//------------------------------//
// When Ducks Bark and Dogs Quack 
// Story: A Knight to remember 
// by Lusewing 
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“Sir Wallace, is it really safe to just be standing around here?” Gideon was feeling nervous as time passed with so many eyes on her. Particularly as these eyes were strangely large and intelligent. It also did not sooth her worries that they had removed their mount’s saddles a short time ago and now they lay uselessly on the grass at their side. The undressing of their mounts gave relief and helped to calm them, but the two humans also hoped that their kind treatment of their own equines would put them in good standing with their current guards. Not that either human could be considered unkind to their mounts, at least by their standards, but they could not predict how this new race would see the relationship between mount and rider.
“They clearly don’t want us going anywhere near their city, and its not like we can talk to them anyway. Wouldn't it just be better to use the rest of the day finding another town or village? Or you know, maybe a way back to the mortal realm?” The squire had grown used to meeting other races over her two years of travel, even if most races tended to keep to their own kind, but there was just something about these cheerful looking pastel ponies that made her wary. Perhaps it was because they looked so harmless and cute, much like the fae. 

“Your right to question lad.” The knight was sitting on the grass with his eyes closed and his arms crossed. One might think he was asleep until you noticed how he held his back stiff and straight. In reality he was going over the last few hours trying to make sense of everything that had go on. Thus, while his body rested his mind was working at full speed.
“But I don’t fancy traipsing around an unknown land when I can’t communicate to the locals that we are not dangerous. As for getting back home, well, with any luck these ponies won’t want us here any more than we do. Right now we are in a good position.”

Gideon looked back up at the twenty or so flying ponies standing guard above them on the hill. This did not look like a good position to her. Small or not there was no way even Sir Wall would be able to deal with that many hooves charging towards them and with their horses unsaddled any attempt to run would be hampered. While Sir Wallace had no problem with riding bareback without his armor, Gideon was less skilled. Even getting on Duty without a saddle to grip was a struggle. She looked back at her mentor. How could he be so calm?
“Aren't you worried?”

The knight sighed before standing up slowly and letting his knees work out their kinks. He didn’t look at his squire at first and instead turned his attention to the Pegasi on the hill before scanning the sky above.
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit. I don’t like not knowing where I am, and having no way to talk to these pint sized pegasi.” The Wall patted his mount on the side of her neck and was greeted with his girl’s face turning towards him so she could have her face rubbed.
“But right now I think staying put is in our best interest. The locals don’t seem to be hostile and I would like to see what they are all waiting for.”

Gideon frowned.
“Waiting for? They are probably just waiting for us to leave.”

“If that was the case then they would have likely tried to lead us away or advance on us by now. They have the numbers, and while they are not stopping us from leaving I would put money on the fact that if we did try and leave, they would follow.” Sir Wallace was almost certain of that fact. It was the way they were watching, how all ears would turn in their direction when either of them, or their steeds, would make a sound, as well as the quiet conversations that filtered down from the hill.
It was a troubling thought but, it was like these equines had never seen a human before. The language barrier was only helping to support this theory. Common was, well, commonly known among almost all of the races, and those who were too far removed from the trade routes would at least be able to recognise Elven or orcish, but neither language seemed to offer a bridge to communicate with.

“OK. So if they don’t want us any closer to their home but don’t want us to leave either, then what do they want?” Gideon was still not on the same page as her mentor though his talk of these ponies having perhaps captured them was more than a little frightening. 

“I don’t think they know to be honest,” chuckled the older man, who gave his arms a stretch.
“These are clearly guards of some sort, what with their uniform and all, so that means there must be a higher up telling them what to do. My guess is that is what they are waiting on, their leader to tell them what to do next.”

“So we are all stuck here until some Lord gets off his rear end and actually does some work. Great.” Gideon slumped down on the grass and held her head in her hands while also looking up at the clear blue sky. It didn’t seem to matter where they ended up they would always have to spend time waiting on some nobility to acknowledge them. 

Sir Wallace laughed at his squire’s response. The lad had always had a distaste for the rich and in charge, his youth blinding him to the need of such a position and the pressures it put on them. Not that the knight himself had met many dignitaries in person. He preferred to deal with everyday people rather than take on the grand quests set by the Lords and Royals. He mused on the matter for a moment. This meeting needed to go well if they were going to get back to the mortal realm. 
“Giddy, is there anything in the packs that might make do as a gift? 





It was another hour before something started to happen but, when it did, all on the hill snapped to attention. Two white pegasi in gold armor circled before landing.

“Situation?” asked the first of the Royal guards. Both were eyeing the giants and their strange companions. Lieutenant Sycamore gave a rundown of the current events.

“Under control. The giants appear to be under the care of the two unknown creatures, and while even I am still trying to come to terms with it, it would seem that the Giants are little more than beasts.” This statement came as a shock to the guards, though the only cue on their stoic expressions was a slight widening of their pupils. Sycamore missed the subtle change but knew anypony would find such a statement bordering on impossible. 
“They have shown no sign of intelligence greater than that of a dog.” Despite the misgivings at her initial thoughts over the Giants there was no turning away from what she had witnessed over the past few hours. They ate, sought comfort from their two legged companions and defacated with no regard to anything or anypony other than to fulfill their basic needs. It was a disturbing sight for not just herself but also for those in her command.

“And what of the bipeds?” Both guards were now looking over to the small group at the bottom of the hill. Each of the two legs had stood up and were watching what was going on ahead of them. It was quite strange to see such pony like intelligence and curiosity on flat and hairless faces.

“They on the other hoof are very much intelligent, from what we have observed. The taller of the two appears to be in charge and when first encountered was in full armor. It carries a metal sword but has neither drawn it nor shown any sort of threatening behaviour. We have yet to learn what else in contained in the packs they are carrying though we have glimpsed items, mostly cloth. The harnessed seats on the floor beside the creatures have recently been removed from the giants, they look to be some sort of saddle seat to help the two legged creatures ride on their backs. Captain Mistral was in charge of the first meeting between our forces and the creatures” Sycamore motioned to the Captain who nodded his head while saluting before he continued with his own account.

“My small force was left with little option but to act at the sight of the Giants and their companions heading at full gallop towards the city. We positioned ourselves ahead of the party on this hill and were both shocked and relieved when they stopped at the sight of us. The taller of the two creatures left the group and approached calmly before, what I could only interpret, bowing in front of me. I returned the gesture. 
“Many attempts, on both sides, were made to communicate but we have come to the conclusion that they must speak language that is, as of yet, unknown. It was actually quite fascinating to hear the creature talk, it seems to have an incredible range to its voice.” Having watched the creatures for so long now, Captain Mistral found himself wanting to know more about them and could not help his curiosity about them filter into his account. 

There had been a lot of talk by the rest of the guards as they had waited on the hill. One popular theory amongst the ranks was that the giants were cursed, forced to become nothing more than beasts or shells while their intelligence, their souls, had formed the other two creatures, twisted and deformed, and now they were trying to find a way to be returned to their equine bodies. It was a crazy theory, and whoever had first come up with it had clearly been spending too many late nights reading fiction; but Mistral had to admit that it explained the giants’ current ‘condition’, as well as the way each of the bipeds seemed to match their respective partners. 

“We will require full written statements from everyone here at a later date.” Replied one of the guards. 
“But for now we need you to hold your subordinates in position here. The Princess will be arriving shortly to grant an audience with these foreign ponies, or at least their companions.” Corrected the Royal guard with a frown. 
“It is still unclear as to what will be decided but we may need your assistance, particularly as you have had the most dealings with these creatures so far.”





“Well now, that looks promising” Smiled Sir Wallace as he watched the two metal clad pegasi meet up with the current forces. He had hoped that they might be the ones they were waiting for but had to accept he was wrong when no movement was made to approach their little party again. After a brief exchange one of the newcomers flew back the way it had come while the rest of the ponies continued waiting.

“I still don’t like the idea of just waiting around for some king of the tiny rainbow ponies to show up.” Gideon kicked a stone in frustration. Duty lifted his head and nickered softly while pawing at the ground. The squire really hoped Sir Wall had a plan because right now all she could do was remember the stories of her childhood, where some hapless kid would some how get themselves stuck in another realm. True, most of the stories were simply there to scare children into behaving and listening to their parents, usually with some sort of lesson interwoven as well, but most of them did not paint a pretty picture for any who found themselves in such a situation. Quite a few, if she recalled them correctly, also had grizzly endings.

“Come now Gideon, where is your sense of adventure. Right now we have an opportune chance to meet and learn from a race that has yet to be cataloged in the mortal realm.” The knight stretched his arm out towards the ponies on the hill and then swept it across the landscape.
“Why, when I was your age I was always trying to race off and learn about the different people that live along side us. Even if my own mentor, Sir Harold, would do everything in his power to keep me away. Stuffy old fool, only cared about human matters. He couldn't see how much we could learn from other races.” The middle aged man stared off wistfully into the distant memories of his youth. He sighed with a smile on his face.
“The things I learnt. There was this one dryad, Verena, who could contort in the most incredible ways-”

“Eww, no please. Sir Wall I don’t want to hear about that.” Gideon was trying to cover her ears as her face turned a rather rosy red. Those were not mental images she needed in her head. EVER. Sir Wall had a habit of chatting about his ‘personal stuff’ when there were quiet moments on their travels, likely because he thought she was a lad, but she also had a suspicion it was mostly because of how embarrassed she got. 

Sir Wall laughed, they really had been good times, but he was simply happy that he had turned his squire away from thinking too hard about their situation.
The sight of the metal on the new pegasi opened up some new questions, but also hope. Someone must be making the clothes and armor they were all wearing, hooves certainly could not handle that task, so with a little luck they might soon get to meet up with another race. Maybe they would have a better chance talking with them, especially if they were traders with these equines.

As Sir Wallace thought about their predicament he noticed both Duty and Honor had suddenly grow restless, pawing at the ground and scanning the skies with their ears back. Horses were wary of sky predators, and for good reason, griffins were far more common than dragons and horse was their favorite meal. So it was understandable that the two were wary of the shape that was coming in to focus in the distance. Both humans turned to their respective mounts to calm them with soft words as they watched the shining object come closer into view. Sir Wallace noticed other things as well.

“Giddy, look at the guards on the hill.” The stationed pegasi had shifted positions and now formed what looked like two lines with a large gap between them. It was hard for the two humans to see from where they were standing, but they could see enough to get an good idea. 

“You think this is who they are all waiting for?” Gideon turned back towards the gold looking shape in the sky and then again at the ponies on the hill. She really hoped this would not take long, after hours of sitting around under observation there was certain matters she needed to take care of, without others watching.

“Stands a good chance. Keep a good hold of Duty there, and stop fidgeting, you’re making the horses nervous.” Gideon gave a ‘sorry’ before making an effort to tidy off any grass that had decided to cling to her clothes. Sir Wall shook his head slightly before lifting a hand to his brow, shading his eyes and giving a better view.

It was a strange shape, thought the knight, at least strange that it was airborne. There didn’t seem to be any wings, and there was no balloon attached. Magic came to mind, but that was a given in almost all of the realms. Only when the golden form drew closer did the two humans realise that what they were looking at was a golden carriage, pulled by a team of four more of the gold plated, white pegasi. More white pegasi flew alongside the carriage.

“Well, now there is a sight worth waiting for.” Sire Wallace had never seen anything like it in his life. He was sure magic had to be involved now, there was just no way it could stay aloft without it. As the carriage drew closer the pair could see that the ‘rider’ within the opulence was much larger than the ponies drawing the carriage, at least double, maybe more. They were mostly white, with almost a rainbow like aura surrounding their form. 

“Sir...um.” 

“What is it Giddy?” Sir Wallace was loathed to look away from the steadily nearing grandeur but his squire sounded almost pained. He looked over to see him fidgeting again.

“I’ve really got to go.” Admitting her problem Gideon started moving from one leg to the other in earnest. 

“You and your timing.” Scolded Sir Wallace, but he could hardly blame him after having waited this long. Gideon had yet to develop the iron bladder of a knight, he just wished his squire would be a little more honest with him. The Wall looked back up at the carriage. It was making a steady approach but there was still a few minutes.
“Give Duty to me and be quick.” Gideon wasted no time to hand over her mount’s reins and dart over to a nearby bushy outcrop while Duty tugged at his reins to try and follow hi rider.





The pegasi were lined up to welcome the princess with the remaining royal guard, Steadfast, facing inwards and the lines of city guards facing outwards to watch the surrounding area since the idea of turning their backs on the strange creatures was a foalish one. They still did not know why the strangers were here or what their intentions were. Ergo those facing the oddities witnessed the sudden departure of the smaller biped from the group. Muttering spread along the lines as the three commanding ponies drew close together.

“Has this behaviour been noted before?” Asked Steadfast. There were only a few more minutes before the princess would land and he could not risk anything going wrong. He and Sycamore turned to the Captain.

Mistral shook his head.
“No. Apart from the first meeting they have all remained close to one another.”

“Maybe the little one is scared. It seems to be crouching in that bush over there.” Major Sycamore was not really schooled in analysing foreign animal behaviour but the idea sounded plausible. 

Commander Steadfast on the other hoof was a very military minded pony. He saw a different possibility.
“If the little one is scared then surely the large would be showing some sort of concern for it. Yet it stands there with its back to its companion. Something is not right. It is possible the little one is calling in reinforcements! We must move it back to where we can see it. You three with me.” Steadfast pointed at three of the city guards who followed him into the air. Sycamore and Mistral stayed put and told the rest of the guard to hold their position. 





“Giddy, I would hurry up if I were you.” Sir Wallace had watched the change amongst the ponies the moment his squire had left. They did not look happy. Quickly he saw the ‘knight’ pony was flying to where Gideon had chosen to relieve himself, along with three of the other pegasi.

Gideon almost lost her balance when she saw the flight of ponies coming her way. She rushed to pull up her trousers and pull the cord tight.
“Easy there, I just needed to take a leak.” She knew the four would not be able to understand her but she was hoping her tone and upraised hands would calm the irritable equines. They had positioned themselves to block off any movement other than back towards Sir Wallace and the horses. Now very clear that the knight’s thoughts on where they were and were not aloud to go proved true, though Gideon was hardly happy on the matter.

Above, the carriage was starting to make its descent, however the problems on the ground had not gone unnoticed and it changed it course to circle the area until the all clear was given. This action however proved to be a problem for the two horses.

Both Honour and Duty were simple in their thoughts. They had their riders to take care of any decisions. There was grass here so they ate and without their saddles they knew their time was their own. The thing in the sky however drove them to seek comfort in their riders. They had long learnt that if their riders did not fear something then they didn’t either and, so far, their riders had been calm. At this moment though, with the strange thing circling like a predator, Duty did not have his rider. Honor had hers, and he spoke to calm and sooth, but he was not Duty’s rider. Duty wanted his rider to tell him what to do, what he should be feeling. The dark bay gelding turned his head and saw his rider. He pulled and whinnied but the other rider held him back.

“Easy there Duty, Gideon will be right back. Giddy get back here and get a hold of your mount.” The knight was having an easier time with his own girl but she was much older in both years and experience. 

Not wanting to be around the peeping-tom ponies any longer then needed, Gideon ran over to take control of her horse but before she could reach the rest of the party the large white horse, who had clearly been the occupant of the carriage, gently flew down a short distance away. Its soft pastel mane and tail billowed around it like an aurora. Sir Wallace and Gideon watched in awe, both noting the long, slender horn that graced its head, as well as the crown it wore. Duty had a different reaction to the large, brightly coloured animal, flying down close by. He ran. 

He ran from the shouts that arose and from the flying pursuers. Nothing good came from the sky. He ran. 





A few moments ago…

“We are approaching the sight now Princess and will be landing atop the hill where the city guards are stationed.” Reported one of the guards. Celestia tried to keep her excitement contained. The report that had been given to her by one of her guards, Quick March, had been both calming and exciting. Calming in that nopony had been hurt and everything had been so peaceful yet exhilarating to find a new sentient life reaching out into the world. The mention of how the giants had behaved was puzzling, but it was a mystery she would gladly accept. 

She could see them now, shapes slowly growing in size and detail. It would not be long before she would get to meet them and try to communicate, perhaps they spoke one of the long dead languages that had faded from the memories of her people. But why were they here? Had they been hiding in the north? How many were there living amongst the snow and mountains? A diplomatic mission seemed the most plausible reason for their appearance, and the princess relished the thought of how much could be gained and learnt from a new friendship. It might open up a whole new understanding of the northern territory.

“Somethings wrong” called one of the guards “Pull back” The carriage turned from its decent and circled the area above. Celestia watched as one of the clothed diplomats was corralled and moved back towards the rest of the group. The princess frowned. This was no way for her little ponies to treat them. They were guests not prisoners.

“Land the carriage. I am sure what ever happened was just a misunderstanding.” Celestia would take matters into her own hoof. Sometimes her ponies could be very distrustful of strangers, it was something she would have to put an end to at some point.

“Your Majesty we can not be sure of these creatures intentions. Until- “ The guard was cut off when Celestia simply stepped out of the carriage and flew down of her own accord. 

“She doesn't make our job easy does she? “ Sighed Quick March. The rest of the patrol agreed in unison as they watched their leader take matters into her own hoof. The carriage was moved into landing on the hill while the rest of the guards flew to land at their willful rulers sides. 

Celestia found herself with no time to extend a greeting to the newcomers in her lands, fore as soon as her hooves had touched the grass below one of the giants had run away from her, bolting at such a speed one would have thought a manticore at its tail.

“Please wait.” Celestia called out in desperation, a hoof raised and reaching out towards them, while she watched the larger of the two new creatures astride the gray mare in a swift and fluid movement. It sat for a moment atop the giant and bowed its head towards her, and for a moment Celestia hoped that her plea had been heeded. Alas, to her dismay the pair quickly raced in the same direction as their brown friend had gone. Only the smaller of the two creatures was left, looking lost as it shouted in the direction of the others. Had they abandoned it? Had she herself frightened these strangers away with her mere presence?

“Princess should we pursue?”

Celestia turned her gaze away from the fleeing forms towards one of her guards, they were waiting for her orders.
“No. They are here by their own choice, they may leave by their own choice.” The alicorn looked down at the equipment that had been discarded, while the smaller creature, such a fragile looking thing, stood looking around at the guards and Celestia herself. It made a very strange gesture with its shoulders and its arms part the way raised. A shrug maybe? It was hard to tell, especially as a gesture in one culture may mean something completely different in another.
Whatever its meaning Celestia could only hope that the others would return, if only for their supplies and their other companion. 

It was a pity Discord had not come along with her - he would have loved this.