//------------------------------// // "Seagull's Voyage Around the World" // Story: The Minoan Crisis // by Cosmic Cowboy //------------------------------// “Ah! There it is!” Olive’s excited cry startled me out of the trance I had fallen into after nearly six hours of flying, staring down at the monotonous cracked desert speeding by below. The only change in our surroundings in the past two days had been half an hour before today’s first break, when the ocean far to our left parted ways with us, and was now hardly a line of silver on the horizon. It took me a moment to register what Olive had said. I cocked my head to my right to see him pointing a hoof ahead, his head and ears held high and a wide-eyed smile on his face. Minos? My own ears perked up as I caught his excitement, and I eagerly looked ahead to see our destination. But after a moment of searching, I lowered my ears in confusion. I don’t see anything. “Where?” Lightning asked to my left. I glanced over to see her shading her eyes with a hoof and squinting against the sunlight. “Where do you think? Where the clouds are at!” Olive answered, jabbing his hoof forward. I frowned. There were some clouds in the distance ahead, but I didn’t see anything that looked like a city. Minos wasn’t a cloud city, was it? The clouds grew closer and we stayed silent, following Olive as he hastened his pace, the harness of the supply cart chafing against my barrel as it always did. I still saw nothing but desert earth, cracked and parched and split by an occasional rift or penetrated by a boulder. We were close enough now to see the ground underneath the clouds, which now that I looked closer, seemed to be much more cohesive than the average wild clouds we came across in our flight. They were solid enough to cast a real shadow on the broken ground below. Actually, they cast too real of a shadow. There were four or five distinct and separate clouds, but the unlit portion of the landscape below was one big shape, bigger than the clouds themselves. A circle… “I see it!” I shouted, jabbing my own hoof and making Lightning Dust snap her head back up. I found my tail twitching and my hooves quivering as I began to see more and more details. There was a city under the clouds, but it didn’t have a skyline like I had been expecting. In fact, none of it rose higher than the surrounding desert, because Minos was dug into the earth. The outer edges of the city were raised slightly and sloped gently away, while inside the roofs of buildings together made a shallow bowl, giving the whole city the look of a crater. Now I could see thin roads hardly distinguishable from the cracked earth, trailing out of tunnels and leading off to who-knows-where. I heard Lightning’s excited cries beside me as she finally saw it, but I could only pay attention to the bizarre city quickly growing closer. The buildings towards the city’s outer edge were mostly flat-topped, while the center was dotted with spires and domes. I couldn’t see any streets, but the breaks between rooftops seemed to radiate from a large dome in the center like a spiderweb. Olive spoke as he led us into a spiraling descent. “Welcome to Minos, boys and girls. Capital city and ancestral home of the Minotaurs.” I was at a loss for words as we approached one of the tunnels on the outside slopes on the north side, and came down softly on the roads. I hardly noticed the buzzing in my wings or the sticky, hot straps against my coat. We were finally here! No more flying, no more night watches, no more sleeping bags, no more rations! We were done. Part of me knew that we still had work to do, but it was remarkably easy to ignore that part as together we trotted down the road cut into the hill to a large iron gate set into the earth, patterned with a large symbol like a broken X imposed on a circle. I couldn’t help gaping as I saw Minotaurs for the first time in my life, two of them standing guard in front of the gate. They stood over twice the height of a pony, on two bowed legs that didn’t look big enough to support their massive shoulders and arms, which they held folded across their armored chests. Square iron clubs hung from both their belts and they wore crimson headclothes like little curtains behind their ears, and they watched us approach without moving. I suddenly felt oddly self-conscious of our own shining golden armor. I could almost feel Lightning gritting her teeth beside me, but Olive just trotted forward with a friendly smile, until he was close enough that I started seeing visions of him getting knocked into the air by one of those clubs, then he stopped and stood silently until one of the guards spoke. “State your business.” “Ambassador Olive Branch and escort, arrived from Canterlot and heading to the Equestrian Embassy. We should be expected.” The two minotaurs glanced at each other, then the same one as before spoke to us. “Wait here.” He took his club from his belt and turned to give the gate behind him two taps that rang sharply through the open tunnel. A moment passed in uncomfortable silence, then a small door I hadn’t noticed in the gate cracked open and a third minotaur poked his head out to have a hushed conversation with the guard who had knocked and spoken with us. The door closed again and the guard turned back to face us. “Your arrival has been awaited. The embassy is located on the far side of the city, at S-Two and Loun. You may enter.” There was no more warning before the heavy metal gates slowly swung open, making no noise despite there being no visible space between them and the ground, or the ceiling. The guards stepped aside without another word, and Olive glanced back at Lightning Dust and me, giving us a quick smile and a flash of his eyes before leading us into the city. The noonday sun was high and bright overhead as we left the entrance tunnel and came out onto a large city street. I almost tripped over my hooves as I took in the scene that appeared before me. The buildings on either side of us were three stories tall and full of open windows and planting boxes overflowing with greenery. Awnings in every shade of red and orange stretched over the sides of the road at different levels, the ones higher up often suspended across the whole street between buildings on both sides, and partially translucent, casting colored, overlapping shadows on the clay and stucco and sandstone that everything seemed to be made out of. Ahead of us the road sloped still downwards, so that even though the buildings grew taller and taller as they approached the center, they never reached any higher in the air than the ones at the edges. Through gaps in the awnings, we could see the far side of the city on the other side of the huge dome at the center, rising up to our level and the lip of the desert above. The buildings were so tall and crowded that hardly any of the sunlight made it all the way down unbothered by the awnings or the sharp corners of the rooftops. With the rocky exteriors, open windows like caves, and awnings stretched across almost like sails, it almost felt more like a city built into a canyon than a block of three-story apartment buildings. And everywhere there were minotaurs. Evidently this was a residential section of the city, because nearly all of the windows and doorways framed local citizens, working or talking or lounging in the shade or the sunshine. Clusters of youths leaned against alley walls, housewives leaned out of windows to hang linens, and there were even some market stalls set up against the walls of buildings, selling produce and simple crafts. And then I saw the goats. It took me a moment to realize that they were the biggest reason the whole scene was so hard to take in. Everywhere I looked, goats moved. Goats in shirts, in robes, in vests, in collars. They ran in groups, carrying baskets and packages, and they ran alone with envelopes and bags. Many of them followed one or two minotaurs as they walked down the street, but none of them seemed to be resting or walking or socializing. It was as if each and every one of them had a job to do. The city was alive and busy, and after so many days of empty wasteland and being alone with my two companions, it was all a little overwhelming. And they were watching us. Not all of them, of course, but many of the minotaurs around us were watching us surreptitiously or openly, their expressions (such as I could tell) ranging from suspicion to curiosity to open hostility. I gulped as we made way for a black carriage pulled by a team of four goats, driven by a tall minotaur bull wearing a dark toga who glanced down his snout at us as we passed. I shivered as I felt the stares of minotaur guards, standing at corners and strolling among the citizens on all sides. I glanced to my left and saw Lightning Dust looking around with wide eyes, her wings twitching and the corners of her mouth pulling indecisively up and down. Was she feeling the same things I was? It felt like I had woken up from a dream and found myself in a new world, where nothing in my past mattered and I would forever be a stranger. It wasn’t until I made eye contact with Olive Branch that I realized we had stopped moving. His smile grew slowly on his face as he watched the two of us, then he stepped closer so we could hear him over the noise of the city. “How about we get something to eat first?” he asked us. I exchanged a glance with Lightning Dust, who shrugged. My stomach growled and my wings ached, and I said nothing. “Come on,” Olive went on. “We’ll find something in the market.” Together we threaded our way deeper into the heart of Minos, and the streets grew busier and the stalls and awnings larger and more abundant. When we could see the end of the road in front of us and the shouting of merchants announcing their wares filled the air, Olive led us off to the side and began twisting his ears to listen while craning his neck to try and see past the crowd of minotaurs that towered over us. “Over there, I think,” Olive shouted back to us, pointing a hoof back up the street a ways. “Follow me!” I raised my nose to sniff the air, which was full of all sorts of interesting smells. Many of them I didn’t recognize and only most of them were anything close to pleasant, but I couldn’t quite identify what it was Olive had found. I looked around to see what was available. Of the stands selling food, most had exotic and local fruits and some vegetables, like tomatoes, olives, and grapes. There didn’t seem to be anything you’d expect to see in an Equestrian farmer’s market, like hay and alfalfa and flowers, though they did have some leafy herbs I didn’t recognize. And then there were foods I simply couldn’t identify. At least I thought they were foods. They seemed to be cooked and gave off a strong scent, but I didn’t see anyone actually eating them. I didn’t see anyone eating anything, actually. Those who did buy from the food stalls carried off their purchases in baskets or sealed containers, so I assumed the custom here was to eat all food at home, or at least indoors. The pieces of food I couldn’t figure out were grey and brown and glistened like the flesh of a fruit, and gave off a lot of steam when fresh off the grills behind the stands. I was very curious about them, but the smell wasn’t very enticing so I didn’t wonder too much. But then, of course, Olive came to a stop in front of a stall selling the stuff, this one in small, uneven balls on skewers with peppers and onions and spread with white sauce.The dressings actually did smell good enough to start my mouth watering, so I was surprised when Olive turned back to us with a completely serious expression on his face. “Do you know what this is?” he asked us in a voice we had to lean in to hear. “The brown things? No idea,” I answered. I turned to Lightning, and was even more surprised to see her eyebrows knit together in what looked like an expression of worry. “Is it what I think it is?” Olive held her gaze for a moment, but didn’t answer. He instead turned to the skinny minotaur bull behind the counter and asked for three. I may have imagined it, but I think the bull had an eyebrow raised as he handed Olive three skewers loaded with food. I accepted one when Olive held them out and examined the odd brown balls curiously, but Lightning hesitated before taking hers. Sensing that I should probably trust her on this, I waited before taking the first bite. Olive’s eyes glinted as he watched us, then he opened his mouth wide and took an entire ball into his mouth along with a pepper slice. Lightning’s jaw dropped as she watched him chew, a small smile on his face, and I just looked back and forth between them in growing confusion. “But— But—” Lightning sputtered as Olive took a second bite. “How. . . ? Why?” Olive swallowed and grinned at her, bits of brown between his teeth. “It’s not bad once you get used to it. Try it!” Lightning grimaced, and I realized she looked ill. Suddenly I began to feel a sneaking suspicion. Before long, Olive finished his meal and dropped his skewer into a basket filled with other used utensils, while Lightning just stared at the stick in her hoof and bit her lip. “Come on,” Olive urged her with narrowed eyes and an evil smile. “I dare you. I bet you won’t do it.” Lightning took a deep breath and gave her head a quick shake, then looked up at him and returned his grin with one of her own. “Fine.” She stuck the skewer into her mouth and bit off two entire balls of the stuff. I felt something heavy and cold drop into my stomach as I watched her chew, not moving her eyes away from Olive’s. Olive’s grin widened, and then the two of them turned to look at me, and I nearly flew away right then and there. “But. . . . You— You can’t. . . .” I began to step back, pushing against the cart still strapped to my back, my eyes widening with every step. “You didn’t seriously. . . . You don’t. . . .” “Come on, Plume,” Lightning prodded, still smiling like a cat approaching a cornered bird. “It’s your turn.” I bit my lip, and planted my hooves in a wide stance. “I won’t do it!” I declared. Olive’s smile began to harden, but Lightning’s grew ever wider as she narrowed her eyes and lowered her head as she stepped toward me, looking even more catlike than before. “Aw, don’t be like that, Plume!” she teased. “It’s just like eating your first brussel sprout! Not even that bad, really!” I wrinkled my nose and looked at her like she had turned into an ugly creature from a cave. “How dare you?” I asked, with as much righteous authority as I could muster. She halted in her approach and smirked. “How could you? How can you stand there and joke like that after you just ate part of a fellow creature?” I demanded, feeling sick to my stomach. “And you!” I continued, turning my gaze to our superior, who stood in the same spot with his hooves pressed together, his expression completely neutral, looking off to the side. “You call yourself—” “Plume.” I froze mid-sentence as Olive Branch looked me in the eyes. His one word, though quieter than anything else the three of us had said, was impossible to miss, even in the continuing bustle of the marketplace. “It’s time to grow up.” I blinked. I glared at him like he had just pushed somepony off a bridge. But I didn’t say anything. “The world isn’t as simple as it looked back home in Equestria. Right and wrong aren’t as simple. Out here you’re going to find people and ideas that make no sense to you, that you can’t imagine ever in your life agreeing with. You’ll learn things about cultures that you believe are repugnant or even evil. “But you know what?” he said, leaning in. “They feel the same way about us. Good and evil is as much about understanding and ignorance as it is about morality itself. You can’t make friends if you believe everything different from you is bad, and you can’t make allies if you think other cultures and beliefs are evil. “Remember, no one in the world truly believes in their heart that they are evil, themselves, even if the rest of the world disagrees. When you think about it that way, who are we to judge anyone? Before you can make a decision like that about a person, or a people, you have to make sure you really understand them.” Olive paused to meet the eyes of the meat vendor, who had been watching the whole scene quietly. “Minotaurs eat meat. They always have. In fact, Equestrians are some of the only people in the world who don’t. If you’re going to help me do my job here, and help Equestria anywhere else in the world, you’re not only going to have to get used to that idea, but accept it. And I say that means you’re going to have to try some meat.” I deflated a little under his gaze, and looked at the skewer still held in my upraised hoof, my stomach queasy. I wondered where this meat had come from, who it had once been a part of. Olive relaxed his posture as he watched me. “If it helps you at all, this animal knew what its body would be used for after it died, and would understand why you have to do this. Isn’t that right?” he asked the vendor, who raised his eyebrows before nodding hesitantly. Lightning Dust crossed her hooves, apparently bored with the whole thing. “Besides,” she added with a smirk, “it’s already dead anyway. You’re not going to save its life by refusing to eat it.” My stomach turned at that last part. Not really helping, Dust. I sighed. Still, logically, everything they were saying made sense, and I couldn’t really disagree with any of it on its own. Yet it wasn’t any easier than before for me to make the simple motion from my hoof to my mouth. Like brussel sprouts. My lip quivering, I closed my eyes, held my breath, and opened my mouth to take the first bite as quickly as I could. I poked myself in the throat with the skewer. Lightning and Olive and even the meat vendor all laughed while I gagged and coughed, and after that I resolved to just get it over with. Before I could stop myself, I moved my hoof and opened my mouth, and the meat was in. I chewed as little as possible and swallowed as quickly as I could, and tried my hardest to ignore the strong aftertaste, and when that didn’t work, to focus on the pungent sauce and grilled peppers. When it was all over, I took a deep breath to calm my fluttering heart, and looked up to see Olive’s warm smile. “Good job. I’ll finish it for you, if you want.” “Um, Olive?” Lightning began with an embarrassed smile. “Could you. . . finish mine, too?” she asked, holding out her skewer and looking pale. We shared a laugh, but my heart wasn’t in it. I was too busy being horrified at discovering that I was disappointed to give mine up. “Looks like this is it!” Olive announced as we stood at the corner of S-2 and Loun, near the center of the city. The chancery, or the actual building the embassy mission was headquartered in, was slightly smaller and slimmer in design than its neighbors, but the property it was built on was sloped up into a hill and planted with green Equestrian grass. The facade featured the same tall, fluted columns we had seen on some of the older buildings in Minos, and reminded me heavily of the architecture of Cloudsdale. It made me wonder if the two styles were related, and which one had influenced the other. The embassy was built with a lighter, pinker sandstone than the surrounding buildings, and had sliding plate windows with office blinds and flowered curtains instead of the swinging windows with dark drapes that were typical in Minos. The property was enclosed by a tall iron fence and an open gate, and just inside were two flagpoles, the one on the right flying the Equestrian flag, flapping slowly in a breeze I couldn’t feel, and the other flying a strange, geometric design of beige on a burnt red field, hanging limp and still. The Equestrian embassy had a welcoming exterior, at least in my opinion, but that welcome seemed largely unreturned, since there was no visible activity anywhere nearby. The way the huge buildings seemed to lean in on all sides, it almost felt like the city itself was watching the embassy as suspiciously as the minotaurs had watched us on our arrival. After unlatching me from the supply cart and parking it in an empty area in a corner of the property, Olive led us right up to the double doors and let himself in. Of course it was his embassy, but it still felt strange after so much trouble to get here not to have to knock or provide a password or something to get in. Inside was a normal lobby like any other I had ever been to in Equestria, but for once I was actually excited to talk to a receptionist. They had actual pony-sized couches here! The receptionist looked excited to see us, too. Or at least, as excited as any receptionist is capable of being, anyway. “Are you Mister Olive Branch, then?” the mare asked in monotone, hardly raising her eyes to greet us. “That’s right. We’re finally here!” Olive answered, his typical cheer standing out especially sharply against the receptionist's dull demeanor, which seemed to be soaked into the entire room around us. The mare blew a curl of her charcoal-grey mane out of her face as she scribbled something with a stiff quill held in her magic. Lightning and I met each other’s eyes for a moment, eyebrows raised. “You’ll want to meet with Sir Chintzendale,” the receptionist stated, looking back up from under heavy eyelids and heavier eyelashes. “He’ll help you get acquainted with the embassy.” “Thank you, Miss. . . ,” Olive prompted, his head cocked to the point of exaggeration. I tried not to smile. “Percolator. Percolator Peggy.” If there was any emotion in her voice, it was a dare to say anything, anything at all, about her name. “Miss Peggy,” Olive confirmed with another smile and a nod. It may have just been the week I spent with the stallion, but I almost felt like he was smiling at us instead of ‘Miss Peggy.’ “And when and where could I find this Sir Chintzendale?” Percolator Peggy looked back down at the papers in front of her behind the counter and out of our sight, but she didn’t seem to actually be checking anything. “I believe he’s still in his office. Your office, now, as well. Sixth floor, second from the top, just follow the sign.” I’m sure another receptionist would have said something more in parting out of courtesy, especially to a new boss, but Peggy said nothing and Olive didn’t seem to question it. “Thank you. And can you point my escorts to the security offices?” Percolator Peggy looked back up and blinked as her gaze slid from Olive to the two of us, standing behind him. She blinked again. What in Equestria is going on in that mare’s head? “Third floor, Lieutenant Mint Zephyr’s office. Follow the sign.” “Thank you again.” Olive finally turned away from the desk, though Peggy had already resumed ignoring us. “You two go ahead and report in, then take the rest of the day off. If you want to explore the city, I strongly recommend taking someone along who knows where they’re going. Meanwhile, I’ll be meeting this Sir Chintzendale.” He stuck his tongue in his cheek and bobbed his eyebrows, then turned to head for the elevator. Then he stopped. “Actually,” he said, looking at us again, “Lightning Dust, I’ll probably be wanting your help later. Keep yourself available until I send for you. And Corporal Plumage?” I perked up my ears, for some reason very interested in what he was about to say. I hated that about Olive Branch, sometimes. “I’m making you Head of Security for the whole embassy. Good luck!” With that, he turned and trotted off to the elevator, leaving me and Lightning Dust standing in front of the reception desk with our mouths hanging open. I can say without exaggeration that my mouth didn’t close once on our way up to the security offices. Lightning’s mouth, on the other hoof, didn’t stop working the whole time. She didn’t always form coherent words, however. “Head of. . . ? Bu— Plume. . . . What could. . . . I mean. . . . What am I supposed to. . . . Ehhh. . . ?” When we found ourselves in front of the door emblazoned with SECURITY - LT. MINT ZEPHYR in gold lettering, we did nothing but stand there staring blankly ahead for a few moments until Lightning shook her head and looked at me. “Hey,” she said, giving me a rough nudge, our armor clinking together. I roused myself and met her eyes. “Let’s go.” I nodded, swallowed, and knocked on the door with a hoof. After a moment, a voice called, “Come in,” and we did. The office of the Head of Security was separated from the rest of the floor by shuttered windows, and was probably enchanted to be soundproof. There wasn’t much in the way of decoration, just an Equestrian flag in the corner and a small portrait of Celestia on the wall to our right. Hanging over the window behind the desk was a sash from a Royal Guard dress uniform, pinned with two small golden medals. The desk was simple and uncluttered, but still not organized either. Seated behind it, looking at us expectantly but not uncuriously, was the pegasus stallion I presumed to be Lieutenant Mint Zephyr. “Yes?” he asked. Lightning and I straightened up to attention, and after a moment’s hesitation, I answered for us. I was going to be the one in charge, after all. Apparently. “Escorts for Ambassador Olive Branch reporting on arrival and for duty, sir. Corporals Plumage and Lightning Dust.” Mint Zephyr leaned back in his seat a little, his expression unchanging. His color scheme was just what I had imagined from his name. He had an extremely pale green coat, and his mane was striped in pastel green and turquoise, and cut short in a very militaristic style. He seemed much younger than most lieutenants I had known, and his green eyes had a sort of youthful energy that made him seem simultaneously focused and detached. All in all, he was very hard to read just by looking. I wondered how he would take the news that he was being replaced. “The new ambassador is here, then? That’s good. At ease.” He got up from his chair and began to pace around the office as we settled into a more relaxed stance. “I was starting to get a little nervous since he didn’t arrive last night when he was supposed to. Did you run into trouble on the way here?” He came to a stop at the corner of his desk to our left, and I tried to find words to summarize the reason for our late arrival. Lightning Dust beat me to it. “Nothing we couldn’t handle, sir.” I gave a very brief glance in her direction. She sounded awfully smug, considering we “handled” the situation by running away with our tails literally on fire. “That’s good to hear,” Lieutenant Zephyr said. “I don’t think we could handle losing another ambassador again, so soon.” He stood there for a moment, looking out the window to the east, the gentle slope of rooftops just visible above lit up brilliantly by the lowering sun and the alleyway below cast in shadow already, the first lamps being lit for the upcoming night. For the first time in days, I remembered the reason we were here in the first place, and how this all must feel for the ponies of the embassy. For a moment I felt guilty for being there, like we were intruders at a family dinner, or a private funeral. Zephyr sighed heavily. “Well, on to business. My understanding is that the two of you will be joining our staff here in Minos, at least until the end of your current tour. Is that correct?” “Yes, sir!” we answered together. “Good. Now, forgive me, but the phrasing of the orders I received were a little unclear. Has the ambassador given the two of you any special assignments of any kind? Any instructions after your arrival?” Once again, Lightning and I shared a quick glance. “The ambassador advised me to keep myself available until he calls for me,” Lightning answered. “But. . . um. . . . Well. . . .” Mint Zephyr raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Corporal?” Lightning gave me a sheepish look, then finished: “He said he’s putting Corporal Plumage in charge of Security.” Darn it, Lightning! Or maybe, ‘darn it, Olive’? Anyway, one of you is responsible for breaking the lieutenant.