Chapter 31:
Small Talk
After two more days in the hospital James was finally released. He exited the building with his three teammates, limping along with a crutch under his left shoulder. The doctor had said that he would need to use the crutch for at least two weeks and afterwards he would still need to take it easy. Fortunately, James was a fast healer. Together they stepped out into the bright chilly autumn day of the downtown area of Canterlot. The first thing on all their minds, especially James', was to get some good food. The chow in the hospital wasn't very appetizing and the human made a mental note to thank Pinkie and Dash for sending him the cupcake and hot sauce.
James was looking forward to exploring the bustling city that reminded him so much of the metropolises back in his own world. He'd had many good times in large cities like; Chicago, Manhattan, San Diego and San Francisco. Thanks to his job, he'd also been able to enjoy cities overseas like Hong Kong and Dubai. Now he would get the chance to explore a sizable city from a different dimension or universe or where ever the hell he was. Should be interesting.
"Thanks again for bringing me some clothes, Flash." James said to the pegasus beside him.
"No problem, it's the least I could do. Especially since you pretty much saved my life."
"I just did what anyone of you would have done for me. Anyway, where are we going again?" James asked Sparks.
"I thought you'd probably like to check out the markets. They usually got a bunch of interesting street vendors there and also a few good restaurants."
"Sounds good."
The three made their way through the winding streets, strolling towards the growing sound of a large crowd. Soon they emerged into a busy square. Everywhere there were stands of merchandise and goods, ponies selling and buying, haggling for a good price on their wares. James was intrigued by all the activity going on around him, it was truly a fascinating sight. They wandered around for a bit, casually eyeing the many objects for sale. They found one stand that was selling deep fried apples on a stick. Never having tried such a thing before, James bought some for him and his friends. The outside of the treat was a crispy golden brown and when he bit into it, the sweet crunchiness of the apple mixed with the fried batter shell to create a delightful taste and texture in his mouth. Crunchy yet juicy at the same time and piping hot. It was almost like a small apple pie.
They spent some more time walking around and enjoying the scene of commerce. Occasionally they would stop to look at something that caught their interest. At one end of the market was a space set aside for street performers. James wandered off from the group, a little nostalgic for Venice Beach. There were a few ponies playing various musical instruments, a tight rope walker doing a balancing act, even a powder blue unicorn performing magic. Suddenly, James' stomach rumbled. It was past noon and all he had eaten was that apple treat. He began to make his way back to where he had last seen his friends, but was unfamiliar with the area and quickly became lost. He entered what appeared to be the main thoroughfare and scanned the area for any hint of his teammates. He looked hard enough to the point that he forgot to pay attention to where he was going. Quite abruptly, he found himself knocked to the hard pavement, his crutch flying out from under his arm..
"Watch where you're going, whelp!"
James looked up to see a large tan colored griffon standing over him menacingly, a wicked curved sword strapped to his side. Behind the lethal amalgamation of animals was a group of about five more. In an instant Feather appeared at the human's side from out of thin air, producing a blade from no where. Quickly, the griffon drew the sword from his hip, ready for a fight. The two stared each other down until the group of apex predators behind parted and a lone raven feathered griffon approached the three.
"Now Tartus, that isn't any way to treat friends, not to mention comrades in arms. Sheathe your weapon this instant." The dark griffon ordered.
"Yes sir, my apologies." The tan griffon said, complying with his master's orders.
Feather put away his own weapon and went to retrieve James' crutch.
"Please excuse him Commander, he is only doing his job." The griffon extended a claw and helped the human up.
"Admiral, it's good to see you again!" James happily exclaimed, accepting the crutch from his friend.
"Like wise! I've heard all about your courageous raid in the Blasted Mountains. Is that how you earned that wound?"
"Yeah. Ain't too bad though sir, should be good in a week or so."
"Oh, please dispense with the formalities. Say, how would you like to join me for lunch? I would like to make up for this dreadful faux pas."
"Only if my teammates can accompany me."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Admiral Darkwing absorbed James and Feather into his entourage while they searched for Flash and Sparks. They found the two ponies wandering about, trying to find both James and Feather. Both were relieved to find that the human and earth pony were ok. Together they all followed the high ranking officer, interestingly enough, to the palace. The guards at the front gate stepped aside to let them all pass.
"Uh, Admiral..."
"Please James, call me Silus."
"Ok... Silus. What are we going to the palace for?"
"Recently, I've been serving as an ambassador to Equestria. I am currently staying here in the castle. I must say, I'm very glad to have run into you, this job is so much more tedious and far more impractical than serving in our Imperial Navy. I find the nuances of politics baffling and unnecessary."
The Admiral lead them all into the grand foyer and down a side passage to a suite over looking the palace gardens. They were seated at a large dining table with places for at least twenty guests. One of the Admiral's staff left to inform the castle cooks they were ready for a meal. In no time, elegantly constructed menus appeared before them all. James, Flash, Feather and Sparks each received a green colored menu while Admiral Darkwing and his staff received red ones. James looked at his menu and saw that everything listed on there was of course vegetarian. Curious, he asked one of the griffons sitting near him to see his menu and was surprised at what he saw. Almost all the dishes offered on the red menu featured a meat of some kind. It mostly consisted of chicken and pork, but there were a few unusual items. James asked one of the palace staff if he could order off the red menu, to which they informed him he could. Seeking to try something new, he ordered the manticor steak. While they all waited for their food, a few stewards served them wine. The Admiral took this opportunity to engage James in some conversation.
"So James, I was wondering, exactly how just you and nine ponies were able to pull of such a difficult task and escape without taking any casualties? If any of our own elite warriors had gone, it would have been suicide!"
"We adapt on the fly, improvise. Any good unit is a flexible unit. It also doesn't hurt to throw in a pinch of crazy. Sooner or later, though, it'll come back and sell you the farm. Tactically, what we're able to do comes out pretty good, but it doesn't exactly help lengthen your life span."
"Improvisation you say? Well we must incorporate this into the training of our own forces. As it is, our own regimens are so rigid and traditional. A small change shall do us some good, I think. Maybe you could help train them yourself?"
"Ha ha, I'm flattered, but you'd have to ask Celestia first. I don't think she'd appreciate me running of to another country to train foreign soldiers without her permission."
"I have another meeting with her grace tomorrow, perhaps I shall bring the subject up."
About this time, the food was ready and being served to all the guests. A large plate was placed in front of James. On it was a round, flat piece of red meat about the size of his outstretched hand. Tentatively, he picked up the ornate silverware and cut out a small square chunk. He gave it a sniff before popping it in his mouth and chewing. A burst of flavor exploded across his taste buds. He quickly chewed and swallowed, cutting out another piece of the delicious steak. Oddly, the taste almost reminded him of a kangaroo steak he'd once had while passing through Australia once. Next to him, his teammates gave him a strange look.
"Hey, don't judge. You guys know I used to eat meat." James said casually.
They all rolled their eyes and began to dig in to their own dishes. The meal passed, casual conversation going back and forth between the two groups. James was thoroughly enjoying his meal. He hadn't had a chance to eat like this for half a year now, he'd almost forgotten what a good steak tasted like. Just as he was finishing, a griffon entered the room and whispered into the Admiral's ear.
"James, it seems your presence is requested elsewhere." The ink feathered griffon relayed to him. "There is a guard out side my quarters that will escort you."
"Ok then. Thank you for the wonderful meal, Silus. I also enjoyed our little chat." James said with gratitude.
"The pleasure was all mine, I would like to do this again sometime."
James carefully got up and hobbled over to the door on his crutch, his three friends following close behind. They exited the suite and found a member of the Day Guard waiting. The brightly armored pony walked up and addressed them immediately.
"My apologies sir, but it was requested that you come alone. Your companions can wait for you in the foyer."
"Alright," James turned to his three friends, "I'll try not to take too long, hopefully it's nothing too important."
They nodded and proceeded to make their way back to the entrance. Meanwhile, James was led in the opposite direction. The guard took him down several corridors and through a large ballroom before exiting the grandiose building and entering a large garden. They took a path that wound in between the healthy bushes and around the bare trees, soon arriving at a clearing somewhere in the middle of it all. Centered in the clearing was a small wooden gazebo. In the gazebo, laying on a comfortable looking rug and reading a book that was floating in front of her face, was Celestia. She closed her book and set it down beside her as she noticed the two coming towards her.
"Guard, thank you for bringing the Commander here, you may leave us now." She said in a gentle tone.
"Yes, your majesty." The guard replied before leaving the clearing.
James continued towards the gazebo and stopped at the bottom of three small steps that led up into it.
"Ma'am, you wanted to see me?" James inquired respectfully.
"Yes, I was glad to hear that you were on the premises. Please, come sit with me."
James hopped up the steps on his good leg and sat across from the most powerful being in this world. They sat together for a few minutes in silence before the princess of the sun spoke again.
"In the short time you've been here, you've built quite a reputation for yourself in the strangest way. Almost the whole of Equestria knows of the great feats you and your unit has accomplished and yet, except for a few privileged souls, nopony knows who you all are."
"Yes ma'am, and if it's ok with you, we'd like to keep it that way."
"Oh? Why so?"
"Well, for one, what we do is highly dangerous in itself. I don't want anyone getting distracted by unwanted attention. Also, operatives in our profession tend to make enemies. The less anybody knows about us, the better."
"That's such a shame. I was planning to have such a nice ceremony for both yours and Captain Alister's team. Are you sure?"
"I'm sorry ma'am, but yes. We'd be honored to receive the prestigious award you're presenting us with, but it would be best if you kept it low key."
"I'm sorry to hear that. However, I will take your concerns into consideration. Other than that, James, how are you feeling?" She asked the human kindly.
"Good for the most part. My knee got a little busted up, but the doc said it should be fine in a couple weeks."
"James, you're smarter than that. You know what I meant."
The human's breath caught in his chest. He did know what she meant, he was just trying to deflect. Slowly he released the air from his lungs and took a deep breath.
"Some days are better than others."
"Like the day in the hospital."
"Yes."
"Have you considered asking your friends for help?"
"I have. Flash, Sparks and Feather already know what's going on. I don't want to burden them though."
"James," she began in a crestfallen voice, "you should never be afraid to rely on your friends."
"Ma'am, I appreciate what you're doing, but I think it's time I left. My friends are waiting for me after all." James said apologetically while standing up. His face transformed to a blank mask.
"I understand. When you're ready to talk, don't hesitate to come find me."
"Thank you ma'am, I'll keep that in mind."
The human hobbled down the steps and limped back to the palace, his face retaining the blank expression devoid of emotion. The same guard from before appeared from a side door and took him back to his friends. James was glad when they reached foyer, he really wanted to leave.
"So what's going on?" Flash asked while trotting up.
"Nothing, Celestia just wanted to check in on us."
"Oh, ok. You ready to get back home?"
"Yeah, let's get out of here."
Together the four left and made their way to the train station and bought tickets to Ponyville. They would have flown, but Myst had been called away to consult on a project to produce more airships like the Clipper. They boarded the train and took seats at the back of the car. Feather, Flash and Sparks decided to take a nap during the trip, leaving James alone with his thoughts. The entire way, he couldn't take his mind off how he had lost control.