"Another fine day in Paris, eh Achilles?"
It was certainly a fine day. Sunlight shone down on the magnificent city, as if saying 'Here's life! Live it well!' Not a single darkened cloud graced the sky, and a pleasant breeze blew through the streets. A man walked through the streets, his horse's reign in his hand, enjoying the wonderful weather.
Of course, this man was no ordinary man.
For one, he was wearing golden armor, with a billowing navy blue cape that fluttered behind him in the breeze. A sheath was tucked into his belt, and the handle and hilt of a sword were clearly visible. For another, he was talking to his horse, and the horse seemed to be responding. He was a handsome horse, all white except for a gray muzzle, and three marked legs that were gray from the hoof to the joint. The fourth one was pure white.
This seemingly dynamic duo was quite famous in their city of Paris.
They were Captain Phoebus and his horse…what was his name again? Achilles? Right. Achilles was the horse's name.
At the Captain's comment, Achilles snorted in agreement, eyes alit. Phoebus grinned at the horse, his eyes scanning the streets of Paris. It wasn't often he came through this area – after Frollo's fall, his duty was mostly at the Palace of Justice. But today, he decided to keep an eye on the domestic crime, without a helmet but with a sword and an almost haughty air about him. Citizens looked upon him in what seemed to be awe – but Phoebus was humble enough to pass these off with a wave.
The Captain and his horse found themselves in a nearly deserted street. A few merchants and peddlers watched them walk through warily. Phoebus thought nothing of it until he felt something slam into the back of his head, promptly crack, and leave a gooey, unpleasant substance dripping down his neck.
Achilles snorted and pulled back a step. Gingerly, Phoebus pulled off one of his gloves and felt the back of his head. It was undeniably the insides of an egg.
"C'mon, Achilles, heel," Phoebus murmured, tugging on the horse's reigns and starting to walk again. His eyes darted side to side faster now – as if expecting any of the citizens to try that stunt again.
This time, the egg hit Achilles. Immediately, he reared up and whinnied, hooves striking at nothing as they went into the air. Phoebus whipped his head around to see a completely deserted street. How odd…He brushed some of the yolk off of his horse's rear and started off at a brisker pace. The Captain didn't even need to give him a command.
Suddenly, Phoebus stopped walking. Achilles neighed softly in protest, but the Captain wasn't paying attention to him. His eyes were locked on a spot on the ground, and he unexpectedly whipped out his sword, swiveled around at breakneck speed, and pointed the weapon straight ahead. One thing hit the dangerously sharp tip – an egg, which immediately broke open on contact. An eerie wind blew, making the innards of the egg fall out to the side with a slightly sickening splat. Phoebus' eyes zeroed in on a lone figure at the end of the alleyway – which darted away to the side moments after the egg broke.
"Stop!" Phoebus shouted, and without even bothering to mount his horse, sheathed his sword and took off after the figure. Achilles neighed and took off after his owner without a second thought.
As the chase raged on, slowly becoming more intense, Phoebus noticed the figure was taking things off shelves and stands while running. While he wondered how this thief/egg thrower was possibly running with all that stuff weighing him down, Phoebus seemed to suddenly become aware that he was wearing a suit…made of metal. He quickly abandoned the idea of shedding all of his armor off and continued pursuing the thief, jumping over upturned carts, pigs that got out of their pens, and even the occasional child. Achilles followed, but with much less ease. Being a horse and navigating narrow streets packed full of people and animals you could kill with one hoof-stomp is a very difficult task.
Suddenly, Phoebus came to a skidding halt. Achilles grinded to a stop next to him much less gracefully. Confused, the horse looked around, until he noticed they were in a one-way alley…dead end. The thief was glancing around frantically, looking for some way, any way to get out of this alley. Phoebus smirked, and snapped at his horse.
"Achilles."
The horse looked at his owner. A single finger was pointing forward, right at the thief, who looked terrified, even from a distance.
"Sic 'em."
Achilles reared up on his hind legs, neighed loudly just for effect, and charged right at the thief. Terrified, he dropped down to his knees and bowed his head – but Achilles skidded to a halt in front of him, stepping on his hand with crushing force, and ultimately sitting right on top of him.
"So, throwing eggs and stealing." Phoebus' smooth voice rang out through the alleyway. He started walking slowly toward the thief, his normally quiet footsteps echoing against the walls.
"Wh-What are you going to do with me?" the thief asked, his voice shaky. Phoebus smirked.
"I think I'll leave you under there for a few minutes. That oughta teach you a lesson."
An hour later, Achilles finally got off the man and trotted away. That man never stole anything or threw another egg again.
a/n; Is it weird that I was inspired to write this while watching Mulan?
Anyway, I figured that, yet again, Savannah Pride could wait, because Phoebus doesn't really get enough attention. He's surprisingly fun to write, and not too hard to keep in character. And yes, I do write one-shots when I procrastinate.
Achilles is my favorite Disney horse. Ever. And yes, he is totally a dog in a horse's body.