Strider

by Olakaan Peliik

Trottingham

I was beginning to dislike the sound of trains. We had been on the train to Maneattan for three hours so far. We had gotten up at two in the morning to catch the earliest train. After that, we were set to board an airship bound for Trottingham. Stone was fast asleep in his seat across from me.

I was trying to get a nap in before we get to Manehattan, but on my left, Snow was still fussing over her textbooks. Luckily there were hardly any other guards in the car with us, and no officers that I could see. Not that anypony else was paying us any attention. It was so early everypony was asleep.

“I don’t understand ‘going with instinct.’ There are all these other rules.” Snow put a hoof to her chin. “What if I follow my instincts and they’re wrong?”

It had been only a few days since our kiss in the photo booth and I still got goosebumps when I thought about it, even as tired as I was.

I sat up to look at her, exhaustion clear on my face. “Snow. Please put the book down,” I instructed.

“But—” she began to protest.

I used a wing to push the book onto the seat and close it. I then used the same wing to pull Snow in closer to me. “Sleep.”

“But I—”

“No,” I interrupted, I kissed her cheek in an attempt to draw her attention farther from the book. “Sleep,” I laid down and closed my eyes.

She said nothing. I could feel her fidgeting beside me. “Oh fine,” Snow whispered. She laid her head down next to mine and leaned into me.

I could hear and feel her calming down. I forced myself to stay awake to ensure she didn’t go back to studying. “Strider?” she whispered.

I didn’t open my eyes. “Mm?” I grunted in acknowledgment.

I felt her shift and kiss my cheek. Butterflies danced in my stomach. I cracked my eyes and nuzzled her cheek; she hummed contentedly. I got comfortable again and enjoyed the remainder of the train ride.

---

We arrived in Manehattan fifteen minutes late. Apparently, some goats had to be ushered off the tracks a while back. Stone took the lead in getting to the docks; with his bulk, he was perfect for getting through the Manehattan crowds. Snow was right behind him, studying the map. I formed the caboose of our pony train, not that I was complaining. I liked the view from behind Snow.

What can I say? She had a fine flank.

“Which way now?” Stone asked.

“Make a right up ahead,” Snow said, directing us toward the docks. Stone took the right and the crowd started to thin out. Which was good for me, because I was about ready to take to the air rather than be stuck in that crowd any longer.

We were all quiet as we searched for the airship. Mostly because this city was loud and I found it hard hear myself think. The ship we were searching for was a repurposed Navy transport vessel called TMS Destiny, with a total passenger count of exactly one hundred and one. It’s not meant for glamorous or comfortable travel, just getting from A to B, and it’s a favorite for the Militaries and Guards.

Once getting to the docks I realized it would be hard to miss the ship even if we tried. Its dark brown hull and white air balloon made it stick out like a sore hoof. Magically charged propellers gave it its movement. The ship still sported cannons and mounted heavy crossbows to deter pirates and other things that may want to attack a ship. Not that such an attack would be a good idea since seventy-five percent of the ship’s population would easily be trained soldiers or guards for the majority of its voyages.

I had to hand it to the earth ponies and unicorns who crafted this. These airships were impressive. This ship had a now seven city route. They had finally added the Dragonlands to its route and were dropping off a large group of volunteer Sergeants from all sides of our military in Crater, apparently to train a dragon guard force there. A part of our growing relations with the Dragonlands.

“This way,” Snow said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

We made our way onto the on-ramp for the Destiny. A guard unicorn in Manehattan style armor was standing at the base of the ramp, comparing papers to the list he held in his magic. He was fast so the line was very short. “Names, and papers?” he requested when we got to the front of the line.

Snow levitated out our papers. “Snow, Stone, and Flame Strider,” she told him as he flipped to the F’s and then the S’s of the list.

“Check, check, and check. Trottingham for training?” he asked.

“We’re always learning,” I said to him with a smile.

“That we are,” he agreed, nodding for us to board.

---

We were a few hours into the journey aboard the Destiny. Our bunks were near the bow of the ship, on the starboard side. The midship was where the galley was, as well as the common area. Stone and I had decided we wanted to stay in our room for the time being while Snow explored the ship for a while.

It was too quiet, even with the creaking of the ship, and when things are quiet, I find that my thoughts often go places where I don’t want them to go. I found myself worrying about what would happen if Snow and I got found out after one of us became Sergeant. Would one of us have to transfer? Would we get kicked out for fraternization?

Our fourth bunkmate was a Sergeant named Triple Six, a training instructor from Canterlot. I recognized him from the Academy; he trained a different company than mine, Echo Company Three Thirteen. I was Delta Three Thirteen. He was an averagely sized earth pony. His coat was a pale gold color, while his mane was a cloudy silver. His cutie mark showed three sides of a six-sided die each side had six dots on it. I noticed a small engraved gold earring at the base of his left ear. It was an uncommon way for an earth pony to show that he was married; usually, they wore the rings on necklaces. Perhaps he’d be a good pony to ask about guard relationships.

I sat up on my bunk. “Sergeant, may I ask a question?” Since we were both off duty and in travel conditions, some formalities, like standing at attention when speaking, could be dropped.

“I don’t see why not,” he said as he perused a book in front of him.

I briefly hesitated but I don’t think he noticed. “Relationships within the guard. What actually are the regulations on them?”

Six blinked and closed his book, turning to look at me. “Were you one of mine in the Canterlot Academy?”

“I was Delta Company while you were Echo Company, Sergeant.”

“I see.” He nodded. “Why? There a mare you’re smitten with?”

I said nothing and just rubbed the back of my neck. Pretty sure I was blushing a little.

Six raised an eyebrow. “Oh, more than smitten I see. Where you headed right now?”

“Trottingham, Sergeant,” I said, regaining my composure.

“To Sergeant training undoubtedly.” He sat up a little more. “Well, I’ve always felt that as far as relationships go within the Guard, they are more like guidelines.”

Not a clue in Equestria what he was talking about. “I’m afraid I don’t understand Sergeant.”

“Think about it, kid. Part of our job description is to be close to our partners: we have to know them just as well as they do in order achieve perfect unit cohesion. Yet they don’t want us to form emotional bonds,” Six explained.

I glanced up at Stone, who was above the sergeant on his bunk. He had started listening as well. “I think I see what you’re getting at, Sergeant,” I said.

“Well even if you don’t want to bond with your coworkers, you will in time. I’ve been doing this a long time; it’s the exact way I met my wife, in fact. We bonded over yelling at a bunch of newbies. Now she commands the Three-Thirty-Seven training regiment in Canterlot as a lieutenant.” He smiled warmly at the thought.

“Only one out of the two of them will be promoted to Sergeant though. How do they deal with that?” Stone asked.

“Stone!” I said, feeling my face heat up.

“What? I notice things. Like a few days ago when you two went out, Snow came back with a stuffed polar bear and the biggest smile I’ve seen on her face,” he rambled. I glared until it hit him. “Oh, too much info?” he asked.

“A little, yeah,” I said to him.

“Don’t worry there. It’s not my place anymore to say anything. If you were still in the Academy, however, it’d be a different story.” Six picked up his book and reopened it. “All I can advise is caution. Don’t lie about it if asked, but you don’t have to mention it either, and remember that our duty comes first, no matter the cost.” Six went back to his book.

Stone looked over at me and shrugged, and I shrugged back. I settled back into my bunk and attempted to take another nap. Snow would be back soon and would probably want to talk my ear off.

---

We arrived in Trottingham on schedule. A Trottingham unicorn Guard Sergeant was there to greet all the guards arriving for training and take us to our hotel. There were other Guards on patrol nearby, but I noticed that the unicorns and earth ponies here were very tall; that raised some questions about Snow’s heritage. I had yet to see any pegasi guards here.

The Guard Armor here was...‘Modernly Old’ is the best way to say it, I think. It was the finest forged steel forming plate armor sporting cloth banners of the city’s flag, with a chainmail shirt underneath. The helm alone looked intimidating: a steel crest in place of where the mane was supposed to stick out, and shingled plates protecting the back of the neck. Hoofguards that look like they could crush a hydra’s skull completed the ensemble.

“I want a set of that armor,” I whispered to Snow and Stone.

They looked at the Sergeant in front of us. “I doubt you’d be able to fly in it.” Snow commented.

“I don’t care. It looks awesome,” I smiled.

“I’m with Strider on this one. It looks awesome,” Stone repeated.

I heard Snow groan under her breath. “Stallions.”

I soon realized that the Trottingham Guard matched the city itself. The city had plenty of steel and glass buildings that made it recognizable as a modern city, but in some places, you see a glimpse of the old times, like the castles in the distance, and other stone buildings that looked out of place among the newer ones. In a way it was similar to Baltimare, but with a larger time gap.

The hotel was on the outer area of the city. Stone Snow and I got our assigned room on the eighth floor, room three four seven. We had the run of the hotel for the evening. In the morning, seven-am sharp, we had to be at the local guard complex for training.

“Where we gonna eat?” Stone asked.

“You always want food. Is that all you think about?” Snow asked.

I answered for him. “Do you not?” Snow just rolled her eyes. “Seriously though, I saw a nice diner on the ground floor of the hotel. Might be worth checking out.”

“A diner sounds lovely.” Snow said heading out the door.

Stone and I followed down to the ground floor and started weaving our way through the thin crowd. I looked around. Trottingham wasn't known for gambling. But it was the only other city besides Las Pegasus that allowed it. So there was an entire area of the hotel sectioned off for gambling. Poker, blackjack, craps, even a few slot machines. I could hear cheers and ringing bells, the unmistakable sounds of winning, while we walked past.

“Strider?” Snow asked me.

Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts. When had I stopped moving? “It’s nothing. I'm famished, let’s get some food.”

Snow looked between me and something behind me. “Okay,” she said, shrugging it off.

I wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but I’m glad it was nothing she wanted to make a big deal over. While we had our dinner, we talked about our to-be-learned subjects. Tomorrow was when the fun would begin.

---

I was wrong, oh so wrong. The subject for the first class of the week, surprise! Criminal psychology, the bane of my existence. I swear I couldn’t remember half of the reading material. But I sat there and paid attention as best I could while the instructor droned on about strain theories and developmental problems and the like.

It was a twelve hour class with a one-hour lunch break put in the middle. Snow was in a different classroom today learning something else. Stone was probably knees deep in the mud right now.

A bell rang out, startling me to alertness just as I was about to nod off. “Alright, break time. Be back in your seats in an hour,” the instructor said.

I was relieved that it was halfway over, but the knowledge that had another six hours to go dimmed my happiness. Standing up, I felt my muscles resisting, so I took exaggerated steps to get them to loosen up.

Finding the mess hall took a few minutes. The Trottingham Guard, Army Garrison, and Navy Command were all housed in this same old-time fort. I'm pretty sure it was once a castle. Their Mess Hall was much nicer than the one back in Baltimare.

Everypony had the same lunch hour, so once I had my food I started looking for Snow or Stone. Finding that Frosty blue mane of Snow’s was easy enough in this crowd. But I didn't see Stone.

“Hey, Snow,” I said, sitting down beside her. “Where's Stone?”

“The S.W.A.T classes are eating out in the field today. Or so I was told.” Snow admitted. “Listen I wanted to talk to you about something.” She paused for a moment, looking as though she were turning the thought over in her head, then spoke. “Since we are in Trottingham, my birthplace. My grandparents are not far from here so I was thinking—”

“You want to go see them?” I asked.

“Well yeah. But I was hoping that you'd come with me,” she said scooting closer.

“Oh, I see. You want to show me off to the family, is that it?” I was amused by this, and couldn't help but poke a little fun.

“I’m serious. I was an only child growing up and the closest thing I have to a sister is my cousin Icicle, who lives with my grandparents. She needs to approve of you or else this relationship is doomed.”

Uh-oh. “Well then. I guess that I have to go huh?”

“It will be after classes, just before we go back to Baltimare, I've already worked it into our schedule.”

“You always plan this far ahead?”

“Not always.” Snow said as she went back to her meal.

I eyed the beautiful mare beside me and went back to my meal as well. We weren't holding hooves, I didn't have my wing around her or anything, but just knowing she was there was enough for me to get chills up my spine.

---

Five more minutes! Come on you stupid clock tick faster! I mentally screamed at the clock above the Sergeant at the head of the class. We had until eight pm to finish our tests. I finished mine twenty-five minutes ago, but only got done checking my work ten minutes ago.

Stone and the S.W.A.T. classes were supposedly camping out tonight for training. Which meant I'd be by myself tonight.

I sat there, eyes glued to the clock with my Criminal Psychology test face down under my hooves. A timer suddenly went off on the Sergeant’s desk. Was the clock three minutes behind? That's just mean.

“Pencils down, ponies. Time's up. Bring your test up to me and you're free for the night. Be back in this classroom by seven am for your next class in the morning.”

I walked up and set my test on the desk in front of the Sergeant who was waiting patiently. Once that was done I exited the fort and went back to the hotel. I flew. I didn’t want to deal with the hoof traffic below.

I landed outside the hotel and trotted inside. On my way to the elevator, I heard cheering. Looking over I saw the gambling room again. One game couldn't hurt, could it? I thought to myself.

I had about fifty bits I had allowed myself for spending money. Walking up to the tellers, I got twenty-five bits worth of chips in a little tray. Looking around the room, I studied the various tables. Blackjack and poker were the most common games. I made my way over to a blackjack table that had a sign above it saying “Minimum bet five bits.” I had heard it was a game of simple math.

“Hello sir, would you like me to deal you in?” the dealer asked as I sat down.

“Only if you can tell me the rules while you do it?” I suggested.

I put down a five-bit chip and the dealer proceeded to explain. “The rules are quite simple.”

---

Blackjack was definitely a game I could get used to. All you had to do was get your cards as close to twenty-one as possible without going over. Easy. So easy, in fact, that I had gone to a higher stake table after a while and won about five hundred bits. Not too shabby, considering that I’d come in with twenty-five bits.

I was back on track to the hotel room now. My winnings tucked into my bags, jingling with every step I took: music to my ears. I opened up the door and was surprised to find Snow laying on her bed, nose in a book as always.

“I thought the S.W.A.T. classes were camping out tonight?” I asked, dropping off my bags of bits.

“Just the first class,” Snow grumbled. “I'm in class number two, we'll be doing what they are doing toward the end of the week. Besides, I have to cram as much of this information into my head as possible. I have two classes tomorrow, Sergeant Procedures AND the starting S.W.A.T. lessons.”

I crawled up onto the bed with her and layed down next to her on her left. “Anything I can help with?

“You can sit there and stay quiet while I study.” Snow said firmly, not looking at me. It felt more like she snapped at me.

Following her order, for now, I gently draped my right wing over her back. I felt some very tense muscles. I got an idea in my head. Maybe she'd be able to study properly if she relaxed a bit.

So I sat up and started rubbing her shoulders gently. Her ears flicked in annoyance, but I pressed on.

“Did I ask you to give me a massage?” she asked, her voice as cool as her name.

“You want me to stop?” I asked, pausing.

She bit her lip, fuming quietly. “No,” she finally mumbled.

Grinning, I resumed the massage, digging into her sore muscles. After some time she started to lose concentration and started to let herself enjoy the massage, groaning in contentment and closing her eyes as she pushed back against me.

After about twenty minutes of me getting out the knots in her back, she rolled over onto her side. I sat over her looking down at her frost blue eyes that were peering lazily at me. Or at least I had thought it was lazily.

To my sudden surprise, Snow used her magic to pull me down for a kiss, the book falling off the bed and onto the floor. I kissed her back, wrapping my wings around her like a blanket. She began to kiss me more aggressively, pressing her tongue against my lips. I opened my mouth and responded in kind.

Turned out that Stone being in the first class was a good thing for us both.

---

Snow’s stirring woke me up from my exhausted, contented slumber. She lay in my hooves, her back against my chest, and my muzzle buried in her lovely-smelling mane.

I peeked over her ear at the clock on the nightstand. Fifteen minutes before six. At six the alarm she set would go off and we'd have an hour for breakfast before class. I purred and nuzzled Snow’s ear.

“I'm awake, you know,” Snow said quietly.

“Sorry,” I said.

She rolled over to look at me and sighed. “It's not your fault. Well, not entirely anyway.”

I recognized that distant look in her eyes. She was thinking heavily. And since she didn't have a book in front of her, it couldn't have been about our classes.

“Something on your mind?” I asked.

“Us,” she said a little bluntly. “Don’t you think that we're moving a little fast?”

“You mean how last week, we had our first date slash first kiss, and now we just had sex?” I asked matter-of-factly. Snow turned a little red but nodded.

“I guess a little,” I admitted. “But does it feel wrong? I mean I don't think I've ever been this happy.”

Snow smiled briefly. “I'll agree with you there. But what about this sergeant promotion? We're obviously too far into this relationship to just call it quits just because of some dumb regulation.”

“So we come up with a plan. If you get promoted, I'll transfer out of SI and into another department. What will you do if I get the promotion?” I asked.

Snow wrapped her hooves around me and hugged me. “Probably the same thing. Honestly, I don't want to be that close to the deaths of other ponies anyway. Jett’s case was hard. I’d rather help ponies heal than deal with dead ones.”

“So it's agreed? We'll do whatever it takes to keep what we have between us?”

“Mmhm.” Snow confirmed and kissed me gently.

The alarm bell went off, and Snow immediately reached out with her magic to silence it. “Looks like we need to get ready for class. Stone will likely be at breakfast.”

“So is it too early in this relationship to ask if sharing a shower would be weird?” I grinned. Snow just smiled and tugged me by the hoof toward the bathroom.

Seeing as it was Tuesday morning, the rest of the week was looking up to be very interesting.

---

The week had just flown by. It was already Friday. Snow was in her S.W.A.T. classes today. We'd be leaving tomorrow mid-day.

“I can't believe you guys are that far in your relationship already,” Stone whispered, over his lunch.

Stone had walked in on Snow and me in the hotel room just the night before while we were...well, you know. Snow was so embarrassed she refused to speak or look at Stone the rest of the night, instead, staying hidden under the blankets. Stone and I just muscled through the awkward by not talking, until now.

“You and me both brother,” I said, taking a bite of my sandwich.

“If you two could just hold off getting freaky anywhere I might see it. That would be great.” Stone smiled forcefully.

“We'll reign it in, I promise.” I chuckled. “So, how are you doing in your classes?”

Stone nodded as his smile relaxed into a more natural grin. “Great. It’s really just more advanced stuff than what we got to deal with in the Academy.”

“Yeah I know what you mean,” I nodded. “I got Sergeant Procedures after lunch that conclude my classes. I'll be headed back to the hotel to pack up.”

Stone swallowed a mouthful of food. “You and Snow are going to her grandparent's house to see her cousin, right?” I nodded. “I hope you'll excuse me if I don't go. It’s just that I don't want to.”

I gave him a blank stare. “Subtle.”

“I just wanna get some sleep before we wake up in the middle of the night to go home,” Stone argued.

“Yeah, yeah alright,” I nodded. “This is more for me and Snow anyway.”

Stone looked past me, at the clock at the other end of the cafeteria. “We both need to get back to class. See you back at the room.”

“See you,” I said to him as he stood to leave. I finished my lunch and pulled myself off to class.

---

I was out of Sergeant Procedures in half the time. I know I did well in that class. I learned a lot about being a sergeant from Arrow and Aurora back in Tall Tale. Today, I skipped my normal routine of going to the gambling room after classes.

I was up a thousand two hundred bits already. I figure I'd save the money for something important. Besides, I didn’t want to potentially ruin this winning streak...though, I have to say, the buzz I got from winning was feeling pretty good.

I went straight up to the hotel room and started putting away my stuff. Not that I had a lot, to begin with. Just a saddlebag of items.

Snow would be back from her classes soon. Looking at her travel bag, I noticed it was all in disarray. She'd be grateful for me helping her get packed. Right?

So I got to work, putting away her stuff. It looked as if she had brought a library with her. I stacked and packed the books. I was halfway through filling up one side of the saddlebags when Snow walked into the room.

“Hey,” she said smiling. Until she noticed what I was doing, that is. She gasped while simultaneously taking the saddlebags from me.

“Hey yourself,” I said blinking from the sudden movement.

“What did you see?” she asked frantically, rifling through her bags again.

“I was trying to do something nice and help you get ready to leave so we can go to your Grandparents sooner.”

“Oh,” she said, trying to hide her blush.

My curiosity level was rising. “Why? Is there something in there you don't want me to see?”

“No!” she blurted. “No,” she said again in a calmer tone. She hopped up onto the bed and attempted to finish packing.

I was on a hunting path though. I leaped up onto the bed and pinned her down. “Tell me.”

She glared at me. “No.”

“Confess.”

“No.”

“I'll tickle you again.”

She gasped, her eyes widening. “You wouldn't dare. Especially if you want to have sex ever again.”

“You can't keep your hooves off me and you know it,” I grinned down at her. We glared at each other. Waiting for one to give ground.

She sighed. “Fine, you win. Just don't laugh at me.” She levitated the bag and opened it up to show me.

Looking inside, I saw a trio of fancy undergarments that you usually see models wear for show in magazines: bright pink, lacy black, and red and white striped.

Don't laugh! I yelled at myself. “Why would you need these exactly?” I asked.

“I thought I might need one in case you liked that kind of thing on mares. Turns out massages are more your speed,” Snow said.

I felt my face heat up just thinking about Snow’s model-like flanks dressed up in one of these. “W-well I’m not gonna say that I-I'm opposed to the idea,” I stammered.

Snow pretended to think about it for a moment, smirking. “Hmm, perhaps next time. Will you get off of me now? We're going to be late.”

“Kiss first,” I said, making a kissy-face.

“Let me up first and then we'll see.”

“Fine.” I stood and hopped off the bed. “Now kiss?” I didn't care if I sounded like a foal wanting attention.

“Hmm. Nope. You gotta be good tonight. My grandparents think I'm their sweet little angel who has never had sex and doesn't even think about that kind of thing.”

“What about your cousin?” I asked.

“Oh please. I'm boring compared to her.”

I pictured a criminal version of Snow. “That’s actually kinda scary to think about.”

“Is that you agreeing with me or you not agreeing with me?”

“Whatever doesn't get me in trouble,” I answered.

“We should talk about the way you answer things. It’s weird right now.” She finally finished with her bags.

“We ready to have dinner with your grandparents and cousin who is basically a sister?”

Snow took a deep breath. “Yeah, let's go. It’s not far from here.”

---

I sat at the dinner table of Snow’s grandparent's house. On my left sat Snow, sitting close but not too close. Snow’s grandmother had made cheese and potato soup.

Sitting on my right was her grandfather Barback. He was the keeper of the family inn down the road. He was a unicorn, light blue mane, and standard blue coat. His cutie mark is a full beer mug with foam overflowing.

On Snow’s left was her grandmother, Frost. I'm not sure what her talent with her cutie mark of a standard snowflake, but as I understand it, she helps keep the inn in shipshape. She was a unicorn as well, white coat, white mane, white eyes.

Across the table from me and Snow was her tall older cousin, Icicle. She glared, well, icicles at me. She was similar in colors to Snow but was taller. And had an ice pick and chisel as a cutie mark.

“So Strider. How close are you with your family?” Frost asked me.

“Very. Especially with my brothers and baby sister.”

“And your parents?” Barback asked.

“Mother cared for the lot of us largely on her own.” I was about to continue when Icicle interrupted.

“What, did your dad walk out on you or something?” she asked coldly.

I felt weight in my chest and no small amount of anger from her comment, but I kept my cool and answered. “Actually he died shortly after my sister was born. He and his unit were killed by a Chimera. There was barely enough of a body to bury.”

That brought the mood down a bit, but hopefully, it would teach Icicle not to interrupt.

“So how are you liking Baltimare, sweetie?” Frost asked Snow.

“It's a lovely city, so much history just in the buildings alone,” Snow started. “It’s a rough town, though. I'm honestly hoping that Strider gets the promotion instead of me. I don't like special investigations.”

“Why not?” Barback asked.

“I’d rather help ponies heal than deal with dead ones.” Snow said.

She had said those exact words when we talked. About our situation.

“I could see where the distaste would come into the job,” Icicle said. “What about you Strider? Do dead ponies not make you nervous?”

“I'm not squeamish,” I said flatly.

More awkward silence on the table. I turned to my dinner and continued eating to try to cover up my inability to say anything. At this point, I'd be glad for the annoying sound of train wheels against the iron railroads if it meant getting out of this situation.

Author's Note:

I hope you all liked this little learning trip for our characters. I know I did. let me know what you thought of the chapter, but keep errors to yourself. I know they are still there. You don't need to remind me.

Comments

[harts fire]

a vary good chapter exultant righting.
I can see ware things with Snow and Strider can possibly get complicated vary easy, I wish them the best.