The Equestria Chronicles: The Gallop Through Griffonia

by Slippin_Sweetie

Three 'P's' In A Pod

Paprika and Gerhardt marched into the thicket of wilderness per the Alpaca's instruction, a thick tension clung to the air. A mix of anxiety and guilt plagued Paprika while stress and confusion haunted Gerhardt. Paprika felt mournful for inadvertently pushing her friend away, pondering the recent heartache and drama while pulling the supply wagon along.

Gerhardt, on the other claw, buried his frustrations deep into his stomach as he retained his focus and composure on the surrounding wilderness. Keeping his sharp owl-like eyes on the treeline, he held his musket and bayonet close to his chest as he crept along the trail on his hind legs.

Paprika looked up from the ground and huffed before looking over toward Gerhardt,

"Did we do the right thing? Are we being a bunch of meanies?" questioned Paprika aloud.

Gerhardt paused as he turned around to face the Alpaca, resting on his rifle as he looked Paprika in the eye, "I… don't agree with Pinkie Pie's… tactics, but perhaps after… tensions dispersed and once we reach those amber caves you discussed earlier… maybe we could talk to Pinkie Pie about the prisoner."

Paprika nodded, turning back toward the wagon that housed her friend and perceived enemy, "I hope we can still be friends after all this."

Gerhardt chuckled, "I'm positive you both will make amends sooner than you may realize."

Within the wagon, Pinkie sat with her new friend, her mood having alleviated slightly after a small nap. Still, the usual bounce in her hooves wasn't nearly as playful as before, and the joy in her voice was tampered down as if worried she would draw unwanted attention and begin the argument once again.

"There's no way you never played 'Pin the Tail on the Pony,' Soaring! That's just silly!" Her voice was just above a whisper, a small smile on her lips. "There's got to be a lot of games you played back at home…"

Soaring sat flat on his flank, with his tail between his legs, attentively and thoroughly invested in the conversation at hoof. From the hour since they met each other, Pinkie quickly realized how ignorant Soaring was of… most things, and not just the realities of Equestria, more so the realities of life in general.

The purple Unicorn pressed a hoof to his chin as he dug inside his skull for any recollection of playing games back home, shaking his head soon after.

"I never heard of anypony playing such a game, but if the adults are having a party, they usually play cricket or bet on races." Soaring replied, "I guess there's chess, but I can't remember how all the different pieces move, and my dad says I have too much air in my head, so I've been meaning to get that checked out. The medics and doctors in the royal guard won't look into it, though…"

Soaring shifted slightly against his binds as the wagon jumped and rocked against the trail, "Mistress, if you're not here for the end times, why are you here? Are you really here to play games and meet new ponies? Why don't you just send us a Yulelog or a Hearth's Warming card? Isn't Equestria far away? ... Are you on vacation…? I'm sorry your vacation is like this." He fretted, squirming uncomfortably.

Pinkie looked absolutely horrified. How could they not have any games in Unicornica? Every filly and colt in Ponyville knew how to play Pin the Tail, Tag, hopscotch, and so many more… Soaring was probably just a little older than a colt. The thought of any creature not knowing the joys of such play nearly sent her into a fit.

"What?! Well, we'll have to fix that as soon as possible! I think I have some games in my luggage, I'll just have to look…" Digging into her long, thick mane, she produced several items. Some toys and trinkets were far too large to realistically fit within the confines of her hair, yet somehow came out without an issue. The most oversized item was a giant pinata, and from the sounds of it, it was already full of treats.

"Oop, you can't really play games if you're all tied up, huh?" Scooting over to the Unicorn, Pinkie leaned down. To Soaring's curiosity, she didn't unbind him with her teeth like any other earth pony would, but instead, her mane began to untie the knot as if it were prehensile in some manner. "There ya go, feel better?"

Soaring watched unflinchingly as Pinkie sifted through her mane and curls, slowly blinking as he stared at her. Before finally sitting up once he was untied, he trotted over from the corner he was trapped in and examined the many trinkets and toys scattered across the wagon floor. Picking up a party favor with his magic before slowly eyeing the toy.

The purpose of the colorful paper and wooden mouthpiece eluded the Unicorn as he slowly put the item against his lips and blew, watching as the toy burst to life. Springing the party favor forward like a long serpent's tongue as a loud wheezing squeak crumpled from the faux instrument.

He watched with amusement as the paper retracted and sprung forward; the young stallion bucked and tooted on the toy like a foal.

Pinkie's lips split into a wide grin, giggling with joy. It was such a small thing, a party favor. Practically every party Pinkie had ever thrown had dozens, if not hundreds, of such toys, and she made sure that every pony that was present left with at least a dozen or so. It was… sad that he had never played with one before but also bittersweet to think that such a small thing could give joy to someone.

"If you like that, you're gonna love the rest! I've got yo-yos, paddle-balls, bubble blowers, flutes, all the bells and whistles! I even have bells and whistles, hehe!" Pinkie joined Soaring, pulling out bags full of assorted party accessories. "Pick whatever you like!"

Soaring stared at the bags that appeared from thin air, watching as the mare pulled out the different toys and nicknacks. His eyes lit up with wonder and innocence; he walked over to a small flute and picked it up with his magic before placing the mouthpiece between his lips. Closing his eyes, he began to play a familiar tune for Pinkie. The Pony Pokey doing a small dance as he played.

Pinkie's smile never faltered, getting up on her hooves as she danced to the song. "You put your right hoof in, you pull your right hoof out~" The sing-a-long was subtle, but the wagon seemed to move an inch left or right with her light her bouncing. "You put your right hoof in and shake it all about!"

"You do the Pony Pokey, and that's what it's all about, yeah!" Jumping up, she floated back down to the wagon's floor, letting out snorts and giggles. It was nice to ignore the argument from earlier, a small weight being lifted from her shoulders. "Hey, you're pretty good at that! You can keep it if you want."

Soaring examined the small flute with warmth and care, "Really? Thank you, I'll cherish it for as long as I live." Slowly, he pressed the mouthpiece against his lips and began playing another song before singing. Switching between playing a joyous and high and flighty flute and singing.

"Cranky Doodle Donkey came to town riding on a pony, stuck his 'fella' in her snatch, and called it his macaroni! Donkey Doodle, dinged it up, Donkey Doodle’s dinger! Find the movement in your step and keep your head up, ready!"

"The cranky mule looked up and saw with wonder, wondering how Doodle got stuck and led him to this blunder! Cranky Doodle, keep it up, Cranky Doodle Donkey, find the movement in your step and keep your head up ready!"

"My sergeant taught us that song for when we march around all day." smiled the Unicorn.

Pinkie was unsure of how to feel, initially grinning and moving her head along to the beat before slowly falling to a stop, her cheeks tint a soft red in embarrassment.

"Uh, well, you're a great singer! But that's not how it goes from where I come from… hehe." Rubbing the back of her head, Pinkie couldn't decide if he knew exactly what it meant. "I actually know a Cranky Doodle… but uh, he's not from the song… I don't think he'd like that version of it either…"

Soaring blinked, "Wait, Cranky Doodle is a real creature? I thought that was just a joke. The seasoned unicorns play on the new enlistees to get them to do stuff. Y'know, 'Private Soaring, go stand by that tree and guard it; Major Cranky signed you off specifically. My mother also calls my dad a donkey too whenever he does something she doesn't like. I keep telling her dad is a unicorn, and she's a pegasus. But I don't blame her; sometimes I forget I'm a unicorn myself."

Soaring picked up a paddle ball and began playing with it, smacking the rubber ball against the paddle with his levitation magic as he distracted himself. Clearly, the Unicorn was somewhat… sheltered despite serving in the military.

"Well, I don't know if he was the donkey the song was made after, but I know he's a donkey named Cranky Doodle! He's… definitely cranky, but nice once you get to know him!" Pinkie gave the younger stallion a soft smile. The smile twisted as he spoke, feeling increasingly uncomfortable at the usage of 'donkey' as a slur. "Well, that's just plain mean. Donkeys are wonderful folk! I hope you don't say that kinda stuff…"

Pausing, she shifted a bit closer to Soaring, tilting her head down to catch his attention. "Hey… what other kind of stuff do they do where you're from?"

"Don't worry, I wasn't allowed to speak very often until I went to the military academy. Unless my father or mother spoke to me or I had uhm…' something of substance,' as my mother would say." He placed the paddle ball down and switched it for a yo-yo, stating, "Now that you mention it, I never met a donkey until I went into physical training. I think they're pretty okay; I just wish they stopped making me do push-ups every time I saw one…"

Soaring perked his head up at Pinkie's question, tilting his head curiously, "I thought we did all the same stuff, to be honest; we're both ponies, aren't we? Well, you are an Earth Pony, and I'm a Unicorn, but you're really important according to my Archmage, so you are basically like my dad," he smiled.

"You can tell me what to do and stuff. Actually, lots of ponies do that… you're one of the few who can tell me what to do…and stuff."

Pinkie cocked a brow, utterly confused by the thought. She couldn't put it into proper words; a pony like Twilight would have been better at her than that. To Pinkie Pie, it was like Soaring came from a world entirely opposite to her own.

"I don't wanna tell you what to do… I like making creatures smile, pony, Harpy, Griffin, dragon– it doesn't matter. The only thing I'd really want you to do is…" The party pony paused, considering her words as carefully as she could. "... try to keep an open mind about all this stuff, y'know? I know Gerhardt was being really mean earlier, but he had some bad experiences with unicorns. But he knows deep down that not all unicorns are bad."

"I just hope we can prove it to him…" The mention of Gerhardt had her mood sinking immediately, her bouncing pink hair deflating before Soaring's eyes.

Soaring listened attentively to Pinkie Pie, placing the toy he had been playing with beside him and lying on the wagon floor before looking up at Pinkie. He quietly allowed the mare to loom over him in respect. He blinked and crossed his front legs as he finally spoke up.

"I'll keep an open mind for you, Pinkie Pie; I have no reason not to believe you. After all, you're Pinkie Pie, and you're mostly right about everything according to my Archmage, my mom, my dad, the Council." He watched as she deflated to the floor, quickly shuffling toward her as he flopped his head in front of hers.

"I think we can; it just takes a while to show someone they're wrong. But not me. I'm used to being wrong all the time", Soaring said as he gave the mare his best smile.

A small snort left her nostrils, as a lazy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Looking over at Soaring, Pinkie Pie shook her head and scooted beside the younger stallion, laying a hoof around his shoulders.

"I know we can. I just hope he's cooled down after so long…" Glancing towards the window, she sighed. "I can't blame him, losing his eye and all…"

Like clockwork, there was a firm knocking on the wagon door. Gerhardt's voice barked from the other side of the wagon door.

“Pinkie Pie, es ist Mittagszeit, komm aus dem Wagen, hol das Einhorn langsam heraus!”

Soaring shifted as he heard the Griffin Captain's voice, cowering slightly as he feared physical retaliation from the creature. Suddenly, the cart doors flew open as Paprika stood on her back legs at the end of the wagon with an animated expression of sorrow and remorse painted across her fluffy and fuzzy face.

"Pinkie! I'm sorry for letting you down!" sniffled Paprika, "I wanna be a good friend to you, and if that means being friends with Soaring, then okay!" she said, trembling from the fear and anxiety awaiting Pinkie's answer, with the weight of such a responsibility that came with this promise bearing down on her, and it was showing.

Soaring blinked as he sat up and climbed up to his hooves, a small smile on his face, "Does this mean I'm free?"

Paprika sniffed as she quickly tried to clean herself up, "Uhm…no, Gerhardt is in charge of…that." she replied awkwardly.

Soaring frowned as he lowered his head, "Oh."

Pinkie looked surprised, but her expression melted away as she threw her hooves around the Alpaca, pulling her into the cart and a bone-breaking hug.

"Oooooooh, I couldn't stay mad at you! I forgive you, Paprika!" Nuzzling her face into the Alpaca's chest fluff, Pinkie looked up with teary eyes, "I'm sorry for getting all grumbly and huffy, but I don't think it's right to be mean to someone who hasn't done anything to you!"

She wiped away her tears and sniffled, "Just please give Soaring a chance. He's not a bad pony, I promise! So, umm…. How is Gerhardt doing…?"

Paprika squeezed Pinkie tightly with a bone-crunching bind of her own. Burying her head into the mare's frizzy pink mane, "It's okay, Pinkie, I was wrong for acting like a scare-dy cat; I should've trusted you from the beginning… it's just… the adult Unicorns are…really mean and scary…" she gently set Pinkie down outside the wagon.

Turning away from the dense ebony forest and its bright green leaves, she could clearly see the wagon had pulled into the mouth of the large cave that was open on the side of a large mountain, one of dozens that seemed to line the territory for miles, acting like a natural border for all traveler, soldier, and animal alike.

The inside of the cave was dark, and the sun's light could only reach toward the entrance before becoming consumed by the cavern's darkness. Gerhardt had made camp inside the entrance, with a sizeable crackling fire and Griffin-oven. The Captain had prepared an army stew for the group out of his army rations and skimmed the back of the sides wagon for supplies to save as much of the food and wares for the Alpake as possible.

The Griffin the stew pot as he hunched up, perching on his back legs as he scanned the territory, his posture next relaxing, and his eye always wandering the countryside for potential threats.

"Pinkie Pie, good to see you. I know we had our spat earlier, but regardless, I am still your protector, and you are still Doge's valued guest and attache. I'll put my pride aside and allow you to watch the prisoner, but he is a prisoner until we get back to Swallowtail; we can't be sure he isn't a spy or assassin…" Gerhardt said with a stonewall expression.

“Die Suppe ist fertig! Los Los!" clapped Gerhardt, "The soup's still hot…"

Pinkie Pie let out a raspberry but quickly trotted over and wrapped Gerhardt into a bind, pressing her face into his feathers.

"I know you don't like unicorns, but please, please, please give Soaring a chance! And I'm sorry for getting all angry earlier at you guys; I know you have a reason to be scared, but he's just one pony!" Looking up at Gerhardt, the pink party pony gave him the most enormous puppy dog eyes he had likely ever witnessed.

"Y-You'll make a bowl of soup for him, right?" She stuck out her lower lip, blue eyes sparkling in the firelight.

Gerhardt tensed up at the touch, the sound of feathers rustling against cloth and coat snapping his attention away from the frontier. His musket rattled and jostled with the pair's movement as Gerhardt gently patted the mare's back with a claw, "I have personal animosity toward all Unicorns; I'm just sticking to my training and orders Ms. Pie." Affirmed Gerhardt, fumbling at the mare's expression, ".... He'll be fed and taken care of while we head toward the Alpake, but I'm not going easy on him till he proves he's trustworthy or we reach The Doge."

Soaring slowly climbed out of the back of the wagon as he looked at his surroundings, smiling as he stared toward Celestia's sun; it was midday now. He then stared aimlessly between Paprika, Gerhardt, and Pinkie. Paprika uttered an uncomfortable chirp and grunt as she shuffled closer toward Gerhardt and Pinkie.

Gerhardt sighed, "You untied him, didn't you?" grumbled the Griffin grinned, rubbing the back of her head, "Ehehe… maybe?"

Gerhardt pried himself from the bubbly party pony as he began rationing out the army stew, the lump sum of the dish being made of vegetable stock, hardtack, beans, and water. It smelt…dry, like the inside of an old cupboard. Gerhardt handed Pinkie a small tin bowl and spoon before spooning a bowl for Paprika.

"Here, eat. We must move quickly if we want to be there by the evening."

Paprika collected her bowl and gingerly ate the stew, "Don't worry, we'll make good time after we head through the Amber Caves, and it's super safe. Only a few creatures know of this trail. Mostly my tribe…" she quickly perked up at the sight of the camp, "Guys! We need to be super, duper, careful when we leave and pack up, like REALLY neat, like no creature ever stepped foot here. It's super, duper, important that we keep this place hidden."

"Why does Griffonia have so many secret ancient paths and trails?" questioned Soaring, silently sitting and staring at the three expectantly. He made himself a bowl of soup and sat down unnoticed during the time between the group's brief conversation.

Grabbing at the stew, Pinkie guzzled it in one gulp, quickly tearing through the beans and hardtack. It seemed as if the hardtack was barely an obstacle for her, but then again, she had been raised on a rock farm. "Mmmm, reminds me of home!"

"We'll make sure we clean up, Pappy, don't worry!" She nodded towards the Alpaca, "I'll make sure it's extra-squeezy clean! And Soaring… huh, I'm not really sure why. I guess it's because of the bird lady?" She tapped a hoof to her chin, trying to remember her name.

Gerhardt perked his head up at the mention of 'bird-lady,' "You mean Eyr? That's just a myth; the God's of old are just 'Wise owls' tales. The reason mein 'friend' is because of the constant banditry and war that plagues these lands, no thanks to your kind."

Soaring blinked and picked up his soup with his magic, lifting the bowl to him as he sipped the broth, his expression puzzled and unsure at the taste, "We made the trails?"

“No you!-” Gerhardt sighed, “Nevermind.”

Soaring cocked a brow at the Griffin, "Griffins are what keep society unproductive and hardheaded is what my dad always said. You should be like Pinkie more."

Gerhardt's expression lifted into an offended scowl as he berated the colt, "Be quiet and eat your stew, Pferdchen!" snapped the Captain, clearly growing impatient with the affair by the minute.

Paprika looked up from her bowl of army stew, cleaning her reddish-orange stained face with a napkin, "Eyr is real Gerhardt, and just because you don't fall on your belly and grovel for Eyr doesn't mean she isn't willing to help! She helped me and Pinkie!"

Gerhardt took a large bite of stew and chewed, huffing, "Is that so? I thought Celestia and Luna were the only Gods out there."

"That is the only correct answer." replied Soaring matter-of-factly.

Pinkie giggled, licking the stew stains from the corners of her mouth with her abnormally long tongue. "Mmm-mmm, that was good, Gerhardt, you gotta teach me how to make that! But Paprika is right– we met Eyr! She was really serious and had us go on this scale thingy to weigh us or something? It was fun!"

"I dunno if Celestia and Luna are 'Gods' though," Pinkie rubbed her chin, "I mean, Queen Chrysalis beat Celestia during Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding. Cadance and Shining were the ones to banish her! Celly is really strong and important n' stuff, but she can't tell the future or read minds…"

Pinkie stopped and looked around suspiciously, "... Or can she…?"

Gerhardt chuckled, "It's 'Army Stew,' and trust me, if you were with me often, you'd get sick of it. I just put something quick we could eat and hold us over til supper..." his eyes widened, "You were judged on her scales? So she really is real, huh…" Gerhardt said as he sat down to process the information, now conflicted with his memories and past, shed in a new light.

"That 'retched cockroach' bested Celestia because of her trickery. If it were a real fight, Sol Invictus would've won easily." assured Soaring, repeating what he heard from his mentors and genuinely believing in Celestia's prowess, "Celestia and Luna created the universe, and we circle around their Sun and Moon because of that fact, that's what my Archmage told me." smiled Soaring.

Paprika pulled out a water canteen from her picnic basket and took a large swig before passing the bottle along the campfire, "Elder Adobo told me that long ago, when the earth was just a seed, Mother Gaia shed her tears so the world could blossom, creating everyone and everything. But the darkness from the outside tainted our little seed and caused everything to go upside down and wrong! 'Only by turning toward the earth and nature can we find peace' is what we're taught since birth!"

"That's silly." responded Soaring, "Nature is…dead because it isn't a pony or real like Celestia or Luna."

"That's not how that works." grumbled Gerhardt, "Nature is real regardless of whether mother Gaia is..."

"I dunno really know how the world was made… my parents said that the planet is one big rock and that we were put here to toil and take care of it since we're, y'know, earth ponies! Kinda makes sense that would be our name if we're meant to take care of the planet." Pinkie mulled it over, "I don't think Celestia and Luna made it, though… all of my friends and I performed the Hearthswarming Eve play, and I don't remember Celestia or Luna being mentioned… but Twilight would know way more than I do, that's for sure!"

"You're right about that, Gerhardt; nature isn't dead! Everything has a soul and spirit. Everything has a name and a dream!" Pinkie jumped up, plonking to one of the cave walls before picking up a large stone. Returning to sit beside Soaring, she raised the stone to her ear.

"Mhhmm, yeah…. Uh-huh… I'll tell him!" Pinkie turned to Soaring and grinned, "This is Amethyst, and she totally loves your mane!"

Soaring brightened as he pressed his hoof to the large rock, "Thank you, Amethyst, I really like your name."

Suddenly, there was a rumbling moments later as heavy paws and a deep bellowing echoed from the cave. Demanding the group's attention, Gerhardt quickly snapped his musket from his shoulder as he shouldered the rifle, "Are there any predators around here, Paprika?"

"Not that I know of. Nothing can live inside the Amber Caves for too long; there isn't any prey or water in the cavern...."

Soaring turned away from Amethyst as a massive brown bear stepped out from the cavern. Sniffing and grunting as it looked up, Gerhardt flapped into the air as he kept his musket on the beast, noticing the hole that was created in the cavern wall from Pinkie's brief moment of freaky power. The bear was a massive brown bear, similar to Harry, the bear but smaller and pumper, with a dirty and tattered fez and vest adorning the bear as the animal sniffed the air.

Soaring blinked as he stood up and walked over to the campfire, fixing himself a bowl of army stew as the group froze.

Pinkie froze in place, staring up at the bear for a long, silent moment before jumping to her hooves and giving the bear a big smile.

"Hiya, my name's Pinkie Pie! Would you happen to know my friend Fluttershy? She's got a friend who's a bear. His name is Harry!" Setting down her rock, she patted it on the 'head.' "You stay here, okay, Amethyst?"

"Wouldja like some stew? I bet you're hungry!"

The bear pattered over on his hind legs, his expression lifting at the offer for food as he waddled toward Soaring and Pinkie. Gerhardt cocking the hammer of his rifle and taking aim at the bear's heart in case of disaster. Soaring lifted the bowl of stew and handed it to the bear with his magic before the giant beast grabbed the stew and sat down on the ground. Slobbering down the army stew as it bellowed and growled.

Gerhardt fluttered down near the group with musket in tow, staring at the two ponies in disbelief, "What-where? How!?..."

"It's a circus bear; his name is Pavlov, and he's looking for his merchant band," explained Soaring as he smiled curiously at the giant bear. His shiny brown fur and pudgy face reminded the colt of his stuffed bear back home.

Gerhardt cocked a brown at the Unicorn, "How do you know that!? He hasn't said anything!"

"You can tell by the expression on his face and the look in his eye. He looks like… Pavlov circus bear." explained Soaring, turning toward Pavlov, "Is that your name, Pavlov?"

The bear looked up from his bowl and grumbled, nodding his head.

"His expression? His eyes!?" snapped the Griffin feathers, ruffling and his eye bugling in disbelief and anger at the ridiculousness of it all.

Paprika tilted her head and stroked his muzzle and chin, "Hmmm, well, I guess you could tell from his clothes, but where'd you get that name?" she said, turning to Soaring and cocking a brow.

"I just know." shrugged Soaring.

Pavlov carefully reached up, grabbed his red cloth fez with his paws, and flipped it upside down to show the bottom and inside, revealing a patch stitched at the bottom that read.

"Pavlov Bear: Property of Chaircreature Franchesco, and The Merchant Guild Circus and Entertainment Company."

With an emblem of a Harpy, Griffin, and Pegasus. Each held a different item, the Harpy held a scale, the Griffin welded a sword, and the Pegasus kept an hourglass. With the fine print being just barely legible.

"Fair, Fierce, Fast In Courts, Barter, and War, The Merchant Guilds of Swallowtail"

Pinkie's face went from overjoyed excitement at the possibility of a new friend to shock and horror at the realization of what he was. Circus bears weren't uncommon in Equestria, but their treatment was watched closely to ensure their safety and well-being. The fact that this bear was all on his own in the middle of nowhere told her as much as she needed to know.

Stepping towards their new companion, Pinkie Pie sat down beside him, offering him the rest of her bowl of soup. "Chaircreature Franchesco? Isn't he…. One of the members of the Swallowtail thingie-majig? You poor thing… I wish Fluttershy were here. She could translate for us…"

Gerhardt stared in disbelief, "The Parliament… and we have the Chaircreature's Circus bear…? I guess…" he sighed and rubbed his face, "I guess we'll have to take him too. Maybe he can drag the wagon…" he lifted his head up. He scratched his head, "Well, we can't go back now. We're way too deep in enemy territory to caravan twice over."

Soaring gently nudged Pinkie and looked into her eyes with a broad stare and a small smile, "I can help. I understand him very well. I used to pony-watch, and I can get a read on most creatures easily. What they're thinking of, who they are, it's a talent of mine."

"Sounds like you just mind-reading creatures with magic," replied Paprika, feeding Pavlov Bear an assortment of fruits and vegetables from her picnic basket. Pavlov stuffing his face and eating as if he hadn't had a proper meal in weeks. Judging his figure was hard to tell because he was still a healthy bear despite being ill-equipped for natural life.

"I don't think he was abandoned." asserted Soaring, "He seems lost."

"That we can agree on, I doubt the Chaircreature would want his Bear to be abandoned after training it and raising it by claw for years." nodded Gerhardt, slowly turning his head toward Soaring, "Do you think we could… ask it to pull the wagon?..."

"Can I stop being a prisoner if I help you? … It's only fair since helping the enemy Captain would be treason, and I'd be grounded for a real long time if my mom or dad ever learned about this…" fretted Soaring as he grasped his mane with his hooves and magic.

Pinkie sighed and shook her head, stomping her hooves to get everyone's attention. "We're not bringing back the bear! Can't you see that he left on his own? Why else would he be out here by himself?" Plopping down next to Pavlov, she rubbed a hoof against his fur, wincing as she noticed several raised scars just beneath his dense coat.

"And Soaring isn't our prisoner; he's our friend, so stop being rude, Gerhardt!" A huff left her nostrils, giving him a curt nod before looking over at the colt, "Do you think you could ask him to join us on our journey? I bet he knows the way around this place more than we do."

Rummaging into her mane, she pulled out a pastry and offered it to the bear, "Aaaaand I have plenty of sweets you might like~!"

Paprika nodded, swooping next to Pinkie Pie to join her as she crossed her legs disapprovingly, standing on her back haunches to prove a point, "Yeah! You just own a living creature; it's slavery! What's the difference between owning a Griffin and a bear!? There isn't one! It's slavery; it's all wrong!"

Gerhardt scoffed, "They're completely different things. Animals aren't like us, but we shouldn't treat them like the Unicorns treat slaves; that's barbaric! We'll discuss the bear's fate at our journey's end… we'll put a tack on this discussion." Gerhardt said, sweeping the discussion under the rug to deal with later, he could argue property law where they weren't in enemy territory.

"But Soaring is your friend. He's still a prisoner until I know he isn't a threat…"

Pavlov tackled Pinkie, gently licking the mare's face as he picked up the earth pony and stuffed his mouth with the pastry. Carrying Pinkie like a baby and cradling her as he happily whimpered and bellowed, sucking on the tasty dessert as he waddled around the encampment like a happy cub.

Gerhardt sighed, shaking his head as he began to tear down the campsite, putting out the campfire with a bucket of water before scrapping the Griffin-oven for army stew, "Anyone want seconds? I'm feeding it to our…' guest' otherwise." he said, gesturing his claw to Pavlov.

Paprika followed the bear and pony around as she giggled and laughed at the playful sight, "He's so cute! Good thing he doesn't think we're food, hehe!"

Pinkie squirmed and giggled from the bear's kisses, wrapping her hooves around his arm to steady herself in his grip. "Wheee, he hee! This is gonna be great; we have a new friend joining the party—" Her eyes widened, and she gasped, snapping herself out of the bear's grip like a rubber band.

"Omigosh, we should totally throw him a 'Welcome to the Party' party!! Wouldn't that be amazing?! I can get us food, and Paprika can decorate– oooh, Gerhardt, do you think you can make more stew? C'mon, pretty pleaaaaase? Or are we still moving?"

"'Cus if we are, I can throw us an 'on the road' party!" Throwing up her hooves, confetti shot out from behind her from seemingly nowhere, the pony giggling and snorting joyfully.

Gerhardt swept up the confetti and glitter with a broom that he grabbed from the back of the wagon. As he turned to face Pinkie, he shook his head, "Sorry, we'll have to keep it quick, quiet, and clean so we aren't detected." affirmed Gerhardt as he quickly swept the dirt over the campfire and then lifted the heavy stewpot using his wings to help ease the weight as he walked over and hitched the Griffin-oven to the side of the cart.

"Oh, whoops…" Pinkie blushed, remembering they had to keep everything clean lest they be discovered. Plus, it just wasn't good to litter! Trotting over to the pile of confetti, with a strange revving noise, she sucked the bits of paper back into her mane like a vacuum. "Aww… well, I can make it a quiet, teen-tiny party!" Holding up a hoof, one could see a tiny cupcake in the center if one had good vision.

"Yeah, Pinkie and we still have to make friends with my entire Clan!" beamed Paprika, "We'll have so much fun after we're done convincing the Elder to let me back in!"

"Oooh, ooh, you're right! Don't worry, Pappy, I have a whooooole plan for your Alpaca Pack… hehe!"

The Griffin turned to Soaring, who was aimlessly staring into the treeline, his expression devoid of emotion, his eyes unflinchingly stared intensely at nothing...

"Soaring, get the bear to pull the wagon," ordered Gerhardt.

"... no…" answered Soaring, his tail flicking against the ground as he slowly turned to look at the Captain, "You hurt my feelings."

"Ernsthaft?" replied Gerhardt in disbelief and near outrage.

Looking between Gerhardt and Soaring, Pinkie quickly stepped beside the young stallion and nodded in agreement. "Hey– yeah, you can't just be mean to Soaring and then ask him to do stuff for you! You gotta ask nicely, and you should apologize for being a big meanie-pants earlier!"

"He might not be your friend, but he's my friend, and you're my friend, and that means you gotta respect that!"

Gerhardt sighed, "Very well, you make a clear point… I'm sorry, Unicorn, I should have been nicer to you. Now, would you please tell the bear to move our wagon so we aren't strung up by bandits or the Slavers and robbed or put into chattel and bondage?"

"Okay." nodded Soaring, climbing up to his hooves before trotting over to Pavlov, who was sniffing the cart and searching for more food. Walking on his fours as he sniffed and clawed for anything before Soaring tapped his shoulder and directed him to the wagon with his right hoof.

Pavlov stood back on his hind legs and sniffed the air as he stared at the wagon before setting himself back down and walking over to the wagon, ready to be hitched. Soaring, remaining eerily still, and staring off into space afterward as he hummed to himself.

Gerhardt slowly approached Pavlov and tied him to the wagon before climbing up to the driver's seat and resting his rifle on the floorboard, "Alright, let's go." called the Captain as he gently flicked the Circus bear's reins.

Soaring trotted beside the back wagon wheel as Paprika quickly ushered Pinkie to follow, "C'mon, let's go home!"

Comments

[Yoshifan30]

Gerhardt paused as he turned around to face the Alpaca, resting on his rifle as he looked Paprika in the eye, "I… don't agree with Pinkie Pie's… tactics, but perhaps after… tensions dispersed and once we reach those amber caves you discussed earlier… maybe we could talk to Pinkie Pie about the prisoner."

So does Pinkie Pie she don't really agreed on your tactic as well

[Yoshifan30]

He watched with amusement as the paper retracted and sprung forward; the young stallion bucked and tooted on the toy like a foal.

Aww he wished he had this kind of fun

[Yoshifan30]

"You can tell by the expression on his face and the look in his eye. He looks like… Pavlov circus bear." explained Soaring, turning toward Pavlov, "Is that your name, Pavlov?"

Oh wow apparently this Pony has the ability to speak to animals wow that's interesting and Fluttershy would have get along with him

[Yoshifan30]

Paprika nodded, swooping next to Pinkie Pie to join her as she crossed her legs disapprovingly, standing on her back haunches to prove a point, "Yeah! You just own a living creature; it's slavery! What's the difference between owning a Griffin and a bear!? There isn't one! It's slavery; it's all wrong!"

Yeah that is very true and probably that's why circus are not as popular as before because of that reason

[Yoshifan30]

Well then that was of a turn of events here so everything was pretty awkward with the group after that little blowout but it looks like Pinkie Pie is getting soaring which that's his name to open up a little bit even introducing him to the fun stuff that Pinkie Pie have it was still kind of awkward especially with the Griffin being a little paranoid with the Unicorn since he had a very unfortunate event with them including paprika but it looks like everything's starting to settle down until a bear showed up but it also turns out it's also a circus bear and soaring has an ability to sort of understand what the animals thinks and everything which that sounds like Fluttershy's ability so that was something with all the craziness happening they continue on to paprikas Village I wonder what else could happen guess we'll find out next time