The guard was returning, a pony at her side, if one could be sure it was a pony. They were wearing so much armor that they looked more like an animated statue lumbering spritely along with the guard. The guard pointed at the group beyond the gate. "There they are, ma'am!" She moved to retake her position with the first guard.
The great armored one approached with soft thuds of the ground against their heavy hooves. "Are any of you members of the army?" They were a he, if the voice was to be gone with. He didn't sound terribly confident there would be any yes given.
Sonja took a step forward. "I've worked with the army before. Iliana calls the shots, and I put a hole where it's needed. I've analyzed the mechanisms of the great damn as well."
The armored stallion gave a soft snort. "That is more than I was expecting by far. Have you done more than contract work?"
"I haven't enlisted." Sonja shook her head, guns rattling on her sides. "Iliana runs a good shop, but I go where the wind carries my shot."
"Adventurer," almost growled out the large stallion. "And the rest." He directed an armored hoof at the others. "You are far from your lands, human."
"You don't even know the half of it," chuckled out Jon. "Nice to meet you, sir." He tipped the hat he wasn't wearing. "Name's--"
The stallion was already looking towards the two zebras, one strangely shaped as zebras went.
Sues gestured at Zecora. "Don't be alarmed by her manaia looks. She is harmless and clever, as our kind tends to be. I am a loyal of Luminace, on a mission of friendship and knowledge."
"Proof?"
Sues recoiled. That was the first of the many they'd run into that wanted proof of his words. "Oh, yes, of course." He coiled, burying his snout in a saddlebag. "Right here..." He produced a silver pendant of a book held up by the flat of a pony hoof.
"Why aren't you wearing that?" questioned the guard.
Sues dropped it around his head. "Merci. There are those who become nervous, knowing one of The Curious is about. I come as I am, not wielding my faith as a shield."
A hoof raised at Zecora. "And what is that?"
"I am Zecora, a zebra; sage and herbalist. I may look odd, but like most zebra, I am a verbalist. This is my natural speech. Your understanding I beseech."
"Huh." He returned his attention to Sonja. "What's your code?"
"A-293-Niter," she replied crisply from memory. "Don't have the badge on me, wasn't expecting military work. Poor aim on my part."
The stallion raised a hoof, which was enough to send one of the guards scrambling. "Assuming that checks out, I may have a task for you. Are you available?"
Sonja lifted a large ear. "You spotting me properly? I'm already on a task." She waved at the others. "Do you want someone who'll abandon the shot before pulling the trigger?"
"I am aware." The stallion directed a hoof into the town. "I can provide no further details until your background is verified. However, if you accept this task, it gains your party entry. That is what you want, is it not?"
Sonja sank to her haunches. "Your aim's not off on that. If lending a hoof gets them close to where they need to be, you have my attention. Just give me a target."
But no target was given, silence instead. Broken only by the spirited trot of the returning guard. "Sir!"
"Positive?"
She bobbed her head. "3rd engineering squad." She got close enough to whisper the rest, saluting and backing away to her post at the gate.
"Huh." He looked to Sonja. Though his eyes were concealed by his heavy helmet, one could almost see his gaze shifting. "The army could use a quality soldier. Still not interested?"
Sonja smirked at that. "You don't want my wise rump causing trouble, sir. Now, what is it you need me looking at? Let me get that squared away and you give them a fair hearing. We aiming at the same target?"
Zecora leaned towards Jon at her side. "I did not know she worked with a military force. Her connections provides an opening for our course."
"I can only promise a fair hearing. A positive reply, that's up to the commander. You know how that works."
"Unfortunately." Sonja rose to her hooves. "Now what am I looking at?"
"There's..." He trailed off, looking at the others. "They don't have clearance to hear this." He gestured inside. "Come with me. We'll go over the details."
"That's a bad sight." Sonja directed at her friends. "They need to have a comfy place to wait for me, not camping at your doorstep. They won't cause trouble." When he hesitated, she pressed on, "Besides, it'll be easier to keep a sight on them if you know exactly where they are."
"Mmm. Fair." He turned to the gate guards. "See them to civilian bedding and keep them there until told otherwise." Both mares saluted sharply even as he continued back to Sonja. "Shall we?" The two marched off, one clinking, the other thumping. Neither subtle.
One of the guards stepped forward. "If you'll follow me? You've been given permission to enter and a specific area you are permitted within. If you are seen outside this area or breaking the law, you will be ejected and/or punished. Let's avoid that, hm?"
Sues clapped his hooves once before standing up. "Iontach! Let's be off, friends. We're getting closer."
Jon gestured for Zecora to advance ahead of him, taking up the rear guard. "You don't get a lot of visitors?"
"Actually we do." The guard was not looking back, pressing through the thinly populated street. "But merchants and travelers are not the same as ones seeking secrets of the crown, I hope you understand. We have specific protocols for both of the former. The latter... a more rare situation."
Zecora chanced a smile. "I hope you can appreciate, that for spies we have given it straight. Not many would simply ask. A curious way for a shadowy task."
"That could just mean you are very good. Or very bad." She turned an ear back at them. "It isn't my job to figure out which it is." She directed her head at a two story long building. "This is the outsider's inn. We allow merchants, travelers, and others from outside to rest here. I will inform the owner that you are here at our order. You should not be asked for payment for basic accommodations. Inform us if this not the case." Her teeth clenched faintly. "That would be wrong, considering we put you here." She advanced inside without further delay.
Black advanced with a twitching tail. "I smell delightful things coming from inside, and if I heard right, mmm, without fee so long as we don't make gluttons of ourselves."
Jon hurried to Black's side. "He didn't ask about you."
"Either because he knows all about me, or not at all." Black wobbled a paw in the air. "We sphinxes are not common sorts. Whatever answer I gave wouldn't give him much but more questions, I imagine. I'd say he was smart just assuming I was odd."
"You're not odd." Jon reached for a fuzzy pony ear on the otherwise feline form, but was denied. Black was a dexterous thing, easily ducking and darting back with a laugh. "Sorry," grumbled Jon, remembering he wasn't supposed to do that. "Bad habit."
"What a strange place you come from." Black kneaded at the ground with his sharp claws. "Where people pet one another casually. I'm really unsure if that makes me want to visit, or stay well away."
Zecora laughed as she walked towards the inn. "That depends on if you enjoy a friendly pet. To some that may seem a threat. I prefer such contact between only close friends. That sort of contact I expect between girl and boyfriends."
Sues inclined his head. "Is that a mating habit? о мой, you can pet if you like, but I need to know a person better before--"
Jon lit up brightly. Sues had... "You're..."
"I'm?" Sues pointed at himself as they reached the door. "I am what? A zebra? A priest? A friend? Yes to all of those!"
Zecora leaned in on her fellow zebra. "I can only guess his surprise. I think he did not expect where your interest lies. Do you prefer another stallion? He thought a mare would do, you rapscallion."
"Ó! Is that what it is?" Sues looped back to trot up to Chris. "I do prefer a male touch, no offense to the ladies present. Fine creatures! Just not for me." He clapped his hooves firmly. "I do hope I can be friends with any creature, male, female, or something else entirely. One does not have to do... that with friends, do they? I would hope not!"
"Um..." Jon rubbed behind his head, put quite off balance. "We are friends, for sure. You've been nothing but awesome."
"I inspire awe?! How delightful." It was a zebra's place to pounce on the use of a word. "You are quite the interesting creature yourself, even if you lack a tail. Pity that. Somehow I imagine yours would be quite nice."
Rather than answer questions on the theoretical tail he didn't have, Jon pushed open the swinging doors into the inn. The air was warm, almost muggy. There were numerous scents thick. Alcohol and drinks both, with about six people around enjoying them. Four were gathered around a table, playing cards and laughing loudly in a rowdy game. The other two were off on their own tables, minding their own business.
The guard was right there, heading back for the door. "She's been informed. Have a pleasant stay."
Who 'she' was became clear an instant later, a brilliantly shining gem of a pony waving from behind the bar. "Hail and well met. I hear I'll be caring for the lot of you for a while. Come in, come in. Stop letting the heat out."
Black slipped in easily past Jon, darting towards the front counter. "Well met indeed! I can smell treasures. Is there a menu?" It was but a moment before he had one to look at.
Zecora waved a hoof to each of their party. "We would like to stay together. Consider us birds of a feather."
The innkeeper nodded her head. "That isn't a problem. I planned on putting you up in one of our larger rooms anyway." She laughed with a jovial smile. "I should introduce myself. I'm Jade Sparkle. Now, I don't work for the army, not directly anyway. 'Civilian contractor' they'd call me." She shrugged at that. "I make a nice safe place for ponies, and others." She looked between Black, the pony-cat, and Jon, the not-even-slightly-pony. "The food's good, the drink's passable, and the rooms and nice and clean." She clopped her crystal hooves together. "What more could you want? And you're not even paying, so no complaining!" Despite her words, she seemed quite cheerful about it. "Don't worry about it. Means I get to bill the military, and they're usually pretty prompt about that. They hate unfinished jobs."
Jon thrust a hand out. "Nice to meet you, Jade. You're the friendliest face we've run into so far."
Jade put her hoof out and began to shake it the moment Jon had a grip on it. "I'll take that as a compliment, but it's not hard to be 'more cheerful' then the average army person. They're pretty serious people, I swear." She drew her hoof back. "Now, you two look like carnivores." She looked between the two not ponies. "How about I get a nice big steak going?"
Black's eyes shone. "You have that? Please, yes..."
"Won't argue that," laughed out Jon. "You get a lot of meat eaters?"
"I'd say 25% meat eaters." She was vanishing into the kitchen. "You all wait and salivate while I get dinner ready. You're in Jade's house, expect to be pampered!"