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- > "We will need to arrange some form of shelter for you while we begin the process of getting you a home."
- > Twilight speaks for the first time since you've arrived.
- > "Actually, Anonymous is staying with me at the moment, I don't think it'll be a problem if he stays a while longer."
- > You had thought that was only for one night.
- > You also still needed to give her the information she requested as her part of the bargain.
- > Celestia nods.
- > "If you both find that acceptable, I will not object."
- > You see no reason not to, so you nod in agreement.
- > "Good. Twilight I will see that your allowance is increased to cover his expenses, at least until he can find employment."
- > You don't actually have any expenses short of repair fees, and that is only a problem if you are damaged.
- > Still that can become a very large expense, and you can always return what isn't used, so you say nothing.
- > "Twilight has told me you have experience, both as a soldier and a mercenary, however I doubt that you would find suitable employ in the Guard."
- > You shake your head.
- > "So, do you have experience in any other fields?"
- > You've had a few hobbies, but nothing you did was ever considered actual work.
- > So you shake your head again.
- > "That will be a set back, perhaps you have some kind of skill or attribute you could use to your advantage?"
- > Let's see, you don't eat, sleep, or breathe.
- > You can easily lift over a ton and a half, then carry it for days on end.
- "I have a few. Manual labor would be the best use for them."
- > Celestia nods and looks to Twilight, who is now standing next too you.
- > "Do you think Applejack would be willing to take him as an employee?"
- > You think back to yesterday afternoon, Applejacks last words ring in your proverbial ears.
- > You doubt anyone who doesn't trust you would employ you.
- > Twilight doesn't.
- > "I'm sure she will."
- > Celestia smiles warmly.
- > "Excellent, those are the two most major is-"
- > She's interrupted by the sound a stomach growling coming from your left.
- > You turn to look at Twilight, who now has a sheepish grin on her face.
- > "Ehehe... May have... missed breakfast..."
- > Her eyes dart around quickly.
- > "And lunch..."
- > Both Celestia and Shining Armor look at Twilight disapprovingly.
- > "Back to your old study habits, hm Twilight? Captain, would you kindly bring your sister to the dining hall?"
- > The Captain nods and walks out the door with Twilight in toe.
- > Stares off at the door and chuckles.
- > "That mare would stop breathing if it got in the way of her studies."
- > Her warm smile fades slowly as you stand in silence.
- > "Anonymous..."
- > The way she said that was pained at best.
- > You can tell shes struggling to find some way to word a painful question or statement.
- > "What happened on the day of mourning?"
- > You both stand in silence.
- > She speaks again, her voice much the same.
- > "Not to the ci... Not to Cyre... I want to know what happened to you."
- "There is not much to tell."
- > Comes your flat response.
- > "You and I know that is untrue."
- > Damn, and here you thought you had a perfect poker face.
- "I do not really know what to say ma'am."
- > "Just tell me what happened."
- > You nod.
- "Very well."
- > You look down to the steps to the throne and begin your tale.
- "A few weeks prior to the Day of Mourning, the nation of Cyre had launched a massive, well co-ordinated attack on an enemy nation, the nation of Karrnath.
- Our squad of ten had participated in the attack, though during it we performed no significant actions.
- As the assault ended, we had been forced apart from the rest of our regiment and driven far away from them by zealous pursuers.
- When eventually we lost our follower and we began doing the only logical thing we could.
- We began to make our way back to Cyre.
- Usually progress would be quick for the majority of us, our Captain and our repair specialist would have stayed with the other human infantry while we went ahead.
- However due to our separation from the primary fighting force, they could not and as such we maintained only slow progress forward.
- Later, this turned out to be our saving grace.
- Eventually we came to a large hill, from which we could see Cyre, despite its great distance from us.
- It was late in the afternoon and we were about to begin progress back deeper into familiar lands but before we could...
- Before we could, the sky lit on fire.
- The squads spotter, another Warforged much like myself raised a para-scope to his eye and looked out towards Cyre.
- He immediately began calling 'ground' a command which means to get behind cover or to lay down on the ground and cover your head in preparation for an incoming ranged attack.
- We did not know why, but complied.
- Soon after, we found out.
- The squad was hit with a massive wave of force, sweeping over us with such force that most of us, even prone, were picked up and hurled further up the mountain behind us.
- Then came the heat.
- Though it was still early in the year, and cold there was no snow upon the ground when the next wave hit us.
- Captain Thorn described it by saying 'It was like someone had taken us from the mountain side and thrown us into a furnace."
- "However it was what happened next that still haunts me.
- One final wave hit us a few seconds later, while we still lay upon the now mud covered ground.
- A wall of sound.
- Not just any sound though, this wave...
- It sounded like the foul magics that swept over us had...
- It was like they had carried to screams of the dead and the dying...
- As though everyone killed by the blast had given one final wail of agony and the wall had carried it to us.
- I am not ashamed to admit that the sound alone struck terror in to me, that to this day I have never felt in equal.
- By some miracle all of us survived and eventually our faculties returned to us and we picked ourselves up and looked out over the city again.
- The flash had blinded our specialist and damaged Captain Thorns eyes and ears, so he had the groups scout investigate.
- He pulled up his para-scope and once again looked towards the City.
- When he again lowered it and yelled his findings to me I could not fathom what I had heard, and had him double check himself.
- A minute later he returned the same report.
- 'Sir, the city of Cyre has been destroyed.'
- Just like that, we learned that over a million lives had ended in an instant.
- Now, it is known through out the world, as The Day of Mourning."
- > You pause and let your tale sink in for a moment.
- > You look up to Celestia to see that she has the beginnings of a tear in her eye.
- "I envy you."
- > She blinks and the tear is forced out, falling to the ground.
- "Your sadness can only ever be a fraction of what I felt that day..."
- > Her eyes waiver and another tear forms and falls to the ground.
- "Yet no tear will ever fall from my eye, my pain will stay locked in my immortal frame..."
- > A third tear falls.
- "Forever..."
- > With that you turn and walk towards the door, your maul hefted over your shoulder.
- > You reach the door and with a mighty shove, swing it open.
- > Before you leave, you turn back to Celestia.
- "Tell Twilight that I will be walking back to Ponyville. I need time alone to think."
- > With that you step out into the hall and turn towards the gardens.
- > You reach the gardens and stumble quickly find your way to their front and the entrance of the castle.
- > It is nearly dusk when you find the gate to the city, its inhabitants, like those of Ponyville having fled from you.
- > When you reach the front gate you stop and look back at the castle again.
- > With that, you set off down the road into the sunset, heading to the only place you can...
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