Lily Glamerspear

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‘Buck, is it dark in here.’

At least the ground was rough, solid, and dry, so Specialist Lily Glamerspear didn’t feel like she’d slip. And her batpony leader seemed to be able to see just fine. And Lily could see her, so that was good enough to keep going, for now.

Ebonshield turned around to glance at the rest of the group, and Lily could see a reflective shimmer in her pupils, which were open wider than she’d ever seen them before.

"We will reach the guard post soon. Please all to be silent from now on until we reach a place I will call safe to speak again. And leave everything up to me."

Lily nodded, and there was a clattering of armor as the rest of the quaternion -- plus her armored VIP -- nodded as well.

Sparkshower, to her left, clanged her armor a bit harder than the rest as she lept to attention.

'Hmm. Don't most pegasi get claustrophobic about dark, enclosed spaces like this?'

The pegasus seemed to be holding together well. That was good, because who knew what kind of nonsense was waiting for them at the batpony checkpoint?

Eb seemed to think it would be far worse than what they’d been subjected to at the Royal Guard military ponice outpost. That had been bad enough.

Okay, to be fair, it hadn't taken that long. And they hadn't really hassled their group too much. Whatever Princess Luna had written on the scroll seemed to seal the deal.

Lily sighed.

‘Gotta relax, Lily. Keep your cool.’

Especially in a place like this -- a mountain full of alien batponies, who only were let out once a night to watch the palace walls. Her own sergeant's customs and behaviours had been strange enough, and she was probably actually trying really hard to fit in! What would the bats who'd been kept cooped up be like?

The answer must be coming soon, because, as Lily rounded another corner, the tunnel floor leveled off flat, and began to open up so wide that she lost sight of the walls. There was the noise of water dripping into pools, and she caught shadowy glimpses of stalagmites rising up beside her. It must be one of the natural caverns inside the mountain, as opposed to the artificially dug-out tunnel that brought them there.

A blue light off in the distance seemed to be their destination; it was bright enough that it silhouetted the quaternion leaders ahead of her -- and even their VIP ahead and beside her -- in its azure rays.

Lily heard the soft fluttering of wings above her, and a shiver ran down her spine. But then she remembered -- it's a mountain full of bat-ponies; of course they're gonna have some actual bat-bats in there, too. The fluttering grew closer as the party pressed on, and something scratched at the back of Lily’s mind. Something about bats...

‘Hrm, what was it?’

‘There are the ones that eat bugs, which are kinda ugly…’

‘And the ones that eat fruits, which are kinda cute…’

‘Oh!’

Lily remembered now! Even though her bat-pony Sergeant could see well in the dark, actual bats can't, so they make squeaking noises to 'hear' the world around them.

Funny, she didn’t hear any squeaking going on in there...

About when Lily realized she ought to be hearing bat echolocation squeaks, Ebonshield came to an abrupt stop. A second later, and the unicorn was blinded by intense light.

"Guh!"

All around her, she could hear the clattering of armor as everypony else seemed to be likewise affected by the sudden illumination. That flash hurt so much, Lily had to sit down and rub the tears out of her eyes with her hooves.

When she finally managed to open them again, the watery, spiked, cave was fully lit, and their quaternion and VIP were no longer alone. Three batponies stood in the pathway ahead, two of them holding spears at the ready, blocking the way forward. Lily heard a rustle beside her, and realized there were another two batponies beside her, also pointing weapons at them, having silently appeared from behind tall stalagmites.

A batpony ambush!

Lily was about to raise a magic shield, when she glanced up at her leaders and saw that Honour hadn't drawn her spear, and Ebonshield appeared to be calm as well. Frowning, she glanced around some more to get a handle on the situation.

Sparkshower was on her hooves and ready. Having her head encased in bronze and shielded by the vision-slits of her visor probably made her less vulnerable to the batpony’s trick of suddenly turning on the lights. Even their VIP looked to have handled the sudden flash better than Lily had, with the way his helmet closed in around his eyes. Honour, used to the dim lighting of before, was still trying not to squint.

Lily caught another two batponies on the far side, closing in on her and Sparkshower. When she heard hoofsteps behind her, she didn’t doubt that there were another two back there as well.

‘They've got us surrounded, all right!’

‘Nothing to do but wait and see how the sergeant plays this one out…’

The lead batpony ambusher stepped forward, and Ebonshield broke slightly away from their party to meet her. At least Lily thought it was 'her.' Hard to tell under those dark cloaks and their pitch-black leather armor.

When the two batponies were almost snout-to-snout, Lily saw the guard grin. "¿Ah, qué tenemos aquí? ¿Una niña díscola con un grupo de prisioneros?"

Her Sergeant replied calmly, almost in a whisper. "We are in the presence of Equestrians, València. I remind you of the Edict of the Tongues."

That got her a sharp look from the batpony checkpoint guard, who narrowed her eyes and then looked over Lily’s group. "Ay see. How inconsiderrate of mi, to speak in a lenguaj they do not underrstand. Jou will accept mi apologias, jes?"

Her accent was thick and heavy -- though not quite as bad as Eb's brother.

Ebonshield was as still as a statue. "Of course."

The batpony guard, València, gave the slightest of nods as she carried on. "Gracias. But jou understand, Pureza: this only demands the question. Hwo arre dese Equestrians and ah-where arre jou taking them?"

‘So then this definitely is the checkpoint.’

‘No tidy office with logbook and typewriter, here.’ Just an outright ambush by flipping on the lights and dropping down from the ceiling. It seemed like Eb was right about it being less organized than the Royal Guard's MP outpost, at least. Would they be just as unenthusiastic about Lily's VIP & his quaternion coming in?

"The tall one is my student, Anonymous, and the other three are my battle-sisters. I am taking them all to the Grand Hall for training."

València snorted. "Taking this scum to the Grrand Hall? I think that not! Jou know the rrules, Pureza: no Equestrrians in the Rookery!"

Yup, they were just as unenthusiastic.

Sergeant Ebonshield slowly reached a forehoof underneath her cloak. "I have a permit allowing them entry, signed by--"

Before she could present it or finish her sentence, València swatted it away with one hoof, and the scroll ricocheted off a stalagmite to land in front of their VIP. "Do not tink jour trrash hwill allow you to get past me as jou got past the R.U.C.! Jou no are enterring the Rookery with these peaple, Pureza!"

Eb paused for a moment, then continued just as calmly as she did before. "-signed by the Mother-of-Stars herself."

‘Yeah, that oughtta change the mind of this buckin' bat--’

"I do not care who signed your permiso maldito!"

‘Or maybe not.’

The sergeant replied coldly. "I did not think that you would."

There was a flash of anger in the batpony guard's eyes, and if she could shove her snout any closer to Ebonshield’s -- without them touching -- Lily got the sense that she would.

"Hwat did you say??"

Staying frosty, Eb continued. "I said, I did not think that you would care who signed it."

That answer didn’t help the guardpony's mood any. "Jou are right! No me importa! And if it was up to me, jou would not be allowed in alone, either!"

Geez, the spittle flying out of that indignant guard's mouth alone would be enough to make Lily want to put up a shield.

Eb just lifted her eyebrows and raised her neck slightly. "Then I am fortunate that this is not 'up to you.'"

València didn’t seem to have an angry retort to that, and there was a long moment of silence where nobody did anything. Everypony was so still that there wasn’t even the sound of metal armor clanking.

Not to mention, the batponies there seemed to be wearing soft leather.

The better to sneak around in?

Probably.

The same drip-drip-drip of stalactites letting water dribble down from the ceiling above was all Lily could hear -- for the moment, at least.

Finally, after a nearly minute-long stare-down, València nodded in the direction of the tunnel.

"Go back, trraitorr. Turrn arround and leave this place."

‘Traitor??’

‘Huh?’

Eb just shook her head. "No."

"I tell jou, go back -- jou go back! Me cago en tu permiso! Ay am in charge of this frrontier."

Lily’s sergeant leaned forward, until their snouts were almost touching again, and lowered her voice. "You are not 'in charge' of anything, València..."

There was a cracking noise as Ebonshield rolled her neck around to loosen it up, and she heard the shuffling of hooves as the guardponies around her seemed to be unsettled by the sound.

"You know what you are? I will tell you what you are, tu coño sombrío lleno de polvo."

Whatever that last bit was, it pissed the living Tartarus out of the guard. She bared her teeth, and the two batponies behind them took a menacing step forward as if to protect her honor.

Ebonshield didn’t seem to care in the slightest, and leaned in so far that her snout actually forced València back. "You are in my way."

‘Aw, yeah.’

‘You tell 'em, Sarge.’

'Buck these buckers for holding her crew up.' And after Eb went to all the trouble to get a signature from the Princess herself! Didn’t these bucking batponies worship Princess Luna? Didn’t her signature on a document mean anything to them?

Lily started to grin at having the upper hoof, but then she realized something. If things got ugly, there were nine enemies surrounding them. And those are just the ones she could see! Who knew how many more of the leather-winged buckers might be concealed behind the rocky outcroppings? None of her group were really armed, either.

Honour's two spears were folded in half on her back. Yeah, she could whip 'em out pretty fast, but faster than these bats could get on top of her? Sparkshower was probably safe in her armor, but she'd never be able to screw together her longspear while under attack, not with it disassembled into four pieces. At least she wore heavy sabots to fight with. Even her VIP, who had his weapon out, wasn’t fully equipped -- his shield was slung behind him, underneath his cloak, and his armor didn’t cover the entirety of his body.

Was it enough to have faith in their batpony sergeant?

Did she have her weapons ready, somehow?

She could be putting all of their lives at risk if she didn’t...

Lily was the only one out of the three who didn’t need to reach for a physical weapon, but even charging her horn was a visible act that took a second or two -- and those batpony spear-tips were awfully close. It was not so bright in there that nopony would fail to notice the telltale glow from her horn, either.

Although...

One of the exercises Lily had been studying in the 'De Magia Unicornis' book was about establishing and maintaining a secret, low-level draw on magical power; the kind that wouldn't be externally noticeable. With the energy it would let her channel, she’d be one step closer to raising her magical barrier. Maybe it wouldn't be the sturdiest shield ever thrown up to begin with, but it would keep these cloaked Night Guard ponies from striking a first blow.

As the two batpony leaders seemed to be locked in a stare-down contest, Lily decided to give it a try. She took a deep breath, slowly, and tried to let just the tiniest trickle of mana flow into her.

It was tough, resisting the urge to open the floodgates and turn that tiny stream into a torrent.

There was a certain casual pleasure most unicorns took in channeling magic, including Glamerspear among them. For some, it could almost be like a drug.

Well, if it was a 'drug,' Lily had gone cold turkey for almost a week! She should easily be able to manage a little restraint. Especially if she followed the example of her batpony sergeant, who had remained calm and polite until it was clear politeness wasn't going to get her anywhere.

'Calm...'

Lily’s shoulder muscles tensed up and she stifled a gasp as she had to struggle to keep her mana levels low enough to be unnoticed. The magic wanted to flow into her. And a big part of her wanted it to come in, too. But she could keep it out, for now. It helped that all the attention was on the two batponies in their muzzle-to-muzzle showdown.

As Lily struggled to keep her mana levels under tight control, València seemed to be barely keeping her rage from frothing over. "I suggest jou look around jou, Estelar Ébanoscudo: the odds are not in jour fabourr. My twelve hwill easily best jour fibe."

So there were three more bats in the rafters, somewhere.

All the better that Lily was partially-charged and one step closer to raising a shield!

Unless it was a bluff, of course.

There could just be the nine.

Or there could be who knows how many more!

Sergeant Ebonshield grinned. "Do you propose to so casually disregard the Edict of Blood, as you did the Edict of Tongues?"

If the 'Edict of Tongues' basically amounted to 'speak Equestrian around Equestrians,' Lily had to imagine the 'Edict of Blood' was something like 'Don't go killing them, either.'

"It is jou who-"

Their sarge talked right over the indignant border-guard mare. "Pit one estelar against twelve hachadores, València..."

Ebonshield shook her head. "... and only the estelar will remain to tell of who struck first." She grinned again, more widely this time, and with big, wild, eyes. "Will you trust me to stand over your corpse and tell your side of the story?"

València seemed to be considering her response, but Lily’s sergeant didn’t allow her the luxury of time, and raised her voice even louder. "Come, now! Let us dance, you Righteous Hatchets and me! Let us dance, and see upon which group the Mother-of-Stars shall bestow Her favor today!" Still wearing her crazed smile, Ebonshield turned her head left and right to take in the room, then set her eyes back on the scowling guardsmare.

València swallowed, then opened her mouth. "Jou will not get away hwit-"

Once again, Ebonshield shoved her snout forwards, and it's all the other pony could do but to recoil back, almost stumbling backwards over her hooves until she extended her wings to arrest the fall.

"I am getting away with this, because you are moving out of my way this very instant! Or else I will add you and your eleven hachadores to the Guest-book in the Temple of the Shining Stellar Dance!"

Lily had no idea what that was, but even so, she had a pretty good idea what kind of ponies wound up in that 'guest' book. With her final, most blatant threat delivered, the madmare batpony sergeant, breathing heavily, began composing herself, seemingly calming down.

But underneath that big black cloak, who knew? She might just as easily be ready to leap forward and start the fight. It was a tricky piece of clothing. Lily could picture it getting in the way, but as far as concealing first-strike intentions, though...

Heh, it reminded her of being a kid and wrapping her horn up in cloth to play practical jokes with her friends. It didn't matter that the cover somewhat suppressed her ability to channel magic -- she still had enough juice to telekinetically pinch a pony from across the room.

The border guard sensed the hidden truth, too, and took a step back, scowling all the while. With a clenched jaw and fury in her eyes, València moved aside. The two batponies behind her stepped into the stalagmites as well, leaving the way clear for the group to go on.

‘Phew, that's a relief.’

Lily didn’t dare relax her hold on what little mana she had ready, though. Anypony who'd pull a trick like that dark-room/bright-room gag could just as easily be letting them by, only to stab them all in the back later.

Ebonshield took a step forward, and Honour, after passing a concerned glance all around, followed hesitantly after her. Anonymous stepped forward as well, stopping only to scoop up Eb's scroll from the ground. Finally, Sparkshower and Glamerspear brought up the rear, both of them eyeballing the batponies at their flanks. They'd raised their spears, at least, though there was still suspicion in their eyes.

All this trouble just to get a private place to train Anonymous in fighting! It would have been easier to climb into his car and drive around the countryside, looking for a villa with a nice quad that he could just bucking buy for himself. They said bits couldn’t buy happiness, but they sure could purchase privacy.

As Ebonshield strolled past the furious València, the batpony border-guard got one last growled remark in. "There hwill be a day of reckoning, Pureza Ébanoscudo, and jou hwill pay for jour treachery."

The Sergeant just walked right by. "On that day, València Fierropezuña, I will drink a toast in your name with the Guajona."

‘The buck is that?’

Whatever the meaning of that cryptic Parthian shot, Lily made sure she was ready to raise her shield in an instant if the blood-suckers should try anything now that their sergeant was well past them. Step by step, they walked past, leaving them further and further and further behind...

Lily didn’t hear any fluttering of wings or clopping of hooves.

Looks like her Sergeant got them all in, safe and sound. At least, so far.

With a sigh, Lily let the magical energy drop out of her. It was hard work, drawing mana stealthily! She was actually impressed with herself for having managed it. But now that they were past the checkpoint, there was no sense in wearing herself out before they’d even gotten to the training grounds. And now she definitely saw why her batpony Sergeant was so easygoing at the Royal Guard checkpoint.

‘Buck…’

‘Are these damned batponies going to hassle us all on the way out, too?’

‘Better make sure not to wear ourselves out training our VIP up!’

Hopefully it was not a long walk to wherever they were going to be doing that training. This was a big mountain, after all.

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