Travelling
"I do so hope that there won't be any more problems with the recruitment of the Guard Captain Steel" said Princess Celestia as she walked along the battlements of her fortress with Captain Steel my Commanding Officer.
"Oh no Princess the last batch were simply a little bit too rough for their own good, they didn't mean to take all the kitchen staff and interrogate them for answers like common thieves, the next lot will be different more refined and full of enthusiasm to serve" apologised the Captain in a way I thought was most grovelling for the thirty year old.
He was the typical guard with a white coat and most likely bluish dyed hair like mine. There was something about all Guards looking exactly the same they said that was supposed to instil unity but I thought it was stupid since our armour and vows united us all as one anyway.
"You forgot Protect" I blurted out without knowing that my mouth had actually moved at all. The ensemble of guards and the Captain and Princess turned round and looked at my confused face. The others despite the same training we'd all received had shocked expressions on their faces and the Captain was turning a rather angry shade of red. Celestia on the other hoof was looking quite intrigued but I couldn't react to her expression because the Captain chose this as a time to explode in fiery amount of anger.
"Sargent what in the name of Celestia do you think you are doing, you have broken your rank and simply shared your opinion with your ruler you in fact make me sick I shall have you flogged and discharged I'll" but he was interrupted in his onslaught of pleasant thoughts by none other than Celestia.
She was a fair ruler who I supported completely and would die for without a doubt but now that her eyes fell upon me I felt a slight dread. Her darkened rainbow mane flowed like a river despite the fact that there was no wind and standing a few feet above me she asked whilst staring completely at me "What is the name of this one Captain"?.
The Captain who still looked like he wanted to gut me now had a very smug look on his face and replied "Backwater, Sargent Backwater my Princess". She continued to look me over for several more moments before she commanded in a very cheery tone "Not anymore".
My face fell grim, the Captain looked at me with an expression still somewhat of anger but this time mixed with elation. However Celestia hadn't finished and my head rose from its stoop when she said "He is now lieutenant Backwater of the Royal Guard" before she continued her stroll along the battlements followed by the rest of her guards and me.
Although bewildered I still held pace with the others and said "Thank you my Princess". She didn't say anything this time and only smiled, leaving the Captain who was staring into thin air a few steps back with a puzzled expression which I would laugh at later in my own chambers when I had stopped polishing my lieutenant helmet.
"Sir we've arrived in Ponyville" came the squeaky voice of the ticket master. I opened my eyes and pushed the blanket I'd wrapped around myself off of me. I handed over my ticket and he punched it and waddled off to annoy somepony else.
I'd once been to Ponyville when the Princess had cut the ribbon of the Town Hall or something like that. I supposed she could do it for this small town since it was only a two hour train ride away and even better a forty minute fly away for the Princess.
There was nothing special that I could specifically remember about the town, except for the fact that it had really good apples or something and sold nice cakes made by a very you and thin blue mare and her husband who had wanted to join the guard but had flat hooves or something.
I strapped my saddle bag to my back and made sure I could easily reach the sword if I had to. Although I could have sheathed it on my back I didn't really want to become an attention attracter so I'd decided I'd wait until I got to the Everfree to show it off.
The train slowed and came to a halt at the station of Ponyville which by the looks of it hadn't changed in twenty years. I stepped off the train and fixed my suit and hat. I had always hated not wearing armour since it was like a second stronger layer of hide which could also command authority and stop swords for chopping you in two.
The conductor began to open all the doors and when the one closest to me opened I hopped out. I had read the file of the mare Clearwater I was supposed to free and return on the way and was intrigued by how she had killed Starswirl who was some famous old magician.
The file said that almost all Unicorns could levitate things but very few new magic in another field beyond that. Most specialised in healing and other interesting spells like elemental magical control or protective casting but a select few a thousand years ago were chosen by Starswirl to learn each and every field in full detail.
Clearwater had excelled in all these fields and become the star pupil of Starswirl but she had always been best at destructive spells. The way in which Starswirl had died was as I'd read first a destructive spell through the back and out through the chest but the spell in particular was said to have contained the power of a thousand suns, enough to melt steel and much more durable metals.
Part of me thought that I was crazy to be doing this but I kept reminding myself what was at stake here and the possibilities if I succeeded and carried on in my mission. "Watch it buddy" said some pony as I bashed into them thanks to my side tracked thinking.
I looked back and saw the stallion I'd almost knocked over carrying a few planks of wood. I looked all around the train station and saw ponies decorating the place with banners, colourful sashes and other decorations bearing the sun. Also I noticed that the Royal Flag was flying above every house which kind of made me suspect that something was up.
However as I walked into the main square, through the bustling ponies I almost had a heart attack when I saw a Royal Chariot pulled by two Pegasus Royal Guards land only a few feet away. At first I thought that this was all just a set up to make my life even more miserable but I was surprised when I saw a young purple mare step out of the chariot along with a tiny baby purple dragon.
She thanked the Guards and began strolling through the town, holding herself in a very Canterlot way. I knew this mare she was still a filly when I had been dis-charged from the Guard, I believed she was Princess Celestia's personal student, actually the day she had been accepted as her personal student I recall a dragons head breaking through the roof of Canterlot castle.
She must be a strong magic user, but I doubted by all the banners that she was here to arrest me or do anything about me. I went over to a nearby apple vender which looked to be packing up shop and asked "Excuse me miss but what are all the banners for"?
She was an Earth Pony with an orange coat and a blonde mane with a cowboy hat on her head. "You been living in a daydream sugercube, The Summer Sun Celebration is tomorrow" she told me which sent my head into a spin since I didn't know what The Summer Sun Celebration was.
The mare seemed to realize this and explained "It's celebrating the raising of the sun by our ruler Princess Celestia". I nodded my head and mumbled thank you, tipping my hat and trotting off. I couldn't see the Everfree forest yet but I heard it was closest to the town's library so after getting some much needed directions I headed off.
Ponies really took the fact that Celestia was going to grace them with her presence seriously but I just felt bile in my throat every time I thought about the pretty little Universe that Celestia maintained in her image and the image of the Empire.
It was true for ponies that lived in these villages and the upper and middle class in the cities that maybe the world was peaceful and full of joy. However I'd been to the slums of Stalliongrad, walked through the prostitute lower streets of Las Pegasus and gambled in the shoddiest thug hide outs of Manehatten and I knew that if their stories ever got out and published then everything would be revealed.
I had actually met journalists wanting my help to expose the truth but they could never fully get the secret out since they were always paid off or went missing. I just tried to keep out of the whole political balance and drink my sorrows away.
I arrived at the library on the outskirts of the town and saw the track to the Everfree forest dead ahead. I started forwards but was stopped by a tap on the back. I turned round and impatiently asked "What"?
I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw the purple Unicorn was standing there and smiling brightly. "Sorry but didn't you used to work up in Canterlot?" she asked me. "Uh…" was all I could get out before she apologised "Oh I'm sorry but my name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm just over here from Canterlot to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Festival".
Sparkle, I'd heard that name before, yes this was the sister of the damn Pony who'd replaced me. "Oh yes Miss Sparkle I remember you, I imagine your brother hasn't been replaced for incompetence yet or maybe he's been promoted away from the Captain of the guard maybe now he's no longer the court idiot but joined your family and the rest of Canterlot in the Pompous Snobs which you all are" I said furiously storming away.
Twilight was shocked to say the least and it looked like she was going to come after me but something behind her caught her attention. Maybe once I would have been a lot nicer but I ran out of niceness years ago.
I walked right past a few other small building right to the outskirts of the Everfree all the time now thinking on how to break a magical charm and if the prison was still guarded or had been abandoned. More to the point where was this no name castle. It wasn't on my map so I was left to follow the wining and slightly overgrown path of the Everfree forest.
However I had heard the stories of the Everfree and how its creatures could rip ponies to shreds or turn ponies to stone and I wasn't about to go any further without strapping my sword to my back. I also got the case I had packed out and opened it to reveal a small crossbow with fifteen small almost like darts for killing and fifteen sleeper bolts which were a little more realistic for taking down Royal Guards.
Satisfied that I was all geared up I began down the forest track. The forest was ancient and wove many stories but it was very dark and held nothing but primal instinct inside it. It made me uneasy as it did al ponies, instilling a fear that made everypony want to run but it was almost child play for me to ignore these fears and focus on my task.
Bring the girl to Celestia tower in about four days, wipe away the debt and get my wife back it was as simple as that…or was it. So I made my way forwards, checking for danger and any problems as I went. I passed by a cliff face and looked down to see the path below meaning I could either walk down and take longer or climb down.
I chose the second option seeing that it would take forever to walk down. I began my decent but almost slipped when the top of the cliff gave way a little and became unstable. I quickly climbed on down and made my way through a small valley until I came to a little bit of a problem.
Well little was an understatement since it was a gigantic Manticore with the body of a lion the tail of a scorpion and a pair of wing sprouting from his back which seemed to watch me with a look which said "I will eat you now". With a sudden roar it pounced but I was really for it and dived to the side, bringing up my Crossbow and firing the meagre sleeping dart which pierced his paw and did little to harm him.
However the dart meant to knock a pony out for four hours still made the Manticore very woozy and he staggered about before collapsing for a little nap. "Barely ten minutes in and I've already taken out a Manticore, must be a record" I said to myself whilst re-loading my crossbow.
So I went on, past some large oak trees and a muddy swamp keeping quiet but walking fast none the less. It seemed that everything was going to be smooth sailing until I came to a very large river that was flowing too rapidly to cross without a bridge or something else.
That something else however was previously submerged but now appeared before me. A purple-Sea serpent was a rarity in rivers but then again this was the Everfree Forest which I was told had its own uncontrolled weather patterns.
The monster had made me react quickly and I was already hidden in the depths of the nearest bush. Killing it wasn't exactly an option, not unless I could stab it right in the head but besides that those almost steel like scale plates would make it hard for my sword and impossible for my crossbow's bolts to penetrate.
"Oh what I wonderful moustache I have, if only I could show it off to the world" said the monster in a very strange tone of voice. The beast turned around so it was now facing me and I saw it had gingeriest hair and the most ridiculous moustache I had ever seen.
Suddenly I was spotted and with a gasp as all my air left my lungs as the beast raised me to its eye level. "Well hello my little pony, how on earth did you get so deep into the Everfree Forest"? I was slightly suffocating and my lungs begged for air but the Sea-Serpent didn't really notice this and continued his tirade of annoying self-compliments that he believed I was acknowledging.
"Oh isn't my moustache wonderful" and "It took over fifty years to grow" was just some of the things I could hear as I struggled to escape his grasp. However he wasn't going to let go anytime soon. I noticed I was actually brushing against his moustache now and although it was impressive how a sea-serpent could keep his moustache curly even though it would probably be getting constantly attacked by water I had to escape.
I bit down hard on the moustache and pulled hard. A very un-monster like cry of pain came from the sea-serpent and he literally splayed his hands and threw me into the air. I let go of the moustache and began the classic phrase which everypony who does not own a pair of wings cry out when they're in the predicament of falling a few hundred feet through the air.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I cried out as the forest loomed closer and closer. Suddenly I was falling towards a deep crevice with one very lonely and rickety bridge hanging over it. I instantly put my hooves out and hoped I'd catch it or even a tree branch as I fell down into the ravine.
My hooves tugged as I felt the rope of the bridge and clung to it for dear life, however the momentum I'd gained was too much for the rickety bridge and I heard a snap and looking up despite my slight dis-orientation I saw the bridge ropes snap in two.
I held on to my side of the bridge with all my remaining strength but couldn't contain the yelp when I suddenly hit the side of the ravine. That was going to bruise was a quick thought in my head before I started to slowly climb my way back up to the safety of good solid ground.
I felt a lot of tension in the bridge but luckily it took my weight perfectly fine and I pulled myself up through the rapidly developing mist. I didn't know how I would cross the bridge again but I figured that I could cross that bridge when the time came to it.
I looked through the thin layer of mist just enough to make out the outline of a large and very intimidating stone structure which to my relief I recognised from the file as being the mysterious no name castle. I checked my equipment and loaded another sleeper dart into my crossbow. It wasn't a piece of caking getting here but I'd barely been grazed in comparison I was either walking into a crumbling ruin or a top secret prison I just didn't know what to expect so I expected both and with only a brief thought of my wife's face I drove forwards without a hesitation to rescue and then ponynap a mare who would probably kill me after I released her if I released her from her magical prison.
Thanks to The Awes0me 0ne for Editing!
