//------------------------------// // The Mission // Story: Into That Wild Blue Yonder // by CptBrony //------------------------------// Part Two: The Guard The young man and Colm had been travelling together for some weeks now, bumming at several ponies’ homes along the way thanks to the young man’s status as a human. They even managed to eat for free most of the time, and still had their money saved up. It fed the young man’s stingy attitude and only encouraged him to try to avoid paying for things. They had gotten to know each other much better over the time of their journey. There wasn’t a massive amount to Colm’s story; he grew up in the village, parents killed by the Tong, and he moved from house to house because no single family was able to take him in fully. He knew everyone as close friends, but they weren’t really family to him. The young man shared his personal history, to an extent, with his new friend; His martial arts, his various hobbies and athleticism, his life with his friends. He had yet to tell him about University and his future plans, though. None of that relevant at the moment, and Cold had yet to ask, so the young man wasn’t telling just yet. Colm was more than a little impressed. Admittedly, a pony in a more modern setting might not be so impressed, but it’s like taking a villager from a second-world nation and bringing them to New York City; they’re astounded at what humans managed to build. While ponies to the west might not be as impressed; the young man had no idea what they had done; ponies like Colm were fascinated. “So tell me,” Colm said. “When ya want to take a poop and yer in the city, you can just go to designated rooms?” “Yeah,” the young man said with a chuckle. Colm grew up with way less than he ever had. “They’re called Restrooms.” “Sweet Celestia,” Colm said. “There’s no way most of your world is this way,” the young man said. “I have to believe there’s something modern out there, based on how highly you speak of Equestria.” “Well, Man, there is some stuff like that, but the culture ain’t the same,” Colm said. “We use our dooky as fertilizer in most societies, I hear, so we can’t just flush it away like you. We still have ta deal with the smell a bit.” “Oh boy,” the young man said sarcastically. “I can’t wait to see your magnificent cities.” “They ain’t mine,” Colm said. “Thank Celestia for that. I want to see a city, but dealing with actually living there? No way!” “You keep saying Celestia like she’s God,” the young man commented. “God?” Colm said. “You say that like there’s only one.” “Generally speaking, my culture and many larger cultures in my world are monotheistic,” the young man explained. “People often only worship one god.” “Ah, I see,” Colm said. “Well, I’ve never been certain on any of it myself. I just know Celestia is one of the most powerful beings here and she’s one of just a few with that kind of power.” “A few?” the young man asked. “There’s been a bunch, some of them not so nice,” Colm began. “I suppose I should start at the beginning?” “Just take them one by one,” the young man said. “I’ll start with the royal sisters, then,” Colm said. “You know the name of one, Celestia, the Princess of the Sun. She’s the ruler of Equestria currently. She’s benevolent and kind, and does an excellent job.” “Given how you say ‘Thank Celestia’, I could have guessed that,” the young man said. Colm went on. “Her sister was a different story. Luna. She was nice at first, controlled the moon and helped ponies with nightmares in the night. Rumor is, she also guides the dead to the afterlife. Then, one day, she was so jealous of the love her sister got, she went crazy and became Nightmare Moon. Real shame, that.” “What happened? The young man asked. “She tried to take full control, make the night last forever. She failed, thankfully; eternal night would have killed crops. She was then banished to the moon and is still there today.” Colm sighed. “She was a looker, based on the paintings. They both are, but Luna seemed less… matronly.” “Understandable,” the young man said. “Someday she’ll be back, hopefully better, but we have no way of knowing when,” Colm said. “Pray for the best. “So who are these others?” the young man asked. “Well, there’s Discord, Spirit of Chaos,” Colm said. “Causes mayhem wherever he went for laughs. Tried to control the world, succeeded for a bit, too, but the royal sisters defeated him and set him in stone.” “Pulled a Han Solo on him,” the young man commented. Colm looked curiously at him, then continued. “He’s still locked in his statue today, sitting in the royal gardens. The only thing that can wake him up is ‘structured disorder is replaced with simple chaos’,” Colm said. “Not sure what that means, but I’m sure it’s a bad omen.” “Hope I’m not around for it,” the young man said. “You and me both, Man,” Colm said. “Any others?’ the young man asked. “Well, there was Tirek, a right bastard in his own way. Wanted to take over the pony world and gain power for power’s sake. He was pure evil. There was also King Sombra of the Crystal Empire, but the entire Crystal Empire is gone, so no one knows where he really is,” Colm said. “That sounds really, really bad,” the young man said. “No kidding,” Colm said. “But yeah, these are our most powerful figures, so we usually bow to them. You’ll understand if you meet one.” “I don’t bow to anyone,” the young man said. “Your funeral,” Colm said. “Better to die on your feet than live on your knees,” the young man said. “That ruins your joints.” “What about your world?” Colm asked. “There’s too many religions and gods in my world to know them all,” the young man said. “I couldn’t tell you much. Just that when people disagree on it, they tend to get violent pretty easily.” “That’s no good,” Colm said. “Of course, we have that problem as well.” “I could tell you about a few things, but man, there’s way too much,” the young man said. “I could write a dozen volumes of general knowledge and still have a hundred to go.” “Man, you have a lot of crazy stuff in your world,” Colm said. “You don’t know the half of it,” the young man said. “So, how long until the next village?” Colm asked. “If I remember right from those ponies, it won’t be a village,” the young man said, recollecting. “It should be a mountainside city. We have at least another day and a half of travel.” “Aghuhgughagh,” Colm whined. “Don’t be a little girl,” the young man said with a laugh. “It’s not THAT far. We’ll camp out in a couple of hours for the night, then double time it tomorrow to get there sooner.” “Sounds good to me,” Colm said. “Any idea how many ponies live in the city?” “Not a clue,” the young man said. “Forgot to ask. I’m sure we’ll be able to bum around again.” “I know we’re leaving the pony territories soon, right on the edge,” Colm said. “We might start finding griffons. They like living in the mountains.” “Oh boy,” the young man said. “More Yafids.” “Hey now, no speciesism,” Com said. “That’s a quick way to get clawed by these goons.” The young man gave Colm an incredulous look. “Yeah. Right,” the young man said. The duo kept onward and came to a good spot to camp out for the night. The nights tended to get pretty cold, but the young man’s gi was decent enough for keeping the cold out and Colm was used to living in the environment. It also helped that they had gotten bags from the previous village for carrying the few things they had between them, so they each used one bag as a sleeping bag. The young man’s bag was too small, so he punched his feet through so it would be usable. When morning came, they picked up and left. Colm wasn’t terribly happy about the torn bag, but the young man argued that it didn’t matter since they only needed one bag to carry all their stuff. Colm reluctantly accepted the argument and they were on their way, he young man now with a new vest. “Still say you shouldn’t’a done that,” Colm said. “Ah, put a sock in it,” the young man said. “I’m way better off with this, and you’re not carrying that much.” “I’m carrying a bag of bits. That gets pretty dang heavy,” Colm complained. “Do you need the big, strong human to take care of it?” the young man asked. “Oh, woe to me, who art too weak ta carry the cash,” Colm said. The young man gave him a look and then took the bag. “You’re a character,” the young man said. “I’d rather be a character than a sideshow,” Colm said. The young man couldn’t argue against that. “I guess,” the young man said. “Though I suppose the look works for you,” Colm teased. “Now ya look like a real bum.” “Minus the white pants,” the young man said. “And the white sleeves. Too bad you can’t see the belt underneath.” “Why do ya wear that?” Colm asked. “I don’t see any real use fer it.” “Well…” the young man started. It took him a moment to think of something. “It holds the outfit together. And it symbolizes my rank. Plus I could use it as a weapon.” “But those aren’t the reasons why ya do wear it,” Colm said. The young man shrugged. “Honestly, it feels like it’s a part of me. I’m not about to let it go when I could just wear it.” “Ah, I suppose I can accept that,” Colm said. “It’s got its uses. Just make sure ya utilize them if you can.” “If I want,” the young man said. “How much farther until we get to the city?” Colm asked. The young man looked fruitlessly ahead. “Well, I can’t say for certain, but we could make it by the end of the day. The landscape is already starting to change; fewer trees around; so we can’t be far.” “Approaching Griffon territory,” Colm said. “I’m not exactly hunky-dory about it myself, but we don’t seem to have a choice. Let’s just get moving,” the young man said. The duo continued forward along the road. It was becoming less of a dirt road and more of a gravel path, much to the young man’s chagrin. He had no shoes, s stepping on the rocks wasn’t the most pleasant experience he was having. He had some callouses on hi feet from being a runner, but not exactly the kind that help with walking barefoot anywhere. The young man was becoming more and more aware of his surroundings as they changed before him. The ground was becoming less flat, with actual hills up ahead, and the landscape definitely favored creatures that could fly. No wonder the griffons liked it; no one could bother them. They stopped at the foot of a large hill. Colm looked up with mild despair, while the young man just sighed and hated everything about his current situation. There was simply no reason for this all to be happening. “Now’s a time to push forward, Colm,” the young man said. “Man, you better help me if I can’t make it,” Colm said. The funny thing was, the travelling wasn’t even that hard. It was just that neither of the two were used to traveling on foot for so long. They started their climb up the hill. The hill wasn’t really that bad, but after days of travelling by foot and hoof, it was a real task. As they approached the top of the hill, Colm heard voices from up top. “Wait!” Colm said in a hushed voice. “What?” the young man replied, not in a hushed voice. “Shhh!” Colm hissed. “Who goes there?!” a voice boomed form over the hill. “Oh,” the young man said. “That.” “Yes, that,” Colm said. “Ya hard of hearing?” “I’m only ever hard of one thing,” the young man said. “I said, who goes there?!” the voice boomed again. “Travellers!” Colm shouted. “Ponies?” the voice replied. “One pony,” the young man said. “And what are you?” the voice asked. The young man and Colm continued up the hill and hit the top, where they found a crew of a dozen griffons armed with spears around a cart. “A human,” the young man said. The griffons all stared at him intently, as if trying to blink him into being a pony. When the human before them remained in place, they pointed their spear tips at him and held their ground. “What brings you here?” the same voice, from the apparent captain of the group, asked. “We’re trying to get to Princess Celestia,” the young man said. “She might be able ta get him home,” Colm explained. The guards lowered their spears. “Alright,” the captain said. He went and knocked on the door to the cart. “Sire, there’s a human out here!” Before the young man could explain that he was going to be on his way, the door burst open and a very fat griffon exploded out of the cart in an excited frenzy. When he laid eyes on the young man and Colm, he froze. “So, the rumors are true,” he said. “I guess?” the young man said. “What is your name?” the griffon asked. “Don’t see as it matters much,” the young man replied. “The rumors are quite true, then,” the griffon said. “Ah’m Colm Winds,” Colm said. “Did I ask?” the griffon said. “No, but he did the courtesy of telling you,” the young man said. “How dare you talk to the king that way!” the griffon captain said. “King?” the young man said. The king nodded. “I don’t do kings.” “Well, you will when we-“ “Captain, please,” the king said. “Let’s not create a scene that needs a crew to clean later.” “Yes, sir,” the captain said, seething. “I am King Yakesh,” the king said. “I rule these lands from the Mountain City.” “Ah,” the young man said. “We were actually going there to get directions to Equestria.” “Well, I am going back home now,” King Yakesh said. “Come with me. I’d like to make you an offer.” “Free ride?” the young man asked. The king nodded. “We’ll come right along.” The King looked distastefully at Colm, a glance lost neither on Colm nor the young man, but they figured they might as well use this. It’s not often you get a king to offer you a ride. Colm, the young man, and King Yakesh got into his chariot, which was just big enough for the three of them, and soon after, they went off. Initially, everyone was silent as they rode along, every bump painfully present on their behinds. It was still better than further use of their feet and/or hooves, though. And from the look of it, this king wouldn’t be able to walk very far himself. Could he even fly with all that weight? “So, human,” King Yakesh began. “You stumbled into my lands on this day; I rule this area from the city you were travelling to.” “They’re very nice lands,” the young man said uncertainly. What do you say to a king, anyway? “Much prime farmland across my small; but powerful; kingdom,” King Yakesh said. “You’re friend… Colm? Seems like he would know.” “I would,” Colm said. “I was hesitant to step on some of it because I figured someone would want to use it.” The king beamed. “Indeed! Very fertile, perfect for growing the few crops we eat and the others we use in hunting.” “Mah village once had soil like that, decades ago,” Colm said. “Yes, I believe I know what you are referencing,” King Yakesh said. “Really?” the young man said. “Word travels fast in these parts,” King Yakesh explained. “We already know of the downfall of a portion of the Blooded Tong gang. Your combat skills have already become something of a local legend.” “He is pretty good,” Colm chimed in. “Good enough to suit my purposes,” the young man said. “And possibly mine,” King Yakesh said. “Yours?” the young man said. “You see, when I was telling you about our fertile and prosperous lands, I was getting at how jealous some of our neighbors are,” King Yakesh said. “They would do what they can to take these lands.” “I don’t know much about royal rivalries and relations,” the young man said. “Just a villager,” Colm said. “Well, let me explain the situation, then,” King Yakesh said. “My daughter is going to marry a prince of a kingdom on the opposite of one of our greatest enemies. Should we do this, they will be incapable of defeating our combined forces in a two-front war.” “I’m guessing that the marriage is about the only thing that’ll seal the deal?” the young man said. “Precisely,” King Yakesh said. “I’ve offered other things, but the prince there only wants my daughter. She is quite beautiful.” King Yakesh smirked, but neither the young man nor Colm moved. “Very enviable.” “I mean, I wouldn’t know,” the young man said. “I like human women.” “Ain’t seen a girl griffon,” Colm said. “My, you led a boring life,” King Yakesh said. “It just started recently,” Colm said. “Back to my point,” King Yakesh said. “These are powers in the works attempting to prevent the marriage of my daughter to the prince, leaving my kingdom vulnerable to an attack or sanctions. I need the marriage to happen.” “What exactly do you think we can do about it?” Colm asked. “We’re a man and a stallion.” “You are a great warrior,” King Yakesh said, looking at the young man. “I need you to work with me and my army.” “Uhhh…” the young man said, sucking through his teeth. “I don’t think that’ll really work.” “Why is that?” King Yakesh said, sounding suspiciously more serious. “I mean, well… I’m a fighter, not a teacher, I can’t do that,” the young man started. “I’ve also got some bad blood on my tail, so I’m on the run, and I’m trying to get home, which I don’t have a lot of time to do-“ “I don’t need you to wage war,” King Yakesh broke in. The young man sighed with relief. “My daughter has a guard unit, the best of my army, but I fear they may not be enough. I want you to guard her.” “Oh,” the young man said. Colm silently watched the dealings proceed. “Well, how long would this be?” “Only until she is married and out of my talons,” King Yakesh said. “About two weeks time, maybe three if there are delays.” “I think we could do that,” the young man said. “We?” King Yakesh asked, looking at Colm. “What, you think I took out the Tong completely on my own?” the young man said. “Had this clown decided to help earlier, it would’ve been a couple of minutes and then done.” “He’s good?” King Yakesh asked in apparent disbelief. “Hard to believe?” Colm asked, irritated. The young man elbowed him in the side. “Hmmm… Very well,” King Yakesh said. “The two of you will be my daughter’s personal guards.” “Hang on, though,” Colm said, earning a curious look from King Yakesh and a highly agitated look from his companion. “Say this is too dangerous, even for us. We have to escape. What then?” “Trespassers and fugitives are not given leniency in my kingdom,” King Yakesh said darkly. The young man put his hand over Colm’s mouth. “Well, I guess we know how to deal with any attackers! Ahahaha, haha, ha…” He smiled nervously at the King, who smiled and clapped his claws together. “Excellent!” he said. “I will inform my captain of the plan now.” The king opened a hatch in the roof and stuck his head out to tell the captain of his guard troop what was going on. The young man gripped Colm’s muzzle to keep it shut. “What the HELL was that?!” he whispered loudly. “Why did you ask that?!” He released Colm’s muzzle, and Colm went for a bite on his hand, but missed. “I needed to know! What if something goes totally wrong?” Colm said angrily. “This new thing called improvising?” the young man said. “It’s not that hard.” “You suck at it!” Colm said. “How about that guy you KICKED OFF A MOUNTAIN?” “Hey, it worked!” the young man said. “Hardly!” Colm replied. “Ugh! Look, stop asking idiotic questions, and let’s just do what we told him we would,” the young man said. “If things get too heated, we can-“ “There, all is set!” King Yakesh said, driving the young man to shut up immediately and give a big, fake smile. Just to be safe, he grabbed Colm’s muzzle again, much to the stallion’s displeasure. “Great!” the young man said. “I suppose we’ll work out any other details when we get there?” “Yes, we’ll give you your living quarters when we arrive,” King Yakesh said. “I’ll likely stick you in my daughter’s room, since I know neither of you would even be interested in trying something. She won’t like it, but that is of little consequence with the situation.” “I get the feeling that it’s never been of consequence,” the young man thought. “Long as she doesn’t claw us out of spite,” Colm joked. “Haha!” King Yakesh laughed. “I hope not!” For the lives of them, the duo certainly hoped not as well. They had just jumped from fighting a bunch of small-time thugs to possibly becoming security forces in a war; the last thing they needed was their charge fighting them too.