Assembly - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
It was nearly noon when the train rolled to a stop at the main Ponyville station. Steel raised himself from the bench, stretching his legs and letting out a relieved sigh. The ride from Canterlot had only taken a few hours, but it had been long enough for him to get comfortable. He grabbed his saddlebags from the overhead compartment and slung them across his back, letting out a grunt as the heavy armor plating inside clinked against him.
He looked down at the file sitting on the bench. He’d been carefully reading it over ever since the train had left the mountains and entered the relatively flat hills between the Canterlot Mountains and Ponyville. There wasn’t much in the file that he hadn’t already known—excepting the last few years, but he highly doubted that the pony in question had changed drastically since they had last met. He nodded as the conductor walked by, sweeping the file back into his saddlebags. The time for study was over, now it was time to put what he knew into action.
As he made his way through the train, he passed a rather rough looking group of ponies who had managed to take up a full carriage by themselves. A good number of them were asleep but several of them were awake and chatting with one another, swapping stories and laughing in deep, resonant tones. Several of them were quite large, almost his size, so he wasn’t surprised to see that most of them had cutie marks of hard hats, railroad ties, or even assorted tools. Southern-bound line, tired workers coming home? he wondered. Maybe from that rail line expansion up north? A quick glance at their luggage confirmed his theory as he spotted a heavy cold-weather hood and boots poking out of one of the pony's bags.
Steel had heard about the new rail line. It had been a popular topic for the Canterlot Daily paper earlier that month. According to the articles he’d read, the project was being heavily sponsored by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna—who were the controlling board members of the Equestrian Railway Service—and a lot of controversy had arisen as ponies had tried to determine what role the Princesses saw a northern rail line playing.
It wasn’t as if either sister was short of bits. It was generally known that both of the Princesses' had quite a few private investments in various companies and business ventures across Equestria. So they could afford to put bits where they wished. But most investors were running around wild trying to figure out what the payout was. It certainly wasn’t to open a rail connection to the few unclaimed territories near the Ocean of Endless Ice. Steel held back a frown as he thought of the unsavory types that lived there in towns like Ruffian’s Wharf. At least I hope not, he thought as he headed for a door.
As he stepped off of the train and onto the station platform his ears caught a raised voice coming from the front of the train. A small group of ponies was clustered near one of the shipping cars; a pearl-coated unicorn in an expensive looking blue tie was shouting his displeasure at a pair of conductors. Steel cocked his ear slightly, adjusting his course so that he would pass by the gathering and exit the station to the south. He could double-back later to get to Ponyvillie’s commercial section. Right now he wanted to hear what was going on.
“—are you good for?” the pony was screaming. “You were supposed to guarantee the safety of my shipment! Do you know how much that vase was worth?”
“I’m—I’m sorry sir!” the older of the conductors stammered. “But we had employees stationed outside both doors through the entire trip. No pony entered that compartment, I swear!”
“Well then where did my vase go? Did it just vanish?” the unicorn yelled. He held up a small case and flipped the lid open, revealing a smooth, cushioned interior. The impression of a vase could clearly be seen against the blue fabric. “Sure Bet was right! You can’t keep anypony's cargo safe! My vase is gone, and who’s going to replace it?”
Steel could see that the two conductors were clearly out of their element. The older one was visibly shaking, his eyes nervously darting around the crowd, while the younger one looked as if he was going to bolt. He found himself stepping towards the small group of ponies, preparing to press through the small crowd that had gathered when a loud voice spoke up from the other side of the platform.
“Hey, you there!” Steel turned and saw a large grey pony with a pair of hoofcuffs on his flank approaching. The blue cap he wore on his head marked him as what was likely Ponyville’s only policepony, but the expression he had on his face was one of business. “What’s going on here?” he asked as the crowd parted to let him through. Steel took it as his cue to leave. The local authority could handle things.
“I’ve been robbed!” the unicorn exclaimed, waving the case in the air with his magic, “and these ponies did nothing to stop it!”
Steel’s ear perked up as he passed near the policepony. “By Celestia’s mane, not another one,” the policepony said.
“Another one? The rumors are true?” the unicorn shouted as he trotted out of the station. “And you ponies do nothing?” Steel’s brow furrowed as he considered what he had just heard.
Another one? So there’s been at least one other recent robbery on this line lately. That is interesting. Crime wasn’t unheard of in Equestria, but it was extraordinarily uncommon. And multiple robberies? Even moreso.
“Steel Song!” His train of thought came to a grinding halt as a bouncing pink tornado landed in his path. “That is you right? Steel Song? Big, strong, somber pony who totally works as a bodyguard?” The words tumbled out of the pony's mouth like pocket change at a casino as she darted all around him, her head examining him from every angle. “Yep, it’s totally you! What are you doing in Ponyville?” she asked, coming to a sudden stop in front of him, her bright blue eyes vibrating almost as much as her cotton-candy mane. “Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!” she said, jumping back and hanging in the air for a moment. “Are you here to guard somepony? Is it super top secret?” She gasped, her tail out straight. “Are you undercover? Have I said too much?” There was a flash of movement and pair of dark sunglasses materialized on her face, her expression completely neutral. “Secret Agent Pinkie, reporting for duty!” she said, giving him a sharp salute.
Pinkie Pie, he thought, attaching a name to the pink whirlwind. When had they last met? “Dawn Triage’s birthday party?” he asked.
His ears shot up in surprise as Confetti burst into the air all around him. “Yeee-uup!” Pinkie said, drawing the word out with a hop that hung in the air. “Boy that was a blast! What. A. Party!” One hoof wrapped itself around his neck, her cheek pressing up against his as she swept her hoof across the air before them, “And then just now I saw you walking down the street and I thought to myself ‘Hey, I know that pony’ because I never forget a pony. And hey, I was totally right!”
Yep, he thought, his mind jumping back to that same birthday party. She’s definitely the same pony. There’s no way in Equestria there are two of them. And now she’s an Element of Harmony. The universe has a strange sense of humor. He smiled at the thought.
“There it is! I knew I’d get one out of you!” Pinkie said, once again in front of him although he hadn’t seen her move. “Everypony always looks better with a smile!” She gave him one of her own, a beaming grin that stretched from ear to ear. “So how’s your secret mission going? Can I help? Does it involve cupcakes? Or muffins? Or cup-muffins?”
Mental gears finally re-engaged inside his head. “No, Pinkie, I’m fine, and I’m not on a secret mission.” Technically, he wasn’t. The file mandate was on record if anyone bothered to look. “Actually I was just going to get some lunch before visiting somepony who lives nearby.” He started down the street again. The last few times he had been in Ponyville there had been a wonderful café just off of the main street and he wanted to have lunch before anything else. His stomach let out a small rumble, as if sensing his intent.
“Oooh, sounds like somepony is hungry!” Pinkie said, bouncing alongside him. “You probably want to go to that café you like, right?” She was bouncing backwards now, jumping back-and-forth in front of him down the road. “It’s to your left, which would be my right, unless we switch, in which case it’d be to your right. Any-way,” she said, hanging in the air as she drew out the word. “It was nice to see you again, Steel Song! Be careful in the Everfree forest!” She giggled as his jaw dropped. “My back right hoof itched,” she said, as if that explained it. “Anyway, I’ve got to get back to Sugarcube Corner, the Cakes are putting together a big order and somepony is about to drop a bag of flour!” She whirled around and vanished in a pink blur down the pastel colored street.
Steel shook his head as the afterimage of Pinkie Pie faded from his vision. Being a few years older hadn’t done much to slow that pony down. If anything she was more sporadic than he remembered. He’d been astonished the first time he’d seen her bouncing around Dawn’s party, gleefully defying every law of physics he understood. In a way, I guess, it makes sense that she’s an Element of Harmony, he thought. Anypony with the ability of—of whatever that she does would be useful.
He shook his head as he took the left the pink mare had indicated. True to her word, the very café he’d remembered was just down the next left turn. Life in Ponyville was—from all appearances—interesting. No, he thought as three young fillies burst out of the cafe’s kitchen in an explosion of soup. Make that very interesting. Steel watched as the three young fillies checked their soup covered flanks for cutie marks even as the chef chased them out into the street, tomato soup across his shirt and noodles streaming from his mane, threats of baking the three troublemakers and serving them to griffons pouring from his mouth. Very, very, interesting.
* * *
Even in the early afternoon the Everfree forest looked intimidating, the thick canopy of leaves overhead reducing much of the sunlight to shadow by the time it reached the forest floor. It wasn’t the darkest forest that Steel had ever been in, as the aptly named Forest of Eternal Night in the southern hemisphere still lived in his memories as one of the darkest places he’d ever been. But the Everfree was by Equestrian standards about as dark as it got.
It wasn’t quite as dangerous as most ponies believed either. While it was wild, untamed, and home to several different types of dangerous creatures, sheer superstition was what made most afraid of the wild tangle. Of course that didn’t mean that he hadn’t come prepared. His old breastplate was secure around his chest—no less snug for all the years it had sat on his wall—and his helmet still fit just as well when he’d last taken it off. Some part of him even felt relaxed at the feel of the armor on his flanks; the heavy gauntlets on his forelegs putting him more at ease than he could recall feeling in weeks.
Birdsongs and animal noises sounded around him, their volume dampened by the thick foliage of the woods. The path he was following was one that was well marked, if rarely traveled. A fact which didn’t surprise him. As near as he could tell, most residents of Ponyville had as little to do with the forest as possible. He’d passed a southern trail shortly after entering, marked with a sign indicating that it led towards Zecora’s hut, whoever Zecora was. But it hadn’t helped him. The outpost he was looking for was near the heart of the Everfree, and that meant using the less-traveled trail. The one headed Southeast.
He hopped over a log that had fallen across the path, his armor making a small clink as two plates on his flank touched. The noises around him quieted for a moment but soon swelled back to full volume. A brush to one side rustled, some small creature darting away and leaving behind nothing but a few leaves drifting across the mossy path. He paused in mid-stride, listening the swish of brush as the unseen animal moved further and further away. Then he moved on, grateful for the shade of the trees that made the forest path cooler than it might have been.
An hour passed, then another as he moved through the thickening growth. The trees became larger, the bark aged and weathered. Thick vines began to snake through the undergrowth, vines as thick as his legs ... and soon thicker. The trees towered further and further overhead, their trunks so wide that the path began to wind between them in a loose zig-zag.
As the path began to wind around yet another large trunk, a shiver ran down Steel’s neck and he stopped out of reflex, becoming completely still. The forest around him didn’t sound or look any different, but an old feeling had resurfaced, a feeling he had learned to respect through years of life-or-death moments. Adrenaline seeped through his bloodstream with a familiar chill, his breathing slowing to a carefully measured pace. He pivoted, moving his right rear hoof back and tilting his weight towards his rear hooves, his front hooves only lightly touching the ground.
The forest around him went silent and his ears twitched at the sudden absence of sound. Only one type of creature did that. A predator. He shifted his rear hoof once again, twisting his body and putting his back towards a tree trunk, panning his eyes back and forth across the forest for any sign of movement.
A deafening roar split the air, a surge of red erupting from the bushes to his left diving straight at him. The manticore’s jaws opened wide, teeth gleaming like knives in the faint sunlight as it stretched its massive paws towards him. Steel reacted on instinct, bringing his forelegs up, his left, rear leg pushing deep into the forest soil to give him the force he needed. His body rose with his powerful push, propelling him forward on his rear legs, front limbs raised in a defensive movement. The manticore’s roar choked off with a screech as Steel’s left foreleg slid up underneath its jaw, slamming into its throat. His other hoof impacted against the manticore’s outstretched paw a second later, the thick steel gauntlet letting out a tortured shriek as the beast’s claws scratched across it.
Every muscle in Steel’s body locked as he strained, pushing his right hoof out with all the force he could muster against the manticore’s paw and throwing the massive creature into an uncontrollable roll. It let out a panicked yelp as Steel kicked himself into the air after it, following the creature’s roll as it spun by.
It smashed into the forest floor, Steel landing on top of it and blasting its breath from its body in a sickening rush of hot air. The manticore took in a wheezing breath as Steel pulled his body up, releasing the pressure on its throat, only to manage one final shocked mewling cry as he brought both of his gauntlet-clad forehooves down on the manticores head with a sharp, wooden thunk. The manticore's body went limp underneath him, unconscious.
Steel slid off of the creature’s massive chest, letting out a relieved breath as his hooves touched earth once more. He stood there for a moment, letting the adrenaline work its way out of his system. When the manticore woke up in a few hours, it would probably have a new and healthy respect for ponies to go along with a splitting headache. Steel rolled his right shoulder a few times, looking down at the manticore as he stretched his muscles. Of course it would probably forget, and then someone else would have to re-educate it. He frowned as he noticed its smaller than average size. A juvenile. No wonder that move had been so easy.
There was a crash in forest behind him and he spun around, raising his front hooves protectively as a second figure crashed through the brush, skidding to a halt in front of him, his own hooves up. For a moment the two ponies stared at each other, and then Steel dropped his hooves with a laugh.
“Well, it looks like finding you was easier than I thought it was going to be,” Steel said as the light-brown pegasus dropped to all fours, an expression of shocked surprise on his face as he looked at him. “That, and I think you just got really lucky,” he said, motioning to the manticore collapsed on the ground behind him. For a moment the new arrival stared at him, his jaw hanging slack, and then he began to shake his head. Slowly at first, but then faster as he started laughing, his long yellow-green mane cascading across his sides with movement.
“Crikey, Steel,” he said, pausing to let out another nervous laugh. “When I heard that manticore roar like that I thought for sure I‘d be filling out a death report by the end of the day!” He let out a relieved sigh, sitting back on his haunches, a twitch of his head tossing his mane out of his face. “If it had been any pony but you in that kind of rumble—”
“Yeah, like I said, Hunter. You’re lucky,” Steel responded, giving the manticore a light tap with his hooves. Around them the forest was coming back to life, sound returning as swiftly as it had gone. “What’s the deal with our friend here?” he asked, tapping the manticore again as he looked back at the heavily panting pegasus.
Hunter shrugged, shaking his head again. “I was going to lure it into a trap today, relocate it. But it didn’t want to cooperate, and then it got your scent. You sure gave me a panic.” His bright green eyes switched from the manticore to Steel. Hunter blinked as if noticing something about him for the first time.
“I’d heard you retired five years ago,” he said, gesturing towards Steel’s breastplate. “What’s got you back out on a job? In the Everfree, no less?”
Steel let out a dry chuckle at the question. “It’s kind of a long story,” he said, watching as Hunter pulled a length of rope from his saddlebags and wandered over to the unconscious manticore. “I’ll tell you back at your place,” he said as Hunter began tying the rope around the manticores back legs. “What are you going to do with him?”
“We,” Hunter said, emphasizing the word, “are going to drag this bodgy bit of a manticore back to near my post. When he wakes up he’ll decide this area is too risky to hunt, and he’ll move back into the Southern part of the forest again. Same result as keeping him caught in a trap for a day or so, I’d think. Which was my original plan until you so kindly came along.” The pegasus gave a short flap, stretching his wide wings and arching his back before throwing the other other end of the rope over his shoulders in a makeshift harness. “So, you can’t tell me until later, huh?” he asked, tossing and at Steel.
“I won’t mince words, Hunter,” Steel said as he caught the rope, looking his old friend in the eye. “I came here to find you.”
Hunter nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. “I had a bit of a sus that might be it. Well...” he said, rising to his hooves and spreading his wings. “You’re right then, we might as well talk about it back at the post, it’s not that far.” He gave a quick flap of his wings, landing near next to the comatose manticore. “At least with you around, getting this beastie back where he belongs will be a lot easier.” He paused for a moment and then looked at Steel. “I get the feeling whatever this is, it’s a big deal. Am I right?”
Steel smiled. “Just pull,” he said, stepping forward and feeling the rope tighten against his armor. “Like you said, this won’t take long.”
* * *
“Not a bad place.” Steel remarked as he climbed the stairs twisting around the base of the Ranger Outpost. “Pretty sturdy.”
“Yeah, the Everfree isn’t exactly the safest place, so they had to build it to last,” Hunter said as he worked a pulley with his forehooves, lifting the lower part of the stairs back up into the superstructure with a squeal. “Still, it's home.”
Steel smiled as he looked up at the outpost. The actual post itself was nearly sixty feet from the ground, supported by a heavily crisscrossed lattice of thick, heavy wood that had probably been enchanted to be even more tough and dependable than normal. The staircase—so steep it was almost a ladder—crisscrossed the interior of the tower framework, each step closer to the forest canopy above. There was a loud, wooden thud as the lower set of stairs finally folded up into the framework, a preventative measure to keep some of the forest's more dangerous occupants from scaling the tower, and Hunter took to wing, flying past him towards the outpost as he ascended the steps.
He passed into the canopy, tree branches around him trimmed back as a preventative measure that made him feel like he was rising through a green tunnel as he twisted upward. Sunlight beamed down all around him, caressing the tunnel's free leaves. A light breeze left a faint whisper as it spun through the branches. As he neared the base of the outpost the branches began to thin, revealing faint lines of blue through the summer green.
There was a rusty squeak above him as Hunter lifted the trapdoor separating the staircase from the outpost's circular deck. “I almost forgot that I had a deck chair sitting on this thing,” Hunter said, giving him a sheepish grin. “I don’t really get that many visitors this far out here. Not any that walk, anyway.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised, given the reception that I got on the way here,” Steel said, keeping his face neutral as he climbed the last few steps and stepped out onto the deck.
Hunter rolled his eyes at him, closing the trapdoor with a faint metal screech. “So,” he said, walking up to Steel and motioning out over the forest canopy spread before them. “The company might be a bit lacking, but what do you think of the view?”
The Everfree forest was spread out before them like a lush, verdant, green carpet, the overhead sun bringing to light all of the forest's vivid shades. The deck stretched around the entire exterior of the outpost, and Steel began slowly walking around it, taking in the view, the colors, even the freshness of the air. On the west side he could make out the thick, smudged, brown of a bog in the far distance, while to the east he could just barely see faint grey stone poking from the the forest greenery that marked the Castle of the Royal Sisters on the far edge of the forest. He could even see a faint splash of brightly colored splotches that was Ponyville to the north.
“It’s a nice view,” he said. “Very nice view. Maybe I should have retired here.” He took a deep breath, savoring the freshness of the air, different from the scent of the mountain air in Canterville and tinged with an earthy scent from the forest. “Can’t say I envy those stairs though."
“Isn’t Canterville built on a mountain?” Hunter asked, giving him an incredulous look.
“Mountains aren’t a sixty foot flight of stairs,” Steel said, removing his helmet. The cool breeze slipped through his short mane and he let out a sigh of relief, closing his eyes in contentment. “Now that breeze though, on a hot day like today?” He shook his head. “A lifesaver.” He set his helmet on the deck, turning towards Hunter. “Anyway, about that talk.”
“You talk, I’ll eat,” Hunter said, stepping towards the door. “Pulling a trussed-up manticore makes me hungry.” He ducked inside and Steel followed him, pausing only to collect his helmet.
The inside of the outpost was fairly simple, reminding him of his own cabin back in Canterville. There was a combined living area and kitchen—well-lit thanks to large windows on each wall—and the sink in the kitchen appeared to have running water despite the height. Another closed door led to what Steel assumed was a bathroom of sorts, and there was a set of stairs in one corner that led up to a second level. Which in his experience was probably either a bedroom, a lookout, or both.
But where Steel’s simple home had been as spartan in its decor as its design, Hunter's was filled with seemingly random paraphernalia scattered across the space. Photos covered every free space on the wall, pictures of various ponies that Steel guessed Hunter had worked with over the years. A space near the doorway was covered almost entirely in what looked like family photos, pictures of a younger Hunter with his siblings and two older pegasi that had to be his parents.
Nearby a brown, beat-up stetson hung on the wall, featured prominently in many of the photos of the older pegasus. Another section was filled with framed newspaper articles, some with black and white pictures of various Ranger squads that Hunter had been a part of over the years. Headlines such as “Ranger Team Rescues Missing Colt” or “Rangers Find Missing Skier After Avalanche” proudly beamed down at him from the walls.
Steel pulled off the rest of his armor and settled on one of the two well-worn small couches in the center of the living area. Then he pulled his saddlebags from his back, searching for a clear place on the cluttered table.
“Just move some stuff to the side if you need the table,” Hunter said from the kitchen, plates rattling in a cupboard as he shut it. “I’ll be there in a second.”
Steel tapped the table with his hooves for a moment while he looked at the curious melange of items sitting in front of him, trying to decide what to move and what to leave. He picked up the jazz saxophone first, placing it on the couch seat next to himself, then stacked the various books to one side, pausing at some of the titles. Everfree Herbs he wasn’t surprised at all to see, nor An Anthology of Wilderness Explorers Monthly, A Detailed Study of the Martial Classes of Ancient Pegasopolis, or Twenty-Seven Classic Country-Rock Guitar Pieces. He was surprised to see several Daring Do novels in the pile, as well as a few books on—of all things—lock-picking.
“Interesting book choice you’ve got here,” he said as he finished the stack.
“Yeah,” he heard Hunter say. Steel put the last book in the stack and picked up a Vinyl Record, the sleeve proudly proclaiming that it was the hit single “Sweet Home Appleloosa.” He looked at it for a moment and then set it on top of the book pile.
“The local librarian is pretty persuasive, but I have to give it to her,” Hunter said. “She’s got a lot of pretty good recommendations. I stopped trying to argue with the extra books she pushes and just started reading them. Well, most of them anyway.” There was a faint clatter, as if a spoon had been dropped. “Some of them I just glance over. I really am not going to be interested by A Tourist’s Guide to Nieghagra Falls. I’ve been there enough times to know pretty much everything in the book.”
“Isn’t the librarian one of the Elements of Harmony?” Steel asked, his hoof pausing on a framed photo. Unlike the others this one was a single portrait of a light-grey pegasus with a breezy cloud for a cutie mark and a battered, blue baseball cap on her head. Her platinum mane and tail were shining in the sun, and there was a soft smile on her face. Swift Wind. He slid the photograph to the other end of the table with a gentle grace. Neighagra Falls indeed.
“See, that kind of statement just confirms that you’re up to something,” Hunter said as he made his way over to the table, a plate balanced on each wing. He gave his wings a tilt, skillfully sliding both plates down onto the table, one of them skidding to a stop in front of Steel, the other opposite. Then he hopped onto the other couch, tossing his saddlebags from his flank and revealing the six hoofprints in a faint patch of dirt emblazoned on his flank. Laying as he was across the couch, his long, unkempt mane almost touched the couch cushions. “Most ponies have heard of the Elements of Harmony,” Hunter said. “But you know that one of them is the librarian here. I’ll bet you know what the other four do as well.”
“Five,” Steel corrected.
Hunter feigned surprise at his correction. “See, case in point,” he said, lifting the tomato sandwich to his mouth. “So, what’s got you out here looking for little old me?”
Steel considered his next words carefully, then shook his head. With Hunter, it was best to go straight to the point. “I came to offer you a job,” he said, watching Hunter carefully. The pegasus nodded but didn’t say anything, opting instead to take another bite of his sandwich. “I’ve been hired by the Princesses to start a new Guard division.”
Hunter’s eyebrows shot up and he pulled the sandwich back. “A new Guard division?”
Steel nodded. “The Dusk Guard,” he said, quickly explaining the genesis of the idea and giving Hunter the same rundown that Princess Luna had given him.
Hunter nodded as Steel finished his explanation, his sandwich momentarily forgotten in his hooves. “And you want me to transfer from the Rangers to your new Guard division.” A statement, not a question. “I’d ask why?” Again, it was still more of a statement than a question.
“Hunter, I’ve known you for years,” Steel said. “Not only that, but I’ve worked with you before. I’ve seen you in action. You’re the best tracker in Equestria, if anyone can find something or someone, it’s you.”
“But that’s not the only skill of yours I want,” he said, speaking quickly to cut off Hunter’s response. “You’re also a leader. I know it because I’ve seen it. Every squad needs a second. Someone else to make the calls, someone else for the team to look to. Someone to make the commander back down a step and come up with other ideas. Now I know when we worked together in the past, you and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye. But we could see past that and it worked for the team. And quite frankly, I’d like to be able to count on that again. Someone has to lead, and someone has to be a counterpoint for that leadership.”
“Alright, I get the picture,” Hunter said, grinning. “You could have stopped about halfway through that. I got it. Still though,” he said as he looked around the room, “I’d have to move. Why would I want to do that?”
Steel gave him a knowing grin. “Hunter, you’ve been here for three years. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of you staying so long in one place. You’re bored. I guarantee it.”
“You have no idea!” Hunter yelled, throwing his head back and sending his long mane cascading over the couch. “When I took this spot I thought it’d be a good break for me until I got over ... Well, you know.” His eyes darted to the picture of Swift Wing for a brief moment, but then they came back to Steel. “But then, I couldn’t flick it! I didn’t think that they were serious about how avoided this possie is. But they were.” He slumped back in his seat. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m complaining about some minor quibbles. I’ve made a good friend here—“
“Really?” Steel asked, ears perked. “Who?”
Hunter waved a hoof. “Mailpony, name of Derpy Ditzelda Doo. She’s a pegasus, so she stops by from time-to-time to say 'hi' and tell me how her daughter's doing. A lot of fun to talk to. Anyway, it’s a deal. I’ll do it. You get me out of this spot and I’ll do almost anything.”
“How soon can you be ready?” Steel asked, leaning forward and taking a bite of his own sandwich for the first time.
Hunter looked around the room. “With all this stuff? Moving? I’ll need a new place in Canterlot and I’ll need to get all my stuff moved out of here.”
“We’ll have a barracks.”
“Hmm … personal quarters.”
“Done.”
“What about my rank? I’m a 1st class Squad Leader in the Rangers.”
“First Lieutenant. Special class, with a pay scale to match.”
“Sounds good. One week then.”
“Excellent,” Steel said with a smile. “I needed you before I can go recruit another one of our members.”
Hunter cocked an eyebrow. “What for?”
“To find him,” Steel said, pulling the files from his bag and setting them on the tabletop. He slid one of them towards Hunter. “All I know is that he’s in Equestria and he was last spotted heading into the Unicorn Range.”
“Wow,” Hunter said, looking over the file, then up at Steel. “He’s that good?”
“The best,” Steel said, nodding.
“Who else do we have here?” Hunter asked, sliding the rest of the files over to his side of the table and flipping through them. He gave a chuckle as he saw the file that Celestia had requested. “There’s a story there that I think I want to hear,” he said, momentarily looking up at Steel. “That one will be a bundle of—“ His voice gave way to a strangled croak as the next file fell open. “Her? You’re asking her?” he said in a panic, looking up at Steel. “Please tell me she’s a back-up. Or better yet, this is the ‘avoid-at-all-costs’ file?”
Steel started to laugh at the look of near terror on the cocky stallion's face. “I’ll be asking her while you’re getting settled into Canterlot. I need the best, and she’s the best field medic—horseapples, the best doctor the Rangers ever had.”
“She’s a demon mare in the flesh!” Hunter said, his ears flat back and eyes wide. “Nightmare Moon herself would have run in terror if she’d ever met Dawn!”
Steel shook his head, laughing. “Just because you’re scared of needles—“
“They’re sharp little bits of shonky metal that have no business being inside a pony, and she makes sure that she’s got the biggest ones ever made,” Hunter said, jabbing a hoof at him.
“Are you seriously telling me,” Steel said, his sides starting to shake. “That you’re more scared of Dawn than anything in this forest?” He let loose a long series of rolling laughs. “She’s not that bad.”
“Well, I guess not,” Hunter said, ears flat, his face a look of resigned acceptance. “Not as bad as that bunny.”
“Wait? What?” Steel sat up, his laughter on hold. “Did you say bunny?”
“Laugh now!” Hunter said, aiming a deadpan look at Steel as he collapsed amidst gales of laughter. “But if you’d met this bunny—” A small shiver ran down his back. “Never has something named ‘Angel’ been so terrifyingly misnamed.” He looked down at Steel, who had rolled off of the couch clutching his sides. “Laugh it up, buddy. Just laugh it up. You might as well get your year's allotment in now. I’m not putting on a beat-up about this menace.”
But not even Hunter’s insults could get through to Steel as tears of laughter streamed down his cheeks.
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Angel the bunny. He's more Angelus than angel :)
His accent is very natural sounding. I started reading him as Steve Erwin as soon as I met him. Well done
Truer words have never been spoken.
At the moment the team is going to have a Soldier for a leader, a Tracker, and a Doctor. Pinkie is a bundle of fun as usual, though not too in-your-face. Manticore didn't bring an tension to the scene, probably just used to introduce Hunter. Hunter probably knows all of the EoH, and I kinda used Irwin as the voice in my head for him. *shrugs* Angel being that bad? I know he's a brat at times, but he must have a particular hate for Hunter here or something. Still have the rest of the group to gather.
This fic supposedly takes place a few weeks after "A Canterlot Wedding", so is the Crystal Empire back already and Steel Song is behind on the news? Otherwise the use of a railroad expansion north should be pretty obvious.
And Hunter is absolutely right. That bunny is kind of a dick
Extra apostrophe.
Judging by the fact that I'm reading this instead is sleeping right now, I'd say it's been interesting so far, despite lacking a decisive hook.
This chapter has several small errors. Here are the first 2 thingies I noticed:
>The words tumbled out of the ponies mouth
>the Cake’s are putting together a big order
Really good story so far.
For some reason this feels like it's turning into the Equestria version of SEAL Team Six or something, and I like that, because I have yet to see a group of elite guards (Other than one I made up a little while back).
who is the ____ about, use spoiler tags to prevent ruining for new reader but I am re reading this and curious.
I love reading your chapter's and I have made a new years resolution to read the whole series of books you have written.
I think you meant "as a preventative measure" here. There's also at least one missing apostrophe around somewhere... Or maybe that was last chapter. And an extra apostrophe near the end...
left
Missing a period.
Sorry, I'll try to stop pointing things out; this isn't a new story. It's probably not something you want someone pestering you to come and fix things on ><
Even though it's not tagged as a comedy, it's got great comedy in it
So is hunter by any chance named Croc Hunter? Cuz if so, you just made my day. RIP Steve Irwin.
ones
Ugh. I can't read any more of this. The pacing is just so slow. And the lack of needed apostrophes is bugging me.
It's been a very long time since an author's writing style has genuinely interested me.
And there's like 5-6 sequels to this one!? Hella yea
Some angels are nice. Others, well, I understand there's a thing called "The Passover" that started because of an angel.
I love how even in a fic I've just started to read angle bunny is still the scariest thing around ponyville
Well.... Hunter is now no longer the only Aussie accented pony in Equestria at least.
Angel is still just as evil as ever though.