Celestia comes across a small shop run by Equestria's only human.
Princess Celestia was going for an incognito stroll through the town in order to unwind from court, that was until she came across a small oddity of a shop called 'Cliff's Craft' on Elder Street.
So, she decided to pay Equestria's only resident human a visit.
[E] Means it has been professionally edited.
Mild violence, swearing and sexual themes.
Please note: In this story ponies (and others) are similar (anthropomorphic) to humans. Though ponies (for example) are generally shorter, have fur, magic, cutie/destiny marks, and the extra appendages like wings or horns.
The leaves had begun to settle from an early fall, littering the cobbled streets of Canterlot to form a motley brown and yellow fall blanket. Many ponies bundled up in cozy attire to combat the cold chill that had arrived with it early in the morning. Celestia herself numbered among those ponies as well, wandering the streets in the early hours of the day, donning her guise of a regular unicorn by the name of Sunflower Daze, with an appearance not-so dissimilar to that of her normal self. Though, with the help of some crafty spell work, instead of the towering six-foot figure she normally struck, Sunflower Daze was a mere five feet and a few inches. She bore the same pure white fur, but her hair and tail were simply a light shade of pink rather than its usual resplendent rainbow. Her cutie mark, although concealed under several layers like everyone else’, was instead a simple sunflower rather than the very sun itself. The attire she had chosen for today was a loose sweater, jeans that complimented her larger figure well and a large-knit beanie on her head, through which her shortened horn poked through.
A thorough disguise indeed.
She walked alongside the other ponies as they went about their morning routines. Unlike those beside her, however, she had no particular destination in mind. She was content to simply watch her little ponies pass by, enjoy the after-scent of last night’s rain which still lingered in the air, and to admire the rustic neighborhoods of the lower districts, the true heart and soul Canterlot, where centuries of character coalesced into close-knit communities. Suffice to say, Celestia was sick and tired. Not just of the castle she resided in, but of the overstated opulence displayed by the 'nobles' that lived in the upper districts - who improved their homes in eccentric fashions in a bid to outdo said castle. A grimace crossed her face, the mere thought of nobles causing her head to ache. Celestia let out a long sigh, rubbing her temples. However, this was why she took these walks in the first place; to escape from it all.
For it was Sunday, her day off from court and a day of rest for the other ponies as well. This was her day to unwind from all the pent up stress from court. As her tradition went; she purchased a few Parisian pastries at her preferred Prench patisserie, munching on the confections while watching life in the city roll onward, only to eventually end up browsing whatever she found interesting on Market Boulevard, one of the main roads where colorful shops of all kinds had settled; not only the shops, but in the many stalls lining the street as well, placed by ponies and other species from lands abroad. The boulevard crowded with customers, all buying the fall trinkets and treats as they passed through.
Being long lived, Celestia could safely say she had seen most of them before. So, as time passed, it became harder to find novelties that were actually, well, novel to her. Instead of giving it up, she decided to turn it into a game. Her goal; to find something special before she went home and bring it back as a souvenir. As she walked through the crowded boulevard, she decided to head down an offshoot street off the main boulevard. She glanced up at the sign as she walked past its post, it read 'Elder Street'.
Now there was something peculiar about this particular passage, and it hadn't struck her until this very moment. There was a rather... “unique” resident living in one of the shops. She remembered reading the report about it some years ago, despite the many strange documents that crossed her desk. Something about a tall creature who had come from a foreign land seeking to immigrate. She had left the decision to the officials there, as she had been busy with more dangerous matters and ultimately they had deemed him safe to enter. She recalled that when he had filled out his paperwork, he had called himself a human and had a skilled craft of some sort. Some rumors had spread about the new immigrant - the usual diatribe of scary nonsense that her subjects are susceptible to whenever something unknown comes along. Though one inkling of truth had shifted to the top, that he had decided to live in Canterlot, just off of Market Boulevard.
Celestia knew where her next stop was.
She continued at the comfortable pace down the now smaller and less crowded street. She noticed that this street was in a bit of disrepair as the cobble became more uneven to walk on. The buildings sagged in their old age, their colors more muddled and muted in comparison to the bright boulevard she had left. Even her sun did not fully reach into the street as the tall buildings choked the light to a small sliver that provided only a muted glow like blinds on a window.
She neared the middle of the street and noticed that some ponies seemed to give one small building in particular a wide berth, the most likely suspect for his residence. As she approached, a sign came into view, it read 'Cliff's Crafts'. She walked up to the display window and peered at the wares. From there she saw many works of beautifully engraved leathers, from saddles to satchels and belts to holsters, all with delicately detailed floral engravings. Next to them were silver spoons that were crafted just as well with silver plates that had engraved depictions of the desert frontier. Behind the display in the shop were wooden chairs, tables, and even wagon wheels, some adorned with silver. Celestia was a bit overwhelmed by the expert crafts before her, and wondered why this shop wasn't more popular; especially among the Canterlot elite. She decided that she was going to buy something from here and entered the shop.
The door gave a jingle as it opened, and a gruff voice from the back of the store called out. "Gimme me a moment I'll be right with ya." Celestia continued to browse while humming a little tune to herself. She picked up one of the silver tea spoons and admired it carefully. "Can I help you?" Said a deep male voice from behind her. She yelped and dropped the spoon on the floor, but quickly recovered.
She picked up the spoon and turned towards him. "Ah, my apologies, I didn't mean to desecrate your craf-" But stopped partway through to gaze at the creature. He was a bit taller than even her original towering height, he had little hair on his body, save the loosely combed shock of brown on his head. He had a sharp jawline like marble and a large frame to match. He had blue eyes that held an intense gaze, that was entirely focused on her. He wore a simple white button up shirt and blue jeans, both were worse for wear with stains from his work.
"Don't worry too much about it miss, just bring that spoon over so I can give it a look." He held out a large hand, rough with callouses and weathered by years of work. She gingerly passed him the spoon, his hand gently grabbed it from hers and, for a moment, she felt his warmth and wiry strength. He took the spoon and gave it a quick look, then he pulled out a thin cloth and gave it a wipe. "Looks alright to me, you didn't cause no harm to it."
She nodded, though internally wondered why she was so meek all of a sudden. Something about him was decidedly different, even though they both stood on two legs and he had the same form as a stallion, something tugged at the back of her mind about that foreign aura he exuded. Perhaps it was his lack of expression, the way he carried himself, or the nakedness of his bare skin. It all coalesced into an enigma of an otherworldly stallion, one which she could not readily place her finger on, but it was there and it all made him seem completely alien to this world.
"The name's Cliff, so what can I do for ya?" Celestia shook her head and gathered her wits. She's a princess for goodness sake! So she steeled her resolve in the face of this oddity.
"I was thinking about buying that for my tea set." She said proudly.
"Sure thing, that'll be thirty bits." Cliff stated as he went behind the counter, upon which a register stood. Celestia was happy with the price; it was on the lower end for something this excellent but not bad for only one spoon. She pulled out the required amount and placed it on the counter, with a smile.
"Deal."
Cha-ching
The mechanical register rang out as it displayed the thirty bit total and the box opened. He placed the bits inside and closed the register. "Let me just grab the set real quick." He disappeared behind the counter with the spoon. Celestia wondered what he meant by-
He reappeared from the counter with an engraved box which held two silver spoons. " There ya go, set of silver spoons, you have a good day now." Celestia was shocked, did he not value his work highly? This was some of the best craftsponyship she has seen in Canterlot, yet, it was being sold at such a discount. No, this was not right, on her honor she would not allow him to get cheated like this.
"O-oh, it's a set? Is it possible that I pay more then?" She asked.
"Uh, Miss?"
"Sunflower, just call me Sunflower."
"Miss Sunflower, all sales are final. My prices are non-negotiable." Cliff leaned with his elbow on the counter. "And I'm aware that it's on the cheaper end, but I don't mind. I do this for the hobby now more than anything."
"Are you sure?" Celestia asked with a touch of charm. She batted her eyelashes and gave him a slightly bashful look. She was sure this would work, most stallions would falter at the sight of her feminine wiles.
"I'm sure, I appreciate it miss." He said without a second thought, before he disappeared to the back of his shop. Celestia huffed in annoyance - she wondered why he wouldn't just accept her gratitude, but stallions are a bit bull headed in her experience after all.
She wandered back out onto the street and began heading home towards the castle. With souvenir in tow, she looked forward to tea tonight with her sister. She promised herself; next Sunday she would visit again. The next time though, she would pay him properly, and she would figure out this strange anomaly that is Canterlot's only human resident.
That following morning, the sun rose as it always had and with it Princess Celestia. Celestia always compared it to waking from a dream when she returned from her Sunday shenanigans. She already sorely missed the cute comfy clothes she wore as Sunflower.
To her dismay, she was in full royal regalia. Upon her head sat the golden crown that encapsulated her billowing mane; and around her neck, the royal peytral. Though in reality, she had replaced them with convincing and more comfy replicas long ago. From the neck down, she wore a simple golden silk dress; similar to what was worn in ancient Roam, but cut to just below the knee. Finally on her feet she donned a pair of golden sandals that spiraled up her legs like Midas-touched vines to almost where the dress ended. The nobles had insisted on much more interesting and complex clothing choices. Fortunately, she had skillfully maneuvered around that politically incessant issue and thus this was the most she could get away with without being considered under dressed for a princess.
The dress billowed lightly around her as she walked gracefully down the corridor that led to the royal dining room, which was cast with shadows from the early morning. She looked towards the outside which happened to have a wonderful garden veranda on display. A dark yellow mare, who was the gardener for this section, was currently trimming the grass and hedges. The smell of the cut grass wafted over and reminded Celestia of her younger days now gone. Coupled with her sun that imparted a soft morning glow onto the veranda and birds that chirped a happy morning tune. It all set a tranquil scene that she was all but happy to take a moment to drink in.
Though as she took that moment, a loud shout echoed from down the corridor. "Where is SHE?!" Shrilled the distinctly off pitch posh voice.
The birds scattered and the gardener was startled, causing her to snip off too much hedge, which resulted in a rather unorthodox shape. Celestia let out a defeated sigh for the ruined ambiance of her morning.
Oh joyous occasion it was for her, to spend her breakfast this morning with the nobility. It had been set in the calendar weeks ago after much insistence and she realized the necessity. Even if Luna didn't, who had opted to conveniently have a meeting with the military advisers this morning instead. At the very least, Celestia reasoned, it was a good opportunity to help her build some 'pony capital' as she called it. To keep the nobles productive and useful for whenever there was things she needed done.
Though in many cases, to just get them out of her mane.
In spite of her reluctance, she finally arrived at the door to the royal dining area, the grand double doors sat ready to mark her royal entrance. She sagged her shoulders, Celestia could already hear the roar of gossip and politics that was going on inside. The princess let out another sigh, though this time more in annoyance than anything.
Two royal guards were stationed at the door, their golden equipment in pristine condition with spears at the ready and their identity concealment enchantment activated with them both being the one of the two standard variations for Stallions. Though normally extremely stoic, the two offered their sympathies to the princess as they fully understood the tartarus she was about to enter. She thanked them quietly for the kind words but in this moment they did little to assuage her old soul.
"Are you ready Princess?"
She paused for a moment and answered with a straight face. "No."
The two guards chuckled but looked at her expectantly for her command. Celestia then stood upright in a more proper stance and steeled her resolve. She gave a slight nod and the gates of tartarus opened.
The double doors opened with a loud boom and Celestia stepped forward into the abyss. She was met with the sight that was the Equestrian nobility.
The room was decorated quite lavishly, though not at her own behest. The nobles had taken it upon themselves to add the latest in opulent home fashion to the room's decor. The room was surrounded by short marble pillars upon which sat various works of unique modern art. The table had been replaced with a solid marble top on supports and the chairs were replaced with heavily decorated stools, with no back support in sight. At this long table stood fifty nobles; all representatives of the various major families of Equestria.
The nobles had also decided to decorate themselves just as spectacularly. They all wore clothing that was similar to Celestia's, of ancient Roam. They being nobility though, added their own personal flairs. Their robes were of multiple bright exotic colors, with intricate patterns or designs on them, but to Celestia, some of them just looked like fancy rugs. Also adorned upon their heads were various styles of wreaths, but obviously that had become some kind of measuring contest. As the wreaths of some had practically turned into antlers with ornaments on them, almost like someone tried to decorate a deer for Hearths Warming.
Of course there was always one family in particular that held a special place in her table. A family of immense respect, steeped in a tradition of serving Equestria and its people above all else. A truly noble family. One so honourable, that she had given the head of the house the honorary title of prince which was to be passed to their descendants til the end of time.
Unfortunately, it's most recent heir was anything but that. Rather he was source of the loud shrill from earlier, one that could probably be heard from across the continent.
"There she is!" A pompous white stallion shrilled from the head of the table.
His shiny blond mane was perfectly maintained and his outfit wasn't as unique as the rest were but somewhat eerily similar to her own. He was also slightly taller than most nobles at a height of five feet and six inches. He strutted towards Celestia in a manner of confidence, as he gave the aura of the top dog in his 'noble' game.
"My favorite aunt!" Was it mentioned that this title made him honorary family too?
"Ah yes my dear nephew, Prince Blueblood. How do you fare?" Celestia asked with a modicum of practiced restraint.
He let out a melodramatic groan and did a exaggerated pose of distress as if to have the whole world pity him. "Oh it was horrible! I was walking to the castle from my carriage when an unsightly cur splashed mud all over my feet on purpose!" The white stallion continued onward about his surprisingly large repertoire of unsightly tragedies that had besieged him this morning. The nobles watched idly and pretended to be enamored with his story, all in order to brown nose the 'alpha' noble.
"But of course, you can fix that all for me. Wouldn't you auntie? For your dearest nephew?"
Celestia's left eye twitched in concealed annoyance. Ah yes how Celestia longed for the days of old, this new generation of nobility didn't hold a candle to those of the past. Albeit there is a lot less warfare nowadays. Maybe Luna was right about Equestria being too soft, especially the nobility.
"We'll see my dearest nephew, for now I would I like to have tea first before I deliberate anything of import."
A soft bell jingled, Celestia took her seat at the head of table, followed by Prince Blueblood, then the rest of the nobility took their turns to be seated; apparently they thought it necessary to seat in order of prestige. The maids and butlers rushed out from concealed doorways and placed tea pots with sugar cubes at the table. As one placed a pot for Celestia, the princess beckoned the maid for a moment.
"Please bring me my new set from last night instead, thank you." Celestia whispered quietly. The maid nodded and quickly disappeared with the rest of the staff. The next part of the morning ritual began, with sets to be brought forth for tea to be served. Of course all the nobility had requested their own personal sets, each more bedazzled and intricate than the last. Another form of measuring contest; how unexpected.
The maid from earlier brought Celestia her personal set. A simple ceramic plate and cup from many years ago and the engraved box which contained the two silver spoons, of which she carefully plucked one of the two spoons. The tea was then poured by the staff into everyone’s cups, to which everyone began to help themselves to their tea and converse with one another. Celestia reached for two cubes of sugar and plopped them gently into her her tea. It was chamomile this morning and it had a lovely aroma.
As she went to stir her tea, Prince Blueblood made a comment.
"Auntie, where did you get that amazing spoon set?"
The room went dead silent, as all eyes instantly snapped towards her and the spoon in her hand. A single 'uhm' was all Celestia could muster, before all hell broke loose in the form of a collective gasp.
The nobility delved straight into a frenzy of gossip and speculation, all trying to reason what this could possibly mean. Celestia had never used a different set before! It was always the same for centuries! The nobles dispatched their underlings, not only to begin the search but also to notify the press. For the papers needed to know, Celestia had two new silver spoons.
All throughout the day the press ran stories about the significant event. Along with many who attempted to speculate or reason all the implications behind it.
Celestia uses two new spoons!
Who was the master craftspony behind them?
A gift from an unknown lover?!
Sign of the end times?!?!
Celestia had decided to not comment, as she did not want to have the noble horde descend upon Canterlot's only human and potentially drive him out of town. Regardless, the nobles after their breakfast continued to frantically scour Canterlot for the mystery master craftspony. With such developments, two nobles happened to be walking down Market Boulevard and turned down a particular street, Elder Street, and as they passed the sign that read 'Cliff's Crafts' one of the two commented. "What about that one?"
"No, couldn't possibly be that one; an unsightly creature lives there."
"Well have you looked at their wares?"
"No, but the master must be a pony. I'm sure of it."
"If you believe so." The two continued onward, giving the shop a wide berth like many others did. To the surprise of the nobility, their search never turned up anything. The silvers spoon set remained a object of mystery and speculation.
An unknown figure tossed and turned in their sheets, only to wake with a start. The figure relaxed upon waking and let out a familiar sigh. A sigh that every working person is familiar with. For even though it was Sunday, it was time for Canterlot's only human to get his work day started.
The twilight of morning just settled on the horizon as Cliff sat upright from his bed cautiously, to be mindful of the low ceiling, as his bedroom wasn't built with human height in mind. Not being one to lament his over sized existence for too long, the man began the timeless ritual of a blue collar man; shit, shower, and shave. Now with the scent of sandalwood about him, he went to the wooden wardrobe. Inside was the clothing selection for today. Jeans and shirts, shirts and jeans, or if he was feeling fancy; a button up shirt and nice jeans. Take a guess what his decision was.
After he donned his attire of a gray shirt, blue jeans and a pair of weathered brown boots. The giant in a doll house began his heavy steps down the stairs with mighty thuds that could wake the dead. On the last step, Cliff flicked on a magical lantern.
The light left a revelation to behold, in his office he kept artifacts from his life and tokens of the past. The first thing he saw was a big beautiful flag hung upon the wall; it had thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red, alternating with white, a blue rectangle sat in the corner with forty eight stars sewn. A special order he had made a long ago and was the only one in existence. Next to it, sat a large safe with a powerful lock and contents hidden from voyeurous eyes. In it, he kept many things but the most important was his old equipment, left over from his time before Equestria. A time when safety was not an assured thing and laws were only letters on parchment.
His gaze drifted over to the adjacent wall where souvenirs sat in displays. While strange to most, they were special to Cliff for the memories they hold from now faraway friends. Like the mask from Zebrica, one that represents a momentous event in the journey of a warrior. An engraved stone beer stein from Germane, where revelry with camaraderie was not given, but earned. Also a single arrow that had two colorful feathers attached, with the wood splintered and the tip chipped from use.
Though before he could relive the past, he snapped back to his morning task and surveyed his workbench. The bench stood covered in tools. From leather craft tools such as stamps, presses and stitches; to fine metal craft tools like files, mallets and gravers. Which if Cliff was honest with himself, was in a form of chaos, organized chaos he had justified in his head. His eyes tracked towards his project from last night, a silver locket laid on a small pedestal with a metal graver next to it.
It was a custom order which Cliff was more than happy to do. It had actually come from a sweet old lady from the down this street. She was a kind soul and never was bothered by his otherworldly origin. If anything she was very motherly towards him, albeit one who was a bit old fashioned and kept trying saddle him up with a nice mare. Cliff chuckled at the thought and sat on his old work stool, then delving into his canvas of silver.
Sunflower, the normal unicorn, walked down the same Market Boulevard but their was a stark contrast to her previous trips. She had arrived very early, rather than during the busy daytime, as the normally packed street contained very little in the way of life this morning. The whole area had a dim glow to it, as the morning twilight teased its presence and magic streetlamps casted their impressions across dark streets. The few here this early, were mostly crafters, cooks and couriers. They all carried a lantern or had the dim glow of a light spell as they scurried about, with much needed to be done for the morning preparations.
Celestia walked past all the early morning workers, who were none the wiser to her identity. She turned down Elder Street, one which this early in the morning, was not that well lit due to the lack of streetlamps on older roads. This put the disguised princess on edge, but she certainly wasn't worried because if anything tried something. It would be a bigger surprise for them, than for her.
Not too long after she headed down Elder street, 'Cliff's crafts' came into view and she dropped into a low crouch. If it wasn't clear already, Celestia had a plan not exactly fit for a princess. The stealthy princess wanted to give Cliff an early morning visit, with the hope that he had not opened up shop yet, to see what could be gleaned about him. While possibly leaving some bits behind that she owed him. The thought of the plan brought about a nervous energy that settled upon her body. It's been a long while since she had done anything like this, albeit questionable in morality, it was a refreshing experience to say the least.
She moved in on the shop and approached the front door. Though before anything could be attempted, her foot snagged on an uneven piece of cobble and she face-planted onto the ground with a thump. There was dead silence and Celestia stayed deathly still for a few moments. Mentally, the princess was in an inner turmoil and she was sure that the whole operation was about to blow up in her face, before it even began. After a few moments, nothing happened much to her relief and she recuperated herself, then slowly rising back up into a low crouch to continue onward.
Certainly wasn't the coordinated one between the two sisters.
Once she reached the door, she began the spell-work which had been already prepared that day prior. The tumblers in the simple lock moved into place and the door opened. The bell didn't let off a jingle as she had silenced it in a special field. The shop was quiet and dimly lit by the light that spilled from the backroom. She heard a shuffle and the sound of tools being sorted through, along with the sound of humming. A careful approach to the backroom door gave way to an interesting sight.
The man was no less the interesting sight than before, with the tall human on a wooden stool, hunched over in concentration with his short brown hair hanging over his brow. In front of him laid a workbench of all kinds of various tools, most of which Celestia was not familiar with. In his left hand on a small pedestal, he held what looked like the beginning of an engraved silver locket. While in the other, a small hard piece of metal. Currently he turned the locket on the pedestal with a slow and methodical pace. All the while he put delicate etches on to it. Etches that looked like vines that clung to the locket like those in a grove.
The princess was content to observe the humming human, who was still unaware of her presence. There was something magical about the intense concentration he placed on the task. That and the simple juxtaposition of this giant working on a small delicate craft. Though she wondered, what is this tune? That was until he began to softly sing a little to himself.
"Gory gory what a helluva way to die..."
What a strange song that was to Celestia, who never heard of anything like it before in her long lived life. Maybe something from his homeland? While she was distracted with her thoughts and the sight of the human, her body leaned to the side. Until the pressure was too great and it pushed the door open, which gave a long and loud creak.
The man stopped and stood completely still. There was a poignant pause as the two stood there unsure of the intention of the other.
Celestia eeked in nervousness. "Uh hi, I just uh, came by to see if you were open early..." To her relief, Cliff visibly relaxed. Unknown to her, his other hand let go of something he had gripped within his waistband. Cliff still wondered how she had gotten in here. Probably left the door unlocked he reasoned.
"Oh Miss Sunflower, well you're here mighty early." Cliff set the locket and tool down, but Celestia noticed his hands shook, almost violently. Though it was only for a few moments before he quickly collected himself and turned to face her. "Well you're already back here, you might as well come all the way in."
Celestia entered the room timidly at first but with a reassuring small smile from Cliff. She fully stepped inside and only to gasp in surprise. Covered from wall to wall not only with tools and various crafts, were many souvenirs and trinkets from across the world. Though on the last wall across, a flag hung proudly on display. One she did not recognize, at all. Celestia looked back to Cliff where he still sat on his stool with a small smile still on his face.
"Welcome to my office, what can I do for ya?"A whole lot as Celestia now had a lot more questions than she originally thought. Her initial expectations now completely tossed out the window. Though the nervous energy from earlier had not completely settled from her body. The mystery of his room ignited a childish excitement within her; so she decided to blurt out.
"I can see that you are well traveled!" The proverbial spaghetti already falling out of her pockets, assaulting him with that awful cacophony of speech.
"Yeah, spent a lot of time in other places. Not by choice though, not to be rude Miss Sunflower but uh is there a reason you are here."
She reigned herself in a bit. "Uhm, yes. I just really liked the spoon set and I wanted to see the master at work! So would you mind some company this morning?"
Cliff chuckled, it had a deep warmth to it, and it made Celestia's heart flutter a little. "Of course, I don't mind none, though I won't be talkin' too much. Would you like a seat?"
"Ah yes, that would be uh, splendid thank you." Cliff grabbed her a chair from the main shop and placed it next to his. He picked up his graver and began the delicate task once again. As Celestia watched the giant man work on his craft she thought to herself, what is it she truly thought of this strange person. Perhaps once she knew him a bit more than they could go for a simple outing. Then maybe, some questions she have will be answered.
A white unicorn with a pink mane walked down Elder street. If anyone had bothered to pay attention, they would have noticed that this mare had been making regular trips down the street. She had a small skip to her step and a smile on her face. It was practically written all over that she was going to visit someone special. Though who could've guessed that the mare was visiting the strange oddity that is the human.
A human that, once she opened the door to his business, was nowhere to be found. Quite strange. She searched the store and the office, and the living area upstairs. She even gave his bedroom a very very slight peak, which to her dismay nothing was there. It was only until she walked back down stairs, she heard a muffled clang. Her ears twitched slightly as they pointed forward, searching like satellites for the source. Until she heard it again.
CLANG
She turned toward the corner of his office on instinct and there she saw what had been overlooked. An entrance hidden with a rug slightly ajar. She moved towards it slowly, as if the patterned textile would snap at her like a snake. She lifted the rug out of the way to fully reveal the trapdoor. She gave the recessed handle a slight tug, only for the door to spring open and cause her to fall flat on her butt.
After she gave herself a few rubs to smooth out the slight pain, she peered down the now surprisingly well lit stone stairway. She recognized it as the cellar which was common among older homes, a place where ponies used to store their food or spirits. Though she wondered what Cliff could possibly be doing down there? Well she assumed it was Cliff, maybe it was a friend of his who was blacksmith? The questions only penetrated her further.
CLANG
The noise from earlier now increasing volume. She reached with one leg timidly and took a single step forward. She paused. Then another step forward. And another. Until she had already walked halfway down the stairs. Not wanting to intrude too much, she peaked ever so stealthily around the corner.
There in all its majesty was a human, a large male one in fact, doing a time honored tradition. The art of picking up heavy things and putting them down.
The man stood facing towards the stairway and wore only a pair of small shorts which left most of his physique on display. One that was first and foremost large, especially compared to most ponies, though his body was not covered in much fat, with the lack of fur further highlighting his musculature. He was too busy to notice the prying mare; plainly shown by the red that tinged his normally pale complexion, the sheen of sweat across his brow and the even more intense look on his face.
After getting a solid glance at Cliff, Celestia eyed the rest of the room. It was a decent size, a bit bigger than his office. In it was various equipment used for weight lifting; plates, dumbbells, and a rack among other things she wasn't familiar with. She looked back to him and saw in his hands, a barbell which held four plates on each end. He was now sitting with his body in a low squat, said bar resting on the floor. Then with a grunt and explosion of movement, he drove up with his chest bringing the bar upward with him, using his whole body. He stood straight up, the immense weight of the bar now solely on him, that was until he put it down in a controlled motion.
CLANG
He let out a breath in relief and went to reach for a large mug of water, that was until he noticed a single eye with a pink colored iris staring at him. Ah, he recognized that eye and that white fur with a pink mane.
"You know, I was always taught it was rude to stare Miss Sunflower."
Celestia let out an eep, and disappeared for a moment in surprise. Only to reappear a few moments later, with her arms waggling about in shock and a red blush on her face. "I was not! It was merely uh, surprising to say the least! I didn't know you had a small gym down here."
Cliff took a moment to appreciate the sight that is the flustered unicorn, something about it just made him feel a little cheeky and a little something else. He chuckled softly. "It's alright. Next time just make sure to just let me know you're here."
Celestia let out a sigh of relief. She had hoped to not offend him, as these past few Sundays he had been an interesting conversationalist. He always brought a different perspective to things whenever she asked him about what he thought of current affairs. One thing for sure is he was a very strong proponent of democracy and was very passionate about his old home country, which he had explained was a federal republic. Though whenever she tried to pry further details about his previous life at all, he always danced around it by changing the subject. She could tell after the few attempts that in spite of their growing friendship, he still wasn't comfortable bringing up the past.
"Of course and Cliff?"
"Yes?"
"Call me Sunny."
After his workout, Cliff headed upstairs to get his morning routine done. Though not without a straight faced invitation to Sunny, who at first was staggered by it, the large blush on her face being evidence to that fact. Until he let a small smirk loose which led to a surprisingly strong punch to the shoulder and a verbal tongue lashing. Though Celestia wouldn't admit it at the time, that proposal had certainly caused the blood to rush to more than just her face.
Now refreshed and wearing a fresh set of shirt and jeans, Cliff called down the stairs. "I'm done now if you wanna come up."
"You better have your clothes on." She loudly stated while walking up the stairs. To her surprise, she saw the large man hunched over a small kitchenette in the corner. The sound of sizzling and the fragrance of food tantalized her senses. "You cook?"
Cliff placed a lid on the sizzling pan and throws vegetables in to another, all with plenty of seasonings and oil. "I have to, most folks around here ain't too friendly to my diet. That and I've always just found it useful to know for survival n' such."
Celestia crept up beside him as he spoke and looked over the entire entree. Chicken, sweet potatoes, and some asparagus with cauliflower. Meat, that was interesting to her and now that she thought about it. She did catch a glance of his canine teeth whenever they talked. Though being a well cultured sort, she was quite used to being around more carnivorous species and had paid it no mind.
"Does it bother you?"
"Hm?"
"That I eat meat?"
"Well are you going to eat me?"
Cliff paused his cooking for a moment. "Maybe, though you may be a bit too sweet for my taste."
Celestia saw the smirk on his face and just rolled her eyes at the comment.
He stirred his vegetables in butter. "I am gettin' a bit older now anyways, so I try to eat healthier."
"How old?" Celestia asked.
Cliff unloaded the contents of the pans onto a plate, the steam letting off that freshly cooked aroma. "I reckon I'm around forty now."
He carried his meal over to a small table with two chairs. He placed his meal on the far side and pulled out a chair for Celestia.
She took her seat gracefully. "You don't seem that old."
Cliff chuckled as he walked back over to the kitchen. "Flattery will get you everywhere young lady." He said with an obvious mirth to his voice.
She chuckled as well, mostly at the fact that he called her a young lady.
"Can I get you anything?" He remarked.
"Any tea?"
Cliff looked across his cabinet. "No, I don't think so. I got coffee and milk."
Celestia looked directly at Cliff and gave him a stern motherly look. "And why is that?"
Cliff held his hands up in a defensive posture. "I didn't know this was the tea inquisition."
Celestia let out a calming breath. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just my lovely sister has been giving me a hard time lately about my tea drinking habits and touts coffee as the best thing to ever grace Equestria."
Cliff gave a slight shrug. "Ah, well I don't mind tea. I just haven't had any I really liked. I just drink coffee sometimes for a little energy boost."
"Maybe next time I could bring tea for you to try?"
"Sure, you still want anything?"
"I'm fine, no need to be such a gentlecolt."
Cliff nodded with a slight smile and sat down across from her. He picked up his silverware and carefully ate his meal in spite of the ravenous hunger inside. Celestia noticed and thought that it was cute how the large man daintily ate his meal as to not bother her. She was sure that if he was the only one here, it would be quite the massacre.
"You assume almost forty though? Do you not have a birthday?"
Cliff spoke in between modest bites of food, "I do but when I arrived to here, I didn't know the date and I lost track of time at certain points." There was a subtle sadness and pain mixed into his voice, one that he kept reasonably hidden if not for Celestia being more perceptive than most.
She decided to avoid that conversation for now. "So when is your birthday?"
"October eighth."
"That must be fun, having your birthday during a month of festivities."
He gave a small shrug. "I don't really celebrate it or the festivities here usually."
Celestia was shocked a bit by this statement, she could understand with birthdays but no festivities? It was practically criminal as the month of October was not only a month that contained days of reverie with copious drinking, carnival games, and crafts but also an important festival for her sister.
"I can tell that surprised you but I've never celebrated my birthday, even before here. Usually I just took a day off. As for the festivals, I just don't believe the stories and I've never really felt like it was meant for me anyways. Same thing for the other holidays, I won't bother no one but I don't partake either."
That earned a lot of genuine surprise from Celestia who responded by slamming the table, which caused his food to fly in the air. Without looking she caught his food with her magic and neatly placed it in front of him all the while giving him a hard stare.
"You don't believe the history behind them?!"
Now the big human felt meek for once.
"Well no, I'm not from here and back home I was what is called a Christian." Though he recovered some of his confidence. "My faith may be shaky at best, but it'll take it a bit more to convince me about those stories. That and the princesses being super powerful. They could be long lived which isn't too far fetched for this crazy magical place but I think they are overstated in history." He said with a bit more gusto.
Celestia stood up and pointed a finger directly at the man, the intense gaze still on him. "I shall not stand for this! I will be bringing you a history book and I will teach you proper Equestrian History! We will go to these festivals and have a merry time! And you will drink my tea! Are we clear?!" She said loudly with authority behind her voice.
"Yes ma'am."
She turned away from him with a 'hmph' and strutted angrily away like a girlfriend who had won an argument with her boyfriend.
She paused at the top of the stairwell. "I'll see you next weekend?"
"I reckon." Cliff saw a brief smile from the white unicorn before she disappeared down the steps.
As the sun began its descent below the horizon, Princess Celestia stormed through the castle, a strange energy about her unlike before. She was still somewhat angry at Cliff but also elated to spend time with him. It showed on her face with the devilish smirk and happy sway of her hips, but the angry steps and clenched hands continued to make her a strange contradiction of emotions.
Distracting thoughts bounced back and forth through her, which lead to her run straight into someone hard as she turned the corner. Thankfully the pony whoever it was caught her in time to stop her from colliding headfirst. From what Celestia saw, they were tall, dark and-
Luna?
"Dearest sister?"
Celestia now snapped back to reality and came face to face with her sister Luna. The sky blue eyed alicorn was almost as tall as Celestia, just being a smidgen shorter. The night princess was definitely less plushly with more toned muscle from her rigorous training and wore a set of minimalist scale armor that protected the vitals on her body.
"Do tell sister, what has affected you so verily?"
The sun princess just gave a nonchalant wave of the hand. "Oh nothing at all, just some ah interesting events on my day off that I am still mulling over."
Luna nodded slightly. "I see."
"Well uh I'm going to retire to my chambers for the night, good night Luna." Celestia said a bit rushed as she not so subtly tried to exit the conversation.
"Yes good night." Luna watched Celestia make her way quickly to the royal bedchamber.
She had seen for a brief moment how her sister was walking before they almost collided. It could have been passed off as nothing more than a strange and random occurrence. Yet, something didn't add up to Luna and call it a hunch but there was something more to her sister's behavior. It was something that Princess Luna just couldn't leave well enough alone.
The sun now reduced to a distant thought, as the snow began to thaw out.
For all the ponies became quite snug, with the winterous bug.
Though the season changed, Celestia's heart was chained.
For the human thought he only tinkered with a silver part.
He also tinkered with a golden heart.
Tap tap tap
A human gently tapped away at his silver canvas. The office he was in, was quite cozy and smelled slightly of smoke, for he had a small hearth ablaze with logs. The cold of winter frosted the window that sat above his table. Outside small bits of snow fell like ice-crusted butterflies that softly danced in the air. A kettle screamed an angry tune before being promptly silenced.
"Is your tea ready?" Cliff said with a bit of mirth.
"Our tea you mean? As you will be trying this and you will like it." Celestia poured two cups of her premier winter brew, spiced ginger plum. She presented one to Cliff who just give a slight grunt in acknowledgement-
-Ahem-
-who decided rather, that the cup looked quite appetizing. He eyed the concoction for a moment and gave it small whiff, and was pleasantly surrounded by spiced fruit and festive aromas. He brought it to his mouth and paused for a moment. He took that moment to look at Sunflower who was very invested in seeing his first sip. Her eyes sparkled with hope and a slight smugness, as though she already knew he would like it.
He took one sip, two sips, paused for a moment and pondered. A final third sip and placed it down, returning to work seemingly unaffected by it.
"It's alright." He responded after a few moments.
Though Celestia knew, he loved it but was just too proud to admit. She gave him a gentle rub on the shoulder and a mirthful smile, to let him know she knew. Even if he tried to hide the truth. A gentle rub became a small grip on the large man. After it held there for a minute, Cliff stopped his work and turned towards her.
"Can I be at your service Miss Sunflower?" Cliff said with a poorly attempted posh accent.
"Stop that, I told you to call me Sunny." That didn't stop a small giggle from escaping her but it was soon replaced with a more nervous look which was made plainly obvious by how her large ears folded to her head.
Those ears being something Cliff had to learn, as ponies could be quite expressive with them. He gave her a slight rub on the head, which elicited a more positive response from her as she pushed into his hand. Another strange oddity for him about ponies. They were very touch and feel sort when it came to emotions. Apparently, it was common among friends to rub each others head or ears. According to 'Sunny', his hands were supposedly 'divine' though he had no other unbiased source to refute that claim.
After a few moments of his ministrations, Celestia let out a breathy sigh. "I was uh wondering, if."
She paused for a few moments. "You would like to go out on a date sometime, like uh today maybe."
Cliff sat still as a mountain, his face unwavering in the face of this tidal wave of emotion. On the inside, he felt a slight tug on his heart and all at once it clicked into his head. Past experiences and long lost love ones had made his heart hard as stone when it came to these affairs. Though it felt as if a sun had shined it's rays and began to lift the winter in his soul, but nothing came easy as he pondered out loud. "Hmm, but my shop-"
To his surprise, the small unicorn now gripped him harder and was pulling him toward her with a surprising strength. The look she gave, well he might as well kick a hundred puppies. Her eyes glistened, with her heart practically worn on her sleeve for him to see. She wanted him to say yes, for all that she was in that moment was a simple mare who wanted to know more about the large man.
"I suppose-" Celestia pulled the big man into a strong hug, one that even challenged his constitution.
She then looked up at him with those hopeful eyes and gently caressed his face. "I'll see you in a couple hours." She untangled herself from the man and slowly let go of her caress as she walked out the door.
A large man stepped into the view of a vanity mirror and looked himself over. He perched his posture to present a particular luster, that of a gallant man who awaited his maiden. With his hair neatly combed and aided by a bit of product to help hold it together, he looked rather spiffy in the formal attire he wore. The perpetually dirtied shirt and jeans now were replaced with a dashing gray two piece suit with a matching tie that gave a slim look to the bulky man. He had it made awhile ago, for his interview with the Equestrian immigration official, which collected dust until called again to smooth out his rough disposition that he exuded towards the gentler ponies. He gave himself a final once over, before the surprise date could entirely envelope his thoughts. It was a bit out of the blue for him and could only be followed by curiosity, one which wonders what drove the mare to be this forward and now of all times. Then again he never was an expert in understanding the opposite sex, especially one that wasn't even human.
Of course at that point it had nearly been two hours and the third check of a clock only confirmed it further. Where was the mare of the hour? Certainly not in a rush, as the date was definitely not a last minute impulsive decision. One that required a bunch of last second arrangements by pulling some strings. It couldn't be fathomed to also not have a nice dress on standby for such an occasion. Even if that were the case, she wouldn't be panicking over such a date, being such a seasoned diplomat.
Well the impropriety of such misinformation is simply too much! It couldn't possibly be anything but pure doublethink!
In other news, Cliff stood outside his now locked shop, waiting for the significant other who still hadn't arrived, even after the two hour mark. The golden disc in the sky was on its path toward its peak, with no snow clouds in sight, it beat down with all its strength, bringing a welcomed warmth to temper the winter chill. The modicum of traffic that flowed passed his wayward shop and down the snow littered street paid him no mind for the most part as those that came through here were accustomed to his presence. Regardless he remained ever vigilant, not just for his date but for an awareness of his surroundings. As being out at this time made him somewhat uneasy, due to some experiences that never truly left him; for he was constantly sizing, judging and calculating whenever he was out and about. Always ready to act at a moment's notice-
"Cliff!" The man turned his head and it stayed there, with a sight that overpowered even his discipline.
It was the illustrious white unicorn mare of the hour. One who wore a long beige overcoat with a fuzzy interior and a white pair of modest heels. Her mane was done up in very pleasing curls with the slightest accents of makeup on her face to help enhance her natural features. She was slightly winded and the confident demeanor from earlier now replaced with a timid disposition. Regardless, she looked as cute as a button to Cliff and he had to restrain himself from just squeezing the poor mare.
"I hope I didn't leave you waiting too long." Sunflower stated meekly, guilt evident on her face.
"Well if it was just a hare later I might of left, my kind are deathly weak to the cold being fur-less n' all." Sunflower was struck by the statement, her guilt verging onto full on grief. Oh the poor creature! How could she not have known that-
Until she noticed a small smirk, that escaped his otherwise straight face, for a few moments. Before the man could react, the mare shoved him into the large snowbank with uncanny strength. The white mare now stood over the large man with an imposing figure and a pointed finger.
"You idiot!" She yelled loudly, causing those in the vicinity to look or hurry along.
"Do you realize how stressed I am right now?! And you have the gall to play games with me?!" Her eyes began to water with a sadness taking over her features and spoke in a softer tone. "Worst of all, you made me think I hurt someone I cared for." She turned away from him, the anger now melting off the rest of her body, as she let off the small sounds of restrained tears.
Cliff, now stricken with guilt, immediately rose up and gave the mare a large hug from behind and held her tightly to convey his regret. "Sunny, I'm sorry, I promise to make it up to ya. I didn't think that-"
He stopped when he heard a giggle and looked down at the small mare and saw the smile on her face. "Well since you promised to make it up to me I'll let it slide, I'll come to collect the debt later."
She gave him a little peck on the cheek. "You're cute when you care though."
He stood there in shock. Did she just-
"Are you going to stand there and gawk all day?" Said the mare who already managed to slip out of his grasp.
-hoodwink him with crocodile tears?
Cliff dusted himself off of snow with a bit of magical help from his date. Who then took the opportunity to envelope his arm with her body and pull him towards the Market Boulevard. Sunny being the confident mare she was again, let out a happy hum. Her tail swished back and forth, brushing across his backside ever so occasionally, as she was overfilled with joy to finally be spending a more intimate time with her favorite human.
The couple wandered down the seasonally decorated market boulevard. Festive lights dotted green groves which entwined themselves across the many street lamps. Residents of Canterlot casually cajoled in the marketplace, fully taking advantage of the customary cinnamon cookies, while sipping cooling cocoa cups and admiring the curious ceremonial crafts that littered the sea of seasonal stalls among the wide array of winter wares.
Celestia gleefully hopped from vendor to vendor, examining the various bits and bobbles that caught her eye all the while sampling winter cakes. In spite of her years of seeing this very same market for many years, having Cliff with her brought forth a childlike innocence that couldn't resist sharing the enjoyment of the seasonal spectacles.
Cliff approached one stall which was displaying various holiday hats for sale. He spied a pair of antlers; but before he could ponder the item, a golden hue of magic levitated it onto his head followed by a few small feminine giggles. He turned toward his humorous offender. "Well does it suit me?"
She gave him a mirthful look. "Don't let the nobility catch you, they may get jealous due to the awe inspiring look of your crown." His date responded then giving a few small giggles.
In no time at all, the day swept by and the sun began its final course. The nightlife of Canterlot blossomed forth bringing with it raucous revelry that subdued the earlier peaceful pleasantries. So the two did what any rational one would on a night worth enjoying. Get absolutely wasted.
They hopped from bar to bar, trying every curious cocktail and brazen brew. Celestia even sang some karaoke which started off decent, but her gradual inebriation eventually led to an even wackier and more wayward performance each time. With each progression leading to sassier sways and peculiar pitches. In spite of it, everyone still sang along all the same. The booze even loosened up Cliff enough to sing some modern pop songs, which was a spectacle in of itself. As the rough looking and imposing man sang about being a young rebellious teenage mare with a dream.
Ah but even the nightlife had its limits as the late night turned into a very early morning. For this the bars closed, which left all the drunk patrons to wander the streets and find their own way. Cliff and Celestia stumbled along with the bright moon overhead, their cheeks rosy with the alcohol swimming through their bodies and drunken smiles plastered on their faces.
Cliff thought the night to be over and was about to ask where he could drop her off at but the mare as always surprised him. She suddenly dragged him with a burst of energy towards a small grove of trees. In the small grove was a path and a sign next to it which stated 'Eau d'amour, Canterlot Climate Enchanted Park'.
They continued to drunkenly stumble along until reaching the end of the short dirt path, one which led to a field of short grass. At the center was a beautiful sight. A still pond laid at the center with the large moon reflected onto its surface. It cast a dim light to fill the small area, that coupled with the dim bulbs of fireflies that lazily bobbed in the air. All that mixed to form mild summer concoction in no small part thanks to the enchantments.
Celestia took off her heels and stepped barefoot on the grass and let out a sigh of relief then taking a moment to admire the pond. Cliff followed suit, notably enjoying the coolness of the grass on his tired feet.
After they settled for a few moments, Celestia spoke softly. "I had a lot of fun." She cleared her throat quietly. "More than I have had in awhile."
"Me too, I haven't been that unwound in awhile." The gruff man responded. "Though you did enjoy that karaoke a lot."
Celestia gave him a soft shove. "Hey don't judge me for that, I get a little caught up in the moment."
"Only a little?" He began to chuckle only to be shoved a bit harder this time and fall to the ground.
"Hey! I wasn't the one wholeheartedly singing marely pop songs!" The two paused for a moment and then began to laugh heartily at the absurdity.
The comedy of it being amplified by the buzz that remained from their drinking. Cliff laid back comfortably, to look up at the sky, where the stars crowded the sky like a cosmic metropolis; but the moment was short lived as he heard a small splash. He sat up quickly only to give a small smile as he saw Sunny dancing around and giggling in the water which only reached up barely past her ankles.
Though he wondered what she was dancing to since her movements seemed to be following something. That was when he heard it. Soft voices sung gentle notes that loftily floated about, an almost spiritual feeling seemed to permeate the very air.
The magic of harmony.
It began to fill his very being and he felt himself lifted forward, as if being helped by unseen hands. Celestia now beckoned him and he obliged. He joined her in the shallow pond, dancing in circles around each other to the soft melody. That was until, he grabbed her hand and the gentle melody turned into a proud orchestra. Every succint sound only served to make the night brighter, alive and surreal. The two now joined together in an impromptu couple's dance, their movements erratic yet in harmony, riding the flow of feelings that seeped through their very pores. Slowly, it petered out until the soft melody returned and the two stood there in the pond, gently swaying in unison. Their feelings no longer a mystery, as the harmony had told a story, one of star crossed lovers from different worlds brought together by fate.
Celestia's head rested gently on his chest. The mare looked up at the man whose gaze was cast away, lost in thought about this surreal moment. Celestia reached up and turned his face gently towards her, her hand acting as lightning rod to bring the wayward man back to reality. The man didn't even have time to give a questioning look before a pair of soft lips enveloped his own. The harmonious orchestra resurged forth in response and played the climax of its piece, as primal electricity sparked between the connected lovers. Eons passed and empires rose then fell in the span of time the embrace lasted in the minds of the two, before they finally released each other.
Now returned to a gentle sway of a dance, neither dared look each other in the face. The bashfulness from such an intimate moment colored their faces spectacularly, with Celestia taking comfort in the man's chest to shelter herself from her feelings as the man attempted to gaze off stoically into the distance for the very same. She clenched her hands against his shirt, the reality of what she had just done hitting with its uncaring force.
She knew it was time, time to come clean. She looked up at him, leaving the cozy refuge of his chest. He felt the movement and the distress in her clenched hands causing him to look down at the small white mare.
She opened her mouth and closed it a few times before she mustered forth enough courage. "Cliff, I have to tell you something." She took a deep breath. "I'm actually-"
"-I know."
Celestia stood there in shock for a few moments before continuing. "That I'm the-"
"-Princess, yes."
She sputtered for a few moments as a runaway train of thoughts blew through her mind and all she could wonder was. "How?"
Cliff took his own deep breath and explained. "There was some curious things 'bout you but nothing on its own for me to be suspect."
He paused for a moment. "That was until, Luna visited."
A lone guard wandered down a small street within the middle districts of Canterlot. Their silver armor held a sheen from the polish applied earlier that day, it gave a slight glare as they passed under the soft glow of a street lamp. One which revealed the bored look of a white furred stallion with maroon hair into a high and tight style haircut which was common among guards. He let loose a yawn and stretched his arm over his head as he walked.
He was on the larger side, an indicator that he descended mostly from the earth tribe. His name was Maroon Skyjumper, Private First Class in the Canterlot Guard. Which turned out to be somewhat fitting name for him. As he had a maroon parachute that was flanked by a pair of wings for a destiny mark, and was quite the thrill seeker; for he somehow managed to survive, as a colt, a jump from a cliff using only a homemade parachute. His poor mother almost busted a blood vessel that day.
Anyway, the bored guard continued on his usual route, patrolling the small neighborhood of 23rd and Mane Street. Thus the thud of his boots echoed throughout the quiet neighborhood. As always, he had started from ol' Granny Panera's Bakery and planned to end it at the Withered Inn, both well established businesses within Canterlot. The bakery being a staple of his diet, as the BLT was to die for and the young mare at the register was quite the catch. Where as the Withered Inn was supposedly centuries old and served some of the best traditional lagers in the district, a good spot to hit on the off duty time.
While he pondered these wonderful things, a dark shape zoomed overhead. It left only a slight swell of wind in its wake. His ears went upright in an instant and before thinking, ran to a nearby home and scaled it in a matter of moments through the rush of sheer excitement. Though as soon as he crested the building and gave a look around, the dark shape was already gone. He thought it was strange but not an uncommon occurrence, as it was probably just a pegasus in hurry that night. Probably late to get home to the missus.
"Lousy birdbrain, speeding this late at night." He pondered passing up a report but ultimately decided it wasn't worth the effort since the offender was already long gone.
"Hopefully one of Sky Patrol will nab 'em." He landed back onto the street and dusted himself off a bit. Once again bored, the guard resumed his patrol. Little did he know what he had witnessed.
It was on a mission-
Wind whipped across their body as they flew across the districts of Canterlot on a fast descent trajectory.
-of their own volition.
They spotted the target building and began to prepare to slow their descent-
They had to admit, it was nice to get out and do some field work.
-with the activation of the tactical descent enchantment, and quickly directed their wings up and away to bleed off speed. As practiced, they made a very sudden stop with the aid of the enchantment, doing so quietly and with grace.
Not even the fresh powdery snow stirred.
There on the roof of 'Cliff's Crafts' was none other than the princess of the night herself; Luna, who wore a slim fitting dark blue robes decked out with the latest enchantments used by Equestria's best. Now this wasn't for no reason, for she suspected that there was something dangerous, and it was dwelling right in this very neighborhood. As only a powerful creature could have bewitched her very own sister, probably with some foul unknown magic. She had seen the symptoms of it herself; the emotional distress, the strange behaviors, and above all a weird almost unnatural type of happiness.
All evidence of a foul bewitching!
Now where was this creature? By using an informant network, she had kept tabs on her sister. What they had noticed was regular visits to a store called 'Cliff's Crafts'. She had looked for any files on the resident but it seems someone had decided to pilfer them first before she could. Which only served to raise even more red flags for Luna.
Thankfully, said trusty network had some information, which told of a tall imposing pale creature which managed to be allowed residence in Canterlot not long ago. Reports were conflicting, but one thing for sure was whatever it was, it was definitely evil and was the most likely culprit.
With a feline grace she dropped down onto a small terrace for the bedroom window on the second story, and with a quick spell, she made short work of the lock. She quickly slid inside with nary a sound and shut the window behind her. She looked around the rather spartan living area, there was a dim light source and quickly found its origin. The stairway which led downstairs. Interesting enough, she couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary, even when this close. It must be a powerful practitioner to fool even her senses. Whatever it may be, she was about to find out as she carefully crept toward the stairs.
Cliff tinkered away in his office with an intensity unlike before. Recently he had received an influx of orders, which he was desperate to try and catch up on. Being a principled man, he always hated being tardy on anything and liked to be early in most cases. That meant he usually ended up working late. The main order that was slowing him down, was a matching set of bracelets for a wedding. The poor mare in question, Sugar Swirl, was a friendly local in the neighborhood who he had become acquainted with. She had recently been engaged to Sprung Spring, the store owner next door, who specialized in fixing various contraptions. Unfortunately for all of the residents in the neighborhood, she had gone full 'bridezilla' and was practically having a meltdown at the drop of a hat. Not wanting to draw her ire, he just said yes to everything without thinking, what a smart principled man.
Once his work began on the sixth bracelet, a slight uneasiness bubbled within him. He felt a voyeurous gaze directly on him, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand rigidly. He did not show this and continued on the bracelet. Briefly, he flashed a glance upward at a piece of reflective silver on his work table. From that image he saw a dark shape in the stairway to his living area. It was moving closer. To Cliff, time seemed to slow down as the adrenaline kicked in and his eyes sent a simple message to his brain in that moment.
Fight or flight?
His answer?
Fight.
Quickly from the holster in his waistband Cliff drew a simple throwing knife and launched it toward the threat. Luna, caught off guard, only managed to jerk her head back in time to avoid a serious wound. The razor's edge sliced the edges of her hood and with it, a few strands of her hair. The knife continued onward and lodged itself into a magical lantern, causing a bright flash and casting the whole room in darkness. Luna saw spots in her eyes from the quick contrasts in lighting and before she could collect her wits, she felt a solid kick to the gut that sent her sprawling backwards. The strong impact of the blow only served to daze her further and if she was a normal pony, that may have been the end of the fight.
Fool.
She activated some of the enchantments on her robes, one being nocturnal vision.
The darkness is my domain.
She saw the next strike incoming, a back kick straight toward her head. She moved her head slightly to left, allowing the blow to near miss and with unnatural reflexes grasped him by the leg. The man felt the surprisingly strong grip and had only a moment, before a strong pressure on the joint in his foot causing him to collapse to the ground in pain. Luna smirked, but the creature was crafty and quickly spun out of her foot lock. The two quickly separated, now facing off in the dark room which was barely lit by the light from the front store room.
Cliff began to reach for his next knife but it was too late. Luna was fully recovered and a brilliant hue of magic filled the dark room. Luna then released it and sent a powerful spell of sleep straight into his chest. So powerful it was potentially lethal, even for a large creature, but she wasn't taking any chances.
Ha! That should knock you out for awhi-
It didn't, as the man albeit with some sluggishness, bared down on her with a knife and aimed for a quick jab to the throat. Only for Luna to perfectly see his attack with her enchantment, dodge and redirect his stab into a lock. He didn't realize it until a precise strike to the head finally knocked him unconscious.
SKIP
Cliff awoke to a harsh light blinding him, until his eyes slowly adjusted. He tried to move but felt the tug of leather restraints that forced him to be seated in the metal chair. At the exertion, he was reminded of the blow from earlier as his head spun whenever he tried to focus. After a few more moments of wakefulness, it cleared and he shook his head to dispense the last of its evils.
He took a moment to look around and-
Strange, he was in a completely different place. Now surrounded by concrete, with a single conventional light bulb for lighting in the center and a metal door, which stood on the opposite end of the room. He checked himself but was shocked instead to see different clothing.
My old uniform?
He examined the faded olive drab outfit and on his shoulder, the patch of the 82nd Airborne Division, but before he could ponder it any further. An explosion rattled the very foundation of the room, jostling the light and spilling some dust from the ceiling onto the floor.
Then he entered. The loud slam of the metal door declared his entrance and Cliff's eyes snapped right to him. First thing that jumped out to him was the officer cap on the man’s head. It had the crest of the Third Reich and below it a skull and two bones.
The Totenkopf.
The man stood before Cliff in the full regalia of an SS officer, noted by the two lightning bolts on his collar and the dark crisp uniform. The Captain, evident by the rank on the very same collar, had a small pair of glasses nestled on his face and a high strung look about him with hollowed cheeks.
Schutzstaffel? And an officer at that... just where-
"Ah you are awake, Sergeant Clifford Ketchum," the SS Officer said with a modest german accent. Cliff continued to stare at the man and remain silent.
"I was beginning to worry you would never wake up. You are so... vital to the war effort after all." The officer took a few steps towards him and promptly after, a man in a lab coat opened the door to roll in a cart full of imposing medical instruments.
"You may not be so talkative now but." The officer picked up a large syringe and gave it a flick.
"You will be soon." A wicked grin twisted the Officer's face until it was almost unrecognizable as human and took a step forward only for the sound of static to fill Cliff's ears and a bright void to blot out his senses.
Cliff sucked in a large breath through the nose and his head snapped up in sudden wakefulness. Immediately he looked down to examine himself and let out a sigh of relief. He was still tied to a chair but at least he was back in his office, with his normal clothes on. The lamp was fixed but unfortunately, the assailant was still here. Their identity obscured by their hood and robes.
"Welcome back, foul creature." She said to him, with a natural air of authority about her.
"Foul creature? You're the one who busted into my-"
"No games beast. Now what are you?! Is this some manner of altered form?! A trick to appeal to a mare's desires?!"
Cliff's face colored slightly. "Well uh I appreciate the compliment but this is just my normal appearance, and I'm actu-"
"-No! More importantly, what have you done to mine sister!"
"Your, sister?"
The strange woman stepped forward, unveiling her hood and dispersing the enchantments which helped conceal her. It revealed a slim dark blue mare with teal eyes. She had blue hair and tail, both styled into tight buns while also being exceptionally tall for a pony, somewhere just under six feet.
She seems familiar. Where have I seen her before?
"You proclaim to be ignorant to the Princess of the night?! Does the white unicorn named Sunflower seem familiar? Is it not apparent? T'is Princess Celestia!"
"Uh- that's- wait you're Princess Luna?! And she is- that makes- holy shit." Cliff stared blankly at the princess, intensely looking at the air in front of her.
"A-are you okay?" The night princess asked with a bit of guilt to her voice. She waved a hand in front of him but to no avail as he remained statuesque.
Before Luna could worry any further, he returned with a shake of his head as if to physically dispel himself of wild thoughts. "Yes, that was...a big surprise for me. Just needed a few moments to process it all. But no I am not some creature, at least not to the nicer folk. I'm just a human, we're actually pretty similar in biology from what Sun- I mean Celestia told me."
Luna eyed him carefully and at this point she was getting the feeling that she may have overreacted just a little bit in this situation. As there was that chance he may be just exot- foreign, just foreign. Yep, definitely that one.
"Hm, I have never heard of a human before but I shall take your word for it... but you still need to explain the nature of your relationship with my dearest elder sister. As she has been acting very odd lately and the only change has been the regular trips she makes to here."
"Well, you see... your sister and I...uh..."
"Yes get on with it."
"Were kind of... interested in each other."
Luna stood there with a blank look on her face.
"As in, we're uh courting-"
She almost fell to the floor and had to brace herself against the wall as the word courting struck her like a sledgehammer.
"-as you would call it but it's nothing official. Right now, we just enjoy each others casual company."
She recovered from that brief shock and let out a sigh, with quick use of her horn she undid his bonds. "You did not lie, as far as I could tell, and obviously you are not a threat that I originally thought. Otherwise you may have tried something by now."
Cliff let out a small breath of relief and gave a stretch, glad to be free of his restraints.
"This... relationship is a revelation to me and I still desire to speak with you on this matter."
Cliff nodded. "Let me get you a chair then, I'll be back in a moment." The man then moseyed on over to the next room to look for a nice chair.
While he was in the other room, Luna continued to look around his office. She was definitely interested in the strange three color banner he had on the wall. She reasoned it may be his family banner or of the kingdom he came from. Her curiosity was further piqued by all the strange objects on display. She immediately recognized the mask from Zebrica, she believed it had something to do with a rite of passage of a warrior if the design was any indication; by the aggressive bright colors, stoic face and various carvings of feral animals. As for the stone mug-
Her thoughts were interrupted by Cliff reentering the room, who had brought a nice wooden seat from the store display and set it down for her, upon which Luna promptly took her seat. Though as soon Cliff seated himself, she asked him a question.
"Tell me of you how you came to be here... Mister?"
"Just call me Cliff."
Luna gave a nod.
"Well, right when I first arrived to this world-"
Luna's left ear twitched slightly.
"-years ago, don't know how many exactly. I started as a jack of all trades sort, I wandered the lands far east of here making my living as I go in some very remote places. That was until, in my journey I encountered my first real civilization."
He cleared his throat. "It was evil beyond belief and out of necessity I became a mercenary for a period of time, as it was the best way to ensure my survival in a land so savage. It was during that time, I heard stories about Equestria. A land of peace, prosperity and a government that wasn't corrupted by tyranny or money."
Cliff examined Luna, whose ears were pointed toward him with attentiveness but a neutral look remained on her face. "Anyways, it was from that moment I knew I needed to head west because of the opportunities there and to escape a land of war and slavery. I'm almost certain, that most ponies don't realize how nice it is here. The rest of the world is still tearing itself apart; wily warlords, petty princes, and hungry hordes are a thing of the past here."
Cliff gestured broadly to the whole room. "That's how I collected all these mementos, from my journey to here, usually they were gifts from thankful folk or an object from an important event in my life during that time. Anyways, once I finally made it to the Celestial Coast of Equestria, I applied to become a resident which eventually lead me to Canterlot where I resumed to make crafts and set the sword down for good. With the money I had left, I bought this old shop and overtime I met some interesting folks who were the neighbors. They were kind; but the rest of Canterlot, well it's a fifty fifty unless they were a noble. Nobles generally are disgusted with me and most others not of their own kind."
Luna nodded.
"And what of this other world you imply to originate from?"
Cliff scratched the back of his head and let out a breath.
"That's a lot more complicated and long of a story. I'll gladly tell you at a later time. Just understand I came from another world similar enough to this one."
Luna had a pensive look on her face as she digested all the information.
"I still have some more questions but that shall do for the time being."
Cliff tapped his fingers together idly.
"So, am I next on the deportation list?"
Luna went wide eyed for a moment and pressed her ears against her head. She was going to quickly respond to tell him wasn't the case until she saw the mirthful smirk on his face.
"Of course."
It was his turn to go wide eyed until Luna poked her tongue out and gave him a small smile with a happy twitch of both ears.
"I jest, you seem to have integrated into our society well enough in spite of my subjects and I dare not deport the love interest of my sister-"
Cliff gave a big smile.
"-who I have yet to approve of," she said, giving him a hard stare of a protective sister.
Cliff coughed, feeling a bit awkward.
"Well I heard you like coffee, would you like some?"
"Verily."
Cliff grabbed a small silver coffee percolator and a tin of coffee grounds.
"These were just ground by me not too long ago, I know a mare named Bouncing Bean who runs a small coffee shop down the way. Always has some quality beans that are freshly roasted."
Cliff sat the small percolator on the magical stove, the stove which Celestia normally uses to brew her tea, and slowly heats it to the appropriate brewing temperature. Not too long after it made a loud noise of air quickly escaping through the lid. Cliff promptly poured the coffee into a small cup on a saucer and sets the percolator off to the side.
"A stove top espresso, a little thing I brought from back home."
He then presented her with the small concoction.
She gratefully accepted it from his hands and brought the cup up to her face to give a whiff. It was surprisingly not that acrid and there was some interesting almost dessert like aromas.
So, she took a sip. A second sip. And a third for good measure.
She set the cup back down and was still for a moment, until a bright smile broke across her face.
"Huzzah! I approve! You may court my sister."
"Wow, that quick huh?" He said surprised.
"As long as you care for my sister, as much as you cared about this cup of espresso, then I foresee no issues. That and I can tell you are, at the very least, a rational worldly person who can actually handle themselves unlike most of my subjects these days. Though as payment for my approval I may inquire about this..."
"Oh so you want a bribe now?" Cliff said with a faux harsh look on his face and a bit of a playful edge to his tone.
Luna saw through his ruse.
"Of course, and I will require regular payments as I may become your sister soon. So you better spoil me with coffee and dark chocolate, otherwise I may annoy you all the way to the grave." She stated with a solid poker face and her ears at rigid attention.
The two looked at each other for a few moments, Cliff cracked a small smile and Luna let loose a giggle then the two fell into a small bout of laughter. After they recovered, Cliff took his seat again and spoke.
"I'll be frank with ya' Princess-"
"Just Luna is fine."
Cliff nodded.
"-Luna, I'm a bit worried now."
"How so?"
"Well she's a princess for Christ's sake-"
"So? You are well this very moment or have you already forgotten that I am a princess too?" Luna gave a slight pout with an annoyed twitch of the left ear and in that moment he definitely saw how they were siblings.
"No it's not that, it's different since we're... courting." He let out a sigh. "Like what if the Sunny I know isn't who she really is? She's a Princess... well I don't know how to act like a high society type, I'm a plain fella at heart. Formal and respectful when I need to be, but beyond that..."
Luna placed the now empty cup off to the side.
"Do you want to know a secret Cliff?"
He looked at her curiously.
"The Sunny you know is the exact same as the Princess Celestia in every manner except appearance. If anything, Sunny is probably a more accurate portrayal in comparison to the facade that is the Princess mask. You do realize that she almost assuredly depends on you. I may have said she was acting strange but upon reflection, it is because she has started to act as less of Princess and more of a normal pony as of late."
She took a moment to lean back in the chair and cross her arms.
"I am honestly envious of my sister, that she found someone she cares for, but it bemuses me a bit that she picked someone so exot- ahem- foreign..."
She coughed awkwardly.
"Regardless, just remember that she is still the same person you care for before you knew her station and that you must remain who you are, the person she cares for."
Cliff gave her a begrudging nod.
"You're right, it’s probably a bit silly that an old guy like me got his head wrapped around this like some youngster."
"Probably another trait she enjoys about you, nobody wants to be around a dusty old elder."
"Well you're one to talk, aren't you both about-" Cliff halted mid sentence, as the death glare of Luna dared him to say another word about their age.
"Never mind..."
Back to the present...
"She didn't do anything rash did she?!"
A look of worry consumed Celestia's face, knowing all too well how protective her sister could be.
"No not at all, we just had some coffee and chit chatted for a lil' while was all." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Though, there was something else I found if you care to explain."
He reached into his pocket and drew out a single laminated news clipping, which read 'Celestia has two new silver spoons?!'. On it was a not so gracious picture of a surprised Celestia and in her hand a very distinctly crafted silver spoon. Celestia gave a small cough and her faced turned a light shade of red, more so at the embarrassing photo.
"Now the picture may not be too great but I'm almost sure that's my work and-"
Celestia jumped up to try and grab the clipping while he was distracted but Cliff quickly jerked it out of her reach. She gave him a pout and her right ear twitched angrily in sync with her flicking tail. "Give that clipping to me! I've been trying to rid the papers of that picture ever since that day. And especially you of all ponies can't have it!"
Cliff chuckled and now had a huge smirk on his face.
"Oh and what are you gonna do miss princess? Take it from me?"
He jiggled the clipping in the air to taunt the pouty princess who then tried to use her magic but Cliff's resistance made it no easy task and she quickly gave up on that method.
"Cliff you got two seconds to hand it to me..."
He just smiled and mockingly polished his clipping.
"One..."
She dropped down into a stance and Cliff remained as he was.
"Two!"
Celestia leapt toward him with surprising speed and tackled him onto the shore where he landed with an OOF. The princess on top of him kept him pinned down and applied a quick kiss to further her assault, the poor man could not resist her distracting tactic. She then quickly snatched the clipping out of his grip and used a spell to quickly dispose of it. The two remained there, with heavy breaths from the excitement, Cliff not minding his current predicament as Celestia remained on top of him.
"I got your clipping~"
"That's alright, I got copies."
Celestia cheeks puffed angrily, but she let out a breath of defeat instead. Rather, she decided to lay on top of him instead, nestling into his chest once more.
"You know you are a handful right?"
He chuckled but gave no response as he started to drift off to sleep land, the events of the day and the booze finally catching up.
"Hey Celestia, don't you think-"
He stopped speaking as soon as he heard a soft snore come from his chest, looking down he saw her peaceful face and two ears that cutely twitched every so often.
I guess it can wait.
It wasn't too long until he followed suit and drifted off to sleep.
Cliff felt cold, damn cold, a familiar kind that he had not felt in a long time. One that seeped down into the bones, bit at the tips of the toes and ripped the warmth from your very soul. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the whiteness of the snow which surrounded him, his breath escaping in white puffs of vapor.
The man stood up, dusting himself off in the process, and underneath it revealed a uniform, a dark olive drab winter jacket. On his shoulder, was the patch of the Second Infantry Division, the Indian head and on the other, three chevrons and a rocker, the insignia of a Staff Sergeant.
I haven't had worn these in a long while.
It was eerily quiet and as he looked around, he then recognized the hill upon which he stood, an infamous place from what felt like lifetimes ago. There was also a familiar entrenchment, one that wasn't too far from him and he began to trek toward it.
crunch crunch crunch
He approached a rudimentary machine gun nest, which was the closest, and upon arriving saw that it was empty of anyone and anything. He turned toward the trench itself to search further but he was stopped in his tracks by a loud yell.
"Jug-idaaaaaaaa!"
He snapped toward it in reflex and had his sidearm holster open in less than a moment, only for his hand to grab the biting cold air, the holster empty of his trusty weapon.
Shit.
A single Asian soldier charged towards him with an old Russian bolt action, bayonet at the ready. Cliff went to take his stance and put up a final fight - until his vision fuzzed and static filled his ears.
He awoke from the cold wasteland to a warm grass field. He panicked for a moment, not understanding how he got here, and some of the aftereffects of drinking came back with no small vengeance. The sun felt intensely bright to the eyes, his head spinning and a strong innate urge for water steadily increasing with time. Then the memories from last night rushed back into his head.
Did that really happen? Then where is-
He noticed a small scrap of paper in his lap, and upon inspection he saw his name written on it though the 'i' had a heart on top instead of a dot. The man opened it and inside was a small message.
I had to head back early. See you soon. -Sunny P.S. XOXO
Cliff smiled at the cutesy note, as if he could not, there was even a light pink lipstick mark on it. The trepidation from the strange dream and slight adrenaline rush of his reverie, all but vanished from him.
Guess it's time to head home...
Cliff had groggily managed to stumble his way back to Elder Street. He was thankful that it was early enough that not many were out and about yet. Though the winter chill that resumed after he left the enchanted park, was all the encouragement he needed to hasten his trip regardless.
Once he arrived at the front door of his shop and found the right key, he inserted it and began to turn the lock-
"Ohhhh Clifford!"
He let out a breath of exhaustion, already feeling tired of the conversation before it even began. "Yes, Miss Bean?"
Of course it was her, the aforementioned mare who ran the Coffee shop. She stood in front of him at about five feet tall, with light brown hair and a cream colored coat.
His exhaustion at interacting with the hyperactive sweetheart of the neighborhood was due to her bountiful energy, which was simply too much for him. The hangover and the early hour not making it any better.
It was unnatural.
"Oh you know to call me Beebee silly dear, none of that Miss business. Anywho, I saw you go out on your date! So I knew you would be tired this morning and brought you a cup of coffee!"
A sweetheart-
"Ohhh and I just want to hear all about it! The whole neighborhood was in a tizzy about it! We thought you would never get a mare with how grumpy and lonesome you were."
-and a hyperactive earful.
He accepted the cup from her and continued on inside. "Yes, thanks for the cup but my lips are sealed for now, maybe another time."
Though before he could close the door and hasten his retreat, the mare blocked the door from closing.
"Just one thing dear! Will you be coming to the winter potluck for the neighborhood today? It will be around lunchtime and we all would appreciate it if you came."
Cliff knew that meant it wasn't really optional.
"Yes, I'll be there."
She gave him a little wave. "Too da loo!" Then allowing the door to close as she quickly departed. If she was any indication, the rest of the neighbors are a bit, atypical.
It's going to be an interesting potluck as usual.
After a morning ritual, he donned a nice pair of clothes, new blue jeans and polished light brown boots with a tailored white button up shirt, the sleeves still rolled. He briefly wondered if he should bring any cuisine of his own to the potluck but decided against it as there was plenty of cooks who would be attending; Parisian patisseries, daring delicatessens, and familial food would be available. The small community of Elder street drawing no small crew of strangeness. Not only in people but in eccentric eateries as well and much to the benefit of Cliff, as the standard diet of a typical pony left much to be desired for those of the omnivorous variety.
As much as he may seem reluctant to go, there was no shortage of thankfulness for the sincerity of his neighbors. The very same community which accepted an outsider like himself all those months ago, probably a year now, when he first arrived. The shock from the culture still reeled inside him then, as the pacified populace left a nasty passive-aggressive taste in his mouth. In his foolishness, he almost wrote off them off as well, preferring to seek isolation in his craft.
Through their kindness, albeit sometimes misguided or even detrimental, the lonely human began his journey in opening up the weary avenue for new people in his life. One that had been closely guarded, from his time in the warring wastelands, which had been all too fresh in his mind back then.
He headed toward the community meeting spot, which was a small little square and a well kept secret, hidden by the dense urban sprawl. It was a couple shops down, at the end of a small alley and through the dilapidated wood gate. Upon entering the small square, he saw magic heaters, tables, and banners with streamers adorned everywhere. What he didn't expect was the-
"Surprise!" The crowd shouted at him, causing the tall human to blink a few times in confusion.
"It's also your one year anniversary dear!" Miss Beebee said to him from the crowd. "Did you forget?"
He looked around at the assortment of smiling faces made up of ponies, griffons and other atypical species; he gave a soft smile, appreciating the thoughtfulness of the small group.
"It seems so, thanks everyone." He said with an appreciative nod to the group.
Everyone returned to the festivities, tables were set and next to them was a buffet of various culinary delights, including meat. Cliff approached and came across a griffon who was serving the meats. He was taller than the average pony and stockier, covered in light brown and accented by graying golden feathers on his head with a pair of matching wings. The griffon looked up from his delicacies and his beak opened wide upon recognition then turning into a big grin. The two gave each other a hardy hug with powerful pats on the back.
"Grüß dich mein freund! Was brauchst du?"
"Grüß dich Gunther! Ich möchte gern…Wurst bitte." Gunther loaded up a plate for Cliff with a large amount of homemade sausage, which he eagerly accepted.
"Danke! Wir sprechen uns später?"
"Immer, mein freund."
After he had cemented his plans to talk to Gunther later, Cliff filled up the rest of his plate with some mixed vegetables and desserts. He sat at the head of table after much insistence from Miss Beebee, as he was the man of the hour for this celebration according to her.
As he ate his meal, the man let his gaze wander and simply observed the bunch he called his community.
First, he noticed Sprung Spring with his fiancee. The earth stallion stood at about average height with a lithe build and was white with gray hair and tail. All of that contrasted by his golden irises, with clothing not unlike Cliff's except covered by little bits of grease. He was currently listening to his wife, the spectacles on his face slightly askew from the wrath that was being laid upon him about one thing or another.
The wrath-giver in question, Sugar Swirl, was a short pink unicorn mare with white hair. A new feature he just noticed was a slightly bulging belly that poked through her winter clothing. The two had been quite busy indeed, and that Cliff reckoned, was the source of her irrational behavior.
Cliff pondered for a moment about helping but decided against as he could almost see the verbal lashes from her tongue, like steel whips across the poor stallion's psyche.
His gaze wandered further.
He then spied the rest of Gunther's flock, his two twin daughters Josephine and Johanna, sat not too far down the table from him. They were much taller than their father, light brown and gold with sleek muscle toned figures, as was common for the females of that species. They noticed his gaze and both gave some giggles with flirtatious waves. The two were definitely well past the age of maturity now. It didn't help that griffonesses during the peak of winter are quite feisty with the males and Gunther always did approve of him being married to both his daughters, which only served to encourage them. To Cliff, that was too different even with what he had become accustomed to. That and he viewed them more as kids even if they weren't anymore, due to their history together from before Equestria as practically, a family.
He finally spied the last member, Gunther's youngest and only son, Oskar who was playing with the other children. A youth still at a very tender age, and wasn't bigger than most foals. He also had the same golden feathers but his browns were much darker, like his mother.
A more somber overtook the man's features at the thought of her fate. The impact of her untimely departure had done a number on the flock, one that had already been so thoroughly ravaged already. Cliff didn't have too much time to ponder it as a light brown wing blocked his view, snapping him out of the somber trance.
"Jeez, what's with the sour face big guy? Not liking your party?" Said who he recognized as Johanna and turned to her as she moved her wing out of his view. Up close he saw the styled feathers on her head, which was spiked forward in a rebellious style with the tips dyed red. Very much like her, being the more assertive of the two twins.
"No Joan, that's not it, just some random stuff on my noggin. Though I really like the food as usual."
Her meek twin poked out from behind her, the feathers on her head instead laid flat and styled to the side to partially conceal her left eye, as if to help her hide from the world.
"Uhm, well I hope you enjoyed the uh sausage. I prepared it myself..." She said with some timidness to her voice.
Cliff gave a soft smile to her. "It's great Jose, you really have a knack for it."
A big smile broke out across her beak as she retreated back behind her sister.
Joan then took a seat next to Cliff with Jose flanking him on the other side, they both scooted up close and angling themselves in provocative postures. The outfits only served to make the effect more powerful as they only had on small tight shorts with minimal tops that matched, thanks to their natural resistance to the cold, they could leave their endowed and athletic bodies on display in the chilly air.
"Anyways, we saw you looking at us. You finally gonna give us a chance big guy? We could ditch this place and head somewhere, more, fun." She gripped his thigh firmly, her intent not remotely a secret.
He let out a sigh. "Ya know, don't ya think it's weird to proposition your dad's friend, especially an old geezer like me."
She chuckled throatily, desire still dripping from her voice.
"You know our customs, my father already approves of you and even before that, we've already had these feelings for you. You're also not an old geezer to us, and it isn't like you have anyone else you're seeing right now... "
"Except there is."
A look of shock smacked her face, the response causing her to stand up and puff her feathers angrily.
Jose tried to move towards her to calm the angry griffoness down. "Joan please, as much as I care for him too, please don't make a scene..." But Joan just jerked away from her twin.
"Who is she huh? I'll challenge her right now for the right to court you!"
Cliff chuckled, even though she certainly was a tenacious fighter, being Gunther's daughter and all but against Princess Celestia? There was absolutely no chance. The chuckle only served to egg her on but before she could escalate further-
"Look, Joan and Jose, I do care for you both." Cliff reached out and grasped Joan's taloned hand gently, rubbing his thumb over the surprisingly soft texture of it. The gesture which served to calm down the normally assertive griffoness, who instead looked timidly away from his gaze.
"As family and I always will, but you know that type of behavior isn't allowed here, especially if I am willingly with her."
"Fine." Joan said quietly, almost to herself. Then she looked up at him, a hopeful look in her eyes. "Will you at least stop by more often? We still miss having you around like back in the old days..."
He nodded with a smile. "Of course, and I promise to spoil you both the next time I do."
Joan surged forward in her excitement and gave the big human an affectionate hug with her twin sister following suit, squeezing him like a vice from both sides as they rubbed their heads against his torso. After a few intense moments, they released him and quickly scampered off, giggles left in their wake. The typhoon of activity that was the feisty feathered females, now all but vanished.
I really need to stop spoiling them...
He felt a tug on his shirt and he turned to see Oskar, who looked like he wanted something but still hadn't worked up the courage.
"Hey bud, whatcha need?"
"Uh Mister K, ya want to come and play with us?" The small griffon boy coyly pointed over to his group of friends.
"Ya sure, why not, and I think I already what my role is..." The man stood up in a sudden manner, his arms dramatically raised to menace over the small griffon. A malicious smile followed and a guttural growl arose from his throat. The hatchling let out a little squawk and high tailed it. Cliff gave chase to him and all the other kids, all the while making melodramatic monster noises.
Murmurs, whispers, and the occasional cough. Unassuming to most but these were the sounds of many battles, of a never ending war that had raged since the dawn of governance.
Politics.
An old stallion cleared his aging throat. "The next session of parliament will begin, today we have the honor of hosting the executive branch to participate by parliamentary summon, as is tradition on the winter solstice." A hush fell across the sea of ponies.
A single hesitant step was the response, revealing a white leg wrapped in gold, the clack of the heel reverberating through out the room. Another followed, then another, each step increasing with confidence till there was no lack of it.
"All rise for Her Majesty, Alicorn of the Sun, Protector of the Three Tribes, and Diarch of the Equestrian Kingdom-" He paused for a moment to catch his breath. "-Princess Solaris Aurora Celestia."
A century stood and a century bowed, as they had for centuries before.
"Please, be seated my subjects." Celestia said in the royal voice from her podium, which placed her at the epicenter of parliament. It naturally led her gaze across the tide of ponies who retook their seats. She held in the political war game brewing in her head, though a slight pause before sitting betrayed her unusual mood.
What was it Cliff had said? Hope for the best- She idly tapped the engraved sun on her peytral. -and prepare for the worst.
The speaker from earlier continued on. "We shall begin with the annual budget for the coming fiscal year..."
Celestia then relaxed into her seat.
Let the games begin.
A mare slammed her palms on her desk in frustration. "I still don't understand why must we appropriate funds for the Bridle Isles? Why must we give that kingdom foreign aid when we have our own problems here? The amount is ludicrous as well, Twenty three million with half being a lump sum, what a waste of-"
"-Do you have no moral?!" A stallion interrupted. "Would you rather leave our partner, our friend, our progenitor to collapse? Do you not realize at the very least a modest relief now could prevent bigger disasters in the future? We have all seen first hand the ill effects of a collapsed sovereign. War and extremism, it's best we intervene now then pay for it later."
"Have you forgotten our past with them just because of our amicable trading terms? Our ancestors left that land not only to escape the great famine, but also to seek freedom from the heavy handed and tyrannical monarchy without representation! Only for them to chase us and claim us as their colony! The war for independence left many a young Equestrian inside a shallow grave. It wasn't until the Princesses and nobility came to power that they acknowledged us as a sovereign nation."
"That was centuries ago! We may not be allies but I for one shall not leave fellow ponykind to die! You suggest we leave foals out to the timber wolves?!"
A knock of a gable on wood gave its resounding call. "Order! Order within parliament! You both have made your cases, time to put it up for a vote."
Everyone took their seats and pulled out a small enchanted crystal.
"You may cast your vote when you are ready, time limit of fifteen minutes starts now."
Many rushed about having hurried discussions; all coordinating, cajoling and curtailing favors towards their desired outcomes. Slowly but surely, some retook their seats and raised their crystals. Small dots of green for 'Yes' or red for 'No' began to fill the political sea, but a surprising amount of white for 'abstain' was strewn across it.
Soon, the room was filled with the glow crystal lights. The speaker of parliament tapped a crystal which sat upon his desk. He took the tally.
"The Bill fails by a narrow bipartisan abstainment and thus fails to get a bipartisan or super majority." He said calmly. "So the bill for now shall-"
"-if I may?" Celestia interrupted to which the speaker simply nodded in response. She had been studying the bill while the debates raged and had come to an epiphany. The princess stood up and addressed the crowd.
"I offer an amendment to the bill."
She paused letting the words sink in as politicians grumbled.
"I see by the unusual amount of abstains that there is a lack of confidence in the bill. I suggest removing the lump sum and using the remaining bits instead to provide funding for a disaster relief operation run by the Equestrian Military. It would also serve as good training for future disaster relief efforts and make sure the money is well spent."
She paused once more. "Any objections?"
A young mare arose from the house of commons. "Your Majesty, with all due respect the Isles are dangerous and may put the lives of our military personnel at great risk. Would you be willing to accept the Equestrian lives that may be lost?"
Celestia gave a few pensive nods. "I understand your concerns Miss Roseheart, but I assure you this mission will be entirely voluntary and any who will endeavor on it, will be fully aware of the risks involved."
Then an older Stallion stood from the house of nobles, his large weight resting on a cane. "Your majesty, and what of the Bridleland itself? Would that kingdom approve of such actions? As the whole intention of the lump sum was for it to be used as a diplomatic incentive to allow us to provide aid. They may say the Equestrian forces is an occupation force rather than a equesitarian effort and they could use it to their own political advantage."
The princess lips tightened in a mild grimace. "You mean a bribe? I find that unacceptable, we are not going to help prop up a regime, we will save lives. I will use what diplomatic channels we have and come to more acceptable terms, I assure you."
The old noble gave a nod and retook his seat.
"Time for a vote!"
Once again the politicians raised their colored crystals and the old speaker took his tally.
"The amended bill passes with a narrow bipartisan majority, now pending royal ascent..."
"Today we have the Fair and Universal Representation bill. The bill would reaffirm that all representative positions within the legislative branch to be elected by the citizenry, of the citizenry, for the citizenry. To do so, the text would loosen criteria to allow any citizen to hold any office. Effectively merging the house of nobles with the house of commons into one house. Dubbed the house of congress. Due to the scope of this bill thirty minutes shall be allowed for discussion. Begin."
There was a lot of commotion from the nobility side. Usually scoffs and snorts of disdain, as at least once a year the house of commons would try to pass this bill. So there wasn't a large amount of concern among them except for a few older nobles who were more perceptive to Celestia's mood, of those few eyed Celestia suspiciously while others had slight smiles on their faces. One being a Sir Fancypants, a white unicorn stallion with stylish blue hair who was sporting a particularly large grin beneath his monocle.
Well Celestia, as promised, I shall pull out all the stops today.
The unicorn began whispering to his neighbors as he called in some favors and leveraged others less willing.
While on the other side of parliament, there was an air of excitement that was slowly building. Though it wasn't all peachy as there was a minority who did not agree with the bill in its entirety and would seek to have it amended or flat out fail. The leader of this opposition being a noble, Duke Willful L. Persona, an old gray unicorn stallion with short gray hair and a pair of gold rimmed spectacles on his face who had a sour look that reflected the thoughts within.
You think I will allow honor and tradition to be cast aside?! To let the common rabble run this country and control the legislature?! Nay, I would rather let the Bridle Islands reconquer us. One day, I will bring light to all our ills...
He then also began his whispers, rallying those like minded into a fervor and using them to coerce more into their cause.
"Time is up."
All representatives took their seats, a thick tension permeating the air like a humidity of tangible political praxis.
"You may now begin voting."
Almost immediately the house of commons had a huge swath of green, except for a red patch in the corner where the Doctor and his associates resided.
On the nobility side, in the exact opposite, was a huge swath of red with a patch of green in the corner, where Fancypants and his associates resided.
"The tally." The speaker took a few moments to double check the readings.
"The bill reaches a majority but fails by lacking a bipartisan majority or a super majority." The Doctor smiled but Fancypants gave a devilish smirk.
"With that we call this session to a-"
Celestia cleared her throat. "If I may once again?"
The speaker nodded and once again let the Princess take the stage.
"Seeing as how the bill did reach a majority." The parliament now lay still in bated breath. "I as Princess, head of the executive branch, invoke the royal majority superseding the need for a bipartisan or super majority and expedite this to receive royal ascent."
A pen drop silence was held, as the Celestia pulled what was the equivalent of a political declaration of total war. She had not invoked a royal majority for centuries, and only done so sparingly in times of crisis.
The silence held for a few more moments, then all of parliament fell into absolute anarchy.
At a small party in an old neighborhood, a radio played a big band tune to which everyone enjoyed as they went about their party business. That was until-
"We interrupt this broadcast to bring breaking news."
All were quiet as they gravitated towards the radio.
"We are getting reports of a new controversial bill being passed in parliament, which lead to a massive brawl between politicians in the big house and required the deployment of guards to break it up. The bill in question was the Fair and Universal Representation bill..."
A warm ball laid lazily in the sky while a breeze wafted wantonly across the land, carrying with it the smell of the sea. A little blue roofed house stood out among many other odd homes on the seaside suburbs. Inside a man examined the stubble on his jaw through a large vanity mirror. He felt the texture of its roughness like copper bristles across his hand while enjoying the roguish shadow it cast across his jawline.
Maybe I should keep it.
He eyed a razor on the sink and contemplated it for a few moments before letting out a sigh.
Some habits are tough to to break.
After a few minutes of practiced masculinity, the man splashed some water on his face and examined himself in the mirror again, this time giving his whole body a look over. A much younger Cliff in a pair of swimming trunks looked back at him. His face less weathered, his brow relaxed and his stylish hair with youthful vigor. All this rounded off by a much leaner but still fairly muscular frame.
A voice called from outside the restroom.
"Honey? Are you done yet? We're all waiting." A young womanly voice chided.
"Yes dear, just got rid of the stubble." He remarked giving his now smooth face another rub.
"Oh thank goodness! I hate kissing you when you have a stubble, it's like kissing a cactus."
"Well why don't you come in here and make a little comparison then?" Cliff smirked at his clever quip then turning to the door. The handle jiggled a few times and then it open to reveal the female voice.
A shorter lady appeared, with dark brown hair and pale freckled skin. Her eyes little ponds of blue lapis lizuli. She wore a two piece bathing suit that fit her slim figure snugly and, in his eyes, like Marilyn Monroe. She confidently strode over to the man and placed a delicate hand on his chest. She gave little devilish smile and a little finger curl to come hither. The man leaned forward and so did the woman but before they could go any further-
"Ewww! Mom! Dad! Save it for later! We wanna go to the beach!" A young child's voice chided.
"I want In-n-out!" Another younger voice interjected.
In the bathroom doorway two heads popped out, with impatience written all over them. It was Carrie and Caleb, their daughter and son who looked a lot like their mother but with his hair and height. The couple had a little chuckle and sighed at the situation.
"Alright let's go kids." Cliff relented which gave way to the sound of two cheering children. The family made their way outside with their big umbrella stand and towels in tow. Cliff stopped and took a moment to take it all in, as his family pressed onward across the sandy pavement.
The cool breeze.
The warm sun.
The sound of the Pacific Ocean breaking across the nearby shore.
Not too long ago he had bought himself the small house in Carlsbad, after coming back from the war, and at the behest of his cousin who was in the Navy. He had really come to enjoy the little beach town and it's friendly folk, always happy go lucky these Californians seemed to him. He didn't mind them and it wasn't much longer till he was out of the military. He would become one of them and finally settle down.
For good.
A sense of dread snapped him away from his moment and he immediately looked toward his family. That was when he heard it. The dreaded whistling sound of a mortar falling from above. He reached out toward them and tried to say something but they seemed not to notice, pressing onward without a single concern.
BOOM
The thunderous explosion filled his vision, sending him flying and his senses reeling. After an unknown amount of time he felt someone shake him.
"Y... ge... up!" A barely audible voice echoed from far away.
He smelled something sharp that caused him to awake with a start. He then felt the wounds all across his back, small pieces of hot metal lay buried in his body and he let out a groan. He felt a little prick and a sense of euphoria washed over him.
"Lets go Sergeant! Your squad needs to get moving!" The voice yelled a lot clearer now, who he now recognized as the medic due to the big red cross on his helmet.
Cliff got up from where he laid and quickly observed his surroundings. He was in a forest and nearby was a clearing where the sounds of battle raged constantly. The pings of Garands and bursts from BARs were met with the retorts of Hitler's buzz-saw. His wounds less of a concern now, he strapped his helmet back on and grabbed the Thompson laying next to him, then looking for his heavy machine gun squad.
"Michael!" He yelled over the cacophony of war.
"We're over here Sergeant!" Corporal Michael responded, his machine gunner who carried a thirty caliber belt fed machine gun with a small fifty round starter belt wrapped loosely around it. Next to him were three privates which both had Garands at the ready, along with a tripod and multiple belts of ammo for the machine gun.
"Alright lets get fucking moving to hill two two!" Cliff shouted as the plan for the attack came back to him, the group now heading towards the battle.
"I want you to rush up the hill and setup your gun on bipod while we cover you." Cliff instructed as they ran through the forest with a sense of purpose.
"Once you're up, go cyclic on their asses!"
"Roger Sergeant!"
The group approached the edge of the forest and they could see the outline of the enemy position in the distance, along with some of their comrades who struggled in the field. Soon the cracks of rifle rounds began to head their direction.
"Hurry the fuck up Michael lets go!"
The short corporal churned his strong legs as he sprinted up the hill with the occasional round tearing up the dirt around him.
"Open up!"
The three privates began to fire their rifles, exchanging a couple rounds each from the wood line. Which drew the attention of the krauts and put their heads down. Though this also drew the attention of a German machine gun and its volley of return fire.
A private was struck by a few rounds and slumped over.
Dead.
Fuck, they got us zeroed.
Until a slow but long volley of thirty caliber fire rained down on the Germans.
Thank fucking Jesus.
Corporal Michael continued to let off rounds from the top of the hill as Cliff and the two remaining Privates charged up the hill.
"Get him on that fucking tripod!"
As rehearsed one Private quickly unfolded the tripod and slammed it into the ground once he got close. The gunner then smacked it down on top and that same Private engaged the pin to lock it in place. While the other pulled out a fresh one hundred round belt and linked more rounds to what remained on the gun.
BRRRT
With a loud crack, a round from the German machine gun fire pierced straight through Michael's helmet and his body fell lifeless over the gun.
Fuck!
Cliff held his remorse and rolled the body off to the side, hopping on the gun then letting off a long burst.
"FUCK YOU!"
The rounds rained down on the defensive positions, bodies dropped and others hid. Cliff let off burst, after burst, after burst. Until the rifle platoon that was pinned down, finally pushed onto the objective and began to clear it.
The barrel smoked and a mirage heat enveloped it from the shear amount of rounds put through it. Cliff let out a tense breath that he didn't know he was holding and rolled over in exhaustion.
He stared up into a cloudy sky.
It began to rain.
He felt cold and darkness began to surround his vision. The soldier closed his eyes in response and let the cold rain drops land on his body until he lost himself to the dark abyss.
Cold.
Wet.
Wind.
Snow?
He opened his eyes suddenly and got up. His surroundings changed again, this time into a more snowy and mountainous landscape. One that he recognized as being in North Korea.
The whistle of a mortar was there to greet him already, which by instinct made him lay back down and roll until he fell into a nearby trench.
BOOM
The thunderous clap of the mortar kicked him back into overdrive and he observed his immediate area.
He was near a fifty caliber machine gun nest but the gunner and his assistant we're both dead, with the gun attached to a recently destroyed tripod. All the while, Cliff saw a horde of North Korean and Chinese soldiers moving towards his position.
He saw only one way out.
The large man detached the fifty caliber heavy machine gun and grabbed the long belt of ammo attached to it. He threw the belt over his shoulder and hefted the machine gun into his arms, then marching outside. The soldier perched his leg up on a snow bank then resting the machine gun on his thigh.
He let off a long burst.
The large burst ripped through the big group of soldiers who began yelling in their native tongue. Cliff continued to fire, not stopping even as the heat of the barrel began to burn his leg, he kept shooting. More and more fell, as closer and closer the enemy rounds began to land. Before he knew it, he was yelling in determination. The gun fired without fail, his leg practically melting but he kept going.
Until his vision went black.
Cliff shot up out of his bed and sat on the edge of it, dripping with sweat and his mind in turmoil. He lifted up a shaky hand and felt the scarred smooth skin on his right thigh and then reached across his back and felt the small little lumps of scarred flesh. His hand never stopped shaking. He tried clenching it few times to no avail. He felt weak and sickness roiled in his gut.
Quickly he rummaged through a drawer in his night stand and felt for a hidden spot. He grasped the object firmly and pulled out an unlabeled pill bottle. With much impatience, the quivering man opened it and popped out a few pills which he promptly swallowed dry. He shivered at the guilt ridden pleasure it brought him and watched his hand as it slowly relaxed.
After a few moments he regained some clarity. With it the reality of his life, sacrifice and circumstance all crashed upon him like a tidal wave of emotion.
A hooded figure strode across an ethereal floor, one which filled the vast expanse. Littered all across it were doors of different shapes, sizes, colors and unique attributes. The lone figure stopped and paused for a moment, to look up at the otherworldly moon that hung in the rather insubstantial sky. Under its silvery light, a gentle gust of wind pushed their hood back, revealing a dark blue mare.
Princess Luna.
She was patrolling the Otherworld. The land of dreams, nightmares and visions; where all souls go to replenish their vigor. The drain of the waking world was plainly visible on the incorporeal beings, as if they had wandered a dry desert for many years. It was a place Luna took much pride in, being one of the few stewards of the oasis.
Though with it came a heavy responsibility and with it a cost. She could never influence someone. She could never forcefully dispel or change a dream, no matter how cruel. Nor would she be able to remember anything she does in detail from the Otherworld, no matter how important or dire.
Regardless, nary a nocturne went by without the vigil of the Night princess.
Currently, she surveyed the assortment of doors that happened to be within her vicinity. Everything was in order, until one door started to shoot off a few dark colored magical sparks and the aura took a similar darker hue. The aura of each door was very unique and any malcontents would quite obviously change it, causing the signature to feel off.
The night princess strolled towards it and crouched down to examine the door, it was a particularly small one. Probably belonged to a young foal. She gave a light touch of one finger to for a quick assessment. She smiled.
Worried about school, hm?
The other facet of this job, she had to conjure something that would hold a specific meaning and introduce it into the dream. This would in turn get the dream back on track. Which meant she rarely ever needed to enter all but the most dire ones.
Hm, I believe this should do.
She conjured a lunch box, inside was a very nice lunch with the dreamer's favorite dessert. She took it and gently opened the door, placing the object inside. After a few moments the door returned to normal, taking on much happier and lighter hue.
She nodded in satisfaction and continued on her patrol. It wasn't always that easy though, as there were times she was forced to introduce abstract concepts into a dream which required a bit of a mind game trying to find an appropriate object. Other times, even multiple objects or attempts due to her limitations.
CRACK
A sharp crack of energy whipped across the ethereal plane like lightning next to her ear. The sheer force of it almost knocking her aside, if she hadn't of braced in time.
What in the night's name was that!
She whipped her head in the direction the energy came from. The gash it left across the other world like a wound, leaving a vacuum of ether in it's wake. Using her powers, she skipped across the plane by immeasurable distances with giant leaps and bounds.
She soon saw the door and landed hard on the ground nearby. No time to dust herself, she quickly made her way towards the door while she examined it and the surrounding ether.
The door was, surprisingly, a beautiful oak door. It was engraved with symbols and caricatures she did not understand. Sadly, it was twisted by spiked wreaths of iron that slithered across it like snakes, marring its image. All the while a dark sickly crimson aura pulsed liked the heart of a tumor.
The princess stopped with her jaw agape, rarely did she ever see such a soul become so twisted. Though she knew it all too well, and what it would lead to.
I must directly intervene.
In a quick motion, she tossed aside her cloak and reached out a single hand toward the moon. Its silver light began to surround her and soon she was enveloped in a cocoon of bright tangible moon light.
A clocked ticked loudly in the otherwise deafening silence that filled the upstairs bedroom. Cliff laid in his bed wide awake from the earlier episode. Unblinking, he had stared at the rustic ceiling for hours without falling back asleep.
TICK... TOCK... TICK... TOCK...
He let out a groan and with a swing of his legs, headed over to the bathroom. His undergarments came off and he turned on the shower. Cranked to the hottest temperature he could handle, the large man stepped inside, resting his head on the wall which let the hot water run down his body as he basked in its comfort.
Cliff focused on the sound of running water, allowing his mind to be empty thought but a dull empty feeling remained.
After an hour of meditating in his bathroom turned sauna, he stalked over to his wardrobe and eyed his clothing. His normal array of fairly basic clothing greeted him but besides his suit from the date, there was one other outfit.
It's been awhile since I have worn this.
He grabbed the brown duster from its corner of the closet and felt the smooth texture of it in his hands, catching a whiff of faint leather. He eyed the rest of the outfit and it brought back memories. Memories of a place he hadn't visited in awhile, for good reason.
About time I gave that old geezer a visit.
Cliff stood outside his store in the brisk winter. The leather duster and a matching hat now rested on his body, scratching his chin where his unshaven stubble remained.
He began a subdued walk down Elder Street, heading away from the busy main street. After thirty minutes of seemingly directionless walking, he cut an abrupt right into an alley, picking up the pace. The man tucked himself into his clothing and made a few more sudden turns in the maze of alleys until he finally reached his destination.
A cellar door laid in disrepair, the alley covered in filth and in a similar state of affairs. Not a single pony in sight.
He opened it with a loud creak and was smacked in the face with the smell of mildew. He gingerly stepped inside into a dark room and closed the door behind him. With a click, he turned a small magic lantern from inside his duster.
The room around was made of old cobblestones and rotten wood beams. He looked around until he spotted a smooth patch in the otherwise rough floor, taking two steps towards to examine. Inlaid in the floor was an inscription and a chiseled picture of a waxing moon. The writing being an ancient language that he wasn't fluent with, but he knew enough to find what he was looking for.
He bent over and felt the smooth ground with his bare hand, he glided across until a small indent. With a quick hiss and a click, the dark entryway gave way to dimly light stairs.
The thrum resonated from outside. It shook the foundation of the building and reverberated a small cup of black tea with a pitched clang. In the reflection, a stallion with gray hair, golden spectacles and a stony face.
Duke Willful L. Persona.
He engrossed himself in the symphony of tradition, the steady sounds of heritage.
The indulgence of nobility.
Oh how far he has come from being the small boy all those years ago. Now a respectable man whose noble family has grown from a single sole survivor to a far reaching dynasty.
The gray stallion wore a modest brown tweed jacket and comfy gray slacks. Upon his neck he donned his signature bow-tie that was a bright red. On his lapels he wore pins, one of the equestrian flag and the other, the crest of its Army. Both he was a proud servant of.
He exuded a neutral demeanor on the outside, and within there was a ponderous thought or two but a personal mantra filled his consciousness. His mind focused on what was to come.
Fulfill my true purpose.
"Your grace."
A mare called with a careful tone.
He turned toward the voice, it was his aide. A spry young mare with a pink jacket and golden hair, she had a very business professional look matched by a gray modest outfit of blouse and skirt.
"They are waiting, best not keep them too long."
He gave a single curt nod.
"Time is of the essence then."
He swallowed the rest of his tea, which was only warm at that point, and stood with a sudden energy. The trek towards the stage began with hallowed steps towards hanging curtains. The roar of the crowd only separated by the thick fabric.
Make history.
He parted the stage curtains like the a god parting the oceans, the weight feeling just as immense just as powerful. As impactful.
Then it came.
The roar.
RAAA RAAA RAAA
Like a tidal wave clashing against the cliffs of the celestial coast, the sound consumed your senses. The air was filled with raw emotion tempered by the frigid smell of a deep winter.
Duke Persona carefully walked toward the podium, each step carefully measured and deliberate. Once he arrived, the stallion lifted a single arm in the air, with a gesture for silence.
The crowd stilled.
He spoke.
"From the very first day I was born on Equestrian soil I have aimed at being something more. I have resolved to be the destroyer of all that stand in the way of our way of life. This I shall achieve and once I’ve achieved that, I should find the titles and positions I hold in that parliament ridiculous.
When I first stood in front of the grave of my fallen comrades, I looked toward the grave of my superior officer, my heart overflowed with pride that here lay a man who had forbidden any such inscription that set himself apart from his fellows. I was proud that this man and so many others in Equestrian history have been content to leave their names to posterity and not just their titles. It was not through modesty that I was willing to stand before you, it was purpose, duty and a call to service. For that is the highest task, the rest is nothing."
He paused for a moment and let the words hang heavily in the air.
"What is the State, the Diarchy, and those in parliament?"
"Today they are a truly political organization, an association of some, formed, it would seem, for the sole purpose that all should cooperate."
"However, this is not the case."
"The purpose, the aim of this government is to provide for the people and with the position of power in the world of which we are due."
"FOR IT IS OF EQUESTRIANS, BY EQUESTRIANS AND FOR ALL OF EQUESTRIANKIND!"
Now, Equestria occupies perhaps the most bitter situation of any kind due to this. Militarily disarmed, politically weak, and geographically deterred. Surrounded by none but rivals..."
The crowd reacted to every word, hung on to his hubris with every ounce of will.
"I call forth a rally at the winter solstice formal gala. To show the Diarchy, the nobility and the other species of the world what we desire."
"Control of our destiny."
After his final words the crowd stilled once again.
Then applause. Unrelenting, overjoyed and spirited.
