J´zar went outside the tent after talking with Sp´hre, but he didn't find the mares right outside.
"Probably in the Infirmary" he thought for himself. J´zar had offered that place as a possible place for them to stay a few minutes because it didn't had anything dangerous inside it (the surgery room was often deprived of all its tools) and it was most likely empty. After all, the Order didn't have many doctors nor patients. Any wounds caused in training or battle were left with little treatment to heal themselves. It was a common belief that pain strengthened both mind and body.
J´zar headed towards the Infirmary. He looked at the tents around him as he walked and felt in home.
"¡My lord!" a familiar voice called him from a nearby "side street".
J´zar looked at the source of the sound and found a happy Zephir quickly walking towards him. Both men shook their hands when they met. The First Marshall of the First Regiment of the Sixth Brotherhood (as that was Zephir's full title) looked happy to meet his lord. It was hard to say through the mask, however.
"¡It feels like a hundred years since we last met!" Zephir exclaimed "¿But what are a hundred years for us, isn't that right, my lord?"
"You are right, old friend" J´zar said, smiling as well. Zephir was over one thousand and two-hundred years old, and he had met J´zar during Charlemagne's campaigns against the Avars, in the eight century. He was of frank ancestry, and a formidable warrior. His preferred weapon, a spear named "Lionslayer". J´zar thought it was a very unoriginal name.
"¿Where were you heading? ¿To see the inhabitants of this dimension that have traveled beside you?" he asked.
"I see the guards keep you well informed" J´zar deduced "And yes, I am going to see them"
"They are very friendly people, I think" Zephir said with nostalgia "Makes me think of my home"
"¿What? ¿Are you telling me that in France people is actually friendly?" J´zar was playing angry. He started to walk yet again towards the Infirmary "¡They treated me like a dead dog!"
"¡That is because you are english!" Zephir laughed.
J´zar and Zephir quickly reached the Infirmary and went to look inside. Everything seemed normal at the place were the tent divided and went in different directions. J´zar turned left to see that the surgery room was still closed, and then right, to the place were most examinations took place.
J´zar entered, and saw some of the mares clutched together, talking. Except for Pinkie Pie, who was up and actively looking inside one of the shelves which held the various drugs nad medicines doctors employed.
"¡Hey! ¡Get your head out of there, baker!" J´zar yelled at Pinkie Pie, who quickly took her head of the shelve and looked at them.
"¡Oh! ¡Hi there!" she said happily "I was just looking for candies..."
"¿Candies?" Zephir was shocked "¡This is a hospital!"
"I know" Pinkie said, returning to scrutinizing the shelf "But doctors always have candies somewhere..."
Zephir looked at J´zar with an expresssion of surprise.
"¿She is crazy, right?" the Marshall asked.
"I think so" J´zar was quick to answer "But that is not why we are here"
"I'm sorry." Twilight apologized "I shouldn't have..."
"It is not a problem" J´zar assured "We just want you to help us"
"¿Help you with what?" the unicorn slowly asked.
"We want to go to the Princess' castle" J´zar explained "To safely store the orb there. And we need you to guide us. You know the way ¿right?"
"Well, yes, I do..." Twilight admitted.
"Excellent" J´zar was vibrant with energy "No matter how many days we must march, no matter how much we must suffer..."
"Don't worry" Twilight interferred mid-speech "It is just a half day away"
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J´zar had arranged with Sp´hre that they would stay there for the night and then get up in the morning to have everything packed. J´zar had no objections to this, so hea ccepted and said goodbye to the ponies, not before informing Twilight of when would the Order leave Ponyville.
He headed for his own tent. J´zar was lucky to be a Principal. Such high-ranking officers were the only ones allowed to have their personal living quarters. J´zar's abode was simple and small. It accomodated a common desk, with many drawers surrounding it. On the other side of the room he had a chest which contained all of his trophies; medals, awards and other distinctions taken from slain enemies. However, only the most honorable and worthy enemies received the ultimate honour J´zar could award someone outside of the Order: J´zar would behead them, carefully flense the skin form their skulls, and keep them in remembrance of his gretest foes. That night, J´zar arrived at his "home", and, after taking the heaviest pieces of armor off, such as the pauldrons and breastplate, he grabbed one of his skulls and started to polish it with an old rag. Within minutes, he had made the bone as clean as possible, and so he grabbed the next skull just to polish it. He finished that one. And the next. But when he was about to grab the fifth one, he heard a small rustling sound coming from the outside of his tent. J´zar left the skull in the chest and slowly moved towards theentrance. he pusehd aside the waterproof leather and unsheathed his left sword wit his left hand. J´zar started to surround his own tent. Whatever was making that sound was now behind a set of boxes and barrels which stored food and other supplies.
J´zar quickly leaped over the boxes and pointed his sword downwards, threatening however was behind it.
"¡¿Who are you?!" he asked screaming. He then realized who was he speaking to. Three small mares where before him. One of them had a yellow coat and red mane. The other had a multicolored mane and a white coat. The last one had an orange coat and a violet mane. The second one was an unicorn, and the third one a pegasus. They were obviously children, as they were cowelling against the crate behind them, scared of J´zar's tall and entirely black figure. The man's scream and sword had also likely contributed to their fear.
For some reason, their presence suddenly caused distress and a slight sense of fear on J´zar.
"¡Don't be scared!" He swiftly said, sheathing his sword "¡I do not pretend to harm you! I just thought you were someone else..."
The fillies' fear was lessened by these words, and they dared to space out a little bit more.
"¿May I ask you how you got here and why?" J´zar questioned.
"Me and my friends came here because we wanted to see how thigns looked like" the one with the white coat said.
"I see" J´zar wasn´t entirely sure they were telling the truth, but he would have time to think about that later "¿So, do you have any older relatives I can speak to?"