Emerald Edge sat in the back of the caravan with all the crates of merchandise, still discussing her tales as the royal spymaster to young Honeygold as her parents led the way to Canterlot.
“That’s amazing!” Honeygold’s eyes sparkled as she continued to listen to Emerald with awe. “Ah wish Avalon was as shiny as your Crystal Empire. It must really be a beautiful sight.”
“Yes… it was…” Emerald turned away. Thoughts of her home being taken over brought back bad memories. Her friends, her princess. They all gave their lives to get her here. She couldn’t let them down. “I’m sorry, Honeygold. Talking about my kingdom… I think it might be a bit too much for me right now…”
“Oh, Ah understand, Emerald.” Honeygold put a comforting hand on her arm. “Sometimes, bein’ away from home makes me homesick too, but... Ah'm sorry about your friends..."
"It's alright, Honeygold." Emerald pushed herself up to the young merchant. "They knew the risks. We all did, but I will makes things right. I'm going to finish what I started. I will take back the empire. For the princess and all my friends."
Suddenly, there was a sharp whistle from the front of the caravan, drawing both passengers' attention towards the small hole next to the feet of Honeygold's parents.
"We're about to enter Canterlot," Golden Nugget's voice said. "Jus' in case ya wanted to know."
"C'mon, Emerald!" Honeygold dragged her by the blanket towards the tent exit. "Ya gotta see this! Canterlot is a sight to see! Well, not like your Crystal Empire, but still great!"
Emerald copied the young girl and stuck her head out the tent, watching as the grasslands disappeared behind an archway, joining up with a rocky wall, expanding towards the left and right. Soon, the buildings started appearing along the sides; small structures made of roughly cut stone with wooden support and thatched roofs, each having its own square of space between each other. Honeygold seemed excited, but to Emerald, these were lowly buildings. Some of them were even missing stones in the wall, and some of the wood was cracked and broken.
“What happened here?” Emerald asked as they passed by more of the small homes. “Why are all these buildings so… broken?”
Honeygold could only shrug. “Every city has these. Some people are jus’ not as lucky as some others.”
After a few minutes of travel, the caravan passed the downtrodden part of the city and entered a nicer area after a bridge across what was likely the city’s river. The buildings were closer together than the previous area, and each one stood a building taller than before. The stonework and structures were better designed, and each roof was neatly paneled by ceramic shingles. The caravan eventually turned, allowing Emerald to take in the beauty of the castle’s architecture. It was of stone like the rest of the buildings, but stood higher and prouder than any of the other structures in the city. A drawbridge separated the castle from the rest of the place, but it was down for the moment, allowing Emerald a glance into the central courtyard. Knights in their full armor practiced their swordplay, while a platoon of guards stationed themselves on top of the parapet, each one holding a spear and shield.
“Didn’t Ah tell ya, Emerald?” Honeygold nudged the spymaster. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Emerald nodded, still keeping her eyes on the brilliant architecture. Eventually, the caravan pulled to a stop at the marketplace. A flat square area with tarps and counters set up, where all kinds of merchants were selling their merchandise.
“Well, here we are!” Apple Bean pushed aside the tent flaps after she made her way around the back. “Honeygold, could ya help us move the apples to the stall?”
“Sure, ma!” Honeygold quickly leapt out of the back, taking a small crate with her.
“Emerald, why don’t ya get dressed?” Apple Bean put her set of armor, her cloak, and clothes into the back with her. “Uhhh… How do Ah put it? People here don’t walk around without anythin’ on.”
“Yes. I noticed.” While Emerald still couldn’t see any real reason to go about clothed all the time, she had to admit that without any fur her new body was terrible at keeping warm, something which the blanket had fixed.
Maybe they all just really hate the cold.
It took a couple of tries and a bit of help from Honeygold, but eventually Emerald Edge managed to get all her clothes on and in the right places. Her cloak was a little torn and burnt from her encounter with Sombra, but it made her feel better, knowing she still had it.
Honeygold eyed her friend critically. “Not bad,” she said approvingly. “Ya look jus’ like one of them knights now.”
Emerald smiled, feeling better now that she was armed. “I kind of do, don’t I. Do you know any?”
The farm girl shook her head. “Nah. Pa says not to get involved with them pol-uh-ticks, whatever that means. Ah just guessed it means not to stick my nose in where it don’t belong.”
“Well for someone who doesn’t know any knights, you know your way around a suit of armor pretty well,” Emerald said. The child had been rattling off the various names of her armor parts as she had gotten dressed, and the spymaster had made sure to remember as many of them as she could.
“Oh, Ah don’t know any knights, yeah,” Honeygold shrugged. “ But Ah am friends with one of their squires. She’s trainin’ to be a knight too! We jus’ hang around Canterlot when Ma and Pa come to sell apples. Speakin’ of armor,” she pointed at the blades that were mounted on Emerald’s vambraces. “Maybe ya want to take those off for now. Guards here don’ like people carrying weapons out in the open.”
"Oh..." Emerald tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. Back in the Crystal Empire, Emerald rarely went about without her blades attached to her forelegs. As a royal spymaster, her job was to be prepared for any circumstance, and an ambush was one of them. "If I must..."
Honeygold helped Emerald as she tried to unsuccessfully pry off the gauntlets. Before long, they were stowed in her belt pouch, out of sight but close enough if the need to use them arose. Honeygold leapt out of the back with another crate as Emerald slowly crawled out on all fours, still unsure how to get down with just her hindlegs.
Golden Nugget gave her a strange look as both parents headed into the caravan to get the rest of their goods out.
"I think you should show me how to walk like you," Emerald said as she tried to balance on both legs. "I wouldn't want to draw too much attention."
"Easy!" Honeygold said confidently as she set the crate down. She demonstrated with her feet, taking one step after another with each leg. "See? Left, right, left, right!"
Emerald slowly copied her, taking one wobbly step after another. She found it a lot easier than she had originally thought, soon moving along with the Apple family to their stall in the marketplace, although still not a master at it. She helped with some of the goods, using her new 'hands', as Honeygold called them, to lift the crates and move them along. At first, she found her strength misplaced, but eventually got the right grip and the right muscles to shift them with little effort.
The apple stall was a small lifted piece of wood with four wooden boxes resting on it. A dirty, worn out tarp, held up by four pieces of wood, rested high over the boxes, keeping the sun away. The apples were to be placed in the boxes to allow customers to pick which ones they wanted.
"Let's get this done then." Golden Nugget started opening the lid of the first crate.
Emerald watched and did the same, using her fingers to yank the lid off before carrying the crate to the wooden boxes. Golden Nugget started emptying the apples out, filling one box after another. Emerald did the same, moving what she could to the stall's boxes.
"You're pretty strong for a little lass," Nugget told her as he made sure the apples weren't going to fall out.
"I have to be," Emerald replied. "As the royal spymaster, I need to be able to manage on my own."
"Right..."
"Well, that takes care of the apples for now," Apple Bean walked over to join them. "Thank ya for your help, Emerald. Honeygold, why don't ya take Emerald over to your friend? Perhaps she can get the lass in to see the king."
"Sure, ma!" Honeygold beamed with excitement. "Let's go, Emerald! Spectrum'll love to meet ya!"
Emerald followed the golden haired girl as she weaved through the crowds after entering the downtown area, dodging the wandering civilians. The place was much narrower than the road in and the marketplace, bustling with lots of people. Honeygold was smaller than Emerald, able to squeeze by most people. The spymaster tried her best to avoid the other humans, but still collided with a few and almost lost her footing a few times.
"So sorry about that," she apologized to the people she bumped into.
Eventually, the path led back to the poorer part of the town, across the first bridge. Emerald continued to follow the little farm girl as she skipped her way towards a small structure where a few horses were kept. Emerald cringed at the image. If ponies in her world could see this, they might declare war. The horses were kept in small pens, busily chewing on hay and looking around as flies buzzed around their muzzles.
A lone human with bright rainbow hair and blue skin sat next to the horses, playing on some kind of musical instrument with strings and humming along with the tune. If Emerald had more time in the world, she would’ve sat down and listened to the girl’s music. She had a beautiful, soothing voice, able to put your mind to rest when you couldn’t do it yourself, and the way the music flowed was extraordinary, the way each note connected with the others.
“Spectrum!” Honeygold called as she got closer, running over to join her friend. The music player got up and gave Honeygold a big hug, both of them laughing at each other.
“Good to see you, Honeygold!” her friend chuckled, then looked at Emerald. “Who’s this?”
Honeygold turned to Emerald and raised a hand like she was presenting her. “This is Emerald Edge. We rescued her from the lake on the way here. Don’t tell anyone else, but she’s from another world! A world of ponies!”
“Seriously?” Spectrum looked at Emerald, eyeing her from top to bottom. “She doesn’t look like a pony to me…”
“I used to be one.” Emerald stepped in. “I was a pegasus. The royal spymaster to Princess Amore’s court, but when I passed through to this world, I found myself looking like this.”
“Interesting… Well, if Honeygold believes you, then I do too!” Spectrum put a hand to her chin. She raised her other hand for Emerald. “I’m Spectrum Song, by the way. Squire to Sir Hors of the Knights of the Round Table! Pleased to meet someone like you!”
“I am Emerald Edge, as Honeygold has told you.” The spymaster stared at the squire’s hand, unsure what she was going to do with it.
Honeygold stood on her tiptoes to whisper in Emerald’s ear. “You’re supposed to shake it.”
“Oh.” This world had some truly unusual customs. She shrugged and bent down, taking the squire’s hand firmly in her teeth and shaking it back and forth like a dog, much to the shock of Spectrum Song.
“Ow! Hey! Let go!” She finally yanked her hand free and held it close, inspecting it for bite marks, “What the hay was that?!”
“I apologize.” Emerald looked to Honeygold, perplexed. “Did I shake it too hard?”
The farm girl had bent down in laughter, almost falling to her knees as tears of mirth streamed down her face. "N-No Emerald. Ha ha! You're supposed to... Ha ha ha... Shake it with your hand, not your face!"
A small blush formed on Emerald’s cheeks as she realized she had done it wrong. “I am so sorry, Spectrum Song. It seems I still have a lot to learn about human customs. Now, how is it done? This shaking?”
“Like this,” Honeygold took Emerald’s hand in hers and moved it up and down. “Simple! Now you try!”
Spectrum raised a hand for Emerald to take again; the spymaster slowly took it in hers. "Much better! Pleased to meet you, Emerald Edge!"
“Likewise,” Emerald nodded and let go. “May I ask? What is that instrument you have there? That was some lovely tune you were playing earlier.”
“What, this old lute?” Spectrum pointed a thumb at her wooden instrument. “It was passed down from my grandmother. Other than being a squire, I… sometimes play on the lute and sing some songs. Don’t tell Sir Hors, though. He thinks a knight shouldn’t have time for music.”
“Ah don’t see why knights can’t sing, though,” Honeygold told Emerald.
“They can. It's just Sir Hors,” Spectrum smiled at the spymaster. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but… sometimes in the hallways of the castle, you can catch a few knights singing to themselves, but never out in public. They think singing is for the common folk.”
“Huh…” Emerald thought that the logic there was flawed, but decided against saying it. Back in Equestria, ponies would break out into song whenever they felt like it. It seems this world was a little different in the musical talent as well.
“Alright, down to business!” Honeygold put her hands on her hips and made a stern face. “Spectrum. Emerald here needs to talk to the king.”
“Fine by me.” Spectrum eyed the spymaster. “But what do you want me to do about it?”
“Squuuuire!” a loud voice sounded behind Emerald and Honeygold.
The two parted aside as a burly brown-skinned man in silver armor walked past them towards Spectrum, who quickly hid her instrument behind a pile of hay. He unbuckled his sword belt and handed it, along with the sword, to Spectrum Song.
“I need it sharpened, squire,” the man bellowed. “Make sure of it. Oh, and bring me my horse. I’m riding out to train with the others.”
“But you’re already a horse, Sir Hors,” Spectrum joked, bringing a hand to her mouth as she laughed.
Sir Hors looked like his face was about to blow up, but eventually controlled it. “Don’t play games with me, girl! Get me that horse or I’ll have you cleaning the stables for a week!”
Spectrum looked to the stable behind her and back to the knight. “But I already cleaned the stable.”
“All the stables in the Canterlot.” Sir Hors clarified menacingly. “Wiiiiiith a herring!” he added.
“How does that even work?” Emerald pondered, scratching her head and unfortunately drawing the knight’s attention.
Sir Hors turned to her, his frown deepening. “And who are you? You are no knight of Canterlot, yet you wear armor? Where are you from?”
“Emerald Edge,” she told him. “Royal spymaster to Princess Amore of the Crystal Empire. Or at least I was.”
“Spymaster? Princess Amore? Crystal Empire?” Sir Hors raised both eyebrows as his jaw worked furiously. “I’ve never heard of this place.”
Emerald was going to tell him, but Honeygold pushed in front of her. “It’s far away, Sir Hors! Like, real far, and few have heard of it.”
“Is that so?” Hors snorted and waited as Spectrum got his horse out of the thing the humans called a ‘stable’. “Thank you, squire. Now, remember. I want that sword sharpened!”
“Yes, Sir Hors!” Spectrum nodded and passed the reins of the horse to the knight. “You can count on me like you always do!”
The gruff knight nodded and swung himself up into the saddle before riding off towards the gate, the two guards standing aside to let him gallop past.
“Are all the knights like that?” Emerald asked after making sure Sir Hors was out of earshot. “They don’t seem very nice.”
“Nah, they’re alright,” Spectrum assured, sitting back down on a bale of hay and pulled out her lute. “Sir Hors is just grumpy sometimes. Or all the time,” she amended.
“Aren’t you going to do what he asked?” Emerald asked, remembering the sword. “He said he was going to make you clean the stables with a fish.”
The squire grinned mischievously. “Sure, but he’ll be gone for a good day or two at least. I’ve got all of tomorrow to get that sword sharpened, which means today I’m free!” Spectrum threw Sir Hors’ sword into the hay bale and gave her lute a pluck. “So, what to do now?”
"You could give Emerald a hand," Honeygold reminded her friend why she had brought the spymaster here in the first place. "She needs to find these... Artichokes or somethin', so the plan is for her to ask the king 'bout them. Ah'm sure King Dawn Saber knows a thing or two about them."
"Alright." Spectrum got up, still playing her lute. "Emerald, if you want to see the king, you must first look the part." She walked over to Emerald and gave her tattered cloak a flip. "This won't do. You'll need a new one. Plus... When was the last time you took a bath?"
“I… took a dip in the lake yesterday, if that counts.”
Spectrum stuck her tongue out. “Don’t you know that’s where they throw out all the gunk from the Mages’ Tower? And you swam in it? Gross!”
"So, what would ya suggest for her, Spectrum?" Honeygold bounced around the two.
"We could take her to Canterlot Fabrics," Spectrum suggested. "She'll have everything Emerald needs to look presentable."
"Great idea!" Honeygold grabbed Emerald's hand and moved along. "Let's go, Emerald!"