//------------------------------// // House Guest // Story: Tainted Silver // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// The next morning, the family awoke to the rising sun. As the boys marched downstairs, they noticed that Sterling was still slumbering (of course, he had trouble getting back to sleep after Father's "visit"). "Geez, check out this lazy bum." Eclipse snorted. "Guess he's never had a taste of farm life before." "He sure can snore, though." Globe noted. "Come on now, boys." Big Red declared, as he and Cherry trotted downstairs. "Don't stare at the poor fella like he's sum cheap attraction at a two-bit carnival." "Sorry." Globe said sheepishly. "We'd better let him know breakfast is coming." Huckleberry declared. He placed a hoof on Sterling's side, and shook him lightly. "Wakey, wakey..." Sterling's eyes suddenly snapped open. With lightning speed, he grabbed Huckleberry by the hoof, and flipped him so he landed flat on his back on the floor. "Whoa! He yelped. "Goodness gracious!" Cherry gasped. Just as quickly, Sterling leapt off the couch and pinned Huckleberry, one hoof against his neck. "Let him go!" Eclipse roared. Sterling blinked, and realized what was happening. He looked down at Huckleberry, his hoof still against the colt's neck. "You know... you could've just... told me last night that you liked to... sleep in." Huckleberry wheezed. Sterling instantly released Huckleberry, nervously rubbing the hoof that had been on Huckleberry’s throat. "Sorry." He said awkwardly. "You... startled me." "'Startled'?" Cherry snarled. "You think that's a good enough excuse for almost strangling the life out of Huckleberry?" "I'm with mom." Eclipse nodded. "You took in a psycho, dad!" "Now, now, let's not overreact." Big Red declared. "Maybe Sterling jest ain't a mornin' stallion." "I’m sorry, kid." Sterling told Huckleberry. "There's no excuse for what I just did to you." "That's okay." Huckleberry smiled as he got to his hooves. "It was actually a pretty cool move. Think you can teach me it sometime?" "Sorry, kid." Sterling shook his head. "I'm not much of a teacher, believe me." "Good." Cherry scowled. "I wouldn't want my boys learning anything like that anyway." "Where did you learn that, if you don't mind my asking?" Globe asked Sterling. "...Self-defense class." Sterling lied. "I... lived in a rough neighborhood back in Vanhoover. Needed a way to protect myself." "That makes sense." Big Red nodded. "The world's a pretty dangerous place nowadays. Take that giant robo-spider attackin' Canterlot, fer instance." "No kidding." Eclipse snorted. "Like something out of a cheap comic book. Or a box office bomb..." "You get no argument from me." Sterling smirked. "The whole thing was completely ridiculous... from what I've heard." "It did cause a lot of damage, though." Globe noted. "Yeah, it did..." Sterling said sadly. "Whoever was behind all that should be ashamed of themselves..." "From what ah've heard, it wuz because a' sum whacko's grudge against rich ponies that the whole attack happened in the first place." Big Red gave a growl. "Don't get me wrong, Ah'm not a fan of them high-fallutin' snobs, but that don't make it okay ta try an' wipe 'em all out. That's jest crazy." "Tell me about it." Sterling bowed his head in regret. "If there's one thing I can't abide by, it's needless loss of life." "Says the guy who tried to choke the life out of my brother a few minutes ago..." Eclipse muttered under his breath. "Well, I think that's enough current events for the moment." Cherry declared. "Let's all have some breakfast." "Ya'll be joining us, right, Sterling?" Big Red asked. "Sure." Sterling nodded. "I had kind of a restless night." "Sorry." Big Red apologized. "The ol' couch is a little lumpy..." "No, it wasn't the couch." Sterling assured. "I just had some... bad dreams." "Wuss..." Eclipse whispered. "I know how you feel." Globe told Sterling. "I used to have bad dreams all the time. Kept me up all night. What were your dreams about?" "Just... some stuff I'd rather forget." Sterling shrugged. "But that's my problem, not yours." "It don't have to be." Big Red countered. "Sometimes, jest talkin' about yer problems makes ya feel better." "Honestly, I feel better not talking about them." Sterling said flatly. "Let's just have that breakfast, okay?" "Okay." Big Red nodded. "But if ya ever wanna chat, all ya gotta do is ask." "I'll keep that in mind." Sterling nodded, internally hoping that the matter would never be brought up again. "Terrific." Big Red smiled. "Red, can I have a quick word with you?" Cherry asked. "Sure, darlin'." Big Red nodded. Big Red followed Cherry into the kitchen. "You do realize there's something a little... off about our guest, don't you?" Cherry frowned. "You saw how he lashed out at Huckleberry like that. I've never seen such a thing before." "That wuz kind of a surprise..." Big Red admitted. "But he said he wuz havin' bad dreams last night. Maybe he wuz still havin' one." "Maybe..." Cherry frowned. "But it seems like he doesn't want us to know what those 'bad dreams' were. He may be hiding something..." “Come on, Cherry, just cause he don’t like talkin’ about his dreams doesn’t make him shady.” Big Red frowned. “Ah’m sure he jest isn’t the social kind of pony.” "It's not a lack of social skills I'm worried about." Cherry retorted. "He's hiding something. I can feel it." "Give 'im time." Big Red urged. "Once he feels comfortable around, he'll prob'ly open up." "Somehow, I doubt that." Cherry declared. "Sorry Red, but I just don't trust him." “Cherry, please…” Big Red sighed. “Don't go accusin' the poor guy. He's our guest. We shouldn't be badgerin' him about things anyway. We should jest give 'im sum space. He'll talk to us about things when he's ready." "Fair enough." Cherry mused. "Just so long as he doesn't assault one of our boys again." "Ah'm pretty sure he won't." Big Red said confidently. "Ah get a good feelin' about that fella." "That makes one of us..." Cherry muttered. Soon after, Sterling joined the family to breakfast, which consisted mostly of waffles with syrup, with cherry jam toast and orange juice on the side. After his harrowing experience the night before, Sterling felt the food was almost good enough to make him forget his woes... almost. Though he did notice that Globe was quick to wolf his share down and ask for seconds. 'That kid's got a healthy appetite on him.' Sterling noted. 'Then again, who wouldn't, with food like this being provided on a daily basis?' One by one, they cleaned their plates. Afterwards, the boys headed into the living room, Sterling not far behind. "Mmm, great chow." Sterling told Globe. "Your mom is quite the cook." "Tell me about it." Globe grinned. "Maybe if I had a mom as good at cooking as you, I wouldn't..." Sterling trailed off. "You wouldn't what?" Globe asked. "Forget it." Sterling sighed. "It's not important. So... you up to anything today, kid?" "I'm just... going for a walk around town." Globe said awkwardly. "Gotta work off that meal, y'know?" "Since when are you into exercise?" Huckleberry butted in, lightly teasing his brother. "Knock it off, Huck." Eclipse jabbed him. "It's not like you're doing anything more important." "I'd call droppin' in on my sweetheart Prairie pretty important." Huckleberry smirked. "That poor girl's probably been pining away since we last saw each other." "You mean like, yesterday?" Eclipse sneered. "Until you know what it's like to be in love, you'll never understand." Huckleberry said haughtily. "Now, adieu." "See you later, Eek." Globe added, as he and Huckleberry departed. Then, it was just Sterling and Eclipse. "What, you're not going anywhere?" Sterling asked. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'll be helping dad with his cherry bucking." Eclipse declared. "Didn't know a Griffon could buck." Sterling mused. "Oh, we can." Eclipse smirked. "Eclipse!" Cherry's voice called as she came downstairs, having made a quick trip while they were all talking. "Yeah, mom?" Eclipse cringed, clearly not liking the tone in Cherry's voice. "I've just been up to your room." Cherry declared. "And I see you left your bed a total mess again." "Sorry." Eclipse apologized. "I was... in a rush." "I can't help but that you often seem to be 'in a rush' during the morning." Cherry said skeptically. Sterling couldn't help but wince as Eclipse floundered under Cherry's maternal glare. It was a sight that stirred up a sense of deja vu... "You really should be able to clean up after yourself." Cherry declared. "You are the oldest of your brothers, after all. What kind of example are you setting for Huckleberry and Globe?" "I, er..." Eclipse stuttered. As Sterling continued to watch the scene, seeing Cherry lecture the griffon, the cringing feeling within his body soon was replaced with something different. As he heard Cherry’s voice, he couldn’t help but hear another voice, a harsh, shrill, overly pompous voice. "You're a disgrace to this family, you know that?" Then he heard a third voice. One that was younger, but no less familiar. "Mom, please... I'm sorry..." Sterling’s hooves began to clench, his jaw hardening and his brow furrowing. "It won't be too many years before you're an adult yourself." Cherry continued. "You'll have to handle this sort of thing on your own. Unless you expect me to still clean up after you, like some lazy, shiftless, unemployed-" "BACK OFF, LADY!" Sterling suddenly roared, glaring daggers at Cherry. Cherry and Eclipse both jumped at Sterling’s outburst. “Excuse me?” Cherry glared, quickly recovering from the shock. Almost immediately, the anger Sterling felt towards Cherry dissipated, the realization of what he just did sinking in. "W-wait. " He stammered, acknowledging the angry looks from Cherry and Eclipse. "Wh-what I meant to say was-" “Whoa, what’s going on in here?” Big Red entered, having heard the yell. “I heard Sterling yellin’!” “I was just telling Eclipse that he shouldn’t leave his bed a mess when Sterling here just snapped at me!” Cherry growled. “Is that true, Sterling?” Big Red grimaced. “I-I’m sorry.” Sterling lowered his head, ashamed of his outburst. “I-I didn’t mean… I was… I don’t know what came over me.” “Well, whatever it is, I suggest that you rein it in the future, you hear me?” Cherry frowned. “All I was doing was giving my son a lecture.” “Y-yeah, I know.” Sterling nodded solemnly. “I meant no disrespect… sorry.” "Apology accepted... I suppose." Cherry said stiffly. "Whatever." Eclipse scowled. "That's what Ah like ta hear." Big Red smiled. "Everypony gettin' along. Hopefully, we can keep it that way." “I think I’ll go get some fresh air.” Sterling declared, desperate to get out of this awkward situation. “Feels like I might have eaten too much at breakfast. I'll just walk it off...” “Yeah, you do that.” Eclipse scoffed, as Sterling went out the back door. “Welp, Eek.” Big Red turned to his so., “Ah think it’s time we go cherry buckin’.” “After you go and clean your bed.” Cherry added sternly. "Sure, mom." Eclipse sighed. Eclipse ran upstairs to do as his mother told him. As soon as he was out of earshot, Cherry frowned at Big Red. “You still have a good feeling about this stallion?” Cherry glared. “Well, Ah’m sure Sterling didn’t mean any offense.” Big Red cringed. "Well, he still caused some." Cherry growled. "Seriously, he just... exploded at me. Our guest seems to have a temper problem." "So did Eclipse, once." Big Red pointed out. "In time, maybe we can help 'im get a handle on his." "I'd rather we didn't have the time..." Cherry muttered. "Come on, Cherry." Big Red sighed. "Didn't ya say you'd give 'im a chance?" "I did." Cherry sighed. "And I will. But he'd better not pull any more stunts like that..." "Can't say fairer than that." Big Red kissed her on the cheek. "Okay, now Ah'm off ta the west orchard. Send Eclipse out when he's done with the bed." "Will do." Cherry returned the kiss. "Love you." "Love ya too, darlin'." Big Red grinned. As Big Red departed, Cherry waved him off with a big smile... which faded once her thought returned to Sterling. 'I hope you're right about him, Red.' She thought worriedly. 'I really do...' Outside, Sterling had walked a short distance from the homestead, and was in the process of lying down by a tree, resting a hoof over his snout. ’Faust dammit, Sterling, what was that?!’ Sterling berated himself. ’You’ve gotta get a grip. Before you go and accidentally break someone’s neck.’ Sterling leaned his head against the tree trunk. 'Speaking of, you're pretty much dead already.' He thought. 'In a month's time, Father will be sending one of his goons to wipe you out.' He sighed deeply. 'Maybe I shouldn't have run. Maybe I should have just gone back to the Infinity, where all my pals are. I wonder what they're up to right now...' Miles away, at the Forefathers' headquarters, Loveless, covered in bandages (souvenirs from the recent failure of Project: Titanfall), was working on a new invention. Unfortunately, he was having trouble focusing on his work. His thoughts kept turning to Sterling. 'Oh, Sterling.' He despaired. 'Where are you? Why have you not returned to us yet?' The door to Loveless's workshop opened, and Father entered, his cloak swishing across the stone floor. "Loveless, there is a matter I feel I must inform you of." He announced. "What matter would that be, sir?" Loveless asked, looking up from his work. "I'm afraid it concerns Sterling." Father declared. "Has he been located?" Loveless asked hopefully. "Not yet." Father declared. "Though I was able to reach him in his dreams." "And?" Loveless urged. "Is he okay? When will he be back?" "That's the problem." Father scowled under his cloak. "Sterling has no intention of returning to us. Ever." "...What?!" Loveless gaped. "But... why?" "Apparently, he no longer believes in our glorious mission." Father revealed distastefully. "So he has chosen to abandon our cause." "Oh no..." Loveless bowed his head. "Sterling..." "Of course, you realize what standard procedure is for this sort of occurrence." Father added. "Instant termination..." Loveless cringed. "But sir-" "However, in light of Sterling's years of loyal service, I am going to be lenient." Father continued. "He will have one month to return to us, or face termination." "But sir, surely termination doesn't have to be an option?" Loveless asked. "Can't you just... Sterling live either way?" "Alas, I cannot." Father sighed. "We have to be sure Sterling will never share our secrets with the enemy." "He won't." Loveless insisted. "I know he would never-" "I understand how hard this must be for you, considering how close you and Sterling were." Father cut him off. "But I'm afraid I have no choice. Unless Sterling chooses to see sense and return to us, he must be dealt with." Father made his way out of the workshop. He stopped when he reached the door, and looked back. "I'm sorry, Loveless." He declared solemnly. "Truly, I am." And with that, Father departed, closing the door behind him. "Sterling, my old, dear friend." Loveless whispered sadly. "What will become of you?" A couple of hours later, Big Red and Eclipse returned to the homestead with bushels of cherries. "Not bad fer a mornin's haul." Big Red declared. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Ah got it!" Big Red called. Big Red opened the door to reveal Sheriff Marshall Star. "Morning, Red." Marshall smiled. "Howdy, Marsh." Big Red beamed. "What brings ya 'round these parts?" "Eh, it's been a slow day, as far as sheriffing goes." Marshall shrugged. "Thought I'd pay my old pal and his family a visit." "An' we're always happy ta see ya." Big Red declared. Cherry joined them. "Hello, Marshall." She smiled warmly. "I thought I heard your voice." "Hello, Cherry." Marshall nodded just as warmly. He had long held an unrequited attraction to Cherry (and subsequent jealousy towards Red), but had finally put those feelings aside a number of months ago. Now everything was back to the way it was when they were just kids. "Hope you don't mind dropping by unannounced like this." "Of course not." Cherry declared. "You're always welcome here. Would you like tea? I just brewed a fresh batch." "You know it." Marshall grinned. As the adults headed for the kitchen, they passed the living room, where the boys currently were, Eclipse having joined his brothers. "Good morning, Sheriff." Globe said politely. "Morning, boys." Marshall nodded. "Been keeping out of trouble, I hope?" "Maybe..." Eclipse smirked. "Not unless being a serial heartbreaker is a crime." Huckleberry joked. "Kids..." Marshall shook his head lightheartedly as the adults continued into the kitchen. "Are you and Miss Harshwhinny going to try for some?" Cherry asked, calling up Marshall's long-distance relationship with the uppity mare. "It's never come up." Marshall shrugged. "But I don't think either one of us is the parenting type. Besides, we're kind of getting long in the tooth..." "Yer never too old." Big Red smiled. "Look at us. We went an' adopted." "Is that what you did?" Marshall joked. "I thought those boys adopted you." "Very funny, Marshall." Cherry rolled her eyes. "I don't think Henrietta would go for that, though." Marshall declared. "Well, none of us ever thought ya'd wind up with a mare like that." Big Red declared. "Seriously, the whole thing came totally outta left field..." "It wasn't that unbelievable." Marshall pouted. "Of course it wasn't." Cherry smiled, pouring him some tea. As they drank their tea, Sterling returned to the house, having taken the time to clear his head. "Oh." He frowned, noticing Marshall. "Didn't know you were expecting company..." "And who is this?" Marshall asked. "This is Sterling Cross." Big Red introduced him. "Me an' Cherry wound the poor guy wanderin' around out in the desert. So we gave 'im a lift, and offered him a place to stay for a couple a' days." "Yes, we did..." Cherry muttered. "Sterling, this is our good friend, Sheriff Marshall Star." Immediately, Sterling froze. 'Sheriff?!' Sterling thought, horrified. 'Aw, buck! That's not good. Even in a backwater little podunk like this, there's a chance he's heard of me. There's no telling how far the royals cast their net. Of all the ponies you had to spend the night with-' He took an internal deep breath. ’Okay, Sterling, just play it cool. And maybe he won’t suspect you.’ "Hey, how ya doin'?" He said as nonchalantly as possible. "Howdy." Marshall nodded. "Boy, you do seem to be getting into the habit of takin' in strays, huh, Red?" 'Strays?' Sterling frowned. "Ain't nuthin' wrong with helpin' a pony in need." Big Red shrugged. "I'll give you that." Marshall nodded. He glanced at Sterling, looking him up and down. “I take it you aren’t from around these parts?” “Oh no.” Sterling shook his head. “I'm on sort of a sightseeing trip. You know, walkin' around Equestria, seeing what this great land has to offer, that sort of thing.” “Huh, sounds to me like you’re one of them drifters.” Marshall frowned. “In my experience, drifters are usually trouble. And I don’t take kindly to those who cause trouble in my town.” “Whoa, easy there.” Sterling stepped back, not liking his suspicious stare. “I’m not here to stir up any trouble.” “You better not be.” Marshall scoffed. “Ain’t nothing that happens in this town that I won’t know about.” "Oh, I don't know about that." Sterling smirked. "I can be pretty sneaky when I want to be..." He suddenly caught himself, realising how suspicios that made him sound. "Oh, really?" Marshall frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Nothing." Sterling cringed. "If you say so." Marshall gave Sterling a cold glance. "Still, it seems to me a traveller wouldn't be so foolish as to wander out into the middle of the desert like that." "I got lost." Sterling shrugged. "So sue me." "And then you got picked up by Big Red and Cherry." Marshall noted. "Awfully lucky. Or was it?" "What are you gettin' at, Marshall?" Big Red asked. "Oh, nothing." Marshall declared. "Just pointing out how Sterling was fortunate enough to find a decent couple to take him in for a while. Couldn't have planned it better yourself, huh?" He glared at Sterling. "Almost like you planned on being brought here." “Look, Sheriff.” Sterling frowned, not liking the accusations. “I’m just passing through. Big Red and Cherry were both kind enough to give me a place to stay until I can figure out where to go next. Once I do, I'll be out of your mane… hopefully by the end of the month.” “Very well.” Marshall grunted. Sterling could still sense a bit of mistrust in his eyes. “You best just keep your muzzle clean during your stay here… or I’ll just might have to run you in.” “Sure thing, Sheriff.” Sterling frowned. Marshall then drank up the last of his tea, and set it down. “Well, I’d best be continuing with my shift.” Marshall declared, as he gave a nod to Big Red and Cherry. “Thank you both for the tea, I hope we can do this again sometime…” He then cast a glare at Sterling. “...And keep an eye on this one, he looks like a shady scam artist to me.” Sterling simply glared back. "Come back soon." Cherry smiled. "Our door is always open." Big Red nodded. Marshall gave Big Red and Cherry a smile, then departed, giving the boys a curt nod as he passed them. Back in the kitchen, Big Red and Cherry gave Sterling odd looks. “...I’m under the impression that the sheriff doesn’t like me.” Sterling snarked. “I could hardly imagine why.” Cherry muttered, rolling her eyes. “Don’t you mind Marshall.” Big Red gave an awkward smile. “He’s really a nice stallion. ah’m sure he'll warm up to ya once ya get to know 'im.” “I dunno. I might not be around that long to test that theory.” Sterling shrugged. "I don't think Marshall will mind that..." Cherry mused. "Ah, who can say?" Big Red shrugged. "Well, ah gotta get back to the orchard." "And I have errands to run." Cherry declared. "See you later, Sterling." "Have a good one." Big Red smiled. Big Red and Cherry left the room, leaving Sterling alone. ’Well, that could had gone better…’ Sterling thought to himself. ’...Then again, I never had the best luck with first impressions…’ A solemn frown appeared on his face. ’...It has been a while, since I thought of him…’ Flashback... It has been only a few hours since Sterling was broken out of the juvenile detention center, as he now found himself in a carriage pulled by two Pegasus, as the carriage took off into the sky. The ride was so far uneventful, as Sterling sat on one side of the carriage, and Loveless sat on the other. Though rather sitting on the seat, there was a spot in the middle of the seats, where his wheelchair was parked. Both sat in complete silence. As they did so, Sterling couldn't help but examine his would-be jailbreaker. While he had seen several ponies with broken legs using walkers to get around, he never actually saw somepony in a full-fledged wheelchair. What more, he was perturbed by how the old stallion was missing the lower half of his body. No legs, no flanks, no cutie mark, nothing. He was moments away from pondering how the old stallion could relieve himself, when suddenly… “You know, it’s rude to stare, boy.” Loveless frowned. “Oh… sorry.” Sterling apologized, straightening up to look him in the eyes. “I just… what exactly happened to you?” “Well, let’s just say that I made some mistakes.” Loveless admitted, glancing at his chair. “Those mistakes took my legs and almost my life.” “...Did this secret organization of yours have a part in these ‘mistakes’?” Sterling asked, a bit perturbed. “Believe it or not, no.” Loveless shrugged. “This happened a long time ago, way before I was approached by the organization.” "Oh." Sterling said flatly. "So you've... kinda gotten used to it?" "As much as I can." Loveless shrugged. "So, Sterling. If you don't mind my asking, what exactly led you to burn down your own home?" "Yeah, that's kinda personal." Sterling declared. "And you're still pretty much a stranger to me, so I'm up for talking about it with you." "Oh. I understand..." Loveless said quietly. For the next few moments, neither one spoke.The awkward silence was again broken when Sterling spoke up. "So… where are we going, exactly?" He asked Loveless. "It kinda feels like we're not in Cairode any more." "Oh, didn't I mention?" Loveless frowned. "The organization I represent is a multi-national one, with installations all over the world. We're going to be crossing the border in order to reach our true destination. That's not going to be a problem, is it?" “To be honest, no.” Sterling scowled. “I’ve been wanting to leave this sandpit of a country for a while.” "Really?" Loveless frowned. "From what I've heard, Haygypt is a country of great culture, historical significance, splendid art and stunning natural beauty." "Not in my book." Sterling grimaced. "It's a total dump, if you ask me." “Heh, different strokes for different folks.” Loveless shrugged. About an hour later, they crossed the border line, moving away from the country of Sterling's birth. 'Goodbye, and good riddance.' Sterling though as he watched Haygypt fade into the distance. Not long after, the carriage finally landed in front of a small condo at the edge of a mountainous region a good distance from Haygypt. "Here we are." Loveless smiled, as he rolled out the carriage. "Finally." Sterling snorted, following him, “Nice place." He appraised the building. "Reminds me of my family's summer home." "Glad you like it." Loveless declared. "This is one of our organizations' many safe houses." "'Safe'?" Sterling frowned. “What, is this organization some sort of crime syndicate?” “'Crime syndicate' is a awful way of putting it.” Loveless deadpanned. “We think of ourselves more as ‘controversial visionaries’. Either way though, we have our fair share of ponies that don’t like what we do.” “Like who?” Sterling pressed further. “It’s nothing you need to worry yourself with for now.” Loveless declared, “Now, shall we make our way in?” "Sure, why not?" Sterling nodded. "That's the spirit." Loveless grinned. Loveless wheeled his way over to the front door. A panel in his wheelchair opened up, and an arm holding a key emerged. It inserted the key into the keyhole, and turned it. The door swung open, and Loveless passed through the doorway. "Where did you get that fancy chair, anyway?" Sterling asked, as he followed Loveless inside. "It's my own design." Loveless revealed. "Something I was working on before my... unfortunate accident. Lucky for me, eh?" "No joke." Sterling agreed. "Wouldn't have been much fun getting around without it..." "You're preaching to the choir, my young friend." Loveless gave a hearty chuckle. "In fact, with all the extra features I built in, I'd say I'm actually more capable than I was when I had all my legs." "I'll just take your word for it." Sterling said awkwardly. Inside, the house was fairly pleasant, boasting wood-panelled walls and moderately nice carpets. Just then, a golden retriever padded into the hallway. He suddenly perked up, taking note of the new stallion that came into the house. “Hello. Who’s this?” Sterling asked, as the dog looked at him inquisitively. “Oh, I almost forgotten. This here is Buddy.” Loveless gestured to the dog. “He’s the guard dog assigned to us by the organization. His job is to ward off any ne’er do wells.” "He's a handsome fella, isn't he?" Sterling smiled. He scratched behind Buddy's ear, and got a lick on the face in return. "Hey, easy!" He chuckled. "Oh, isn't that precious?" Loveless grinned. "Buddy likes you.” "Well, he's pretty okay himself." Sterling petted the pooch. “Loveless, is that you?” A Brayzillian accented voice called out. Sterling glanced up as a powerfully-built Pegasus stallion with a dark orange coat, a brown, long mane (with a single lock falling over his face), tied up in a bun, brown eyes, and a Cutie Mark of a gleaming katana emerged from a side door. He had a five o'clock shadow, and a scar over his left eye. At his hip was a steel-clad sheath, holding a katana in place. “Ah, Jetstream, there you are.” Loveless nodded. “I was just about to call you to come meet our new prospect.” “I see…” Jetstream looked at Sterling. Sterling couldn’t help but notice how imposing he was, despite not being any bigger than a normal stallion. “So, this is the boy you were talking about? The juvie from Deerbai?” “Yep.” Loveless smirked, “What do ya think? I think we got ourselves a winner in this one.” Jetstream gave Sterling an appraising look. “Hmm, I wouldn’t be so quick to say that, Loveless.” Jetstream gave a scoff. “This kid doesn’t look much.” He circled around him, giving a nod. “...But it’s not to say that we can’t fix that in time…” He then frowned. “A whole lot time.” "And who are you supposed to be?" Sterling growled, incensed by the implied insult. "Oh, of course." Loveless nodded. "Sterling Cross, meet Jetstream Ronin. The finest swordspony to ever hail from Brayzil. He, along with yours truly, will be serving as your… let’s say ‘instructors’.” "'Instructors'?" Sterling frowned. "Of course." Jetstream said flatly. "If you're to be a part of our organization, you’re going to have to toughen up first. Unless you were expecting a free ride in." "Honestly, I didn't know what to expect." Sterling declared. "It all happened so fast. But I figured anything was better than prison." "Well, here's a quick rundown for ya, kid." Jetstream frowned. "We're going to make you the toughest, most capable military agent around, or have you die trying. And let me tell you, a lot of ponies have died trying." "Come now, Jetty." Loveless admonished him. "Don't scare the poor lad." "I'm not scared of anything." Sterling grunted. "We'll see, kid." Jetstream scoffed. "We'll see..." "What's that supposed to mean?" Sterling snarled. "We'll discuss that later." Loveless said awkwardly. "For now, let's have some dinner. I'm sure you must be famished after our long trip. So am I, as a matter of fact." "And you're gonna need your strength for tomorrow." Jetstream said under his breath. The dinner wasn't anything fancy; Just hay steaks and broccoli. But compared to the vile food at the juvenile correction facility Sterling had languished at, the young stallion could not complain. But it was a stiflingly quiet dinner. Sterling had never been much for idle conversation, but his curiosity could no longer be contained. "So, Jetstream... what's it like, being part of this organization?" He asked. "Sorry, kid." Jetstream snorted. "No spoilers. Maybe once you actually make it through training, I might indulge you. But not tonight..." "Don't mind him, Sterling." Loveless sighed. "He's not exactly the sociable type." "I just got better things to do with my time." Jetstream sneered. He took his last bite of food. "Speaking of, I'm out. Catch ya later." "And you're expecting me to work with this guy?" Sterling frowned at Loveless. "You get used to him." Loveless declared. "Gradually..." "This job's lookin' better and better all the time..." Sterling said sarcastically. After he had finished his meal, Sterling was led by Loveless to a sparsely-furnished bedroom. "Good night, Sterling." Loveless declared. "Tomorrow, your training begins." "Whatever it is, I'm sure I can handle it." Sterling boasted. "No matter what that Jetstream thinks..." "I do admire your determination, boy." Loveless nodded. “You’ll do well to hold onto that…” After Loveless left, Sterling finally dispened with his juvie uniform, tossing it into a corner. "Never again." He snarled. Sterling then climbed into bed. While it was no luxury mattress, it was still softer than his bed back in juvie. That, combined with the events of the day, meant he fell asleep quickly. The next morning, Sterling was awakened by Jetstream knocking hard on his door. "Up and at 'em, kid!" He called. "It's time to see what you've got!" "Don't seem to recall asking for a wake-up call..." Sterling scowled. Sterling made his way downstairs, where Loveless, Jetstream, and Buddy were all waiting. Buddy nuzzled against Sterling's leg, and Sterling petted him in return. "Finally." Jetstream snorted, as he muttered to Loveless. “...You really picked a winner, Loveless…” "Oh, hush." Loveless admonished him as he turned to Sterling. "Well, this is it, Sterling. From this point onwards, your training begins." "Nervous?" Jetstream asked with a sneer. "In your dreams." Sterling said defiantly. "Hmm, you've got spirit, I'll give you that..." Jetstream admitted. Sterling noted a large duffel bag on the floor, clearly full to the brim. "What's that?" He asked. "Oh, those are supplies for your training regiment." Loveless declared, passing him the bag with a mechanical arm, “You’re going to need it.” "Speaking of, we should get moving." Jetstream frowned. "Times a' wasting." "Indeed, they are.” Loveless nodded, “Come this way, Sterling.” Sterling followed Loveless and Jetstream to the carriage outside, with Buddy in tow. "So, where are we going?" Sterling asked, as the carriage rolled along. "You'll find out soon enough." Jetstream growled. "So quit with the questions." "What Jetstream means is that we don't want to give you any pointers." Loveless stepped in. “He believes that there are some things you are going to have to figure out on your own." 'What does he mean by that?' Sterling frowned, not liking the way he'd phrased that. After a while, the carriage came to a stop. "We're here." Jetstream declared. "Time to get out." "Yes." Loveless nodded firmly. "It begins..." As they all got of the carriage, Sterling realized they were in the middle of a forest. He glanced around, unable to see where they’ve come from or where they have been. There was a pristine lake not far from where they’re standing. Jetstream stepped towards the lake, letting out a content sigh. “I love this place…” He gives a wry smirk, turning to Loveless and Sterling, “So peaceful and tranquil… I’m going to retire out here one day.” “I guess…” Sterling shrugged, as he glanced around. “...Say, are you sure I oughta be out here? What if the ponies from juvie come looking for me?” “Please…” Jetstream scoffed. “I looked at your files. Nopony’s looking for you. Your family will be happy never to see you again. And as for the cops… well, we’re not really in Haygypt anymore. No pony is going to go out of their way for some worthless kid.” Sterling stifled a snarl at the insult. “Again, what Jetstream is trying to say is that you won’t have to worry about anypony trying to bring you in.” Loveless declared, giving a admonishing glare at Jetty. “...So this is where my training's going to happen?" Sterling asked as he looked around, a tad unimpressed. "Yes, it is." Loveless said quickly. “Okay…” Sterling murmured. “So… where do we start?” “'We'?” Jetstream repeated, giving a snide chuckle. “Oh-ho-ho, there’s no 'we' involved. You're the one who's going to be staying here, while Loveless and I head back to the safe house.” "What?!" Sterling yelped. "You're going to just leave me out here? That's my training?" “You’re damn right it is.” Jetstream huffed. “Out here, if you want something, you have to earn it. From here on out, you earn everything.” He gestured to the ground. “You want a warm place to sleep, you make it.” He gestured to the trees. “You want something to eat, you go and forage it.” He then gestured to his bag. “The bag Loveless gave you will provide you with a bit of help.” Quickly, Sterling checked his bag. As he did, Jetstream and Loveless begin to make their way back to the carriage. Buddy began trailing after them. “Wait, wait.” Sterling rushed after them, “Y-you can’t be serious. All-all that’s here in are some clothes!” “Indeed.” Jetstream grunted. “Originally, it was only going to be a knife, but Mr. No Legs here insisted that your ‘Cairode-climated’ body might not last in the mountains.” “Loveless?” Sterling frowned, glancing at the chaired stallion, “Come on, tell me you’re not serious about this…” "I'm afraid so." Loveless sighed. "I'm sorry, boy, but it must be done. I did tell it would be hard didn't I?" "You can't do this!" Sterling snarled, getting in between them and the carriage. Buddy began to whimper at the stallion’s anger. "You can't just leave me in the woods!" "So much for not being scared of anything." Jetstream sneered. “I’m not scared!” Sterling growled, “But this isn’t fair! If you’d have told me, I-I’d have brought tools or food or-” “Don’t blame us for your own failures!” Jetstream seethed. “It makes me like you even less! You want it easy? Go back to juvie. They’ll give you three squares and a cot. Confirm what your family believes, what everypony believes, that Sterling Cross is a weak and worthless coward!” At that moment, Sterling snapped. “I’m not a coward!” Sterling roared, as he charged at Jetstream. But he was quickly repelled, as he found himself slammed into the carriage. Sterling groaned as he opened his eyes. To his horror, he found a blood red blade of a katana, tight to his throat, with a glaring Jetstream behind it. “Jetstream!” Loveless yelled. Buddy was barking incessantly. Sterling dared not gulp, the blade up against the lump in his throat. “...Look, Sterling…” Jetstream began, his soft Brayzillian accent belying his fierce glare. “Loveless here seems to think that you might be worth my time. But it’s going to take more than the words of an old stallion to convince me the same. So you say that you're not a coward?” His snout got up close to his. “...Then prove it.” With that, Jetstream pulled his katana away. Sterling dropped to the ground, silently fuming at the stallion before him. "Tell you what, we'll leave Buddy with you." Jetstream offered, gesturing to the dog. "You take care of him, he'll take care of you…” He then opened the door to the carriage, climbing in, as he glanced back at Sterling. “We'll be back in a couple of months. If you’re still alive by the time we get back, then you’re in… if not..." He gave a scoff. “Well, it was nice not knowing you.” Loveless wheeled in past him, using his mechanical arm to climb into the carriage. Before he shut the door, he glanced at the young sullen stallion with pity. “I’m sorry this had to happen.” Loveless apologized. “...But for what it’s worth… I believe you can do it.” With that, he shut the door. Sterling watched on in growing horror as the carriage began rolling off into the distance, Buddy barking after them. As soon as they were out of sight, Sterling threw the duffel bag to the ground in anger. 'What was I thinking?!' He admonished himself. 'I listened to that wheelchair whacko, and look where it got me: Stuck in the middle of nowhere! I should've just stayed in juvie...' Buddy whined plaintively as he nuzzled against Sterling once more. 'Well, on the bright side, at least I'm not alone.' He thought, stroking the loyal canine. "Guess it's just you and me now, huh, Buddy? Just you and me..."