partisan."

"A crippled pony can't walk, a deaf pony can't hear, a blind pony can't describe red, an earth pony cannot fly, and the damned cannot escape hell. I chose to try to help ponies and now I'm chained to a bed. I chose to govern myself and I about had my most precious possession stolen from me. I chose to try to enjoy me life and look at the hell I've made for myself in trying to do so. I've learned over the years that you can chose something, but that doesn't mean that the ending will be any different because you chose otherwise... AND please, don't insult the booze. It's the only poison that can make this world bearable."

"They can't, but they can try. You Tried and you seems to have failed, but at least you tried. That's a credit i can give you. I don't mind you drinking your booze Jaxler, and you can always help the others in other ways. Become a hunter then, that way you can help the fort and still keep your crossbow and drink as much as you'd like without people whining about it."

Jaxler was silent for a long while before retorting.

"Why didn't you just shoot me when I was in the jail cell. You seemed rather thrilled to be able to strike me down, and you'd be doing this fort a favor if you did."

Kat seems slightly surprised by Jaxler's question "Because I choose not to. And I don't really have enough reasons to shoot you."

"Did you want to shoot me?"

"I Both wanted and doesn't want to shoot you." She answers "I just doesn't want to shoot you enough to shoot you. It'll be too easy anyway if i did."

"What do you mean? What does me being an easy target have to do with wanting to shoot me? And would you have still have shot me if Partisan hadn't been there to order you not to?"

"It's the past, I don't really care about it now. But if were going to shoot you, know this, you'll be armed, properly, with a loaded crossbow and aiming at me. Then I'll shoot you."

"So, when do I get out of these chains and is partisan gonna do anything about me hitting him?"

"Honestly? I don't know. It's really up to Partisan or Virtue to decide it, not me. But if I have to guess, you'll probably be like this for a while."

"Great... Bucking great... If your not going to unchain me, then can you please just go away."

Kat shrugs slightly "Well if you're so tired of me, I guess? After all, I wasn't planning to stay for so long after giving you back your crossbow." She said then turns around to leave

"Kat... thanks for bringing back my crossbow."

"It's alright." She said before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Flux notices Kat leaving the hospital as he heads towards the wood pile to make some more charcoal, and decides to take a short break and see how she's doing. He trots up to her, smiling, and gives her a loving nuzzle once he reaches her.
"Heya Kat! Why were you in the hospital? Visiting with Panacea?"

Kat's mood has been obviously lifted from seeing Flux and getting a nuzzle from him, She returns the nuzzle happily "Mm, Hey Flux! Oh, I'm just bringing Jaxler back his crossbow is all."

Flux's look of happiness quickly shifts to concern as Kat explains what she was doing.
"Bringing him back his crossbow? Did he get attacked? Is he hurt? Can... can I see him?"

"Oh don't worry. He just kind of got mad, resigned from the guards then punched Partisan in the face. So me and Partisan kind of beat him into a cell with our crossbows, Then he passed out. Partisan confiscated his Crossbow but I think it's a better idea to let him keep the thing so that's why I returned it to him! And yeah, I don't think there's anything wrong with you visiting him. After all, he's in chain and couldn't punch anypony else." Kat said with a smile.

'He attacked Partisan?'
"Well... at least he has his crossbow back. It means a lot to him, Kat. Um... you said it's alright if I talk to him, right?"
Flux takes a step towards the door, still a bit uncertain.

Kat nods "Honestly, I don't want Panacea to be alone with him in there..."

Flux gives Kat a quick kiss before returning to the door.
"Thanks, Kat."
He heads inside and looks around for Jaxler. He's not too hard to find. After all, there aren't very many pegasus stallions chained to a bed in the hospital. He slowly approaches, unsure what to say first.
"Um... Jaxler? Are you alright?"

Jaxler was surprised to see Flux walk in.
"Oh, hay Flux and I've been worse."

Flux look a bit confused at that as I walk up to him.
"Worse than chained to a hospital bed?"

"Yeah, I've been mortally wounded, on more than one occasion... anyway, how did you find out I was here?"

"I, uh, spotted Kat leaving the hospital and asked her what was happening. She said you were here, and she... brought you your crossbow?"

"So, does that mean that she told you what happened?"

"Kinda? She said you got angry, resigned, and attacked Partisan. They locked you into a cell and took your crossbow, then brought you here because you got hurt?"

"Did she tell you about me getting arrested and demoted before hitting Partisan and resigning?"

Flux blinks a few times, dumbly, before answering.
"Uh... no? What happened?"

"I got arrested for something... I did before I came to Dawnpick. Partisan must have decided that that was the last straw and told me that I was demoted. The hell am I saying, the sick bastard didn't demote me he bucking demoralized me, he didn't just lower my rank, he put me at the very bottom of the ranks. The bastard thought that he could just do that to me and get away with it. SO, I put a dent in his face for treating me like dirt. Then Kat ran up and slammed the blunt side of her crossbow into my head. the last thing I can remember was Partisan yelling at me trying to get me to give up my crossbow. I think Kat's crossbow strike gave me a concussion and it took me a few minutes to pass out. Anyway I woke up chained to this bed with a splitting head ache and I couldn't find my crossbow anywhere."

Flux would need to be careful about how I phrased this...
"You... resigned because you were demoted?"

"Yes, and the bruise I left on Partisan's face is the resignation letter. Heh, I actually feel pretty crappy right now, seeing how I Let that backstabbing jackass walk out of that fight with all his bucking teeth."

"But... why? Why resign over being demoted? You didn't join the guard for prestige, you joined to help ponies. I know the question you ask everypony who wants to join... so why does your rank matter?"

"Rank matters because it shows how much the captain respects you. Partisan put me at the top and then he just shoves me to the bottom, like freaking garbage. The bastard thought that he could demoralize me in order to make me more manageable. That's just bucking sick! And you know what? I'm willing to die for anypony in the fort but I'm not willing to work under somepony who blatantly disrespected me in the worst of bucking ways."

"Why did he demote you?"

"Kat has been pressuring Partisan to demote me for months now... and I kinda got arrested... "

"Um... what were you arrested for?"

"Something I did in my past."

"Um... w-what did you do?"

"I was a thief, and apparently I'm wanted in this country for once being such."

Flux looks a bit worried.
"We're not going to... extradite you, are we?"

"Well I probably won't get deported. When Virtue realized that I'd be executed for my crimes she got all sad about it, and told me that she wouldn't send me off. But then again, I am currently chained to a bed so I guess I might."

"Um... I don't think this will change her mind, Jaxler. What, uh... are you going to do after they unchain you?"

"I'm gonna go binge drinking for the next couple days, and after that I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do. Its not like I have anything to do during the day anymore."

"Join the militia? Become a hunter?"

"I honestly hate killing things, and the militia is full of ponies that really don't like. I'd ether get put into a group with Sarrisa or Stiletto... no offense. And it's not like I have any special talent or anything aside from shooting things until they stop moving and taking pony's stuff, both of which I really don't like."

"No offense taken, Jaxler. I know you don't like her, and I appreciate that you don't talk ill of her around me. Um, maybe learn a craft? Stone or wood, or maybe join me in the furnaces?"

Jaxler shrugs as best he can in the chains.

"I guess, I used to be pretty good at whittling. Maybe I could try my hoof at woodcrafting and I suppose I could try to help with the furnaces."

"Um... can I get you anything? Food or a drink, something to, uh, read?"

"Well I do need something. You see that bucket of water over there... spill it, then offer to refill it, but instead of going and filling it with water fill it with the strongest drink you can fine, and don't let Panacea know what's in it."

"Uh... I think she'd be able to smell the alcohol. Anything else?"

"Not really..."

I sit next to his bed and give Jaxler a small smile.

"How about some company?"

We talked for a while, oddly happy even with my friend chained down. Eventually, he drifts off to sleep, needing to rest more from his concussion. I quietly make my exit afterwards, wondering if there's anything that I could do to make him feel better.

95

Oil Macepony shifted uncomfortably in the hospital bed. She'd certainly expected the languages to be a problem, but it was much more insurmountable than she had thought. She'd been taken care of well enough anyway... But the reason she had come to this particular fort is because he was here... what... what was his name in midpony? ...Let's see... She turned to the caretaker. "Powder... Miner Knothole? ... I know Powder... want see Powder... midpony very difficult, urgh." It was obvious that she was pained by having to use a language she knew very few words of, and she began muttering something in another language. Indeed, some had heard Powder Miner speaking that language before.

Panacea turns to face her newest patient, feeling a bit reassured that she was at least speaking now. "Powder Miner?" The mare's injuries were more than just a few bruises, but she should be alright to be left alone for a few minutes. "Oh... okay, let me see if I can find him." She arranges for Wool to keep his eye on her and sets off to see if she could locate him.

Panacea finds him hauling a boulder to a stock pile, chanting a work-tune.

She flags him down with a wave of her hoof. "Powder!" she calls to him, trotting closer. "There's somepony who was asking for you. In... the hospital."

"Huh." Powder parks the boulder in an out-of-the-way spot before moving toward the hospital. "Who?"

"Well, she knows you... maybe you know her." She leads him back to the hospital. "She wandered into town yesterday, and was a bit injured. I don't know that anypony has gotten her name out of her yet... she has some difficulties speaking our language."
She opens the door and moves inside with him, then up to the injured mare's bedside. "Um, I brought him here. Is this the pony you were looking for?" she asks.

Powder Miner's eyes widen and he practically sprints over to Oil Macepony. "Z.L?! Rweh zalen jun too?!"*1 he says to her.
She replies hesitantly. "...Zleh sal..." *2\

Panacea watches as the two converse in a language she didn't recognize, much less understand. The new pony would be fine, and she seemed to have somepony to talk to now at least, so she excuses herself and makes off to busy herself taking stock of her supplies again. Getting a bit low on soap...

"Zleh sal? Zeu yekjal je zleh sal?!"*3 Powder Miner was getting a bit frantic. He understood this to mean that something had happened to the ancestral clan city where Oil Macepony and earlier he had lived.
"...Zleh Diomedians."*4 Oil Macepony drooped a bit.
"DIOMEDIANS?" Powder Miner couldn't believe it. They'd done it. The Diomedians had attacked the clan city. He turned to Panacea because he may have startled her with that. "I meant my old home, the clanland city... ... ... the Diomedians attacked it, is what she's saying... she's... she's my lover, from the clan city... I... I need to think."

Panacea had certainly renewed her interest after hearing the word diomedians. She turns to face the two and gives him a concerned look. "I... I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want some alone time?" She glances to Oil Macepony. "She's going to be fine, her injuries weren't too serious."

"...Y-y-yes. We would."

Author's Note

*1 ((O.M?! What happened to you?!))
*2 ((The city...))
*3 ((The city? What happened to the city?!))
*4 ((...The Diomedians.))

96

Granite quickly fled the chaos that was his home. "Why must I have so many sisters? And why can one fly and the others break down walls with their horns? Man I really gotta find more ways to get out of the house." Granite continues walking and ends up at the center of the markets. He takes a moment to listen to all the conversations around him.
"Did you hear about the drunk guard?" some pink mare said.
"Yeah! What was his name, Jacksla or something?" a sky blue stallion responded.
Granite stood in shock after he heard that conversation. "Crap, I have to find Jaxler..." He whispers to himself. Granite notices Flux walk out of the hospital. Jaxler must be in there he thought, but before I go, I should bring him something to drink besides hospital water...
Granite quickly grabs a barrel of booze (but also left a few bits in payment he found in a random wallet). He then balances the barrel on his back and walks into the crowd near the hospital. "Goddamnit I hate crowds!" Granite said as he finally made it through the dense group of ponies. "Man I always end up with the most random stolen crap!" he says noticing the pile of junk beneath his hooves. "They'll sort this crap out later..." Granite quietly says to himself as he climbs the side of the hospital wall with the barrel of alcohol on his back. He makes his way to the first window, hopefully containing Jaxler.

Jaxler was nice and asleep, when suddenly he was awoken by the sound of a window being forced open. He decided to ignore the sound and tried to go back to sleep when suddenly he heard a loud thud.
"UUUUUUGGGGGG... What the hell... wait... Granite? What the hell are you doing in here and why did you take the widow?"

"Ugh, hey Jaxler! I came here to visit you." Granite said, pausing to rub his head, "I went through the window so I could smuggle in some booze for you." Granite pushes the barrel over to him and then asks, "Hey, did anything happen between you and Partisan?"

"I put a dent in his face"

"Beautiful Jaxler, you're such a good influence you know? Punching your superior in the face! Why the hell would you do that?! Buck this, just drink your damn booze." Granite says, looking strangely frustrated.

"How would I do that? I can't exactly move, I'm kinda chained down. And I punched Partisan in the face for demoting me to the lowest rank in the guard... um... are you okay?"

"Ugh, I've been better," Granite takes a moment to pull out his lockpicks. "I got another sister, Violet, the pegasus! I am the only male earth pony in my family," Granite takes a moment to locate the lock on his shackles. "When I was a baby, man it was hell! It still is hell! FOUR UNICORN SISTERS WITH NO CONTROL OVER THEIR MAGIC RUN AMOK IN MY HOUSEHOLD!" Granite works on picking the lock, "THE ATTIC WAS THE ONLY SAFE REFUGE I HAD! AND THEN VIOLET FLEW INTO THE ROOM WITH ME!" Granite finally undoes the lock. "I can't get any peace and quiet, especially when I want to right in my journal. The booze is in the corner." Granite finishes throwing the chains off of Jaxler.

Jaxler got up and stretched his wings and legs, and walked over to the booze.
"Sounds like you don't have any privacy..."

"That sums it up, no privacy what-so-ever!" Granite's actions dawn on him. "Dude, I just let a dangerous criminal free! You could literally knock me out and fly out that window!"

"Yeah, I could... but if the militia saw me they'd probably attack me, and I Kinda like having all my limbs and I also like living here in Dawnpick. But anyway, do you have any plans on how to get some privacy?"

"I could probably go sit up against a lone tree on a hill or something, so it's not impossible. But I also really don't mind their company, they have their moments. Like this one time we all made these flower crown thingies! It was awesome!"

Jaxler sat down and started sipping the booze.
"So... they are pleasant to be around, but you'd prefer to still have some time to your own. How many rooms does your house have anyway?"

"Rooms aren't the issue, the best spot has been the attic, I pull the latter up with me, only two ponies can get in without invitation. It's just that everywhere else can get hectic. But I'm fine with it. I learned to look up to Purple Prose as my eldest sibling, we get along pretty well. Brownie Bits and I couldn't be closer, ever since I took care of those bully's with the well and flour trick. Wisteria, Tangerine, and now Violet are just there, mainly because they're still infants."

Jaxler took a long sip of booze while he thought to himself.
"So, you like them being around but at the same time you don't?"

"Yeah I guess that describes it. I can be alone when I choose don't worry, I can also tolerate their company a lot longer than most could. Did you ever have siblings as a child? Also should we strap you back up afterwards?"

"I had two older brothers and a little sister, but they didn't survive the White Plague and yeah, you probably should chain me back up after this."

"That's really sad. If something were to happen to my sisters, I probably couldn't live with myself. But... just tell me when you want the chains back on..."

"Meh, It wasn't that bad, I was barely 2 when my family got wiped out so I really didn't understand what was going on at the time, and I got to live with my grandfather which was pretty neat."

"Huh, I guess you have a point there. I'd ask for some booze, but I want to sober up for Flux's teaching..."

"That's good. So, how the whole training under Flux thing coming along?"

"I only remember half of it considering I was always drunk and I think I sucked at it, but I'll still try to be the best smith-er ever!"

"Well, at least your trying, and good luck with the whole becoming legendary thing."

"Thanks Jaxler. I'll chain you back up again and I'll go hide the booze. Thanks for talking with me!"

97: Miscarriage

The sound of thunder crashes through the sky, awakening Falcata abruptly with a jolt. The pegasus coughs, twice, and finds herself shivering in the fierce downpour. I feel awful. Oh, gods. What was I doing? In fact...uh, where am I? Having just taken a look round, she is certain of one thing: she's never seen this place before in her life. The ground is barren, with dead, grey soil and the only vegetation being a few, wilting plants barely a few inches tall. Above her, the sky is dark and dull, water pouring from the foreboding blanket of cloud at a phenomenal rate. Other than the occasional boom of thunder and the constant patter of falling rain, she can hear nothing but the sound of her own panicked breathing.
Falcata gets unsteadily to her hooves, trying to keep her growing distress and fear under control. Nothing looks familiar; no matter which direction she looks in, the vast expanse of wasteland continues unbroken until the horizon. She couldn't even take to the air to have a look around or even just to calm herself down with the familiar sensation of flight, not with the weather so bad.
Fighting a mounting sense of dread, she takes a step forwards, and the world explodes into a bloody, sanguine light. The pegasus begins to fall, spiraling downwards through the shapeless void, her wings refusing to work as she plummets faster and faster. Far above, growing smaller and smaller, she can see a hole in the endless expanse of red, through which Glaive is peering down at her. As she drops further and further away from him, she begins to cry out, but jerks to a sudden stop before she can finish-
"Glaive!" she yells, surging up from the hospital bed, eyes wide and filled with fear. A flicker of movement to her left startles her, and she whirls her head around to identify it, coming face to face with the real Glaive, who is wearing an expression of deep concern and worry.

Glaive had not left Falcata's side since the accident. All the time while Panacea and Wool had been working, he'd been there with her. After what he’d done, she had blacked out. She didn't yet know the extent the crime Glaive had caused this day, and he dreaded having to be the one to tell her, but he also could not bear to let it be anyone else. When Falcata awoke and shouted his name, the best response he could manage was to merely hug her and whisper, “I'm here, Falcata, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”
"Sorry?" she whimpers, pupils dilated in fear. "Why are you sorry? Why am I in hospital?" She raises a forehoof to her head, investigating the bandage she discovers there. "Ow..."
Glaive frowns as he releases Falcata and takes his seat. ‘She doesn't even remember me hurting her. This will be even harder than I thought.’ “You don’t remember the accident? Do...What was the last thing you do remember?” Glaive asks cautiously.
"Uh...I remember- I remember you and I, we were sparring...axes at first, then wrestling, and then- then..." she trails off, confused. "I can't remember, did you buck me in the head or- or something? Feels like it..." she mumbles, still in pain but feeling a bit less panicked, now that everything seems to be making a bit of sense. "You know I forgive you anyway, right?" she murmurs, placing a forehoof on his in a gesture of support.
Glaive squirms in his seat. “I...I didn't buck you in the head, w- what happened, was- well you got on top of me and I- I kicked you off of me, you fell backwards and hit your head on a rock.” Glaive looks at Falcata, guilt and a bit of fear in his eyes, “You were out cold and there...there was blood - a lot of it - but... but not just from your head. I- I carried you to the hospital as fast as I could and Doctor Panacea and Wool looked you over. I- I never left your side. Panacea told me that you- you were pregnant, but when- when I bucked you, I...I killed the foal.” Glaive looks at the ground unable to look her in the eyes. He knew they both had been ignorant of that fact beforehoof, but that knowledge did little to assuage the guilt he felt. “...I’m sorry.”

Falcata blinks slowly, still very confused and disoriented and not really taking in the full meaning of Glaive's words. Things were back to making no sense, it seemed. "But, I- what? I wasn't- I wasn't pregnant, Glaive. I- we would have known! Panacea, Wool, they must have been mistaken. That can't be true!" she stammers, the expression on Glaive's face worrying her far more than anything he could ever have said.
’She doesn't want to believe it. I can’t blame her, I wouldn't want to believe this either.’ Glaive hangs his head and shakes it back and forth slowly, “No, Falcata; it is true, or rather it- it was. You- you were pregnant, and I, I hurt you, I hurt our foal. I..I was here during the whole...process.” Glaive stares into space as if remembering a bad dream, “Just- just please believe me when I say that I know it was true.”
The pegasus shrinks back from Glaive, only now fully comprehending his words. She can hardly believe them, her mind rejecting them outright as hurtful and horrifying untruths, but Glaive's expression is so distraught that she finds herself unable to disbelieve him. Tears begin to roll down her face as she backs up against the bed's headboard, pressing herself against it as if trying to use it as a shield from the sickening truth.
"No," she whispers huskily, her voice breaking. "No! You're wrong, you're wrong, Panacea is wrong, Wool is wrong, you're all WRONG!" Her voice rises to a distressed scream, giving voice to the desolation she feels. "You have to be wrong..." she sobs, suddenly quiet again, shaking with anguish as her tears continue to flow freely.
Glaive looks up from the floor, tears in his eyes as well. “I’m sorry Fal, it’s true.” ’I don’t know what else I can say. Maybe...’He silently approaches his wife and tries to wrap her into a hug.

She makes no move to respond to the unicorn's embrace, continuing to sob quietly, slowly rocking back and forth. Part of her wants to push him away, wants to scream and wail and holler and blame him for everything, to call him a murderer twice over and to reject his attempts to comfort her. Part of her wants to hug him back, to cry on his shoulder and to grieve with him, perhaps even forgive him. Most of her, though, is in a state of shock and is in no position to decide anything, and so she chooses to do nothing other than whimper with sorrow.
Glaive silently holds his dear wife. He wanted to tell her that everything would be okay, to apologize again and again, to beg her for forgiveness, but no words came to his mouth, no words felt right. He holds her tight and sheds his tears in silence.
After a short while, Falcata reciprocates the desperate hug, clinging to her husband like a drowning pony would cling to the riverbank. She tries to speak, but only manages to splutter something incoherent.
"How- how will we get through this? I-" she chokes, almost inaudibly.
Without letting go of his wife, Glaive says, “You’ll be okay, we’ll both be okay. Panacea has said that you will fully recover, and we can get through this together.” Glaive looks down at his wife. “With time, the two of us can conquer anything, even this.”

The words felt hollow even as Glaive spoke them. He was trying to be strong for her, but in his heart he felt nothing but guilt and shame. Even if he didn't know she was with foal, he had still hit her hard enough to cause all this. He was still a horrible husband, and would only be a worse father. If it wasn't for his own selfishness he would like to run and hide before he risked hurting anypony else.
“But- but I don’t want to “conquer everything”...I just want my foal...” she cries softly, burying her face in his chest and beginning to sob again. With her world turned upside down, Glaive’s words seem almost artificial, as if spoken by a character out of a fairy tale. Even as sorrowful and distressed as she currently is, she still feels slightly disconnected from the situation, as if she were watching something horrifying happen to somepony else. It wouldn't fully sink in until later.
“I know Fal, I know. It’s okay.” Glaive continues to offer his platitudes while holding his wife tight, knowing that they were just that.

Somewhat suddenly, Falcata releases her grip on the unicorn. Eyes still tearful yet slightly vacant, all she can feel is a sickening, heavy weight of grief and loss, and all she wants is to escape back into sleep. Even dreams about barren, empty worlds were better than this. Anything would be better than this.
“I think you should go,” she whispers, her voice thick with barely restrained heartache.
“I- I...” Glaive did not want to leave her side, but he understood why she would want him to. Glaive steps back from her, and says only. “I love you Falcata, please remember that.” before solemnly walking out the door. In his despair he knew not what to do or where to go, or who to see. And so as he wandered he found a barrel of the strongest drink in the fort and began to drink alone in silence, save for the occasional sob that escaped him, until all the world all went black around him.
Falcata, for her part, slides slowly back under the bed-sheets, wrapping them tightly around her, staring vacantly at the blank wall nearest her bed. She feels empty, save for her intense feeling of loss and wretchedness. Bit by bit, the lingering bewilderment and fog-like disorientation caused by her head injury begin to melt away, and she at last feels the full impact of the day's events hit her like an emotional sledgehammer.
My child...our child...gone.
An indescribable mix of emotional suffering, hatred both at herself and at Glaive, and deepest regret wells up inside her, and she gives voice to it, howling a raw cry of lamentation and misery without care for whosoever might hear it. Grabbing her pillow, she plants her face firmly into the soft, comforting fabric, allowing it to muffle her wails of mourning until she eventually cries herself to sleep.

98: Virtue's Diary, 17 Galena 258 to 14 Felsite 259

Virtue's Diary - 17th Galena, 258

I don't know what to think. Today, Kiln came to me, and admitted to me that she is a spy. She actually told me that her name is Amor, and that her family has some claim to these lands. She tells me that the lands are really ours, but I don't know what to believe. She seemed to be concerned about my response, but if I'm honest I still don't know what to think.

At least she doesn't appear to be dangerous. For now, I told her that she is free to remain in Dawnpick and to continue whatever work she can find.

I fear that this may one day escalate to conflict. I dearly hope not, but if it does I don't know what I will do. Today is one of those days that I really don't know if I have the strength to go on. If I was given the opportunity to give this job to somepony else... to go back and live in Coupledye with my family as a nopony... I might would take it.

22nd Galena, 258

Today Copper Trim is officially a mare! Detergent and Savory were happy to see their little filly start her first day working with Castiron and the other smiths. She has always had a fascination of working with metal, and we've got tons of it for her to practice with. Watching the young ones start their first days among the adults is always heartwarming, but I know she's going to be tired by the time the day is out.

20th Felsite, 258

Today was... stressful, to say the least. Indigo came to me today with grievances against Stiletto, telling me about how she was corrupting everypony and flaunting our laws. I admit that I don't feel the same way she does about family, but I don't think there is any reason to punish her for that.

Indigo insists that she be punished for the damage she has done. I tried to talk him down, since she has already replaced the chair, but he was persistent. He also asked for me to begin training civilians as reserves for the militia. I don't think it's really needed, but if it's something to take his mind off of all of this then maybe it will help. I just dearly hope I don't come to regret that decision. I'll speak with Halberd privately later and ask him and Naginata to keep an eye on Indigo.

Stiletto came to me later today and we talked a bit. She's a pleasant pony to speak with, and I really don't understand why Indigo holds such contempt for her. Anyway, I told her what he plans to do, and she seemed to be as mystified as I was. At least she didn't get consumed with anger, not that I really worried she would.

I just don't know what I'm going to do. Jail time seems excessive for it, even if Panacea agreed that she was intimidated and frightened by her, a fine is the most I would think is appropriate. Indigo isn't going to like that, I know.

Why must I be presented with these problems? And worse, why can't I face them like a mare?

14th Limestone, 258

Glaze gave birth today to an adorable little pegasus filly that the parents named Violet. I'm sure her siblings will be happy to have another join them. Granite is still the only colt in the family, but he now has a pegasus sister to add to the little unicorns in his family.

24th Limestone, 258

I knew that Hickory couldn't be far behind Glaze, and she proved me right today by giving birth this afternoon. She also gave birth to a little pegasus filly, who the family named Peony. I was also happy to see her adult siblings among those present afterward. It reminds me of just how far we've come in Dawnpick, and just how long we've been out here.

I can't help but wonder how long it will be before we see our first grandchildren born here.

6th Timber, 258

Early this morning Loom gave birth to her third son, a little unicorn colt the family named Heliotrope for his color. As I always do, I gave the family some time off to recover and get to know the newest member of their little group. I realized today with the town's newest member, we're up to ninety-nine ponies! I'd have never believed we'd have so many out here in our modest little mining town, but nearly a third were born here.

I wonder who will be the magical newborn that pushes over the 100 mark?

I set the child cap to 25 at this point. I won't be getting any new births for a while, not until a few foals grow up. I've got room for them all, but finding work for the growing foals will be hard enough!

20th Timber, 258

We had a bit of an interesting development today. A new mare arrived at Dawnpick this afternoon, and she calls herself Oil Macepony. She was injured and doesn't speak much midpony, so we had a bit of trouble getting a complete story out of her. I'll go by and see Panacea later and find out how she is doing. Her wounds didn't seem life threatening at least, so she should be alright.

I had to reassign Spool to Oil Macepony, then back to Spool, then to Sweet Nectar, so the official explanation is that she did jack diddly for now.

18th Moonstone, 258

It's been a while since we've seen any Diamond Dogs around Dawnpick, but one showed up today and managed to sneak his way past the traps. It's a very unnerving thing they've learned to do. Regardless, Jaxler and Kat were right there to drive him away. I didn't go chasing after them of course, but I hear they put him down somewhere in the hills just outside the north wall. I know it won't matter though, there will be more soon.

28th Moonstone, 258

Seems I was right about the Diamond Dogs! Another made its way inside today, and attacked Valor! I was nearly hysterical when I saw the thief approach my son, but Partisan heard my cries and came galloping. When the thief saw him, he made a run for it, but Jaxler cut him off at the gate. He and Partisan shot the thief dead on the drawbridge, fortunately out of sight of both Valor and me.

The little colt was terrified after the incident, and I'm not afraid to admit I was too. He said he's scared to even go outside now... it tears my heart out, but I know he just needs some time to recover. Either Harvest Moon or I will be with him at all times, my poor little pony.

1st Obsidian, 258

As many bad days as I've had lately, today makes up for it. Glaive and Falcata were wed today, and I presided over the ceremony. I don't think I've ever seen the two of them so happy, and thinking back to my own wedding with Harvest Moon I don't blame them. After Falcata's heartfelt vows to her husband, I really put it in perspective. It's really no small miracle that she is even alive, and I thank everything that is good in this world every time I think about those terrible events.

I gave the two some time off for whatever celebrating they want. I hope the best for them and their future. I can think of no two ponies who were more made for each other.

Hacking success! Proof of concept that I can force ponies / dwarves to marry! The two didn't seem to want to get together so I waved my magic wand over them, and presto!

5th Obsidian, 258

Another pony was gripped by a strange mood today, which was becoming a bit rare, much to my delight. This time it was Alpine, Hickory and Splinter's son. His parents rushed off to be with him while it happened, and I don't blame them. The little colt quietly plodded off to one of our craftshops and set off to find everything he needed.

So far everypony who has suffered through these moods has turned out just fine, so I'm not worried. I'm sure he'll be okay. I'm still going to head over to see them tomorrow if he isn't done with whatever he is working on and offer what moral support I can.

19th Obsidian, 258

Another of Naginata's little colts is officially a stallion today! Much to her and Marble's relief, he didn't want to join her in the militia and opted for a more simple life helping the farmers with the growing number of animals we've come to acquire here in Dawnpick. It might be a simple life, but there's little more rewarding than knowing that you're a corner stone of the life of everypony in the town.

21st Obsidian, 258

A merchant caravan from home was spotted in the distance today, along with a caravan from the rainbows near behind. As has been the case in the past, I asked the militia and guard to watch out for thieves nearby. They seem to know when to strike, and my hunch turned out to be right.

Glyph ran into the first thief just outside the gate after the merchants made it inside. The thief didn't make it far from what I heard, and Glyph slew him with his axe near the moat.

Falcata found the next thief, approaching from the opposite direction. She dealt with it as she always does, dispatching him before the rest of the militia even made it to her.

While the carnage was going on outside the gate, Alpine at least finished what he was working on. He made a pick out of some of the giraffe bone we had lying around underground. It is truly superb in its manufacture, but I have no idea what we'll do with it. The miners have enough picks as it is, so for now at least I just let the family keep the tool and mount it as a testament to Alpine's achievement.

23rd Obsidian, 258

I met with our liaison today and with the merchants soon after. So far everypony in Coupledye seem to be happy with what we've done out here so far, and we need to keep up the good work. As a show of that, we sent back about 50,000 bits worth of steel bars, weapons and armor with the merchants.

We also traded some of our home grown food for a variety of things from home and the rainbow ponies. We got a lot of cloth, some exotic metals (particularly a few alloys we can't get or make here), some exotic food and the seeds to grow a few new plants here. I know I'm looking forward to the first bread that Skillet makes from the longland flour we'll be producing here soon!

13th Felsite, 259

It came to my attention some time ago that the dining hall was becoming a bit crowded. It was high time we started doing something about that, so I sent the order down to the masons and architects to start expanding the dining hall. It should hold a fair bit more ponies inside now, and I'm sure we'll all enjoy the extra room.

While I was at it, I sent the word for the masons to start fixing up the walls in some places. Early on when we were desperate to get closed off from the thieves, we built the walls in the fastest way we could, taking care of the local geography. Now though, we've got a bit of extra time on our hooves and a moat to keep us safe, so a little extra room inside the walls would go a long way.

We've started fixing them to be even now. It will give us some room to build a few more smelters, which we'll probably need soon to keep up with demands for the steel here.

14th Felsite, 259

Something horrible happened today. I didn't know what had happened when I first heard Falcata's cries of despair coming from the hospital. I thought somepony was badly hurt or killed, maybe even Glaive. The truth was maybe worse.

She and Glaive had been sparring, and there was an accident. I didn't ask the details from Panacea, but she said the way Falcata got hurt... it... it killed her unborn foal. I can't imagine what she and Glaive must be going through right now.

The child might not have even been born yet, but it still tears me up inside thinking about it. If anything happens to any of my children, I wouldn't be able to stand it.

I've sent the order to Halberd for them to be given as much time off as they need to cope with this. This is something I'd go over his head about if I had to, but I don't think I will.

I just can't imagine...

This is kind of my fault, I think. There are three known things that can cause miscarriages in game: physical trauma, dehydration and starvation. Falcata hasn't been attacked an enemy in a long time, but she has been working in the gym, where she stays until she's hungry or thirsty. I'm not convinced she got to dehydration or starvation levels, but maybe she did when I wasn't looking.

I think it happened because of her sparring with Glaive. I've read that when unlucky, sparring can cause this, but I've never noticed before since you don't get notifications for miscarriages like you do for births.

The only other explanation is I managed to flub something with the hack, which is possible but unlikely since she did get pregnant in the first place. I'll continue to watch and see if it happens again...

Oh, and here's the link to the save if anyone is interested: http://www.filedropper.com/dawnpick

I had to change download providers. I need to sign up for Dropbox or something, because this one kinda sucks. If people have problems with the download I'll try another provider.

99

Glaive sits in a dark corner of the dining hall, a half finished mug of strong drink before him. His face is blank, expressionless. Nopony sits with him, a few have tried to start conversations with the somber unicorn, but were quickly brushed off. Glaive desired nothing more than to be alone with his thoughts, and his guilt.

Friesden hops through the dining room, peering around the room, looking for one pony in particular. Spotting him lurking in a dark corner, she hops over to him, a smile on her face. “Meow! That’s bunny talk for ‘I found you!’. Why haven’t you been at the stables?”

Glaive turns to look at the new arrival, “Oh hello, Friesden. Still pretending to be a bunny I see.” says Glaive attempting to dodge the question. ‘She doesn’t need to know about that.’ he thought.

“Meow! Of course I’m still a bunny, silly! Why haven’t you been telling stories?” she persists, hopping about once or twice while she speaks. “The other ponies don’t tell as good stories as you do.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t been telling you foals stories, and I’m glad you enjoyed them, but...I don’t think I can do that anymore.” Glaive turns away from the filly and takes a swig of his drink.

Friesden looks up to the unicorn. “But...But why not? Does Falcata not like you taking time away from her? Scary lady doesn’t like almost-dad staying away from her. Is that what’s happened? Maybe you can bring her along to help you tell the stories!”

“Scary Lady?” inquires Glaive, “Who is that? Stiletto?”

“Stiletto’s the buffalo, silly! Scary lady is miss Kat,” answers Friesden in a cheerful voice. “But is that what’s wrong? I could ask almost-dad if Falcata could help you tell stories! I’m sure he’d say yes!”

“I’m sure he would, but that’s not what’s wrong.” Glaive hesitates before going on, “Friesden...I did a bad thing, I hurt somepony, and that’s why I don’t think I can come back.” Glaive stares down at his drink, not daring to look at the filly.

“Can’t you just say sorry? That’s what almost-dad told me to do whenever I did something wrong. And that’s what all the ponies in your stories do. They say ‘Sorry I hurt you’, and then everything is okay again. I can help you say sorry, if you want some help!”

Glaive looks at Friesden again and begins to speak softly, “Sometimes, sometimes saying sorry isn’t enough. I have apologized, again and again, but I know it isn’t enough, and I don’t know if she can ever forgive me, and even if she does, I know I can’t forgive myself, not after what I did.”

Friesden crooks her head. “Um... Have you asked Falcata for help? I know whenever I have problems saying sorry, almost-dad can help me. Maybe she can help you say sorry to that pony. Or I can help, too!”

Glaive smiles at the filly, her innocence was quite charming, he places a hoof on her head and messes up her mane, “It is kind of you to offer your help, Friesden. You are a very good filly. Please don’t ever change. But this is something Falcata and I need to work through on our own.”

“Falcata’s already helping you say sorry to the pony? Maybe we should go see her and see if she’s found a way to say sorry? Then you can come back and tell us stories again. Maybe with Falcata too!”

Glaive’s smile quickly fades with the filly’s words. “No Friesden, you misunderstand. The...the pony that I hurt...was Falcata.”

Friesden gapes at Glaive’s words. “I-I-I-Is...Is she okay? Should we see her? What happened?”

“Do not worry Friesden, she is okay now. She was not badly hurt during the accident, but she...lost something very precious to her, to both of us... and it was all my fault.”

“Um...Have you tried looking for it? I lose things all the time, but almost-dad helps me find them again! Or...If it’s broken...Have you tried fixing it?” Friesden looks up to Glaive, and almost on compulsion, gives him a hug. “Dad says sad ponies need more hugs.”

Glaive is surprised by the sudden hug, but hugs the little pony back, it might not have been the proper thing for a stallion of his position to do, but he did feel like he needed one right now. “Thank you Friesden,” he says, “but what was...broken, that day can’t be fixed by any magic on heaven or earth.”

“Um... Have you tried getting a new one? Maybe you could do that as an apology?”

Glaive chuckles, “Well, I can’t exactly go out and buy one, but you might have a point. Don’t you worry about us, my little pony. Fal and I will work through this, it’ll take some time, but then I promise I’ll come back and tell you more stories.”

Friesden gives Glaive another hug. “That’s good to hear.”

Glaive gives Friesden a brotherly kiss on the forehead as he returns the hug again before setting Friesden back on the ground. He abandons his drink on the table, determined to make things work now, and says to the filly “Thank you Friesden. You’ve helped us more than you know. I’m going to go find Falcata now. We have a lot to talk about.” Then the unicorn makes his way past Friesden to exit the hall in search of his wife.

100

It is 24th day of Galena in the 258th year of the Mythic Age.

The Galena-time sun spears the eastern horizon as it fills the atmosphere with its yellow glow. A ray of light barely touches and illuminates the face of a stirring Unicorn, she wills herself entirely awake. Amor scrunched her eyelids shut at the light piercing through the outside fortifications and her own window. The Little Pony stretches and yawns in the morning's sun radiance.

The mental checklists that Amor’s Old Master instilled when she was younger, rushes through her head What woke me, where am I, is anypony here, are there any traps, have any entrances been tampered with… and the list goes on. In a flash the list is done and she leaves her bed, similar to a bird fleeing its nest. The metallic pony skipped her usual daybreak exercises and instead just opened the room’s glass-portal, leaving and closing it behind her. Many ponies join with me in what I jokingly labeled ‘The Well Run’; a sluggish stride to lineup at the well. Doubtlessly we were herd animals, but our rational minds have created many weird, but useful concepts, such as privacy.

Family ponies took up much of the space around the well, where they bathed their loved ones. Single ponies had no such luxury, but gladly accepted the personal freedom. Privacy was practiced at the well and it was not hard to find ways to disappear when cleaning. Besides, most ponies were too sleepy to care what others were doing. Amor usually had to imitate grogginess to avoid conversation, but ever since her confession to Virtue, she was left drained anyway. Fortunately for ponies, the cool water was more then sufficient to wake them up.

Amor’s noble tutelage and exposure to other cultures, such as the Deuchmeiner, should have made her feel alienated, but here she was; just another common mare wearing a crimson beetroot robe-chemisier. Most ponies wore clothing and none appeared to mind the various levels of nudity, others were displaying, as well as different number of layers and styles of each other’s garb. Concealing the cutie mark was wont to her, but it was taught out of consideration for others and her. My Old Master once told me a bedtime story, where in some village; a colt was cursed with a skull on his flanks. The villagers, seeing this, sacrificed him to their gods. What compels a teacher to tell such stories to a three year old filly at bedtime was beyond me, but a moral about not allowing one’s fate be decided by some mark on one’s flanks could be learned from it.

The bath was welcomed, but not the coldness, leaving little doubt in the mare’s mind that the colder months would lead to some smelly ponies. An idea crosses the Unicorn’s mind: use the warm rocks within the deep mines for a bathhouse. The thought is dismissed by the technical difficulties and the belief, that Dawnpick held a couple of ingenious engineers, who may have thought the same. Shortly after her bath and back in her quarters, the copper Unicorn replaces her nightwear with a mason’s smock, that by pony standards are slightly excessive in converge.

Not eating within the Dining Hall used to be a part of my routine, because of my mission, but this breakfast was different. I still had my meal in my room, but this time it was by choice. From my bed, I elegantly sipped down the big tasty stew created by Skillet, and ate some carrot slices, while watching the other ponies from my window. I was no longer a spy and a spectator, but an active player. After breakfast I went to the masons’ workshop near the craft-ponies’ workshop and examined the order for that day from Virtue. Cut half a dozen gabbro rough stones into roof tiles for the gym and make a statue. I set to work on the tiles, as I contemplate the theme for the statue, perhaps another one with Panacea embracing two giant rats.

Indigo woke up shortly after dawn, stretched, rolled over, laid on his bed for ten more minutes and finally got up. He washed in a bowl of water, that got to room temperature during the night, which saved him a trip to the well and waiting for his turn. He daily replaces the water in the evening, but it is well worth the effort. He put on his work robe. It is tattered and patched multiple times, but it still serves its purpose and replacing clothes is always costly. He went to the dining hall and managed to get to the food stores, while many of the others are still at the well, or on their way back to their rooms. He ate his breakfast slowly, listening to other ponies’ gossip and went to work on building the gym. It is mostly for the soldiers to work on their strength and stamina, but civilians will be allowed to use it too.

Amor retrieves a rough gabbro rock from an adjacent stockpile and carries it on her back, akin to an Earth Pony. She was wise to her body and knew about its limits and how to use it efficiently to her will. The other ponies would have questioned her ways, but thought, that the Unicorn may have been magically stunted; a thought that she accepted. The truth was that the mare knew a lot of spells, but most was malevolent in nature. Magic for Amor was little more than a weapon and a tool to manipulate lesser ponies.

I was a punctual pony; I arrived on time and didn't waste the time of others, but also remembered to use my own time wisely. Sadly, blocks and tiles are boring; but they are important and make working on real art, like statues, much more enjoyable by contrast. It was foal’s play to visualize a tile and be mindful of fissures, lest one gets pebbles instead of tiles. After I completed three sets of tiles, it was time for a small break. I listened to the sounds of echoing hooves at work in the distance, which sets today’s mood.

Amor was joined by three other stonemasons, who were building the gym. By second nature she kept working, as the newcomers seize her plain, but ever precise, roof tiles. The metallic colour pony was paid little mind, but she noted them: Indigo, a dyer turned stonecrafter; Saw Dust, who fancies himself both a carpenter and a mason and the mare Hickory, who is a woodcutter but knows a lot about construction. Something catches her eye, Indigo had a hurt look in his large heliotrope iris eyes, that even Amor’s poor empathy could see. She formulated a sympathetic scheme in her mind and waited. The Unicorn mare took her time working and allowing the builders to collect her roof tiles for the gym. She would join them later in the day.

Indigo used to hang out with that Pegasus Kat during breaks and lunch, but this never happens anymore. There were only two ponies here, who I could call friends: Loom who once conversed with me at lengths about our father’s gardens and Barley, who would make a great listener if only he wasn't dead. It was strange: Indigo and Kat still had their lives, so why would anything part them? Was he terrified of Kat’s lifestyle corrupting him? Why didn't he think that the opposite could happen? Maybe I can help him at this time.

The Little Pony exercised patience and managed her time until the last block. Amor had an idea, as the builders returned for their last round of tiles. With four sets of tiles and just three ponies it was rational for her to join them. In only a moment the ponies were walking side-by-side. For Amor it was the time to talk to Indigo and work on her objective.

Amor hummed, mimicking those attempting to recollect a forgotten name. Turning to see if it secured the attention of the stallion adjacent to her, then opened her mouth. This time the words do not betray her. “You are Indigo, right? If you can not recall, my name is Amor, but you probably know me by my nickname Kiln. It is such a thrilling summer’s day is it not?” The Little Unicorn struggles to lock her eyes with his, with the determination of a wrestler grabbing his opponent. With some effort she should be able to elongate our chat with such questions, as how’s progress on current projects and the like.

Indigo aligns his tile within its place with the rest of them, then looks at Amor beside him. It is unlike this reclusive mare to strike a conversation with him, and if she does, they normally talk about their work, not weather. “Yes, my name is Indigo. The day is...” he looks around, noticing some white clouds giving shade, “pleasant and good for work, although a bit too warm for me.” What does she really want from me? Obviously not to talk about the weather. Indigo gives her a look, but when she says nothing more, so he just keeps on walking towards the gym, and watching his steps. She’ll tell me soon enough, I guess.

Why does he show such disinterest when I talk? The Indigo I spied, was more outspoken. Also does anypony around here know a proper greeting anymore? Though all I have done was to say hellos and goodbyes. Thinking back, to avoid other ponies, I continued working during the breaks. If approached by another pony during a break, I would keep working; if they waited more then thirty minutes, they would be worth being friends with. But I know I made it hard for them. At first they must have thought me either industrious or unsociable, maybe a mixture of both, but eventually they just accepted it.

The two ponies come before the main road and must stop for Detergent and her delightful hoof-full of foals following her in droves. Amor decides to question the Stallion beside her, while their way is blocked. “Indigo, I noticed on my work mandate, that these are the last blocks of the day, so how far along is the gym?”

Indigo lets the foals pass, and looks at Amor again. “I prefer to think of it as a suggestion, and not mandate. The way I see it, just keep the tiles coming till we have enough. Making a few more or less than the daily quota doesn't matter much, as long as we keep their counts accurate. As to the gym, why ask me, just see for yourself. It is almost finished. Several more days for the roof and cleaning the place and it will be ready to be furnished.” Indigo shrugs “Let’s just keep working, till we are done.”

“I do not want to be a bother to the Baroness, who manages the projects. Lady Virtue has enough toil without concerns about mis-production, so I simply do the listed work.” Amor said, while taking pleasure in the heart warming sight of the passing-by foals, seven in all. “A week ago I held an audience with our Lady and asked, if I could have a managerial position along with my masonry. The Lady may have taken my request as a joke, because of informality, but… I have faith in the baroness’s will.” She adds.

The metallic mare’s thoughts drift to Detergent’s fertility, and the question of why she refuses to use contraceptives. After my exposure to Coupledye’s slums, where the problems of overpopulation were apparent, the idea of such a big family draws my wrath at the parents. Who would bring so many foals into this world and such a dangerous place, that this village can be. She drops the anger quickly, before it shows in her body. They had the right and the militia kept Dawnpick safe. On another note, Stiletto’s flock and their questionable actions also help keep the population down. All things have their balance, I guess. All this thought takes place in a second for Amor, as the dam and her foals past.

Indigo smiles “I understand, but I have a much more relaxed approach. We can always use another rock pot for keeping food, or some more blocks for construction, and have an abundance of rocks, so when I’m at the workshop, I simply work for a day. I look at the order of course, but treat it as a guideline, not something set in stone. If I do more, then we have more, and if I’m clumsy or sluggish or just have a bad day, that’s not a big problem too. I can always finish another day, or some other mason can help me. Just think about your tiles as parts of a bigger whole. We need a certain number to finish the gym and if we get them faster, we’ll be done faster. If there is any surplus left, it can be used for something else. Besides, we are paid for our produce, not our time.” He frowns, changing topic. “As to you asking for ‘management position’, I don’t think we need more managers meddling with our work. If you have some sensible suggestions, simply offer them to Lady Virtue. She usually listens and is thankful for them.”

Indigo looks at Detergent’s foals. She is working hard on keeping the population stable, and more than compensates for the likes of me. Those foals will also be sociable and learn how to take care of their own kids just by being part of a big family. Is there maybe something, I could do for them?

“I have never seen Virtue outside the fort; she spends too much time in there, and I know Earth Ponies love the outdoors.” Amor said watching her steps, balancing her tiles, and adds more. “I was taught advanced mathematics at a young age, and had management responsibilities before but… those memories are bitter.” Saying as she bites her bottom lips.

“Well, if you just want to count our stocks and do things like that, I guess Lady Virtue could use some help. As for myself, I offer her what suggestions I can. Feedback from work teams is useful.” If she really means to tell me, what those ‘bitter thoughts’ are, she will. Otherwise old wounds like that are better left untouched.

“Our Lady is an exemplar of diligence, but she could show more wiliness to receive help. Take me for example; I do only what I am able to, and let others have their responsibilities. Maybe she just enjoys all the work… but I dislike talking ill of others and mean no disrespect to the baroness, forgive me.” The little mare said; afterwards her nerves try to get the best of her and suppress the sound of tongue clicking.

“Well, I guess Lady Virtue is taking a lot of work and responsibilities on herself. I think, she could share some of them with other ponies, but so far she handles everything just fine on her own. Besides, it is not my place to question her. Although I do not think she enjoys her burden. When I talk to her about some problems, or just look at her after an accident, she looks... tired.” Indigo sighs, remembering some of his past conversations with the Baroness.

The company of masons arrived outside the gabbro block barracks, where the unfinished gym was being built on its second story. Amor’s ears set back against the sides of her head and narrowly conscious, paws the ground with front hooves in anxiety. The mare pushes the concern of boredom to the back of her head, and continues forward as not to worry the others. After the stone roof is finalized, the building and the project will be completed. There won’t be much to do until another project. Conflicted feelings wash over Amor’s mind. I wanted to be more useful then when I was a spy. Talk of various projects would never be enough for me, I preferred to see the work with my own eyes.

In the near noon sun, the other ponies are finally having a breather, after carrying all the tiles here and affixing them to the roof. They stretched and strived in vain to yawned hunger away. Amor mimics the other workers and lies down on soft grass. “Indigo, would you like to share a break together and chat a little longer?” She pitches some fatigue into the statement for good measure.

Indigo looks at her. “Alright, what’s on your mind?”

"Indigo, if you do not mind telling; why do I not see that dark colored Pegasus mare around you anymore?” Amor pauses placing a hoof under my chin, pretending to think and declares: “Her name is Kat right? She seemed to be a pleasant mare and I was aspirating to meet her. Can you tell me about her?”

What the hay? Indigo looks surprised. “Kat? If you want to talk to her, she is friendly enough, but if you want to ask me about her, you have to be more specific. One thing worth knowing about Kat is that she sides with Stiletto and that is the reason, we don’t talk much anymore.” He frowns, somewhat annoyed. What do you want with me and Kat, anyway?

Indigo’s actions worry me, but it was unsurprising that the hurt stallion would react this way. “Kat may be friendly… but I am not such; I find it hard to approach others that I barely know.” Amor buries the tips of her hooves into the ground. “I had the passing thought you could introduce us, but you mentioned another name. Can I ask how this Stiletto placed a wedge in your relationship? I do not want to canter head first into something, which may hurt other ponies or myself.” Amor said face filled with a sincerely hurt look. I known of Stiletto’s errant deeds of the flesh, but saw them as a boon to the community, even if I disagree myself.

Indigo gives her a long look. “Well... I can introduce you to Kat, if you want, but after that talk to her on your own. As for Stiletto, suffice to say, she is a lot of trouble, and spreads dissident ideology. I would avoid her, if I were you.”

“Thank you, Indigo. Avoiding Stiletto and Kat sounds to be in my best interest.” The Unicorn said almost swallowing her words. “But do you not worry about losing the chance of friendship, unless they do not want our friendship that is?” She return Indigo’s stare, contemplating the potential friends, which could have been gained or lost.

“Our, as in your or mine?” asks Indigo, perplexed, and continues without a pause. “As to the chance of friendship between me and Stiletto, there is none. Kat is... tolerable, but I mistrust her. Oh, she did say she wanted to be my friend, even after her betrayal, but I can’t associate myself with the likes of Stiletto, can I? And what is this to you anyway, why would you care, who is my friend, and who isn't? I barely even know you.” finishes Indigo, giving Amor a piercing stare.

The Copper mare’s body becomes heavy and lies on the ground. I let some truth slip, but not all of it. “I can not claim anypony to be my friend, even after half a decade of life in Dawnpick. The reason being, that before coming to this picturesque village, my craft had me traveling around a lot. Dawnpick’s constant progress means, that i am going to be here for a long time, so I want to make as many friends as I can.” Amor sighs and returns a forlorn expression. “Why would she betray your trust and are there more ponies like that here?” I can not believe these ponies, and how they treat each other.

Indigo relaxes at that, but only slightly. She suddenly wants to make friends after years of being here, and asks me for help? “I... see. I think you would get along with Kat just fine. She wants to have a lot of friends too. Not good and reliable ones, just many.” He is silent for a moment, but when she says nothing, he adds. “As to why... It was a matter of loyalty. She has proven loyal to Stiletto, and not me, when we had an argument. I know it sounds trivial when I put it like that, but it wasn’t. And I do believe most ponies are like that.” He looks at her and frowns. “But what do you want with me, and why am I even telling you this?”

With nods and other body language, the mare heeds word of the indigo namesake pony. “Indigo I desire only a friend here, if not Kat then you.” She said, locking eyes with his in reassurance. “You must worry about me in some part of you to warn me about this... Indigo do you wish to hear a sorry about my childhood?”

“I uhm... what?” Indigo looks around. “I.. I do want the best for ponies and not just for you... I can listen to your story, but only if you really want to tell me. I prefer not to be nosy about such things.” Indigo looks at her, waiting.

Standing, Amor narrates her story. “As a young filly, I trotted into my family’s gardens and found my father tolling in the dirt near our praised ash tree. My trot develops into full gallop; I quickly jumped on my father’s back and hugged his neck. Looking over his shoulder I found him digging up flowers and asked him, why he was doing it. He told that we had a new gardener and that she made a mistake when planting the flowers.” The very old memories are too much and the mare must recompose herself. “He told me, that the ashen roots spread corruption into the soil around them. Later my Old Master explained that the substances, those trees release into the ground are harmful to the plants around them. I asked him why not simply cut the tree down… he scolded me, but he was right in saying, that the tree was innocent, because it could not know it was releasing the poison into the ground around it. My mind was abuzz with questions; I eventually asked why no one just removed ponies from the source of corruption.” The Unicorn glances down at her fore-hooves and comes back up with a smile. “He called me a clever filly and said that ponies were not attached to the ground and that they can flee any time from the corruption.” She puffs at the long anecdote and gazes around to see that the other ponies were starting to stir back to work. With that Indigo, if you please, I leave you to your work. If you ever need a friend, I am but a stone-haul away.” Amor curtsies and leaves the stallion to absorb her words.

Indigo is lost in thought when she talks, but reawakens, when he notices her leaving. “Well, I understand your anecdote, but what if some flowers grow on a meadow, and suddenly an ashen tree takes roots among them? Should they all just move away? I think not. I think they should defend their land.” If it comes to that, I can leave Dawnpick with a caravan, but what about other ponies here?

Amor hears the stallion and promptly turns to face him. “It depends. Are we talking about ponies or plants?” I say in surprise, but understand his intent.

Indigo chuckles at that. “Which do you think?” After a few heartbeats, he adds. “See you later Amor. This was an interesting conversation.”

A cool summer’s breeze blows from the south, a reminder that colder seasons are on their way. The sun hides behind the clouds, but its luminous rays can still be felt. Amor and Indigo walk off in opposite directions; the mare to work on her statue and the stallion back on the gym roof. The future looks bright. Both of them seem to have found a friend today and a possible ally in the future.

Each step the copper mare takes seems lighter. Amor feels that the restraints of her past life as a spy are loosening. In her mind, the old life is over and a new one begins. Before she knows it, she is back at the mason workshop and laboring on a statue worthy of her possible new found friendship. The Unicorn works throughout the lunch break and finishes just about dinner time.

Amor creates an exceptional ≡statue of ponies≡ in marble. There are two ponies walking side by side, balancing roof tiles on their backs. The statue is in memory to the building of the gym, by the members of the Light of Dawn. Both of the ponies are unicorns and carry a smile on their muzzles.

Indigo keeps looking at Amor, as she walks back to the mason's workshop What do you know. She seemed dim-witted at first, but actually is a clever filly. Not that I agree with her, or like her asking me personal questions, but she might make a good pony to talk to. Plus she doesn't side with Stiletto, or at least doesn't seem to. Despite Amor’s questioning, Indigo’s spirit is uplifted after their conversation. He became too reclusive lately, and desperately needed a pony to talk to. He smiles and goes back to work on the roof with renewed energy.

Later, during Indigo’s evening walk through the stockpiles, he notices a new statue. Wow, did she make this? This thing is a beauty. He notices the reference to their recent conversation laughs and greatly appreciates the gesture. This is the best thing anypony did for him in a very long time, and he is quite moved.

101

Flux rushes to the hospital. He had heard a few ponies talking about Falcata being taken there, but not why. He zips through the door, looking for his friend.

“Falcata?”

From the other side of the room, the figure lying in bed shuffles, the rather-dishevelled looking Falcata poking her head out from beneath the sheets. She's clearly been crying, her eyes red and puffy, but she manages the smallest of smiles all the same.

"Flux. Hi." she murmurs, ever so slightly happier at the sight of her orange friend.

He nervously approaches Falcata, then lays a hoof over her withers. Though he doesn’t know the specifics of her injuries, it looks like it must have been really painful to make her cry like that. Didn’t they have painkillers?

“Um... are you alright, Falcata? I heard you were, uh, in here... but not why.”

Flinching ever so slightly at the question, she steels herself, doing her best to hold her grief in check. He was a true friend, and deserved to know why; but for Glaive's sake, she decides to skirt the specifics.

"Flux, I- I was sparring, with Glaive, and I fell. Tripped, even, on a rock or- or something. I hit my head, hard," she gestures to the bandage wrapped across her forehead, "and, well, I- I blacked out."

Taking a deep breath and fighting to hold back tears, she continues on, albeit much more haltingly.

"But I- I landed badly, when I hit the ground, that is. And-"

She takes another deep gulp of air, now visibly beginning to lose her composure.

"And I- I was pregnant, Flux. But- but when I- when I-"

Falcata finds herself unable to finish, instead beginning to weep quietly, tears rolling down her cheeks as she tries and fails to complete her explanation.

Flux looks confused for a moment before what Falcata’s saying sinks in. Sorrow shows clear on his face and in his body language. He says nothing for a while, gently rubbing her withers and just trying to be there for her to share her misery. He reaches a hoof up to wipe her tears, trying anything he can to help.

After a short while, Falcata manages to calm herself down, suppressing her still-raw heartache enough to speak again.

"Thanks, Flux. Thank you for coming. I'm sorry to be such a mess, it's just-"

She leaves the sentence unfinished, not having the words to describe her feelings. She knows Flux understands what she means, even if he can't quite comprehend the magnitude of her sadness. Again, she offers him the tiniest of smiles, grateful for his company and concern.

He returns the microscopic smile with tears in his eyes. He couldn’t even imagine the hurt she must be feeling right now. Something niggles at the back of his mind, and he glances around.

“Uh... where’s Glaive? Shouldn’t he... be here?”

She glances away, flicking her gaze evasively away from the forgepony. She's deliberately edited her recollection to keep Glaive's involvement out of it, and Falcata now finds herself thinking furiously how to explain his absence without making her husband look cold and heartless.

"He- he was, last night. He brought me here, he waited hours and hours while Panacea and Wool worked, and he- he explained everything to me when I woke up. But- but he didn't take it- he took it badly, Flux. I think it hurt him almost more than- than myself. I think he needed to cope by- by himself, for a while. He got the news before I did, and he- he would have had to sit there, waiting for me to come round, thinking about- about it for so long."

Her eyes water again even at the thought of it.

"I don't blame him. For- for wanting to be alone, that is."

“But... but you are married. ‘In sickness and in health.’ I... can see why he might want to be alone, but he doesn’t need to be, and neither do you. Um... should I try to find him?”

Falcata shakes her head slowly. Maybe he's right. Maybe I shouldn't have asked Glaive to leave, maybe I was selfish and cold-hearted to send him away. He must be even more pained than I am.
"No, I don't think that's necessary. He'll come back when- when he's ready to. It's- it's not easy to cope, not for either of us, and if he needs some time to himself to- to come to terms with- with...things, then he deserves it. It- it was his child, as well."

Flux gently rubs Falcata’s withers in a gesture of support.

“Are you sure? You two are... supposed to help and support eachother. Especially in times of sorrow like this. Is there... anything I can do to help?”

He's right, we are supposed to stick together, no matter what happens. Oh gods, what have I done? I need to see him; the sooner the better.

"N- well, I don't know. You're helping just- just by being here for me. I appreciate it, I really, really do. "

She glances at the door, looking slightly worried. Maybe I should ask him to go and find Glaive.

Flux smiles slightly, glad that he can help Falcata at least a little bit.

“Do you need anything? A drink, some food? Maybe some music?”

"No, I'm fine."

Far from it, I feel anything but fine, but I'm not thirsty or hungry.

"I just- all I need is time. And Glaive. And friends - friends like you - to stay by my side. That's all."

She meets his gaze, smiling a small smile and feeling much better, as if a spark of light had been lit in a dark, dark room.

"He and I - we'll get through this. Thanks, Flux. For coming, and for listening - for being here."

“That’s what friends are for, Falcata. So, um... how’ve you been doing? Er, apart from this, I mean...”

Eager to take her mind off things, Falcata eagerly follows the new thread of conversation. The two talk on for a long while, Falcata's mood improving all the while as Flux tries and succeeds to raise her spirits. The hurt she had suffered ran deep, but Flux's company helps to pull her further and further out of her previous despair, healing the emotional pain more than anypony save Glaive ever could.

102

Glaive, in a rush, moves past Friesden and out the dining hall doors, quickly followed by the small yellow stripy filly. Glaive looks around frantically for Falcata, not sure where she would be at this time of night. Glaive heads off toward the dormitories and clumsily runs straight into somepony as he is leaving the building, Friesden screeching to a stop just before she does the same.

Flux was starting to get really worried about Glaive and Falcata. It had been about a week since he had talked with Falcata, and it seemed like Glaive still hadn’t talked with her. His musings are interrupted by one of the subjects of his thinking ramming into him.

“Meow! That’s bunny speak for ‘Watch out! There’s a pony you’re about to run into! Don’t crash into him!’.”

“Wha...? Glaive?”

Glaive, while using his magic to help Flux to his hooves, apologizes, “I’m sorry Flux, I didn’t see you there. That was my fault, I was just looking for... Have you seen Falcata around?”

Flux looks confused a moment, then realizes what Glaive must want.

“Um... yes? I, uh, just got done talking with her. She should still be in her room? Er, your room?”

Glaive nods, a sad, worrying, thought creeps into his mind. “You were talking to her? Is...is she still angry with me?”

“I... don’t think so? I...” Flux pauses, considering if he should speak his piece or just let Glaive finally patch things up with Falcata.

“She needs you, Glaive. You... swore to stay by her, no matter what. So... so hurry up. Your love needs your support...”

Glaive sighs deeply, “You...you’re right Flux, it...it killed me to leave her lying there in the hospital, but after what I did, when she asked me to leave her... But I’m going to talk to her now...Maybe we can move on from all this...”

Flux’ eyes widen when Glaive says that Falcata asked him to go, but says nothing. Instead, he simply steps aside so Glaive can hurry on his way.

Friesden keeps bouncing along following him.

Falcata lounges in her chair, reclining and feeling a little sleepy after Flux's visit. She'd only left the hospital and headed back to her and Glaive's room yesterday; truth be told, she felt she'd overstayed her welcome in the hospital anyway. There was very little physically wrong with her, and she had been beginning to feel selfish taking up Panacea's valuable time when somepony else could need her attention. More than that, though, it looked like Glaive might have taken her request for him to leave a bit more strongly than she'd intended, since he hadn't come back yet. She only hopes that he'll come back to their room soon, and then they can have a proper, heartfelt talk and she can apologise for her insensitivity.

The pegasus glances at the door again, wondering how long it would take for Flux to find Glaive. Hopefully not long.

Glaive and Friesden stand outside the door. He had rushed up here, but now, being so close, he had second thoughts.

“Come on, mister Glaive. Like Dad said, ‘Gotta say sorry’.”

Glaive nods to the filly and pulls out his key, unlocks the door, and walks inside.

Falcata jumps as the oaken door swings open, revealing the familiar, oh-so-welcome sight of Glaive standing there, looking determined. Already out of her chair, she rushes headlong at him, catching him in a passionate embrace, hugging him tight in a wordless display of remorse and affection.

Glaive is shocked by his wife’s sudden affection, especially after their last conversation, he hugs her back tightly, and sputters out, “I’m sorry Falcata, I’m sorry I stayed away. I thought that you would come to me, or send for me, or something if you were ready to talk. When you asked me to leave, I didn’t know what else to do. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have avoided you this long.”

"No, no, no, it's my fault for having asked you to go in the first place! Flux- I was talking with Flux, and- and he made me see, we should have stuck together. We- I should have seen that, should have seen that we have to work through this together. I just- I'm sorry, it was wrong of me, so wrong of me. I'm so sorry." she babbles, the words tumbling clumsily over each other in her haste to make amends. She continues to clasp him tightly to her, her continued grip reflecting the heartfelt nature of her apology.

Glaive doesn’t let go of his wife, and kisses her neck, before continuing, “I think we owe something to little Friesden.” he pulls himself away just a bit to gesture at the filly behind the door, “It was her encouragement that got me to come home tonight. If it wasn’t for her...I’d still be getting drunk out of my mind at the dining hall.”

Smiling, Falcata looks past her husband to the little, stripy, yellow filly peering out from outside.
Friesden is bouncing up and down, and as she sees mrs Falcata looking at her, she says “Meow meow meow! That’s bunny speak for ‘Hello Mrs. Falcata!’ Meow meow meow!”
The filly's cheerful manner is infectious, and Falcata and Glaive can't help themselves from breaking out into smiles at Friesden's adorable greeting.
"Hi, Friesden. I see you've been cheering up my big grumpy husband for me, hmm?"
“Uh-huh! Meow meow meow. That’s bunny speak for ‘He didn’t know how to say sorry, so I helped him!’ Meow meow meow!” she says as she continues bouncing up and down.
Glaive chuckles at the little filly. “Yes, she saw me drinking alone, and well, I’d still be there if not for her. She made me see that sitting there wasn’t helping anything. We owe her much.”
"Hm. Do we have any cupcakes left?" queries Falcata, peering round the room in search of the a chocolatey treat. "I think little Friesden deserves at least one, don't you?"
Glaive thinks to himself and says, “..uh, I think we have some left....” his horn glows with a faint light, and a silver plate levitates to them from across the room, on it sit a few chocolate cupcakes with sprinkles. He levitates the plate to Friesden. “These are not much, but please, take as many as you like.”
“Meow meow meow! That’s bunny speak for ‘Thank you mister Glaive and mrs Falcata!” says Friesden before she takes two of the cupcakes, having to stop bouncing to keep from knocking them or the plate. She starts eating one of them, nomming away. She tries to say something while she eats, but it just come out as a mumble.
Glaive watches as the filly engulfs the poor cupcake sending it to a quick demise, but fails to understand her words. “Friesden, you shouldn’t talk with your mouth full. Swallow and say it again.”
She swallows her mouthful of cupcake, and tries again “Are you going to try getting another one?”
Blushing somewhat awkwardly, Falcata takes a moment to reply, having difficulty finding the right words. "We- I think-"
She glances at Glaive for a second; he nods his head, prompting her to finish with: "Yes, I- I think we might."
“Meow meow! That’s bunny speak for ‘That’s good!’” She bounces up a couple of time, before she remembers the other cupcake, and tries to catch it before it tumbles to the ground.
The fraction of a second before the cupcake reaches it ignoble demise upon the hard wooden floor, it is enveloped in the soft telltale light of a unicorn’s magic. Glaive had caught the treat and said as he passed it back to the filly, “You had best be careful, my little pony, don’t want to lose this before you're done with it.”
“Thank you mister Glaive!” She takes the cupcake. “I should probably go home now. Almost-dad and the scary lady will be worried. They don’t like me being out too late.”

As the little filly left, heading home for the night, the young couple bid her farewell. Glaive closed the door behind her and locked it for the night, before turning back to his loving wife. Glaive begins, “I...I just want to tell you, that I still love you. I meant those vows I said, for better or for worse. I shouldn’t have stayed away as long as I did, but I only did so because I thought it was what you wanted. I’m truly sorry...for everything.”

Her heart twisting at Glaive's words, Falcata grabs him again, pulling him close for the second time to reaffirm her remorse. "I know, I know. It was my fault, sending you away so callously. I want you to know - however it might have seemed that night when I stupidly asked you to leave - I don't blame you. It's not your fault, not one bit. Nopony - nopony - could have foreseen or prevented it. It's not your fault - please remember that. I love you too, now and forever."
Releasing her grip on her love, she gazes briefly at the now-shut door, thinking on Friesden's words.
"Maybe- maybe we should, you know, try again." she murmurs tentatively.

Glaive blushes under his fur at the suggestion, he becomes flustered and mumbles out a few words. “Uh, well, yeah, we...we should. If...if you want to, that is. If you’re ready...to try again.”

Pressing gently into his side, she nuzzles him softly. She had been worried it was too soon to even think about the idea, having previously spent an age agonizing over the issue even to convince herself, but hearing Glaive's agreement bolstered her own resolve.
"I think- I think so." she whispers. "Yes."

103

Stiletto knocks very lightly on the door to the hospital. Held by her magic is a basket of flowers and herbs. "Hello, Ms. Panacea. Are you in? I wanted to apologize for my recent behavior and make sure our friendship will not suffer."

Panacea looks up from the supplies she was tending to. She opens the door and sees Stiletto there. "Oh, Stiletto... come in. You, um, wanted to apologize?"

Stiletto places the herb basket on a nearby table. "Yes, I should have controlled my temper better, are you going to be ok? I know how scary a pony I am."

Panacea nods and examines the basket briefly. "Oh, yes... thank you. I'm okay. I... saw what happened. I understand how you would be upset."

The basket has many herbs for soothing wounds and promoting healthier recoveries. They must have come from the hill the Badgerponies were sitting on, or at least near it. "I was more surprised that he would brandish a chair at me. I used to think of Glaive as a good and brave soldier. Now..."

Panacea looks aside. "Well... I was surprised, too. I've never seen him get like that before. I wasn't sure what to do..."

Stiletto nods. "You made the right choice by trying to stay away from us. I would have protected you from him. I care about you and your work here at the hospital. I am truly sorry that I disrupted it even for a moment and would like to make amends in anyway I can."

"It's alright, Stiletto, and thank you," she replies, laying a hoof on the basket. "These will be very helpful." She looks at the spot where the demolished chair used to sit. "I'm just glad nopony got hurt. Worse... anyway."

Stiletto lowers her head. "I will have it replaced by Sawdust as soon as I can. I also want to donate some traction benches, if you would like."

Panacea forms a small smile. "Thank you, just replacing the chair is enough, but I appreciate the offer." She considers her words for a moment, and adds, "...I... don't blame you completely. If Glaive had said those things to me..."

Stiletto shudders. "You are a kind soul, Panacea, I know what rage can make one do though. Know that I will catch you if you fall." She then smiles. "Old saying where I am from. Sorry if it is confusing. I thank you for your understanding."

"I understand your meaning," she replies, maintaining the smile. She takes the basket and moves it over to the shelf of supplies she can sort through it later. "And thank you again for the gift, it will be most helpful."

"You are very welcome, just tell me if you need more. Oh, um would you like to get together for lunch sometime soon? As friends?"

"That sounds very nice, thank you," she says, smiling a bit wider. "Things have been pretty slow here for a while, so I can have Wool watch the place for me. Just let me know when you want to get together."

Stiletto almost bounces with delight, but remembers she is in a hospital. "I am free tomorrow. Shall we meet at the dinning hall?"

Panacea nods. "That works for me, I'll see you then."

Stiletto bows. "It is a promise." She hops off with a smile on her face and a song on her lips.

104

Stiletto comes to Virtue's door holding a basket of guinea-hen eggs on toast and several bottles of blood-orange juice. "Lady Virtue, are you in?"

Virtue starts at hearing Stiletto's voice. Oh dear, had she heard already about what had just happened? "Uh... c-come in," she calls.

Stiletto sways inside and places the basket on the table. "Hello Lady Virtue... on dear, are you alright? You look positively crest fallen."

No, Virtue isn't, but she isn't sure how much she should admit to Stiletto just yet. "I... I'll be fine." She tries to straighten her face. "Was something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to see my friend. You work very hard, and I promised to support you. So I made you a late night snack; I hoped to enjoy it with you."

"Oh... thank you." She takes a small portion of the food and tries to find the appetite to eat it. "Sorry... I didn't mean to imply you'd only come by if there was a problem."

Stiletto takes a bottle of blood-orange juice, opens it and lets it breathe on the table. "I had noticed my last few visits had been under less then pleasant circumstances. How are your foals?"

"They're doing well, thank you," she replies, sampling the food Stiletto brought her. Best not to look ungrateful, because she was thankful... just not hungry. "...How have you been?"

"Tired, but I must continue to strive for excellence. My kindest Love gave me this wonderful gift." She presents the beautiful steel amulet. "I talked with my love about foals lately as well. She wants one it seems."

Virtue examines the amulet briefly, and gives the best smile she could. "It's beautiful..." The comment about her female love wanting foals... that had to be Kat. She couldn't help but think back to Indigo's meeting with her shortly before. "...and I can understand her desires. Children are such a blessing."

Stiletto takes a drink of blood-orange juice. "Are you sure nothing is bothering you? You can tell me anything."

Virtue pauses for a moment before forgetting she had some food in her mouth. She swallows hard and sighs. Stiletto needed to hear about this... perhaps it was best it came from her. "...Actually... yes... I... I think you should hear this from me..."

Stiletto leans forward and listens intently.

"Well... it's..." she trails off, wondering how to word this. "Indigo... came to me earlier today. He... wants to press charges against you."

Stiletto she looks confused. "For what?"

Virtue chews her lip for a moment. "For damage to the hospital... and... frightening Panacea..."

Stiletto coughs. "Umm, Lady Virtue, what right does he have to raise such charges? Does he have any possession in the community what so ever?"

"He... has the right to press charges on the grounds of damage to the community. Panacea would have to press charges herself for the second part. I tried to talk him down, but he seemed adamant..." She gives Stiletto a sad expression. "I'm sorry..."

"Actually, Lady Virtue, to press charges on behalf of the community, you must hold a position of some sort. Otherwise, anypony could charge any other pony for even the smallest of offenses. The charter is not so clear on this, but I can write the King if you wish."

Virtue sighs. "I believe you're right... but even if he was able to press charges, there isn't much he can really do. Damages to the hospital are minor... at most it would be a small fine on top of the repairs... He is insistent though, and seems bent on getting jail time for you for this." Her expression grows concerned. "I'm worried..."

Stiletto nods slowly. "You feel his actions will divide the community. The question becomes, what does he have against me? And is it a personal problem?"

"Yes... that is what I fear." She hangs her head slightly. "I'm not sure how much of this I should tell you... but I think Indigo does have a personal problem with you. It... is related to you... and... your friends..."

Stiletto raises her head. "Loves, Lady Virtue, my loves. If he is intolerant of other cultures, then he must change or he will harm trade and foreign relation."

"I do worry about it all..." She thinks for a moment more, and the weight of it all begins to settle on her again. "...I wish he wasn't so... intolerant, yes, that's the best word. I worry that he is going to do something drastic... I... I hope not, but he seems to be quite tense lately..."

"Lady Virtue, I promised you to be a strength and not a burden. Tell me how I can help you, please."

"Thank you, Stiletto... I... I wish I had an answer to that..." Her ears droop as she thinks about it again. "You can't help Indigo not liking you... that isn't your fault..." She places a hoof to her head and tries to think of more to say, but nothing meaningful comes to mind.

"Then Lady Virtue, perhaps it is time you had your own noble guard."

"Guard...? Do... do you think I'm in danger?"

"Perhaps, I hope not, but I want to be there for you, as much as I can."

"I... thank you for the offer, Stiletto..." She contemplates for a moment. "I worry that an official guard would... concern others. And Indigo..." She gives Stiletto a small smile. "I'll consider it. It eases my mind to know that you're watching out for me at least. I hope such a thing isn't really needed..."

"I would do anything to help you and Dawnpick, Lady Virtue. Now, let us try to forget the sad things and enjoy the time we have."

"I know you would... thank you again Stiletto." She takes another bite of the food, slightly more enthusiastic about its flavor now. At least Stiletto seemed to be taking the news reasonably well. Perhaps this wouldn't explode in her face after all.

105

Jaxler was in bed, he couldn't exactly fall asleep and had to put up with the rampant boredom of being chained to a bed. He looked up and noticed that Panacea had left the door to his hospital room open, and he saw an all too familiar pony walking into the building. Jaxler then said to quietly to himself "Awwww crap."

Stiletto enters the hospital with hopes of talking to Panacea. She spots Jaxler in a hospital bed, chained down. She trots over to him
"Oh dear, what happened to you Jaxler? More Badger ponies?"

"No... there... weren't any thieves... Why exactly are you here anyway?"

"I came to see Panacea, we talk often. I can not help but see that you are tied down, why is that?"

"A pony pissed me off so I put a dent in his face..."

"Again with the violent reaction. Jaxler why must you always strike first? It is not very useful."

Jaxler replied with a hateful tone in his voice "Alicorn, you really shouldn't talk about things you don't know about... I was disrespected and had to show that I don't take that kind of crap from anypony."

"Jaxler, that doesn't tell me what happened. It tells me you got mad and hit somepony. To tell the truth, I just would like to know if I can help."

"Considering that I hit Partisan, I really doubt that you can do anything to help, alicorn"

Stiletto facehoofs, sighs and then looks about the hospital to see if Partisan is in here. When she finds he is not in one of the beds with a skull fracture she turns back to Jaxler
"So, what do you plan to do when you are free again?"

"Go on a month long drinking binge, and after that I honestly don't know what the buck I'm going to do seeing how the bruise on Partisan's face was a resignation letter. Also, WHY the buck do you care about my personal life?"

"I should think that it would be quite obvious by now that I care about every pony in Dawnpick. Maybe you never really wanted to be a guard, I remember you saying you where drafted. What did you plan to do before that?"

"I hate it when ponies worry about me. ALSO, don't you DARE imply that didn't care about my job as guard!"

"You are not the one I am worried about. You also should have given more thought to my question then trying to find insults in my speech. I have gotten much better, but Midpony is still my second language."

"Yeah, and my first language is dead. Also What the hell do you mean by 'you are not the one I am worried about' alicorn?"

"Why should I answer your question when you refuse to answer mine?"

"I was a woodworker before I got drafted... why the hell does that matter?"

"It matters because it might be an option again. Did you enjoy it?"

"I really don't enjoy many things, and I sure as hell haven't found a job that makes me feel 'fulfilled'... Why the hell haven't you answered my question yet?"

"Because we seem to be playing question for a question, but I will be fair. I was concerned for the other ponies your mood would effect, like Granite and Flux. I think they would prefer to see you happy. Maybe you should give farming a try. You will help to produce the boozes you do so enjoy drinking and your endurance will help you greatly."

"Why would I want to spend my life doing something as mundane and repetitive as farming. If I was to waste my life doing a mindless job I might as well go back to woodworking, at least I could make a decent amount of bits doing that."

"Is it your passion? Every pony needs to find something they enjoy working on. Like how I am mechanic when I can be."

"My passion? What the hell makes you think that I have a passion. I've lived 73 years and haven't done a single job that has filled my soul with something as fictional as passion"

"Oh, Jaxler, that is very sad to hear. In my 74 years I have found many passions to excel at. What are some of your hobbies?"

"I don't need or want your pity, and the only 'hobby' I have is drinking"

Stiletto sighs and rolls her eyes

"What about animal trapping? Would that interest you? Setting cages to catch all types of wild life?"

"You know what, I don't think your even going to come close to thinking of a decent job for me, seeing how every single job you've suggested have all been useless boring wastes of time. And Why the buck are you even trying to help me? I'm pretty confident that by now your aware that I really don't like you."

"If do not wish to talk to me I shall just leave."

Stiletto goes to talk to Panacea, as that was who she came here to meet in the first place.

106

Dear Diary

This is my first diary and I am writing it because Mrs Falcata says it’s important to make sure that you write down what happens because otherwise you don’t remember what happens and then everypony gets confused because one pony thinks it’s Monday and the other pony thinks it’s Thursday and then everypony gets into an argument and then has to compromise and say it is Saturday which is silly because then the dates get all confused and then nopony remembers what month it is and the calendars are all wrong and then everypony has to throw them out and then ponies get mad because calendars cost money and not everypony can afford two calendars in one year and it’s a luxury that we at Dawnpick (that’s where I live and mister Glaive says it’s in the Plane of Forever and that it’s too far away from most places for ponies to go to and that means that we don’t have to worry about having to share with other ponies so there is always enough to go around with the ponies here and that means that everypony can afford even five calendars in one year but I don’t know how much a calendar cost so I didn’t ask anymore so I decided to fly around in circles until I felt dizzy (that’s how I got my name Dizzy because I like flying around until I’m dizzy and almost-dad calls me Friesdizzy which is silly because my name is Friesden or Dizzy and it can’t be both because then it would be Friesdendizzy or Dizzyfriesden and they sound silly (even sillier than the other foals except for Granite he’s a serious foal and he drinks and he works and he steals and now he plays the lute and everypony says he stole the lute (except the adults and everypony knows adults are silly and say things that aren’t true like Celestia and Luna and silly things like that and everypony knows that it’s Lord Kashez and Lady Kat who are the gods and they’re the nicest gods ever and mister Glaive says they’re the best gods too and so does Mrs Falcata) but he says he didn’t that mister Flux gave it to him and mister Flux and mister Jaxler are teaching him how to make music and be a good pony and not steal anymore which is good because Mrs Virtue says stealing is wrong and so does mister Glaive and Mrs Falcata and all the other adults and they said Jaxler was a bad pony because he stole but he’s a nice pony and he doesn’t like me touching his crossbow so I don’t touch it but I think he’s a really nice pony almost as nice as mister Glaive and Mrs Falcata but he doesn’t tell stories like they do so he’s not as nice but he likes bunnies too and that makes him nice and he’s a nice pony and nice ponies aren’t bad ponies so he’s not a bad pony) and silly names aren’t as good as bunnies because bunnies are cute and fuzzy and they hop around saying meow all the time (but they don’t say meow but I don’t know what bunnies say because scary lady and almost-dad don’t want me to have a bunny until I do all my jobs and I don’t remember all my jobs and he says that I’m a nice pony and a nice little Friesdizzy but I’m not ready for a pet bunny yet so I don’t have one and I can’t wait till I can get one because they’re the nicest!) and being cute and happy together and I’m a bunny too and I hop around all day saying “Meow!” to the other ponies and that’s bunny speak for “Hello!” and I make sure to tell the other ponies what it means in bunny speak because otherwise that would be mean and bunnies aren’t mean and then I wouldn’t be a bunny and then I don’t know what I’d be because I’m a bunny and I don’t know what else but I’m sure mister Glaive and Mrs Falcata would be nice and help me find out what I was because they’re nice ponies and they tell me all these nice stories and they all have happy endings because the ponies in them are nice and good and they don’t be mean or bad like the bad ponies and mister Glaive calls them diomedians and so does Mrs Falcata and mister Glaive says he had to keep the nice ponies safe from the other bad ponies that’s why he has his scars which he says make him look ugly but he’s a nice pony so he doesn’t look ugly he looks like the nice ponies in mister Glaive’s stories and the stallions and the colts are always handsome and the mares and fillies are always beautiful and Mrs Falcata says I’m one of the most beautiful fillies she’s ever laid eyes on so I must be a nice pony so mister Glaive is handsome too because he’s a nice pony so he isn’t ugly) have but not everypony has them so they have to have diaries instead because otherwise they get confused and that’s bad because then they have arguments and fights and I don’t like the arguments because Dad and Mum never argued because they were nice to each other and can’t everypony be nice to each other because then there’d be no bad ponies and everypony would be happy and Mrs Falcata said that some ponies don’t know how to be nice to each other or don’t want to and I don’t know why anypony wouldn’t want to be nice and I said I didn’t know why they wouldn’t want to be nice and she said that some ponies don’t know how to be nice to themselves or each other and I asked them why we couldn’t teach them how and she said that they don’t want to learn how and I understood because I didn’t want to learn how to fly because I liked Dad carrying me around everywhere but then I learned to fly and then I found this great new game that I told you about which is flying around in circles till I felt dizzy and it’s so fun and you should try it but you don’t have wings and Mrs Falcata said that diaries aren’t good to play games with so maybe you shouldn’t because then you might get hurt and Mrs Falcata says you get hurt easily so we shouldn’t play games together but it doesn’t matter because I can just tell you what happens so you don’t have to get hurt playing the games but you learn how fun they are without getting hurt.

Author's Note

Don't mind the wall of text. She's like... Four years old. I think.

107

Floating somewhat carefully through the air, Falcata touches down gently outside the apartment door, breathing heavily even in the cool breeze. Flying while pregnant isn't easy for her, no matter how slowly she tries to take it, but she's not letting that stop her. She loves flying and everything to do with it, and the thought of going even a day without taking to the air always sent chills down her spine.
While the journey was enjoyable, if more difficult than she anticipated, she has a less fun-looking task ahead of her. Falcata stands before the closed door, going over what she plans to say for the umpteenth time. I've been putting this off for too long now. It's been, what, months? She and I really need to sort things out...especially now with Indigo stirring up all this fuss.
Finally summoning the courage to do so, she raises a forehoof and knocks loudly on the door.

The door slowly opens and Stiletto pokes her head out. When she sees Falcata, she smiles. “How have you been Falcata? Iit has been so long, please come in.” Stiletto opens the door and gestures with a foreleg.

Falcata returns the smile, though hers is considerably thinner. “Thanks, Stiletto,” she replies, stepping gingerly through the doorway. “It has been a while, hasn’t it?”

Stiletto moves to her second cabinet. “Can I get you a drink of anything? Or a small snack maybe?”

The pegasus considers for a second, then nods, once. “Yes, but nothing alcoholic, mind. Not while I’m- well, expecting.”

Two bottles of blood orange juice float from the cabinet and land on the table “Oh, you will have a Foal soon. That is wonderful Falcata.” Stiletto sits down at the table leaving the chair free for Falcata. “All my friends seem to have Foals on the mind lately.”

Gratefully taking the free chair, Falcata flops down onto it. She gives the alicorn another small smile, seeming distracted. How am I going to bring this up? Maybe I can broach the topic by mentioning Glaive? It’s worth a try.
“Yes, well, Glaive and I, well, we’ve been together - married, too - for such a long while now, we finally went... ahead with it.”

Stiletto opens her bottle and takes a sip. “It was a beautiful event. I was glad to attend. I think your foal will be very well loved and you will be a strong mother.”

Falcata blinks slowly, not sure if Stiletto meant to leave that implication in or not. “And...Glaive?”

Stiletto takes a long drink. “I am sure he will love your foal very much.”

“...But you don’t think he will be a strong father, do you?.” probes Falcata, intent on pinning the issue down.

“He could not possibly be worse than my own.” Stiletto says while shuffling her forehooves

A flare of irritation runs through the pegasus at Stiletto’s evasiveness, but she keeps her temper in check. “That- that isn’t what I asked you, Stiletto.” she says, leaning forwards in her chair.

The alicorn breathes in heavily. “He is intolerant of how others chose to live. He is prone to jealousy, but he loves foals, and he loves you. Maybe I judge him too harshly, but has had nothing but insults for me.” She sighs

Falcata sits still for a moment, taking Stiletto’s words in. It’s much as she expected, really, though it still stings to hear someone speaking so ill of her husband. Sitting up straight again, she fixes the alicorn with a penetrating gaze. “I...understand, but from what I hear...well, you gave him cause for anger, casting some sort of...illusion and screaming something about your own people’s superiority at him. While he was in hospital, no less!”

Stiletto facehoofs. “He insults me, insults my people, insults my love, and all anypony remembers is me yelling and burning off my magic.”

“Because you’re an alicorn, Stiletto! You’re an alicorn, shouting and putting on some big...some big display to try and intimidate a unicorn with a broken leg!” snaps Falcata, her self-control slipping. “Why wouldn’t people remember that? If you truly are so- so- so much better, you and your people, then why in the name of all the gods, why didn’t you just walk away and leave him alone?” Falcata glares at the amethyst alicorn, her bottle of juice standing forlorn and forgotten on the table.

“He made me mad.” she says looking into her drink “Am I not aloud to get mad now?”

The pegasus sighs, her anger dying away as quickly as it came. “No, but...” She rubs her eyes briefly with a forehoof, feeling somewhat drained. She doesn’t know who to believe, who’s right and who’s wrong. Both Stiletto and Glaive have valid points, but that isn’t making it any easier. She sighs in exasperation. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“You only made things worse by provoking him like that. Especially with all this- uproar I’m hearing, about that other unicorn...Navy? Violet?”

“Indigo. I wish he would just leave Lady Virtue alone, she has more then enough to worry about as it is. This is madness, I have done everything I can to apologize and make amends. Words, gifts, even just walking away... why can’t I just live my life?” Stiletto finishes her drink.

“Mmm.” Falcata thinks for a moment. “You know, Glaive... I don’t think he will ever like you, at best he’ll tolerate you, but he let all this drop weeks ago, the hospital thing. Or at least he had let it go, until Indigo paid him a visit and convinced him to press charges.”

Stiletto’s words become very cold. “You are aware of what that implies, yes?” another bottle floats from the cabinet to the table.
Sighing, Falcata nods. “That this...Indigo, has an ulterior motive for stirring up trouble. As in, not really related to the hospital incident, but more about you personally. And he’s getting Glaive caught up in his little...crusade.”

Stiletto closes her eyes and slowly nods. “Am I wrong to be in love with more than one pony? Am I wrong to see gender as no barrier?”

Falcata fixes her gaze on the floor, choosing her words carefully. “I don’t know, Stiletto. I don’t - agree - with it, but I think you should be able to do what you please, so long as you aren’t hurting anypony by doing it. I think, though...I think it’s better for foals, though. Marriage, I mean. And I honestly couldn’t conceive the idea of having another love, other than Glaive, in my life. But if you can, and that’s how you want to live, then I don’t think I or anypony else has the right to deny you that.” She pauses briefly. “I assume you know exactly why Glaive got so angry at Flux and yourself?”

Stiletto tapped a hoof on the table, her half open eyes on her bottle of juice. “Not exactly, I have an idea. He felt Flux was trying to love you, and he could not bear that thought. In his culture and yours it is wrong to have more then one love. Is that close?”

“Pretty much, yes. He, um, disagrees, with your ideals, and he thought Flux was, I don’t know, almost trying to- to spread them. To me. You can hardly deny that, how many is it now, four? Five? There are a lot of ponies here who have, well, accepted your culture, maybe a surprising number, and while he wasn’t worried that I would be so disloyal to him, he resented even the idea that your, um, ideals would spread to me.” Sighing, she tries to sum up her rambling.
“What I’m trying to say is that I- I don’t think it’s really Glaive’s fault. Any of this. It was just a misunderstanding, and from his point of view it must have looked suspicious at best. I don’t think he would have had so much of a problem with you if- if it hadn’t looked to him like you were trying to spread your, um, multiple lover culture thingy around the town. I don’t think there’ll be a problem, so long as- well, firstly, so long as Indigo gets his case shut down.”
Realising that she was still babbling on, she has one last go.
“It’s so far in the past, anyway. Basically, I just feel that if Indigo’s troublemaking has an end put to it and if you and all your-” she searches for the appropriate word “-lovers, keep the whole, uh, alicorn multilove thing away from me, Glaive and our foals, then Glaive will be happy enough. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, really. He - we - have a right to live our lives our way, too. Just as you do.”

Stiletto sat with her forehooves together listening to Falcata’s words and waiting to respond. “I think I understand, but you should know, I only do what my family expects of me. In fact, I have fallen short on that as well. Six, that is how many loves I should have now to not be considered a failure. You have the right to live your life as you wish and I will respect it. I am sorry for any offence given or taken.”

The pegasus gives a small smile, getting up from her chair. “I know, Stil. Just- just know that while I don’t hold your culture against you, I don’t think Glaive will ever see it as anything other than poisonous and wrong. That’s just his upbringing. This...Indigo, however...you should watch yourself. I haven’t met him myself, but from what I hear, he sounds determinedly set against you, maybe even for more than your culture. Glaive would rather you just went away and brought your ideals with you, but this Indigo...he’s something else entirely. I hear he’s pursuing this case above everything else, every effort of his focused on bringing you down. But I’m sure you already know that, or have spoken with Virtue about it.” Already up out of her seat, she glances to the door. “Anyway, I- it’s been, uh, interesting, but I should really be going.”

“Thank you for stopping by, it was enjoyable talking to you. I hope you understand me a little better, I certainly learned quite a bit about you and Glaive from this.” She laughs a little. “You did not touch your drink.”

Falcata coughs awkwardly. “Um, I got a bit carried away, I think. Sorry. Maybe next time?”

Stiletto smiles. “Sounds like a fine idea to me. You had many things on your mind. I am glad you would share them with me. I look forward to talking with you again. Have a pleasant day Falcata, and remember to relax and take time for yourself.”

“You, too, Stiletto.” replies Falcata, gently pushing the door open and stepping outside, whereupon she takes flight again, letting out a whoosh of relief. Digging for information from Stiletto really took it out of a pony, and she was glad to finally drop the social pleasantries. She has a lot to think about, and certainly still has to make up her mind on the whole matter, but now that she has both Glaive and Stiletto’s sides of the issue she feels much better for it. At least now I can decide for myself, anyway.

108

To authorities in Coupledye.

Dear Sir or Madam,

This is a matter of grave importance. As much as I hate to inform You, Dawnpick has a big problem by the name of Stiletto Trusted Good (ironic, isn't it?), an Alicorn mare. She has been spreading perversion, depravity and dangerous ideas among the local populations since her arrival several years ago, and the problem is quickly getting out of hoof.

For starters, Stiletto is ridden by anypony who sucks up to her, including mares. That is how she gains followers. She is frequently seen in public with two bucks under her wings, both her lovers, or kissing a mare. I haven't seen it for myself, but there are some rumors, that she organizes orgies for her underlings. Her followers call each other "their loves". This resembles some kind of dangerous cult.

As if publicly showing off her depravity was not enough, Stiletto had some of her underlings organize a kindergarten. While this looks innocent and even noble on the surface, and all a casual observer will normally see, are playing foals, I'm sure their deeper purpose is to corrupt the children to Stiletto's depraved ways. They are being looked after by Glyph, who seems to speak devilpony better than our own language, and Kat, whom I inquired about Stiletto, and she sees nothing wrong with a mare having two coltfriends or kissing a mare. The little things are so gullible, and I dread what dangerous ideas will be planted in their little heads. I talked about it to Lady Virtue and some of the parents, but most of them don't see the problem, only a way to keep their foals safe. On the bright side, I managed to convince some parents and a soldier Glaive to spend some time helping in the kindergarten and mitigate any bad influences on the foals.

Another matter is that at some point Baroness Virtue commissioned a temple to be built. In and of itself this is the right notion, however instead to all our gods, this temple is dedicated to some alien, blasphemous Alicorn ones. Worse yet, their priest is rumored to have some dealings with bandits and devilponies. This is an affront to the gods, and another proof of an Alicorn cult in this town. On another note, Dawnpick suffers from frequent bandit attacks, and I believe there is a mole among us. This priest of the Alicorn sisters, Grapple, is a suspect, except on at least one occasion, he was seen fighting one of the bandits.

There was an incident when a guard Glyph, one of Stiletto's supporters, intimidated a pony, Carmine, for dispossessing a bastard, even though it is his right to do so. There are no doubts the foal is not his. It is a zony, so his mother, Ocean Breeze cheated on her husband with some zebra. She also dyed the bastard's coat, and was hiding the truth from her husband for years. As is often the case with bastards and crossbreeds, the foal is ugly and feeble-minded. To Glyph's credit, he takes care of the filly, but much to my dismay Carmine was ostracized, and Ocean Breeze was not. This tells a lot about the 'morals' of this place, and is the work of Stiletto's friends, who call Ocean Breeze's behavior 'love', and Carmine's 'jealousy'.

The most aggravating incident so far is that Flux, one of Stiletto's underlings attacked a guard, Glaive, who tried to talk to him about Stiletto's evil ways, and persuade him out of seducing Glaive's fiancee, Falcata. Flux somehow managed to break Glaive's leg and was detained and sentenced for two months afterwards, but then Stiletto went straight to the hospital, and intimidated Glaive into dropping the charges, while damaging some equipment, and scaring our healer, Panacea. The strangest thing is that the minimum sentence for wounding a guard is two weeks, even with all charges dropped, while Flux was released three days after his arrest. I tried to persuade Lady Virtue to obey our laws, and even helped pressing charges against Stiletto, but it only resulted in a fine. The ponies here are either too afraid of that monster to even stand up to her or already on her side. As if proving that she and her goons can hurt whoever they want with no consequences whatsoever, and that out laws mean nothing to them was not enough, they actually had the audacity to rub it in our faces, and organize a party to celebrate Flux's release! Even Glaive had to attend it, with his leg still in a cast!

Stiletto is gradually converting militia and guards to her cause. While I have no proof, this is exactly what she would be doing if she was staging a coup to take over Dawnpick for real.

As if to confirm my fears, Stiletto plans to build herself a mansion on a hill overlooking Dawnpick. That building is going to be massive, and give the impression, that she and not Lady Virtue is the de-facto ruler of Dawpick. I petitioned Lady Virtue about it, but to no avail. She seems perfectly content to give Stiletto privileges. One thing of note is that before the construction, Stiletto rallied Dawnpick's militia to kill some badger ponies, who made camp on that hill, and told them, it is to get wood from the hill. She never mentioned any mansion. The badger ponies themselves didn't give us any trouble. While their kind often joins the bandits, who attacks us, that particular group didn't and such an act of violence against them may cause them to retaliate.

I also fear for my own life. When Stiletto learned what I know about her, she wouldn't leave me alone, even though I told her to do so numerous times, and once almost choked me to death for opposing her, but was rescued by our captain of the guard. This happened only once and she didn't harass me afterwards, so perhaps she wants to avoid overt displays of violence at this point. In any case, I try to stay in sight of other ponies and lock my door at night.

There were other incidents involving Stiletto, but far too numerous to mention.

I tried talking to our leader, Baroness Virtue about the problem, but she wouldn't listen to reason. I believe she was somehow bewitched by Stiletto to turn a blind eye to her excesses. I don't know if this was the result of a bribe, a spell or something else, but Baroness Virtue is under Stiletto's influence. They are often seen together, and Lady Virtue favors her.

One thing of note is that Stiletto is in the military, and ridiculously dangerous. When she goes berserk we will all be doomed.

List of Stiletto's lovers: Flux Cherishedamazed, Glyph Tailsponges, Kat Blossomwilt, possibly Midnight Braidbud.

List of ponies, who can confirm my words: Glaive Straytwinkles, Jaxler Blackflutes, Detergent Yawngrove, Hickory Torchplates and Loom Cultbee

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT THIS MONSTER BE EXILED.

Yours sincerely,
Indigo Swiftdined.

PS: So far her most noteworthy contribution to Dawnpick is a water purifier. We all enjoy clean water much more than the muddy lakes we had before.

109

The Dining Hall was empty, lone for ponies down on their luck, Amor was one such luckless pony. The Mare was drowning her qualms with the worse liquor for the job, water. The thing that raked the Little Pony’s mind was that giving up her alias as Kiln was not the hard part, it was reclaiming herself. By the Crown’s will she had taken the pseudonym in the year 249, traveled to places like Bangkolt, Gecekondu and many others. Here In Dawnpick she wanted to be free from it but unfortunately, a pony was making her regret it; learning of her new friend’s involvement in the reserves had left her mind disquiet.

Amor’s heart was at command of her body but her mind raced with visions of rage. Curse the water purifier, flood this place; cast a sinkhole under Virtue’s keep or simply stab that asinine blue Unicorn in the back with a crossbow bolt. The mere thoughts ached her soft heart as she peered down into the mug of water. “Old Master was right; we sow our own sorrow.” The mare whispered into her mug before finishing its contents in a swig. She usually avoid setting in a belligerent Pegasus’s chair but her mind was too clouded.

Jaxler entered the meeting hall with a barrel of booze. He had put with a day of long patrols and target practice and was ready to go drink away another night. But as soon as he reached his favorite seat he was surprised to see another pony sitting there. “Aye Kiln, that’s my seat.”

Amor was too deep in her own world to hear the Pegasus behind her, not to add that calling the mare by her abandoned alias was in vain. Maybe I was mistaken, to give-up what I had and detachment was better then this pain. She thought, ignoring the stallion behind her and looking into her empty mug.

Jaxler poked the back of the mare hoping to get her attention. “HAY, Kiln this is my seat.” Jaxler figured that if she wouldn’t respond to that then she was probably drunk as a dwarf. “Are you smashed or something?”

The metallic mare was dead to the world and stuck between two chores: fill up her mug or set there and think. One day there is going to be a siege and he is going come back with a bolt jammed in his skull. Amor was busy reflecting over her century plus life as to why things still do not go her way, too deep in thought to notice the actions of the stallion behind her.

Jaxler was starting to get fed up with Kiln’s unwillingness to respond. Jaxler slammed his forehoof into the table infront of her. “KKKKKIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLNNNNNNN!!! ARE YOU THERE, THAT’S MY BUCKING SEAT!” He then started shaking his seat violently hoping to snap kiln out of her trance. “YO, DA’ BUCK AREN’T YOU RESPONDING!”

The world outside Amor’s mind is disturbed and an unstable equilibrium follows, the mare jumps up and lands to Jaxler’s right. Where am I, whose present, what weapons are… The mare reflects until she sights the guards-pony’s crossbow and is traumatized. He may as will be the one who killed her. Considering but her heart and knowledge of the truth gets the best of her. “Sorry, I… was distracted.” She says before grabbing the empty mug with her teeth from the wooden table and heads for the exit. “Also, I prefer Amor.” The mare mouthed.

Jaxler sat down in his seat and laid the barrel of booze to his left. “Before you go ‘Amor’, do you mind telling me what’s bothering you? If I could yell at you that much without a response then either you’re drunk, or something is really troubling you.” Jaxler then took a swig of booze.

The mare turns back around, pondering at the situation and how best to proceed. She then ambles to the opposite of Jaxler’s barrel, takes a chair and places her mug on the table. “Understand I care not for boozes…” Amor speaks but her voice trails off. “Are you certain you want to know my troubles?” asking as she stares at the mug and turns to face Jaxler.

Jaxler took a swig of booze. “I know of trouble and knowing yours really wouldn’t bother me too much.” Jaxler took another swig “So go ahead and tell me what;s on your mind. For all you know I might be able to help.”

Amor takes an inhale and talks. “Ok… just learned that my only friend in Dawnpick has become a part of some reserves. I know he can handle himself, but I thought that before and lost somepony… dear to me.” The mare said with wet eyes as she rolls the mug around on the table with her left hoof. The wounds were old making it not too grueling to talk about, but it was the fresh ones she would sustain if anything would happen to Indigo.

Jaxler took a long swig of booze and started to think. “So, what you’re telling me is that you’re worried about your friend will get hurt. Well have you talked to him about it, and if so what did he say?”

The Pegasus’s words pains her as she thinks of all the things to say against Indigo’s involvement into the reserves. Death, maiming and mental trauma could come out of it; He could spill innocent blood or that of his companions and worse that he may never come back. She looks at the boozed stallion and answers. “I can not argue with someone I believe in and he just wants Dawnpick to proper in the only way he knows how… This world does not revolve around me, I can not deny others’ what they will just because I see the least bit wrong in their actions.” Her voice rises above her usual level but as always not carried but a few hooves span away. “And he has a temper and I do not want our friendship to end because of a petty desire of mine.” Amor lays her head on the table and huffs.

I’If you’re this concerned about it then I wouldn't call this pettey. You should talk to him, but if it makes you feel any better I haven’t died and I’ve been in the guard sense it was founded, and I haven’t killed anypony yet. Also, you forget that nopony in the militia or guard have ever died.”

“…I could talk more about it with him… just for the last decade he is the only friend I can claim.” Her upper jaw weighs on the lower jaw pressed against the table suppressing her speech. That record of no causality could change at any time. The mare huffs at the thought. “And I do not want to lose him to something stupid such as resentment delivered by a bolt of one of our own…” Amor picks her head up fearing what she just said and where this conversion could take her.

Jaxler started leaning back in his seat.“As long as Partisan is commander of the guard and I’m the second in command, I can promise you that we will not shoot at our own troops out of malice.” Jaxler took another swig of booze before continuing “Also, If you’re lacking in friends, I’m always willing to make a new acquaintance.”

The mare peers at the stallion beside her and loses herself. “Can you promise me that he wouldn’t catch a bolt from some irate hunter who holds a grudge… or… promise me that he won’t die from something more stupid than a Badger-pony theft?” Amor seemed incapable or unwilling to raise her voice barely above a talk in the rant. Why do ponies fight wars when they are just as busy fighting each other in the homefront? She contemplates and snaps out of it by Jaxler’s observation remark. Once I spied this Pegasus as a broken stallion but now see a booze-fueled fire in his eyes. Friendship would be nice, and is this too far along to excuse myself and curtsey out of here. Amor dwells in her mind for a moment. “Jaxler, is it? Making a friend sounds nice at this time, but forgive me for saying; it could just make my problems worse.” The Unicorn’s voice returns to her normal but see returns her gaze to her mug.

“Meh, your loss. Also, I can’t promise you that he won’t get hurt, but I can promise that as long as i’m second in command of the guard I will personally try by best to ensure that your friend will not get hurt. And seeing how my best has kept this fort safe for the last 3 years, I doubt your friend will get hurt so long as I’m a guardspony.” Jaxler took another drink of booze.

The metallic colored Unicorn ponders as she spends her mug. “Thank you Jaxler, for your consideration and the talk… maybe later we could have a friendship, but at this time I would like to focus on keeping one first. Her hoof stops the mug and the mare gets up from the wooden chair. “Jaxler, it has been a pleasure, but it is very late for me. It… would be nice to talk with you again.” Amor said sheepishly as she curtseys, than grabs the mug and heads for the door.

Jaxler took note that Amor was leaving. “Tell Indigo I said hi”

Amor does not even mentally flinch at Jaxler’s perception, turns around and she mouths with the mug between her teeth. “That Jaxler says hi, I will.” The mare sets off once more for the doors.

Jaxler spent the rest of the night drinking, as usual and didn’t stop until he blacked out. He didn’t think twice about his encounter with Amor, or how strange it was that she changed her name all of a sudden, but he figured that he wasn’t one to complain about others changing their name. Jaxler woke up the next day with a splitting headache and a strange bruise on his foreleg while laying in a pine tree.

Amor leaves the Legendary Dining Hall, proceeds to the well for a drank in the autumn moon-lit night and back to her room thinking along the way. Within Dawnpick’s walls is a different realm than what is experienced outside, no pony here holds a grudge against the military. In her bed the mare thinks more on the dilemma before finally getting sleeping. The next day she finds lying in a pine tree the same dark colored Pegasus she had the pleasure of talking to the night before. The Unicorn finds herself speaking more with the guards-pony but avoids the stallion at best.

110: Virtue's Diary, 16 Obsidian 258 to 8 Obsidian 259

Virtue's Diary - 16th Obsidian, 258

Stabbing in the dark with the date on this one.

Indigo came to me again today complaining about Stiletto. He's concerned now that the mansion she wants to build out on the hills is going to send the wrong message to everypony, and that she is trying to subvert power from me somehow. I suppose that outsiders might wonder what the mansion is doing out there and if the leader of Dawnpick really lives in it, but it doesn't bother me overly. I'm more worried about her safety outside of the walls. She is an accomplished fighter, so I suppose she can take care of her self at least.

I dearly hope that this business with Indigo and Stiletto will be behind us soon. I'm getting nervous just seeing Indigo sometimes these days, and I worry that this will boil over into outright fighting if it gets much worse. Please... please... let this be the end of this.

23rd Felsite, 259

Today has been one of those days. I seem to be having a lot of them lately.

For reasons that I'd rather not record, Jaxler was dismissed from the guard today. Given what happened, I think it's a blessing that's all he got. I think Partisan may be a bit like myself, and he didn't want to push things any more than was necessary. I'll say that Jaxler was relieved from duty, but won't be spending time in jail or suffering any other punishment.

For now I'm not sure what we'll do with him, but maybe he'll be willing to go back to woodcrafting. We'll have to find somepony else to replace him.

Normally I wouldn't really bother, but I was reminded today how important the guard is. Two diamond dogs tried to steal from us today, but Kat caught them in the act. Partisan tells me she managed to slay one, while the other escaped.

She shot up all of her ammo then crushed his skull with a single swipe of her crossbow.

8th Hematite, 259

Now that we've planted some longland grass, we needed a way to mill it. I considered a hoofpowered mill, but after speaking with the mechanics they told me we could set up a mechanical one without too much difficulty and which would get the job done a lot faster. I expected them to suggest hooking it up to the water wheels, but instead they suggested building a windmill outside of the walls but inside the moat. I trust their judgment.

The water wheel is malfunctioning, so I didn't use it. The water level is too high underneath the wheels I think, since it only runs for a few seconds before shutting off. I'll try to fix that at some point...

We also finished expanding the dining hall. It's not quite as crowded as it was before, but we could possibly use more room still. I'm considering adding a second floor, which would expand the dining hall considerably.

20th Hematite, 259

I feel ill.

We've still been working at relocating the southern wall to square off the encampment, but while removing part of the unnecessary fishing pier, it collapsed and badly hurt two ponies. Cross Stitch and Amber are both in the hospital now, and Panacea is unsure of their prognosis. Both of the unicorns had their horns broken off in the fall, while Cross Stitch broke two legs and Amber three. I'm not a unicorn, but I can only imagine what it must feel like to lose something like magic, after having it your whole life.

It might not be my fault directly, but if we'd left the walls alone nopony would have been hurt. Why did I order it? The walls weren't bothering anypony by being uneven. And now two ponies are in the hospital, and may not live.

First two ponies in the hospital in forever. Time for Panacea to knock some of that rust off of her diagnosing and for Wool to put his flank into gear.

I'm going to go see Panacea now and find out if anything has changed. I'm also going to ask her for something for the nausea. I feel absolutely terrible.

Should have seen it coming. Actually, I did. I was watching them deconstruct part of the pier overhang, and was thinking, “Hey, that's going to cause a-” “A section of the cavern has collapsed!” I'm thankful nopony died at least.

28th Hematite, 259

I spoke with Panacea about our injured, who she seems to have stabilized, thank goodness, and she told me something unsettling. Amber has a compound fracture in one of her legs, and Panacea needs a traction bench to immobilize it. I feel horrible all over again. There has been a work order for a traction bench in my office for six years now, and I kept forgetting about it or shuffling it under trivialities like making steel.

I immediately went and ordered one to be built. I can't believe my negligence. If I had paid a shred more attention to the important things, Amber wouldn't have to wait a day or more to get the treatment she needs.

I think I'm going to have to see Panacea again about something for my nerves. I feel awful, and I deserve it.

10th Malachite, 259

Something interesting happened today, and thankfully nothing sad. We had a lone pegasus mare show up at the gates today, claiming she had moved here from Coupledye. We haven't had any migrants in a while, so I took a little time to talk to her. Turns out her name is Bubbles, and she was a lye maker in Coupledye. We don't have a lot of need for lye makers here (Detergent does all we need), but I'm sure we'll find something for her to do.

Turned migrants back on by player request. Got junk, as expected. :)

14th Malachite, 259

Purple Prose is six today, and that makes her officially a mare. We had a little celebration for her, and she started her first day of work this afternoon. We've had a bit of a shortage of labor at the furnaces, and she expressed a little interest in it, so she's trying that out. I hope it's to her liking.

We also had a diamond dog try to steal from the armory of all places this morning. He just made it through the door when he ran into Naginata and Falcata. I don't think I need to elaborate on what happened.

15th Malachite, 259

Based on what the miners tell me, yet another monster must have turned up in the caverns today. Thankfully our fortifications down there seem to be holding, so we don't need to fear it, at least for now.

The mechanics also tell me that the windmill we set up isn't generating enough power for our longland grass mill, so I had to organize the construction of a second one. Hopefully that will be enough.

16th Galena, 259

The zebras arrived today, a caravan and a representative from their government as usual. I was out by the moat inspecting things when I saw the caravan arrive. I headed inside to greet them when I ran into a diamond dog. I was nearly scared out of my skin when I first saw it, but the caravan guards dealt with him. I was right there when the fight happened, and I don't think I'll sleep well tonight after witnessing that.

Instead of speaking with the traders right away I talked with their diplomat first so he could be on his way. There wasn't a lot to discuss, as usual, but I was even less talkative than normal after that.

21st Galena, 259

I finished trading with the zebras today. As has been fairly routine these last few years, we traded them a lot of Skillet's finest work for some exotic food and drink, a lot of leather, and some other supplies for the hospital like cloth and thread. Cross Stitch and Amber are still recovering, and I don't want to hold that up any over lack of supplies.

While I was carrying some of the things to the hospital, I noticed Falcata occupying one of the craftshops and Glaive standing near her worriedly. When I asked what was wrong, he told me she had wandered over there like so many other ponies have over the years. After she set off to find things to work with, with a smile on her face, I tried to reassure him that she would be fine like all of the others, and left to take the supplies to Panacea.

24th Galena, 259

Some badger pony thieves showed up today, but thankfully there was little consequence. One tried to attack Midnight at the gates, but one of the traps slew him. Partisan drove a second away with some ineffective shooting, but at least the monster left.

I'm not worried about the thieves though. I'm worried about Amber. After I spoke with Panacea, she told me that Amber has contracted a rather bad infection and is having a hard time fighting it off. She still thinks she's going to be alright, but I could tell from her voice that she wasn't so sure. I thought the poor mare was going to be fine. Now, I just don't know.

She's faint from bloodloss, which is how infections cause damage. Not a good sign, she has infections in all of her legs.

27th Galena, 259

As I was walking through the center of town today, I noticed Falcata proudly carrying a harp back to her and Glaive's room. When I asked the two about it, they reminded me of the strange mood she had experienced, and the beautiful harp was her work. I congratulated her on the fabulous work and let the two do with it as they pleased.

19th Limestone, 259

I have mixed feelings on things today, but mostly bad.

First, the good news. Cross Stitch will be fine. He left he hospital with a few casts and will recover, aside from being missing his horn.

What absolutely tears my heart out is Amber. She has gotten steadily worse every day, and today she looked to be on death's door. When I went to visit her today, I found all of her family there, holding each other and crying. I thought Amber must have passed on already, but Panacea pulled me aside and gave me the report.

Amber has a terrible fever from the infection, and has been hallucinating from it. I watched Amber mumbling to herself and shivering weakly under her blankets, and I joined the family in grieving the inevitable. After I managed to collect myself a bit, I talked to Panacea a bit more, and she assured me that there is nothing that can be done.

I offered all of Dawnpick's treasury to save her life, if there was something the caravans could bring, but Panacea simply shook her head and broke into sniffling herself. She told me that there was no way anypony could get out here fast enough, and there was little that could be done even with all of the money in the world.

Amber is going to die. There is nothing that can be done to save her life. She is barely a mare, and now she is going to die. If only I hadn't ordered the walls to be “fixed”, as if there was something wrong with them in the first place. She wouldn't even be hurt. But now she is going to die.

Perhaps I shouldn't be so selfish, as if this only hurts me. Her family was all but inconsolable, and Panacea was little better. She's never lost a patient in Dawnpick. Brook and Barley were killed before she even had a chance to tend to them, but she's had to watch Amber grow worse and worse, and now she is going to have to watch her die.

I didn't just feel sick today. I am sick. I've spent all the rest of the day locked up in the keep, and I've thrown up several times. I can't go see Panacea about it. I can't see Amber again.

By all that is still good in this world, how am I going to stand burying her?

She's pale from the blood loss now. Usually fatal from infections.

24th Limestone, 259

As horrible as I've felt the last few days, I must say that I don't think I've ever felt so much relief in my life as I have today. I finally gathered the courage to leave the keep, and I saw Panacea out by the well. She was almost beaming when she saw me, and told me that by some miracle Amber has started fighting off the infection. She's a long way from better, and she assured me that it's too soon to be sure she'll live, but she has a fighting chance now.

Someway, somehow, she's getting better. I'm happy, but not as happy as Virtue!

That put me in a much better mood when I also found out we had three new arrivals in Dawnpick today. The first two were a new couple, a pegasus mare named Kusari, who used to be a soldier, and an earth pony fish cleaner named Briney Deep. Kusari will probably be joining the militia, but I'm not quite sure what to do with Briney Deep yet. I'm sure we'll figure something out.

I was quite surprised when I learned who our third new arrival was. When I saw him, I thought he looked familiar, being a brown unicorn with one of the most impressive beards I've ever seen. After speaking with him, it became clear that he was related to Glaive, and he told me that he was Glaive's father! Fauchard, he said his name was.

I'm sure Glaive will be excited to learn that his father is here!

9th Timber, 259

I've made some mistakes here in Dawnpick, but I think I've made a few steps toward remedying them. The first is that we finished the construction of a proper chapel to our gods. We don't have a priest to lead any services, but at least anypony who wants to pray now has a proper place to do it. I think the gold statues might be a bit overboard, but I didn't want to spare any expense in fixing my mistake of making it look like I favored Grapple over everypony else.

I've also sent the order out to start culling our orchard a bit. We've got more than enough fruit trees, and less wood than we need, so this will fix two problems with one stroke.

They started pumping out saplings, and now I'm turning into wood to reduce the treesplosion.

16th Timber, 259

Today has to be one of the best days I've seen in Dawnpick. Well, considering what happened to cause it maybe not so much, but to see Amber better is all I could have possibly asked for.

I heard that Ocean Breeze gave birth today to a pegasus colt that the family named Cross Breeze, and when I went to see the family I saw Amber up on her hooves and talking. She's still very weak, and she's going to have to learn to live without her horn, but she's going to live, and Panacea told her she could go back to be with her family now to finish recovering. I wanted to give her the biggest hug I could, but at the risk of hurting her more I just gave her a gentle hug and gave the bigger hug to Panacea for seeing her through all of this. I don't think a more devoted doctor exists in all of the world. We owe so much to that pegasus.

The happiness of the new little foal joining us and Amber recovering completely eclipses the fact that we had another attack from the badger ponies today. As usual, they accomplished little, and the guard drove them off. From what Partisan tells me, Halberd took the first down with a single stroke of his axe while he and Kat finished the second. Kat emptied her quiver into the thief, while he put it out of its misery with a shot to the head.

I don't even care. Amber is better!

16th Opal, 259

After Arbalest came back to his senses, more or less, I thought he would be free to live his life mostly normally. Today though, he was caught up in a strange mood and has gone off to claim a workshop. I took a minute to make sure he was okay, and he seems as normal as can be under the circumstances, so I left him to his work.

20th Opal, 259

I've been suspecting I'd get this news for a while now, but Panacea told me that Falcata gave birth late last night. The poor mare got even bigger than Panacea did when she was pregnant, and unlike Naginata who typically continues to lead training sessions up until the day she gave birth, Falcata has taken the last few weeks off out of sheer necessity (and Panacea's orders). I half expected Panacea to tell me she gave birth to triplets or quadruplets, but the truth was even more amazing.

She gave birth to twin alicorns! The parents named the colt Falchion and the filly Balisong, which Glaive tells me is a family name of sorts. I can't be happier for the couple. After what happened to them not all that long ago, I hope they will find true happiness with this blessing. Alicorns are rare enough that we've seen none born in Dawnpick, but to have two at once is unheard of!

25th Opal, 259

Arbalest finished the statue he was working on today. It must be one of the most ornate statues I've ever seen in my life, and is absolutely beautiful. It's a fine choice of subject too, depicting King Mouthsavants, the first king of The Meandering Gloss. I'm not quite sure what we'll do with the statue just yet, but displaying it somewhere prominently sounds like the best course of action. Near the well perhaps? Or outside the dining hall?

Glaze also gave birth today to an earth pony filly the family named Fine Silver for her coat. The family seemed happy to have another newcomer, but I'm starting to become a bit concerned at just how large their family is growing. We have a few families with quite a few foals, and I'm thinking we might need to set up some larger housing for them to give them some room. I'll have to speak to the carpenters and masons about it, but the biggest issue is going to be finding room I think.

I forgot to remove Glaze and Ocean Breeze's pregnancies, which means even MORE foals for them. Ah well, what's done is done.

8th Obsidian, 259

Today we had quite a scare. A dragon showed up outside the walls today! The moment the beast was spotted, the alert rang out and everypony ran for safety while the militia and guard took up their positions. They planned on sealing the fort with the drawbridge and face the creature outside, but much to their horror it managed to get through the gates before it could be raised.

Sarissa was the first to reach it, and faced it in single combat on the road next to the trade depot. After seeing the carnage it wrought, I have no idea how she is alive, much less unscathed. Statues were hurled about the settlement where the beast's mighty claws struck them from their pedestals, the roads were crushed under its feet and the trade depot and bridge were smashed beyond repair. Both will have to be replaced.

The most amazing part is that the beast's flame breath didn't harm her where it left a great part of the settlement's grass scorched. Thank goodness the roads managed to halt the blazes, and the damage was mostly contained.

We have a lot of repair work to do, but Sarissa is a hero if there is one among us. To face such a horrible foe and emerge victorious is an amazing testament to her skill. And nopony was hurt at all! I can scarcely believe our luck.

Of course the dragon had to let the parasprites and kittens out of their cages. Half of them are dead now though, because of the !!grass!!*1

Author's Note

*1 - This indicates the grass is on fire.

111

Summer was bearing down on Dawnpick, but the ponies worked on in the heat. Sadly, for today it may have been a mistake. Amor was sweating under her smock and the resting rough gabbro stone on her back, the rock was a part of the old southern wall that was being deconstructed. Her job was to collect salvageable rubble that was knocked down and take it to the Mason shops for repurposing. Dejectedly, there was an overhanging pier that had to be decommissioned too. Because of the skywalk’s construction, it would be dangerous; the Unicorn mare suggested wooden scaffolding but was rejected. She would soon come to regret not pushing for her idea.

Amor finished making blocks of the stone, she went back to collect more but was stopped in her tracks by the sound of crashing stone and the sight of dust thrown into the air. The copper Unicorn pauses for a moment and then speeds off in a gallop and stops cold when she sees the destruction. Amber who was no longer a foal but not comply a mare yet, along with Cross Stitch were being hauled to the hospital, Amor’s heart dropped. Amber’s mother Hickory was following the pony that carried her child; she was yelling prayers to Etom the goddess of generosity to let her daughter live.

Later after following the injured to the infirmary the Unicorn mare waited outside of the wooden building thinking in storms. If only we had more ponies overseeing the deconstruction, double-checked the plans or if only I objected to the original more. The remaining family members of the injured finally find themselves to the hospital. Splinter, Amber’s father and her five sisters and only brother arrive and look at Amor, each having a different face but all full of the same sadness, fear and loathing. “Sorry.” The mason mouths incapable of voicing the word, Panacea then sorrowfully welcomes the family in, the Pegasus wishing they met in better circumstances.

Amor leaves to where the pier collapsed and found no-pony there but Mortar; he was humming to the stone a repentant melody that caused the gabbro to resonate apologetically. The mare holds back her emotions as she whispers. “Life might be one long song… even with all its sad parts… in the end you will be calling for encore.” The mare starts to clean up the wreckage, continues till bed time and starts back again before sunrise. This goes on for the next two days until Amor is stopped by Indigo and he talks her into teaching the maimed Unicorns to live without their horns. “Indigo, I’m more then willing to do this. I can do things employing magic or not if desired, while Amber and Cross Stitch no longer have the comfort of a option. Not to add that Cross Stitch has had a century to grow fond of magic, this could be most difficult for him.” The mare informs the stallion.

Next few days Amor frequents the hospital in attempt to talk with the patients, their family and doctor. Although agreed on, it is going to take time to recover before acclimatizing them on living without their horns. After two weeks past, Amor and Indigo visits and are witness to a dying Amber. The adult Unicorn mare made her peace with the event and was moving on for the sakes of Amber and Cross Stitch. The confronting overtones of Amor’s father, voice in her head. Whom the gods favor die first, and at heavens’ gate they are the first to be welcomed. Amor was doing much better then Indigo as he was seeing the young mare at her worse yet and after awhile they both leave with the sensation of being drained.

112

Indigo walks into Virtue's office. He knocks, then enters. "Lady Virtue, I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Indigo?" she asks, recognizing his voice, while still occupied returning some books to their shelves. She turns to see him. "What's the matter?"

"Well, as Dawnpick grows, so does the amount of work needed to administer it." Indigo gestures to the various papers. "You manage just fine so far, but at some point you are going to need some kind of secretary or assistant. There is also one matter, you just can't handle: justice. I propose, that you lift some of that weight from your withers and share it with other ponies. Starting with appointing a judge. I'm sorry if it sounds rude, but I need to be frank and you need to hear this."

It felt like somepony had run an icepick into her gut for a moment, but she manages to rally just as quickly. He was right of course, and she knew it. That still didn't make it easy to hear, though. "I... I know..." she says, lowering her eyes.

"Well, the problem is, you are being way to permissive and justice needs to be unwavering. Delegating it completely to another pony will do both you and this town a lot of good."

That was something that was hard to argue with. She hated administering justice, no small part of which because she knew she was terrible at being impartial. She idly taps a hoof on her desk as she thinks. "But... who else is there to do it? Partisan?"

"Partisan is good as a guard, but in my opinion he is much to lenient to be a judge. A judge needs to stick both to the letter and the spirit of the law, be harsh and unwavering enough to do justice, but not cruel, smart enough to get to the truth and not be easily fooled by lies... Also, somepony we can all trust to do the job. I'm sorry, I don't have any propositions for you. And I certainly don't volunteer." I have enough responsibilities as it is. Besides, I could make a passable prosecutor or investigator, but I'd rather leave judging to others. After a short pause he adds. "And there is another reason, not to make Partisan the judge. Call me paranoid, but in your position, I wouldn't give too much power to any single pony under you. It is better to share it among a few of them."

Hearing that Indigo wasn't volunteering was a bit of a relief. Maybe he really didn't want to do it. She knew she didn't. But even if he did want to, he was surely smart enough to see the trouble it would cause, if he was appointed judge. "Yes... that's the sort of pony we'd need for the job. And you're probably right about Partisan" She gives a tiny sigh. "I don't know who else to pick though. To my knowledge nopony else in town is even all that familiar with the law, but I suppose if they have the law books most of the work is just reading off punishments." She frowns slightly. "I trust most everypony in Dawnpick... but I don't even know who would volunteer for such a thing..."

"My Lady, it is not my place to tell you what to do. Only offer suggestions. I've spoken to you about punishments multiple times, and not only did you consistently handle the matter poorly, I could see how you hated doing even that. Completely delegating justice to another pony will lift that weight from your withers and you already worry about a lot of things. Besides, unless we get a proper law enforcement soon, some ponies will get even more audacious and do whatever they want, without worrying about the consequences. I'm sure, you wouldn't want that."

She shakes her head and slumps back in her chair slightly. "No, of course not." Then an idea strikes her. Maybe she wouldn't have to pick somepony after all. She could petition Coupledye, maybe they could send somepony for the job, or at least somepony to come, pick out a suitable judge and train them. Or she could wait to speak with the liaison who would be arriving in the next few weeks.... "Wait... perhaps a better idea would be to ask Coupledye? We could ask for them to send an arbitrator... somepony whose job it is to do this sort of thing? The liaison should be arriving soon, I could send a letter back then."

Indigo smiles at her, then nods. "Yes, that's a good idea. Especially if there aren't any good candidates in Dawnpick. A pony from outside will be more impartial than somepony who made friends here." He won't know ponies around here, but that's easily remedied with time. Mm... it is something of a shot in the dark, but whoever they appoint can't possibly be worse than Virtue or Partisan. Before leaving Indigo says "Goodbye and please think about it."

113

24th Hematite, 259

Indigo knocks on Virtue's door, then enters. He looks very upset. "Hello, Lady Virtue. I need to talk to you. Please."

Virtue turns her attention away from the work orders she had been pretending to pay attention to, to Indigo, as he comes in. Her expression is that of utter exhaustion, and she blinks heavily as she takes in his expression. He didn't look happy, that much was evident. "Oh, Indigo. What's wrong?" she asks in a similarly weary tone.

"The accident is wrong. I know, you care deeply about ponies getting hurt in Dawnpick. I can see that, everypony can. What happened to Cross Stitch and Amber was our fault, the masons', not yours. Well, mostly Mortar's, but I sometimes double-check his work and I could have prevented this accident. We... shouldn't have let apprentices do our jobs. Normally knocking down a wall is fairly safe, but not when there is a catwalk or a pier or some other construction above it. We've grown careless. I'm... I'm sorry." Indigo hangs his head low, looks at the floor and his eyes become watery.

Virtue's self-loathing dissolves a bit as she sees the remorseful expression on his face. She wasn't the only pony hurting over this. "No... I'm sorry." She sighs as she looks at a copy of the town's map hanging on the wall next to her, with the redrawn walls scrawled over the existing walls. "I shouldn't have asked you to relocate the walls. They weren't hurting anypony like they were..."

"No, expanding the walls was a good decision, Dawnpick is getting cramped. And you just told us to do it, not how to do it." Mortar should be here instead of me.

She simply sighs in response and looks down into her desk. At least this was just about Indigo apologizing on behalf of the masons, even if she didn't think an apology was necessary, at least not to her. Everypony made mistakes. No shortage of them from her. She was hardly going to hold him accountable for a mistake like this.

"Some of the masons may be eligible for charges of negligence. If it comes to that... I'm considering taking some of the blame." But just considering.

Her eyes go wide and she shakes her head. No. Absolutely not. She was not imprisoning anypony for this. "Indigo... it was an honest mistake. You and the others have done very well to say that nopony else has been hurt in nearly a decade." Why didn't that help her any when she told it to herself? It probably wasn't doing him much good either. "The last thing I want to do is punish somepony for this... I think what happened was more than enough of that..."

"How... how could I possibly make this up to Cross Stitch and Amber and her family? They lost their horns, and may lose their lives. There is nothing I can do. I can apologise, along with Mortar and Amor, maybe give them some presents or visit them at the hospital, but what would I even say to them? There is just no way to make it up to them."

Virtue nods understandingly. "I wish I had an answer for that..." she begins, placing a hoof to her forehead. This was something she'd agonized for the better part of a day over. She didn't have much energy to be supportive right now, but she tries anyway. "...I'm afraid that's all we can do at this point." She offers the most sincere smile she could. "But showing support for them at the hospital... it means more than you might think. And... I've spoken with Panacea. She says that they will be okay."

"Living without a horn is not okay. But... if it's any consolation, I talked to Amor. She hardly ever uses her magic at all and she agreed to help them rehabilitate. To adjust to living without horns. I'm... I'm not ready to face them in the hospital myself. I'm sorry."

That was something she couldn't imagine herself, but she hardly doubted what he was saying. She avoids his gaze for a second. "This is tough on a lot of ponies... and I know I can't understand what's happened to them... not completely. But Panacea... she... she said they'd be alright. That's all I can hope for. They'll learn... at least Amor is willing to help them. I'm sure there are other ponies here who would do the same."

She sees the pained expression on his face at mentioning being unable to face them in the hospital. "I'm going to go see them in the hospital soon. You're welcome to join me, if you want... but if you can't... I understand. I can tell them whatever you want me to... or nothing if you'd prefer."

Indigo shakes his head "I... I can't. Not now. I'm sorry. Tell them... that the masons are sorry." He closes his eyes, and after a moment adds. "There is one more thing. When we need to pull down a building in the future, there is a safer way to do it." Indigo pulls out a piece of paper with a simple drawing. "Basically you replace some of the walls with supports, link them to a lever, remove the rest of the walls and pull the lever to collapse the building when there is nopony near it. Just tell architects and mechanics to do it that way next time." The paper has some wet stains on it, but is perfectly readable. "I know it is no consolation and comes too late, but we'll be more careful in the future. Mortar and Amor agree, that this way of demolishing buildings should be safer. It will take more time and effort, but nopony should get hurt in a stupid accident."

She takes a look at the paper and nods. "Yes... that looks like a much better way to handle such situations." She looks up to him. "I know you'll be more careful in the future. Nopony did this on purpose... but it's reassuring to know that this will never happen again..."

"I'm sorry. I... I'll go back to work now." Indigo gets to the craftpony's workshop. Without even fully realizing, how he got there, he works on another rock pot to take his mind off the tragedy. It helps a little, but he still feels absolutely terrible. Eventually, after over two weeks, he visits the patients with Amor. He sees dying Amber and feels sick and tired upon leaving the building. Amor handles the situation much better.

Virtue bids him farewell and turns her attention back to the work orders. She felt... maybe a bit better. Maybe. Seeing Indigo for once without somepony getting in trouble was a relief, but she was no happier for learning how upset he was at the whole thing. Trading one concern for another... but she brushes as much of the worry out of her mind as she could. Indigo would be fine... as would Cross Stitch and Amber. When they were fine, she would be too. She pushes the work orders aside and heads for the door, planning to go see Panacea and her patients. Hopefully there would be some good news there.

She feels a curious set of emotions as she exits and tries to maintain a bit of a straight face. It was reassuring to know that she wasn't the only pony who cared about what happened. Not that she really doubts it of course, but hearing it helps. Everypony would be okay. It would take a while, but they would all be okay.

114: Meet Fauchard

It is midday of 24th Limestone, 259 and among the new arrivals to the town of Dawnpick is a large muscular unicorn stallion. The stallion has a mostly dark coat and a braided beard, that is starting to grey from age. The unicorn pulls behind him a wagon, filled to the brim with crates covered only by a simple tarp.

Coming to meet the unicorn at the gate are Glaive and Falcata. Glaive looks slightly nervous must mostly is looking forward to this meeting.

Swishing her tail nervously, Falcata stands beside her husband, all of a sudden more self-conscious than she's been in years. Glaive has said a lot about his father, most of it intimidating, if she were honest. She already knew Glaive's family was fairly wealthy, but his father had been a colonel in the army and, according to Glaive, had a highly distinguished service record. Despite her husband's obvious respect for his father and his reassurances that she'd find him a pleasant, kind and honorable pony, it was quite another thing to actually meet Fauchard in the flesh. Watching the wagon and its impressively large load trundle closer, she leans closer to Glaive, whispering in his ear.
"So, uh, just how wealthy is your dad? Because that's a lot of stuff."

Glaive chuckles, “Well, he probably couldn’t bear to be away from his library, I’d bet anything half of that is his books.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “I hope you’re exaggerating when you say half of that” she gestures towards the heavily laden wagon with a forehoof, “is books.”
So on a scale of one to King Golud, he’s about...a seven? she ponders, trying to work out exactly how many expensive, hoof-made pages a pony could fit under that tarpaulin. That’s...wealthy.

Glaive looks uncomfortable talking about just how much wealth his family has their disposal. “Well, I guess so. The family has had a lot of wealth since my Great-Grandfather made his fortune, and both Grandfather, and Father married above our station, which only made that amount grow with time. But most of it is tied up in property, including Dad’s library.”

After the new arrival makes it over the drawbridge into town, he frees himself from his wagon, and walks up to Glaive, looking him over like a commander inspecting his troops, and suddenly hugs the younger unicorn. After a moment the old unicorn releases him, “Glaive, you look like hell. You have to tell me how you got each and every one of those scars over dinner.”

Glaive frowns at his father, “Have you not been reading my letters father? I have told you everything that has happened already.”

“Of course I have my son, I just want to hear the stories from your mouth.” The unicorn looks to the lovely white mare, visibly pregnant with his future grandfoal, standing next to his son Glaive, he gives a short bow. “You must be Falcata, Glaive has told me much about you. I am Fauchard. It is a pleasure to meet you at long last.”
Falcata briefly considers giving him a bow in return, but on account of her advanced pregnancy she settles for dipping her head respectfully.
"The pleasure is all mine, sir." she replies, doing her best to make a good impression on the imposing stallion.

Glaive speaks up. “How was the journey father?”

“Long and boring,” he replies, “seems either we got lucky, or the bandits knew I was with them.” He says, mostly joking, while gesturing to the other arrivals. “A nice bunch mostly....So where should I put my stuff?”

Glaive and Falcata show the old unicorn to the room they had had Virtue set aside for him. As Glaive carries in the heavy boxes one by one, and begins to unpack them, (Fauchard complains of his ‘bad back’ to skip out on the work, though Glaive doesn’’t believe it, he accepts the excuse.) Fauchard, leaning against his wagon, begins to speak with Falcata.

“So, Falcata, Glaive tells me you’re in the militia. What made a beautiful mare such as yourself take up such dangerous work?”

She reddens slightly at the compliment, taking a minute to think before replying.
"Well, we- I always wanted to be in the town guard, back in Coupledye. My dad, he was a swordspony with the militia caravans, and he always used to tell me about the "adventures" he had on his travels, though I think he exaggerated a little." Falcata says, laughing a bit.
"But anyway, I don't think that was his intent, but he managed to give me a real interest in protecting people, fighting for the good of everypony who can't, I guess. So I joined the town guard as soon as I was able, but...well, you're from Coupledye, you know what the capital is like. There's not much call for warriors there, and- well, it was a bit of a wake-up call for me, moving out here years ago. I'm not sure whether the old me would have been so eager to fight if she knew what it was really like." she sighs.

Fauchard smiles, “A very good answer.” Fauchard waits for Glaive to be out of earshot inside his new home. “So, how did you and my son, become involved together? If you don’t mind me asking.”

"Uh," she stammers, her cheeks going crimson again, "he was- he's a very charming pony, sir. And, um, well, I'm sure he told you about it, but he has a shield, the Touch of Leaves, really nice leather and chainmail thing. He got given it when he saved Sienna from being foalnapped by a thief years back. And, uh, this one time I, um- I got hurt, hurt really bad, fighting a group of thieves and left myself open. I was in hospital for weeks afterward, but...but Glaive came nearly every day. To visit, I mean. It meant a lot to me."

Fauchard nods, as Falcata talks, “Yes, that does sound like my son, but please, you don’t need to call me ‘sir.’ We are family now, you may call me Fauchard.”

She flushes even more, embarrassed. "Sorry, Fauchard. I-"

Glaive comes back out and grabs the last box. “This is the last one father. Are you hungry? We can show you to the dining hall next if you want?”

Fauchard turns toward his son and takes the heavy crate from him as if he had forgotten about his ‘bad back’, “That sounds fine son,” as he carries the box inside himself and sets it down.

The three ponies make their way to the Dining Hall. They each acquire a plate of food and a bit of drink and take their seats around a table.

As they do, a bright yellow stripy filly starts bouncing up to them. “Meow meow meow!” she says as she bounces along. “Hello mister Glaive! Hello mrs Falcata! Hello mister I Don’t Know Your Name!”

Glaive smiles at the filly, “Why, hello Friesden. I’d like to introduce you to my father, his name is Fauchard.” Glaive gestures to his father, “and Father, this is Friesden, I think I told you about her in my letters?”
Fauchard looks at the little filly, while her coat was naturally quite different her eyes reminded him of those of his lost daughter Balisong. He smiles a sort of sad smile at her and says, “It is a pleasure to meet you miss Friesden.”

“Meow meow meow! That’s bunny speak for ‘Hello mister Fauchard! How are you?’.” She bounces up and down a couple of times.

“I’m doing just fine, miss. Glaive just helped this old stallion move into his new apartment, and we are sitting down for dinner. Would you like to join us?” inquires Fauchard.

“Um...Can I, mister Glaive and mrs Falcata?” she asks, looking to each of them in turn, before bouncing up and down a couple of times.

“Uh, sure! That is, if you’re okay with it?” queries Falcata to the two unicorns.

“Of course you can join us.” Glaive says pulling out a chair for the filly with his magic.

“Thank you mister Glaive!” says Friesden as she bounces into the chair, flapping her wings a couple of times to get the clearance.

“So, Friesden, how are you today?” inquires the older unicorn, between bites of his dinner.

“Good! I’m really good! Almost-dad says I’ve almost done enough work to get my pet bunny! It’s going to be so cute! And fuzzy and warm and it’s going to be the best!” She takes a couple of bites from the food, and turns to Glaive. She tries to ask something, but the food in her mouth makes it come out as a mumble.

Glaive gets a serious expression, across his face. “Friesden, didn’t I tell you not to speak with your mouth full? Try that agian.”

Friesden swallows her food, and then tries again. “Did you and Falcata try getting a new one?”

Immediately, a chunk of food diverts itself down Falcata’s windpipe (a piece of cupcake finally attempting to avenge his many fallen brethren) as she recoils in shock, sending her into a fit of coughing and spluttering.
“Ack-” she chokes, unable to formulate a reply.

As Falcata descends into her coughing fit the two unicorns stand to try and help her. “Falcata are you okay?” they ask as they come to her sides.

“Mrs Falcata? Is something wrong? What’s wrong?” Friesden asks in an anxious tone.

Having managed to dislodge and properly consume the offending morsel of food, Falcata takes a second to think carefully.
“Thanks, Fauchard, Glaive. Um, Friesden, to answer your question- uh, yes. Yes we did.” she replies, hoping against all hope that Fauchard won’t question what Friesden means by “another one”.

As the two unicorns retake their seats, Fauchard looks over to the couple, “What’s she talking about? A new what?”
Falcata finds her hope snuffed out like a candle at bedtime, and she slides slowly down her seat, feeling very ill at ease.
Glaive looks awkward, not liking the direction this conversation was going. “Uh, I’ll...I’ll tell you when we get home, dad.”

Fauchard looks confused before the realization sinks in, “Oh, yes of course.”

Friesden thinks for a second. “Meow meow meow meow meow!” she eventually comes out with. “That’s bunny speak for ‘What do you do mister Fauchard?’.”

Happy to change the subject Fauchard turns back to the filly, “Well I used to be colonel in the royal army, but that was years ago. I’m retired now. Now I spend my days relaxing, or exercising my mind and body.” He pauses for moment, “and what is it that you do miss Friesden?” he asks her.

“Um...I’m a bunny! Meow meow meow,” Friesden replies.

Fauchard laughs and says, “So I see. You make for a very good bunny.” as he messes up her mane, with his forehoof.
“She always has,” smiles Falcata, sitting up straight again now that the conversation is back on track.

“Indeed she has.” adds Glaive, a pause in the talking follows, until it is broken a few moments later by Glaive once more, a bit of genuine concern in his voice, “So, Friesden, how is it living with Glyph and Kat? Are they taking good care of you?”

“Um...Scary lady and almost-dad? They’re nice...They didn’t like me being a bunny and almost-dad didn’t want me to get a pet bunny...but they’re okay with it now! They leave me alone sometimes when they go to see the buffalo lady. But it’s okay. That’s when I get to do the other thing I like to do!” she says with a brightening smile on her face.

Glaive turns to his father and whispers, “Buffalo Lady is her name for that alicorn, Stiletto, that I told you about.”

“I see,” is all Fauchard says at first, before he adds, “...And what is the other thing you like to do Friesden?”

In answer, Friesden finishes her mouthful, and starts flying rings around Fauchard’s head. “I like to fly around until I’m dizzy!” she says in an excited tone as she does so.
Falcata giggles at the young pegasus’ enthusiasm, recognising the same joy for flight she herself had always experienced reflected in the circling yellow figure.
Fauchard chuckles as the filly flies around his head. ‘Those two should not leave a little filly her age alone, unsupervised.’ “You know Friesden, when they leave you alone, you are welcome to come and visit me. I could show you some of the knickknacks I’ve picked up over the years, and I don’t really have any friends in Dawnpick yet.”

“Really? Can I? That sounds fun!” Friesden says as she slows down and eventually flies back over to her seat and sits down.

Fauchard smiles at her, “Absolutely, also, I brought some of Glaive’s old toys and such, they were meant for the new foals, but you can play with them whenever you visit if you like.”

“Thank you mister Fauchard!” Friesden says and she hops out of her chair again and flies over to give him a hug.

Fauchard returns the hug, as Glaive watches in contented silence at the scene before him. He hadn’t seen his father look this happy since before his sister’s murder, all those years ago.

115

It had been three months since Amber left the hospital; Amor had the day off and was spending it with the injured Unicorn. The younger mare was out of surgical casts and had no need for crutches now even if she was weak. Amor had been wrong about Cross Stitch, who rarely feels discouraged and is confident; compared to that of Amber who is often sad and dejected. Worse yet, Amber felt it was her fault that the pier collapsed, she had done the first thing that came to mind when there was a lose rock. Forgetting what she was told in bucking lose rocks, she overlook that the piece was unsupported, that she was on the part that would fall and that Cross was below collecting rubble. It was going to be a difficult task teaching the peach maned Little Pony to live a life devoid of magic. The worse could be over for Cross Stitch who about experienced a nervous breakdown when he first returned to the loom, Amor thought in her Old Master’s voice. Never become complacent in your abilities Amor, the moment you do that, you already died a little death before the finale leap. Just as a corpse in the ground, you become decayed and useless in your life.

It was warm for a winter’s day but this was normal for Dawnpick, otherwise a perfect day until the sound of heart-stilling roars that stringed the ears were heard. Pandemonium of panicking ponies took the village of Dawnpick at a dragon’s assault; Amber nearly jumps out of her coat as Amor bends her knees to run when possible. The goldenrod maned Unicorn’s eyes and ears scans the direction of the monsters shrieking from Amber’s and hers location in the church grounds. She then crawls under the foal-ish mare, lifts the Little Pony up on her withers and canters to the safety that was the Dining Hall’s undercroft. Before entering the gabblo brick building, Amor caught a glimpse of a steel clad Unicorn beginning to engage a dragon in single combat.

The earth only slightly rumbles at the fighting above, as the ponies below tremble from their own nerves. Amor was holding up well, but Amber is all but relieving herself in her fright. In seeing this, the older mare takes her further into the wine stockpiles to get away from the commotion. Amor’s heart aches at the sight of the young mare crying akin to a foal again. She held the weeping Amber rocking her slightly and whispering. “Hush now, quiet now. Little filly who has just hurdled from the jaws of death and into those jaws once more. Life is full of struggles, some won as others lost, but fought are the ones that are often prevailed from.”

Amor huffs at the futileness of her attempts of trying to sooth the weeping Unicorn, and adds. “Amber, you are not alone, we all lose something in life. Some more so then others, but as long we may live we must make something good out of it. I am with you Amber and Cross Stitch is too.” With those words Amor took an apprentice; after awhile the tumult dies down and ponies ran to fight the dragon fires raging above. The older mare proceed to leave only to have her rear leg tangled up with two foreign ones, looking back to find Amber returning a pleading expression and Amor in a saccharine voice. “Oh, I have faith that they can handle it without us.” The two unicorns stay there for awhile and the older one thought more clearly. One of the days I fear is here, Old Master, despair knowing I’m never going to be like you.

Some time later the two mares ascend to the surface and exit the legendary hall. Ash was in the air, blocking some of the sun’s rays. Fires were under control, ponies were beginning to cleanup the destruction. There were no fatalities but much of the ponies’ works were undone. Amor looks at the destroyed statues, water eyed and none of them hers. At least that horrid statue of Ìtdùn the Pegasus goddess of depravity and lust was gone, but sad that it was destroyed. Her eyes follow the unrecognizable broken road to the absent trade depot, then to the broken cinnabar block drawbridge before catching the sight of the dragon and its slayer. Amor trots over to the armor clad Unicorn.

“Brave mare, are we interrupting your grandeur?” Amor shouts but her voice carries short. Amber follows behind her master, they both approach the militia-pony, within her field of view the older mare curtseys but the gesture is lost on the younger Unicorn. Sarissa’s boots tips and shield were scorched and still smoking. In the militia-pony’s eyes, Amor observed the remnant magic of Vitalsight spell and speaks with a slight dynamistic tone. “This is Amber and I am Amor, pleasure to find such stalwart defender of Dawnpick as yourself. On behalf of Dawnpick, thank you, Slayer Sarissa” The mare curtseys again and this time imitated by Amber.

“Dear sweet Celestia...” the armored militia pony whispered under her breath. She had caught sight of a dead cat, corpse burned to a blackened crisp by the fire that had only just now been put out. Worse yet, there were more scattered about randomly. Sarissa took a deep swallow, feeling sorrow welling up from within her heart; despite her knack for killing monsters, she had always had a soft spot for pets. She was snapped from the smoking fur on the deceased feline by the words of Amor. She chokes back the urge to tear up and answers, “I...uh...no, I suppose not.” Sarissa stands and listens as the pair are introduced, “There’s...no need to thank me for my services. I’m only doing my duty.”

The mason-pony observes Sarissa’s uneasiness, grandeur was a word far from what the militia-pony was experiencing but glory is more a romantic notion then what life makes of it. “There's no ‘cat’astrophe that can't become a blessing…” Amor seeks to reassure the armored mare, she then turns her attention to cleaning the place up. “Amber lets see if anypony knows best where to start.” The Unicorn stares back at Sarissa. “Not everypony would face a Dragon in single combat and for that you have our gratitude.” The mare said as she focuses on the ruins.

The militia pony shrugs, “Nopony else was there, so I figured I’d have to do it myself. At least its skull will make a nice ornament for my room.” She began to think of where to mount it, perhaps between a couple of the badger pony skulls she had also acquired in battle. Her horn ignites in a green aura as Sarissa begins to help with the clean up operation. The unicorn wasn’t the best for conversation, so she was probably going to keep her silence for the moment and size up this new acquaintance based on her words and actions.

Amor continues to clean with her fore-hooves allowing Sarissa to have space to work her magic. She finds it pleasant to see that the militia holds such responsibility over the damage caused by their actions or that of the enemies. The Unicorns remained silent for much of the work, although Amor slows around the broken statues as if a corpse. Life is a sculptor who chisels the world to beauty… or to death. The Unicorn dwells on the moment.

Other ponies had decided to pull a wooden wagon out in order to have a way to transport the debris efficiently. Sarissa took the opportunity to use it for its intended purpose and began loading it up with the shattered, stony remains of the destroyed statues. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long to clear the charred ground of those items. The militia pony paused as the filled trailer was towed away by a couple of other ponies and turned her attention to the shattered bridge, “I don’t like this. With the drawbridge broken, our mobility into and out of Dawnpick is going to be hindered. Well, except for the pegasi, I suppose.” Even though she lacked the masonry skills required to help rebuild the bridge, she decided that she may at least be able to help collect and bring the needed stone to where it was needed.

Amor hears the concerned words of the steel clad pony and seeks to reassure the mare. “Worrying is not going to do anypony any good but thanks for the consideration.” The mason-pony barely can voice over all the work going on. Although, Dawnpick has no need for more blocks, orders to replace the ones needed to rebuild the bridge were called for. Amor and Sarissa go there opposite ways but both works in their own capacities. It takes two weeks to finish the bridge, re-establishing Dawnpick to the mines and rest of the world.

116

Sarissa's Diary - 16 Obsidian, 258

There has been a lot of tension between Indigo and Stiletto lately, which really is no surprise to me. It came to a head today, where Virtue ultimately decided to go with Indigo's decision to punish her for her behavior. Stiletto was fined 600 bits, but what does that mean to a rich girl like her? Virtue might as well have not done anything at all. I'm a bit concerned about the division she is causing in the fort; I do not want Dawnpick to break into two factions. Plus, the gross lifestyle that little harlot leads is certainly no good influence on the lot of us...

23rd Felsite 259

I can't say that I was ever really that fond of Jaxler after finding out about his drinking problem (it reminds me too much of my mother...), but today I found a new reason to think lowly of him. It turns out that he's wanted for thievery, though I can't say for sure what it is that he's stolen. Although he says that he came to Dawnpick to give up that style of life, I can't bring myself to trust him. I really think his room should be searched for any such pilfered goods. Thankfully, I was able to escort Jaxler to a cell without incident.

Partisan was going to demote him for other reasons (which I can agree to), but Jaxler responded by completely resigning and then proceeded to attack him! Partisan and Kat managed to get the better of him and he ended up in the hospital with a head injury. Part of me wants to laugh at the situation; that drunk finally got his flank handed to him for making a bad decision. On the other hand, I feel disgust and disappointment that someone as highly regarded as a guardspony would stoop so low as to attack a fellow guard in anger. I really hope Partisan pursues justice for that foolish action. Maybe this experience will humble him enough to reconsider his ways.

16 Galena, 259

Another Diamond Dog showed up today, but it was dead by the time I found out about it. Argh, why am I always elsewhere when these situations arise?! I want to get involved in a real fight again! I train so much but my skills are needed so rarely...

Oh, I do have some good news, though. You know that Vitalsight spell that I had been working on for the past few months? I've finally got it to work to a usable degree! Trying to come up with new spells from scratch isn't my forte, it seems; I had to go read some literature on existing spells to overcome some serious impediments to its function. So far, it seems to do what I want it to. When I activate it, my vision is altered so that I'm able to see the blood in living creatures. It's certainly a weird thing to see, especially since everything that isn't blood becomes black and indistinguishable in that mode. A walking circulatory system made of glowing red light can be a creepy thing to see, but I'll get used to it. Anyway, it should be useful in a battle since I'll be able to see areas of high blood flow and therefore the location of vital organs in my enemies. It'll also come in handy when making sure that my opponents really are dead and not just faking it; the blood in a beating heart will betray their deceptive efforts!

19 Limestone, 259

There seems to be a lot of commotion and depression in the fort today. The pony known as Amber had fallen victim to an accident a while back, but she's only gotten worse due to an infection. Many suggest that she will die. Although I don't know her on a personal basis, I do wish her family the best in dealing with this tragic event. I know there is nothing I can do personally, since I'm no medic.

16 Timber, 259

It turns out that Amber has managed to fight off the infection and is going to be just fine. Well, minus a horn, that is. Poor thing. I couldn't imagine losing my own horn, especially as useful as my telekinetic magic is in battle.

The weather was rather good today, with mild temperatures and a clear sky. Sarissa had just completed a personal weaving project and had decided to get a breath of fresh air outside. At any rate, the bright sunlight would help her examine her work more fully. Despite the fact that she was off duty at the moment, she had the compulsive tendency to wear her armor whenever she roamed outdoors. Elegy and her shield were fastened onto the sides of her flanchards in order to free herself to focus on the tourniquet she had just completed. She had chosen to make it out of red fabric to minimize the effect that any blood stains would have on its appearance. The unicorn was rather pleased by how it came out.

Sarissa tucked it away under the plates of her armor, ready to use it whenever the need may arise. Now what would she do? Roam around the grounds of the fort waiting for something interesting to happen? She did that on a fairly regular basis and was often disappointed. Maybe today would be different, but she wasn't hopeful. If nothing came up, perhaps she could go practice her aim by hacking into some dead trees in the apple orchard. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

As she considered her options, Sarissa stopped in her tracks. There was some commotion in the distance. Her ears twisted as the mare tried to pick up the nature of the noise, noting the sounds of galloping and yelling from members of the fort. Narrowing her eyes, Sarissa changed direction and trotted in haste towards the source. She could see several ponies running indoors, shouting something about a monster. A monster? "Aw yeah!" the copper pony said under her breath as her pace increased to a gallop. Using her telekinesis, she pulled Elegy from her side and wielded him by the handle from her mouth. She quickly followed the action by unlatching her shield and holding it just in front of her with the emerald glow of her magic.

What kind of creature was this? Where was it likely to be? Was it already on fort grounds? The most logical place to look would be the entrance. She ran at full tilt in the predicted direction, her ears soon being met with the sound of deep-throated roars. Looks like she was right on the money! Sarissa eyed the drawbridge, which was in the process of being raised in order to protect Dawnpick from the threat just outside. It was too late. The beast placed its great weight on the bridge, causing it to slam back down with an echoing thud. The sudden falling of the bridge caused its wooden construction to be cracked down the middle. The damage was further increased as clawed feet dug into its surface.

Now she could plainly see what it was; a large dragon clad in dark violet scales. It was much larger than any pony. Its green eyes darted back and forth as it seemed to consider its option for targets. Excellent! Her pulse began to race as she salivated in anticipation of the battle just ahead of her. Now she'd have the opportunity to test her new Vitalsight spell in real combat. Why don't we see where your weak spots are? Sarissa's horn emanated its characteristic green light as the flowing magic turned her eyes a bright white color. The world faded into blackness, her sight primed to view only the blood content of the dragon's body. She was left speechless; nothing was showing up. She tried it a second time. Still no good. Before she had time to ask herself what was wrong, the reptilian behemoth had made its way over to a nearby marble statue. In a second, the clawed feet of the dragon had shattered it. It next used its massive tail to smash into one of the walls of the trade depot. The unicorns eyes widened for a moment before narrowing in anger. No more time to fool around.

"Hey!" Sarissa mumbled through her occupied mouth as she ran towards her opponent. It seemed to be ignoring her as it had decided to smash yet another statue. That wasn't acceptable. Arriving at the dragon's side, the unicorn gave the monster a wake-up call by plunging her ax into the flesh of its right front foot. It released a deafening cry of pain as lime-colored blood poured from the wound. Green, huh? That was unexpected. The reptile gritted its teeth in a rage as it turned to face the militia pony. This was followed by a rush of brilliant flames that issued in quantity from its now gaping maw. Military instincts kicked in, causing Sarissa to raise her shield as she crouched down behind it. The stream of fire was deflected by the flat face of the metal, scorching the grass around the unicorn.

Looking up from behind her now-smoking shield, she could see that the dragon's grimacing face was mere feet away from her. She acted reflexively, propelling the shield telekinetically towards it with force. It caught the beast in the mouth, causing it to recoil with a grunt of displeasure as one of its teeth was knocked loose from its lower jaw. Despite its size, this monster didn't seem to tolerate pain very well; time to take advantage of this short-coming. Sarissa traded the placement of her shield and her ax, now gripping the protective plate of metal from behind with her teeth and hoisting Elegy with her telekinetic magic. The fighter raised her weapon high into the air, bringing it down just behind the dragon's twisted horns. It sliced through the purplish-black scales at the base of the neck, plunging deeper until it had severed the spinal chord. In response, it fell to the ground as strength left its legs.

A toothy grin began to creep up onto Sarissa's face. Now it was paralyzed...delicious. She released the shield from her jaws, "You chose to attack Dawnpick, a foolish and ultimately fatal decision on your part. Now I will take what is mine!" The little pony magically pulled the green-stained blade from the back of the dragon's neck. Then plunged it in again. Yanked it out a second time, then brought it down once more. She continued to chop at the prone beast's thick neck as if she were a lumberjack attempting to bring down a tree. Her smile stretched from ear to ear as she cackled in sheer joy. Bright green blood flowed and splattered until she finally sliced all the way down through the dragon's windpipe. The head was now severed.

"You'll make a beautiful addition to my collection..." she stated softly to the deceased monster as she rubbed the scales on its forehead with a hoof. Sarissa was snapped from her thoughts as she noticed the flames from the burned grass had begun to spread. Several other ponies were trying to put out the fire. Her eyes widened as she ran to help quell the blaze. The unicorn continually bashed the grass with her shield in an attempt to halt the spread. Eventually, the situation was brought under control. Unfortunately, quite a bit of vegetation had been torched and the stench of gray smoke lingered in the air. There had been a lot of damage done, but at least nopony seemed to have been harmed by this incident. Sarissa felt a bit guilty that she hadn't stopped the dragon before all of this had happened, but at least she'd offer to help rebuild anything that had been damaged.

8th Obsidian, 259

Today was awesome! Well, okay, maybe I shouldn't say awesome, since some bad things did happen. I guess what I meant was that I finally managed to take joy in battle again. A dragon wandered into Dawnpick and I killed the thing by myself! Did you read that?! I KILLED A DRAGON! I didn't even get hurt in the process. Now I can add a dragon skull to my trophy collection, which should look quite impressive if I do say so myself. It's too bad that it managed to destroy some of our property before I reached it, but at least nopony lost their lives.

Something strange also happened today; I found out that my Vitalsight doesn't work on dragons; it was completely invisible in that mode. I know that the thing did have blood, since I managed to spill quite a bit of it. I thought at first that it might have been because the dragon had green blood, but I can't imagine why that would make a difference. That event prompted me to do some experimenting, so I decided to test Vitalsight on a variety of different animals. Ponies always show up just fine, as do cats. Then I tried looking at fish. It didn't work. The same thing happened when I tested it on a wild lizard. Nothing. Can my Vitalsight only see mammal blood? Why is that? I'm going to do some more experimenting and tweaking to see if I can fix this problem. Wish me luck!

117

Flux was really starting to worry about Jaxler. He hadn't seen him in a few days, not since shortly after he stopped his binge. Thankfully, there were few places to hide around Dawnpick. Well, except for the clouds, but he couldn't go search them, could he? As it was, Flux was fast running out of places to look for him. He wasn't in the booze stockpile, or his room, or the mines. He had even checked the church, but he wasn't anywhere! In desperation, he checks the last place he can think to: the crypts. To his surprise, he actually spots him next to a coffin, looking quite morose. Flux slowly descend the stairs, trying to think of something to say.
"Um... Jaxler?"

Jaxler's trance was broken by the sound of a pony's voice coming from the stairs. When Jaxler raised his head and looked over at the steps he realized that Flux had found him.
"Damnit... What do you want Flux?"

"Um... just been looking for you. I...uh... how are you doing?"

"I think I've been worse... Why were you looking for me?"

"Um... I was worried? You... kinda disappeared..."
Flux glances at the coffins around them, lacking the courage to ask if Jaxler was planning on occupying one soon.

"Flux, I don't like it when ponies worry about me... Because it's pointless, they'll will have only wasted there bucking time on a lost cause and get depressed when I fail."

"Then... stop doing things that make me worry. You're my friend, Jaxler. Am I not supposed to worry when my friends vanish while depressed?"

"Why the hell do you even call me your friend? By now most ponies would have given up on liability such as myself."

"Because... well, you're my friend, Jaxler. And I'm not going to give up on a friend when they're down."

"I'm always 'down' now aren't I. You know shit always bucking happens to me. I lose my family when I'm two years old, I get forced to become a thief so I can support me and my crippled grandfather. Then my freaking ethnic group gets erased along with my home civilization, and I'm left with so many damn mental scars that I can't even bucking keep the only legitimate job I've ever had. I've been mortally wounded twice, I don't know what my bucking 'special talent' is and you know what, I'M BUCKING DONE WITH IT! I don't know if the gods hate me, or if I was born to suffer but I can't handle this anymore, I'm... just... bucking... DONE WITH IT!" After finishing his rant he flung his forehoof as hard as he could into the coffin he was sitting by.

Flux jumps as he slams the coffin, but doesn't leave. Instead, he slowly walks closer.
"But... you can't give up, Jaxler. You're... probably the toughest pony I know. Needing to find a new job... that can't be the thing to break you... not after everything you've weathered. And you won't be alone."

"It's not that I can't find a job, it's just that it seems that all my life I've been set up to fail, and the more I try the worse things get."

Flux looks around the crypt for a moment.
"So how's not trying working so far?"

"I haven't eaten or drank anything in the last couple days and I have some mold growing up my side, so I guess I've been worse."

"Then... come eat? And get something to drink? And let Panacea look at the, uh... mold? Please?"

"Why? If I go one more day without water it's completely possible that I'll black out from dehydration and never wake up."

"Because I'm not giving up on you, Jaxler. Even if I have to drag you to Panacea myself."
Flux takes another few steps forward, hoping he'll see reason and come with him.

"...FINE..."

Jaxler then tried to force himself up on the ground, only to realize that the lack of water had made him far to week to stand up.

"Well buck, looks like I'm too dehydrated to even walk."

I sigh in relief, then carefully sling Jaxler over my back. He protests the entire way back to the hospital, and Panacea looks worried at how dehydrated and malnourished he looks, but she say's he should be fine. Well, physically, at least. Mentally... I knew he was far from fine. I leave him in Panacea's care as I leave. I could only think of one thing that might help Jaxler out of this mess he's in: fixing his crossbow.

118

In the central tenement, Sarissa’s room was above Falcate & Glaive room which neighbored Amor’s. The mare was puzzled over the axe-pony she meet a little over two weeks ago, who thrash the elephant sized fire-breathing monster in single combat. Amor’s curiosity of the magic that Sarissa used in fighting the dragon was also getting the best of her. Vision spell of some type but why did so much magic linger in her eyes? Miscast, short term spell, over enhancement or just poor selected spell. Maybe used something similar to my nervi-oculus. Although, she was unwilling to push the question and would only thank the mare again.

Before the Militia-pony’s apartment, the mason knocks on the conjured strawberry door with her left fore-hoof and announces. “Sarissa, it is Amor, care if we talk.” The mares shout with her muzzle near the doorsill mindful of the door and moves back.

The military unicorn was sitting on her bed at the time, drawing down plans for a dress with a quill. It was a rather audacious project, requiring a wide variety of materials to construct. It was of a rather macabre design, bringing to mind the elements of war. One could say that this was a dream dress of hers, so it didn’t really matter to her if others liked its form or not. She wondered if she’d ever be able to obtain the expensive cloth and gems needed for it to become reality some day. Her day-dreaming was interrupted by the knock at the door, to which she responded by rolling out of bed. Ponies don’t usually visit her; what could this be about? Cracking the door open, she peered out at her curly-maned visitor, “Yes? What is it?”

Sarissa opens the door and gazes out giving Amor a chill. The mason-pony backs up slightly but collects herself before to cause offense. “Sarissa… I’m not prying too much am in asking how you slayed the dragon? I was one of the last ponies into safety and if you didn’t hold off the monster long enough… Amber and I could have been ash.” The mare said unflinching to the imposing eyes of the militia-pony and adds. “Also to do so off duty, denotes that you went above and beyond your obligations.”

Scratching behind her head a moment, Sarissa finds it unusual, yet intriguing, that Amor wishes to know about this. “Well, no, I don’t see why it would be a problem for me to tell you what I know.” She opens the door more widely, now knowing that her guest wasn’t there for any malign reasons. Although not usually comfortable having other ponies in her room, she felt it was best to be courteous. Sarissa cut her eyes back towards the center of her room, “Umm, did you want to come in or something? Or did you wish to speak elsewhere?”

With the apartment door open Amor gets a decent glimpse of Sarissa’s endeavor. The uncanny similar looking mare to the mason had the basic furnishings to her room and it was well cleaned. Along many of the walls were skulls, badger-pony skulls and the mare fights the twin urges to recoil and vomit. Amor never planned to enter the militia-pony’s room before but now she was sure. Such a macabre collection; never believe such a misguided pony lived here in Dawnpick. Amor thinks as she reclaims composure hopefully before Sarissa take note. “If you desire, maybe somewhere more neutral?” The Mason Unicorn succeeds in not choke on her words.

If the visiting mare had given off a vibe of disgust, Sarissa had not thought much of it. At least not consciously. “I guess I’m not particularly busy at the moment,” she realizes the dress wouldn’t be finished anytime soon, so she can leave the drawing for now. Walking just outside of her room, she shuts the door behind her, “Did you have anywhere in mind? The dining hall? Outdoors? Or just right here?”

Amor is thankful that Sarissa closed the door; she brings a hoof to her muzzle and thinks for a split second. The Meeting Hall usually gets nosy around this time; this corridor barely can fit two ponies; statue garden is too romantic and temple grounds are tolerable. The mare places her hoof flat on the floor. “Would the temple grounds be permissible for a discussion?” Amor shows the Dragon Slayer an understanding look if she rejected.

Sarissa shrugs in response, “I suppose that works.” She almost wanted to go back into her room and retrieve her military garb, but she resisted the urge. Surely she wouldn’t be gone that long, so such measures were likely unnecessary. Besides, she could fight pretty well even without armor. Or at least that’s what she liked to believe. “Leading the way?” Sarissa inquired.

The axe-pony’s apprehension for her armor was barely noted by Amor, being a appropriate observer. She was going to permit the militia-pony to retrieve what ever she wanted but she appears ready to move along. The two Unicorns remain silent until they finish descending the stairs and Amor speaks up. “If you were off duty, how did you get fully armed and armored so fast?

“Under most circumstances, I always wear my armor when I spend time outdoors. It’s a precautionary measure, since nopony can tell when trouble will show its ugly face. I like being well-prepared,” she answered as she kept a relaxed pace, “It seems that it payed off for once.” Sarissa looked in the direction of the bridge, reenacting the battle with the dragon in her mind. That really was an invigorating feeling.

“It seems so, but if we had the drawbridge up we would have been better prepared.” Amor appears to still employ her indoor voice as the two Unicorns trot past the cooing love ponies of the statue garden. The curly haired pony even with the ability to multitask, her instruction of etiquette keeps her silent. They arrive between the crossroads to the two temples and the mason-pony lays down under an earthenware statue of ponies in worship. “Also the impression is that the village caught more of the dragon fire then you did, was magic utilized?” The mare probes with a light voice.

“Magic?” Sarissa parrots, “Yeah, to some degree. However, I only used the basic telekinetic spell common to all of us unicorns when actually protecting myself. I just held my shield in place and hid myself behind it when I saw the dragon’s mouth open. Most of the blast was deflected around me, although I could certainly feel the heat. I later found that some of my fur was lightly singed.” She rubbed the tip of an ear as she recalled having seen blackened hairs there when looking into a mirror later on during that eventful day. “I suppose I’m fortunate that it chose to burn me instead of stomping me; I wouldn’t have been able to hold my ground against a blow from a creature of such size.”

The dragon-slayer continued, “Well, there was one other spell I used. It didn’t actually help, though. I kind of developed it myself after doing a bit of research on the magical arts. Admittedly, it still has weaknesses that I’m trying to fix.” As Sarissa sits on her haunches, she waves a hoof towards her eyes, “It’s a vision spell. Um, how can I describe this? It’s not really X-ray vision, although it does have similarities.” She eyes a small group of other ponies walking past the pair of temples for just a moment before elaborating, “It allows me to see blood. Well, mainly blood while it’s still inside of living things. With it, I can see the architecture of the circulatory system, including the overall shape and location of internal organs. The heart is particularly easy to pick out. Thus, I gave it the obvious name of ‘Vitalsight’, since it lets me see the vital organs. My original intention with the spell was to target those very organs in order to score more effective blows against my enemies, especially unconventional ones that we know little about.”

Rubbing the side of her head, Sarissa sighs, “Oh, but as I said before, it didn’t work on the dragon. I’ve found out that I’m only able to see the blood content of mammals. So far, I haven’t been able to figure out what I’ve been doing wrong. It would also seem that I can’t detect old, dried bloodstains either. Although I haven’t tested it, I’m also pretty sure that a magical force field would be able to hide a living creature from Vitalsight as well.” The messy-haired unicorn realizes that she had been rambling, something that she almost never did unless it was about a subject of particular interest to her, “Um, I apologize. That was probably a bit more than you wanted to know.”

Amor listened intently and never thought the martial pony would be so open about a spell let alone one of her own compose, even if unoriginal. It took her a better part of a year until her Old Master taught how to increases basic telekinesis. A part of Amor wanted to assist Sarissa in adjusting her spell for non-mammals but that would expose the former spy. Also the cost to animal life was something she also did not want on her conscience. “No need to apologize, Sarissa. I asked, and you delivered. The reason I did so was that I never been ‘good’ at magic and you could understand my curiosity.” The mason-pony said gleefully before smiling at the messy mane pony and adds. “I would advice you sharing that magic with wool and maybe the two of you can trade a spell or two. How best to know how to destroy a body then to learn about it from a doctor who heals it.” Amor thought it best to give her some manner of guidance.

Sarissa nods, “I’m not very good with specialized spells myself, so it took me quite a while to work out how to create Vitalsight. That was true even after reading up on techniques for spell crafting.” She puts a hoof to her chin in thought. It would be nice to be able to aid in the treatment of her fellow Dawnpickers, “I do suppose that you have a point. The ability to see internal bleeding could be useful for any of the ponies working in the hospital. I’ll consider speaking to him, as you’ve suggested.” The soldier knew little about Amor, but at least the impression she had gotten of her so far was positive. She was respectful and patient. Sarissa was still a bit a bit apprehensive about digging deeper, not knowing if there may be unwholesome habits in this pony’s life. Jaxler was a drunkard. Stiletto was ‘loose’. Amor could be hiding something as well.

The Unicorns set there for a bit in silence as a winter wind passes the two by and Amor speaks up. “I desire that you were not dragged away from anything important for a spot of small talk, did you have other obligations?” Amor was worried that Sarissa had other things she had to attend to. “You satisfied my curiosity and if you have any questions, I’m willing to tell.”

“I was only designing a dress when you showed up. It’ll probably be some time before I can afford to purchase the materials I need to make it, so you haven’t pulled me from anything really important,” she shrugged in response. She admitted to herself that she probably would have preferred to be back in her room continuing her plans, but Sarissa did not wish to be disrespectful. Questions? She might as well try to learn something more about her company, even if she was concerned about opening a proverbial can of worms, “Well...I suppose...what have you been doing whilst here? What is your job description?”

The mason-pony enjoyed the idea of answering the question. “I been working with the earth much my life, clay and stone mostly. I suppose that the reason the nickname Kiln stuck to me was that I suggested one to be built and some misunderstand took root. Never thought to clear it up because much of my life as a mason I journeyed around and never plan to settle here. But this may be my home from now on.” The mare stops a bit for a breather and questions: “So besides a member of the militia you desire dresses?”

“Masonry? That’s certainly a useful profession here. We seem to use stone for the majority of our constructions. I presume that you helped in the rebuilding of the bridge to some extent?” Once again, Sarissa looks to the drawbridge, which is raised for the moment. A smart move, after the dragon incident. She turned her attention to the next question. “Sewing, weaving, knitting, all of that has been a hobby of mine ever since I was a filly. If it hadn’t been for a certain event long ago involving a wolf and my mother, I imagine that my cutie mark would have reflected that talent today and I wouldn’t be here at Dawnpick speaking with you right now. Anyway, I don’t really have time to make clothing as I would like. My militia duties take precedence over that. Not that I mind that much, seeing as how I live for the rush of combat.”

Amor’s ears lay beside her head upon hearing the axe-pony’s comments on the drive for adrenaline and a story about a conflict between Sarissa’s mother and a wolf. The Unicorn thought best to avoid those subjects. “It is swell that you are able to still practice your hobby, keeps your magic dexterity up too. Although as for my work I’m no builder. The stone blocks and a few statues here are my work but beyond that others have our gratitude.”

Sarissa nods in agreement, “My life has turned out pretty well, all things considered. I’ve certainly seen darker days, but at least I love this place I call home now.” She yawns and stretches, “Perhaps so, but by providing those blocks to work with, I suppose you form a critical part of the chain required to keep Dawnpick in working order, right?”

The mason-pony struggles to keep from yawning too, but fails. “Glad that your life is in order, I enjoy Dawnpick too and plan to stay long as you will have me.” Amor said lethargically but shifts herself to keep from nodding off with her light-chatterer. “But sometimes blocks can get lackluster and some ponies such as myself strive to do more, though I am well aware of the dangers of overproduction.”

“I hear you,” Sarissa replies as she lays back and places her hooves behind her head, “I often get bored on duty, since we don’t get attacked all that often. If I’m having a slow day, I often spend time practicing my aim or day-dreaming. If your job becomes monotonous, have you considered looking for other activities to get involved in?” The pony was getting more heavily involved in conversation with Amor than she had predicted. Yet, she actually enjoyed it somewhat.

Amor shovels her fore-hooves slightly in the dirt as she lays there and thinks a moment before speaking. “Events lately have been engaging but not entirely right to feel good about. Remember that young mare with me when we met after you slay that dragon? Amber was involved in the accident of a part of the pier falling… she lost her horn and I am helping her adjust to living without it. Also it seems she is now my apprentice and from the trouble I gave mine, it is a full time job.”

“Oh yeah, I did hear about that. That truly is a shame. I can’t really imagine the effect such a burden would have on a unicorn. She has my condolences,” the axe-pony answers. Even though earth ponies seemed to get by just fine without so much as a sprinkle of magic, having had it one’s entire life and then losing it so suddenly would doubtlessly be traumatic.

The curly mane pony thanks Sarissa for the sympathy on behalf of Ambler and Cross Stitch. The two ponies talk more on the subject of how Amor was incorrect on the difficult it would be in adjusting for Cross Stitch. After a while they converse at lengths of their careers and hobbies for an hour or more. Not soon after the two Unicorns must part ways again. The mason pony was jovial that despite Sarissa’s imprudent trophies, the Dragon-slayer appearing to be a worthy member of Dawnpick.

119: The Trade Depot Massacre.

The Afternoon of 1st Granite, 260

Virtue was making her way to the trade depot to speak with the rainbow pony merchants and see what wares they had brought with them this year. She didn't expect things to be much different than the last few years. She'd trade some assorted crafts made in Dawnpick along with some of Skillet's best stews, which the rainbows seemed quite fond of, for a large supply of cloth, leather and a few exotic foodstuffs they couldn't make on site. It wasn't a great deal of trading, but it kept the rainbows coming back every year, and kept a few ponies busy here.

This time though... something was wrong. A few of the guards seemed to be missing from the trade depot, and more worryingly, she heard what sounded like quite agitated shouts coming from the dining hall. Her heart picks up pace a bit as she tries and fails to make out the words. Somepony was probably drunk and had started a fight. No big deal... she'd just go locate Partisan if he wasn't there already and sort things out. If the rainbows got involved, she'd offer to get any wounds looked after and pay for the damages.

As she sets hoof inside the dining hall, her heart stops completely for a moment. Dozens of very irate looking ponies, as well as rainbow ponies of all sorts were standing around a dining table, and worse, Panacea was crouched over somepony who wasn't moving. “He... he's dead...” the pegasus mare mutters at last, hanging her head.

“Murderers!” a darkbolt with an axe shouts, looking around the room with a hateful glare on his face. “Who did it!? Which one of you murdered him and why!?” He glares at Skillet. “You! You're the chef here, you did it didn't you!?”

Virtue feels horror closing around her. She had to do something fast or this was going to get out of her control and there would be no return. She trots over to Panacea and sees a draltha pony lying dead on the floor, apparently devoid of any injuries. “What happened?” she demands, looking at the darkbolt first, hoping to gain his trust.

“Somepony here murdered him!” he shouts. “Poison! He dropped dead after taking a bite of your chef's food!”

As Skillet sinks back, Virtue recognizes the dead pony's clothing as being that of the the rainbow pony diplomats. And now it hits her what she was looking at. He was dead... Skillet shakes her head. “I... I did nothing of the sort! I'd never do that!”

“You!” the darkbolt exclaims as he looks at Virtue again. “You... I know you. You're the leader here... I'm going to go speak with the foreman, and you're coming with me. He's going to want to know about this, and I'm not letting you out of my sight until he does. You probably arranged this...” he hisses, reaching for his axe.

Virtue tenses as the blade comes dangerously close to her face, but she stands and nods, all but trembling. Several of the ponies in the dining hall shout obscenities at the gesture, but she quells them with a hoof. “I'll speak with him. This isn't what it looks like, I can assure you...”

The darkbolt shoos her to the door and mutters through the weapon, “You don't have to assure me...”

Virtue follows the darkbolt to the trade depot where a dozen more rainbow ponies of all types were milling around, furious expressions on their faces and weapons loose in their slings or scabbards. She was numb to what had just happened... did somepony poison the diplomat? Why? It had to be something else... maybe he was sick... nopony here would murder anypony else... never... She feels a moment of relief as she sees Kat and Sarissa standing near the trade depot, sure that they would help quell any thoughts of brewing violence. Then she sees similarly angry expressions on their faces...

As they arrive, a large gorlak pony strides forward to meet them. “You. Baroness Virtue, I presume. You've got a lot of explaining to do. You'd best start and no lies.”

She stumbles over her words for a moment and fishes desperately in her mind for an explanation. She didn't have one. “I-I-I didn't see what happened... b-b-but I-I assure you that this is j-j-j-just a mistake...”

The gorlak grimaces and raises a crossbow to a ready level. “I'm not sure how much I believe that.”

Sarissa sees the crossbow come up, and a hateful glare forms on her face. She storms over to the two and says in a less than nice tone, “You... I don't care who you are, nopony points a weapon at my lady!”

“And nopony kills my men!” he snarls back at her, raising the weapon to Virtue's face. “How does this make you feel? Huh? If I killed her like one of you killed Tislam?”

Virtue shrieks and cowers as the crossbow meets her face, and Sarissa reacts instinctively. With a calculated kick, the crossbow sails into the air and discharges, sending a bolt into the trade depot. Virtue feels her entire spine ice over as she looks up and sees a roiling mob of hatred and violence form. There was a flash as the gorlak swings at Sarissa, then another flash of steel as his head is removed from his shoulders by her axe. Virtue shrieks again and scrabbles backward as blood begins to pool around the corpse of the gorlak.

Furious shouts and the sounds of metal weapons being drawn meet her ears as she clings to the ground and covers her head with her hooves. A terrified whimper passes her lips as the sound of a crossbow being discharged also reaches her ears, and she looks up to see things going about as horrifyingly as her worst fears.

Sarissa was all but gleefully dancing around the clumsy blows of the merchant guards, and each of her retaliatory strikes drew blood or worse. Several rainbow ponies were already lying motionless on the ground or clutching profusely bleeding and surely mortal wounds.

Kat has a curious combination of a sinister grin and rage filled scowl on her face as she joins Sarissa in the madness. She looses a bolt which strikes another gorlak squarely in the chest, spraying the ground with a fountain of blood. The mortally wounded pony collapses immediately, and a slippy pony behind it scrabbles into cover. Kat happily gives chase.

Virtue stares in abject horror at the blood strewn about the trade depot, not to mention the dead and dying rainbows. She desperately reaches inside for the will to scream for them to stop, but nothing but a muffled squeak leaves her mouth. Even as she watches, Kat descends upon a keshi hammer pony and lodges a bolt deeply into his rear leg. The pony retaliates with a crushing blow from his hammer, mangling her wing with a single strike and hurling her through the air up against the curtain wall.

She is convinced she's about to watch Kat die horribly in front of her as the hammer pony leaps after her and raises his weapon to crush her skull. Another bolt zips past and strikes the hammer pony in the chest, followed by him dropping his weapon and staggering about, gasping and wheezing. The pony coughs spasmodically, spraying blood on the grass, and staggers backward until another bolt lodges itself in his chest. Overcome with agony, the pony collapses, and a black pegasus swoops down next to the motionless Kat. Jaxler raises his crossbow and fires at another rainbow pony, scoring a hit if the confused scream was any indicator.

This... this was... madness Virtue thinks to herself as she continues to fail to comprehend what was going on around her. Another rainbow pony died noisily, this time by Sarissa's axe if the solid crunch of splintering bone was what she really just heard. She looks around, trembling as Sarissa laughs off a bolt that spangs from her armor before striking down a hovering darkbolt.

But through it all, one thing catches her eyes and ears. Kat was beginning to stir, crying out as she rolls over and rests on her crushed wing. Something stirs inside Virtue. Something instinctive and desperate. She sees a couple of rainbow ponies with axes spot Kat and charge for her. But she was closer. Without a thought she leaps to her hooves and bolts for Kat, snatching her up and throwing her over her back just as the axe ponies were upon her.

Both ponies swung their weapons, and Virtue knew she was dead. After an agonizing moment and no pain stabbing through her, she looks up to see Jaxler firing at the two and drawing their attention. Sarissa then barrels into them, throwing one from his hooves and quite thoroughly distracting the other.

The instinct reasserts itself and Virtue gallops for the hospital, feeling Kat shift on her back and let out another pained cry. "No..." Kat mutters weakly as she cracks her eyes. "...the fight... it's not over yet... I... I can still... fight..." Virtue ignores the pained words coming from the wounded pegasus mare and continues on. This couldn't be happening... it couldn't be happening. Ponies were dying. She shoves the hospital door open to find Wool standing there, dumbstruck. She places Kat on the nearest bed and says, “She's hurt... maybe bad. There are going to be a lot more.”

With that she gallops back toward the trade depot where she hoped the fighting would be over and she could through some miracle salvage the situation. She knew that wasn't going to happen, but she had to try.

Things were worse than she could have possibly imagined. Nopony but Jaxler and Sarissa were left standing at the depot. Both were inspecting the bodies of the fallen, and every last one Virtue looked at was clearly dead. None were even just beyond help. They were dead. All of them. Dead. Her adrenaline charged trot peters out into a stumble as she stops in front of the bloodbath.

Sarissa catches sight of her and returns her bloodied weapon to its sling. “My lady, are you alright?” She steps over to her and begins inspecting her for injuries. “You're not hurt, are you?”

Virtue stares in silence and does not answer.

“Lady Virtue? Are you alright?” she persists.

Virtue finally manages a weak shake of her head and collapses to the ground, covering her eyes. She tries to say something, but only soul-consuming sobs leave her mouth. No. No, she was not alright. This was not going to be okay. It couldn't. So many ponies were dead. So, so many. And for what?

Sarissa gives Jaxler a nervous glance, but he simply returns the unsure look. This was neither pony's forte.

A small gaggle of ponies begins to emerge from the dining hall and approach the scene. Virtue ignores all of them and continues to bawl and cover her face. This was not going to be okay.

It just wasn't.

120: Aftermath Part One

"I.. I was supposed to stay in the fight until it ended!.."

"But you were seriously hurt, Kat!"

"I could handle it!"

Flux looks to the cast on her wing. "They... They almost killed you!"

"I could've handled them.."

"What if..." He hangs his head, barely whispering. "...what if not..."

Kat sighs lightly.. then smiles "Do you not believe me Flux?"

"Of course... but... you're still a pony. A... a more skilled fighter might come along... or just get lucky... I worry when you go out to fight..."

"It's my duty to go out to fights Flux.. to make sure i keep everypony safe.. to make sure i keep you safe.."

"I know, but... I still worry! I wish my traps could work for everything, or we could just live in peace, or..." Flux looks incredibly sad, wishing ponies didn't have to die. "Why... why can't everypony just... get along..."

Kat sighs lightly then lay a little more onto her bed in the hospital. "Because we choose not to I guess..."

Flux sighs, then walks close to the bed to gently lay a hoof on Kat's. "I think... it's because everypony has something they're willing to fight for..." he says, looking at Kat as he does so, letting her know exactly who he'd fight for. Kat sighs happily and smiles, squeezing onto his hoof softly with hers as she lay on her bed like that.. "Mmhmm.."

"I... should I try to join the reserves?"

Kat shook her head "No.. You might have killed something with a dagger before Flux, but I don't want you out there.. even in the reserves.. you can protect ponies better by smelting steel and making traps.. so that ponies like me can fight easier and wouldn't die easily.."

"I... I can do both, I think? I just... I don't want to see you hurt if there's anything I could do to stop it, Kat."

"Then don't join the reserve Flux.. It'd hurt me more than any wounds anypony can give me to see you hurt." Flux glances at Kat's wing, obviously feeling the same about her. "But..." Kat gives him a reassuring smile "I'll be fine Flux.. I'm a tough pony."

Tears well at Flux' eyes as he looks into hers. "But... I... couldn't do anything..."

"You make the steel i wear, the bolts I shoot, the crossbow I use, and the traps that kept us safe Flux.."

"But not safe enough..."

"Well, I could've died without them Flux."

"You... almost died with them... There must be something else I could do?"

"well.. It kept me alive. That's what matters, right?" Tears slowly fall as Flux has trouble describing just how he feels. "I... I'm happy you're alive, my love, but... you're so hurt... what if... what if next time...?" He shuts his eyes, trying to hold back the tears and not think of what next time might hold. Kat squeezes onto his hoof a little more and pull him down closer as she pull herself up a bit as well to wrap her forelegs around him into a hug.. holding him tightly. "Next time.. they'll all have to go through your traps first."

Flux returns the embrace, gently nuzzling her and being grateful she's still there to nuzzle. *sniffle* "O...Ok, Kat... just... just come back safe... next time..."

Kat nuzzles lovingly at him then sighs happily, "I will.. I promise."

121: Aftermath Part Two

Virtue is still lying in a broken heap on the ground in front of the trade depot, covering her face and sobbing at... everything. By now Harvest Moon has arrived at the scene and sees his wife crying. He darts over to her and cradles her, looking up to the ponies around him. "What the buck happened!?" he demands.

Glaive at the sound of the fighting rushes to the source weapons ready, armor clanking as he runs. He reaches the scene and sees a dozen ponies of all types slaughtered before him, they weren't soldiers, they looked like the merchants from the Rainbow Coalition, 'Shit. What the buck happened here.'

Jaxler stood there silent with a somber look on his face.

Harvest Moon turns his attention to Glaive, then to Sarissa. "What happened? Surely one of you saw it."

"We did what we had to..." Sarissa answers as she looks slightly to the side.

Friesden hops down the corridor after mister Glaive.

Harvest Moon's face shifts to disbelief. "Did what you had to?" He looks at all of the dead ponies, then back to his sobbing wife. "This... explain..."

Jaxler stood there silent with a somber look on his face and gazed over at Harvest Moon.

"Meow meow meo-" Friesden stops short as she sees all the ponies looking really badly hurt.

Glaive walks carefully past the bodies to Sarissa. "I'm sure of that. But that wasn't what I asked. 'What the BUCK happened.' These aren't soldiers they were traders they came in peace. WHAT HAPPENED?"

"They...they would have killed our lady!" her eyes narrow as she feels frustration build, "One of the crazies aimed their crossbow right in her face! All I did was disarm the freak, and that started everything!"

Virtue curls up more tightly in her husband's grip at the memory, but she doesn't manage to say anything.

Jaxler walks over to the pony he killed and starts searching it, acting completely oblivious to those around him.

Glaive looks over to Lady Virtue, "They, Why would they do that?" But Glaive then stands stunned. 'Friesden. She was right behind me when... ' he turns around to look to see if the filly followed him. Friesden is standing stock still, not moving, not actually understanding why all the ponies are shouting instead of helping.

Sarissa groans, "They thought we killed their diplomat, and that made them get all crazy! They jumped to conclusions!"

Glaive rushes over to put himself between Friesden and the grizzly scene. "Friesden you shouldn't be out here. You need to go inside."

Harvest Moon stands silently for a moment. "They think we did what? Why would we do such a thing? This... this is unbelievable!" He looks over to the corpses. "How many are injured? Dead?"

"They're all dead" Jaxler responds.

Sarissa takes a look at the bodies. "I don't know...12 maybe?" she says rubbing her head as her eyes dart from one body to another. She turns back to Harvest Moon, "The guy DID die, but we don't know why. He just keeled over in the dining hall. So then they start with this 'poison' nonsense..."

Jaxler continued to search his kill showing some disgust on his face from Sarissa's lack of respect

"Gods help us..." Harvest Moon whispers under his breath. He kneels next to his wife and tries to encourage her to her hooves. "Virtue... Virtue... are you alright?"

She resists the attempts initially, but at her husband's encouragement, she stops crying and weakly gets up. "No... I'm not."

Harvest Moon frowns and drapes a wing across her back. "Come on... let's get you home... I'll handle this..."

"Mister Glaive? What...What happened?" Friesden asks.

Sarissa shook her head. Friesden didn't need to see this. She was too young. Jaxler continued to search his kill, trying to ignore the foals ignorance. Glaive looks down at the filly. "I..I'll explain later, for now. You need to go inside. Go...Go find Dad, or Falcata, tell them I said to stay with them for awhile okay." "Virtue, stay I have more questions for you."

"Aren't...Aren't we going to help the ponies? They look like they're hurt..."

"Let the mare leave..." Jaxler says to Glaive.

Harvest Moon gives Glaive a questioning look at first, but Virtue interrupts the motion by dropping out from beneath his wing and turning to face him. "What is it?" she asks in a weak voice.

Sarissa returns her ax and shield to the sides of her flanchards, "There's nothing more I can do here. I'm going to check on Kat," she mumbles. Sarissa hadn't the best of opinions about Kat due to her involvement with Stiletto's harem, but her feelings would have to take a back seat for now. Kat was an injured fellow warrior, and that took precedent over prejudices.

Glaive shakes his head. "We'll do what we can for them Friesden, please just do as I say."

"I...Okay..." .Friesden starts to slowly walk back inside.

Turning to the Lady Virtue, Glaive says barely audibly. "Is it true. Did we poison him? Did anyone from here do it?"

Virtue keeps her eyes fixed on the ground. "I don't know."

Jaxler finds what he was looking for, a Large copper dagger, Jaxler then mumbles something and turns to Virtue. "If you don't mind I think I'll be taking my leave..." She gives him a quick look, but says nothing. Jaxler starts walking away with a depressed look on his face.

Harvest Moon looks at Glaive. "Of course not! Why would anypony here do something like that?"

Glaive looks at Virtue, examining every pore on her face, trying to see if he could detect any hint of a lie. He could find none. "Okay, I believe that you didn't know about it, if it happened. Do you know if any of the unicorns here could detect poison? If he was assassinated, we need to start an investigation immediately, it may be the only way to avoid war”

Virtue locks eyes with him briefly. "I don't know," she repeats weakly.

Harvest Moon thinks for a moment. "There's sure to be somepony here who could... Wool might. Or Panacea might be able to tell somehow." He looks around for a second. "Somepony go get Wool and see to it that he checks the diplomat over. We need to get to the bottom of this... Kat was hurt right? Panacea should look after her."

Friesden runs into Jaxler as she walks back to Fauchard, her face bowed and not paying attention to her environment. "Oh...Sorry, mister Jaxler."

Jaxler was startled by the foal. "WHA... Oh... Hay there Friesden..."

"Sorry for bumping into you...Why aren't they helping the ponies?"

"Some ponies are beyond help, Friesden," Jaxler responds.

“What do you mean?”

“They weren't hurt Friesden, and nothing anypony could do could heal them.”

"But..."

“But what?”

"But...How could somepony not be able to be helped?"

Jaxler sighed "Nopony can save the dead..."

"They're...they're /dead/?!"

"Yes... they're dead."

"But...but...but...but..."

“But what?”

Friesden runs off in tears to Fauchard's room.

Glaive thinks for a moment, "I..I'll go get Wool. I can't do any good here." He looks to Virtue, "I'm sorry to have blamed you milady. I'll take my leave now." He bows and heads off to find the doctor.

Virtue says nothing but returns to her husband's side. Harvest Moon looks around. "Somepony... somepony go find Indigo and get him to organize the reserves. Get the bodies moved..." he motions to the mess in the trade depot. "And get that mess cleaned up. Just... just move it into the warehouses for now, we'll figure out what to do with it later."

Harvest Moon moves to take his wife home as the gaggle of ponies slowly comply with his request. The boxes and barrels in the trade depot are slowly picked over and they begin to make their way toward storing them in the warehouse as directed.

Sarissa decided not to bother Kat, as she already had Flux for company. She simply asked Panacea for her analysis. It turns out that there was nothing life-threatening about the gray pony's injuries, although she probably wouldn't return to fighting anytime soon. With that bit of knowledge obtained, Sarissa left the hospital and decided to clean the dark red stains from her face and armor.

As the workers begin to move everything inside, the foremost, Hickory notices movement inside the warehouse, and hears what distinctly sounded like somepony whimpering. "Um, hello? Is anypony in here?" She steps around behind an obstructing mass of tables and chairs to find just that: three ponies she didn't recognize. "Wha..."

There is a faint metallic /click/, and before Hickory can take in the scene before her the shadowy form of a pony looms before her and raises an unfamiliar weapon an inch from her nose.

She freezes for a moment before letting out a chilling scream and scrabbling backward. It was another rainbow pony! She was going to /die/! She breaks for the door, stumbling over and noisily destroying several pieces of furniture in the process.

Virtue and Harvest Moon pause in place at the scream and turn to see ponies running to or from the warehouses

Jaxler walks into the room after Friesden. "Friesden... are you okay?"

Friesden runs up to Fauchard and grabs onto one of his legs.

Fauchard hugs the little pony, he'd heard the fighting too and surmised what she had seen. "Friesden, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-the ponies are dead!"

Fauchard hugs the filly and rubs her back with his hoof. "Shh. shh. It's okay, you're going to be fine now." he whispers to her.

Friesden is trembling in terror and unhappiness.

After a splash of cold water begins to wash the crimson stains from her copper fur on her face, Sarissa's reflection on the incident was interrupted when her ears are hit by a shout of fear. Eyes widen in shock as she cancels the clean-up operation and heads off towards the source. Another attack? Had those mutants sent reinforcements?

Just as Glaive finishes telling Wool to perform the autopsy, he hears the scream and rushes out of the hospital to look around.

The figure withdraws into the shadows again. Well this was just /grand/. She'd bring the militia down on them for sure. They needed to move. Now. But, in her condition...

Hickory stumbles out into the open, terror plastered all over her face. "A darkbolt! There's a darkbolt in there! And... and somepony else!" she shouts, stumbling again and diving behind the nearest militia pony

Sarissa ran to the side of the warehouse, scanning the area for any sign of those weird-looking faux ponies. She overhears Hickory's words. "Another darkbolt?!" She almost trips over herself trying to get inside.

Glaive hurries lagging behind Sarissa, but trying to keep up.

Jaxler was saddened by what he had done to the foal and his unwillingness to lie. "Friesden... are you okay... please tell me."

Sarissa gives a quck look over to Glaive, reassured about his presence.

Virtue and Harvest Moon trot back to the unfolding chaos. More screams? No... please no more violence...

As Glaive reaches Sarissa he asks her quietly, "Did you see any of those that fought run in here? If they haven't hurt anypony yet, we need to give them a chance to surrender."

"Surrender? Oh yeah, I'll give them a chance to surrender alright," she whispers in turn. She then begins shouting, "Come on out mutant! If you show yourself now, I may be kind enough not to split your skull in half!"

Glaive curses Sarissa just loud enough for her to hear it before shouting, "Rainbows. Drop your weapons and come out slowly, and you will not be harmed. You have my word."

A voice calls out from within. "I rather like my skull in one piece, thank-you!"

Sarissa sighs internally. We have to show this low-life that we mean business... She draws her weapon, "Ah ha! So you ARE in there! Come before us, slowly..."

"Not a chance, sweetheart!"

"Forgive my comrade's harsh words Rainbow, she is a brute, but I swear to you by all our gods that you will not be harmed if you surrender."

"The others... I hear no fighting. They are all dead, aren't they?"

Sarissa lowers her eyelids at Glaive's description of her, but groans and lowers her weapon in compliance. She would keep a sharp eye out, though, and was ready to raise the ax again at a moments notice.

"Yes they are," Glaive admits.

"You showed them no mercy. Why should I expect different?"

"It's not like they asked for mercy; they threatened our lady!" Sarissa hissed.

Glaive cuts his eyes to Sarissa. "We are ponies sir, not monsters, they were killed in battle, they were not executed. I promise you that if you surrender you will not share their fate. And if it can be said that you harmed none of us then our Lady will let you go free... but if you do not, you will have the full weight of the military of Dawnpick crushing down upon you."

There is another sound from within. A groan of pain. This one is not the speaker, it sounds femnine.

"You got that right!" the copper unicorn grins

Virtue reaches the warehouse, fear replacing the sadness on her face for a moment. "What... what's going on?"

Sarissa pricks her ears at the familiar voice, but keeps facing the inside of the warehouse, "My Lady! We've captured more mutants!"

Glaive speaks but doesn't take his eyes off the entrance. "Milady, there are at least two surviving Rainbows, one Darkbolt male and the other I think is female." He adds, "I have given them a chance to surrender, but if they don't come out soon, I'll go in after them."

Virtue grimaces at the thought and turns to look inside. "Um... h-hello? Who are you? You... you can come out, we won't hurt you... I promise..."

There is conversation from inside. Nopony can make out the words, but a third voice is heard, also female, and much younger.

Sarissa chuckles to herself and licks her lips.

"You... I remember you. You are the lady of this town?" the voice calls from the warehouse.

Virtue nods, as if the listeners could hear her. "Yes, that's right. Baroness Virtue Cookales. I promise you... we're not going to hurt you. Please..." She can see movement in the doorway. A figure makes his way up nearthe doorway, ducking behind crates and furniture. He stops a few meters away.

Sarissa whispers, "I say we demand them to throw their weapons out here first."

Glaive whispers back, "Do we even know they have weapons?"

"Can't take the chance," she answers. The brown mare complies with Virtue's sign.

The figure asks Virtue, "...you have a doctor?"

She makes a small motion for Sarissa and Glaive to back away. "Yes, we have a wonderful doctor. Are you hurt?" She motions for them to join her outside.

Glaive does as his Baroness commands and backs away several feet.

"...My wife... she cannot walk out..." the pony says back to Virtue.

Virtue looks back to everypony. "Somepony... somepony go get Panacea... or Wool. Just get somepony..." she says to the small crowd behind her.

"They could be faking it..." Sarissa mutters

Virtue takes a nervous step inside while she waits for Panacea to come. "It's going to be alright. Panacea is a wonderful doctor." She stops just a few steps inside. "She'll be here in a moment."

Glaive nods, failing to notice Virtue enter the building, "Milady, Sarissa is not wrong. They could just want a hostage. We can't send in Wool or Panacea alone." He hesitates, "I volunteer."

Sarissa grins. "Let me come too! Can't take any chances if they decide to spring for you."

Virtue hesitates at their requests, unsure how that might destroy the diplomacy. She doesn't deny the request.

Panacea arrives and pushes her way through the crowd. "What's going on? Somepony else is hurt?"

There is a loud metallic *click* and Virtue has a weapon trained on her from behind a stack of barrels. "Right there. Not another step. And nopony else, either."

Sarissa widened her eyes to the size of saucers, baring her teeth and brandishing her axe. "SEE!"

Virtue freezes and her eyes go wide. "I-I-It's okay... th-the doctor is here... can she come in?" she manages after a moment.

"...her only. Just the two of you."

Sarissa doesn't move, but shouts in anger, "So help me, if you so much as split a hair on her head, I will rip out your spleen and cram it down your windpipe!"

"And for Luna's sake, not her!" the obscured pony insists.

Panacea gives Glaive and Sarissa a frightened look before stepping carefully inside. "Who's hurt? Where are they?" she questions in a worried voice.

"Doctor?"

“That's me..." She pauses. "Doctor Panacea... can I come take a look?"

Sarissa's body trembles with rage and adrenaline, nervously spinning Elegy with her teeth as she tries to think of some way to strike the enemy without anypony else being harmed.

Glaive grips his axe tightly, 'Shit' he waits for the darkbolt to be distracted, 'any minute now...shit Panacea's going in now? This situation is degenerating fast. Need to do something'

"Coward...coward!" Sarissa shouts.

The pony moves down the line of crates, placing himself out of sight from the doorway, and steps out fully before Virtue and Panacea. He is a large, imposing darkbolt with a deep crimson coat and unkempt black mane, with a well trimmed beard. His bright, emerald green eyes study them both head to toe. He grips a strange, foreign-looking weapon clenched in his jaws.

"A-are you hurt?" Panacea asks.

"...No. My wife has been shot. She's in the back. Follow me, slowly."

She nods and does as he asks. Virtue dithers in place, unsure of what she should do.

Glaive keeps a close eye on the armed pony, he judges the distance between him and the Baroness, 'if he points that thing at her...Yes, I have just enough space. That's what I'll do, hope Sarissa can respond fast enough.'

'Apparently he wants a wound to match hers', Sarissa thinks in response.

He leads Panacea into the back of the warehouse, behind a hastily-constructed barricade where she finds two pegasi huddled together in the corner. The elder of the two has a bone bolt protruding from her abdomen, pinning her wing to her side.

Worry flickers across Panacea's face as she sees the wound. "Oh..." She steps closer and takes a better look. It looked like it missed her spleen, with any luck. This was still probably going to require surgery. "It's going to be alright," she says, giving the two a small smile. "But we've got to get you to the hospital. I can't work in here."

"...How far is that from here?"

"It's just down the road... not far."

Sarissa begins frothing at the mouth and growling.

The stallion is silent for a moment, weighing his options. Slowly, he turns his gaze to Virtue. "...They are unarmed... neither of them has so much as swung a blade in their lives... If... if I lay down my arms here, now... they will be unharmed?"

Sarissa focuses her eyes. Yes, yes. Lay down your arms. That's right...

"You have my word," Virtue assures.

The stallion does not move. "Look at me. Look me in the eyes and swear to me that my family will be alright."
She does as instructed and looks him squarely in the eyes. "I swear upon my life they won't be harmed, and that your wife will be fine."

Slowly, he lowers his head, resting the weapon on the ground, before giving it a good shove with his forehoof, sending it sliding across the floor to Virtue.

Virtue smiles and says, "Thank you, I assure you you're making the right choice." She reaches down and picks the weapon up in her mouth.

"I trust you, lady Virtue. Please don't betray that trust."

Something inside of Sarissa snaps. The guy is unarmed. The time to act is NOW! The brown mare charges inside, a war cry issuing from her mouth, "It's a good thing My Lady only specified that your family will be alright, because I can't say the same for YOU!" She gets ready to strike with her ax.

He rolls out of the way, managing to avoid the blade of Sarissa's axe, but taking the full force of her charge. They tangle together and fall in a heap.

Glaive charges after Sarissa, "Buck!" He tries to keep up with her but with his bad leg she's the faster.

Virtue stares in absolute horror. No.. No! NO!

Glaive reaches the scene and tries to grab Sarissa with his magic, with his legs, with his mouth. "NO!" He desperately tries to keep the two ponies from killing each other.

The telekinetic assault on her motion trips her up, causing to her miss with her initial swing and barrel headlong into the intruder with her body, knocking both to the ground.

"Stop it..." Virtue mutters under her breath, barely audible through the weapon in her mouth. Terror grows on her face.

"There has been too much death already!" Shouts Glaive trying to pull Sarissa away from the unarmed pony.

The darkbolt draws his hindlegs in, trying to buck the mare off of him.

Sarissa tries to grip the stranger, "What are you DOING Glaive?! You should be helping me if anything!"

Glaive doesn't relax his grip on her. "What the buck are you doing? He surrendered, it's over."
[
Trying to wrap her forelegs around the darkbolt's neck with a chokehold, she yells back to Glaive, "He threatened our Lady!"

Virtue's face distorts in fury. She drops the weapon and scowls at everypony present. "Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!" she screams at the three. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" she adds, stamping her forehooves into the ground furiously as her face grows even more enraged.

Sarissa pauses and turns to look at the gray Earth Pony, but doesn't relax her grip, "But...but...My Lady..."

Glaive grips Sarissa's forelegs with his magic trying to pull them away from the prisoner's neck.

The darkbolt manages to squeeze one hoof, then the other between Sarissa's forelegs and slowly tries to pry them apart.

The combined effort frees the pony from Sarissa's grasp. Glaive tries to make use of that momentum, such as it is, to throw Sarissa to the space behind him.

Virtue bares her teeth and scowls harder at the fighting ponies. "I SAID STOP IT! THAT'S ENOUGH!" she screams again, stamping her hooves against the floor with all of her weight. One hoof lands on the trigger mechanism of the weapon, discharging it. The bullet tears through the air before tearing through Sarissa's rear leg.

Sarissa throws her head back, mouth gaping in agony, "Son of a MOTHER!" The copper unicorn writhes on the floor, gripping the injured leg with her front hooves.

A shriek of terror follows the shot. "DADDY?!" The younger pegasus bolts out form the barricade, rushing to her father, heedless of the militiaponies gathered around.

Virtue leaps back at the violent discharge, and in an instant the pent up rage of two years of stress drains away to be replaced with fear again. She... she'd just hurt Sarissa! What about Glaive? Or the rainbows?

Glaive stands over Sarissa, "You deserved that." he tosses her weapon away with his magic. "Some pony get the guard and take her away."

The darkbolt rolls to his hooves, sore and bruised, but otherwise unharmed. "Mari, stay behind me!"

"What?! Nng! What hit me?!" Sarissa groans, trying to stop the blood with her front hooves.

Panacea cowers next to the pegasi, scared out of her mind after such a loud sound following the fighting

Glaive looks up to her. "Panacea. Sarissa is hurt. Can't have her bleeding out before we decide what to about her actions just now. Can you take care of her?"

After a moment Panacea rallies and shakily returns to her hooves. She steps over to see Sarissa bleeding badly from her leg. "T-Take her to the hospital... and somepony help me get this one there too," she says, motioning back to the wounded pegasus.

Sarissa's mind starts going through what has happened, but it's too much information to process right now. She'll have to wait and think this over in the hospital, "Somepony...take Elegy back to my room...please..."

Slowly, the stallion relaxes, his daughter still cowering behind him. After another glance to assure himself that nopony else will attack them, he turns and pulls her close, hugging her tightly.

After the adrenaline and rage begin to leave her, Sarissa begins to realize the depth of the situation, "Lock him up in his box too please..." Her eyes begin to sadden.

Glaive steps over Sarissa toward Virtue, "I'll see that it gets there, Sarissa." He bows before the Baroness, "I'm sorry about all this, is there anything else I can do to help?"

Virtue stands motionless. She suddenly felt violently ill, but she manages to keep her lunch down through some miracle. As Glaive addresses her, she nods slowly. "P-Please... make sure his wife gets to the hospital... n-nopony else gets hurt. Please... promise me..."

"As you wish milady." Glaive levitates his shield and both his and Sarissa's weapons to himself. "I shall protect them all with my life."

Sarissa manages to get to her feet, but limps badly.

Virtue steps forward on unsteady hooves. She raises a trembling hoof toward the darkbolt and looks at him with teary eyes. "I... I'm so sorry... y-your wife is going to be fine..." She pauses and sniffles. "W-We should go speak in private..."

He looks down at her, his daughter still clinging to him. "...Thank you."

122 Aftermath Part Three

Virtue leads her two guests inside her office and gestures for them to take a seat across from her at her desk. She sits heavily and fights for words for a moment before saying, "...I... I want to apologize again... you... you just don't know how sorry I am for this..."

The stallion takes his seat across from Virtue, while the little mare pulls her chair close and sits leaning against her father. "I don't believe what happened in there was any fault of yours, milady."

The extremely stressed expression on her face eases ever so slightly at the words. That was... unexpected, but she'd take whatever she could get at this point. "...then I'd like to apologize on Sarissa's behalf... she... she was... she was just trying to protect me..." She hoped, anyway.

"I... thank you. I don't believe I've properly introduced myself." He reaches his hoof out across the desk. "Gregor Spreadstyled. This is my daughter, Marilee."

She is a bit surprised at the friendly gesture, but decides to snap up the opportunity to help repair the damage, no matter how minor those repairs might be. She reaches out and takes his hoof, trying to give him a warm expression but surely failing at it. "A pleasure. I suppose you already know me..." A pleasure? Well, she didn't know what else to say.

"Aye, I've heard a little of you. Dawnpick has been on the maps for a little while, and new settlements are always potentially lucrative ventures."

And look what that had gotten the traders who were alive yesterday. "I... I suppose so. We've traded a fair bit over the years, especially when we were still growing quickly." Wait... "...but I suppose you've lost a lot more than just bits here... nothing can replace their lives..."

"Oh? No ma'am, as tragic as their deaths were, these ponies were not my employees. I did not come here to trade."

That was a relief. Well, it didn't ease her nerves too much. They were still dead, but at least she didn't have worry so much about the consequences right this moment. "Oh... I see... were you just traveling with them then?"

"Aye ma'am. It wouldn't have been safe for us to travel alone, and drawing on company assets for a personal trip didn't sit well with my wife, so we chose to follow the caravan."

Virtue
"I could understand that," she replies. All of it. Clearly traveling alone was dangerous, something they's just proven in spades. "Where are you from? Were you traveling far away?"

"We come from Laceabbey, one of the western provinces. We were travelling down this way to visit my son, in another settlement near here."

"Laceabby? That is a fair ways away." She extrapolates which direction they were heading and fails to guess where their destination might be. "You were heading to visit your son? I must admit I can't think of any large settlements nearby. Nowhere that the caravans would stop at normally anyway."

Gregor's expression darkens. "I had feared as much. That Shadowglaze bloke claimed he knew where Glitterglen was, but more and more I began to doubt him..."

"Glitterglen?" Now, that did ring a bell. "I... have heard of it. I thought it was a penal colony of some sort..." Her eyes widen as she realizes that she'd just accused their son of being a prisoner, although possibly not wrongly.

"I am well aware of what sort of place it is, and why my son was sent there. I stand by his actions... though a part of me still thinks him a fool for going to that city..."

She nods and hopes to deflect the poor choice of wording on her part. "Ah... yes, I'm sorry..." She tries to picture the map of the area in her head. "...but you were headed in the right direction. Glitterglen is a two week journey from here... I believe..."

"You know the way? That's a piece of good news. Thank you. Though, as I'm sure you're aware, it may be a while before we can depart."

"It was on one of the maps the liaison brought last year..." she replies, fishing through a pile next to her. She retrieves the map and sets it on the desk. "...I... suppose I understand your concerns. Even if I could spare the ponies to escort you to Glitterglen I understand that you wouldn't feel comfortable about it..."

"Oh no, no, it isn't anything like that. I would hate to put any of your ponies at undue risk."

She nods, thankful that he didn't seem offended the thought anyway. "I suppose you'd prefer to wait for the next rainbow coalition caravan... or for your own people to come for you? I'll do whatever I can to make sure your stay here is as comfortable as possible in the meantime..."

"I appreciate your hospitality. Though, I somewhat doubt you will be recieving another Rainbow caravan any time soon..."

She quirks an eyebrow. "Well, it would be another year... I would think..." Wait a second... was he saying...

Gregor ponders for a moment. "...Say. Seeing as the Shadowglazes won't be doing business with you anytime soon... might I be able to interest you in a deal?"

"A deal...?" She maintains the inquisitive expression. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, Dawnpick is an up-and-coming settlement, and a prosperous one at that. If I could get a letter back home to my elder daughters, perhaps we could work out a contract that would be profitable for both of us."

Virtue considers the offer for a second. If it would remotely help their relations with the other rainbows... specifically those harmed today, she'd accept. She was still a bit surprised he trusted them after what just happened, though. "Of course... I... I suppose normally we'd send such correspondance with the caravan. But I'm sure we could find a way. There are aways things we need... and I'd do anything to help repair relations at this point..."

"Repair relations? With the Shadowglaze family? That will be incredibly difficult, I think."
"I... was afraid of that. I take it you have no relations to them... and I'm at a loss on what to do..."

"I am not sure what to tell you. I never had much experience with the family until this trip, to be honest. I don't know how they might react."

She lowers her head slightly. "I see... I don't even know who to speak to about it. Or what to say." She lets out a small pained sigh. "But... I suppose if you don't know them then can't I ask anything of you. Not that I'm in much of a position to anyway."

"Believe me, milady. If there were anything I could tell you that would be of use, I would do so without hesitation."

"Thank you... there may be little I can do about the caravan at this point... but at least you and your family are alright." She forms a tiny smile. "Your wife will be okay. Panacea is an amazing doctor."

Gregor smiles at this. "Thank you, that eases my mind greatly."

She considered for a moment offering to go see his wife, but Panacea was probably still busy tending to her. Best not to interrupt that. Then she notices the young mare clinging to Gregor has nodded off to sleep, and another idea strikes her. She makes a small motion toward her and says, "It... it's been a stresful day for all of us. Perhaps we should go see about finding someplace for you to stay while you're here? We have a few unoccupied rooms you're welcome to." And she'd pass word to Partisan to assure that nopony bothered them.

Gregor looks down at his daughter. "Aye, I believe some of us could use the rest." He gently nuzzles her awake. "Come on Mari, let's get you into bed."

Virtue stands weakly and leads the two outside. "They're right this way. Sorry, but they're on the third floor..."

Author's Note

If you want to know more about Glitterglen, either bug Khenel about finishing his transcription here or read the origional thread here. Very much worth the read.

124

The day following the deaths of the Rainbow traders, Glaive makes his way to the town keep, intending to speak with the Lady Virtue. Glaive pauses for a moment to collect his thoughts outside her office, before raising his left hoof and knocking on the door.

The door opens after a moment, but instead of Virtue being behind it, Glaive sees Harvest Moon. The pegasus looks him over briefly. “Glaive? What is it?”

Glaive is surprised for a moment but quickly recollects himself. “Hello Harvest, I would like to speak with Lady Virtue if she’s available.”

He looks behind himself for a moment, and there is a hushed phrase spoken. Harvest Moon nods and opens the door, motioning for Glaive to enter. “I... I’ll leave you two,” he says, starting up the stairs away from the office. Virtue doesn’t look up from her desk

Glaive enters the room and closes the door behind him. He moves to a seat across from Virtue. “Milady, permission to speak freely?”

She looks up after a moment, revealing an extremely tired face. Her mane falls across her face briefly before she tucks it behind her ear. She blinks heavily and replies, “Of course. What is it?”

Glaive keeps his eyes on her, “While I am, admittedly, fuzzy on the details, the events of yesterday make it clear to me, that we are not as insignificant as we might have once thought ourselves. I don’t know if the diplomate was poisoned or if it was a coincidence, but I suspect it was truly the former. Perhaps I’m being paranoid, but I think that somepony wanted to start a war. Does this match with what you know?”

She looks at him silently for a while, most of the emotion drained from her features. “I don’t know. I don’t think anypony here would want to do that, but at this point I think I’d believe anything.” She looks down briefly. “Do you think it was the Rainbows? Or... somepony here?”

Glaive shakes his head, “I don’t know, but if I was Partisan, I’d be working night and day to find out. Still either one is possible. But that is only second to my real reason for coming here today.” Glaive hesitates before he continues, “I’m not convinced that the threat is truly gone milady. If I was that somepony trying to start a war, and if there was any doubt left in my mind that one would come, after the massacre, then, I know what I would do. I..I would try to kill you and make it look like the surviving darkbolt did it. That way both sides would have a reason to fight. I fear you may be in danger.”

The lifelessness in her eyes vanishes in a moment to be replaced with fear. She sits up a bit and fights to think of something to say. “You... you do?” That made sense... it really did. She really, really hoped he was wrong... but it was hard to fault the logic. She felt sick again, and she could feel her heart beating faster in her chest.

Glaive quickly adds, “I must stress that I could very well be wrong. There are numerous other possibilities. He could have had a natural heart attack, or the poisoner could be a bigot in Dawnpick with a grudge against the Rainbows with no desire to hurt you, or the pony behind it all could be laying in the crypt right now, but it is a possibility, and I think you should consider forming a guard for yourself, and your family. Just in case.”

Stiletto had offered just such a thing to her not long ago, but the mare had left with Glyph over a month ago. Not to mention she knew that accepting Stiletto’s offer would have gone over very, very poorly with a number of ponies in Dawnpick, especially Indigo. But now... now she may well be in serious danger. She trusted everypony in the militia, and she trusted Glaive’s judgment here.

With some effort she calms her breathing and and nods slowly. “I... I never thought I’d see the day that I’d need such a thing...” She thinks over the rest of her family for a moment. If she had to give her life to save everypony in Dawnpick she’d do it, but if anypony hurt her family... “I hope you’re wrong Glaive... I really do... but if you’re not...” She hangs her head and places her face in her hooves. “I don’t know what to do... maybe... one or two ponies from the militia or guard...”

As Virtue finishes Glaive interjects. “Two ponies working alternating shifts should be sufficient. But, I would ask that you are very careful with who you choose, you should offer the position only to those ponies you trust the most...” Glaive thinks back to the events of yesterday, specifically to Sarissa and the darkbolt, “And to those that you can trust to keep a cool head in a bad situation.”

She looks up from her hooves and studies the stallion in front of her. He had been one of the most devoted militia ponies in the fort. At the very least Sienna and Falcata owed their lives to him. Probably more. She rests her eyes on the shield hanging from his side and the idea begins to cement in her head. That shield had been earned. He might not want the job... maybe he was just concerned for her... but she trusted her life with him. “Glaive... would... would you be willing to watch over my family?”

Glaive looks down at the ground. This is what he had been hoping for, but why did he suddenly feel hesitation? He took several moments to clear his head before he looked up at her again. “I...I will do it if I am the one you would choose. I can stand by your side in your meetings, and watch over you and your family during the day, and I can and will protect you and them with my life, but if...if a battle were to come to Dawnpick, I don’t know if I could stay here safe with you while the militia was out there fighting and dying to protect us, but I can try milady, if that is your will.”

She imagines that maybe a small smile formed on her face, but it was probably something closer to relief. “Glaive... I trust you at least as much as everypony else in the militia and guard. I know how devoted you are... to save Sienna when you don’t even have any relation to her.” She looks at the shield again and reassures herself that he was the best pick. “I trust them all, of course, but I know you’d do an excellent job. I trust you completely. Knowing you were watching out for me... for Harvest Moon and our children... I could rest easier...”

Glaive stands up out of his chair and bends his knee before the Baroness, he moves his most valued possession the Touch of Leaves before him, standing it in front of him, balanced with one hoof, the sigils placed upon it facing outwards toward the baroness. Glaive, his eyes closed, begins to speak his oath to her, "I hereby swear to you, Lady Virtue, in the name of Keepersearches and of Lord Kashez the Great Teacher, that I will serve you until the end of my days, or until you dismiss me from your service. From this day on my life is yours and I shall follow your commands above any, save for the gods themselves, and defend you and your house until my last breath. This I do so swear to you."

Her eyes widen slightly as Glaive recites his oath. She wasn’t anything remotely approaching comfortable with somepony swearing to protect her with their life, although when she thought about it that was precisely what she’d asked him to do. She was beginning to have mixed feelings on the matter, but she brushes them aside, confident that Glaive was an excellent soldier, and somepony she did trust completely. “I... uh... you may rise now...” she directs to the kneeling unicorn.

Glaive rises and places his shield back onto his back, and takes his seat once more. “I am honored that you choose me, Lady Virtue, but I am still only mortal, if you wish a 24 hour guard, we will need to choose at least one more pony. Did you have anypony in mind?”

That was an excellent question. She really did trust everypony in the militia. Sarissa was clearly devoted to her... maybe even rabidly so. But as Glaive had mentioned, she wasn’t one to keep her head cool when it was needed. “Do you think Falcata would be willing to help you? She’s already proven herself so much...” Although that made her hate to ask more of the pegasus. Not that she’d still have the same militia duties with this, but it was more responsibilities she might not want. Not to mention the scheduling...

Glaive frowns, “I...I’m sure she would accept the position if offered, and she certainly deserves it, but if I may make one selfish request. Please do not offer her the job. She is my wife, and if we were your only two guards then, well we would never be off at the same time. I ask you, for my family’s sake, please don’t offer her the job, because if you do, I don’t think she would turn it down. I feel terrible asking this, but anypony else, please, just not her.”

That made a lot of sense, and she realizes how terrible of an idea it was. “Oh, yes... sorry, I hadn’t even considered that. I trust her as much as I do you, but I suppose that would be a very difficult position to put you two in.” She sighs and looks aside. “I’m not sure who else to pick... you work with the militia every day. Do you have any recommendations?”

Glaive thinks for a long time, ‘Sarissa? No she’s bucking crazy. Kat? No. Glyph? Gods no, but he left anyway. Ponies in the militia I would pick first are the Captains, or Falcata and they are out. Jaxler? Maybe, but he’s a bit unstable, still better than some of the others. Rondel? Too inexperienced. Fuscina? Not a bad choice, but an earthpony, no magic, no wings, big disadvantages against certain foes. I guess it’ll have to be either...’

Glaive looks up, “I’d have to pick either Storm Cloud or Kris. Storm’s been in the guard a long time and as far as I know he’s never caused any trouble. I don’t know him personally, but if you think he’s an acceptable choice, I wouldn’t have a problem working with him. Additionally, I might have some magic abilities but I can’t deal with an enemy that is flying out of melee range, a pegasus like Storm can. However, Kris, she, she is one of the most incredible fighters here, and she’s got magic too, and I know I’d trust her to have my back in a fight. Still I’m not sure if I’d want to take her away from the front lines, I think she belongs there more than as a guard, but really either of them would be a good choice.”

They were both good suggestions. She’d never heard anything bad about either. Storm Cloud was the mayor... he’d have to give that up, but maybe it was time for somepony else to be mayor anyway. Kris being a unicorn was a useful thing though... “Those are both good suggestions, I believe both would give their all. I think I’ll have to consider it... but if you think that Kris would be better suited in the militia then I think perhaps Storm Cloud is the better choice.” She raises a hoof to her chin as she thinks.

“I... I think Storm Cloud would be the best choice.” She tries to adjust her mane to get it out of her face and back into some semblance of a presentable manner. “Would you go get him for me? I’d like to ask him about the option... he may not want it, but it’s his if he does.”

Glaive stands and says, “As you wish milady.” before taking his leave to find the guard pony.

Virtue slumps back into her chair and tries to process the conversation that had just unfolded. So many things had happened today and yesterday that she never thought she’d live to see... unjustified slaughter of so many innocents... accusations of murder... having a weapon placed in her face... injuring Sarissa... and now, now she had a personal guard.

She covers her eyes with her hooves again. Maybe she really did need it. Things were probably going to get worse before they got any better. She could only hope that they did finally get better. At least with Glaive and Storm Cloud watching out for her and her family... she might be spared watching her children die at least.

125

It is early evening of the day of Glaive’s talk with Lady Virtue. Storm Cloud is taking the first night shift and Glaive is returning to his home. A smile on his face and eager to tell his wife the good news. It is later than usual when Glaive reaches the door. “Fal, I’m home” he says as he walks inside.

Having just put the foals to bed, Falcata has just been dozing off herself, sprawled out on a chair, when Glaive strides inside. Jerking awake, she smiles wanly at the unicorn, yawning and stretching as she does so. "Hi, Glaive," she mumbles, rubbing her eyes. "Where have you been, then?"

Glaive closes the door quietly as not to wake the foals and smiles to Falcata and dives straight into what he couldn’t wait to tell her, “I had a talk with Lady Virtue this afternoon. She has decided to form a private guard for herself. She chose me first.”

Falcata sits up straight at the news, surprised. "She did? You were? Did you accept? And who else is part of this guard?" she queries, launching a barrage of questions.

Glaive nods, “Yes, I accepted. She asked me for recommendations for the other position, and from those she picked Storm Cloud. He’s giving up being mayor in order to take the job."

She frowns, pride in her husband turning itself quickly into puzzlement. Either she's not following his meaning, or...
"...other position? But surely she will need a twenty-four hour guard? What's the point if- unless-"
Her frown becomes even more severe, but she gives him a chance to speak, unwilling to jump to any conclusions.

“Yes, other position.” Glaive frowns, “There are only the two of us in it for now. We’ll have to be working alternating 12-hour shifts, for awhile.”

"Twelve hours?!" she exclaims, keeping her voice low. "For a while? Glaive, I hate to burst your bubble, but you have two young foals now! Where are you going to find the time for this? Or have you ascended beyond the need for sleep now?" She doesn't need this, not now. First the rainbow ponies, now this.

“It...it won’t be a permanent situation. If she decides to keep the guard as a permanent feature, then I’ll convince her to allow me to expand it. For now there are only two members, but that won’t be the case forever. And for now even if I work for 12 and sleep for 8 then that still leaves 4 hours a day to spend with you and Balisong, and Falchion.”

"You forgot about eating, as well. And fine, leave all that to one side, and assume I were okay with it, for talk's sake. Why didn't you consult me about this beforehoof? Do I not have any say in this?" she presses on, wearily. Yesterday's events have left her feeling frazzled at best, and now Glaive has gone and done this. "I'd urge you to go back and tell Virtue you've had a change of heart, but if I know you, you've probably already signed an official contract or something, hmm?"

“I didn’t sign anything exactly...but as a matter of honor, I can’t back out now, even if I wanted to. I’m sorry, you’re right in that I should have talked to you first, as this decision affects you and the foals as much as me, but what is done, is done, and I am at her service until she no longer wishes me to be.”

Falcata sighs heavily, thinking. "Look...I know you say it's only for a while, but for my sake, will you at least raise the issue with Virtue and try to increase the guard number?" She finishes, but then appends something with a humourless smirk.
"By the way, I'll just ask her myself if you don't, dear. By the sounds of it she had other potential candidates, as well."

Glaive nods, “Okay, okay. From talking to her, she doesn’t seem totally comfortable with having a guard at all, that’s why I didn’t push for more members yet. But if you want, I can try and talk to her about it tomorrow.”

The pegasus raises a hoof to her chin, turning something over in her mind. She decides to ask the question, interested to see if her husband would be at all hypocritical.
"Glaive...what if I told you that I intended to volunteer for one of the additional positions?" she asks him, gazing at him and trying to gauge his reaction.

Glaive steps closer to Falcata and places his left forehoof on her side a vaguely pleading expression across his face. “Please...Please don’t. In the militia together, we always both had the night off, so we could always see each other after work. But in this position, somepony has to be there at all hours, and unless we have several more members, than that would mean us working different shifts. We...we’d almost never be together, one of us would always be either sleeping or at work. Please don’t volunteer.”

"Now imagine you'd asked me the same question before you went and signed half of every day away!" she snaps, though she doesn't pull away from him. "Do you see what I mean? It's not nice, is it, Glaive?"
Before he can answer, she forges on, posing her real suggestion to him.
"Would you - that is, if Virtue were okay with it - split your duties with me, even if just until additional guards get appointed? I don't want little Balisong or Falchion missing too much of their father, Glaive. Virtue might not want the guard roster expanded too soon, and this way the foals don't have to miss their father for more than a hooffull of hours each day."

Glaive looks down at the floor. “I, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking about that. I just...I’ll talk to her about more guards tomorrow. You have my word. She, she would be more than fine with you helping out too. You were,” Glaive hesitates before continuing on. “you were her first pick for the second slot, she only didn’t offer it to you only because I asked her not to.” Glaive looks back up at his wife. “I’ll see that something is done as soon as possible. Virtue is a good mare, she will be understanding.”

"Yes, she is. Nopony could run this place better. If anyone can pull us out of this rainbow pony mess, she can. I just hope it's within the capabilities of one pony, or else- or else we are all in trouble." agrees Falcata, putting her forehoof over Glaive's. "Still, at least we will be in trouble together," she murmurs, giving him a tired smile.

Glaive smiles, “and there is nopony I’d rather face it with than you, Falcata.”
"Mmm," she hums, pensive. She looks to the two foals, lying curled up together in their cot, both fast asleep. "What do you think they'll grow up to be, Glaive?"

“Mmm, well, the military is in their blood. Mother, father, and grandfather all with military backgrounds. If one or both grow up to want to be a soldier, that’s just fine with me.” Glaive thinks about situation with the Rainbow ponies before adding. “I just hope that they get a choice in that matter.”

"The war would have to drag on for years for that..." murmurs Falcata, looking a bit perturbed by the thought of it. She's never seen the feral, barbaric badger ponies as anything more than particularly advanced and malicious animals, but fighting the rainbow ponies would be something else entirely. She's not sure she'll be able to handle it the first time, let alone for years of protracted warfare. "Do you- do you really think it could last that long?"

Glaive holds Falcata close to his side. “I really hope not. But, if a war does start, there is no telling how long it would last.”
"Assuming we are not wiped out within weeks," she says, a despondent tone to her voice. "There is an entire nation of them, and a scant five score and ten of us."

“That is assuming that the King doesn’t support us. We have a nation behind us too, dear. If King Golud supports us then by declaring war on Dawnpick, the Rainbows declare war on all of The Meandering Gloss. If that happens then, well the fighting will be more widespread, but we won’t have to face the whole Rainbow army alone.”

"But what if he doesn't, Glaive? What if Coupledye doesn't want war, what if they don't care about one little mining village, far from the shining spires and high walls of the capital? What if nopony comes to our aid?" Falcata says with trepidation, her gaze urgent. Her fears are spilling out now, but she's not sure even Glaive, of all ponies, can assuage them.

Glaive looks into the crib watching his foals sleep peacefully, unaware of the difficult future they might yet face. “Then we do the only thing we can Fal. We fight. We fight to protect our home, and our Lady Virtue, and...our family. I’ve said it before Fal, together we can do anything, even fight the whole damned Rainbow army if we must. Let them try and come, Dawnpick will not fall."

Falcata nuzzles him gently. His rousing words lift her spirits and calm her fears, and she is more grateful than ever for having married him. "I hope to the gods you're right, Glaive. I really do."

126

Two days after the merchant slaughter. Fauchard goes to visit Lady Virtue’s office alone. He sees his son there standing guard by the door, his first full day in his new position. Glaive stands looking professional, he asks Fauchard about his business and then opens the door a crack. “Lady Virtue. Fauchard would like to speak with you. Should I let him in?”

“Yes, send him in,” she responds. She puts aside the stock records she’d been updating, trying to account for everything left by the rainbows in the slaughter. Things she would try to return to the caravan owners later if she ever got a chance.

The door opens all the way and Fauchard steps inside. Glaive stays in the hall and closes the door. “Lady Virtue.” Fauchard bows awaiting her to begin the conversation.

She smiles at him in turn and waits for him to return his eyes to hers. “Hello, Mr. Fauchard. How can I help you?” she asks, trying to imagine for herself what it might be.

Fauchard speaks, “I have two things I would like to discuss with you Baroness. One involves the whole of Dawnpick, and the other is a personal matter, that involves myself and another of this town.”

Virtue fights to keep her expression straight at the mention that he wanted to discuss something related to the whole of Dawnpick. She didn’t need more bad news right now... she really, really, really didn’t. But perhaps it wasn’t fair to assume everypony was only going to come to her with bad news. She clears her throat and asks, “Alright. What is it?”

Fauchard rises and looks Virtue in the eyes. “First, I would like to talk about the Rainbow situation. I...have experience in the arts of war, and I would just like to offer my expertise to you. I have a few suggestions I would make, if you will hear them.”

So, it was about that. At least it wasn’t worse news about the entire situation. She suppresses the hint of a frown that wanted to edge onto her face, and replies, “O-Of course. I... I must admit I’m still at a bit of a loss over the entire situation. Any advice... anything at all, would be most appreciated.”

Fauchard dives into his advice. “Well firstly, I would say that you have done very well in defending this town so far. I would not desire to be the commanding officer of the force trying to siege this place. That said, I do see a few weaknesses. Firstly, when the dragon came it was able to get inside because the gate was already open. From what I see that is the usual state of it. Where I the Rainbow commander, I would probably try to send some ponies to ambush the gate and destroy the mechanism to raise it before sending in my main force. You should consider keeping it closed whenever possible and keep an armed watch nearby it if it must be left open.”

She nods judiciously. That was a good suggestion... and something that should have been pretty obvious. Maybe she hadn’t completely failed on the defenses, but the gate was undeniably a weak point. “It... was a hassle when we were first setting up the mine to keep the gate open. With Flux’s traps in place we had never had anything actually make it inside... but the dragon was a bit of a wake-up call there.” She thinks for a moment. “Keeping it closed would be a much better option... perhaps we should try to find some way to bridge the mines inside the walls...”

“Hmm, well I’m hardly a mining engineer milady, but perhaps if the outside mine entrance was collapsed we could make a new tunnel inside the walls? That would be a risk if the enemy came to know of it, but if it could be sealed in an emergency, perhaps. My second suggestion was to have some kind of early warning system in place. In most towns a bell, usually manned by a member of the militia or guard would be rung to signal all the civilians of imminent danger, allowing them to know to go wherever they are supposed to go during an attack.”

“That would make sense...” she trails off, trying to imagine the best place to set up such a thing. “So far, we’ve been more or less hiding in the dining hall’s cellar whenever trouble shows up. We don’t have a particularly good method of alerting everypony though... mostly just running around and shouting.” She thinks a moment more. “We could set up a bell of some sort at the dining hall itself perhaps... or the central dorms. Or maybe something magical...”

“Well whichever, we do should work fine, so long as everypony knows about it. But I have one final suggestion. The prison cells are downstairs correct? Would it be possible to expand the basement of the keep so that in case of attack civilians could hide inside it? It is the most fortified building, and the best place for a final stand if that was ever necessary. Preferably with a stockpile of food and drink...and weapons, just in case.”

Also not a bad idea. To be perfectly honest she didn’t like the idea of anypony having to go near the jail, but if it came down to needing someplace to hide, it probably was one of the better places. Expanding it and fortifying it further... not a bad idea. It was close to the food and drink already, which meant it should be easy to expand. “I believe that’s a good idea... yes.” She sighs. “I suppose this would be a good time to finish setting up the crenelations on the keep’s roof too. I’ve been... putting it off for other things... didn’t think we’d ever need to really defend the keep...”

“Unfortunately it is possible that we may need it sooner than we would like. There is one other thing I would like to discuss lady, if you will, but it is of a slightly personal matter.

She couldn’t imagine what that would be about, but she gives him a reassuring smile. Well, the best she could manage with the way she felt. “Of course... if you feel comfortable discussing it?”

“I would like to first ask, about the filly Friesden. I don’t know if I fully understand the situation, but she is without parents, yes?”

That was a bit of a sore topic. She’d mostly managed to forget about that horrible night by now, but seeing the filly reminded her of it sometimes... “I... I’m not really sure, if I’m perfectly honest.” Which made her feel worse, come to think of it. She knew Glyph had left Dawnpick, but hadn’t followed through to ensure Friesden was with somepony... “She had been staying with Glyph, but he left with Stiletto around a month ago. I... I assumed she was staying with Kat... but I’m not sure...”

“Yes, she has been staying with Kat, whom she calls Scary-Lady, for a while, but she has been visiting my home an increasing amount and...well she reminds me of the daughter I lost, which was only made stronger when yesterday, she called me “Dad.” I would, if it is possible, like to adopt Friesden, to make her officially my foal.” Fauchard looks Virtue in the eyes, his expression hopeful.

She’s taken by surprise by that. “Oh... if that’s what you want, then... yes, I’d like to help you there. Very much.” By what about Friesden? Did she really call Kat Scary-Lady? “She’s still a minor... but does she want this too?”

Fauchard nods, “I think she does yes. When...when she saw the bodies at the Depot two days ago, she came running to me, and she hugged onto me and cried till she fell asleep. When she woke...she called me Dad, for the first time. I haven’t asked her about my adopting her, but I didn’t even know if that would be possible yet. If you want to speak with her first. I can fetch her for you, or...”

“Hmm...” she raises a hoof to her chin. Technically it wasn’t even Friesden’s decision. All she had to do was sign off on a piece of paper and it was done. But the poor filly had been through enough. She wanted to make certain that she’d be happy. “Maybe it would be for the best? I’m more than happy to help make that happen, but I do think it would be best to have her opinion.”

Fauchard nods, “I understand. Would you like for me to go bring her here?”

She nods. “Yes, if you don’t mind?”

Fauchard stands, “Not at all,” and exits the door behind him.
_____________________________________

Several minutes later, Fauchard returns to Virtue’s office with Friesden. After Glaive let’s them in Fauchard turns to the Baroness. “I have brought her as you asked, would you like me to wait outside?”

She thinks for a moment. Perhaps that was for the best. “Yes, for just a minute, please.”

Fauchard takes his leave, leaving the filly and the baroness alone in her office.

Friesden sits there nervously, not really knowing why Mrs Virtue wanted to see her. She didn’t speak, waiting for her to start talking.

Virtue smiles at her, trying to give her a calming expression. “Hello Friesden. I’ve got something I wanted to ask you...” She makes sure that Fauchard is out of the office before continuing. “Do you like Mr. Fauchard?”

“Uh-huh,” Friesden said. “Da-Um. Mister Fauchard is really nice and tells me all the best stories...And...And he makes the nightmares go away.”

She nods. “That’s good to hear. He came to me a little while ago and asked me about you, but I want to ask you too. He wants you to come live with him. Would you like to do that?”

“Uh-huh!” nodded Friesden enthusiastically. “That’d be nice!”

Her smile widens a bit. “Good, I’m glad to hear that!” She looks at her a bit more intently. “Now... he asked me something else too. He... wants to be your dad. If you’d like that... I can make that happen.”

Friesden couldn’t help herself. She started jumping up and down in excitement. “Really? Really? Can you? Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with bunnies on top?”

She nods enthusiastically and grins a bit. Seeing the filly so excited was doing wonders for her depression. “I certainly can. Hold on just a moment and I’ll do just that.” She goes to let Fauchard in, giving him a big smile as she motions for him to return with her. As she returns to her desk, she sifts through a few forms stored in a nearby cabinet and places it on the desk. “All I have to do is sign off here.” She places her signature on the paper and turns it to Fauchard. “And you too, if you agree to adopt her?” she says with a smile.

Fauchard a wide smile across his face, grabs for a quill with his magic, “Of course, I do.” and he signs his name in the appropriate spot, before passing the form back to Virtue.

Friesden continues jumping up and down, before jumping onto Fauchard and giving him a big hug after he signs. “Thank you Dad!” she says, happiness in her voice.

Virtue gives a small grin to them both and tucks the paper away. “Alright then, it’s done! Mr. Fauchard is officially your daddy now.”

Fauchard returns the hug Friesden, no his daughter, was giving him. “Thank you Virtue. You have done a truely good thing for us today?” He looks down at his daughter, “We should go tell your big brother Glaive, and sister Falcata the good news. What do you think?”

“Uh-huh!” says Friesden with a nod. “That sounds good, dad!”

Fauchard stands, “Thank you again Lady Virtue” and the two ponies head out the door.

Glaive makes a mental note to himself to see about making the baroness’s office more sound proof but that was second to the current situation, his father had adopted Friesden, and he couldn’t be happier about that. As Fauchard and Friesden walk out door they see Glaive waiting he smiles at them. “Hello Father, sister. Your meeting with Virtue went well?”

“Uh-huh! Fauchard’s my dad now!” says Friesden in happiness, almost bouncing up and down in her sheer joy.

Glaive smiles. “That is wonderful news, Friesden. I am happy to be able to call you sister. You should go and tell Falcata, she’ll be happy to hear the good news.”

“Uh-huh!” says Friesden happily. “We’ll see you later, big brother!” She jumps up and gives him a big hug first.

127: Jaxler's Crossbow

Flux was nervous. It's not really unusual for him to be so, but he felt extra nervous this time. He had talked with the bowyer, they said they would be able to repair Jaxler's bow. They also said it'd cost a small fortune. They did, however, say they would accept the piccolo in trade. He walked towards Jaxler's apartment, still trying to figure out what he'd say as he raises a hoof to knock.

"Who's there?" comes Jaxler’s voice.

"Um... It's me, Flux. Can, uh, I come in?"

Jaxler opens his door "Aye flux." Flux smiles at his friend as he enters, looking around for his crossbow. "So, um, how are you doing, Jaxler?"

Jaxler takes a seat on his bed and thinks for a moment. "Pretty good considering that I actually woke up in my bed today"

"That's a good thing, ya?" Jaxler shrugs.

So... I, uh, wanted to ask about your, um, crossbow." Flux shuffles his hooves. "Have you... tried to get it repaired?"

"I have tried getting it repaired... but I honestly don't have anywhere near enough bits to get it fixed"

"Um... I, uh, talked with the boyer about it. Um... part of a caravan. If you want it repaired... he'll do it."

"If I were to get it repaired I'd need to talk to more than just a bowyer."

"Ya... he said he'd have to, um, outsource a fair bit of the work, but... if you want it repaired, you can."

"Well, regardless I doubt this bowyer knows what my crossbow used to be like before it got into it's current state."

"Well... maybe we should go talk to him and see?"

Jaxler shrugs. "Might as well"

Flux smiles in relief at his friend. "Alright!" Jaxler looks under his bed and brings out his crossbow. "So can you lead the way to this bowyer?"
Flux nods happily and holds the door for Jaxler. He leads Jaxler to the trade depot and to a unicorn with a bushy mustache. The Unicorn perks up, recognizing Flux. "Ah, you've returned! This must be the crossbow you were talking about."

Jaxler walks up the the bowyer and shows him his decrepit weapon. The unicorn nods at Jaxler. "Ah, you must be the gentlecolt Flux here was talking about. Jaxler, right? May I levitate your crossbow for a moment? I'd like to get a feel for the old gal, if you don't mind?"

"Go ahead"

"Thank you kindly. My name's Drawstring, by the by." He levitates the crossbow and gives it the once-over, checking the string and action, the draw and stock. He gives a low whistle as he examines it. "She was a beauty in her prime, wasn't she? Looks like a lot of bits fell off the poor girl over the years, despite the care you've taken."

He levitates it back to Jaxler, satisfied. "I'd be happy to repair your crossbow, though it'll take several days."

"How much is this gonna cost me?"

Drawstring smiles. "Nothing, your friend here already has it covered."

"Okay... then..." Jaxler pauses for a moment before realizing something important. "Before you work on my crossbow you should know that it's stained brown. The wood it's made out of is blood thorn."

The unicorn nods. "Yep, figured that. The heft wasn't right for oak, pine or any of the more conventional woods. Makes her handle like an extension of your hoof, though, don't it? You want it stained brown again?"

"Yes, but before I make this deal with you I need to talk to Flux, in private."

"Of course, of course." Drawstring turns back to his wagon, muttering to himself as he begins to choose tools to get to work if Jaxler agrees. Flux follows Jaxler a few steps away to talk with him, hoping Jaxler isn't upset.

Jaxler sighs. "How much is this going to cost you?"

“Um... just a trade..." Flux scuffs a hoof in the dirt, trying to avoid the question.
"What did you trade?"

Flux mumbles something, still not looking at Jaxler.

"What. Did. You. Trade."

"...my piccolo..."
Jaxler pauses for a second, speechless.

"Damn...you... why did you do this?"

"Um... because you're my friend... and your crossbow means a lot to you..."

Jaxler looks a bit confused, still trying to process what’s happening. "um... thanks"

Flux gives Jaxler a small smile. "So... um, are you... going to let him repair your, uh, crossbow?"

"Ug... oh, yes but I need to specify some things first."

“Um, ok?"

Jaxler walks up to Drawstring. "Before I let you fix my crossbow I want you to tell me exactly what you plan to do to it first."

"I'll be replacing the draw and mechanism to start. Steel is the typical choice, but doesn't look like what she originally had: Only rust from iron on her. She probably had Silver to start with? I'll be magically repairing the stock, it's mostly superficial damage and shouldn't be too difficult. Looks like she had some studs or maybe gems as well, so I'll see about replacing those, too. Oh, and I'll leave the inscription on her, looks important."

"The original draw and mechanism were platinum, and it did have gems encrusted into it, and if your going to replace the gems use black opal. Also, don't mind the studs, I doubt you have the original metal."

"Platinum, eh? What was it studded with, originally? More platinum?"

"No... and I actually know that you don't have the original metal"

"Well now my curiosity is piqued, good stallion. Would you be willing to tell me what the metal was? You'd be surprised what metals I have squirreled away."

"I'd tell you what it was, but those whom obtain such an evil metal are often prone to ill-fate"

"A certain blue and legendary material? Well, if so, the lack shouldn't throw off her balance hardly at all. I might put a few extra black opal to get her right. The platinum draw and mechanism cut into my profits a bit, but a deal is a deal, and I'll still come out ahead. So, shall I get to work?"

"Don't mess with the spots where the studs used to be, and if you’re willing to do that then we have deal."

Drawstring shrugs at Jaxler's odd condition, but big commissions like this tend to have odd requests. "If that's what you want, that's what you'll get." He holds out his hoof to finalize the agreement with a shake.

Jaxler shakes Drawstrings hoof, agreeing. He then gives Drawstring his crossbow. "Also, if this weapon is harmed in anyway when you give it back to me, I... won't... be... happy..."

He smiles. "Should take just a few days, pretty sure that Lustre has some black opals around somewhere. No worries, my fine stallion. I've been doing this for a long time. You'll have your crossbow back in prime condition, I guarantee it!"

"Good." After replying, Jaxler walkes back over to Flux. "Flux, I need to talk with you some more."

Flux looks slightly confused, but doesn't refuse. "Uh, ok?"

"I... if you did this because you feel like you owe me something then you should go call off the deal."

Flux thinks for a few moments, then shakes his head. "I did it because... I think you need your crossbow, Jaxler. It means a lot to you."

"Okay... So, I need to know something, how good are you at smelting?"

“Um... alright, I guess? I don't hold a candle to Cinders, but I'm not too bad. Um, why?"

"If, we're going to get this crossbow repaired, I'm going to need something. I have the raw material but I'd need a furnace operator like yourself to refine it"

"Alright? What do you need smelted?"

"I'll tell you in a less 'public' place than this, like my apartment."

"Uh... alright. If you say so, Jaxler."

Jaxler and Flux make their way back to his apartment. After Jaxler enters the room, he grabs two keys; one hidden under his bed and the other hidden inside his journal. He then walks over to his coffer (which bears two key locks and a combination lock) and unlocks it. "This coffer has some things in it from before I came to Dawnpick."

Flux raises an eyebrow at the security Jaxler has on this particular coffer, but says nothing.
Jaxler starts pulling out random oddities from his coffer and puts them on the floor next to him. He takes out numerous daggers, a long chain chain made of gold, a long spiral horn, and many other strange items before he pulls out a wooden box with another lock on it.

Flux looks at the various things curiously, hoping he's wrong about where the horn might be from. Jaxler also grabs a set of lock picks and starts picking the locked box. "I threw away this Box's key a while ago. This could take a while so if you have any questions about the various items on the ground feel free to ask."

Flux gently prods the horn. "Um... this one?"

"It's a relic from my grandfather's service during the pegasus/alicorn wars"

Flux retreats from the horn like it tried to bite him.

"Grandfather never told me exactly what happened but that horn probably had something to do with him losing his wings and getting paralyzed below the waist."

Flux has no real answer for that, so says nothing. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Jaxler finally picks the box open and pulls out another smaller granite box. Jaxler then takes out of the box a clear glass jug filled with little cyan metallic strands. "Flux, guess how much the contents of this jug is worth."

Flux gapes at the strands, knowing exactly what they are. "Sweet Celestia..."

"What you set your eyes upon at right now is truly the most unholy metal in known existence. This metal is the work of wars. To bring just a single bar of this god-forsaken element from the depths of fire cost an uncountable number of lives . This blue abomination is a true demon. Now Flux, guess how much this jug is worth"

"... a lot? I... more than all of Dawnpick?"

Jaxler laughed and added "Now guess how much my crossbow used to be worth."

"...Even more?"

"Yep now, guess who's supposed to melt these metal strands down."

"Um... me? Are you sure you wouldn't rather Cinders do that? He's a lot better than I am. I've only heard theories about how to work with adamantine."

"Why would I trust Cinders with something like this? I don't even know the pony."

Flux is speechless for a few moments. Eventually, he finds his voice again. "And... um... after I m-make a wafer from the strands?"

“I'll need somepony to make it into studs for my crossbow"

"Studs? Um... I think I could cast those?"

"Good." Jaxler starts putting the jug back into it box. "If you don't mind I'm gonna hold on to these till I get my crossbow back. It's safer with me." Jaxler moved over and started putting all his oddities back into the coffer except for the gold chain.

"Um... ya. I'll need to get a, uh, special crucible for it also. I don't want to lose any of... that by sticking to the sides."

"If you need to buy one then I'd be happy to pay for it."

"I'll ask Glaze. I don't think he'll charge if I tell him it's for the smelter."

"That's good... man, these next couple days are gonna be so weird without my crossbow"

"Um... you're gonna be alright?"

“Yeah, I still got my brass horseshoes and this chain as weapons. It's just kinda strange, not carrying around my crossbow everywhere I go. The last time I went more than a day without my crossbow was when I was in the hospital, but even then I was unconscious for half the time."

“Well, um... just think about how nice it'll be after it gets fixed up?"

"I will, and thanks"

"Any time, Jaxler. Um, you're my friend. I like to see my friends happy."

Flux smiles at Jaxler, who returns with his own slight smile.

128: Jaxler's Crossbow Part 2

Flux heads towards Jaxler's apartment, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. The custom crucible was no problem, and he had managed to take a mold of a stud that the armorers use. Drawstring had finished with Jaxler's crossbow, and just in time, too. Their caravan was waiting on Flux to pick it up so they could go. He'd miss the piccolo... but Jaxler needed his crossbow more than Flux needed the piccolo. With the bag of studs and the crossbow in his saddlebags, Flux knocks on Jaxler's door.

Jaxler yelled from inside his room, "WHO'S THERE?"

Flux jump a bit at his yell, but answer.
"Um... It's Flux. Can I come in?"

Jaxler had until recently been in bed resting, but upon realizing that Flux was outside he was filled with excitement. He got up out of bed instantly and completely ignored his splitting head ache. But, before walking up to the door Jaxler grabbed a dagger out from under his pillow. "You made sure you weren't followed here, correct?"

Flux looks around, seeing nopony paying attention to him.
"Uh... yes? Er, no? Um... nopony followed me, I mean."

"Good," Jaxler then opened up the door, but still had his dagger out. "Come on in."

Flux quirks an eyebrow at the dagger, but follows Jaxler inside anyway, closing the door behind him.
"Um... they finished with your crossbow, and I, uh... have the studs, also."

Jaxler closes his door and sighs. "Good, then i guess that means we can get my crossbow back to it's original condition..." Jaxler then walked over to his cabinet and laid the rusty barbed dagger on it. "So... I Guess I should reattach those studs."

Flux nods and sets his saddlebags on the table as well, carefully pulling out Jaxler's refurbished crossbow. It really was a thing of wonder, and Drawstring had done a wonderful job restoring it. Platinum draw and mechanism, making it very wear resistant. Encrusted with black opal to distract any foe, and balance the weapon. He also pull out the unassuming bag, containing the adamantine studs.

Jaxler stood there awestruck to see his crossbow completely repaired. The old crossbow looked like something out of a dream. It looked exactly like it did when he first found it (but without the studs). "It... It... It looks almost exactly like it did... 28 years ago..."

Flux smiles at Jaxler, and shakes a few studs from the bag. He then steps back a little, giving him some room to reunite with his old friend.

Jaxler stood there a few moments before walking up to the table and picking up his weapon. For the first time in years he wasn't inspecting it for damage but was inspecting the quality of his most prized and for a while his only possession. He pulled back the string, looked over each inch of the weapon and sighed with nostalgia when he was done. "T-thank you... thank you... thank you..."

129: Exploratory Planning

The monthly meeting of squad captains with Virtue was boring as always, but these meetings were necessary to coordinate the military. They talked about supplies first; Halberd updated the stocks of armour and weapons, and Partisan asked for more bolts. After that they gave reports of training progress, injuries, anything dangerous that the patrols spotted and any fights since the last meeting. When they are done, Virtue asks "Is there anything else, you want to talk about?" Everypony is bored and just wants to go back to their duties, but Indigo rises a hoof. "I know it sounds crazy, but I think, we should we should explore the caverns."

Halberd snorts and gives Indigo a scornful look. "What for? There are at least five of those monsters down there. If you want to go, be my guest, but don't expect me to send anypony from the militia down there without a very good reason."

Naginata nods. "Falcata nearly died last time one of those things got out. We don't have any reason to go down there and give them another chance."

Partisan raises an eyebrow. "And besides, if we've got the top cavern layer sealed off nicely with the trap system."

Virtue sighs mentally. It sounded as if it was going to be another one of those days. Maybe this wouldn't devolve into a bickering argument between Halberd and Indigo. Neither pony seemed to be too keen on giving up on their positions. "I agree... heading into the caverns is very dangerous. Why would we want to do that?"

"Yes, I know it is dangerous, and we have the airlock. That's why I said, it is crazy, but the militia handled the caverns, when we had less training and worse equipment. I think we should be able to make it without losses. As to why, there are multiple reasons:

We can kill any dangerous things around that are left. This will show those beasts that we are not afraid of them, and may make them think twice before trying to molest us in the future. A military success on this scale will make civilians feel safer and raise morale. It did a while ago.

Unicorns can put magical alarms in the explored sections, so next time something comes too close to the mines, we will at least have an idea where is it, and how dangerous it is.

Finally there are resources in the caverns; gems, ores, spider silk, as well as some kind of plants. If we can find enough choke points to wall of a large section of a cavern, and maybe put some traps in the way of underground monsters, we will have safe access to those resources. Last time we needed spider silk, it ended in a small expedition." answers Indigo.

The captains look at each other questioningly. Virtue breaks the awkward silence by saying, "That... is true. I still shudder to think what would have happened, if we didn't manage to get that silk... but it is still a significant risk."

Halberd grunts and turns his gaze to Indigo. "Alright, suppose we do decide to go down there to gather more rare supplies. What happens when somepony gets killed? It still seems too dangerous to be worth the gain."

Naginata frowns. "Last time we tried to breach the caverns, one of the miners and Falcata nearly died. We'd need a better approach this time. Gathering more silk might be worthwhile, and there is a lot of gold down there, from what I hear..."

"Well, I've talked to some Rainbow Ponies about it a few years back and they told me, that the deeper you go, the more dangerous it is. The risk is indeed significant, therefore if we are going to do this at all, we should focus on the cavern closest to the surface." Indigo frowns "I believe two squads of soldiers can handle those monsters without losses."

Partisan nods. "We've already got the trap set up there, so we could probably kill any monsters safely there. The guard and I could either guard the entrance after that or just watch the surface if it's all clear."

Halberd cuts his eyes to Partisan. "Leaving the militia to actually fight the creatures down there? I'd rather have crossbow support in the caverns. If we're doing this, you're coming in with us." He looks to Indigo. "And what about you? This is your idea, want to put your own flank in trouble?"

Indigo rises his brow. "Oh? You've seen us training, and told we are not ready for battle, to put it politely. Even if you give us better equipment, anything dangerous to your squad will kill the reservists. Besides, if you all go down there, some ponies still have to guard the surface. I believe my squad is ready to handle whatever thieves manage to get through the traps. Anyway, if I may make a suggestion, I recommend that Captain Naginata's squad lead the expedition."

Naginata turns her head and gives him a surprised expression. "Why us?"

"Because you command Stiletto, and she is ridiculously dangerous. Besides, I mentioned the magical alarms, and her magic is very strong. I'm sure, she can learn the spell quickly." says Indigo.

Halberd gives him a small chuckle and an icy look. "You're not being all that subtle about trying to get her killed, you know."

"WHAT?! No! Even suggesting this... Look, I said I wanted her exiled, not dead. And even if I did, she isn't going there alone, and I certainly wouldn't be willing to sacrifice other ponies, just to be rid of her. Besides, while I disrespect her as a fellow pony and despise her debauchery, I'm still willing to stand with her against any outside threats. And stop this silly witch hunt already! Do I have to explain to you, how loyalty works?" She will be out of sight for a while and walling off the caverns may slow down the construction of her mansion, but to actually gamble her life against other ponies, would be insane. Killing ponies to protect them is not what this is about. Just when I consider her to be more of an asset than a liability and want to put that big horn of hers to some use, he accuses me of planning a murder... just after he suggested sending the reservists on the front lines against monsters.

"Sure," Halberd responds before giving him an indignant snort.

"Me against my brother. Me and my brother against my cousin. Me and my family against my clan. Me and my clan against my nation. Me and my nation against outsiders. And whatever allies I can get against monsters." explains Indigo.

Halberd glowers at him. "I'm not here to listen to riddles. What does that mean? You trying to pick a fight with somepony here?"

"No, it means that while I have some disagreements with a lot of ponies, I'm willing to put them aside, if need be and expect the same." says Indigo, frowning and looking at Halberd.

The glower softens a bit as he leans back in his chair. "You'll quickly find that combat erases any trivial differences you think you might have with somepony..."

Virtue frowns and interrupts the brewing fight by saying, "Please... let's stay on the topic. Let's talk a bit more about what the goals are and how we're going to go about doing this..." At least Indigo seemed to be willing to move past this whole fiasco. The sooner it was behind all of them, the better.

"Right, right," Naginata replies. Stiletto's lifestyle didn't set with her perfectly either, but she wasn't about to throw the mare into a situation needlessly endangering her life. She was a fine soldier and deserved respect for that if nothing else. "Perhaps we should ask the other soldiers about this? If it's going to be a somewhat unnecessary risk, they should at least get a say in the matter."

Halberd nods. "I doubt any of them would turn it down, but we may as well." He looks to each other pony in the room. "But while we're still being hypothetical, we may as well iron out the details before we drag them into it..."

"Not just the soldiers, I'm sure Chic, Diamond Shard, Mortar, Amor, Fauchard and maybe a few others will have things to say. And of course the final decision is Halberd's." Nods Indigo.

Indigo is mostly silent for the rest of the conversation. Virtue is relieved that she managed to quell an argument for once and that it looked like Indigo was going to put his vendetta against Stiletto behind them. The captains discuss the details. They are going to do this, but decide to tell their soldiers first.

The plan turns out as follows: Partisan's squad gets steel bolts. Reservists are mobilised, armed and armoured and defend the surface. All 3 squads of military meet at the airlock and move together, scouting the first level of the caverns quickly, killing things, mapping the area and placing magical alarms. When they are done, there will be another meeting over a map to decide what to do next. Walling off a section of the caverns is a possibility, but will require a camp in the caverns (a couple beds set as barracks, a couple more set as dormitory, a few chairs and tables, some food and drink, maybe a bolt stockpile, a burrow). For maximum efficiency miners would have to dig up stones on the spot, masons build walls section by section, and at least one squad defend them at all times.

130

Jaxler was walking to the hospital. He had to check up on somepony that he really didn't like, but he felt accountable for being unable to keep that pony from getting hurt. So once he entered the hospital he looked around and found who he was looking for. "Aye Kat!"

Kat wasn't having a good day at all... One, some rainbow pony pointed a crossbow at her baroness's face 2 days ago. Two, She didn't get to stay to fight til the end. Three, She knows full well Virtue's messed-up after that mentally...
"Aye Kat!" Four...
Oh today isn't going to be a good day...
Kat groans quietly in her bed, still not looking well. "Morning Jaxler..." she greets back, turning only her face to see him, not wanting to sit up from her bed or anything like that.

Jaxler was relived that Kat didn't seem too messed up from the encounter.
"Kat, Are you okay?"

"Well, I won't be dying yet hopefully. Wing's still not moving and Panacea still wanting me to stay in hospital and my hoof is starting to get nastily infected... But otherwise I guess I'm fine." Kat answered as she shows him her bandaged wing and hoof. "Heh, feel silly to be the only pony on our side that got hurt."

"Please, don't feel bad about it. I was the one who couldn't shoot fast enough to keep you from getting a broken hoof and a mangled wing."

Kat give him a little 'it's okay' smile. "Hey, at least you were fast enough to keep me from getting my head bashed in and turn my brain into some mushy mush mush."

"Yeah, and I spend years using my crossbow and the moment I see a Subordin... Pony getting attacked I fail to shoot fast enough to keep them from getting a mangled wing and broken hoof."

"I'm just glad you shot at all. we wouldn't be talking here today if you didn't shoot right?"

"Yeah, and we could be talking somewhere other then here in a hospital if I would have been a better markspony."

Kat face-hoofed a little from her resting position..
"Right.. is there anything in particular you need from me or want to talk to me about that brings you here Jaxler?"

"I wanted to know if you would still be able to fly after your wing heals."

Kat let out a smile, giving him signs that it's going to be pretty good. "Yeah, Panacea says I'll be just fine. I think I was pretty lucky that was a Hammerpony not an Axepony. Or worse.. Still though, The Armor didn't really help against the Hammer at all.. I'm Lucky i didn't have any broken ribs or something."

"Good... also can you please promise me that the next time you get in a fight you won't end up dead. I'm not a guard anymore so I won't be able to save you if you get another crushed wing."

"Heh, never thought you'd still be worried about me Jaxler. That's.. nice." Kat said, scooting herself against her pillow a little to get herself up just a bit. "Alright, I'll see about not dying in the next fight. But I expect to see you there as well with your crossbow loaded and plenty of ammo. Alright?"

"Sorry, but if by saving I you was breaking the law by being a vigilante, I should probably avoid fighting."

"You save ponies's lives by fighting Jaxler. I think that's worth breaking a few laws for. Don't you think so?"

"It is... but I hope you realize that to save your life I had to end another. I personally hate the idea of playing god and deciding who's life is more valuable, and will try to avoid being in a situation where I have to chose."

"Heh, I thought you don't believe in them. But I understand what you're saying, A mare's got to fight for her own life right? Can't always expect to be saved over and over again."

"Gods ether don't exist or are so cruel that they don't deserve our praise and attention, and I sure as hell hate those who would dare wish to aspire to such a demon... But I already was forced to chose and I chose that a pony from Dawnpick was valuable then one who's not, when I promised to protect the ponies of Dawnpick with my life. So, feel free to expect me to save you over and over again."

"Didn't you just say you would try to avoid being in a situation like that anyway?"

"I'll avoid fighting... but when I said I'd protect this fort I made this fort and its citizens problems my own. So, I won't be able to avoid fighting if Dawnpick is fighting. I'll have to fight. So I guess I'll just need avoid getting in anymore verbal contracts."

"Yeah.. That sounds like a good idea. You do that."

"Yeeeaahhh... So, how long til' your allowed to walk around again?"

Kat taps a hoof at her chin for a little moment.. "Hmm... Not sure myself.. Panacea says she couldn't tell when she'll let me go just yet. I feel fine though!.. well.. except for the infected hoof..."

"Well, I hope you get out soon. I should probably go head off to meeting hall. I kinda put off drinking so I could come here."

"Hehe, that must be something. Thanks Jaxler, You go have a good time drinking alright? I'll just be here resting."

"See you later Kat" Jaxler then made his way for the door.

131: Excalibunny!

Friesden waits before the legendary craftspony, preparing for her the legendary weapon to defeat the bad ponies. She has quested five months for the material required. Five weeks she has fought against horrible monsters from the depths. Five days she has stayed in prayer to Lady Kat and Lord Kashez. Now, she is worthy of the weapon to be made for her. She continues to wait.

Eyeing her adoptive sister with a slight bit of concern, Falcata returns her gaze to the large stick lying on a table before her. Friesden has been insistent that she forge a (wooden) sword of unimaginable quality for her to be a brave and valiant warrior, and has just now brought her this oversized twig to work with. Falcata isn’t too sure that many epic swords were ever made out of wood, but she wasn’t going to put a dampener on the young pegasus’ dreams. Besides, she’s learned a thing or two about working with timber while crafting that harp, and she’s fairly certain she can apply some of that knowledge here. Fairly certain.

Decisively, she picks the stick up in both hooves, holding a knife in her mouth. She runs the knife down the rough edge of the wood, scraping some of the bark off. Hopefully, this looks more impressive to Friesden than it actually is, she thinks.

The legendary craftspony continues to hammer the hot metal, forging it into a strong, flat blade, and Friesden marvels at the craftsponyship of the craftspony. Truly, this craftspony is blessed by Lord Kashez, the Teacher, and truly, this magnificent weapon would be a mighty ally for her quest against evil. She continues to watch the mighty forging.

That looks a bit like a sword? I think. Regarding her own work, Falcata tries to appraise its quality. The wooden lump lying in front of her is long, somewhat flat and thin, which are points in its favour. Points against it, though, are the crookedness of what was meant to be the blade and its utter lack of smoothness. Now, instead of looking like a bare branch from a tree, it looks like a mutilated bare branch from a tree.
Sighing, the pegasus goes to work with the knife again, hacking away with renewed vigour. She’d get this thing looking like a proper weapon for Friesden, somehow.

Friesden watches in awe as the legendary craftspony reforges the blade, heating the metal and hammering it out again. The skill the craftspony shows here is far more than her own skill with a sword, and is clearly the result of a lifetime of experience in the art. Friesden continues to watch in reverence.

With finer methods having little effect, Falcata finds herself in a pinch. The object in front of her is now recognisably a sword, complete with hilt and handle. She hasn’t decorated it yet, though, because the blade is still bent at an angle which, to her, looks very silly indeed. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t whittle, shape, craft nor in any way coax the thing into straightening out, and she decides it’s time to try some less tactical methods. Wedging the sword’s handle between the table and the wall of the workshop, Falcata pulls back on the blade, hoping to remove the ugly bend through simply yanking the wood straight.

Friesden watches the craftspony’s strength, giving up on her tools and pulling the sword blade into shape. Even at her strongest, she was never that strong. Perhaps this is Lord Kashez’ message. Telling her not to shun those who were not warriors, for they were strong too. She resolves with all her heart to protect those who were not fighters, to protect the weak against the evil strong. Never to lie, cheat, or steal. Never to harm a mare nor a foal. And never to let the thoughts of gain lead her into evil. She swears this, even as the mighty craftspony works the metal, and thinking of that, calls it her Iron Code. The Iron Code of Friesbunny the Guard.

After what seemed like an eternity of tugging and wrenching, Falcata backs off, staring critically at her nemesis. The sword has somewhat straightened out, but a small bend persists. Still, if she pulls at it any more she feels she’s likely to snap the thing, and that would probably upset Friesden. The pegasus removes the imitation weapon from its wedged position, laying it flat on the table and taking up a smaller, more delicate knife in her mouth. Uh...what should I engrave on it? She glances at little Friesden watching her, and the obvious answer comes to her. Oh. The knife descends into the wood, the beginnings of the first bunny image beginning to form.

Friesden continues to observe the craftspony’s skill. Now she is inscribing sigils of power into the mighty weapon. She watches in rapt awe as her symbol was marked in. The Bunny.

Having finished the umpteenth bunny engraving, Falcata lets the sword rest for the final time on the workbench. It looks quite good, actually. Aside from being ever so slightly slanted to one side, the blade looks just like that of a real sword, albeit made of wood and absolutely covered in crude pictures of rabbits. The hilt is just the right size and shape for a young filly’s mouth to grip, and she’d made the wood there softer for ease of biting. It was complete.
Falcata steps back, gesturing to the fairly average, not-at-all-epic-or-legendary wooden weapon. “Well, it’s done, Friesden. It’s all yours.” she offers, waiting to see her reaction.

Friesden rose, amazement written all over her face, as the legendary craftspony’s work is completed, and she hands Friesden the sword. Friesden lifts up the sword, and knows, in her heart of hearts, that it was all she would ever need now. “Ish amashzing!” she speaks through the hilt. “Ir am hohoured to carry your hoofiwork.” She gives the epic weapon a couple of practice swings.

Falcata smiles, watching Friesden wave the weapon about madly, almost overbalancing on a couple of the more vigorous slashes. “So, um, what are you going to do with it?”

“I ah going to ight evil!” she says, the hilt continuing to obscure her speaking.

Laughing, Falcata ruffles the little filly’s mane. “Yes you are, Friesden. Are you going to give your sword a name? All the legendary weapons in Glaive’s stories have names, remember?”

“Oh!” Friesden puts the sword down and looks at it, thinking. A name to match the legendary quality of the sword...

Looking at the sigils of power, only one name could come to her.

“Excalibunny!”

“Excalib- but that’s a ridi- um, that’s an...excellent name!” replies Falcata, hastily reining in her indignation. Granted, what could she expect, having bedecked the thing in countless pictures of rabbits, but she’d been hoping Friesden would name her hoof-made craftsponyship, the sum of hours of hard work, something less...silly. “So, are you going to show it to anypony?”

Friesden nods. “I’m going to show Dad and Glaive!” She carefully picks up the legendary sword, and looks with determination into the future. Now she is certain.

Crossing the room, Falcata holds the door open for little Friesden. “Shall we go, then?”

Friesden nods, and leads the way outside.

132

Jaxler woke up and had a nasty head ache. He looked around and saw his crossbow and a barrel of empty booze sitting atop his coffer. When Jaxler got up he felt a stinging in his wing and felt an ache in side. Jaxler figured that he probably just got in a flight last night and walked over to his repaired crossbow and picked it up. but then he heard a loud knock come from his door.

"Who's there?"

"Jaxler it's me! Granite! You know Granite? The foal with the green mane! Let me in, I got something important to talk to you about! In private!"

Jaxler slung his crossbow on his back and opened his door. "Hey Granite, what do you need to talk about?"

Granite shakes slightly as he prepares to form the words he is about to say. "Alright Jaxler, I learned about the slaughter at the depot earlier and I need to ask something of you about that... later... Right now I need advice on... girls... specifically... Friesden" Granite looks up at Jaxler. "Please don't laugh..."

"Uh... um..." Jaxler tilts his head as he thinks, "Have you tried asking her out?"

"To what? Name one social gathering we have had in Dawnpick, and honestly, I think she has received a massive amount of mental scaring from those corpses all over the depot, I doubt she could cope after all that, and I really doubt me helping her would be helpful..."

"Think about it, nice considerate Granite walks up and help Friesden in her time of need. Why if I were you I'd pounce on this opportunity. Also, just ask her out to dinner or something. OH, also say you like bunnies before you ask her out."

"Jaxler that is one of the smartest things I have ever heard, but that was my first request. The second, can you train me in the arts of combat?"

Jaxler facial expression went black and Jaxler said coldly "What makes you want to kill?"

"It's not that I want to fight, it's that I want to know how to fight. Take Friesden and if I went on a date with her. If some Rainbow pony attacked us, I could defend myself and Friesden, if you don't train me, I could wind up dead somewhere. Treat this as a sort of insurance for me so that I might die fighting effectively!"

"Well, fine... What do you want to now then? I can teach you the dark Martial art of dirty fighting. I also can teach you how to use a crossbow, chain, or furniture as weapons."

"Teach me about chains and fighting dirty, I've seen what whips have done to people. Not pretty, and when I fight, it will be far from beautiful!"

"Okay, well first lesson is this: don't enter a fight expecting to die, enter it expecting to survive. I really didn't like that comment about dying while fighting effectively."

"Well sorry Jaxler, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!" Granite said sarcastically. "Alright fine, I'll try to live against a relentless foe- I mean my survival will be top priority! Sir!"

"Don't call me sir, and If your going to learn how to use a chain the I need to give you something. Come inside please."

"Understood, Sir!" Granite moves further into Jaxler's abode. "What is it?"

Jaxler walks over to his coffer and pulls out a key from under his wing and another key under the coffer and unlocks the coffer's two key locks. He then spends a minute putting in the combination for the final lock and opens the chest. After rummaging though the chest he pulls out a 12-foot long gold chain. "I know I shouldn't be letting you do this but, how would you feel if I let you barrow this chain for a while?"

"I could look the other way and keep it in secret. How about it?"

"It doesn't need to be a secret. I doubt your parents or the guard will get pissed off. Last I checked Chains where perfectly legal."

"That's good to hear. So how do I use this thing?"

"Granite, Before I even let you touch this thing I need you to understand the value and importance of a weapon. All weapons are evil. No mater how are why they are made. There soul purpose to to kill for there master's sake. Weather or not a weapon be made by a pony, diomedian, diamond dog they are all evil. Their only saving grace is their loyalty. A weapon's soul purpose to to keep you alive at the cost of others. It's a tool of greed and is a selfless minion. The moment I give you this weapon I'm giving you a demon, and an angel. I expect you to treat this weapon with more respect then any other item in the world because This weapon sees you as it's god, and you best not forsake this chain. Now, do you understand?"

"I understand one hundred percent! I'll treat it better than the limbs on my body! I am ready!"

"Also Granite, I believe that I already told you that this weapon belonged to a diomedian. I expect for you to treat that weapon with even more respect than you would for a normal weapon in the memory of the owner who originally wielded it."

"Fine. Know the diomedian's name by any chance?"

"Da' hell am I sposed' to know some random genocidal bastard's name?"

"Well I thought you had some epic duel with him in some old dusty town on the planes with some tumbleweeds tumbling by! Nevermind that, can you please teach me how to wield this thing properly?"

"I was wondering through the burning countryside with a wounded side and a diomedian soldier wondered caught me, I had to use my wings as meat shields. how exactly am I supposed to ask the guy his name during mortal combat? And sure i'll teach you how to use a chain, but first I want to spar with you." Jaxler then walks over to he crossbow and picks it up.

"Ah hey! I see you got your wooden piece of crap of a weapon repaired into a lethal killing machine! And about that sparing thing... COME AT ME BRO!"

"Don't get swingy with a chain in my room. We can fight outside. Also thanks for noticing that I got my crossbow restored back to it's original glory. What would you say if my old piece of crap is now the most valuable item in the city."

"I'd show you this chain made of gold! Alright let's take this outside..." Granite proceeds to turn around and walk out the front door.

Jaxler raises an eyebrow. "FINE, I'd love to see what my repaired crossbow can do." Jaxler then follows after Granite.

"Alrighty then." Granite takes a moment to breathe in the evening air. "So should we walk ten paces in opposite directions and start this or something?"

"Nope, Just try to avoid getting hit." Jaxler then Charged toward Granite as quickly as possible.

"Crap!!!" Granite yelps rolling out of the way while sending out the gold chain less than a meter in front of Jaxler as a lead on his target, hoping Jaxler will have picked up enough momentum to run face first into the chain.

Jaxler sees the chain fly through the air. He doesn't have enough time to dodge and uses his right wing as a shield. When Jaxler finally loses his momentum his wing is bleeding. Jaxler then flings his crossbow down toward Granite.

Granite mustered up all the strength in his legs to jump back almost a full meter away from the butt of the crossbow. He then swung the length of the chain horizontally, starting on Jaxler's left and level with his chest, hopefully ending on Jaxler's right.

Jaxler feels a horrible sting roll through his chest, but shows no signs of pain as he flings his crossbow toward Granite, again.

Granite's mind raced and the world began to slow as he saw the chain bounce off of Jaxler as he charged Granite again, so Granite did the first thing he thought of and took a step to his front-left ending for a fraction of a second next to Jaxler, he then spun in a circle with his chain outstretched, hoping to lash Jaxler in his front legs as he finishes his rotation.

Jaxler is caught off guard by the attack and fails to dodge. When the chain hits Jaxler he collapses and hits the ground face first, and stops moving altogether.

When Granite stops spinning he sees Jaxler down. "Alright Jaxler, you said you teach me about fighting dirty. And you have a 'high pain tolerance' I don't buy it." Granite proceeds to spin the golden chain, readying it for a quick strike in case he gets up to strike again. "I can see you breathing, you know that right? My sister's cat played possum, I checked the cat's well being. I got clawed in the face. Twice. I ain't falling for it."

Granite was making a mistake. The pony he was allowing Jaxler to lay down and think. Granite was faster than he had anticipated. He also had a weapon with a range that was several times longer then his own. He was also able to see though his little trap which meant his time was borrowed. Jaxler looked around him for something that might be able to help him win the fight, there were a few rocks and a long stick within his reach, both of which were inferior weapons. So, Jaxler decided that he needed to get Granite within his range effective range, but the perceptive little pony needed some convincing. So, Jaxler held his breath until he passes out.

"And Jaxler stops breathing..." Granite sighs. What can I use, this chain won't stand a chance against his crossbow in close quarters, maybe I could throw something at him... Granite thought. He looks around and notices a long stick and a few rocks. He proceeds to throw each rock at Jaxler. Noticing it's not very effective, he rests his chain around his neck and picks up the stick. Granite then uses the stick in a manner similar to picking locks to take the crossbow away from Jaxler. Successfully prying the crossbow out of Jaxler's hooves, Granite then kicks it a few meters away from him. Granite then wraps his chain around Jaxler's neck, being mindful to drag him slightly out of reach. He then finds a tree and proceeds to securely chain him up to it. Granite then picks up a rock as a weapon and waits for Jaxler to wake up.

When Jaxler fades back into consciousness he realizes that he's chained to a tree. He then notices that his crossbow is a few feet away, which was surprising. Jaxler still had some tricks up his sleeve, though. Granite was dumb enough to use weapon to restrain Jaxler. Now Granite was practically defenseless, and all Jaxler had to do now was escape. "Granite... W-were's my crossbow."

"Over there." Granite nods at the discarded weapon and then walks up to Jaxler. "Well, I guess this is goodnight!" Granite then bashes Jaxler in the face a good twelve times with his rock until he looses consciousness... "I win Jaxler, sweet dreams..." Granite then goes off to get Panacea.

133

Amor was having a late lunch after concluding her work on blocks, at this time the village held more than enough for any future building projects. At the wooden table she slid a tray off her back and onto the table, cautiously not to spatter her carrot soup and glazed diorite mug filled with water. The dining hall was empty except for few other ponies that had the day off and were finishing their lunch.

The metallic color pony ate and attempted to keep her thoughts from dwelling in the dark parts of her mind. Even I may not be alone in my cursing this place in anger, more than once has Carmine do so during a bad day. Maybe, it is for the best that everypony here wants to defend the Crown’s social project. The mare set there enjoying her food until her ears swept back at the sound of a belligerent Pegasus enter the hall. Amor done her best to avoid Jaxler’s perceptive eyes, she was a decent spy and engaging him in small talk as an alternative to suspiciously evading him. Unfortunately, this day was not going to go as plan and she so happen to be setting to the left of Jaxler’s chair.

Jaxler had just entered the meeting hall with a barrel of the fort’s strongest booze on his back. He had gone through another day of patrols and annoyances and had to help put down a poor little diamond dog and was ready to enjoy the rest of the day. As Jaxler walked over to his favorite seat he saw a familiar looking mare sitting next to his chair. “Aye there Amor.”

Upon hearing the stallion, the mare is unsettled but controls her nerves as she silently slurps on the soup from the bowl held by hooves. Normally there were stoneware eating utensils for Unicorns but even if Amor did not use them, she still was elegant about eating. She places the bowl down and in her soft voice greets the Pegasus. “Hello Jaxler, been enjoying your day?”

“It’s been pretty average” Jaxler rolls the barrel of booze of his back and sits down in his seat. Jaxler then took a sip of booze, laid down his decrepit crossbow down on the table, and started leaning back in his chair. “how’s yours been?”.

Amor was fine until Jaxler placed his crossbow down on the table besides her causing her to jump a bit. The tool was on her list of hates and it was a very short list. The mare recomposes herself to answer. “Each day I work, more Dawnpick is built up and the day that I take my leave draws near.” The Unicorn’s voice held some despair. “Besides working on orders of boring stone blocks, I guess the day could be worse.” The mare’s pronounced with more perk.

Jaxler was surprised to see a pony react in such a way to an unloaded crossbow, but figured he should just ignore it, mainly because he was more interested in what she just said. “what do you mean by ‘the day that I take my leave draws near’, are you leaving Dawnpick or something?”

I must really be slipping. The mare reflected with a sundry of conflicting emotions. “For a decent part of a century I've been a journeying mason, moving from one project to another. Before coming to Dawnpick, I was rebuilding an old road from Coupledye to New Saddle… took three years to complete. Had a hiatus from work and then journeyed outside of the kingdom until I found my way here.” The mare stops to drink down some soup, water and asks deflecting from the whole truth. “What about you?”

“I don’t know you well enough to tell you why I came here.” Jaxler then took a long sip of booze and gave Amor a nasty gaze. “So, what was it like building that road?” said without any sign of emotion in his voice.

Amor was worried about Jaxler’s spiteful gaze and change in attitude, it caught her curiosity and she took another sip of her soup before talking. “It was pitiless toil some days, others a pleasure but after it was done I regret some of the things that I done or didn't. Though saying goodbye to friends was the most difficult part of restructuring that road.” She said with sorrow and pushes her tray away but kept the mug.

Jaxler sighed and dropped his gaze. “Well, we all have regrets.” Jaxler then pointed his hoof at a huge burn scar on his side. “I guess your doing a good thing and not letting them define you.” Jaxler took another sip of booze and gazed down at his crossbow.

Amor drinks down more water as her throat becomes dry and then looks where Jaxler was pointing only to divert her eyes for modesty’s sake. She notes the scar but it causes her no discomfort. “Best not to wear the past as a cutie mark; I imagine my father would say.” She said with less sorrow. “I am curious as to how you found yourself in Dawnpick; this place is extremely out of the way… tell me if this is digging too much in your past.” The Unicorn places her near empty mug on the table and gives the stallion a face full of consideration if it was not her place to ask.

Jaxler shrugged, “sometimes out of the way is a good thing” Jaxler took another sip of booze and added “I learned that a group of migrants were going to some far off town and I decided to come along.” He then laughed a little bit “deciding to come here was probably the best thing I've ever done”.

So he is telling me he just so happen on migrants, candid story that I would desire more interesting. Like him running from the law or a marks-pony soldier who had his unit destroyed but this does well. The mare thought and adds. “Dawnpick is a light upon the dawn that is this rough unyielding night.” Amor said with a smooth voice and finishes the contents of her mug.

Jaxler tilts his head and thinks for a moment. Jaxler really hadn't gotten to thinking about Dawnpick in relative to the rest of the world, But in all his years Jaxler had never seen such a joyful town. In fact most the places he went were downright horrid. “yeah, I guess it is”

Amor dwells on her own words for a moment and finds it best to excuse herself and gets out of the seat. “It has been very pleasant speaking with you again, Jaxler… would not annoy me if we done so again.” The mare courtesies, then places her mug on the tray which she grabs with teeth and makes her leave.

Jaxler was confused as to why Amor would be so formal. All they were doing was sharing a meal. “Please don’t curtsy, it’s not like I’m royalty.”

The Unicorn turned her head and mouthed. “Noted, Jaxler.” The mare returned her awareness to where is was going and continued on.

134

Friesden, the legendary sword Excalibunny in her mouth, hurried to the grand-master warrior’s room. None other than him, the legendary Fauchard, would be able to teach her how to use the equally legendary sword. She would petition him to teach her.

As the eager young student reaches the master’s room, she finds him sitting by his table deep in meditation. Whether the legendary warrior noted her approach or not he gave no sign, but continued to sit in his peaceful silence.

Friesden cautiously approached. To disturb the legendary warrior would surely not aid her in her cause to seek study under him. She crept up, and knelt before him, laying Excalibunny in between, and waited for the pleasure of the great warrior to pay attention to her.

Though Fauchard hid any sign of it, he was very much aware of the foal’s presence, and he suspected what she had come to ask him, and so whether she was aware of it or not, her first test was already begun. Fauchard continued to sit in silence in his meditation. If she truly wanted his knowledge, she would have patience.

Friesden tried to wait. The honorable fighter, the victor of a thousand battles against evil, he was honoring her by allowing her to be in his presence at all. He was most likely contemplating something beyond her experience. She would not dishonor herself now by speaking. She fought the temptation to fidget.

Many minutes passed before the master decided she had waited long enough. Slowly Excalibunny, the blade of legends, began to glow with a pale light, as it was engulfed in the unicorn’s magic. It rose and floated in the air between them, pointing skywards. “Tis a very fine weapon, you have come to possess my little pony.” spoke the unicorn at long last.

“Thank you, great warrior,” spoke Friesden, still not daring to look up. Maybe he would accept her apprenticeship to him, and maybe he would not. Until she knew for sure, she would remain in obeisance to the great and legendary warrior.

Fauchard, looking down at the young mare who was little more than a foal to his eyes, said “You must have a reason to have come to me today? Should not you be out with the others now, playing their foalish games?”

Friesden’s cheeks flush. She was still young, yes, and the grand warrior had seen it. But he asked why she was here, and she would prove honorable even to insults. It was another test. “I am here, mighty warrior, to pledge myself in apprenticeship to you,” she said, still not raising her head.

Fauchard had half a smile upon his lips, “You wish to be my apprentice? But I have no skills fit to teach a young mare such as yourself. I am a poor cook, and I have no skill with needle work. And I believe my son has already instructed you in your reading and writing and arithmetic at your stables. So tell me: what is it that a filly like yourself would wish to learn from me?”

Friesden’s cheeks flushed even more. The legendary warrior did not see any usefulness in a mare. But she would persevere. She would prove herself worthy of his instruction. “Master Fauchard,” she said, “I ask for your instruction in the martial art of the blade.” She rises up, looking him in the eyes.

As she stares him the eyes, his half smile grows full and he chuckles ever so slightly, “You have fire in your eyes, that is promising.” The wooden blade flips over in the air now, now pointing downward. “Are you certain you wish to begin this path? For she who steps on the way of the sword shall find her life only grows harder at each turn. Is that really what you want?”

“Yes,” answered Friesden firmly. If the legendary warrior thought he could scare her away by difficulty, he would not find her scared. She would do what it took to protect the good in the world.

Fauchard stands, “If this is the path you choose in life, then I shall not stand in your way.” The sword rotates so that the handle is right before Friesden, “Take your weapon and we shall begin your training at once, but know I will not make things easy for you daughter.”

“I wouldn't want you to, dad,” is her only verbal answer as she takes up the sword. He accepted her. This was already further than she thought she would get.

Fauchard was still not convinced that she really knew what she was asking for, but he saw no harm in letting her try. He didn’t expect her to make it through even one session, but no small part of him hoped that she would surprise him. Together they made their way toward the barracks where the master acquired a wooden blade of his own, and their training did begin.

135

Friesden walks into the barracks, Excalibunny in her mouth. The bruises from yesterday had not yet faded, but she bore the pain proudly. She wouldn't give up now. She had been accepted, and nothing her father, her tutor, the legendary warrior Fauchard, could do would make her quit.

As Friesden sets eyes upon Fauchard he stands there with a pair of large saddlebags full to bursting, with what she could only guess. At his side was not a training axe, but his trusty steel blade. “You decided to come back for more. Good. Today, we are going to start with a short walk. Take one of the bags and follow me,” instructs Fauchard, taking one of the bags onto his back and leading the way.

Friesden lifts up one of the bags and puts it on, before taking up Excalibunny again and following. What her mentor had planned now, she couldn't guess, but experience told her it would be hard. But no matter what, she would do it.

Fauchard leads the mare toward the newly repaired drawbridge at the edge of town. “Just a bit farther,” he says as they reach the point furthest from home that Friesden had ever been.

“Where are we going?” asked the pegasus as she continued to follow her master. She wasn't scared. Just curious.

“You’ll see soon,” is the only answer the old stallion gives. After only a 15 minute walk down the road away from the town walls they reach a small flowered meadow. Fauchard stops, looks around and says, “Yes, this is the place.” He takes out a large blanket from his saddlebag and places it on the ground and takes a seat.

Friesden is confused at this, and stays standing. “What are we doing here?” she eventually asks.

Fauchard inhales deeply and exhales completely before beginning to answer. “We are here to do things, one we are here to rest our bodies, after the hard training they did yesterday, and we are here to train. Does that confuse you?”

“To rest?” she continues to inquire. “But...I...I thought we would be doing more of what we did yesterday...” The legendary warrior was trying to confuse her with this. But Friesden couldn't help it - she was confused.

Fauchard lies on his back and begins to watch the clouds, “Friesden, open your saddlebag, perhaps then you will begin to understand why we are here.”

Friesden promptly opens the saddlebags, looking within. Within them she finds only three hoof made books of fine quality. She takes the largest one out, still confused, and opens it up.Inside she sees that it seems to be nothing more than a large book of poems with detailed illustrations. “Poems? I still...I still don’t understand...”

Fauchard takes his time in responding. “There is also a book of history, and one of the stories Glaive is fond of. Friesden, if I teach you only one thing, it would be this. A warrior needs more than a shape blade, and a hard body, he also needs a strong mind, and a mind needs books, like a sword needs a whetstone. We will not work our bodies everyday, nor will we work our minds each day either. Focus too much on one, and you will only cause yourself harm. When you work one, give it your all, but then let it rest. This is how you grow.”

Friesden understood...at least, she thought she did. She nodded, and carefully holding the book of poetry, she began to read. If her master, if her father, told her this would help...then surely it would.

The duo spend the rest of the day sitting in that meadow. Fauchard had brought some food and drink for them to share, and they spent the day reading, discussing, and meditating on the works from the book of poetry. As it neared nightfall the master packed up their belongings and the two ponies headed home. Tomorrow would be another day of physical training, but both felt rested and ready for it.

136

With Falcata and Glaive being parents, Glyph being off with stiletto and Kat in the hospital the job of watching over the stables was left unattended. Of all the ponies in Dawnpick there were few truly capable of filling the roll. Only one pony was willing to fill the job, and he was not one of them. Jaxler was bored as hell and had a nasty head ache. Jaxler had woken up on top of the stables and had a horrid sense of dread.
Jaxler had to do a lot of annoying things today. He had to get a lease for a craftpony's workshop so he could go back to making wood crafts for a living, he also had to buy an axe so he could go back to wood cutting and he had to also buy some wood cutting tools with the few bits that he had left. The one thing scarred him most of all was the fact that he wouldn't have enough bits to buy booze by the end of the day. Jaxler though about this for a long while before realizing that he was on top of the stables, which needed an baby sitter seeing how all the regular one were gone. Jaxler though that he could get paid for helping out there (and would be wrong). So Jaxler flew down to ground level and walked into the building with a fake smile and said "Aye there foals, If I'm correct you need a substitute Stable master... guy... pony... Watcher... thing!"

"I stood in town square, there was a melancholy air clouding Dawnpick after the depot incident. It was the dead of winter, there was some irony in that. Winter, death, my foal-hood is lost. I witnessed death, I witnessed deceit, I witnessed combat. I was apart of combat, and I need to be able to end combat. With the crack of a whip, with the snap of bone, with the clash of steel, with the flow of blood, I will defend Dawnpick. I will defend my family, my friends, my fellow ponies. I will- hey there's Jaxler over by the stables!" Granite says, snapping out of his monologue. He jumps off the roof of an apartment and lands on the nearby tree. Hopping from branch to branch he gently lands on the ground. "And they say earth ponies are ground locked!" Granite muses to himself. He casually strides over to the stables, wanting to witness the hilarity of Jaxler taking care of foals...

As Friesden was walking home after another training session with her master, Fauchard, she happened to be passing by the stables, and saw Jaxler, the town drunkard, there. Sliding Excalibunny away, she approached slowly, the bruises still there from today's training.

"SO! What is it that you little foals exactly do all day?" Jaxler then spotted Granite and Friesden walking in "OH, hello Friesden and Granite how are you two today?" Jaxler said nervously.

"I am well, master Jaxler. What are you doing here?" Friesden asked as she walked in.

"Hey Jaxler, I'm doing fantastic! I just had this kickass monologue and then-" Granite pauses mid-sentence after noticing Friesden behind Jaxler. "Eep!"
Granite adds with enough voice cracks to level the walls of Dawnpick. "H-h-heya Friesden..." Granite stutters.

"That's uh... Good to here! SO, um... do you guys know what this place's warden usually does? I'm kinda in the blank as to what I do here."

"Good day, young master Granite," Friesden says in acknowledgement, before turning back to Jaxler, still waiting for the answer to her question.
"Well," she started as he answered, "typically, they would be responsible for feeding and caring for the foals here. Have you been assigned to be here today, master Jaxler?"

Granite just stands there and starts fiddling with his gold chain, now worn around his neck like a shiny scarf.

"UM... I don't think anypony was assigned to be this place's manager today. Seeing how it's about noon and no adult ponies are here aside from me."

Granite stopped fiddling with his chain and proceeded to stare awkwardly at his front hooves.

"Is something wrong, young master Granite?" Friesden asked, before she turned back to Jaxler. "That may well be so."

Granite mutters something completely inaudible and continues to look down at his hooves.

"What was that? Speak up, if you please," Friesden said with the beginning of a frown.

"Uh... I said... nothing... important..." Granite says with a slightly depressing sigh.

"Well, if you say so," Friesden said with a shrug.

Granite winces and looks down at his hooves for the umpteenth time.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Friesden asked. Again.

Granite jerks his head upright to face Friesden, "No... nothings wrong, just... just..."

"Just what? Come on, speak up."

Granite speaks up, "Friesden, I... er... i-i-I lo-"

"SO," Jaxler interjected, "I've heard that Glaive sometimes tells stories to the foals, Should I try my hoof at that?"

Friesden was slightly annoyed at the drunkard's interruption, but she gave no sign.

"Do you know any stories, master Jaxler?" she asked, still turning an inquisitive eye to Granite.

"Yeah, I've got a few stories"

"Tell them... I guess..." Granite says, lacking confidence.

"That would probably be acceptable. If you would excuse us, master Jaxler..."

Friesden takes Granite over to a side. "What is it?" she demands. "You've never been like this before."

Granite takes a few deep breaths. "How... exactly how would you know how I normally act?" Some hidden anger sparked inside Granite. "WE rarely spoke together for the gods' sake! Sure we had a few conversations around the stables, but that's it! And honestly I think I love you. When I almost got whacked in the face by Jaxler's crossbow my life flashed before my eye's. And it was mainly you! And I'm too much of a goddamn coward to tell you this! Why does this crap have to be so difficult?!" Granite yelled. "There are a few things I want in life, food, shelter, the basics like that, but most importantly, I WANT YOUR BUCKING AFFECTION!!!"

"...What?"

Granite took a step back, fear lit in his eyes. "I-I didn't say anything." He said with a hint of shame in his voice. Granite looks away around as a tear falls from his face.

"...Yes you did. I heard you. What makes you think I don't care about you?" Friesden asks, a little bit of anger in her voice.

Granite sniffs a little and smiles a bit. "How would I know if you cared or not? I mean... you know what? I have no idea what I mean..." Granite laughs nervously.

"Well then, how should I know?"

"I haven't really figured that out... Er, where does this leave us? And what the hell is Jaxler doing right now?"

"I...I don't know. To either of them. But...I think I will learn the answer to both. Sooner or later."

"Great..." Granite changes the subject. "Why do you have a wooden sword on your back?"

"This?" she answered, pointing to Excalibunny. "This is Excalibunny, the sword of legends. I am under the tutelage of the great master Fauchard on the matter of pen and sword in accord."

"Huh, Excalibunny... nice name. I got this golden chain from Jaxler and he's hopefully going to teach me how to be a lasher*1. Let me guess, you saw the slaughter at the depot, too?"

"Yes," stated Friesden, with a grimace forming on her face. "I don't like to remember it."

"Sorry for bringing it up..." Granite replies, a hint of sadness washes over his face.

"It is no fault of yours."

"Shall we head back to Jaxler?"

"Indeed."
They do so.

"Alright." Granite walks over to Jaxler. "So what's been happening on your end?"

"OH, Hay Granite. I've been trying to remember a good story to tell the foals. I think I'll go with one about a Dragon, and two Diamond dogs."

"Awesome."

"Hay Everypony, Gather around. I have a story to tell!" yells Jaxler as he takes a seat in the center of the room.

Granite casually walks over to Friesden. "You're going to love this, trust me." He then waits for Jaxler to tell his tale.

"I have no doubt," Friesden answered.

"Okay then. Here is the tale of two diamond dog brothers named Spifzen and Fregly of the thieves guild. Now, the two Brothers were identical twins and looked identical to one and other. They were completely equal in almost every aspect of there physical being. They were also the smartest Diamond dogs you would have ever met, I mean they could even best a five star general in a game of chess, and they were undoubtedly the best thieves of there entire clan. NO, there entire civilization. Now, the only difference the thieves had was that Spifzen was very inpatient. He was always looking for cheep tricks and short cuts to get his gold but Fregly would always take his time. And one day, They heard of a Dragon's cave, full of unimaginable treasurers. We're talking gold rings, giant cave spider silk dressed, platinum plates, star rubies, diamonds, Basically any and every kind of swag you can imagine, and even some that you cant. Now Spifzen, devised a plan. Turns out the dragon's cave had a Pond in it, and he planed to use his legendary stealth to sneak up and steal from the dragons hoard and run into the water avoiding the dragon's fire. But Fregly said that it would be best to wait for the dragon to leave his lair and go on another rampage, which could take months. In the end Spifzen pulled a knife on his Brother and told him that he had to come with him. Now once the diamond dogs entered the lair Spifzen went along with his plan, and succeeded, but little did he know that if enough Dragon fire is shoot at something it will burn, Even if its covered in water. Now Fregly noticed that the dragon was distracted by his treasonous brother and pounced on the opportunity and walked up to the dragons hoard and stole enough gold to feed him and his clan for a life time.

Now kids, what do you think is the moral to the story?"

"Always use your greedy and impatient friend as a decoy?" Granite answered.

"Caution and patience are as necessary as skill."

"Yes Friesden, that is one moral of the story. Another Moral would be don't betray ponies, or diamond dogs, or any intelligent being that has earned your trust, But especially diamond dogs."

"I was way off..." Granite smirks.

"Ug... So anypony here wanna go visit Ms. Kat? She's in the hospital right now and would probably love to see all your smiling faces!" said Jaxler in a nervous tone as he realizes that he doesn't exactly know how to run this place and he might need to seek some advice.

"That would be good, master Jaxler. I need to pay my respects to her."

"Jaxler I would say that this is a stupid idea, but it's a funny stupid idea. Let's do it!"

The foals and Jaxler made there way over to the hospital to check up on Kat. it took them a while to walk there, mainly because Jaxler made a detour around the depot. one the pony reached the hospital Jaxler knocked on the door. "HAY PANACEA, CAN I COME IN!"

Friesden peered through the hospital, slipping past Jaxler. The...The warrior she knew as the lady of terror was here, wounded...

She had cared for Friesden when nopony else would. She should know what was happening. Friesden owed her that much.

She walked up to the lady of terror's bed, and bowed to her. "Good day."

"Well that's one way of doing it... Okay then foals come in!"
Jaxler then walked on in with the rest of the foals "Yo, Kat"

Kat sees the approaching Friesden, Although she's on the bed and still wounded, she doesn't look too bad. Been feeling great lately even, She beams Friesden a kind smile and chirped "ah Friesden! Good day to you too!" oh how have she grown.. She'll probably wouldn't be seeing her around the Stable anymore, But it's still great to see the filly that she used to care for visiting her.

And then there's Jaxler, Kat was surprised to see him leading the foals in, He's the Penfather today? well that's a surprise. Although after that visit, he doesn't really seems like such a bad guy. "Hehe, What's up Jaxler?"

"Miss Kat. You may be unaware, but I have been adopted by my master-at-arms, master Fauchard."

Granite waited for Jaxler and the foal train to enter the hospital before he went in. During this period of time he started playing with his chain... and managed to cut himself. He sighed and then walked in after the last foal. Granite then watched as Friesden and Jaxler each greeted Kat. "Wow, this is actually pretty deep..." Granite says to himself, examining his wound.

Germaine awakens to the sound of shouting. She sits upright, surveying the room briefly before her eyes rest on the little grey mare in the next bed over, currently being swamped by a mass of foals. She can't help but chuckle at the rather odd sight.

Midnight watched, half confused, and half smiling at the parade of foals walking to the hospital. He smiled more as he noticed Rose among them, and decides to follow for a bit. And see what every pony was up too.

Kat didn't think it was possible to feel any better today, She was proven Drastically wrong. Smiling wide as she's being swamped by foals and ponies alike
"Aww, Hello too all of yous!" then Friesden says that.

"Oh? well that's nice Friesden! you having a proper family again. I'm sure he'll do you a great father, he he, might even teach you a thing or two as well who knows? But from those bruises I'm seeing.. He really have been teaching you stuff haven't he hmm?" Kat asked with a smile.

"Wow, I am literally getting blood on the floor, damn..." Granite says, noticing his cut bleeding heavily and watches as it drips in a small pool under his feet. He then looks over to see Kat smiling at all the foals. Granite starts feeling light-headed.

Jaxler looks down at Granite who's bleeding... badly
"PANACEA, GRANITE IS DYING OVER HERE!"

Rose quickly works her way up to Kat's bed, and gently hugs the pony. Midnight slowly working his way through the crowed, easily noticing the injured Granite. Quickly looking around for medical staff.

"Jaxler you don't have to yell! I am perfectly fine!" Granite says, slightly reassuringly, he then takes two steps towards Friesden and passes out from all the bleeding from the cut on his hoof.

"Thank you, miss Kat," she says with a nod. "He has indeed been teaching me," she says, drawing Excalibunny, and giving a short demonstration of her practice, before looking at the other injured pegasus, one she didn't recognise. "Your pardon, miss Kat, but I must beg your leave for now."
With another bow, she backs away and walks over to the unknown pegasus. "Your pardon, my lady, but I do not have the pleasure of knowing your name. I am Friesden, wielder of Excalibunny, the legendary sword!" She holds out the fairly beat-up wooden training sword for her to examine.

Panacea comes trotting down the stairs at the sudden shouts. She sees the bleeding pony and rushes over to inspect him. It was a fairly deep cut. "What happened?" she asks urgently as she heads off to find something to stitch it up with.

Rose looks back and watches Granite in horror.

Jaxler looks back at panacea, his face covered with shock.
"He cut himself, Panacea."

Granite magically gains consciousnesses. "Panacea, I was playing with my chain, and then i-i-i-I got a boo boo!" Granite cries out. Pulling himself into a ball, he tries to stop crying in fear of looking less stallion-y in front of Friesden.

Germaine chuckles, smiling down at the young mare.

"My, that is a fine blade you carry, Lady Friesden. My name is Germaine, of Laceabbey."

Midnight just keeps quiet and does his best not to get in the way.

She examines the wound and helps Granite to a safer position to start to work on it. She cleans the wound and stitches it up after a moment. "There... you should be okay now. You need to be more careful, that was a pretty nasty cut."

Kat was rather surprised at the sudden blood pool going on in the hospital.. well, at least he's treated..
"Mind me asking but, why is he playing with a chain made of gold in the first place? I mean... who gave him that? That thing's Dangerous!"

"Thank you, Lady Germaine of Laceabbey. What is your business here in Dawnpick, and how were you injured?" She tries a bit to make herself look more important (mostly failing), but continues to look at the injured pony. Somepony for her to champion!

"Panacea, I just cut myself with a freakin' chain! How does that even work?!" Granite sighs and tries to rub the tears out of his eyes, hopefully before Friesden even notices what's going on. Granite looks over to Kat. "Didn't you know? It's the latest fashion sense: wear a golden chain around your neck that can apparently cut things with ease! And I ain't telling you where I got it from! And how is an almost like three meter chain dangerous?"

Rose takes a calming breath as she sees Granite getting help. Still shaking a bit from the experience. Midnight noticing her, and walking up to her before pulling her into a hug. "Hello, Miss Kat, seems like this has been an eventful day for you."

"I am here with my husband, and our daughter. We were travelling with the caravan to meet our son. I... I am sure you've heard what happened..."

"Granite, do you feel okay.. that was a lot of blood, and you need to tell me how you cut something with a chain."

"I..."

Excalibunny falls from her mouth. She looks down, but makes no effort to pick it back up again.
"I...I saw...It...It...It was horrible..."
She starts shaking. So many ponies...
Tears begin to form in her eyes.

"All I want is some baked goods and a soft pillow, and I guess if you believe hard enough, anything is possible..." Granite says to Jaxler. He then notices Friesden drop Excalibunny. Granite quickly get's up and sprints over to Friesden. "Friesden, what's wrong? Don't cry f-f-Friesden... don't... c-c-cry...Waaaaa!!!" Granite starts crying.

Germaine's face falls as Friesden breaks down before her.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize..."
She reaches out a hoof to rest gently on Friesden's shoulder.

"So...So much death...So much hate! What could we do against such reckless hate, uncaring of life, of truth, of reason...What is there to be done?!"
Friesden lets out a pair of sobs, and then continues "I'm...I'm sorry, it must be worse for you, knowing all those ponies who d-d-d-died!"

Midnight gulps and lowers his ears a little as he hears Friesden.

Kat frowns slightly as she sees the scene before her turns into something rather sad. Oh whelp.

"Oh no, it's alright little one..."
Germaine gently pulls Friesden up onto the bed next to her.

Granite tries to compose himself next to Friesden, but then he hears her words. So much death... so much hate... Granite thought to himself. He backed away from everypony's sight and hastily walked out the door. He got a good twenty paces away from the building and stood in a secluded spot away from the crowds and glamor of the city and stood there. Granite stood alone there, thinking about every thing he's done in Dawnpick, from getting kidnapped to beating the crap out of Jaxler. He stood alone and waited for nothing.

Friesden lets herself be pulled up. "I'm...I'm sorry..." she whispers.

Rose lowers her head, fighting off a few tears as she hears the sad scene. Midnight pulling the foal closer, and giving her a comforting smile.

Germaine lays a foreleg across Friesden's withers, hugging her gently.
"Anypony would be shaken by such a scene, little Friesden. There's nothing to apologize for."

"T-t-t-thank you. I...I keep seeing them...I keep seeing them at night. Dad makes them go away, but they always keep coming back..."

Jaxler sits there looking at the foal as she lets out her pain. He can't believe that she's this sad, this torn up, this scarred. The last time he saw her she was just normal little Friesden at least until he...

Now Jaxler was filled with pain from knowing that he should have lied, and by the fact that he couldn't do something as horrible as lie, and that he mentally scarred a little foal "Damnit"

"They will fade, in time. Maybe not soon... but in time. I'm sure your father will help in that regard."

"T-t-t-t-thank you..." Friesden sniffles.

Midnight smiles a little more as he sees Friesden calming down. He looks down at Rose, who seems to be feeling better too.

Jaxler walked out of the hospital. He needed to get away from everything for a few moments. He felt sick for causing a foal to be that scarred. once he got out of the hospital he saw Granite sitting seeming completely depressed. Jaxler walked over to his friend. "Granite, are you okay?"

Granite was brought out of his thoughts as Jaxler appeared next to him. "I've been better Jaxler." Granite responds. "I was just thinking about... everything. Since the day I was almost kidnapped to the sight of the dead at the depot." Granite pauses. "I was thinking about death. A vast nothingness beyond life. Being removed from existence... the end of a story. Each page, each chapter, gone, removed, deleted. I grew up at a lucky time you know, Rainbow's could ambush us anywhere and at anytime. Everything just seems dangerous now. The occasional thieves are easy to deal with, but we just incurred the wrath of an entire nation." Granite thinks for a few more moments. "And no matter how good the previous day went, no matter how strong you are, no matter how smart you are, you could end up walking down the wrong path and end up in the middle of an ambush..." Granite pauses again. "Jaxler, I'm scared..."

Jaxler put his hoof on Granite's withers "Granite, I... Please don't be afraid. You can't think when your afraid. Sure they could kill us, but it's not like that changes anything. Another beast could raise up from the caves and wipe us out, a demon could charge our walls, a roc could block out the sun, and now the rainbow ponies could attack us. It's not like anything changed. There will be death, Granite, but that happens everyday. Every day you could get decapitated by a badger pony or dragged down to the caves by a monster but before rainbow ponies death you acted just fine living each day knowing that you could die at any moment. So, why now are you afraid? We'll survive each day as we did before, that I can promise you."

"I appreciate the words Jaxler. I'm just scared because I feel as though my own potential could be wasted in death before I put it into helping Dawnpick. When the times comes, when the Rainbow's lay siege to us, I want to stand on the front line next to my friends and comrades and help give my all to keep Dawnpick safe. Or I would build a giant retractable sky bridge that would send all the invaders plummeting to their deaths. Either option works for me." Granite says.

"Granite, If you spend your potential killing then you are wasting your potential..."

"What if I used my potential building things that could kill stuff? Like the sky bridge of death for instance." Granite responded. "Or what would you prefer I put my potential into?"

"Put your potential into something that makes you that ponies won't haft to kill anymore."

"So I should put my potential into making world piece? Is that even possible?"

"World peace is impossible, but it would still be nice to see ponies try to make things more peaceful."

"But it would be to no avail. Sure, I could get two countries to stop fighting, but give or take a few months and they'll go right back to it. I would rather spend that time protecting those I care about from the inevitable onslaught of bandits, beasts, and all the other crap that's tried to kill us before."

"Then protect them, but once the threat is gone work towards creating a place where you will never have to protect anyone ever again."

"So isolation? And what about the sky bridge of death?"

"Granite... isolation could work, but it would be better if we could learn to live with each other. it would be better if we could learn to live each and every race and kind of pony. If we could learn to live with the diamond dogs, griffins, zebras, and buffalos. If we could just put a knife in our pride and realize that we all are equal instead of letting primordial hatreds pin us agents each other in the fields of slaughter."

"Okay Jaxler, and if you were in charge of a country and you figured out which nation destroyed your home town, what would you do? Also, I really want to build that goddamn sky bridge now."

"You don't know anything about what happened to my home town do you?"

"You said you woke up in an alley way bleeding out of your side and everything was on fire. It relates to the date etched on your crossbow."

"You don't know much then... Tell me, have you ever talked to a Topoireneian?"

"What do you think Jaxler? I was born and raised in Dawnpick for the past like 5 or 6 years."

"Do you even know what a Topoireneian is?"

"No idea Jaxler." Granite replied.

"I guess that makes sense. Some ponies don't even think they exist any more, so why would a foal like you know anything about something that probably doesn't exist anymore."

"Let me guess, you are a Topoireneian? And are you from Topoireneia?" Granite asks, not amused.

"Probably not, seeing how we apparently don't exist anymore."

"Well technically if you are a Topoireneian then they still exist. And I guess you have to remember what Topoireneia has achieved over the years because no one else knows... you should write a book about it. And we should have a library here in Dawnpick so it can help collect all the events and historical figures we have here, just in case we all get wiped out..."

"Maybe it would be best if some of the evil my nation did was forgotten, and it's not like even much of a Topoireneian anymore... It's been so long that I don't even know how to speak our language anymore..."

"Huh... so should we head back to the hospital now?"

"We probably should, but first you should know, I Promise you that this fort will not fall."

"No doubt Jaxler. No doubt." Granite says. He then starts walking back to the hospital.

Jaxler walked into the hospital along with Granite. Jaxler then walked over to Kat with a rather concerned look on his face. "Um Kat, I kinda need to ask you about some stuff about how to run the stables."

Kat perk her ears up as Jaxler asks, already laying back on her bed
"Sure, what do you need to know?" She ask with a smile... Still surprised that Jaxler out of all and every pony wants to run the stable as well. That brings her smiles. heh, maybe he's a good pony after all...

"How do I run the stables in general? What do I feed the foals and what exactly do I do all day while I'm running the place as the stables?"

hmm.. good question coming from Jaxler.. "Well, It's not that hard when you know the secrets of it. It's just like.. a Rotate of Activities each days, Even the same thing over and over again and the Foals will be happy about it. You really shouldn't be feeding them Booze though, I like to feed them Nicely-made Salad that i chop up for them along with fresh Strawberry juices. Usually fresh veggies is nice, Strews are great too if you can get any from the kitchen. And for what you do? well, here's a neat little cheat trick." Kat said then lean a little closer to him, whispering.
"Ask what they want to do or what games do they want to play.. That'll give you enough ideas for what they like.. And when they want you to think up a game for them, try to remember what they liked to play a few days ago.. It'll never get old!" Kat said with a nod "Oh! and stories, With morals. Those are great too. Running around just laughing and trying to catch the cloud is fun too sometimes."

"Okay, that's helpful... Is there any problem with me feeding them meat, and what exactly do I do about my crossbow?"

"Well, I wouldn't think it's a good idea to feed them meat just yet... Maybe little bits mixed with salad for flavor but nothing more. And you can bring your crossbow I think, As long as you didn't bring any bolts or anything that could be use as a bolt. As long as it's just an oversize jewelry rather than a weapon, They're fine."

Friesden quietly snuggles into Germaine's hug. "Thank you," she says again with a sniffle.

"My crossbow isn't jewelry... Ug, anyway what do I do if somepony gets hurt?"

"In my case I would tend to their wounds if it's small enough, some little cleaning and bandaging always works. But in your case? well.. If you don't think you can first-aid them then you can always take them to Panacea, it's not like she's usually busy... Thankfully."

Germaine drapes her good wing over Friesden. "Any time, little one."

"Bringing them to Panacea is probably best, seeing how the only way I know of to close wounds is cauterization... Well thanks, for the help. I really needed it."

Kat nods with a smile "He he, no problem. Hey Jaxler? Thanks for trying out at the Stables alright?... You might be an okay pony after all.."

Jaxler said sarcastically "What made you think that I wasn't an 'okay' pony?"

Kat simply chuckled and lay more onto her bed. "Thanks for bringing the foals to visit me Jaxler."

"Anytime... Thanks again for the help."

"No, thank you for the help." Kat said with a smile.

Before too long, quiet snores start emanating from the stripy yellow filly.

Germaine doesn't seem to mind. She just settles her wing around Friesden's shoulders, letting her sleep.

Author's Note

*1: Just as an aside, I should note that only the use of a whip or flail will train the lasher skill. Use of a chain will train the Miscellaneous Object User Skill instead.

Had this one sitting around partly done, so I figured I should finish it up.

Virtue's Diary, 9 Obsidian, 259 - 20 Felsite, 260 137

Virtue's Diary - 9th Obsidian, 259

While I was eating with everypony today, I overheard that Stiletto and Glyph were leaving Dawnpick. When I tracked them down and asked them if it was true, they confirmed it. Stiletto told me that she has pressing matters back home that she must attend to, and Glyph wanted to go with her wherever she went.

I'm not happy to see them go, but she has to do what she must. Glyph I suppose I could have ordered to stay, but after speaking with him I think it's for the best. We'll find somepony else to run the stables.

And thankfully the militia has been overkill for our needs so far. Stiletto and Glyph leaving probably won't hurt our military readiness too much.

I just hope the best for them, wherever they end up.

21st Obsidian, 259

The dragon caused damage on a scale completely unlike anything we've ever seen out here. No badger ponies have really even made it inside the walls. The pump accidents just got a few ponies wet. But that dragon destroyed quite a lot. We've started the clean up process and have replaced most of the damaged statues. Most imporantly, we've replaced the drawbridge and can actually get outside or let others inside if we need to. Which we do! The rainbow pony caravan was spotted on the horizon, and they wouldn't be able to get in like things were. Our home caravan should be soon behind them.

Now, if only we'd finished replacing the trade depot. That's the next thing on the list. Once it's repaired, we'll only have fairly minor things to take care of.

1st Granite, 260

I thought I was upset before. I thought when Brook died I was upset. I thought when Barley died I was upset. I thought when Amber nearly died I was upset. And I thought that Indigo taking such offense to Stiletto upset me. I've never been upset until today.

Today has been horrible beyond words.

So much blood...

It started with the rainbow pony diplomat dying in the dining hall. That led to one thing after another, that led to a crossbow being shoved in my face and my life being threatened to Sarissa stepping in to protect me. Then a dozen rainbow ponies were dead. Just trying to think about it is making me nauseated again. I can still hear their dying screams... see their faces as the life left them. Gods above... if I never have to see that again in my life it will be too soon.

All of the merchants are dead. The diplomat is dead. Kat is hurt... I managed to get her to Panacea somehow. I still don't remember how that happened.

Then... just when I thought things couldn't get worse, more rainbow ponies were discovered in the main warehouse. We had a stand off... I don't blame them for being scared. One of them was injured, and when Panacea was looking at her, Sarissa tried to jump in on my behalf again. I... I ended up hurting Sarissa with the rainbow pony's weapon. I feel... sick again... thinking about it.

I've already thrown up half a dozen times today from it all.

The only remotely good thing about today is that those three survived. Gregor... Gregor Spreadstyles was his name. He and his family were traveling to Glitterglen to see his son. It's a fair distance away, so they won't be leaving for a while yet. I've offered them a place to stay for now, and I'm going to make sure that nopony bothers them.

I need to go see Panacea... maybe she has something that can calm my nerves. I doubt it. I won't be sleeping at all tonight.

2nd Granite, 260

Indigo came to see me today. I was afraid that was going to happen. I was more afraid he'd chew me out again for one thing or another. I was surprised when it turned out he's almost as broken up over this mess as I am. He looked terrible.

He asked me if we were investigating the diplomat's death, and I assured him that Partisan is doing just that, but he hasn't uncovered much of anything yet. He also volunteered to help reorganize the supplies from the caravan (I still don't know what to do with them), and help relocate the dead. To that end, I asked the miners to dig out another wing of the crypt to bury them in. It's not much. But it's all we can do for now. We've moved the bodies down there already, temporarily at least. Properly burying them will take far longer.

Indigo also volunteered to make a memorial to their loss. I gave him my blessing, and he shuffled along on his way.

He looked just as bad as I do. I sometimes wonder if he has as many emotional problems as I do.

After he came to me though, Glaive came and informed me of something somewhat disturbing. He told me that he was concerned for my personal safety. I hadn't considered the possibility, but he made a lot of sense. If the diplomat really was killed to spark a war, I might be the next target. Even thinking about it has my nerves frayed again. He suggested I start a personal guard, and since it was his suggestion and I trust him so much, I offered it to him. Thankfully he accepted. He and Storm Cloud. I imagine I feel a little better... but it's probably just hopeful thinking.

This isn't going to get better for a long time yet.

3rd Granite, 260

Fauchard visited me today, and I must say that today has been some of the first good news I've heard in a long time. Seems he wanted to adopt little Friesden. After Glyph and Stiletto left, I neglected to make sure that anypony was watching after her. Kat had been, as far as I know, but now she's hurt. Fauchard offered to adopt her, and she agreed. I feel a little warm just thinking about the expression on her little face.

At least a little happiness can shine through the fog of sadness that grips Dawnpick right now.

When I talked to Glaive today, he expressed some concerns about expanding my personal guard. Not that I needed more ponies protecting me at any time, but so that they could have more time off. That's more than reasonable... I hadn't considered that either when I accepted his offer. He suggested that Falcata be one of the new ponies for the position, and explained his change of mind. I agree with him wholly. I think Fuscina will be next, but I'll have to think about it.

I also got an update from Partisan today. It seems Panacea and Wool finished examining the body of the diplomat, and as far as they can tell, he died of natural causes. Over a dozen ponies are dead now, for nothing.

It's beyond tragic. I of course wouldn't have wanted to know that there was an assassin living among us, but to know that so many are dead for no reason whatsoever sickens me again. I once thought people exaggerated when they said they were so upset their were sick. Now I'm starting to forget what it feels like to not be so upset.

Also, this happened, never seen it before:

4th Granite, 260

All of the repairs have been finalized today. And our home caravan arrived today. I traded fifty thousand bits worth of steel to them for the usual. A few ores we don't have here, some variety of food, but most importantly some pig tail seeds. We can finally start producing thread and cloth here ourselves.

I don't feel like writing much today. I still feel awful.

5th Granite, 260

As if the deaths of the rainbow ponies wasn't enough, I spoke with our liaison today. I knew something was wrong when I saw him arrive with the caravan, but he kept it to himself until today. He knows about the rainbow pony deaths, but that wasn't the main thing he wanted to address. He handed me a letter from King Golud in Coupledye.

Letter from Coupledye

I've known that I've screwed up a lot of things in Dawnpick, but to hear it from the king himself was a blow unlike anything I can really relate. By granting me the title of baroness, he trusted me to do what I had to do. I was required to uphold the law, and I didn't do that. I've failed. I couldn't handle giving out justice, and now I've been shown the repercussions. I stand to lose everything I've worked for out here, and I suppose I deserve it.

Under my leadership, two ponies have died, we've built a church to foreign gods, and criminals have been given laxity that they weren't allowed. What have I done? The liaison was absolutely clear when he spoke to me. Political corruption would not be tolerated. Corruption... something I would never in my entire life believe I'd be guilty of, but it's plain as the ink on the letter.

I couldn't even manage to hold in the crying until he left. I broke down in front of the liaison like a filly whose candy had been stolen from her. What sort of example am I setting here? Glaive must think I'm insane or juvenile. The look on his face when he came back into my office, finding me sobbing like that... he's a kind pony... he didn't say anything about it, but there's no hiding that I just don't have what it takes to do this. I've shown such breach of my duties that Indigo thought it was important enough to tell the king how bad of a job I've been doing. And he's right.

I wanted to just tell the liaison right then and there that I'm through. That I couldn't take any more, but he told me, much to my shock that I was being granted the title of countess. The decree had already gone out, he said, by the time the bad news of my performance reached Coupledye. I stand to lose it if I don't shape up soon.

To that end I asked him to send a judge back to Dawnpick. I can't judge ponies. I just can't do it. We need somepony else to do it.

I feel sick all over again. We may be at war with the rainbows, and here I am bawling my eyes out again just thinking about what happened earlier today. What sort of example am I showing to everypony here? That it's okay to just cry and hide when things get tough?

I don't know when I'll be able to face them again. Maybe the day after tomorrow. I hope...

10th Granite, 260

I finally left the keep today, for the first time in nearly a week. I didn't want to see anypony but my family... but I knew I had to go outside eventually. I saw Indigo today. My first instinct was to hide from the pony who thinks so little of my rule here, but then I saw how terrible he looked too. He doesn't look like he's eaten in a week. Nor slept. I suppose we really aren't so different.

I worry about him. I hope he doesn't get sick over this... or hurt himself. I couldn't take that right now. Please....

26th Granite, 260

We finally managed to finish burying the dead today.

Can't put them in coffins, and I just [d]umped the bodies, so they stacked them up in the crypt. I'm planning on making some slabs for them eventually.

It's not much, but it's a proper burial for them. It's the least we can do for their needless deaths. I felt less bothered by the thoughts about it than I thought. Maybe I'm finally coming to terms with it all. I've actually managed to get more than a few hours of sleep a night lately.

I almost forgot we had a few migrants arrive today. I guess the liaison returned my request to Coupledye.

The first was a pegasus stallion woodcutter named Pine Needles. We also had a pegasus mare arrive today, who said her name was Kit. I thought she looked a lot like Kat, and it turns out they're sisters. I'm glad she has some family here now. I don't know where she'll end up, but hopefully somewhere she's happy with. Lastly, a unicorn mare named Jury arrived, and sure enough she was a judge sent from Coupledye to help my settle legal disputes. She's also a mason, which is good since I dare say we won't need her legal expertise frequently.

That reminds me that Granite is a stallion today. The family had a nice celebration for it, and he started his first official day of work under Flux. I hope he's happy working in the smelters and the machine shop. We're going to need more of both workers soon enough for our steel demands.

10th Felsite, 260

Patina was only a little younger than Granite, and today was her sixth birthday. The family threw a party for her as is the custom here, and she joined the smelters helping out making charcoal and smelting down raw ores. We're going to need more furnaces to keep up with the work loads I think. Something I'll check on soon.

While I was heading out to take a look at that situation, I noticed Friesden was occupying one of our craftshops. After having seen it dozens of times by now, I knew she was experiencing one of those strange moods, and after I saw that Glaive and Falcata were looking after her I went on my way. She'll be fine.

13th Felsite, 260

Today was probably one of the most interesting birthdays I've seen. Little Friesden isn't so little anymore, turning six today and officially becoming a mare. But even better, she finished the project she was working on. She ended up making a grate out of some of the bones from the butchered animals. I must admit I never pegged her for a bone carver, but that's the cutie mark she got. I have no idea what we're going to do with the grate, but we'll probably find a use one day. And I suppose this means Friesden will be joining Totem as a bone carver, but I wonder if it's what she really wants in life?

20th Felsite, 260

Just when I thought I was beginning to get over all of the stress from the past year or so, something terrible happens. We're still not sure how it happened, but one of the monsters managed to squeeze out of the caverns today. Wool was nearby, and it dragged him in. He didn't survive.

The militia and guard immediately galloped off to face the monster as it flew out of the mines, and we all rushed to hide under the dining hall as usual. I'm thankful that they managed to kill it at least, and nopony was seriously hurt. Naginata, Partisan, Kukri and Kris engaged it in melee, and were all caught in a burst of strange dust from the monster. They're all in the hospital now, covered in blisters and in severe pain. Panacea says they should recover soon... but I still feel bad for them.

Again... again my negligence has cost somepony dearly. Wool is dead, and the ponies in the hospital are there because I never bothered to make sure that the caverns were safe. Poor Panacea was torn apart by this worse than I am. She's grown to become good friends with Wool over the years, and now he's dead, and she has to tend to the wounded alone, and every moment she's going to remember Wool isn't there to help her.

I don't know how I'm going to preside over his funeral tomorrow. I haven't had to actually deal with somepony from Dawnpick dying in years... and after everything else lately... I just don't know...

Author's Note

Save: Dawnpick.zip

Note that a blog post was used for the letter as the spoiler function on the forums hides the text under a collapsible box, while the same function here merely covers the text with a black box. This was the closest thing I could do.

138

The sun is down and incessant cackling fills you with fright, know now why you fear the night. Flashes of a wooden coffin, a Pegasus with dark pink coat with dark scarlet mane beaming a smile, the same Pegasus dead within the coffin and then replaced with a zombie blue Unicorn. By faceless ponies the coffin is lowered into the ground and a mare screams in hollow commands. “He is still alive, halt the funeral! Stop, stop, stop!” The Little Pony bucks, swings forelegs and jabs with horn at the apparitions. An invisible barrier bars her from action as the phantoms leisurely shovel silty clay down the hole. “Please, stop this, I desire not to do something regrettable…“ The Unicorn mare plummets to the ground weeping. “Why am I so weak and powerless?” I chose this just as he desired that on himself. Amor you are a damnable foal. Amor rises her head up, her horn become ablaze in an azure glow and the whole realm explodes. The cackling fades away and now to strive another day.

Amor tosses herself from the bed, saturated with sweat; panting and horn still an azure aglow. A heavy Spring rain pounds the window, draws the mare’s attention and she jumps at shadows. The Unicorn telekinetically seizes everything in the room and prepares to fling it at the unseen opponent. The metallic color mare realizing her situation lowers the contents of her room and reflects. Again I know why Tower Unicorns lock themselves away. To be knowledgeable and gifted would mark a pony as a danger and outcast. The night still reigns and the ivory moon is hidden behind black storm clouds. Amor desired that the stories her Old Master told her about were true such as Pegasi controlling the weather so she would know who to complain to.

After a few moments, Amor is outside in the rain galloping around on the soaked shale roads clearing her head. The mare was an early to bed, early to raise pony and no doubt in her mind that it was barely midnight. The Unicorn ran a good part of an hour and slows to a trot not to shock her body; she proceeds to the Meeting Hall. Amor notes her waterlogged socks and strips them off as she enters the Hall, also aware of her drenched robe but leaves it on. The soaked mare spots a certain belligerent Pegasus who appears somewhat entranced and she staggers beside him and weakly asks. “Jaxler, mine if I join you?” The mare sits down in her normal chair before hearing his reply.

Jaxler looked at the copper unicorn who managed to sneak up on him and break his lonely entrancement. “Oh, hay Amor. Sure drinking is always more enjoyable with company.” Jaxler then took a sip of booze and leaned back in his favorite chair.

The damp mare huffed, placed her head on the wooden table and inserts. “I’m having trouble sleeping, nightmares haunt my dreams, is that why you drink Jaxler?” Her voice trembles hinting at the chill she was experiencing.

Jaxler’s mood deflated at the mention of his drinking problem. “I drink because I need some time in the day where I can disconnect from the world around me and just be ignorant...” said jaxler with a somber tone in his voice as he drank some more booze “So, you were having nightmares, what exactly were they like?”

The thoughts in Amor’s mind still over-encumbrance her brain and could not fully compute the stallion’s question but she was more then willing to explain to get her mind off her dilemma. “Old Master told me dreams were caused by a sleeping mind still thinking and processing its day. She then went into how different the pony’s tribes are… maybe to cause me to look down on the others…” Amor paused and speculated that she may have misunderstood Jaxler’s question, she glances over to the Pegasus wearing a concerned look on her face.

Amor’s words about looking down upon others struck a raw nerve.“If you or your master sees the other castes as inferior then I pity both you and your master’s soul. Of all the mind’s poisons pride is by far the most destructive and addictive. Those who see themselves as superior will realize their ignorance when the false reality that they build for themselves is immolated by the world around them.”

Amor did not flinch at Jaxler’s anger and it was one that was imbedded deep in her too. “Sorry, Jaxler. I do too… pity my mentor’s soul, but hold off your judgments until you meet her. Because I do not know her intent, only guessed.” Amor picks herself off the table and sit fully into her chair. “The castes are different, but source for neither bigotry nor prejudge. Know this though that normally Earth Ponies’ dreams are colorless, Pegasi’ are metaphorical, Unicorns’ vivid and Alicorn’s are lucid. Most of all being a Unicorn has been such a burden… just as tonight.” The curly maned mare felt this was going no where, sadness painted her face and voice.

Jaxler sighed and tried to recompose himself. The pony sitting next to him obviously needed some help and him getting angry really wasn’t going to help. “Can you please tell me what exactly the nightmare you had tonight was like?” said Jaxler before he started to drink some more booze.

Amor was reluctant to start; she begins to clap her hooves together in front of her and begins after a moment. “The area was of the same size as this room, walls made of a dark void, if I was in a crypt. Outside, maybe in a night fog and the earth was the same silty clay as Dawnpick’s and ponies…” The mare chokes up a bit and she clears her throat. “They were lowing a coffin… containing my second love but…” The distressed Unicorn unexpectedly changes the subject. “Jaxler, would you think less of me if you were informed that I courted another mare before?”

Jaxler shrugged. “I’m straight but whether or not you prefer mare or stallion really doesn’t concern me.” Jaxler then thought to himself for a moment before continuing. “So, If I had to guess something nasty must have happened to your lover and you must have not yet been able to move on completely.”

Amor was confident that she was living past her lover’s death but Jaxler’s statement caused her reservations to increase. “The thing was I’m over… Ashler’s death. I may have not let her go fully or maybe a stallion here causes my thoughts to wade in the past. Indigo, he is my friend and nothing more but have you seen him? I do not know what to do, before he joins her too.”

Jaxler was shocked to hear that a mare actually was interested in indigo. “Indigo? Well I’m in the reserve, and he is my captain. So yeah, I have seen him. why do you ask?”

The mare trembles and sneezes before beginning. “So you have no concern for his shrunken eyes or his sluggish manner?” Amor becomes agitated and shouts her words which scarcely travel past the two Little Ponies’ table. “Do you see what he is doing to himself?” Amor calms herself before seeking apology. “Sorry Jaxler, just I was not able to stop one death… and this time is different.” The copper Unicorn looks to the Pegasus for answers.

“I don’t concern myself with others’ problems until they either ask me for help, or there problem affects me. But seeing how Indigo shared his problem with you, and you’ve came to me for help, I guess I’m now inclined to help both you and indigo. Also, I really don’t know indigo all to well. If he’s destroying himself with sadness then I’d probably just tell him to start drinking. In my experience it’s the most effective way to handle depression.”

Amor was piqued by Jaxler’s words and a kernel of regret for her being there, germinated in her heart. “Indigo and I have a working relationship; we contemplate methods to improve Dawnpick and present them to the Lady. After his joining the reserves… he has been drifting from not only me but everything, I am afraid. After the Rainbow Pony massacre he appears worse and I do not know what is affecting him more about it.” The mare returned her head to the table.

Jaxler thought to himself before responding. “Maybe the reserve is too much for him to handle.” Jaxler continued to ponder his thoughts looking for a way to help indigo. “Maybe he should have a second in command to help him around or just drop the reserve all together.”

Amor raises her head up and connect her eyes to Jaxler’s. “Can you look after him regardless if you are his Executive Officer or not until I find out more from him?” Amor asks with hope in her voice.

Jaxler smiled and nodded. “Sure, I’ll look after the pony.” Jaxler then took another swig of booze.

Amor was pleased that Indigo was going to be attended to and that Jaxler was such a friend. “Thank you, Jaxler, from both Indigo and myself.” The mare’s mind may have been relieved about one problem but suspicion that she may not be over another. “Do you not mind if I speak of Ashler?” The Unicorn retracts her gaze and returns to clapping her hooves together.

Jaxler raises an eyebrow at the mention of the pony’s past lover. “No, I don’t mind, feel free.” said Jaxler enthusiastically as he drank some more booze and once again leans back in his chair.

Amor discontinues her silent clapping and moves a hoof to her muzzle in calculation to the very day but just tells the years. “It has been fifteen years ago the last time I saw her alive. Remember that road to Coupledye and New Saddle, which was when I met Ashler.” The mare places her hooves flat on the table and pauses to think about if best to tell Jaxler. “We were not any masons but drafted of sorts into the Crown’s Royal Mason Corps, my third tour and you could know how close soldiers can become.” The Little Pony peers at the stallion and gives him a sly smile but frowns a bit and returns facing forward. “It was maybe a little too innocent; others would have confused us for sisters then lovers, maybe we were.”

Jaxler smiled and said “She must have been a good friend.” Jaxler really didn’t know what to say. It seemed that Amor must have really loved that mare, and probably still misses her. “So, What was she like?”

Amor was very willing to talk about her second love and the warm feelings she received from talking about her seemed to starve off the cold. “She was everything I was not; she was content in being a Pegasus and didn’t pretend to be anything she was not. The mare was more a filly, always energetic and had little concept of personal space. We had a good part of four years to get to know each other… and one day to change it all.” At the end of her words all the warm ambiance dies like embers of a fire.

Jaxler noticed the sadness in the mare’s voice. “Back where I’m from, it’s disrespectful to feel sorrow for the dead. Why would the dead want their passing to bring those around them strife? Every moment you spend thinking about her and feeling sorrow for doing so is hurting both yourself and Ashler.” said jaxler simpethedicly.

The truth in Jaxler’s speech causes the copper mare’s ears to fall beside her head, not just grief filled her heart but anger too and it mixed in her voice. “I know Jaxler, but death is unfair and hers maybe more so. I am selfish and would have been perfectly willing to take Ashler’s place in the grave instead… the bolt was meant for me anyway.” Amor tries to hide her face in shame.

Jaxler sighed before responding with sympathy in his voice “Back where I’m from, it’s also disrespectful to hold disdain toward a gift. If she died in your place then you should be regretful but don’t beat yourself up over somepony taking a hit for you. Dying in somepony else's place is the greatest gift one can give to another, and to wish that you weren’t given such a gift is both self destructive and disrespectful.”

The mason pony strangely felt relief by the Pegasus’s words and she reside silent for a moment. “Sadly, Jaxler we are not from where you hail from, but… they are sentiments that should be universal.” The mare huffs and returns her eyes to Jaxler with a sad expression. “Just it gives the impression that history is repeating, and Ashler did not deserve to be shot in the back by the very ponies we serve. I believe that because of the shadows of war with the Rainbow coalition, somepony here is going to do something regrettable.” Amor slams her hoofs into the table but holds back from damaging the wooden furniture. “Maybe, it would be best to state why she died… if you want to hear.” The mare continued her staring at the stallion and shivering from the cold.

Jaxler looked Amor in the eyes in replied “I’d like to know what happened.” Jaxler then took another sip of booze.

The Unicorn was now internally beating herself up from not being friends with Jaxler sooner. “Have you asked yourself why Dawnpick has never received a Buffalo caravan; we would have if they were not removed to reserves. The road I worked on had a sliver of their territory and somepony did not like that, so the Crown’s army forcefully removed them.” Amor holds her head in hoofs as she props on the table. “Yet my entire unit was only told to be aware of allies and strange Buffalo. Not until back home, I realized what took place and after I was deceived about the nature of the military parade.” Amor withdraws from her hooves and looks at Jaxler with tears in her eyes. “They paraded us around because we won a skirmish war, not for some road we reconstructed and the ponies cheered for us Jaxler, they cheered for us and they were deceived too.” The mare jumps from her chair and paces around a moment as she clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth, soon she sits back down and huffs. “But not all of them cheered… we found ourselves in the slums, my old stomping grounds and they known of what we done. They jeered at us and we thought it was just their way; who cares what a slum-pony thinks we told ourselves?” As the word slum-pony cast from her lips in repugnancy for the word, she gives a hint that it was not her own. “We were coming to the end of the parade and stopped in the old market district… and Ashler was cantering towards me and…” Amor reclaims herself, remembers where she was and who she was talking to. “And an livid old veteran marks-pony turned huntress aimed a crossbow at me, she chose me because my leathers marked me out as an officer and Ashler just happen to ran into the bolt’s path…” The distress mare places her head back on the table and exhales.

Jaxler sighed. He really didn’t know what to say to that. Amor seemed like she needed somepony to help her with this, and Jaxler was starting doubt in his ability to do so. “Amor, that’s horrible what happened to her” said Jaxler with a hint of compassion and sadness in his voice.

The mason pony jerks her head up, still with a clouded mind. “What happen to Ashler or the huntress? Ashler was hit in the neck and slowly suffocated in my hooves. She still held a smile the whole time, and passed on a few moments later. The huntress escaped and was not caught until the morning after… and she was exiled for the crime.” Amor’s low voice was almost drowned out by the rain pounding the roof of the Legendary Dining Room.

Jaxler’s was running out of comforting words. He didn’t know what to say, or how to react to Amor’s story. So, Jaxler just decided to say what he was thinking. “This world is horrible isn’t it?” said Jaxler somberly.

The metallic painted Unicorn could not agree entirely with the question and hesitated for a second. “Not completely, no. It is not horrible all the time when sincere actions and words are worked, but I am sure if we try hard enough history will not recur.” The words have a weak strength in them and Amor sniffles.

Jaxler saw holes in the unicorn’s logic. Part Jaxler honestly wanted to show Amor why the world wouldn’t get better, but he felt best just to drop it, for he was far more concerned about how Amor was feeling at the moment. “So... are you gonna be okay?”

The mare adjusts herself in the sit and dwells on the stallion’s question for some time before answering. “This is neither the first nor last time I act foalish with a friend and I do feel better. Last pony I talked like this with was before coming to Dawnpick.” Amor said as she rubbed her eyes with fore hooves. “Thanks Jaxler.”

Jaxler was happy that Amor seemed to be feeling better. Jaxler smiled and responded. “Feel free to talk to me whenever you have any problems. And if you have any concern about talking to me about something, it’s worth noting that I’m incapable of lying.” Jaxler then sighed and once again leaned back in his chair.

Amor yawns with a sneeze at the end as she listens to Jaxler. “I figured you were not one for fraudulence; Jaxler, you are a paragon of honesty… I desire for me to be able to say the same. But thanks again for the talk.” The Unicorn comes to the realization of the downpour and the time as she gazes towards the exit. “Would you be willing to walk me to my apartment…? I did not bring anything to shield me from the rain too.” The still rain soaked pony looks earnest at the stallion.

Jaxler shrugged. He really didnt have anything to shield her with, aside from his wing. But Jaxler figured that it was better than nothing. “Sure I’ll walk you home, but i really don’t know what I’d shield you from the rain with. Well, I guess I could try to use my wing as a makeshift umbrella or something.”

The mason pony placed a hoof before her muzzle in thought and responds with her more common unstressed voice. “Considering that I’m barely dry, just want to keep it that way, so a little rain getting past your wing would not be an annoyance.” The Little Pony pauses and speaks again. “If you are willing, the wing will make due… Thank you Jaxler, you are a real gentle-colt.” Amor gets out of her chair and the two ponies head for the door. The rain was worse now then when Amor first woke up, but Jaxler’s wing made a decent umbrella until they made it to her room. The mare expressed her gratitude and seen the stallion off from her door. Safe in the privacy of the apartment the Unicorn disrobed from her clothes and climbs back into her bed for dreamless sleep. The next morning Amor awakes with a dire headache and runny nose but she was more at ease about her current dilemmas.

140

Friesden, having finished her talk with Flux, continues to walk through Dawnpick carrying the...The grate she had made. It... Flux had said that sometimes ponies made things in these moods they didn’t want to make, and she agreed. Maybe...Maybe she could just find something else to do. As she walks, lost in her thoughts, she bumps into Falcata.

Falcata, quietly perambulating through the halls, is interrupted by the bump of a small and yellow object. Glancing down to regard the interruption, she sees little Friesden, a strange and ornate...something, carried in her mouth.
"Hi, Friesden!" she says, doing her best to sound somewhat jolly. It gets harder every day, with the spectre of war still hanging over her thoughts like a persistent thundercloud. "What's that you've got there?"

“Oh. Um. Sorry, big sister...I...I was just thinking. This...This is the thing...That...That I made.” She gestured to it. “I...It’s a grate. Um...Do you like it?” She lifts it up to give Falcata a closer look. It appears to be made of yak bone, for the most part.

"It's..." begins Falcata, taking a quick flick through her mental dictionary. "...clearly the work of a master craftspony!" she finishes, relieved. In truth, she finds the thing creepy at best. Bone bolts she can understand, but she'd never been one for other bonecarved things, even before the rainbow caravan. "I really like the...circling bone bands...uh..."

“Oh,” said Friesden, her head drooping. “You...You want me to make more...more things like this, don’t you?” she asks in a hollow voice. Maybe Flux was wrong. Maybe she was supposed to be doing this for her talent. She’d...She’d just have to get used to it.

Falcata reassesses the situation, surprised by the smaller pony’s dejection. She crouches down, going to Friesden’s eye level. “Hey, hey, what’s the matter? I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to, Friesden. Nor should anypony. Why, do you not like working with bone? Who says you have to keep at it?”

“This does!” she says, pointing to the cutie mark. “And I don’t want to, I don’t! I don’t like making things from...From bones! I don’t want to!” The tears, held back, begin to start flowing again.

The cream pegasus reacts swiftly, scooping the little filly into a reassuring hug. Falcata hadn’t noticed the cutie mark on her flank, and if that’s what’s worrying little Friesden, then she can fix that easily. “Easy, sis, ssssh.” she murmurs, stroking the smaller pony’s mane. “You don’t have to make bone crafts all your life just because some- some picture on your side says so! You can do whatever you want, silly. That’s your talent, or one of them, but that doesn’t mean you’re not good at other things too!” She briefly considers mentioning something about fighting with swords being a sort of “working with bone”, but decides against it. That’s probably a bit much.

“S-s-s-so...I don’t have to?” she says, hope forming once more in her voice. “But...But everypony will expect me to... I...I want my talent to be something else! I don’t like this....I don’t want it!”

“No, they won’t, Friesden. Everypony will expect you to do what you enjoy doing, you’ll see. That’s what I expect, and I know for sure your dad and Glaive would agree. And, like I said, your mark just means that boneworking is one of your talents, maybe just the first one you’ve discovered. You have tons more potential, my little pony, and you’ll find something you’re good at and that you enjoy. I promise you.” Falcata lifts Friesden’s chin with a forehoof, wiping away her tears with the other.

“T-t-t-t-t-thank you,” Friesden says with a sniffle. “But...What should...What should I do with this?” Friesden asks, pointing to the grate she’d set down. “I...What do I do with it?”

Falcata regards the thing with a critical eye. Personally, she finds it unnerving, even in the daylight. It would certainly look sinister in the dungeons.
“Well, it’s your grate. You could maybe sell it to somepony from the zebra caravan, I hear they’re more, uh, into things like that. Or, I guess if you really hate it, you could just smash it or something.”

“I...Maybe...I’ll...I’ll talk to dad about it...Maybe...Maybe I could...” She clams up, unable to meet Falcata’s gaze suddenly.

“...Maybe you could what?” queries Falcata, keeping her voice soft.

“Well...I...I...I like...I like Excalibunny...but...but...” Her face turns to the ground, unwilling to look at her sister.

“...But it’s not a real sword, is it? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” asks Falcata, smiling slightly to show her utter lack of anger.

“...yeah...You...You’re not mad, right?” Friesden asks, suddenly anxious...again.

“Of course not, no! It’s just a training sword; I knew that from day one, Friesden. I never expected you to use it in a real battle; that would have been very foalish of me.” She takes another look at the younger pony, sizing her up. It seemed like only yesterday that she’d been a wide-eyed little filly, delighted to get her hooves on Excalibunny and to swing it around without any real care in the world. She has truly grown up.

“Thank you...You’re the nicest pony I know, big sister. I... I hope I don’t disappoint you,” Friesden says, the tears drying in her eyes and a small smile starting to grow on her face.

“I know you won’t, Friesden. I know you won’t.” smiles Falcata, feeling genuinely happy for the first time that morning.

141

Friesden continued through the corridors, thinking. Falcata had put an idea into her head. The grate...Well...Maybe somepony would like it. Maybe it could be use- *OOF!* She bumped into something and fell down. With a shock, she got herself up and looked what she had bumped into - another pony.

Germaine looks down at the familiar young mare. "Oh! Hello there, Friesden. What are you up to?"

"Oh, um, hello lady Germaine!" Friesden says, happy to see another friendly face. "I...I made something," she continues, pointing to the grate. "I...I don't like it, but maybe somepony will."

"I see..." Germaine examines the grate closely, noting the engravings along the bars. "So, you plan to sell it?"

"I...I don't know," says Friesden. "I...I was going to talk to my father about it. I still don't know what to do about it."

"Well... it's your creation, little one. I couldn't tell you what to do with it."

Friesden continues on her way home, to tell Fauchard what had happened. The last few days had been a blur, but she was reasonably certain that she had left her father in the middle of a training session in...In the whatever it was that had caused her to make the grate. She continued walking home, and eventually came to the door, and hesitating for a second, knocked.

“Dad?” she called after placing the grate down. “I...I’m home...”

The door creaks open and Fauchard is standing there. His grandson Falchion hanging on his back and his granddaughter, Balisong, hiding behind his leg. “Friesden you’re home. You’re okay.” he hugs her. “I’m glad you’re back.”

Friesden returns the hug gratefully. “I’m...I’m glad to be back.” What would he think of the grate...of the...the cutie mark... she wondered. Maybe he won’t notice? But she knew that was a false hope. Her father was the smartest pony she knew.

Fauchard’s eyes turn to the object on the ground. It was some sort of decorative bone grate. “Is...is that the item that you made Friesden?”

Friesden slowly nodded. “Y-y-yes, Dad...It...It is.” Please, please, please, please don’t say I should make more...Please?

Fauchard levitates the object and inspects it She made...this? Out of bones? Is this... “It is very well made Friesden...do you remember making it? Sometimes ponies can’t remember making these things, when they get taken by one of these moods.”

“I...I can remember...” whispers Friesden. She starts to shiver.

Fauchard looks over Friesden, his mind racing, he notices the new cutie mark on her flank, a pair of ivory tusks. “And you got your cutie mark from it too...”

Friesden just nods silently, words failing her.

Noticing that they were still standing in the doorway Fauchard steps back inside. “Please come in, I left all your things right where they were, and brought your training sword back inside for you.” Falchion jumps off his grandfather’s back, flies a short distance, and lands on his aunt Friesden, Balisong runs back inside and starts chewing on one of her toys.

Friesden smiles a bit at Falchion, but still dreads the idea she can feel is about to come. Please, dad, don’t make me do this...please... are her thoughts as she follows her father inside. “T-t-thank you, dad.”

Fauchard takes a seat by his table. “So, I suppose we should talk about what happens next.”

“I...I suppose,” Friesden replies as she takes a seat herself.

Fauchard begins, “You certainly have a talent Friesden, for working with bone. You could do well for yourself in such a career, if that is what you would choose. And this town has no shortage of material for you to work with.”

“I... I want to be like you, dad. I...I don’t like...I don’t like...I don’t like making things from...from bone...” Friesden says, a slight hint of despair coloring her voice.

“Friesden...” Fauchard sighs, “I just want to see you be happy.” Falchion as if he could understand his aunt’s despair cuddles up with her. Fauchard continues, “You have a skill here, you could make, wonderful art, and...and you wouldn’t have to see the things that I...that you would have to see as a warrior.”

“But...It’s...It’s bone...I...I...I...I don’t...I don’t like it,” she says, trying desperately not to tear up in front of her father. “I...I...I...I want to help ponies...Like you and brother and sister...”

Fauchard looks down at the table as he says, “Friesden if you join the militia like your brother, then...you are going to have to often be around a lot of things much worse than the clean bones Totem works with.”

“I...I...That’s why I wanted to train with you... I wanted...I wanted to be brave...” Friesden says, before the dam walls burst and the tears start pouring from her eyes. “I...I...I...I...I wanted to help,” she manages to choke out through the tears.

Fauchard moves himself around the table and sits next to Friesden a foreleg wrapped around her. “If you don’t want to be a bonecarver, I’m not going to make you. You can do whatever it is that you want to do. I just think you should consider it.” Balisong stops chewing on her toy as Friesden begins to cry. With her magic she floats the spit covered toy over to Friesden offering it to her.

Friesden sniffles a bit and tries to smile through the tears as she takes the toy. “T-t-t-t-thank you, Bali,” she says, still sniffling. “I...I don’t know what I want, dad...”

“Then you don’t need to decide today. You can keep up with your training, until you know what you want to do.”

“O-o-o-o-o-okay,” Friesden says, finally managing to stem the tears. “T-t-t-t-t-t-thank you, dad,” she continues as she gives her father a hug.

Fauchard continues to hold his daughter, “So, have you decided what you will do with the bone grate?We don’t exactly have need of one around the house.”

“I...I...I was going to...to sell it...And...and buy a real sword...” Friesden says.

“A real sword?” Fauchard stops and looks over his daughter, she wasn’t the same little filly he had first met when he arrived here, she had grown so much since then, perhaps she really was ready, “That... is a very good idea.” as any father would, he had his concerns, but he pushed them to the back of his mind. He knew he had taught her much in their time together, and she had potential, that was plain to see, he would support her in this decision.

“R-really?” says Friesden hopefully. Maybe she wasn’t such a silly filly after all... “The...The only thing is...” she continues ruefully... “I...I don’t know where I would buy the sword or sell this...or even how much it’s worth...”

Fauchard thinks to himself quietly and looks over at the grate again, “Well I couldn’t appraise it myself, but Lady Virtue might be willing to buy it from you, and I think she would give you a fair price, and we have a weaponsmith in town that can forge you a sword. I haven’t seen him make any before, but he’s made wonderful axes and bolts, for the militia, and other blades for the town. Or I could get you one made in the capital and delivered by a future caravan, but that could take up to a year, or more.”

“I...I...I think I might talk to Virtue. She’s a nice pony.”

Fauchard stands up again. “I think you should, but that can wait till later. I think the foals missed you and want to play.”

Friesden smiled. “I think I want to, too.”

And so they did.

142

Sarissa's Diary - 6th Granite 260

I've learned that Lady Virtue now has a personal guard as per Glaive's suggestion. If he's right, then there may be some attempt on My Lady's life in the near future. I truly hope that he's wrong. If it turns out to be true, and those mutants do make an attempt on her life, then I'll fight tooth and hoof to bury Elegy's chipped blade deep into the guilty party's cranium. Very deep. I'm going to be keeping an eye on those mutants that are currently dwelling among us. I don't like the idea of them spending any more time with us than absolutely necessary. They could be the ones wanting to make an attempt on Lady Virtue's life. Even if that's not the case, they might still end up wanting revenge against us. Or worse, they could be spying on us and working out our weak points. I know I'm in no position to speak against them after my little "mistake", but I really would like for their stay to be shortened as much as possible.

As far as the personal guard itself goes, I'm a bit disappointed that I was not even considered for the position. Disappointed, but not really surprised. I suppose after what I did, Lady Virtue has probably lost any trust she may have had in me. At least Glaive was a good choice. Speaking of which, I still have not heard what, if any, my punishment will be for attacking the Darkbolt. I can take being locked up for a while. I can even take being lashed. What I cannot take is losing my position in the militia. Losing Elegy. At least there's no indication that such will happen so far...

20th Felsite, 260

Unfortunate happenings today. A forgotten beast showed up, and several others in the militia were exposed to the effects of that cursed dust it had. Now Naginata, Partisan, Kris and Kukri are sick in the hospital. At least they managed to kill it, but I never got a chance to fight it myself! Maybe if I had made it there in time, we would have been able to take it down before so many ponies were affected. Perhaps I should be grateful that I was not among those harmed, especially after having finally gotten over the effects of that wound from that weird mutant weapon. I still feel a bit guilty for not having gotten there in time, regardless. If only I would have had a chance to slash into that things flesh...

Several days earlier, I learned that the stripy hybrid named Friesden accidentally earned her cutie mark via the actions of a strange mood. This is the first time I've heard of such a thing happening. I find it a shame that her talent was something that she found so distasteful. She's already of mixed heritage and appears to be mentally disabled because of it. She has my sympathy. I've thought about talking to her about the bone-carving thing, since I can relate to her plight of getting an unexpected cutie mark. At least I was able to adapt to and embrace mine. Perhaps I can teach her to do the same.

On an unrelated subject, I'm starting to worry about Lady Virtue. She seems to be under chronic stress and almost always looks weary. It's not surprising, given her position and all of the less-than-pleasant things that have happened around here as of late. I wish I could help, but I don't know if I can approach her about it. She's my superior, so speaking to her about emotional matters just doesn't seem appropriate. Not to mention that I'm not the best pony when it comes to such matters.

143

She had made it... Months of sea-journeying and months more of sniffing around, tracking and looking for clues... She had finally made it. She was heartbroken when her sister have ran and left her family... Not because that she ran, Kit understood that if her sister didn’t run away, she’d be dead already by now... No... She was Heartbroken because Kat didn’t bring her with her.

But that doesn’t matter anymore, She had waited and worked long and hard enough and now she’s here... In Front of the hospital in these strange new lands in this strange new fort... At least the ponies here seem nice. Talking with the Lady of this place was pleasant, Even though she came to knowledge of her sister now laying hurt in the Hospital... But she knew Kat... She’ll... She’ll go through this and stand up... She always does...

Mustering her courage, With a deep breath and a determined mind, Kit steps into the Hospital, Looking for the patient’s ward... Looking for her elder sister who she left everything behind for... And there she is, Laying in boredom with a bandaged wing and hoof. Heh, she didn’t change one bit from what Kit can remember her... She wanted to shout out her name, she want to jump and fly and just pounce her sister right then and there... It’s been so long... Her hooves walked towards her elder sibling without her even realizing it... her eyes welling up with tears of joy...
...She made it...

“Kat?” Kit worded out, finally after just sort of stand there for a moment longer than she wanted... Her words shaky and filled with happiness... Now she knows what being wordless feels like.

There are Moments, Moments that stop a pony’s heart for a beat, Those moments can be fear, those moments can be shock... and today, Kat knew it came in surprise and blissful happiness as well... Her heart skipped a beat when she hear that voice, her face slowly turns around to see the owner of that voice... She didn’t want to believe it... She even consider this being hallucination from Panacea’s medicine... “Kit?” She worded back, a foreleg reaching out only to be accepted and held by her younger sister, confirming that she really... is there...

They both share a little tearful smile together... Words failed them, Words escaped them, words had no place for them... not today... not now... right now, it’s time for hugs. And hug they did.

All those times being apart, all those memories they shared, It all rushing back together as they held each others, never again wanting to let go... But eventually, Regretfully, they did...

Kat was first to break the silence. “Kit.. w-what.. why are you here?” She ask, wiping some tears from her eyes.

“Because I want to see you again! Silly.” Kit replied, she’s not quite fluent with this strange new language yet, but she always had had ways with word and must be speaking a lot better than Kat have had at the same time in her learning.

“Silly filly... you shouldn’t have came after me...” Kat said with a smile, ruffling her little sister’s mane slightly, producing an eep.

“But you told me yourself to always follow my heart! and make my own decisions and never let anyone control my life!... so... So I left and looked for you... and... I found you now... I’m glad you’re still alive Sister...” Kit said, smiling happily and giving Kat another hug and nuzzles happily at her.

“I’m glad you followed your own choice...” Kat said softly, embracing Kit in their hug and returns the nuzzles...

It would be hours before they finish talking to each others, Mainly about things and how things have been both back there and here... Kat happy having somepony to share stories with and telling of the wonderful ponies here in Dawnpick... Kit was Eager to meet them... But there’s one thing she’s also eager about that she didn’t tell her sister as she walks out...

Seeing Kat there wounded in the hospital’s bed, Kit wanted to do something about that... And she have always wanted to be like her sister... She wants to follow her hoofsteps... Kat never liked that... But she’s making her own choice here... She know that Kat’s in the guards here in Dawnpick, she wants in too... She has traveled across the ocean and across strange lands, meeting ponies and learning languages to find her... And to find her hurt, she wants to do something to help... And she figured that if she could help her sister work... that would help things out. Finding Partisan’s office and Tapping on his door...

“Hello, I’m Kit. And I’m here about joining the guards.. May I come in?”

//FIN//

144

Flux walks towards the crypts, hoping he'll find Jaxler there. He had seemed to be adjusting well to being mostly a civilian, though he was still part of the reserves. Flux hadn't seen him since Wool's funeral, and he tended to visit the crypts when he was feeling depressed. He half hoped he wasn't down there, that'd at least mean he was probably not down in the dumps at least. Once he descends the stairs, though, he can see the red and black form of his friend down there.
"Um... heya Jaxler."

Jaxler had spent a lot of time down in the crypts. A pony who's magic kept him alive had recently died. Jaxler wouldn't be able to be stand where he was right now if it weren't for wool. Jaxler even had spent some time talking with the pony on occasion and would go so far as to call him an acquaintance or even a friend. Jaxler was entranced in deep thought over unicorn's passing and was surprised to hear one of his friends coming down the stairs "OH, Hay Flux."

"How... are you doing, Jaxler?"

Jaxler sighed before responding "I've been worse."

Flux glances at the coffin he's standing by, noticing it's Wool's, and gives his own small sigh.
"There was nothing you could have done, Jaxler..."

Jaxler sighs again and gazes down at the coffin.
"There's probably something I could have done... and I hate knowing that somepony that saved my life die."

"You can't be everywhere at once, Jaxler. I... I wish Wool were still here, too, but... blaming yourself doesn't help anything."

"I really don't like ponies dying around me."

"I didn't ask you to like it, Jaxler. But do you think he'd want you to blame yourself?"
Flux shakes his head sadly.
"I don't think he would."

"I'm not blaming myself, I know it was that twisted subterranean abomination's fault. It's just that I feel like I could have done something to help him."

"How? By being able to predict the future? Jaxler... he was dead before anypony could get there. We should strive to prevent something like this from happening again, but... 'what if' situations don't really help either. Look to the future for hope, Jaxler, and to the past for guidance."

Jaxler shrugged "I know... it's just I have hard dealing with the past..." Jaxler then gazed over to his scar. "You know, if it weren't for Wool, Panacea wouldn't have been able to put me back together after the whole cavern incident."

"I... I know. He didn't... deserve this. Nopony does..."

"You know back where I'm from, it's actually disrespectful to cry over somepony's death. I mean, why would somepony want their death to cause other's pain, and if you do cry it's supposed to be out of respect not sorrow."

"Then... stop beating yourself up over it?"

Jaxler sighed and broken his gaze. "I probably should..." Jaxler paused for a second as he thought to himself "Ya know what? I haven't had any booze in like three days. In fact, I also probably should go get a drink right now."

Flux gives his friend a small smile.
"A drink sounds nice. Mind some company?"

Jaxler smiled "Drinking is always better with company."

145

In the central tenement, Sarissa’s room was above Falcata & Glaive room which neighbored Amor’s. The mare was puzzled over the axe-pony she meet a little over two weeks ago, who thrashed the elephant sized fire-breathing monster in single combat. Amor’s curiosity of the magic that Sarissa used in fighting the dragon was also getting the best of her. Vision spell of some type, but why did so much magic linger in her eyes? Miscast, short term spell, over enhancement or just poor selected spell? Maybe she used something similar to my nervi-oculus. Although, she was unwilling to push the question and would only thank the mare again.

146

Amor tosses herself from the bed, saturated with sweat; panting and horn still an azure aglow. A heavy Spring rain pounds the window, draws the mare’s attention and she jumps at shadows. The Unicorn telekineticley seizes everything in the room and prepares to fling it at the unseen opponent. The metallic color mare realizing her situation lowers the contents of her room and reflects. Again I know why Tower Unicorns lock themselves away. To be knowledgeable and gifted would mark a pony as a danger and outcast. The night still reigns and the ivory moon is hidden behind black storm clouds. Amor desired that the stories her Old Master told her about were true such as Pegasi controlling the weather so she would know who to complain to.

Jaxler’s mood deflated at the mention of his drinking problem. “I drink because I need some time in the day where I can disconnect from the world around me and just be ignorant...” said Jaxler with a somber tone in his voice as he drank some more booze “So, you were having nightmares, what exactly were they like?”

Amor did not flinch at Jaxler’s anger and it was one that was embedded deep in her too. “Sorry, Jaxler. I do too… pity my mentor’s soul, but hold off your judgments until you meet her. Because I do not know her intent, only guessed.” Amor picks herself off the table and sit fully into her chair. “The castes are different, but source for neither bigotry nor prejudge. Know this though that normally Earth Ponies’ dreams are colorless, Pegasi’ are metaphorical, Unicorns’ vivid and Alicorn’s are lucid. Most of all being a Unicorn has been such a burden… just as tonight.” The curly maned mare felt this was going no where, sadness painted her face and voice.

Jaxler was shocked to hear that a mare actually was interested in indigo. “Indigo? Well I’m in the reserve, and he is my captain. So yeah, I have seen him. why do you ask?”

Jaxler smiled and nodded. “Sure, I’ll look after the pony.” Jaxler then took another swig of booze.

Jaxler looked Amor in the eyes in replied “I’d like to know what happened.” Jaxler then took another sip of booze.

Jaxler shrugged. He really didn’t have anything to shield her with, aside from his wing. But Jaxler figured that it was better than nothing. “Sure I’ll walk you home, but i really don’t know what I’d shield you from the rain with. Well, I guess I could try to use my wing as a makeshift umbrella or something.”

147

A day after Stiletto and Kat cornered Indigo in the barracks, he asked Lady Virtue, if civilians are allowed to train with weapons and dummies in their spare time. He told her that he was a reservist in New Saddle and underwent basic military training. As usual, she agreed to this strange request, but told Indigo to ask Halberd for permission first.

Indigo approaches Halberd. “Hello. Um... I was wondering if it is alright for a civilian to use the barracks and training dummies in their spare time, when the soldiers aren't training.”

Halberd gives him a questioning glance. "What business do you have with that? It's dangerous for civilians."

“In New Saddle I underwent basic military training with axe and mace, but got rusty over the years.” answers Indigo.

Halberd's expression lowers a bit. "Alright. So why do you want to use the barracks? You're a mason, not a soldier. I don't like the idea of civilians training to be soldiers unless there's a very good reason for it."

I want to have access to weapons and armour to at least stand a chance in case of an assault by one of Stiletto's goons. Indigo frowns. “Well... I... was a reservist in New Saddle. We had lighter armour than the full-time military and were training twice a year in squads plus whenever we didn't have any civilian duties. Reservists were called to arms when needed and acted as a pool of recruits, because they can be trained more easily than civilians. A reservist can still shoot some invaders from behind fortifications, or hold them off with an axe till regulars finish the job. Plus you get some ponies with military training mixed into work teams in case there is an enraged badger around or some other minor threat.” I probably shouldn't even tell you that the military is growing, while we hardly get any new civilians, and that a reserve is a compromise between having a large army and having a large workforce.

Halberd gives him a scrutinizing expression. What was this pony really after? The fortress guard was supposed to be watching after the civilian workers, although Jaxler was about as much of a joke at that as there could be. That was Partisan's problem, and not his though, and he, Storm Cloud and Kat seemed to be competent enough at least. Halberd sizes Indigo up for a moment. He was going to regret this, he knew, but he didn't have the patience to argue with somepony right now. "You can use the barracks to train whenever equipment isn't being used by my squad or Naginata's."

He gives Indigo a hard look. "None of the other civilians without okaying it with me first. And nopony goes in the armory. If you need equipment, talk to me first. We've got some training weapons you can use." He frowns. "I do not want armed civilians who think they know what they're doing swinging weapons at anything, especially each other. That understood?"

Indigo nods. “Of course. No playing hero and no stupid accidents. As to equipment, I'll need at least a training axe to begin with. I may also ask some off-duty soldiers for tips. I'm pretty sure, I won't hurt myself and an Axe is a rather brutal weapon, but there are all kinds of nuances to using it effectively.” Not quite what I wanted, but he agreed. After a few weeks of training without incidents, I may be able to convince him to give me more.

The comment about the axe was an understatement, and Halberd gives a small snort. "Right. Just try not to break anything when you're in there."

Afterwards Indigo went to the barracks in the evenings twice or trice a week to do "individual combat drills." Occasionally some soldiers would show him a few things. Eventually he was allowed to wear some armour, but only inside the barracks. He even sparred a few times, loosing badly. A few soldiers didn't like this, but they either kept their mouths shut or didn't manage to convince anypony, and Indigo trained unmolested.

After months of this, Zearoth and Oil Macepony wanted to join the militia, but were put in the reserves instead. Much to his surprise, Indigo was 'elevated' to 'squad captain.' While he had limited experience as a recruit, he never led or trained a squad. He wanted a professional soldier to do that instead, but there were no volunteers to 'lead the foals playing military', so Indigo grudgingly accepted his new responsibility. This wasn't one of his better notions. The reserves get some hand-me-down equipment to train with and Indigo is required to attend the monthly captains' meetings, but isn't treated too seriously. While the reserves do little to improve the safety of Dawnpick, they aren't as big of a drain on it's resources, as another full squad would be and are generally accepted.

149

Jaxler woke up in front of a random apartment. He had an ache in his head and was violently offended by the sunlight. Jaxler looked around and took in his surroundings he saw a stone pot was laying a few feet to his left and his crossbow a few feet to his right. Jaxler started to get up when suddenly the door to his left swung open and pushed his crossbow further away from him.

The copper unicorn was contemplating the trade-offs of a decision she wished to make soon. Sarissa rubbed her chin with a hoof as she eyed the dragon skull mounted on her wall. During the fight with the beast, she had knocked one of its teeth out with her shield. She was now levitating this same tooth before her in an emerald glow of magic light. She meditated on the problem. Earrings made from dragon teeth? I really like that idea. However, I would need two and I only have one loose one. Should I spoil my trophy by pulling another tooth from its mouth? The mare examined the pearly-white jaw bones. It seemed that this dragon was missing several teeth already. Surely it wouldn't hurt to lose just one more? Sarissa closed her eyes and nodded as she decided that it was worth it. It would bring her one step closer towards completing her dream dress.
After carefully prying another of the pointy fangs from the skull, she figured she would need another pony to carve them into the way she desired. She lacked experience with bone-carving, and thus didn't want to take a chance on ruining the teeth by attempting a do-it-yourself job. The axe-pony opened the door with a hoof as she wondered who would be best to ask for this favor. Sarissa felt the opening door bumping a heavy object to the side. Upon inspection, she noticed that it was Jaxler's trademark weapon, with its owner only a hoof's reach away from it. Plastered as usual, she sighed.
The soldier marched over to the prone pegasus and tapped him on the back with her hoof. A bit roughly. "Hey Jaxler! Can't you go be a useless lump in your own room? You're in the way here!"

Jaxler picked up his newly repaired crossbow and got up of the ground before responding to the annoying Mare. "Sarissa... Up yours"

The annoyed unicorn rolls her eyes, "Really? That's all you've got to say? You really are a piece of work, Jaxxy. Laying out hung-over in front of other pony's rooms. You're really quite the role model."

Jaxler gives Sarrisa a nasty gaze. "It's great to know that somepony agrees with me."

Sarissa narrows her eyes, "You willingly acknowledge that, and yet you don't do anything about it? Why not? What good is wallowing on the floor in drunken self-pity going to do you?" She shakes her head.

The mare folds her ears back over her head, lowering her eyebrows, "I know that whatever your problem is, you ain't fixing it with booze! It seems like every other time I look at you, you're drunk or aiming to get there! You can't seriously tell me that years of alcoholism has made you a better pony."

Jaxler's eye's darted down to his crossbow. "Well, it sure as hell has kept me from becoming a worse pony!"

"So that's it? You're only concerned about not getting 'worse', whatever that means? You need to stand on your own four legs and try to become a more productive, more responsible member of Dawnpick! Instead of hiding from your problems behind a mug of the hard stuff, you need to confront your demons head-on and regain control of your life," Sarissa felt like she was talking to a stone wall, but she often let her impulses get the better of her concerning her vices.

"I was under the impression that demons were immortal, and it's not like I can just stop drinking"

"The demon comment was metaphorical..." Sarissa groaned, "...and it's not like I would expect someone like you to drop it cold turkey. Why not at least try to slow down? Don't let it have so much control over you. I've seen what this does to ponies, and I don't like it."

"Have you ever taken a lunatic off his medicine? Because I really shouldn't go to long without booze."

"That's why you need to do this gradually. I'm no shrink, but I'd say that you need to find a different way to relieve your stress. That's my advice. Do some thinking about that."

"If I go more then a week without my medicine I..." the stallion paused "You shouldn't give advice on things that you know nothing about."

"You know what? Forget I even said anything; I'm not in the business of helping ponies who won't even try to help themselves!" The disgruntled unicorn lowers her head and brushes past Jaxler as she heads off towards the staircase.

123

Friesden continued to sob onto Fauchard’s leg, the horror of what she’d seen all too recently still affecting her. Fauchard continues to hold the filly, occasionally uttering platitudes meant to calm her. After what felt like an eternity her sobs began to fade. Looking down at her he saw that she had cried herself to sleep in his hooves. The stallion lifted her with his magic and gently placed her into his bed behind them and tucked her into bed. Levitating over a handkerchief he wipes the tears from her sleeping face before getting a spare blanket for himself and curling up on the floor to sleep himself.

As Friesden slept, a dream continued to haunt her, troubling her sleep, of the ponies in Dawnpick: Mister Fauchard, mister Glaive, mrs Falcata, mrs Virtue, the scary lady, mister Flux... They were hurt...and nopony could help them.

Still troubled by the nightmare, she woke up and looked around the room. Where was she? She spotted mister Fauchard, on the floor, not hurt at all and not needing anypony to help him who couldn’t, she decided to quietly jump down from the bed and sleep next to him. He’d protect her. He was a nice pony. With a thump, she jumped down, and walked over to him. Unfortunately, she had misjudged his position under the blanket, and accidentally stepped on him.

Fauchard is suddenly awoken by pressure on his legs. He leaps up from his dead sleep his horn flashing with magic, his face contorted into one fit for the battlefield, he lets out a war cry as he lands on his hooves reaching for his axe to destroy his foes.

Friesden froze still as the unicorn jumped up into a battle stance. “M-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-mister Fauchard? D-d-d-d-d-d-dad?” she says with a quavering voice.

At Friesden’s words Fauchard begins to recall where he is and what is going on. He looks around and sees no enemy; merely one frightened foal. He drops all his magic and his axe crashes to the floor. The stallion slumps down onto the ground before the filly, “I..I’m sorry...I don’t...I didn’t mean...I mean are you okay Friesden? Did...did I hurt you?”

Friesden stopped shaking. It was okay. “I...No...I’m...I...I had a bad dream, dad...” she says nervously, her front hooves pawing at the ground. “I...Um...”

Fauchard looks at her quizzically, “Did...Did you just call me...Dad?”

“Um...Um...Um...” Friesden looks down, suddenly unable to meet mister Fauchard’s eyes. “I...Um...Um...Um...Um...”

Fauchard just smiles as she avoids his gaze. “I don’t mind it if you did, my little pony. Do you want to tell me about your nightmare?” he says as he lays back down where he was sleeping, leaving a space for her, on the blanket, if she chose to take it.

“I...um...thank you, dad.” She walks around the blanket this time to the spot he had left for her, and without another word starts to tell him about her nightmare.

139

Friesden comes out of the craftspony workshop, tears in her eyes, and a bone grate in her mouth.

Flux wanders by, noticing Friesden seems to have finished her odd project.

Friesden sets the grate down, and slumps to the floor, crying.

He tilts his head, walking towards the little striped filly. "D-, er... Friesden? are you alright?"

"I...I...I...I don't like making things out of dead things!" Friesden says with sorrow in her voice.

"Um... it's alright, D-Friesden. What did you, uh... make?"

"T-t-t-t-this thing!" Friesden holds out the grate, still crying.

Flux kneels by the little filly, trying to comfort her. "Um... it's alright. Those moods... they make ponies make strange things. Even things you never really cared for, or might not want to have created."

"B-b-b-b-but look!" Friesden points to where a cutie mark would be, and there is a new cutie mark there. Two crossed ivory tusks.

Flux gives little Friesden a gentle hug. "You don't want your talent to be... making things like this, do you?"

"N-n-n-n-no..." whispers Friesden.

Flux whispers to the filly: "Want to know a secret about cutie marks?" As she nodded, slightly, he continued on. "They're rarely what they seem."

"W-w-w-what do you mean?" Friesden asked, the tears starting to stop.

"Mine, for instance." Flux gestures to the crucible on his flanks. "It's a crucible, so you'd think my talent is smelting, right?"

"Isn't it?" asked Friesden.

Flux chuckles and shakes his head. "Nope. I've been smelting for a long time, but I don't hold a candle to Cinders, the other smelter. I'm... actually not sure what my talent is... but I know it's not smelting."

"But...but...then...But what could this mean?" Friesden continued to ask, a slight hint of hope in her voice.

"Um... I don't know," admitted Flux. "But if you don't like carving, it's probably not your talent."

"Oh...Okay...But...But...But what will Dad think?" continued Friesden's questioning.

"Fauchard? He'll probably be thrilled that you got your mark, Friesden. Just tell him what I told you about marks if he wants you to take up bonecarving."

"Oh...Okay, mister Flux...D-d-d-do you want this?" Friesden says as she points to the grate.

"Um... no thanks? I uh... don't really need a grate for anything. Thanks for the offer, though, Friesden." He smiles at her, genuinely happy she offered it, but also genuinely having no use for it.

"Oh...Um...Okay then. Well...Thank you anyway, mister Flux," she says before picking up the grate again.

He tussles her mane, smiling. "Any time, Friesden. Take care!"

Friesden walked off, a fair bit happier now.

148

(( The following scenes are mostly fluff. Don't take them too seriously and the timing is rather fuzzy on them. These scenes happen in late 258 and 259. The fact that in-game all this time Indigo's squad was inactive and had weapons and cloaks for uniforms makes this post even more questionable. ))

Indigo is still unsure about actually leading a squad, but was burdened with that responsibility and it is now one of his duties. On the first day of the reservists' scheduled training, he goes to the barracks early and waits for Zearoth and Oil Macepony. When they arrive, he greets them. "Right, so that's all of us. From now on you are in the military reserves, so let's lay out some ground rules first." While Indigo had little military experience, he had a good teacher in New Saddle, so he decided to simply try and pass on what he learned from his captain.

"First, I should tell you about the differences between the reserves, full-time military and civilians. Obviously, the civilians work and expect to be protected. The military spends most of their time training or on patrols and is partly excluded from doing mundane work. They are be the first ones to fight anything threatening us, and they put themselves at risk for the safety of others. So far it makes sense, with both groups specialising in their tasks, right? Well, the reserves are something in-between. For the most part we do civilian jobs, but we are expected to learn to fight as well and can be mobilised or drafted at any time. Yes, you heard me correctly, should any of our squads suffer losses, they will be replenished from the reserves."

"The reserves are a compromise between having a lot of soldiers and a lot of workforce. Mobilised reservists are no match for professional soldiers, but we can still shoot a crossbow or distract enemies with axes, while the soldiers kill them. When training or called to arms, we are allowed to use chaffrons and mail shirts as well as robes and cloaks for padding. This is better then nothing and should do wonders for our survivability in a fight, but provides nowhere near as good a protection as a full plate armour would. On the plus side it is much lighter and cheaper, so once again it is a compromise. Keep in mind, that here there are only the three of us in the reserves so far and three squads on military. In New Saddle there were 3 reservists for every soldier, so the cost of uniforms made a lot of difference. If you buy or otherwise legally get into possession of some more armour or a better weapon, you are of course allowed to use it, so long as Halberd approves."

"We have some scheduled trainings together, but are paid for them only a fraction of what soldiers get, and during most of the year, we work civilian jobs. You are encouraged to train individually in your spare time, but only when the military isn't using the barracks. We aren't getting paid for that, we only get some bits for training as a squad. There will be a few soldiers giving us demonstrations occasionally, but otherwise we train on our own. Try not to break anything, because otherwise I'll have to listen to Halberd and you will have to pay for the damage."

"While you are allowed to choose any weapon you want and have access to, I strongly recommend an Axe, a Crossbow or perhaps some blunt weapon, like a mace. Plus shields for the unicorns of course. Axe is the signature weapon of our Militia and should you ever get drafted, you are expected to be able to use it. Our town guard uses crossbows and light armour. Well, it is of course safer to shoot something from a distance than fight it up close. Plus crossbowponies are usually placed behind hoofsoldiers, who in turn like having some ranged support, so it is a symbiosis. The downside of choosing the Crossbow is the cost and availability of bolts. Even the guard and Longshot don't get enough, so I wouldn't expect there to be many left for the reserves. when you're out of bolts, all you can do is beat the enemy with a crossbow, and it is much more effective to use an Axe or a hammer for that."

"When it comes to instincts in combat, there is a bit of a difference between militia and the guard. Militia fights invaders and it is their task to kill of chase them off without losses. Guard is more about fighting to subdue tantruming pony or telling him to calm down and surrender, while killing is the last resort. I've decided, that we will for the most part follow the militia mentality and if you are ever required to do police tasks, just try to keep cool heads. Of course you are required to hold back during the sparring sessions. We don't want any injuries beyond bruises and small cuts, and if we cripple or kill each other during training, obviously anything threatening Dawpick will have an easier job."

"Upon joining the guard, the recruits are asked a question: 'Are you willing to die in the place of any and every pony in the fort?' Now, I don't subscribe to this philosophy. I think it is rubbish. If you die in a battle, it usually means that whatever killed you is free to find another victim. You do not win battles by dying, but by killing first, whatever is trying to kill you. Dying yourself only makes sense if it assures victory. If it doesn't, try to stay alive to fight another day. Therefore my question is: 'Are you willing to kill to protect the ponies in Dawnpick?' Yes? Good. Now, don't get me wrong. We are not supposed to become bloodthirsty and thrilling for battle, or anything of the sort. Only monsters truly seek to cause death. All I say is this: If you have to kill, don't hesitate, or it will give your enemy a chance for another strike and may cost you your life, as well as lives of those, you are trying to protect. Now, I would prefer to beat those bandits up and sent them with a message for their buddies to buck off. Problem is, they always fight so ferociously, that in the end we have to kill them, so don't get any stupid ideas about mercy. While it is wrong to take a life, it still is sometimes necessary. Accept that. Don't hesitate to kill when you must. Invaders must die."

"We are required to be ready for being called to arms at any time. If that happens, we meet on the road between the dining hall and the furniture stockpile, in view of the gate. We are expected to obey the captains, especially Halberd. While it is not strictly a part of the chain of command, in combat it will also be a good idea to do what the professional soldiers tell you."

"Listen carefully now, because if you are to remember one thing from this lesson, it is this: Whenever you see something dangerous, the procedure is as follows:
Step one: Always yell for backup. "Guards! Monster attacking!" is a good one. You don't want to face your enemies alone and don't want to fight fair. It will also get the attention of the attacker and help you with...
Step two: Help evacuate civilians. The purpose of the militia is to protect the ponies of Dawnpick, and giving them time to run away from any attackers helps with that.
Step three: Engage. Do this only if you have arms and armour, and if it will help with step two. Kill the bandit or monster if you can, otherwise try not to get hurt and delay it, till soldiers arrive to finish it off. I repeat: do not play heroes, nopony expects that from the reservists. Try to stay alive. Fight only if you must, to protect civilians.
As with any rules, there are some exceptions from them. For example, if you know there is nopony in earshot and the enemy hasn't seen you, obviously retreat rather than yell. I'm sure you can follow common sense in similar situations, but for the most part stick to these rules. And remember: during an alert we meet between the stockpile and the dining hall in view of the gate." ((And later Jaxler's place is either on top of the dining hall or on the wall, behind fortifications. He is told to fly towards the nearest group of soldiers if something tries to engage him.))

"When we train, I want you to be sober. This should cut on stupid accidents. If you absolutely must, drink in the evening, after the training."

"Serve. Protect. Obey. That is the soldier's task. That is also all for today's talk, so pick your weapons, and let's see what each of us can do on that target dummy."

(( While there are many ground rules in the reserves, the discipline is not as strict as in real squads and there is barely any hierarchy apart from Indigo being the captain, and that is mostly because somepony needs to prevent anarchy, and somepony needs to be yelled at by Halberd, when the reservists do something stupid. After Jaxler joins, it gets worse. ))

Below is a series of short scenes. Don't get this wrong, most of Reservists' training sessions are normal combat drills, sparring and demonstrations by senior soldiers, but every once in a while Indigo decides to do something more interesting (or more of a waste of time, in Halberd's opinion).

On killing and blood and gore.

"One of our first lessons will be desensitizing ourselves to death and blood and spilled guts, as well as getting used to killing. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want you learn to actually enjoy it. It is just that a fight is always messy. We've all seen what is left of those bandits that insist on attacking us. Lots of blood and severed limbs everywhere. We must prepare ourselves to the sight, so that none of us panics or starts to vomit during a fight. Killing an animal is also a useful lesson. If you can't force yourself to slit its throat after knocking it out with a hammer, you won't be able to kill a Diamond Dog, and that will give it more time to kill you. We can't have that."

"We will start with some parasprites from that cage. I know they are cute, but that's the point. We must learn to subdue our natural instincts and kill deliberately. And we really can't afford to have parasprites on the loose around here. After each of us kills and guts three of them, we will all assist the butchers whenever needed. I started with fish, but we don't have any. Now let's begin."

Indigo goes to the cage, takes out a single parasprite, using telekinesis to hold it in place and to stop the others from escaping. They take it to the butcher's shop, and Indigo forces himself to cut it in half with a knife. He manages not to retch and fetches another parasprite for Zaeroth.

After a few months of assisting in the butcher's shop, they all learn to kill deliberately. It is not an enjoyable task for them, but they can hang an animal by its hindlegs, knock it out with a hammer, slit it's throat, then proceed to separate and prepare hide, meat, fat and various organs. This gives them a new perspective on eating meat. Indigo stays mostly vegetarian. They also learn a lot about anatomy and weak points to aim for in a fight. ((Obviously after the Rainbow massacre in 260, the butcher's shop training is no longer needed.))

Maintenance

Shortly after the reserves are formed, they begin to train together, under Indigo. At first they just use the training weapons in the barracks, but eventually they get mail shirts and chaffrons too. Shortly after that day, Indigo leads them to the furniture stockpile during their training. They search for empty barrels, but only find one barrel and some stone pots. They check the drink stockpiles under the kitchen, but they find, that many barrels are half-empty, so a lot of ponies must be wasteful. ((Dwarves like to drink from full barrels, rather than touch ones with just a few portions left, and go trolololo when booze stockpile overflows, while there is hardly any booze or empty barrels left.)) Indigo didn't want to damage his stone pots, which are lidless and too heavy besides, but fortunately he knew of one more place worth checking, where there were always some barrels. He leads his group to the dormitory. It is still morning, and Jaxler is probably still asleep with a hangover. That means, he'll have to yell, which is a nice comeback for the night, when Jaxler was guarding Indigo's room. "JAXLER, OPEN UP, WE KNOW, YOU'RE IN THERE!"

Jaxler yells back "GO THE BUUUUCCCCKKK AWAY!!!!"

Ah, he is in there, good! "Jaxler, open up, we'll go away soon enough, I promise!" Indigo snickers.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT!"

"We need barrels. You always have some, so don't tell me you don't!" answers Indigo. A few ponies in the corridor laugh.

"GOOOOOOOO AWAY!!!!" yells Jaxler.

After a short pause, there is more banging on the door, and more laughing. "Open up! We need those barrels now!"

Jaxler gets out of bed, walks over to the door and opens it. "If you guys don't leave, I'm going to have to hit one of you in the face" he says, looking menacingly at the reservists.

"And why is that? We just need some bucking barrels, and there isn't enough in the stockpile. It is way past quiet hours anyway." Indigo steps back from the door and waits.

"And Why the hell can't you go away?" asks Jaxler.

Indigo sighs "You know what? Fine, if you absolutely insist on making this difficult, we can be back in two hours." Indigo turns to his group "Let's go to the forge first, he is always like this." The reservists leave.

"Make it five hours" says Jaxler and goes back to sleep.

Indigo leads his squad to the Forges, where Billows teaches them how to maintain their armour, make small repairs to it and grind their axes. It mostly comes down to keeping their equipment dry, clean and either waxed or oiled.

Indigo begins: "The militia is required to be proficient in armour types capable of absorbing considerable damage, such as mail shirts and platemail chaffrons, which we are provided to the reserves as well. We do not own them, but they are borrowed to us during scheduled training and stored in the armoury, when not is use. These are very expensive and if you damage them, or let them rust, you may have to pay for the damage. It is therefore very important to learn proper armour use and basic maintenance. It will extend the life of the armour and reduce the burden of our financial responsibility, as well as improve our survivability, should we be thrown into a battle." says Indigo.

"Eventually, any iron will corrode and turn to rust. That's why it is very important to protect weapons and armour from water and moist air and keep them oiled. You need to oil them at least once a month and prevent them form collecting dust. Dust causes rust spots to appear. If a weapon is dusty for too long, rust pits will start to form along the blade causing it to look uneven, dull and old. If you see any rust spots, remove them as soon as possible and don't wait, as it will only get worse. If you clean the steel right away, you can restore it to good condition." says Billows.

"To remove rust, brush off any spots with a wire brush and clean the area with a cloth. Once you are happy with the appearance of your axe or armour, coat it with wax or oil. Cover it in a thin, even layer, let it dry for a bit, then polish with cloth until it shines. Professional soldiers tend to do this daily, but once every two weeks and after each use should be enough for you. When storing armours and weapons in the armoury, clean and oil them once a month. If your chafforns get any dents, or your mail shirts have any broken rings, don't try to fix them yourself. Just bring themt to me. There are ways to do some small repairs in the field, but in a town, it is much better to let the armoursmith do it, just as you would want Panacea to look over a wound, rather than treat it yourself." continues Billows.

"If you decide to get yourselves some additional protection, it will likely be leather, because it is much much cheaper than steel. Compared to steel, it is also much lighter, easier to pierce and well, obviously wasn't tough enough to protect it's original owner in the first place. It sacrifices protection for mobility and flexibility. If you want to be stealthy, leather armours are less visible and noisy than any metal. Apart from leather, such light armours are sometimes made of wood or bones, like Partisan's crupper. At the very least, you would be wise to get yourself some good leather boots." says Indigo.

"Maintenance on a piece of leather is keeping it dry, clean and waxed, as well as inspecting and fixing the stitches. It keeps the leather flexible and slows degeneration over time. If you don't wax or oil leather, it will turn hard and eventually crack and become unusable. This is important, even if you don't own any leather armour, because as you can see, your saddlebags are made of leather, the chaffrons have leather straps and cruppers and peytrals have even more of them. You want those to be both dry and elastic. Some weapons have leather handles for better grip. Don't oil them. You don't want them greasy, but you don't want them rusty or cracked either, so use wax instead." explains Billows.

"We don't even have swords here, but there are a few daggers in the armoury. In case you ever get your hooves on one, don't store it for long in a leather scabbard, or it will rust, now matter how well it was oiled. Leather collects some moisture and is corrosive in itself. When you do use a scabbard, make sure it is clean, dry, waxed on the outside and oiled inside. This should keep most of the moisture out." continues Billows.

"One more thing. Weapons aren't indestructible. Don't try to use an Axe to chop stones or dig or do something equally stupid." finishes Indigo. From now on the reservists carry a whetstone, an oilcloth and a hard brush in their saddlebags, in addition to food, a small knife, flasks and some other stuff. They also learn how to make shoe-shine and other pastes from ingredients such as beeswax, tallow and soot.

(( From the perspective of needing wax, having beehives around is a blessing. ))
(( As usual, it would be alright for them to maintain their equipment less frequently, or less thoroughly, but always taking good care of it is a good habit, and Billows would definitely want his armour to be well taken care off. ))

After being explained and shown how to do it, the reservists clean, wax and polish their chaffrons and grind and oil their Axes. They return to the dormitory a few hours later, after checking the furniture stockpile again. "JAXLER, ARE YOU AWAKE YET? WE COULD USE THOSE BARRELS NOW!" shouts Indigo.

"WOW, YOU GUYS ACTUALLY CAME BACK?”

"I told you, we need those barrels! Preferably now, while the sun is still up!" Ponies in the corridor laugh again.

When Jaxler opens the door he sees three ponies in shining helmets, not so shiny mail shirts, and with training axes. Indigo is among them. "Finally, sleepyhead." some of them snicker.

Jaxler smiles obviously amused "What the hell are you gonna do with those training weapons?"

Indigo rises his brow "Nothing at the moment, but we usually use them on the dummies." At least one pony snickers at Indigo's poor choice of words. "Just give us some barrels. You get less clutter in your room, we get what we need, and we won't bother you for the rest of the day."

"If I were to close this door in your face how exactly would you react?"

Indigo rolls his eyes. "Share or take turns with what we have, I guess. Maybe do something funny, if you ever sleep outside. Maybe talk to somepony about you being uncooperative in the extreme. Apart from that leave you alone, I guess" Indigo looks at Jaxler with sour expression.

"Oh, so you show up with weapons and don't plan on using them? That's just laughable." Jaxler then opens his door more and motions the ponies in.

What? If we start hurting random ponies for no apparent reason, that's jail time for me and the end of the reserves. Indigo is taken aback by this, but quickly tells the other ponies. "Make sure, the barrels are empty. If there is anything inside, leave it here. If there is more than a few drops of liquid, leave the whole barrel." He turns to Jaxler "Wait, are you seriously suggesting we would attack you over something so small? Right now we aren't even training, we just carry those weapons to get used to them and learn how to look after them, but I suppose if you want to come and spar or show those of us who want, how to use a crossbow, we'd be grateful." Indigo looks at his axe. "And of course, I know those aren't real weapons. They might do against a badger or a crundle, but they are just for training." And I know this whole 'reserve' is a joke, but I can't back up now, can I?

"There's no shame in cutting your losses, but I wouldn't call this rag-tag group of jackasses a complete loss."

Not quite understanding his meaning, but expecting it to be some kind of insult, Indigo decides to play it safe and quickly grabs two empty barrels. ((Since Jaxler can drink one in an evening, I assume they are 50 litres each maximum)) "Right... we just need to know more than green recruits about weapons, and be ready when called to arms." The invasion of ponies ends almost as quickly as it began. Each took two barrels, but there are still some left. "Thanks for the barrels, your stash really is a godssend." Indigo turns to his squad, "Alright, we wasted enough time on this, take the surplus to the furniture stockpile, and keep one barrel each."

Jaxler slams his door as soon as the last 'recruit' left his room. As far as Jaxler is concerned they are just a bunch of half-baked dumbasses. But as much as Jaxler dislikes the reserve, he still fears that they they're going to hurt themselves.

After getting rid of the excess barrels at the furniture stockpile, the reservists go to a pile of sand, close to the well. They put their mail shirts into the barrels, along with some sand and gravel, close them and roll them for a better part of an hour as quickly as they can. While it is possible to scrub at mail with a brush, the barrel method is faster and more thorough, as well as a good exercise. When they are done, they pull out their now shining mail shirts and Indigo cleans the barrels at the well. Then they return the barrels to the furniture stockpile, remove any leftover sand from their mail shits, let them dry, oil them and put them on. From then on they do this about once every two weeks.

Eventually Halberd tells Indigo, that his squad is to maintain other unused arms and armour. It takes so much time, that Indigo chooses to perfect his cleaning and repair spells, rather than do it the hard way over and over again. The equipment in the armoury is maintained in good condition, so Halberd doesn't complain about it. From then on, whenever Indigo is planning to clean mail shirts the earth pony way for the exercise, he checks the furniture stockpile in the evening, and if need be, asks Jaxler for barrels, when he isn't asleep.

Axe Training.

After a talk with Saw Dust and Halberd, Indigo approaches his squad with a bin of Axes. These are real hatchets, not the training ones. He begins "The axe, or any cleaving weapon for that matter, is based on a simple principle. It is a wedge that reduces the effort to split an object. The longer the handle, the more force you can apply. Obviously, the larger the axe head, the more potential damage, but you want to try to keep is as balanced as possible."

He walks over to a chopping block and splits a piece of wood. "Okay then, everypony grab an axe!" The reservists are rather excited to get to train with real weapons so soon. Even Oil Macepony, who chose a mace as her weapon, but accepted the fact that he is required to do at least some cross-training with an Axe. When they are all equipped, Indigo continues. "Right, so now come with me and let's get started chopping some wood. The charcoal furnaces always need more fuel." This work is rather dull, so Zaeroth's cheer dies down. Indigo continues. "Yes, you heard me right. This is the basic training, if we're going to learn how to use Axes in combat. If you can't properly chop through a motionless log the size of a hoof, you can't expect to do the same to a fully armoured limb, which is constantly moving around. Right then, let's get chopping! The firewood isn't going to cut itself."

This is hard and dull work, so they alternate it with some other forms of training. After a few months, each of them can hit a block of wood almost exactly where and how he wants it, and they are ready for sparring and training on the dummies. Over a period of a few days Glaive demonstrates on a dummy with varying levels of armour, what to aim for. After that the reservists mostly spar and watch demonstrations, but once in a while help to chop more wood. ((Too bad, there is no in-game skill synergy between woodcutting and axepony.))

***********************************

Mace training

Indigo picks a mace, looks at it, than at Oil Macepony. "Well, since you picked a mace as your weapon, you'll be training with it. I couldn't find any soldier competent with it, but I can demonstrate the basic moves. I'll also repeat what my captain in New Saddle told us, and hope you can figure it out from there."

"You cannot get any simpler than a bludgeoning weapon. Just pick up the nearest blunt object and slam your opponent, preferably in the head where it will cause the most damage. If the head is well protected, then aim for a limb. Breaking a leg will help slow your enemy, so that you might finish the job - or get away, if outnumbered."

"Some believe that a weapon such as a club or mace is barbaric and far too primitive to be used effectively in combat, and that it is easily countered by heavy armours. It is not so; warhammers, maces and picks can easily breach or cave plate armour with a true strike. And while quality chain mail may deny a blade's bite, it does nothing to stop the thunderous force of a hammer."

"The biggest boon of a blunt weapon is that its force can easily penetrate even heavy armour. The problem with it is that it kills slowly. Therefore it may be a good idea to disable an enemy with a mace or hammer and let another soldier finish him off with an Axe. I've also heard that if you hit the sternum just right, you can break most of the ribs in one hit. That must be devastating, so just figure out how to do it. You should start by finding a good and balanced grip on your mace and learning to hit the dummy at different angles, just like we did with Axes."

Crossbow training

Indigo takes a crossbow and addresses his squad. "Well, since the guard uses crossbows, we are expected to know a thing or two about them. We will get a lesson on maintenance from Longshot, then a shooting demonstration."

Longshot nods and begins: "When talking to a master crossbowpony, you may hear mention of advanced mental techniques such as "drawing the target toward yourself." While tales about what you can do with a range weapon are often exaggerated, there is some truth to them. However, there are many basics, that you need to learn before you are truly ready to "shoot the flea from a pony's hindquarters at twenty tiles."

"One of the simplest and often overlooked skills, is being in tune with your surroundings. Shooting usually takes place outdoors, and that is where you should spend most of your training time. Familiarize yourself with the casting of shadows to judge distance and the effects of wind currents to adjust your shooting angles. It will be a great help at hitting your target at long ranges. Do try to spend at least some of your training indoors without either of these factors; short-range combat with a crossbow in not something to be taken for granted, if you are pursuing a military career. Besides, you will run out of bolts eventually, and your enemy will want to close the distance."

"A second, and arguably the most important habit to nurture is proper crossbow care. If something is running towards you at full speed and there aren't any axeponies between you, the last thing you should be worrying about is a snapped bowstring. Making sure that you properly coat the string with beeswax, and unstringing the crossbow when not in use or storing, will not only allow the weapon to last longer, but can affect the accuracy and impact of your shots. Keep your crossbow clean, dry and waxed and the mechanism well oiled."

"In short, you should focus on learning the minor, unexciting, but extremely important nuances of archery before planning any great feats that you might end up regretting."

Longshot takes his crossbow apart and shows them how to take care of it. After that they proceed to the shooting range, where Longshot explains proper techniques for loading, aiming and shooting. Lastly, each of the reservists gets to shoot some bolts at a target.

The reserves are called to arms during a parasprite invasion. They are given crossbows, wooden bolts and join the guard and Longshot in hunting down the intruders. Partisan explains it to them: "If you can hit a flying parasprite with a crossbow, you can hit a Diamond Dog in the eye, pierce his brain and end it quickly." The hunt begins. This is good training, but the reserves barely score any hits and the guard does almost all of the work.

The reservist are only allowed to use crappy wooden and bone bolts and only get some, when there is surplus. After Jaxler joins the reserves, he is in charge of crossbow training and makes the wooden bolts for them, which is a big improvement.

Dodge training

Indigo begins. "When it comes to defence, there are two basic lines of thought. One is not to get hit at all, another is to wear so much protection, that you can withstand a few blows and not care. They are different, but not mutually exclusive, and dodging is usually a good idea, even in heavy armour. If you are fighting something ten times heavier than a pony, you don't want to absorb the full force of it's blows, no matter what protection you're wearing. If you manage to move out of the way, your enemy may be off balance, and in an awkward position for a moment, giving you a chance to retaliate. If you can't dodge a blow, you may be able to deflect or parry it, which is still better than absorbing its full force. Some of the soldiers giving us demonstrations may show us a thing or two about dodging, but for the most part it is up to us to learn it when sparring."

"There are, however, some exercises, that can help with dodging. We will practice jumping in eight directions, strafing, reflexes and so on. There will also be some exercises for better balance, including sparring on a log of wood. For now, I have something else in mind. I'll release all the cats from that cage, give them a minute head start and after that we catch them back. If you can outrun a cat, catch it in your mouth and shrug off the scratching, it means you are fast, agile and can withstand some pain. A kitten is worth one point, and adult two, and Whiskers 3. Whoever wins, gets ten bits. Go!" I just hope nopony will ask too many questions about it, it is not like I'm releasing the parasprites. ((It doesn't even matter who won.))

Shield training

Indigo and Oil Macepony are the only unicorns in the reserves. Indigo takes a shield, pulls out some papers out of his saddlebag and addresses his squad. "It is usually just the unicorns, who get the benefit of a shield, but we may face enemies carrying shields, so every soldier should know something about them. A common mistake made by shield-bearers is to simply raise the shield to meet the incoming blow or bolt. The benefit of this method is that you get maximum coverage from your shield. The problem with it is that it means holding your shield perpendicular to whatever is threatening you, which minimizes the area of impact and maximizes the attacker's chance to pierce the shield, and the impact you have to withstand. A better method of using the shield, is to deflect rather than block. Here are some diagrams with flight paths of bolts and proper angles to hold the shield at, so let's memorize and exercise them."

Dancing with Stripes

Around 20 Galena, 258.
(( A few months after the Flux-Glaive-Stiletto incident. Before Glaive and Falcata wedding. After the zebra caravan arrives. This scene implies, that Indigo's reunion with Sekashi went much smoother, than I originally intended. ))

Indigo walks up to Falcata's room and knocks on the door. "Falcata, are you in there? Can I talk to you?"

Falcata glances up from polishing her armour, wondering who could be at the door. Glaive would have just walked in; even if she'd left it locked, he had a key. "Yes, who is it?"

"Indigo." He replies.

Indigo? That troublemaker who's been hounding Stiletto? What does he want? "Uh, okay, come in?"

Indigo enters, closes the door behind him and looks at Falcata. "I've heard Dawnpick has an orchestra, and that you're part of it. Is that true?"

Falcata gets up, leaving the armour and the cloth she was polishing it with to one side. Music? Maybe he's not here about Stiletto, after all. "An orchestra? Not as far as I know; Flux plays the piccolo and I play the lyre. We play together sometimes, but we're hardly an orchestra."

Indigo frowns "Ah. Just the two of you. Not what I need. A harp is too peaceful and quiet. A flute might serve, but I need drums---"

"What do you need drums for? And we play piccolo and lyre, not flute and harp!" Falcata bristles slightly at the strange pony, now apparently talking to himself. Is mine and Flux's music not good enough for him?

Indigo snaps out of his thoughts and looks at the angry Falcata. "I need music... to train my squad of course. You obviously don't have what I need, and you look, like you don't want me in here, so I'll just leave." He moves towards the door, intending to depart.

The unicorn's sudden change of tack startles her, and she reacts just as rapidly. "No, wait! What's wrong with a lyre and a flute for that, though? And how can you train your squad using music, anyway?" Falcata blurts out, taking a step forwards and raising a forehoof as if gesturing for him to stop. Wow, he's...abrupt, to say the least.

He stops and turns back to her. "Well, there are some zebra dances that need a lot of agility and are very tiring. In a fight there are often moments where you need to move very fast. This isn't quite weapons training, but I'm sure dancing can help the reservists. I'm making arrangements with the caravan, but I wanted to make it more interesting. Consider it a form of endurance training, if you will. It should be more interesting than galloping around with heavy saddlebags."

Falcata's interest is piqued. "I see...I think. So you absolutely must have drums? Couldn't we help in some way?" If this is seriously going to improve the reservists' ability, then I have to try and help them with it, at the very least. Fighting is hard enough when you've been doing it most of your life, but the poor reservists need all the aid they can get.

"Well, the caravan has drums, rattles and not much else. If some musicians could add a melody with other instruments, it would make it more interesting. If you want to help, talk to the drummers. I'm still making arrangements, but we should be able to begin tomorrow afternoon." And if Dawnpick had an orchestra, perhaps I wouldn't have to pay for the music.

"Okay, well, I'll see what I can do to help you - and your squad - with the whole musical training thing. We should be able to put something together, I think." Falcata glances at him, still perched awkwardly in front of the door. "Did you want anything else?"

"Not really." But I guess, if you do this, I'll owe you a favour. "Thank you. And see you tomorrow." Indigo leaves. She wears all of that armour? It looks heavy.

"Bye, Indigo!" she calls as the unicorn walks out, shutting the door carefully behind him.

For over two weeks the reservists dance with the zebras close to the trade depot. Each day they begin during late afternoon, after having normal weapons training, and continue for several hours. A few of the zebras dance, a few provide the music and some guard their wagons and wares, but they rotate their shifts. The musicians use mainly drums and rattles, but Falcata joins them with a lyre. While it doesn't blend perfectly with the rhythm, it makes for an interesting combination, and in the end, the rhythm is all that counts anyway.

The reservists and the zebras dance in a circle around a fire. The dance itself isn't very complicated, but requires lots of jumps and other quick movements. The ponies get tired quickly and wimp out one by one, but dance again after catching their breaths. This repeats over and over, until early night-time. Water and juice are provided to quench their thirst, but not food and no alcohol. Some ponies come to join the 'party', but most go away when explained the purpose of it all. A few stay, which is fine, because there is enough room. Some are amused and just watch. Flux comes to look, but isn't yet ready to play in public and leaves.

Halberd comes to see what this racket is all about, snorts and leaves. While the reserves are not directly his responsibility, he is still frustrated by Indigo's idea of 'training'. Conventional combat drills are what the soldiers need and dancing is just a waste of time. He doesn't neglect to tell that to Indigo during the next captain's meeting.

All in all, this method of training works. After a week the reservists can almost keep up with the zebras for over 15 minutes, so they start dancing in their armour. This makes them tired much quicker. After over a week of it, they are faster, slower to tire and more confident.

Indigo had to pay the zebras with some stone instruments, as well as provide the firewood and drinks. For all their time and effort, this is just a token payment, but they were in good mood after doing a very good business with Lady Virtue and getting a few pots of food as a gift. While they might as well have done it for free, they believe that service requires payment, and ponies disrespect what they get for free.

This repeats next year and the year after that.