Unlikely Heroes

by Raptor

Act I: Chapter 5: Bronze Feather

Day VII
Mountain road to Canterlot, Equestria.
Dawn

Entry 1

I guess I might as well start from the beginning.

I was borne to a prodigious family of blacksmiths, and was taught the finest points in the craft. I was quite excellent in it, but my heart wasn't in my work. My family was one of Thr the main suppliers for the army, thus I was taught to craft weapons. With my displeasure in what I made with my hooves, I began to experiment with what I could build. Soon, I discovered that I could ienvision and create wonderful things. My father,

Bronze Feather's writing was interrupted by a knock on the door of his small wagon. He perked up, closed his journal, and walked over to the door. He opened it to find a unicorn royal guard standing outside. "Yes?" Bronze asked.

"You wished to be informed when the city will be open for entry?" the guard said.

"Is it opening now?" Bronze inferred.

"Yes," the guard replied. "We're opening the gate now."

Bronze nodded. "Good. Thank you, sir." The guard nodded and trotted off down the road, which lead to the massive lowered drawbridge and raising iron gate, built into the tall white wall that stretched off of the cliffside and became one with the edge of the city itself. Bronze stepped out of his cramped wagon and stretched out his legs. He glanced at the brown cloak draped over him before looking at the unicorn, who continued walking away. He quickly shrugged off the cloak, revealing his long, slender wings. They unfurled out to his sides as he stretched them out, the silver underside glistening in the light of the rising sun as he twisted them.

Once he was all stretched, he replaced his cloak and went back in to the cabin. He checked the pockets of his vest- everything was in order. He slipped his custom glove on his right forehoof- nice and comfortable. After double-checking that he was ready for the day, he exited his cabin, closing the door behind him, and walked around to the front of the wagon. He slipped underneath the harness and strapped himself to it before looking at the great white wall, glowing with an orange tint in the early sun. He sighed and started hauling his mobile home up the path, towards the gate-- the gate to a sea of opportunity.

---

Day VII
Market District, Canterlot, Equestria
Second stage of Rising Sun

Bronze had just finished setting up his makeshift vendor stand in front of his wagon-- a few crates with various gadgets and tools displayed on them. He looked around. There were a hoofful of ponies milling about, most of them were other vendors setting up shop. Some of them were eying him suspiciously. Bronze did his best to just ignore them. He had certainly had his fair share of discrimination- mainly from the Earth ponies he was used to being around. Which is why he started wearing the cloak in the first place-- to hide his wings. But now that he was in a mostly unicorn city, he figured he was likely to be discriminated either way. Shaking his head and sighing, he looked around some more, and noticed there were some royal guards patrolling the streets. He pondered this for a moment, trying to remember anything that would give a logical explanation for it...

...Hm. Nope. He shrugged and stood behind his row of small crates, looking over his stockpile of artisantry. He couldn't help but grin at his own handiwork. I did a darn good job, didn't I? he thought.

---

Day VII
Market District, Canterlot, Equestria
High Noon

Hours passed.

The market was bustling, as expected, and Bronze didn't hesitate to advertise. "Gadgets, trinkets, and tools!" he would shout. "Get them while they're here! They're easy to use, and'll make your job even easier!" He had already made a few sales- a customized wrench to an Earth pony engineer who happened to be looking for a replacement- a telescope to a kind lavender unicorn mare wearing a brown cloak, not too unlike his- and a compass to a red unicorn scribe wearing a blue cape. Odd how a scribe would need a compass... regardless, business was going good. In Bronze's line of work, just a few sales is expected. He put time, effort, and money into his gadgets, and his customers knew it. He wasn't overpriced at all- his wares just needed to be expensive.

"Easy-to-use gadgets! Telescopes! Magnifiers! Music boxes! Wind-up toys! I've got tools for work and trinkets for play!" Bronze spotted a young unicorn filly who had perked her ears up at "wind-up toys." She smiled happily and started moving toward him, only to be yanked back and dragged off by her mother, who said something to her and gave Bronze a death glare. Bronze's smile slowly vanished and his ears drooped. He had dealt with all kinds of hurtful racism, but this one struck him deep down. The look on the filly's face... the look of pure excitement and curiosity... the look of innocence. All she wanted was to see what kind of toys this happy pony wanted to sell her. She didn't care that he wasn't a unicorn. She was too young to know-- or care-- about the strifes between the three races. She was growing up in a world where all ponies were equal... and yet, there she went, being dragged away by her mother, confused, not understanding why or how her mother thought this stallion was bad just by looking at him.

And there's no doubt in my mind that she'll ask her just that, Bronze thought, closing his eyes. And her mother will feed her a bunch of misleading sh- Bronze's thoughts were interrupted by a rather posh-looking magenta unicorn mare slowly approaching him. Just as well, anyway, he thought as he shook himself out of his stupor. I have to be thinking positive. His smile instantly returned as he watched the pony slowly walk up to his "stand," examining the merchandise.

"Good day, Madam!" he said cheerfully. The mare said nothing and didn't look at him. She stopped in front of his row of crates and scanned the various trinkets laid out, adjusting her glasses. Bronze shifted in place for a moment. She held a dull, half-lidded stare of judgment mixed with ever so slight interest. The kind of look a critic would wear. Finally, the mare looked up at him over her glasses. He smiled awkwardly at her.

"Did you craft these... trinkets yourself...?" she said slowly with a posh voice.

"Um... Y-yes. Yes, I did," Bronze replied. The mare slowly nodded and continued examining the wares. As she lowered her head for a closer look, Bronze spotted somepony else looking at him from the crowd. It was a gray Earth pony stallion, wearing a black coat and hat, staring straight at him with a blank expression, not moving. Bronze raised an eyebrow-

"And, you travel from city to city selling your... goods...?" the mare asked.

Bronze blinked and looked back at her. "Um, town to town, mostly," he answered. "This is my first time in Canterlot." Why does she always say it like she's looking for the right word to use for my wares...?

The mare slowly raised an eyebrow, as if she didn't believe him. Bronze stole a glance over her shoulder. The stallion was no longer there.

"Hmm..." the mare hummed. "That is most... interesting."

That was really starting to get annoying. "Um... Thank you?" Are you gonna buy something, or not, lady? after what felt like an hour, the mare simply started to walk off. Bronze just watched her go with a cocked eyebrow. "Uh... Good day..." he said. The mare didn't react. Bronze shook his head right before he heard someone approaching from the other end of his stand. He turned to face them, and sure enough, it was the gray stallion in the coat. He looked at the gadgets as he approached, much like the mare did, but with a blank expression. "Hello, sir!" Bronze chirped. The stallion looked at him. "You looking for something to make your job easier?" The stallion's mouth grew into a giant smirk.

"As a matter of fact, I am."

---

Day VII
The Tipsy Griffon, Canterlot, Equestria
Second stage of Setting Sun*

Bronze slammed his custom tankard on the counter with a unique and satisfying PANG. "So let me get this straight..." he said. He looked over to his left at the gray stallion, who introduced himself as Silver Mine, sitting next to him. He was wearing neither coat nor hat, as they were hung up on the coat rack by the tavern door. The tavern itself was dark and musty, with a crowd of primarily Earth ponies and pegasi. Ironic, seeing as how the bartender, who Silver had identified as Shining Clean, was a unicorn. "You told everypony that you were looking for a team to stop the dragon threat..."

"Yes."

"But only a few were selected, and you had to wipe everypony's memories to keep the mission out of jeopardy..."

"Yes."

"But you wiped the ones that were selected anyway..."

"...Yes."

"And I applied to this..."

"Yes."

"And I was selected...?"

"Yes."

"Aaaaand, now you're here to tell me just that?"

"Yes."

"And you showed me this letter, which has my signature, to prove that I actually did apply..."

"Yes."

"And... you expect me to just go on the mission even though I know practically nothing about it, based solely on the fact that I sent an application for reasons that I can't possibly remember?"

Silver paused for a moment and stared off into space. "...Yes."

"Ugh..." Bronze brought a hoof to his face, which happened to be the gloved one, softening the blow. "Well, I'm afraid you're wrong. I'm gonna need to know why I applied if I'm gonna agree to this."

Silver nodded. "Fair enough," he said. "I'm sure we can figure it out. I've already convinced four of the seven of you."

Bronze narrowed his eyes. "Really...?" he said. Silver nodded. "Interesting..." The pegasus turned back towards the bartender. "Could I get a refill?"

Clean smiled and nodded. "Of course." He walked off, looking for a bottle.

Bronze gazed off into space and tapped the counter with his gloved hoof. "Now then... why would I want to go on such an adventure...?" He picked up the letter in front of him with his other hoof, examining it. "I didn't include a reason in the application... Did I...?"

Silver shook his head. "No one did," he said. "It wasn't necessarily a required field. Although, now that I think about it... It would've made my job easier if it was... Why didn't I think of that...?" Silver grunted and took a swig from his mug. Clean came back, and a levitating bottle poured sweet Fillydelphian cider into Bronze's tankard. Bronze barely noticed him as he continued in his train of thought.

"It must've been a good reason," he contemplated, still tapping the counter top. "I mean, sure, I'd support this new country till the end of my days... and I suppose some of my inventions would certainly help with the journey... so I have a reason as to why I would be selected... but why would I apply...? That's the question..."

"Beats me..." Silver muttered as he took another sip of his drink.

"Maybe I just wanted to see my inventions being put to good use...?" Bronze continued, shifting in his seat. "I mean, that's a logical explanation as any, but it doesn't explain why I wanted to actually go on the mission..." Bronze thought to himself in silence for a while. Just then, a pink and yellow earth pony barmaid walked up to the bar on Bronze's right.

"I need four Filly-D ciders, Shiny," she told the bartender, placing a tray on the counter.

"Comin' up," Clean said. "Can you dry off those glasses for me, Juniper?" He nodded toward a group of wet mugs on Silver's side of the bar.

"Sure thing." The barmaid went through the bar door and around the bartender. When she reached the glasses, she spotted Silver and smiled. "Hey, you," she said cheerfully.

Silver smiled back. "Hello, Juney," he said.

Juniper Sweet started drying the glass mugs with a white rag. "Trying to convince another one of your 'recruits'...?" she asked, motioning toward Bronze. Shining nervously glanced at her, then at the crowd of ponies in the room.

Silver shrugged. "Actually, this one seems to be convincing himself," he said, also nodding toward the pegasus on his right, who continued to silently talk to himself, tapping the counter. "I'm just letting him do his thing." Juniper looked at Bronze, then back at Silver. She giggled and continued drying the mugs. Silver smiled and glanced at Shining, who gave him a nervous expression. As Silver gave a questioning look, he nodded towards the other ponies in the bar. Silver gave him a calm smile and shook his head, as if saying "don't worry about it." Clean replied with a shrug that said "if you say so."

Bronze blinked and shook his head. "Hm?! What?" He looked around. "Did somepony mention me...?"

Juniper looked at him and giggled. "He's a lot like you, Silvey," she said.

Silver rolled his eyes and turned to Bronze. "Sorry. This is Juniper Sweet and Shining Clean," he said. "Two very close friends of mine." Bronze smiled at them and nodded. The bartender nodded back before levitating a bottle over four tankards on a tray. Juniper smiled and waved. "So have you thought of anything...?" Silver asked the pegasus.

"Oh... well... I figured I must've learned something that would convince me to go," Bronze speculated. "So either I'm forgetting something that I should be remembering, or whatever it was I learned was wiped with my other memories." Bronze froze. Then, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Silver. "Is... there something you're not telling me...?"

Silver said nothing, but Juniper laughed. "Yeah, he does that a lot," she said. Silver glared at her, and she grinned at him.

"So... what aren't you telling me...?" Bronze asked. Silver remained silent for a while before answering.

"The biggest reason," he said. "The biggest and most influential reason that could ever influence you to go. A reason that would make you drop everything and and sacrifice anything to go on this mission. A reason that would change your life."

Bronze raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you start with that...?"

Silver lowered his head a bit. "Because I was hoping you would find some other reason to go..."

"Why...?"

Silver looked him in the eye. "Because you'd wish you never knew it." Bronze reared his head back a little. "But darn it, you're too smart," Silver continued. "You knew there was something else going on, and you had to look into it. With creativity comes curiosity, I suppose. And now, I have to tell you." Bronze stared at him, mouth agape. "Do you want to hear it...?"

The pegasus remained silent for a while. Then, finally, he nodded. "I have to know."

Silver nodded back. "Very well. Let's step outside." He fished out a hoofful of bits from his satchel and put them on the counter. Bronze did the same.

"Going so soon?" Juniper asked as she finished drying off the mugs.

"I'm afraid so, Juney." Silver said.

"Oh. Well, have a safe journey, Bronze!"

The pegasus looked at her. "Oh, well I haven't actually... uh... thanks."

Juniper trotted over to the tray with the now-filled tankards and placed it on her back. "And keep an eye on this one," she added, pointing at Silver. "When you're out camping, let him sleep in a little. He can get real feisty when you wake him up early." She gave Silver a playful wink as she trotted off. Silver smiled as he watched her leave. Then he looked at Bronze, who was cocking an eyebrow at him. Silver just stared with a blank, innocent look.

"What?"

Bronze shook his head, shrugged, and got up from his stool.

---

Outside was rather uncrowded, as this part of the city was usually bustling during the later hours of the day. Regardless, Silver led Bronze into the alley next to the tavern. It was wet and muddy from the rain the day before, and was a bit dark. Once he was satisfied no one could hear them, he sighed and looked Bronze in the eye. "Alright," he began. "Not many ponies know this, but there have been some victims of the dragon threat. Already."

Bronze's eyes widened. "Really?"

Silver nodded. "Yes. Some ponies that were drifting too close to the dragon lands were taken captive, and are being held hostage. As if Canterlot wasn't enough."

Bronze narrowed his eyes. "What does this have to do with me...?" Silver bowed his head and closed his eyes. "...Mr. Mine..." He reopened them, but didn't look at the pegasus. "What does this have to do with me...?"

Silver remained silent once again. Finally, he sighed and reached into his saddlebag, pulling out a scroll. "This is the list of the missing ponies," he said, offering it to Bronze. Slowly, Bronze took it out of his hoof and unrolled it.

He scanned the list of names, until he stopped and furrowed his brow. "Hey," he said, "I remember him. He worked at my father's forge-"

"Keep reading."

Bronze obliged. None of the other names meant anything to him, until he read-

He dropped the scroll. It landed in a puddle, and began to soak up. Neither stallion made a move to save it. Bronze's eyes were wide, his pupils small. He shook his head frantically. "No..." he muttered. "No... no no... That's impossible..."

"You know it isn't."

"No, no! That's not... It isn't..." Bronze put a hoof to his head as he backed up a few steps. "She can't..."

"She is." He looked at Silver, who wore a dark glare. "But you... Bronze Feather..." Silver pointed at him. "You... can help her."

Bronze looked down at the wet piece of parchment that changed his life. He stood there for a moment, mouth agape, eyes lost in confusion. But slowly... after a while... those eyes left confusion behind... and took a new form. Slowly and gradually, Bronze's face shifted. By the time he looked up to face Silver...

He was glaring.

"What will I have to pack?"

The inventor joins the team, and with a motive stronger than any of the others, from what we've seen. What that motive is may be revealed at a later time, but for now, the two stallions walk away, leaving behind the soaked piece of parchment that would change dozens of lives at a single glance.

Hours later, in the pub, the barmaid approaches the barkeep, with a question that has been plaguing her mind for a while now...

Day VII
The Tipsy Griffon, Canterlot, Equestria
Third stage of Rising Moon

Juniper set the tray down on the counter and exhaled. "Boy, tonight's been pretty busy, eh, Shiny?" she said.

"Yup, sure has," The white stallion replied, cleaning a shot glass.

Juniper looked from side to side. "So listen..." she began, in a hushed tone. "I was wondering... do you know much about Silver's 'mission'...?"

Shining shook his head, still not looking at her. "Not much besides the fact that he told us we shouldn't talk about it," he said plainly.

Juniper frowned at him. "Come on, Shining," she said in a more serious tone. "I know you know something about it. Spill it."

Shining sighed and placed the shot glass and rag down on the counter. he looked at her. "Look, all I know is that he's going on a journey to aid in the dragon conflict," he told her. "I don't know what exactly he's doing, or why he needs a team."

Juniper groaned. "I already know all that!"

"Well, then I guess you know just as much as I do on this matter, Jun."

"Well... what if he's trying to handle it all on his own...?" Shining cocked an eyebrow at her. "Well, I mean... you know Silvey. He can get reckless. What if he just told us he was 'aiding' the cause when really he wants to try and stop it himself?"

"You do have a point... That boy can certainly be troublesome... more so to himself."

"Tell me about it..."

"What are you planning to do about it?"

"Well... this might sound a bit crazy, but..."

"After what I've seen from you, I doubt anything else could surprise me."

"Oh really...?"

"Yep."

"I'm carrying Silver's baby."

"Ha ha."

"Anyway, What I was planning on doing was... well... following him. You know, make sure he doesn't get himself killed...?"

"Hm... I suppose he does have a rather... concerning track record..."

"You can afford to close the bar for a few days. Business isn't going that great anyway, since everypony's leaving Canterlot, with the whole dragon thing and all."

"That is a fair point..."

"And your wife and kid are away anyway, so you won't be leaving them behind."

"Hm... Alright. You've convinced me."

"You sound surprised."

"I guess I'll need to pack my things..."

"Me too. Should we close up early tonight...?"

"I think so." Shining levitated a small bell up from under the counter and rang it three times. "Last call!" he called out. There were some grunts and groans of disapproval.

However, in one particular corner, a hooded mare was laying a set of playing cards out on her table, one by one. Her cloak covered her entire face, besides her gray snout. She drew the Jester- a wild card.

"Intriguing," she whispered.

Author's Note:

Sorry it's late. I don't have an excuse besides DEAL WITH IT.
Think of it this way: you had to wait 16 days for this chapter, but you only have to wait 12 days for the next one!
Heheh... heeeh...
...But yeah. If you could please point out any and all grammatical/spelling errors, that'd be great, 'cause I didn't really look it over. Thanks.

See you at Ragnarok,
--Raptor

Journal entry by Saga529.
*unintentional alliterations FTW!

EDIT: Added music links for better effect.

Comments

[Saga529]

Have to say love what ya did with Bronze

[Brother Roga]

Great job!

[Corinator]

Allegiance: Helper
Name: Night Hawk
Gender: Male
Race: Pegasus
Age: Young Adult
Appearance:
i.imgur.com/ue92FVx.png
Cutie Mark: White crescent moon
Attire: Black cloak w/ hood
Voice: none (vow of silence)
Mannerisms: Sworn to silence, makes simple gestures, disappears when he has finished his duties and nopony is looking.
Assertiveness: shy
Aggression: Neutral
Mood: serious
Honesty: deceiving
Selfishness: selfless
Modest: neutral
Courage fearless
Traits: Clever, intimidating, protecting
Overall Personality Description: A silent, strategic warrior. Sworn to help others on quests for the greater good, not for evil. Makes simple gestures to advise and explain, not like charades, though.
Abilities: Speed, intelligence.
Home Town: None (wanderer)
Backstory: Night Hawk wanders throughout Equestria, helping others in their quests, for he has sworn to do so as well as he swore to silence. He recently noticed a group of ponies on a quest like no other he had been involved in.
Additional Notes: Basically a cross of Batman, Mare Do Well, and the Ghost of Christmases to come.

[Raptor]

2768769 I'm glad you think so!

[MetaLucario]

dude, this is some pretty good stuff. Congratulation, you've caught my attention. Let's see if you can hold it as long as "the ballad of echo" or "living the dream". judging from this, you'll probably succeed.