Temporal Trotters

by wyattpugsley

6. Never Should Have Come Here!

Morning. 6 days since being sent back in time.

The sun rises over the forest, slowly warming up the day as the cackling of burning wood can be heard in the background. The smell of smoke filling the air. Around the campfire sits two hippogriffs, and a silver hat bearing the icon of a nucleus on it.

“It’s… not great, is it? I mean it’s food but…” Posada says.

“It’s basically flavorless mush.” Skystar replies.

“Yeah… definitely gonna miss modern food preservation if this is all we’re gonna be able to eat when out of town…”

They both sigh, reluctantly chowing down the pemmican mixed into boiled water, making a very light and flavorless porridge for breakfast.

“I think I’ve had enough, Posada. I’ll get us packed up while you finish eating, kay?”

Posada nods in response, still slowly, but surely, eating her bowl of slop.

***

While traveling north the two come across their first sign, a road sign, that is. A fork in the road with one path leading to Northpoint and another to a small village to the northeast. Looking over to the left fork, the Northpoint fork, they see their first traveler as well. What looks like a creature donned in a cloak of some sort slowly walking down the road. Posada and Skystar look at each other with uncertainty, heading to the left of the forked road and towards the cloaked figure.

Trotting along they quickly pass next to the traveler heading south. The cloaked figure side eying the couple as they walk pass, staring them down and looking over their equipment until they see the daggers. The two continue walking doing their best to not draw attention, hearts racing.

The cloaked figure stops in their tracks once out of view of the two hippogriffs, a sparkle of magic could be seen from under their hood as they cast a spell with their horn. Summoning an ethereal sword, floating in midair and controlled by magic as the creature now turns around and approaches the two hippogriffs. Posada, hearing the familiar sound of magic being cast, turns around instantly, seeing the cloaked figure running towards them. In reaction she quickly grabs the dagger holstered on her hip with her claw, yelping out “Get away!” to Skystar before lightly pushing her to the side, away from the creature.

Meeting eyes with Posada the cloaked figure wastes no time drawing back their sword and swinging it at the hippogriff, Posada’s saddle bags come flying off her as she uses her wings to dodge out of the way. “Sky, watch out, get airborne!” Posada screams out to her partner, Skystar’s wings extending as they both take to the sky. The gust of wind from both their wings blowing the hood off the cloaked figure, revealing a dark blue unicorn, long flowing mane colored yellow. Her horn glows as she continues controlling the bound sword.

Posada quickly thinks, trying to come up with a way to deal with the hostile pony, “Sky, I’ll try to distract her, when I do you can tackle her and try to disarm her. Just putting your claw on her horn should be enough to dispel the sword. Got it?” But her words fall on deaf ears, with Skystar zoned out and shaking as she tries to regain her composure. “Come on Sky! I need your help here!” Posada screams as she dodges another attack by the unicorn, the sword coming mere inches from cutting the hair from the hippogriff’s head.

Seeing the other hippogriff dazed the unicorn changes her course of attack, going after Skystar who dons her dagger in her shaking claw. With a swift slash she disarms the teal haired hippogriff, dagger falling to the ground which leaves her wide open to be attacked. Not even thinking Skystar goes to tackle the unicorn, fight or flight instincts taking over. The unicorn smiles, using her magic to bring the bound sword directly behind the hippogriff as she jabs forward directly to Skystar’s back.

Posada reacts quickly to this, flying as fast as she can to Skystar’s back. Using her short dagger to try and deflect the attack from the unicorn’s bound sword, unable to fully block it due to the angle of attack. And instead driving the sword over to the left of Skystar, narrowly avoiding a cut to her back. Unimpeded Skystar manages to fly down and tackle the unicorn, the spell caster groans and yells in retaliation as she loses focus of her magic causing the bound sword to disappear. Posada flies down swiftly after them, the unicorn quickly regaining composure and using magic to throw Skystar off of her and to the side of the road. But that’s just what Posada needed, her dagger firmly in claw she lunges at the unicorn using her wings to boost her speed. The dark blue unicorn’s horn glows again, but she’s just a moment too slow, distracted from having to levitate Skystar. Posada’s dagger digs into the unicorn’s right shoulder, crimson blood seeping slowly from the wound and tainting the pony’s fur. She hardly even flinches as adrenaline courses through her veins, only wincing as she moves her leg to step back from Posada.

The unicorn pants, “you two aren’t worth dying for.” “There will be others, there’s always others,” she thinks to herself. “Consider yourselves lucky, it’s been many moons since someone’s fought me off, let alone managed to wound me.” The unicorn uses her magic to slowly pull the dagger out, its blade dripping blood as her wound opens even more from the removal. Dropping the dagger, she then uses her magic to suture the wound shut as best she can, blood still seeping slightly from it as more fur on her front right leg becomes tarnished in red. She winces even more, doing her best to avoid putting pressure on the injured leg as the adrenaline from combat wears off slightly. She stares down Posada with her striking purple eyes, strands of her yellow mane getting in her face. She then turns around, limping away from the scene as fast as she can, putting her hood back over her head.

Posada simply watches as she watches the scene unfold, her wings open in case the unicorn strikes. Then slowly folding them as she walks away. Once safe she runs over to her partner, finding her leaning against a tree a few feet from the road. “Sky, are you okay!? You got thrown hard!”

Skystar groans lightly, her head tilting towards the voice before she opens her eyes. She nods her head yes as Posada holds her, “I’m okay... Is she gone?”

“Yeah. I got a good hit on her shoulder. She’s in a lot worse shape than you,” she smiles.

“Mm, good.” Skystar quietly says. “Can you help me up? I’m still a bit dazed from everything, heh.”

Posada slowly lifts up Skystar, supporting her back and helping her get back on her feet. “Thanks, Posada. Ugh, my body will feel like it’s been through Tartarus tomorrow.”

“Won’t be hurting as bad as our new unicorn friend, at least,” Posada giggles.

“Right… what do you think she wanted anyway? She didn’t even ask for our stuff, just started attacking…” Skystar says in a questioning tone.

“I don’t know… but she made it seem like she’s done this kind of stuff before. An experienced fighter as well, she would’ve had us if I didn’t hear her casting that bound sword spell.”

“I didn’t even hear it… I was just walking and next thing I knew you were yelling and pushing me away from you.”

“Yeah… you tend to pay more attention to sounds when around unknown creatures, especially after being ambushed a few times…”

“I’m just glad you were here, Possy. I’m… not a fighter. I see someone attacking me and I just go into shock, I don’t know what to do. I’ve never even hurt someone before, it’s all so foreign to me,” she says softly.

“That’s a good thing. I didn’t learn to fight out of want, it was more of a necessity. You’ve always had guards or someone else to fight for you, no offense.”

“No, you’re right. I just don’t like resorting to violence. Even if it’s necessary.”

“Guess that’s what you’ve got me for! I’m going to go get our saddle bags and daggers then we can hit the road again when you’re ready,” they both nod at each other.

***

Once recovered and saddled up again, they continue down the path cautiously and at a somewhat slower pace. Mostly for the sake of Skystar’s achy body. Marked alongside the road is a sign that says “Northpoint: 5 miles”. They’re getting close, a good thing as they see the Sun falling to the west as the day counts down.

Continuing their walk, and see the Sun set, Skystar decides to strike up a conversation, “so Posada… you know how in Equestria they say Celestia raises the Sun and Luna raises the Moon — which seems to be true from what I heard back home. But… what about the other religions? Don’t the Griffin’s worship some God called Boreas? And he’s said to do the same thing Celestia and Luna do? How does he work into the equation? Do they… take turns? Like stepparents? Do the Gods fight for custody over the Sun and Moon? Like I don’t get it! It’s so confusing!”

Posada simply looks over at Skystar in confusion, her face puzzled as she hears Skystar explain her thoughts. Looking off into the distance still confused while she ponders the question… “I… don’t really think about religion that much. We don’t have a state religion now, and I personally don’t follow any… I think the Sun and Moon probably just rise on their own, usually at least. With Luna and Celestia having the power to raise the Sun and Moon if they need to.” Tapping her chin she continues, “although I’m not sure how that would work physically because of the Moon’s gravitational effect on our planet and…” Posada then goes on to ramble about the logic and physics of raising the Sun and the Moon for the next half an hour. Before eventually moving on to talking about another one of her favorite topics, aliens. Skystar does her best to humor her, but usually just finds herself agreeing and nodding her head as she fails to understand most of what Posada is explaining.

After much astronomic discussion the two see the start of Northpoint. Small village huts and farms on the outskirts of town with peasants working the fields as the Sun starts to set. In the distance they see the city of Northpoint, circa the 500s. A cobblestone wall surrounds Northpoint, with buildings made of lightly colored bricks and orange roofing dotting the inner city. The ocean and port being on the furthest north side of the city. With careful attention one can also make out the towering library of the magic university, the tallest building in the city with a pointy top and windows adorn throughout it’s skinny structure.

“That’s our university, Posada! We still have that library back in our time! Hopefully we won’t have any issues getting access to it, since we’re not magically inclined or anything. I don’t know how open to public universities were back during this time,” Skystar says.

“We’ll get in one way or another. Legally, illegally, whichever’s easiest. And now that we’re back in town-”

“-We should be able to rest on a proper bed! And eat proper food! Yes!” Skystar yells out in joy.

“Yep! Let’s head in, Sky!”