Trothelme: The Town of Harmony. Rustic, quaint, and a key spot for any traveler looking to cross the land. The realm was vast, yet never as vast as the warmth Trothelme offered travelers. Many towns and settlements in the realm still, sadly, acted in harsh discrimination towards outsiders or 'lesser races'. But Trothelme was born on the backs of all races from across the realm. However, as diverse as they were, it still came as a curious sight to anyone in the village when they saw that most peculiar group of travelers. Mixed caravans were not at all strange to any citizen of Trothelme; but there was a limit to how mixed a group could be until it seemed abnormal. That is why when Fenix led his group in through the main gates of town, murmurs of interest and wonder fluttered against one and all's ears.
Looking about the masses huddled against the path of the town, Fenix felt a scoff escape from his armor hid mouth. "Bleats. Act right they nay ev' seen a royal guard..." he paused a moment, using that moment to register his team behind him, "...or a buffalo... or an ent... or wot'ev' Surprise is."
Both Ban and Pallanen couldn't help but laugh a bit to themselves as Whooves dropped his head dejected. Surprise, however, clacked her teeth against one another and whisked herself across the ground towards Fenix at the head. As she moved, ponies off to the side staggered and muttered of witchcraft and much akin, yet Surprise seemed to pay it no mind as she looked her empty socket eyes into Fenix's 'face'. "Rude remarks rake around," Surprise chanted with her usual eerie cheer, "Forget frumpy frumps for fifty flicks. Looking looks loose lost locket lead!"
Another flow of confused chatter went through the onlookers, befuddled by this 'creature's' words. However, the confusion of those watching only grew when Fenix nodded his helmet covered head and gestured for his group to follow him. Once more, this strange group of mixed travelers moved through Trothelme, drawing to them more and more attention with each corner, house, bend, or stone they passed. It was only at some rare passes that some pony would remark remembering one or perhaps two from the group. Once claims of recognizing arose, the murmurs of interest died down and rose again as tales of the past.
Thankfully or not, once ponies started to recognize members, the groups of followers started to trickle away and left Fenix and his party to their own. At the leaving of the final few of followers, Whooves huffed once in his following path. "Twenty..." He grumbled halfhearted.
"Pardon?" Pallanen craned his head down to Whooves, curious to know what was bothering him.
"Out of sixty ponies, only twenty knew who I was. One third. That's not as many as I hoped..." Pallanen tapped his antler against Whooves head playfully, noticing the joking smirk he was now putting on.
"It'll be three out of three soon, Turner," Fenix called back to Whooves, "Promise ya' that. History's 'bout to be written in gold fer' us. But it's a history written in six inks." Fenix looked ahead of himself before suddenly coming to a halt.
Once Fenix stopped, so did Ban who tailed just behind him. It being such a sudden halt, Whooves bumped his muzzle against Ban along with one of Pallanen's antlers. Surprise herself had no trouble with bumping into anyone as she kept herself floating above Fenix like a dark cloud. Normally the would have expected Fenix to call out his orders to them; a habit formed from years of being a general. However, Fenix did not speak a word and stopped in his tracks. Within his eyes, he spotted a lone alley; an alley tucked between two average homes. An alley where, to his interest, two shimmers of gold held his attention. "...Or perhaps seven inks..." was what left Fenix before he stalked forward with a fixed intent.
Once Fenix took that first step forward, his team took a step back. With the arc to Fenix back and the incline of his neck, they could feel the intent he had. If they were needed, Fenix would signal for them; but for now, they stood behind the massive form of Ban. Surprise on the other hand slithered away from the overcast of Fenix and draped herself over Ban's back, keeping her own eye-less voids stuck to Fenix.
Fenix ventured alone for a few feet, keeping his attention on the curious glint holding his eyes. Finally, his hooves clacked cold against the dark alleyway's shadow and he loomed his gaze downward to two fillies looking back at him. The one with a white coat looked at him with a tilted cock to her head while the darker of the pair seemed to be inching away into darker seclusion that the alley had. Fenix made no sound or noticeable movement as he remained tall and strong at the mouth of the pass. Yet, beneath his helmet, his eyes looked between these two fillies and the gold crest spaced between them both.
Unmistakable.
Calm and slow, Fenix bent his legs in, causing the bulk of his armor to clatter against itself before sounding dull against the stone. His neck still put him a length above the fillies' own size, but he made due with what he could. Still, he did not speak; simply looking to the white filly that stood before him. She studied him inch by inch so close to him, yet did not show at any point a sign of fear in her eyes.
Unmistakable.
Finally, Fenix spoke in a soft, warm tone that touched to the two fillies as kindly as his own shape would allow. "Gifted with magic an' flight, are ya'? Yer' differen'... So're we..."
For the first time in hours, perhaps days... Celestia felt warm and Luna felt safe.