A Hard Bargain
Second Arc: Delay of Game
We found ourselves in a hotel room two blocks down from the tavern. Nar-Kuth, the cat-man, had rented the room on the third floor overlookin’ the run-down block of the city. The only furniture in the room was a bed, which Toni was sleepin’ off her liquor on, a small table with two chairs, and a chest that the occupant would put their clothes in.
I found myself sittin’ on the chest while Quick was sittin’ on the bed next to Toni. Gear was in a deep conversation with Nar-Kuth at the table.
“There’s no way that we could make it to Zebria with several slaves without being caught by their captors.” Gear commented.
“You can if you sneak your way in and out without notice! I need your help with this, you’re the only ones that can help me, believe me I’ve looked.” Nar-Kuth said, fallin’ into the backrest of the chair, exhausted.
Nar-Kuth had told us a sad, soberin’ story about how his tribe had been taken by diamond dogs, and sold to slavers that come from Saddle Arabia. He once tried savin’ them, only to find that he needed more help to get them all out. Once he traveled back to the Great Southern Rainforest, he heard stories about me and my friends from cat people who had been slaves to the Metal Mongrels. He had found out where we had taken off to, and set off to find us.
“And when they notice they’re gone? They’ll send their fastest to catch us. Do you even know where they are right now?” Gear said. Bein’ the smartest of the group, we had decided that he should be the one to make the plan. So far, he and Nar-Kuth had disagreed at every point.
“I know!” Nar-Kuth snapped, “They came after me and made sure I knew who the slavers were, and who the slave was!”
He dropped his trench coat, which he had kept on this entire time. As the coat hit the floor, I couldn’t help but catch my breath.
His tan fur was nearly all shaved, showin off the many scars that covered his body. One particularly bad one started from his left shoulder, and carved its way down to his waist. Burn marks also were present in various areas, the molested flesh foldin’ and deformed permanently. The most shockin’ thing about his appearance was a brand that was burned onto him. It was the shape of a serpent's eye looking out from above where his heart was.
Everyone stayed quiet as Nar-Kuth continued.
“They did this to me, and left me for dead in the dunes. The only way I escaped death’s grasp was by sheer luck.” Once again he slumped into his chair, and sighed. “I need to get them back. They have Nuum, my wife, and Shrell, my son.”
We sat in silence, each unwillin’ to break the depressin’ quiet. Quick stared wide eyed at the brand, but said nothing.
After a few minutes Gear let out a sigh of his own.
“We will get them back, but first we need to get there. Saddle Arabia is a long ways away. It took us weeks to get here, and we lost a lot on the way.” He glanced over at me. I subconsciously began to rub the spot where my arm was taken from me.
“I have a plan to get to Wethoof, but from there we will have to paw it.” Nar-Kuth said, enticin’ everyone to give him questionin’ looks. He just let out a chuckle. “Don’t worry, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
“So first thing’s first, how do we find out where they’re bein kept?” I said, standin’ from my chest-chair.
“Well, the den that sold them were the Metal Mongrels, and considering you have experience with their new alpha, you can talk to them, and see where the slaver’s base is.” The cat said, also standin.
“That would be great, that means we can go back through New Findings! I would like to see my mom again.” Gear exclaimed, gettin to his hooves and collectin’ his gear.
“We should stay for the night, and head out in the mornin. Toni needs to sleep off that drunken stupor you put her in, and I think we could all use the rest.” Gear and Nar-Kuth both agreed to this.
I made my way down to the reception desk, and bought two more rooms for the night. When I got back up, I found Toni layin’ across Quick’s back. I gave Quick one of the room keys, he and Toni would bunk together. I looked over at Gear.
“I get the bed.”
“Awe come on! You always get the bed.” Gear complained.
“Well, we can fight about it if you want.” This made Gear quite his whinin.
“We’ll meet up with Nar-Kuth out front in the morning, he said our transport should be ready by nine.” Quick said, and made his way to his room.
“Well, might as well get some shut eye, come on Gear.” I said, startin’ towards our room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“This isn’t natural.” I said as I clung to the supportin’ rope that connected the basket to the balloon.
“Don’t be such a scaredy-cat, Pegasus and griffins do this all the time!” Nar-Kuth said as he piled more wood into the
furnace.
Apparently, his definition of ‘crossing the bridge’ was to buy a hot air balloon and sail it all the way to Wethoof. I had never been one to be scared of heights, but lookin’ down at the vast expanse of rollin’ hills below me, and the thousand foot drop in between me and the soft grass had my tail tucked between my legs.
It had been several hours into the flight, and I had only looked over the edge once. The only reason I had was to get a good look of Ponyville as we passed over it. The little specks that were ponies meandered around with their chores, occasionally stoppin’ to greet each other. I was unhappy to see us go over without stoppin’ to say hello. Hell, I would have settled for a pair of binoculars to try and find the best pony.
And by best pony, I’m talkin about Big Mac.
Although the basket was big enough for all of us to fit into, Quick and Toni seemed to prefer flyin’ alongside us, occasionally comin’ to rest on the top of the balloon.
I envied their freedom from the earth’s grasp, but was content to just sit in my little basket of safety, rather than tryin’ to be the first flyin minotaur.
Half of the day flew by before we reached the edge of the rainforest. I was awestruck as I witnessed the great expanse of green foliage that stretched farther than the horizon. Once I noticed I was leanin’ over the edge of the basket to get a better view, I nearly jumped through the floor in an attempt to hide the view of the height.
Nar-Kuth let out a chuckle at my expense.
“You shouldn’t go throwing your weight around in this basket Bronze, you might put a hole in the floor.”
I grimaced at the thought.
“How much longer till we reach Wethoof? I’m startin to get sick.” I said, feelin’ my stomach churn from the view I had gotten.
“Only another hour or so, then we’ll be back on the ground.” Gear said, pattin me on the back to try and ease my stomach pains.
It didn’t work.
I leaped up, jumped to the railin’, and showered the forest below with what was left of my eggs from this mornin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere in the Great Southern Rainforest
Vaar had spent days tracking his prey. The panther stood proudly under a tree, munching on a forest vermin.
Vaar lifted his bow, settling the arrow head on the black beast. The Bath, or as northerners called them, cat-men, steadied his breath.
Just before he let loose his arrow, a trickle began to fall in front of him. He was curious at first, until a glob of liquid plopped onto his head.
The panther heard the noise, and sprinted off.
Vaar stood there, shocked.
It wasn’t until he realized what was coating his fur did he let loose a mighty yell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“aaaaaaaaaaaargh!”
Quick swooped next to the basket, and scarred the crap out of me.
“Did you guys hear that?” He said, scannin’ the forest below us.
“No?”
“No?”
Nar-Kuth and Gear answered simultaneously. I just resigned to givin’ him a sickly moan.
After a while, a speck appeared in the distance. Quick began to fly quickly around the basket.
“That’s it, that’s Wethoof!” He shouted.
Him and Toni grabbed onto some ropes tied to the balloon, and dragged us through the air. As we picked up speed, I grew even more nauseous.
After a few more minutes, and barfin over the side once or twice, I got a good look at the city.
The whole thing wasn’t as large as I had expected, but made up for its lack of size with an enormous wall that surrounded its
outskirts. A large expanse of trees had been cut from the surroundin’ forest to offer a better view of attackers. In this tree-less expanse craters littered the ground. A skeleton of a great beast scattered around the remains of a great battle. The town itself seemed to have fared far better than the surroundin’ plain. The town was mostly constructed of wood, the only exceptions bein what appeared to be an army compound, the town hall, and the blacksmith’s forge. The cemetery, as visible from the height we were at, had apparently been enlarged to accommodate a large number of new customers. Nearly freshly tilled earth arranged in linear patterns littered the earth.
I took another look at the large skeleton.
It seemed to look like what’s left of something that mirrored the hydra seen in the show, but this one was different. For some reason I got a darker vibe from its corpse, like somethin evil had been evacuated from its body.
Was this some kind of purge?
I was interrupted from my thoughts as we began to descend. As the Earth grew closer I let relief wash over my senses.
We touched down outside of the town’s front gate with a whirlwind of dirt escapin its earthly hold.
I immediately leaped from the basket, and began to kiss the dirt.
“OH *mwah* HOW *mwah* I HAVE *mwah* MISSED YOU *mwah*” I said in between Frenchin’ Gaia.
Nar-Kuth and Gear hopped out of the basket, and Toni and Quick landed to watch me kiss the ground.
After a few more minutes with the dirt, I got up, and started walkin’ towards the gate like nothin’ had happened. The group followed me, hidin snickers behind hooves, claws, and paws.
Before I could give the wooden gate a proper knock, guards appeared over the top of the wall.
“What is your business in Wethoof, stranger?” One hollered to cover the distance between us.
“We come seeking resources for a long journey south, and bedding for the night.” Nar-Kuth yelled back up to them.
“It’s an unlikely sight to see two ponies with a Bath, Griffin, and Minotaur. We will allow the ponies in, but you three need to stay out!” The other yelled.
This took me a second to register. These assholes are really makin’ me, Quick, and Nar-Kuth stay out here while our friends can go in just because we’re different?
“Why is that, officer? Is it because we are not of pony kind? Do you require payment for us to enter? We have bits, we can pay just like the ponies.” Nar-Kuth said, pullin’ a bag of bits out of his trench coat.
“We don’t like your kind in here. Let the ponies come in, or you all leave.” The first yelled back.
Anger began buildin’ in my heart. Red began to blur my vision.
How dare these little ingrates not let us in! Just because we’re different? Everywhere I go, even in the heart of someplace they don’t belong, ponies are racist towards those who are different.
Heat began to build where my arm was missin’. The memory of losin’ it to save their kin threatenin’ to let loose in a violent manner.
“Let them in private! Frost Snap is no longer our mayor, we don’t operate on the same rules.” A feminine voice from the other side came. Immediately the two guards snapped to attention.
“Ma’am, we have no idea what their intentions are, ma’am.” The first said.
“They said they need resources and a bed. Don’t make me come up there private! Open the Gate!” The voice yelled, makin’ the guards flinch.
As the gate swung open, my anger subsided. In front of us was a unicorn mare, clad in bright shiny armor. She had the usual blonde mane with a white coat, and stood proudly in her attire. Her cutie mark depicted a flower connectin’ to a wall, plantin’ it firmly in the ground. She had light blue eyes which spoke of a softer side to her tough demeanor.
“Come in travelers, welcome to Wethoof.” She waved her hoof in a ‘come here’ gesture. I stepped through the boundary, followed by my friends. When we were all in, the gate closed. I turned around and burned holes in the two guards’ souls.
“My name is Sergeant Flower Founder, I oversee these two idiots during the day shift. I apologize for their behavior, we recently went through some... changes, and not everypony has become accustomed to them yet.” She also gave the two guards a hard stare, once again enticin’ a flinch from both.
“Flower Founder? Hmm…Do you have a father in New Findings?” Gear said, adoptin’ a thinkin’ position.
“Why… yes. Fence Founder. How did you know he lived there?” Flower asked.
The realization dawned on me as I recalled who her father is.
“Fence Founder is one of our good friends. You see, we come from New Findings. Well, originally we do, we just came back from Canterlot on important business.” Gear said, shakin’ Flower’s hoof.
“You… know my father?” I stepped forward and shook her hoof as well.
“Yeah, your dad and I were friends. He’s doin fine, in case you’re wonderin’.” I said, my smile waverin’ as she retracted her hoof, and started off towards the center of town.
I looked at my friends, confused. Quick just gave me a shrug, and we followed her.
“I haven’t seen my father in three years.” She said almost to herself. She shook her head and continued.
“You’ll find the markets have everything you need, just be sure not to antagonize the other guards.” She pointed off to the east, then walked away.
“Well, that was odd.” Gear said, an eyebrow raised at her departure.
“Well, nothing we can do about that. But we must gather supplies for the trip.” Nar-Kuth said, makin’ his way towards the markets.
We followed, and were soon graced with the sounds of a bustlin’ crowd buyin’ the merchant’s goods. When we stepped out of an alley, and into the main street of the market, everyone around us stopped and stared at Quick, Nar-Kuth, and I.
Stupid Ponies.
After an hour or two we had found the supplies we needed, and were makin’ our way towards an inn one of the shop keeps had told us to go to.
Once again we found ourselves in a run-down building with run-down ponies as accessories. The sign above the door had read “Peg leg Pete’s Paradise”, but the tavern/inn was far from a paradise.
The rotten jungle wood that made up the inside looked to have been newly replaced, but from the looks of the building’s patrons, the damage was probably from a fight. The old candle chandeliers were caked with wax, and rust from years of hot wax bein dripped onto its surface. The tables around the place seemed new, but that was probably from the same reason the floor was new. The bar itself was made of what seemed to be mahogany, its dark color contrastin’ the bright new floorboards and chairs scattered haphazardly around the room. Dark, worn pillars held the roof from cavin’ in, their once gleamin’ finish havin’ been scraped off by knives.
The patrons themselves, however, looked like some of the most down-trodden individuals I had ever seen. Most of their coats looked unwashed, matted with days of dirt and sweat. Some were missin’ limbs or eyes, one was even missin’ his tail. For the most part they didn’t pay us no mind, even with me towerin’ over the largest of their number.
We sat down at the bar top, and ordered a round. When I caught the glass of foamy liquid, a third of its contents flew out of the cup, and onto the floor. My compatriots got mostly the same service. I eyed the bartender, only to find that he had a peg leg.
“You must be Pete.” I said to the older earth stallion. His dark brown coat nearly blended in with his main which was a few shades lighter.
“Why you’d be correct sonny.” He said, ploppin’ down in front of my group, his wooden leg restin’ on the bar top.
“You own the place then, huh?” I said, enticin a laugh from the old stallion.
“For twenty years I’ve run this bar, and plan to do so for another twenty.” He poured himself a shot of what I assumed to be whiskey, and downed the thing.
“Well, Pete, me and my friends here are tryin’ to find a place to stay the night. Someone at the market told us to come to your place.” I said, gettin another laugh out of him.
“Sure thing sonny. The price is ten bits a night for one room. By the size of your party, I’d say you need at least two rooms, so I’ll make you a deal. Eighteen bits for two rooms for the night. Sound good?” I nodded, and gave the stallion the bits. He looked at them eagerly, and bit into them, testin’ whether they were real. Satisfied, Pete stuffed the bits into a bag on his side.
“Good doin’ business with you, Mr…”
“Hoof, Bronze Hoof.” I said, shakin’ the old stallions hoof. A fine name for a young colt like yourself. I remember when I was full of youth, runnin’ around the world on adventures.” He drifted off into a world all his own, recallin’ his past life.
I looked over at my friends, only to find Quick and Gear were already settin’ Toni up for another drinkin competition.
I looked back at the old man in time to find him comin’ back to the present.
“Oh, you don’t want to hear the ramblings of an old stallion, enjoy your beer Bronze” He said, turnin’ away to go wash a glass.
A question stirred in my mind.
“Hey, Pete. What’s with the big ol’ skeleton outside the city?”
He turned from his glass cleanin’, and returned to the bar stool on his side of the bar.
“Why, it must have been a year ago that the whole thing happened. You see, when Discord came out of his stone imprisonment, he turned a bunch of hydra crazy. They began attacking the town, and nearly destroyed it too if it weren’t for a diamond dog and the old mayor's daughter. Although I missed most of the action, I heard that they burned the thing alive! Must have been amazing to see.” He drifted off for a second before lookin’ me hard in the eyes, “We keep that there skeleton for two reasons. One: it’s way too damn heavy to move. And two: it reminds us that outsiders like that diamond dog aren’t necessarily bad. The old mayor used to resent all other sentient life except ponies, but after the whole hydra incident, I never did see much of him. Most folks say he ran off into the jungle, but I think he died from his arrogance.”
I let the information seep in. I remembered the giant skeleton’s bleached bones gleamin in the sunlight. Somethin that big must have been scarier than anythin’ I’d dare imagine. Must have been one brave dog.
I heard a commotion from behind me, and turned in time to see Quick grabbin’ a pony by his neck and raisin him off the ground. The pony began strugglin’ under the impressive grasp of my friend, but to no avail. As the pony began to turn blue I yelled across the room.
“Quick! That’s enough!” He gave me a hard look, which I returned in kind.
Just before the pony slipped into unconsciousness Quick let him drop to the floor.
“What the hell man? What did that poor sucker do to you?” I asked, stormin’ across the floor and in his face.
“He tried to steal my bag of bits!” He yelled, danglin the aforementioned bag in front of my face.
“So you nearly kill him?” The crowd that had formed around us began to step back, the tension in the air acted like a bubble, seperatin’ the group from me and the griffin.
“No one steals form Quick Beak!” He hollered, pokin’ me with his finger.
Just before I gave him a hard one across the beak, Toni jumped in between us.
“That’s enough! I won’t have you two fighting like little hatchlings! Say you’re sorry.” She said, forcin’ me to recall my mother givin’ me a verbal lashin’ when I was younger.
I was the first to crumple under her glare.
“I’m sorry Quick.” Toni nodded in approval before turnin’ on Quick.
“Fine. I’m sorry too.” He said after a second.
“Good, now, we need to get the pick-pocket to the guard.” Toni said.
We nodded, and with Quick’s help, we got the sucker on my back.
Nar-Kuth and Gear followed us out of the pub, and into the street.
We walked in silence for a while, the only noise bein Gear hiccuppin’ from the alcohol he had consumed.
The sun had set, lettin’ Luna’s stars shine down. Every night I tried to give them a good look. They were far more beautiful than anythin’ we had back on earth. Although the Milky Way was nowhere to be found, constellations that broke free from the regular patterns gave the sky a homey feel. I tripped over a curb, and decided to keep my eyes on the road.
After a few wrong turns we found the guard house. It stood out impressively from the surroundin’ buildings. Its stone walls were encompassed by a wall that stood about eight feet high. Its rough hewn stone exterior made it look far more impressive than the surroundin’ vernacular. The army compound was across the street. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was just housin’ for the guards.
Did Equestria not have a military?
My thoughts were interrupted as we stepped inside the building. The interior was lit with a few torches that lined the walls, and a cheap chandelier that hung from the ceiling. The floor was made of wood, but the walls held onto the same stoney appearance as the outside. The reception desk stood in the middle of the room with twin doors on either side leadin’ further back into the building. The desk seemed to be made of the same wood as everythin’ else, jungle wood.
The guard sittin’ at the desk seemed bored and uninterested before he noticed us.
“Whoa. What have we here?” He said as he stood from his seat. Like most the guards, the enchantment on his armor hid his cutie mark.
“This fellow tried to steal my friend’s bits.” I said, lettin’ him drop to the floor.
The guard raised his eyebrow.
“So you all took it upon yourselves to bring him here?” He looked impressed. He came over to us, and picked the stallion’s head up from the floor to get a better look.
“Why, this looks like Silent Crutch. This guy’s been a pain in my flank since I started here. I don’t know why he would steal on parole, but he’s always getting himself in trouble.” He hefted Silent Crutch onto his back, and started for the door on the left of his desk.
“I’ll be back in a second.” He said as he stepped through the door and disappeared into the building.
“Do we really have to wait? I mean, we have a long day tomorrow.” Gear said as he swayed lightly back and forth.
“Well, who knows, we might get a reward. Judging by how he’s a known criminal he might have a couple bits on his capture.” Quick said, takin’ a seat on one of the chairs that sat around the room.
Grudgingly, we all took a seat and waited.
About ten minutes in Gear, Toni, and Quick had fallen asleep.
Nar-Kuth had produced a deck of cards, which we proceeded to begin playin’ with.
“Got any 2’s?”
“Go fish.”
“Got any Queens?”
“Damn man, how do you always know what I have?”
“Call it cat’s intuition.”
It was at this time that the door on the right opened, and Flower Founder stepped through. I laid my hand down, much to Nar-Kuth’s dismay. He had won twice already, and was well on his way to three in a row.
“Hello sergeant. Weren’t expectin’ you.” I said standin’ from where we sat.
“Well, I wasn’t expecting you either Bronze. But here I am. I’m going to need to talk to you in private.” She said, motionin’ me towards the door on the right.
I stood, and gave her a confused look.
“What about?”
“It’ll be best if we could talk in private.”
I told Nar-Kuth to wake the others and tell them where I’m at, then followed Flower through the door.
She led me through a maze of hallways, and let me into a small room.
It was about fifty square feet in size with a stainless steel table and chairs sittin’ in the center. On the back wall was a blackened mirror. I assumed we were bein watched, and sat down quietly.
“Why am I in an interrogation room Sergeant Flower?” I asked as she took the seat opposite me.
“I needed to talk to you in confidence. You see, tensions are rising in the city. Most citizens don’t appreciate the new mayor’s rules, and anti-discriminatory laws. They all preferred Frost Snap’s way of doing things. A lot of the guard are with them, and soon, there will be a coup. I need you and your friend’s help if I am going to win this war.” She sat back in her chair, lettin’ me digest the information.
“My friends and I are already on a mission of extreme danger and excitement. I don’t know if we have time to help you, as much as we would like to.” I thought about Nar-Kuth, and his family toilin’ away in some mine.
“I thought you would say that, so I did a little research on your friends.” She pulled out several manila folders.
“Gear Head seems like a normal pony: small, smart, and comes from a well-respected family. Toni seems a little troubled for her age, and from the reports I’m getting, she seems to think she is a dragon. Odd behavior if you ask me. The Bath you have with you, Nar-Kuth, comes from a violent and dangerous tribe to the south. We don’t know much about him, but we know he can be deadly if he wants to be…”
I cut her off.
“Get to the point Flower.” I wasn’t likin’ where this was goin’.
“I’m getting there Mr. Hoof. You see, your Griffin friend, Quick Beak, has quite an interesting past. It seems he is a wanted stallion here in Wethoof. Apparently he murdered a stallion ten years ago, then escaped our west. We didn’t know he was in New Findings, but we don’t talk to the smaller towns much.”
She took a second to lean forward, lookin’ deeply into my eyes.
“Your friend is a murderer Mr. Hoof. I could take him and put him away for the rest of his life. I could expunge his record you see. Make it like it had never happened.”
I was in shock. My friend, one of the first people I met in this world murdered a pony. Now this mare was threatenin’ to put him away for life. Even though I was appalled that Quick would do somethin like that, he was still my friend.
“What do you want?” I said, slumpin in my chair.
“Just to make sure the guard makes it for another two days. Princess Luna will be coming then, and will help right the ponies who need it.” She began to put all the folders back into a briefcase that sat next to the chair, except one.
“You may rejoin your friends now, Mr. Hoof. But remember, if you leave, Quick Beak will never be allowed to set foot on Equestrian soil again.” With that, she picked up the briefcase in her mouth, and walked out of the room.
I looked down at the folder sittin’ in front of me. The tab on the outside read “Quick Beak.” I grabbed it between my fingers, and headed back to the reception area.
I needed to have a talk with Quick.