//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: The Ranger's Apprentice: Book 'EQ,' Malkalam's Wife 
// by GordonFreebrony 
//------------------------------//

Celestia watched the two green-cloaked Rangers walk away, holding a poker face, even though she had just been insulted and then defied. As they walked around the corner, the six ponies around her began to talk at once.

“Ya’ll just gonna let them..” Applejack began,

“…run away without getting my hoof up their…” Rainbow continued,

“… goodness, I hope that the guards are ok. Those two…” Fluttershy started.

“…ruffians should be shown what for. I mean come on, think about…” Rarity stated, 

“…how my brother’s actually getting married!” Twilight finished, still partially surprised, and only able to express it now, after the Ranger’s had left. The other ponies looked at Twilight.

“But what about the guards? We should throw them a ‘Recover Fast From Getting Beat Up By Aliens’ Party!” Pinkie said, breaking the silence that had spread from Twilight’s unexpected comment.

“My little ponies,” Celestia said, “hold on now. The guards will be fine, I’ve already called for a medical squad. The… well, whatever they are …are going back to the cells. Hopefully they will cool down, and be more cooperative. They were acting out of concern for their kin. What would you do if you were in their position, and Sweetie Bell, or Applebloom, or Spike, or even one of you, were in their… horses? …position?”

The six ponies looked down, somewhat shame-faced, although they weren’t fully sorry. The group returned to the throne room, where Luna stood waiting.

“Sister, we… I mean, I, am confused. Was not the next hearing to be held now?”

“Yes, Lulu, but circumstances changed. Apparently, the two horses, as the other prisoners called them, cannot be held responsible. To them, they are mere beasts of burden, albeit treated like family and known to be intelligent. They are returning to their cell now.”

Luna nodded, accepting her sister’s explanation. “I have roused the night guard, and re-opened the.. uhhh… place. I had almost forgotten the enchantment I had laid on the… headquarters? That’s what they are calling it now, is it not?” When her sister nodded, she continued, “I have re-opened the headquarters, and the tunnel system, although I still need to train my knightingales. However, I think the regular night guard can take care of the duties for now.”

“Good,” Celestia said, ignoring the confused looks on the faces of the six ponies behind her. “We should probably—“

She was interrupted by one of the Royal guard bursting through the door at the far end.

“Princess!” He yelled, rushing forward, “Princess, forgive me, but the prisoners have retrieved their weapons. They’re trying to escape!”

Celestia stood there for a moment, before taking action. “Get Captain Shining Armor to rouse his squad. Get them to cover the gate. The prisoners may not be able to escape the city, but they can still cause panic and mayhem.”

She turned back to the six ponies behind her, the shocked and outraged faces making their emotions easily readable. Celestia was starting to have an idea on how to deal with the new prisoners that seemed to only want to escape. She decided against helping her guards, instead turning to the ponies she so trusted, preparing to lay out her plan.

“My little ponies, I have an idea. If we just—“ 

________________________________________________________________________

Will woke slowly, a pounding pain coursing through his head. The first thing he realized was that he was no longer in his clothes. Instead, he was wearing a very thin, papery covering. Underneath him was an extremely uncomfortable bed. He would rather sleep in the forest than on this bed. 

Finally, after venting his displeasure with his thoughts, he opened his eyes, immediately being assaulted by a bright white light.

“Unngghhh…” He moaned, raising his hands to cover his eyes. After a minute or so, he became used to the light. He re-opened his eyes, this time actually being able to look around. He was in a small room with green walls, a white tiles floor, and a white ceiling made of an unknown material. The papery covering he wore was also green, the same green as the walls. A box on a pole sat next to him, a small green-lit line going across it in a strange pattern. 

As he looked around the room, he noticed that his head really itched. He reached up to scratch it, instead touching a large bandage wrapped around his head.

“What the devil?” Will muttered, feeling around his head. The entire top of his cranium was covered in a hard bandage. Then the memories flooded back. The strange castle, the talking horses— no, ponies –and the mad rush to escape. Then the pink wall. 

Suddenly, Will sprang to his feet. “TUG!” He yelled for a moment, before clutching his head as it began to throb. 

After the pain receded, he got up more slowly. He walked over to the window, looking out and into the valley many feet below. That strange pink light still suffused the city, like a large bubble encasing the area. He turned away from the window, before searching through the small, metal chest of drawers set into the wall. In the top drawer, a large amount of white packages sat, inside of which were apparently cotton pads, or so the labels said. The next drawer had a large amount of needles with tubes attached, lines and numbers going up the tubes.

“What are these?” He asked no one in particular, looking closely at one before putting it back and continuing to the last drawer. This one was larger and deeper, and inside his clothes, belt, cloak, and pouches sat. 

He quickly tore himself out of the covering he was in, before donning his clothes. It felt good to be back in his familiar garb, even if he missed the weight of his knives and quiver. 

Finally, he turned towards the door, his newly-donned soft leather boots making next to no sound on the tiled floor. He turned the handle slowly, easing open the door on its well-oiled hinges. Outside, the hallway was empty. Two other doors were visible across the corridor. 

Slowly, Will peeked out from the room, turning his head first right then left. The corridor was rather short, ending on one side with a window, and on the other with a door. Another door was set into the wall on Will’s side of the hallway. 

Will quietly left the room, cautiously closing the door behind him. He walked to the door across the hall, slowly opening it as well. Inside, another room was laid out, this one containing an unconscious Halt. He had a bandage on his left arm, and his chest was also bound tightly. 

Slowly walking over, Will first checked on his former mentor, before retrieving his clothes from one of the drawers in this room. He placed the bundle at the foot of Halt’s bed, before gently shaking Halt’s shoulders. The effect was instantaneous, the grizzled Ranger jumping up and grabbing Will by his throat. It was an entirely instinctual action, although Halt let go almost immediately after recognizing Will.

“Don’t wake me up so suddenly.” Halt said, groaning. “Can you get coffee on?”

Will raised an eyebrow, practically jumping at the chance to use it against his mentor. “I think you may have forgotten something. I’ll let you figure it out. I’ll be outside when you’ve finished.”

“Damn ungrateful apprentices.” Halt mumbled, attempting to sit up. Will left the room, holding in as much of his laughter as possible. He finally regained his grim Ranger demeanor, before checking the next room. What he found would have made him laugh, if it wasn’t for one thing. Inside, Tug was lying sideways on a small bed. On his shoulder, a bandage was wrapped tightly around. 

“Tug! Are you alright?” Will said, rushing forward. Tug, startled awake by his master’s call, almost rolled out of the bed and onto his back. He was checked just in time by his master, who helped him out of the bed.

I’m fine. Are you sure you’re alright?

Will let out a relieved sigh, before responding. “Yeah, just a slight bump on the head. I’ll be fine. Don’t be such a worrywart.”

Who’s calling who a worrywart?

If normal equines were able to make an amused face, Tug’s would have matched it perfectly.

“I’m never going to get the last word with you, am I?”

Never. 

“Thought so”

Yup.

Will laughed, searching through the drawers for anything useful. He found Tug’s saddle and saddlebags. His extra arrows were missing though. He emptied the saddlebags into his own pouches, before placing Tug’s horse blanket and then saddle onto his back, only tightening the straps enough to keep it secure.

“There we go. Sorry about the saddle, but I have no where else to put it.”

I’m not invalid.

“I know, I know.”

Will left the room, followed by Tug. Across the hall, Will could see Halt saddling Abelard, who seemed to be perfectly fine, apart from a very slight limp. 

Will nodded to Halt, before slowly easing open the doors at the end of the hallway. Unfortunately, they were met by a dozen Royal Guards, armed with spears and crossbows. 

“Come no further. You are to wait here until the Princess arrives.” One of the guards said, almost managing to hide the slight quaver in his voice.

“Damn” Halt said under his breath, before nodding and closing the door behind him. 

“Got any rations?” Will asked, looking over towards Halt.

He pulled out a piece of hard tack, wrapped in a leaf. “I’ve got this, but it’s our last piece of bread, unless you have anything.” He broke it in half, passing one to Will. Absently, Will chewed on the hard biscuit-like piece, ignoring the flavorless texture. 

After an hour of waiting, the hallway door opened. Princess Celestia stood there, flanked by the guards and a small unicorn with a tattoo of a scroll on its flank.

“Law Book, are you ready to record?” The Princess said, looking over to the tan unicorn. 

“Y-yes, your majesty.” The unicorn, Law Book, replied. He reminded Will of George, the weasel-like snout of the unicorn only accentuating the resemblance.

“Good. Now you two, I have a proposition to make. But first, you must waive your trial. If you do, it will be the same as a guilty plea.” The princess said, turning to the Rangers.

“Why should we? Let’s hear your proposition first, before deciding. For all we know, you plan to have us executed on a guilty plea, which would make this entire thing pointless.” Halt said, his scathing gaze resting upon the Princess.

Unfazed, she continued. “The death penalty was removed almost nine hundred years ago. I saw to it myself.” A small amount of anger was noticeable in her voice, before it was covered up. “I cannot tell you of my decision unless you waive the trial. It would invalidate your answer, and force me to allow the people to decide your fate, and I doubt they would allow you to leave the dungeons for the next few years.”

Halt looked over towards Will, who just shrugged. Will felt Halt knew what to do in this situation, even though his diplomatic skills were best used when a castle had a moat.

Sighing, Halt turned to the Princess. “Fine, I waive my trail right. I believe my companion here does too.”

“Yes, I do.” Will said, speaking up. 

“Alright. Now we can continue. You will be forced to do a week of community service, with at least four month probation. Depending on your behavior, and behavior of your horses, this may be lessened or extended. At the completion of one week, you may be eligible to retrieve the rest of your belongings, although that, too, will depend on your behavior. Is that clear?”

Halt nodded, following along. 

“You will carry out your punishment in Ponyville, under the watchful eye of my student, Twilight Sparkle. She will report to me every morning and every night, and if I do not hear from her, you will be arrested. If she tells me about unsatisfactory behavior, you will be arrested. She will fill you in on what jobs you will have to do as they appear. You will take the train from here to Ponyville in two hours, assuming you have recovered enough from your… incident. Additionally, you will take tutelage in the power of friendship from my student in order to help you adjust to our society.”

‘Did she really just say that?’ Will thought while Halt raised an eyebrow. 

Yes, she did.

“I didn’t say that out loud!” Will blurted in surprise, looking at his horse. Then he realized he just spoke suddenly in front of a large crowd, apparently to no one.

“Excuse me?” Princess Celestia said, confused.

His cheeks burning, Will responded, “Nevermind. I was just… just ignore it.”

Celestia picked up her right forehoof uncertainly, before shaking her head. “Unless you feel ready now, I will leave. If you require something, just ask of my guards and, depending upon your request, they will grant it.”

Halt grunted, before calling out to the Princess. “Might as well get this over with. Right Will?” 

“I guess so.” He walked forward, knowing that Tug will follow. 

“Alright then, follow me.” The Princess said. 

Soon, the small group emerged into the open, the bright sun peaking through the pink bubble encasing the city. 

“You know, Princess, “Will said suddenly, “I’ve been meaning to ask. Where are the King and Queen? Surely they would take greater interest in the goings on of their kingdom, especially with this… Changeling? …threat.”

A pained expression flashed over the Princess’s face, before her poker face returned. “No, my parents died long ago. I wished to share power between my sister and I, so I kept the title of Princess. It makes more sense to have two princesses rather than two queens.”

“I’m sorry.” Will said. Halt raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. 

“It is of no consequence.”

The group walked on in silence, before they suddenly reached the strange road they had attempted to escape on. A small building stood next to it, with a large platform in front of it. It was upon this platform the group sat, waiting. Soon, the six ponies of before joined them, standing almost as silent and grim as the two armored unicorn guards who had been assigned to watch over the Rangers.

After a short while, a large thing began to chug down on the two metal strips in the ground. It looked like a long chain of boxes, all connected together by a small walkway. At the front, a larger box with a chimney was attached, apparently to pull the rest.

“What is this? Where are the hor—I mean, how is this being pulled? Is there some hidden hole in which someone or something walks, dragging along this contraption? It would take quite a lot of strength to pull it though.” Will said, practically bursting with curiosity.

“Actually, it has an engine that pulls it.” The purple unicorn, Twilight, replied, “You see, they burn coal, which heats up the boiler. This builds up pressure in the form of steam, which is let out unto a turbine, which turns, and the turbine is connected to the wheels, so when it turns, the wheels turn, and it pulls along the entire train.”

Halt and Will both put on thoughtful expressions, mentally taking down notes of the structure and build, along with how it works. It would be very interesting if Araluen could have these trains covering it. They would definitely cut travel time.

All of a sudden, a large, brown stallion peaked his head out of the window in the engine, yelling out over the platform. “ALL ABOARD! Oh, sorry your highness, didn’t see you there. Are those minotaurs with you? Rather small if you ask me though. I suppose this will be one of the private trains?”

The princess took a step back at the sudden flood of words flowing out of the stallion’s mouth, before catching herself and nodding. “Yes, it will. It’s a one-way trip to Ponyville for my little ponies here and the… minotaurs. You will be compensated for your lost business.”

“No need you highness. I’ll gladly take them. Besides, they’re pretty much the only business I get anyway. Not many ponies like the train.”

Two hours later, Halt and Will knew why no one likes the train. It swayed and bucked, almost like a ship on land. Halt’s face was green, and Will fared little better.

“If this is how you feel on a ship, I’m sorry for teasing you.” Will said, turning towards his mentor. 

“Don’t talk to me. I might be sick.” Halt replied curtly.

The ride ended soon, with the two Rangers rushing off to a nearby pile of bushes and empting their stomachs into them. 

Wiping his mouth, Will stepped back.

“Ewww.” Said Twilight, looking over towards them. 

“At least we held it till after the ride.” Will replied in his gravely ‘Ranger’s Voice.’ Halt, who had finished his episode, stood up, cocking an eyebrow.

“Does he always do that?” Rainbow asked, stepping forward and jabbing a hoof at the grizzled Ranger. 

“Yes.” Will replied as Halt cocked his other eyebrow.

“We should get to the library. That’s where you’ll be staying while you serve your punishment. It’s better to get there now, before full dark.” Twilight spoke up.

The group walked through the near-empty streets of Ponyville, the cool dusk air chilling the Ranger’s faces. Eventually, they reached a large tree, situated near the center of town. A sign outside proclaimed it to be the Books and Branches Library.

They entered the small central room, the lights flaring on as she pressed the light switch. The Rangers were amazed by this, although they kept it hidden in their expressionless faces. 

“You two can sleep in the guest room. I’m sorry I don’t have anything larger than the average pony cot, but I have a few blankets and pillows if you want them.” Twilight said, indicating the corresponding room. “Also, your horses can stay in here, or if they want, a small shed I just recently had built.” 

“What do you think Tug?” Will said, cocking an eyebrow. Tug did a horse equivalent of a shrug. “He’ll be fine in the shed, if you could give him a measure of grain and some water. I assume Abelard would like the same.” Will looked over towards Halt, who nodded.

Twilight also nodded, attempting to lead the indicated horses to the back. They sat there, bemused. 

“This way, Tug.” She said, frustration evident in her voice. “Grrr… Fluttershy, can you help me with this?”

“Oh, ummm… Sure Twilight. Tug, Abelard, if you would just come with me please, I mean, if you want to…” Fluttershy replied.

“Go along, Tug.” Will said, while Halt spoke to Abelard. The two horses then walked out following Fluttershy. Will sighed, turning back into the room.

Will walked over to the guest room door, opening it and peering into the small guest room. A cot-like bed was pushed against the far wall, although it was far too small for the Rangers. A large couch was against another wall, however, and a richly decorated mirror adorned the third wall. 

“This will be fine, in fact, it’s rather opulent. How did you get enough money for a mirror?” Will asked, amazed at how rich Twilight must be.

Halt cocked an eyebrow at his former apprentice’s praise and wording, but said nothing. 

Twilight was caught off guard by his question. “It’s nothing, really. In fact, I got it at the store a few weeks ago. It was really a steal, only ten bits! Or so Spike said.”

Will put on a puzzled face, before filing away that piece of information. He opened his mouth again, but Halt cut him off with a quick glance. Then he began to speak. 

“Well, this is nice. Thank you for the couch, I’m going to sleep.” He glanced meaningfully at Will, who jumped up off the couch, before closing the door and then laying down on said couch. Will shrugged, accepting his fate. He laid down in front of the door, spreading out the blankets. He was used to sleeping on the ground.