Arx Equestris

Chapter 2

'Faber quisque fortunae suae'

“So, basically” I started after Crystal has finished her lecture, trotting alongside her as she made her way down one of the city's streets, looking around with mild interest “We find the exit, run out, grab everything valuable we find, then rush back in before our appendages start freezing off. Sounds simple enough”

“If you put it that what, it sure does” she focused her bright yellow eyes on me again as we stopped to let an earth pony stallion pulling a delivery wagon through “And believe me, I hope it will be that easy. We may still run in some trouble on our way to the surface access. Even if that goes smooth, we don't know much about the place we're going to, so we'll have to move extra fast and just hope we manage to find enough to make it worth it”

We resumed walking, slowly heading towards the main square. Though it was called that, it  was just a small patch of empty space, lit brightly by lamps surrounding it or hanging overhead on ropes stretching between some of the city's most prestigious shops, upper-class houses, guard post and an inn that encircled the flat area. The only thing on the square itself was an old statue of large stallion wearing a plate armour, standing proudly with his head held high. I knew it well, often seeing it since I were a colt, having lived here all my life. General Firmhoof – or, as he was called since he united ponykind under his rule in final years of the great war, King Firmhoof – looked as regal as always, overlooking the crowd of ponies making their way through the square as they went about their business. Crystal gave the statue a glance before turning back to me with a chuckle.

“Though for you, it may be even worse. I expect Tang to try his best to give you a hard time. Oh don't worry, he's always been like that, it's not like he just decided to not like you... He was like that for me too when we first met” she gave me her kind smile again as my ears drooped  slightly at her initial statement. That pony really weren't the friendly type. Crystal, on the other hand, struck me as unusually cheerful and nice for somepony who made her living by scavenging old caves and risking trips to the surface. How those two got along was beyond me.

“If you don't mind me asking” I inquired as we slowly made our way through the crowd, heading towards the inn that she and Tangerine stayed at “You two seem like an unlikely couple. How come you're travelling together?”

“Well, it wasn't always just Tang and I. When I joined up with him, there were two more ponies with us, though back then they mostly kept to exploring the tunnels and what remained of old battlefields and towns. When we extended our area of operations to the occasional escapades to the surface few months after that, one of them decided it was becoming too dangerous and left. That was about a year ago, since then it was Tangerine, our pegasus pal Nickel and I. Week or so ago Nicky decided he's 'getting too old for this' and it's time to settle down. I miss that guy” she explained with a hint of sadness in here normally calm tone “And that brings us to this day, when Tang and I entered your store and got ourselves a replacement” she winked at me as we came to  stop in front of the inn's door.

I wanted to say something to being called a 'replacement' but just bit my tongue and shook my head slightly. 'Way too cheerful' I thought to myself as Crystal walked up to the door and nudged it open, looking back at me before she disappeared inside.

“Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Make sure to be ready, don't want to get on Tang's bad side from the start.... Is not healthy for you” the mare chuckled as the door closed behind her.

When I was alone – figuratively speaking of course, as the mass of ponies still swarmed around me – I looked to the left, where a wide street leading straight to the palace gave me a clear sight of the clock tower. After our walk, when Crystal explained to me basics of her... work line, there were still over two hours left before the standard closing time for most shops in the city. I sighed and started making my way home to get some quick snack and retrieve my saddlebags before leaving to get few things Crystal had told me to get ready for tomorrow. They were mostly supplies she and Tangerine already owned or just bought earlier, but I still needed some stuff for myself, like a warm set of clothes to survive the surface long enough to finish scavenging, goggles to protect eyes from extreme conditions and what Crystal stressed as very important, some kind of armour. She didn't expect us to run into trouble, but as she put it – unlike the other way, you can never regret putting on some protective wear. That I could take care of even before leaving my apartment.

Having arrived and finished my modest lunch, I walked up to the metal locker at the feet of my bed and opened it. After rummaging through it for a while and successfully covering a good part of the floor with my belongings, I found what I was looking for – a white, rather thin rectangular box with a small note still attached to it. I read it smiling lightly at the memory;

Too bad you didn't make it kid, I was really sure you had that something in you. Keep this as a memento, and don't worry – nopony will mind. And if they do – I'm the quartermaster here, so there's nothing they can do.

I settled the box down on my bed and flipped the cover open, revealing a set of dark blue leather armour with goggles resting on top of it. My old recruit outfit of Wonderbolts – a special task and reconnaissance branch of Equestrian military. I tried joining them few years ago, but my dream didn't quite work out – Wonderbolts were elite soldiers and I just couldn't keep up with the standards. I weren't agile or fast enough to fly through the narrow tunnels with speed and precision required from them.

I let out a small sigh at the crushed dream and took the goggles into my hooves. I never understood their point – I read that they were used to protect the wearer from something called 'weather conditions' centuries ago on the surface, but not like we needed them for anything down here. The instructor just said that it's a traditional piece of uniform and told me to shut my mouth. Oh well, one thing less on the shopping list. I set the goggles on the bed and turned my attention to the more useful part of the box's contents. The armour wasn't as strong or flashy as the real Wonderbolts' outfits, which were decorated with streaks of royal gold and hardened with strategically placed plates of eredium – a metal which, though not as sturdy as regular steel, was incredibly light. It almost didn't weight you down at all, which was vital for the Wonderbolts, as their speed and agility were their main advantage both in and out of battle, keeping them out of danger's reach most of the time anyway, rendering heavier protection redundant.

'A little dusty, but in fine condition otherwise' I thought to myself running a hoof over my plain dark blue recruit version of Wonderbolts outfit. It wasn't really meant for combat – its purpose was mostly to just save the wannabes the unpleasant feeling of having their hide peeled off, should they fail a manoeuvre or corner and become close acquaintances with a rough stone wall. Despite that, it should be enough for this trip. I put both it and the goggles back inside the box and, after throwing my belongings back inside the locker and closing it, placed the box on top of it so it were ready for tomorrow. I put on my saddlebags and left the apartment once again to buy other supplies.

After roughly half an hour I acquired everything Crystal deemed necessary. Content with my accomplishment I turned to make my way home when my eyes fell on a blacksmithing workshop. 'Maybe I should get myself a sword... Even if we won't run into anything more than some cave vermin, the blade may prove useful'. After pondering the thought for a moment I entered the small building next to a currently unoccupied forge. The inside of the shop was filled with displays of all sorts of blacksmithing products, from simple curiosities or products of everyday use to what interested me most – racks of weapon and armour. As I was looking through them, I noticed weapon of choice of most Wonderbolts – a set of light, eredian wing mounted blades connected to a battle harness that kept them on without limiting the wings' mobility. Heck, it even offered them additional protection – good thing since they were primary target for your opponent. Sadly, this kind of weapon required special training to use properly – otherwise it would probably just send you to hospital for a long time – and I only received basic combat training for swords during my time as a recruit. Not to mention the exorbitant price of such weapon.

Taking my eyes off it I decided to just rely on the opinion of somepony that knows more about weaponry than I do and trotted up to the counter, a gruff looking unicorn stallion was sitting behind it, idly spinning a dagger on its tip with his magic. After reaching him, I cleared my throat to attract his attention.

“Hello, I'd like to purchase a blade, something light and basic. I was hoping you could help me with that?...”

He looked at me with a blank expression for few seconds before nodding and walking up to the row of weapon racks, leaving the dagger on the table “Yes... Certainly, I have a large selection of all kinds of swords, are you looking for something with a particular purpose, or rather a balanced weapon...” his voice matched his face in the amount of emotions it relayed as he slowly scanned the rows of glistening metal waiting for my response.

“No, nothing specific, just a backup self-defence plan, really... I want it to be light and easy to use. And hopefully not too expensive, if that's possible”

The unicorn nodded again before levitating out a plain short sword with bright yellow mouth grip and moved it closer to me “Well, if you're looking for something light, this is probably your best bet. Made out of mix of steel and eredium, very low weight and enough endurance to hold out even if should you find yourself having to fend off a lurker. Try it” he levitated it closer to me and I took hold of it, carefully trying out the blade as he took a step back to give me room.

He was right, the sword was very light and easy at handling. That made it more suitable for piercing attacks instead swings, allowing a quick stab and dodge without having to risk opening yourself too much. Might not be best choice for a duelling weapon due to its relative low endurance, but after all I wasn't going to fight anypony. Satisfied with my test, I looked at the salesman and nodded at him, trotting up to the counter while he recovered the scabbard. Few minutes later I left the shop, 35 bits lighter but with a blade that I trusted would prove to be a good investment, even though I deeply hoped I'd have no need to use it. A quick glance at the clock tower revealed that the work time was soon to step down from its throne to make room for relaxation hours. I decided to drop off my new acquisition at the apartment and head out to the tavern to enjoy myself a bit before tomorrow. It was, after all, going to be a big day!

***

For probably the first time in my life the booming sound of city's bell didn't cause me to grumble and dig deeper into my bed. Instead, it made me land on the floor on my back with a dull thud as I tried to jump out of the cosy shelter as soon as my eyes shot open. Today I finally had a reason to obey that metal overlord – I was supposed to meet Crystal and Tangerine in front of the inn one hour after the bell, and I had some preparations to do.

After freeing myself from the tangled sheets I quickly set on my morning routine, trying to get it out of the way as soon as possible. When I managed to do so without any major disasters along the way, I moved on to one of the many new things in my usual schedule – cramming supplies into my saddlebags, which I had to repeat a couple of times because I couldn't fit it all in. In the end I decided to get rid of a bag of dried apple slices – after all, Crystal said we won't be gone for more than 5 days, so I doubted they'd be a lifesaver. After that I finally managed to securely close the bags and turned towards the box sitting at my footlocker and opened it, taking out the suit of light armour. 'I wonder if I still know how to put this on properly...'.

I didn't. After a struggle longer than I'd dare admit in public, I finally managed to get all the pieces in the right spot and all the straps fastened, and immediately remembered why most ponies don't usually wear clothing. The damn thing was uncomfortable as uncomfortable might be, the fact that it wasn't used in years didn't make getting accustomed to it again any easier. I groaned lightly, trying to ignore the itching and weird feeling of being restricted as I secured down my new sword, its scabbard lying against my left side before putting on my saddlebags and trotting up to the door, unlocking them and nudging them open. By the force of habit I looked around the room one more time before leaving, nodding to myself as I memorized the state I'm leaving it in. Next time I see it I'll hopefully be a richer, happier pony. After locking the door and making my way downstairs onto the slowly filling street I started preparing myself for the next task on the list, probably the hardest one today.

***

“Your sister fell ill?” the dark green pony in front of me echoed my words, his eyes fixed on mine as he wore a mildly curious expression. I nodded lightly, trying to keep my hoof from scratching at the ground as I hoped Mr Daven will just take my word and won't ask questions. He DID offer me time off often enough, I just rarely felt like using it, so decided to call it in now. “And you're going to Arx to visit her and won't be back until after the Parade?” I just nodded again, staring at the ground at my hooves. Don't. Act. Nervous.

The Parade on the day of signing the treaty that brought peace to the kingdom was another reason I believed my lie would work – the two cycles long celebration was time free of work anyway, so I figured it's a good card to play when explaining my forthcoming absence. I didn't want to tell the elder pony truth because of a couple of reasons, but mostly I just didn't want to worry him. He's always been so kind to me... I grew attached to him and knew that if I told him what I was really planning he'd just be disappointed in me and worry. Besides, I weren't lying completely – I DO have a sister in Arx. I just haven't heard form her in almost five years. Details, who needs them.

“I hope you know you've always been a terrible liar, Flair” my ears fell flat against my skull as I heard his words, bringing my gaze up again to look at my friend and employer. To my surprise, he was smiling sadly as he shook his head “Maybe I could let few details slip, but... Even you should know it's going to hard to convince anypony that you're going to visit your sister in a suit of armour and a blade at your side”

I froze as it hit me just how stupid I am. He was right, I should have come to him before putting on the gear. I groaned bringing a hoof to my face. I am not a clever pony. I should have thought this through better, and now I'm busted.

“Well, I'm not going to ask you what you're really up to. I believe you have good reasons to try to hide it from me, whatever they are. I trust you enough to let you have your little secret. I ask just one thing – come back in one piece, will you? I'd hate to have to hire that loud kid for more than few days” I let out a short sigh, relaxing at the green stallion's words, expecting a much longer and less pleasant lecture. I gave him a weak smile nodding my head.

“You know me Mr Daven, I can look after myself. And thank you. I promise to be back as soon as I can, and I'll explain it then. I hope my absence won't hurt the store too much”

“Only my nerves. Wispy is a good boy, but he's a bit too lively for my taste. Though I'm sure he will be delighted to earn few bits again. I still remember the last time you took a day off...” he shook his head grimly at the memory before speaking again “Well, I hope to see you all well in few days. Don't do anything stupid.”

I chuckled lightly shooting him a more confident smile “If I do, I'm sure you'll hear about it before I come back and have time to prepare a good lecture. Good bye Mr Daven!”

'Well, that went surprisingly well!' I thought to myself, navigating the sea of ponies that filled the main street leading to the main square. With all preparations done, I was finally ready to join my new companions and head out on what I was hoping to be the adventure of my life. I lost myself in thoughts about what could be waiting for me on it and almost didn't notice when I reached my destination, arriving at the inn to find two ponies waiting there for me. Crystal gave me her trademark, kind smile as Tangerine scowled, tapping his hoof in anticipation.

“Finally. I was starting to think you decided to chicken out and left us hanging. What took you so long” before I could open my mouth to speak, he turned around and made his way down the street. Crystal just rolled her eyes at me before motioning for me to follow as she trotted after her friend.

“Trust me, just survive the first days and you'll see why I'm sticking with him. Try to enjoy yourself until then kid, it's a bit of a walk” the light blue mare said brightly walking alongside me as we followed the living plough tunnelling through the morning mass of ponies.

I groaned at the patronizing “From what I recall you're only two years older than me”

“So? I still get to call you that” she winked at me in her usual cheerfulness as we neared the city gate, the first point of our little journey.

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'Faber quisque fortunae suae' - 'Every man is architect of his own fortune' Next Chapter: Chapter 3 Estimated time remaining: 15 Minutes