> Altruism > by scootalooftw > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Hey dad, where are we going again?” The young colt tore his eyes away from the passing desert scenery and looked across the train, awaiting his father's response. With a smile the father looked up from his newspaper. “Same place as last time you asked, son.” He teased “The train is taking us to Dodge Junction, and from there we will be joining up with the next caravan heading to Ironoak Landing.” “Why are we going there, daddy?” The young colt questioned, cocking his head slightly to the side. A sad look in his eyes, the father simply replied, “Because we have friends there, and Canterlot doesn’t have anything for us anymore.” “Does this have to do with mommy?” The colt asked softly, hoping not to upset his father any more than he could tell he already was. With a sigh, the father waited a minute before responding. “You always were a quick one, quiet and observant, just like me.” He responded with a slight chuckle. “After what happened to you mother, the guard doesn't have a place for me anymore. I know it wasn't their fault, but part of me couldn't get over what happened, and the role my commanding officer played in everything.” With tears in his eyes, the young colt hopped down from his seat and crossed the train, hugging his father. “It's ok if you want to cry daddy, you know mom wouldn't want you to hold it in.” The colt said, tears starting to leak from his eyes. With tears of his own rolling down his face, the father pulled his son into a firm, yet gentle hug. “You’re so much like your mother, how did get so lucky with you?” The father asked. “That's easy daddy,” the colt responded, smiling up at his father “you and mommy are the best parents ever, that's how!” With a sad smile and a sniffle, the father pulled his colt into another firm embrace, quietly saying “And you're the best colt ever. Your mommy and I love you very much, and don't you ever forget that.” The two held the embrace as the desert rolled by, both slowly closed their eyes, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the train. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ As the train pulled into the station at Dodge Junction, the two slowly rose from their shared seat, stretching and collecting the belongings they had in the car with them. As they disembarked and stepped onto the platform, the father led his son towards the cargo boxes at the back of the train. “Now son, I'm going to wait back here for them to unload our belongings.” The father instructed the young colt. “The town may be safe, but try not to wander too far away, there have been reports of bandit activity not that far away.” The colt gave his father a questioning look at his statement. “But if any show up you can just take care of them, right daddy?” “Now now,” the father playfully scolded the colt. “Just because you're dear old dad can handle trouble, doesn't mean we need to go looking for it.” “Okay daddy, I promise I won't go looking for trouble.” With that, the colt wandered off and settled down next to a nearby shack to await his father. After watching his father and the other stallions unloading the train for a few minutes, the colt got bored and pulled out his copy of Introduction to Magic: A Colt’s and Filly’s Guide to Channeling and Levitation. After reading halfway through the first chapter the young colt noticed a large shadow settle over him. Slowly the colt turned around to see a stallion even larger than his father standing behind him, features shrouded by the sun directly behind him. “Well hello there, little guy.” The mystery stallion cooed. “You didn't wander away from your daddy now, did ya?” “No.” The young colt squeaked nervously in response, before pointing a hoof to the train. “He’s right over there helping unload our stuff from the train.” Gathering his courage, the colt looked back to the stallion with a scowl. “You aren't a bandit, are you? Cus my daddy knows how to handle bandits, and he wouldn't appreciate you talkin to me.” The colt growled, trying his best to look intimidating. “A bandit?” The mystery stallion laughed. “I know it's been a few years, but surely you haven't forgotten me already? I'm the one who wrote your dad, askin’ for help with bandits. Well, no matter, I was jus’ lookin’ for the old stallion ‘n’ saw you sittin’ here by your lonesome, so I figured I'd come ‘n’ say hi before we got your stuff loaded up. We’re gunna have to leave as soon as we’re all loaded up. The journey’s a long one, and we don't wanna get caught out in the Badlands at night, makes us an easy target for bandits.” Turning and walking over to cart parked nearby, the stallion turned back to the colt. “Well, reckon I'll leave you to your book while I go help your old stallion unload the rest of your stuff. No sense in puttin’ it all on the ground when you can just put it right in the cart, ya know?” Hitching himself up, the mystery stallion pulled the cart over to the young colt’s father and started helping him unload their luggage from the train directly to the cart. Returning his attention back to his book, the colt continued his reading, and started attempting some of the techniques for channeling outlined in the book, until the combination of the near-midday sun and his frustration got the better of him and he stowed his book. Standing up to stretch his legs, the colt turned to the train to check his father’s progress, before looking for some shade to lie down in. Finding a nice, shady spot, the young colt plopped down and turned his gaze to barren desert landscape, trying to find something to occupy his mind. After multiple changed positions, and many bored huffs, the sound of hoofsteps approaching drew the colt’s attention. Turning to the direction the hoofsteps were coming from, the cold spotted his father, upside down and now clad in armor, making his way towards him. Rolling over, the colt grabbed his saddlebags and rushed to meet his father. “Are we ready to go yet? I'm bored.” The colt whined, giving his father his best pout to show him how serious he was. “Almost,” the father laughed, ruffling his son's mane. “We just gotta get the cover on the cart and get you loaded up and we’ll be heading out. Looking back to the cart, the colt saw the mystery stallion from earlier expertly pulling a large white piece of fabric over the frame of the cart, thing it down with practiced ease. By the time the father and son reached the cart, the cover was secured and the stallion sat by the hitch, waiting for the colt to climb in before he hooked himself up. Climbing up into the cart, the young colt found he had just enough room to lay his saddlebags out and lie down comfortably. By the time he was all settled in, the mystery stallion had hitched himself to the cart and they were on their way. Still frustrated with his book, and nothing better to do, the colt’s eyes slowly drifted closed and before too long he was gently snoring, lulled to sleep by the steady rocking of the cart. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The colt awoke with a start as he felt the cart jolt from a sudden impact. Sitting up, the colt noticed the stallion pulling the cart galloping, causing the cart to bounce around on the uneven ground. Poking his head out, he saw that they were in the middle of a group of similar carts, with a small group of armored ponies, including his father, spread out along the left side of the caravan. “What’s going on!?” The colt yelled up to the stallion, voice quaking with fear. “Just hold tight and keep your head down!” The stallion yelled back. “We got a group o’ bandits closin’ in from the east!” “Where’s daddy!?” The colt cried back. “I want my daddy!” “Don't you worry none, your daddy will be jus’ fine!” The stallion replied, attempting to calm the young colt. “He can handle himself! Besides, once they see how many armed ponies we got guardin’ us, I'm sure they'll decide it's not worth the trouble an’ break off!” Unsatisfied with his response, the young colt attempted to climb some of the boxes in the cart so he could look out the back and make sure his father was still with the group. The wheel hit a large rock in the trail, jostling the cart and throwing the young colt off of the boxes he had climbed and dangerously close to the opening in the front of the cart. “Dang it kid, Ah said git down! It's hard enough ta outrun the bandits pullin’ this cart without havin’ ta worry about throwin’ ya!” The stallion yelled, looking back over his shoulder to make sure the young colt was still in the cart. Deciding it wasn't worth trying again, the young colt huddled down with his hooves over his head and his eyes closed tight. The sound of yelling and metal hitting metal rang out over the thunder of hooves, causing the young colt to huddle down tighter, tears streaming from his eyes as he thought of all of the bad things that could happen to his dad. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ He wasn't sure how long he laid there, huddled up in the cart, but the sounds of combat slowly faded away, and eventually the carts slowed down to a more sedate pace. Cautiously poking his head out from his hiding spot, the colt saw that all of the stallions pulling the carts were lathered in sweat, and the armored stallions were making their way back into the group, meeting up with their assigned carts. “Hey kid,” the stallion called out “why don't you get one o’ those jugs o’ water back there for me ‘n’ your daddy. I'm sure he can use it as much as I can.” Looking around the inside of the cart, the colt found some jugs of water lined up along the wall where he put his saddlebags. Digging one out, he drug it to the front of the cart just as his father poked his head in to grab it. While his father took a few small swigs from the jug, the colt looked his father over, noting a few scratches on his armor, along with a small gash above his right eye. “Thanks kiddo,” the father called back to the son “I really needed that. That may not have been as intense as some of our training drills, but I am so not used to this heat anymore.” The father joked, handing the now half empty jug off to the stallion pulling the cart. After he finished the jug, the father took it back and gave it back to his colt, who stored in the cart where he found it. “It's a bit hard ta see from here,” the stallion pulling the cart started, a hint of pride in his voice “but one we pass into the shadow of the mountain, your new home is straight ahead. And with that little chase the bandits gave us, we made pretty decent time, too.” The colt climbed up to the very front of the cart, standing on his tippy-toes to try and catch a peek the town they came all this way for. The setting sun in his eyes made it hard to see, but just as the stallion said, once they passed into the shadow of the mountain lining the Badlands, the town came into sight causing the colt’s jaw to drop. The first thing the colt noticed was the large, sturdy looking wooden wall surrounding the town. Snaking their way up the sides of the mountain, the colt saw many trails, leading to just as many openings in the mountain, each with ponies pulling empty carts inside, and carts laden with ore from the mountain. Seeing the security of the wall, and the ponies happily working the mines, the little colt couldn't help but smile. Ahead of him was Ironoak Landing. His new home. > New town, new friends > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The early morning sun streaming through his window woke Benevolent Heart from his sleep. With a groan, he rolled over and threw a foreleg over his eyes to block out the sun. After a few minutes of trying, and failing, to fall back to sleep, Benevolent decided it was time to get up and start his day. Rising from bed, Benevolent looked around his room, taking in the sight of the half unpacked moving crates scattered around his room. It had been almost a week since his father and him had moved into their new home, and while the rest of the house had already been unpacked, he hadn't gotten around to unpacking anything but the essentials. After a moment of consideration, Benevolent decided to head to the kitchen to eat breakfast before he continued unpacking his room. Hopping off his bed, he left his room and headed towards the kitchen, walking slow down the hall as he admired the pictures of him and his parents his dad had hung up. Entering the kitchen, Benevolent spotted a small bag on the table where his dad would normally leave any extra from his own breakfast. Hopping up into a seat, Benevolent realized it was a bag of bits, along with a note. Hey kiddo, Figured you spent the last couple days in your room reading, so today I want you to get out and explore the town. Left you some bits so you could get yourself something for breakfast. There is supposed to be a pretty good bakery in town, why don't you go check them out, and maybe bring something while you're at it! Have fun and be safe! Dad With the promise of sweets in his future, Benevolent returned to his room to prepare for the day. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Wiping the steam from the mirror, Benevolent took in his reflection. His matted reddish brown coat, his still damp rust colored mane. ‘Heh, dad always says I’d look exactly like him, if it wasn’t for my horn,’ His eyes drifted up to the stubby horn poking out of his mane ‘and my eyes…’ His gaze fell upon the pale purple eyes reflected in the mirror. ‘Mom’s eyes…’ His moment of reverie past, Benevolent fixed his gaze upon his flank, eyeing the spot where his Cutie Mark would go with foalish excitement. 'I’ll get it soon. Once we start magic lessons in school, it’s only a matter of time, and I’ve been reading ahead!’ His thoughts drifted to the different beginner's guides to magic he had stacked in his room, the well worn spines a testament to how thoroughly he had scoured the pages for every bit of information he could get. After brushing his coat, and fixing his mane to its normal spiky style, Benevolent made his way back to his room. Grabbing his empty saddlebags, he tossed the bag of bits his father left him into the bags, then turned to look over his collection of books. ‘Hmm, what do I want to read today?’ Skipping over the pile of books he had read since moving, as well as his collection of fantasy and adventure novels, Benevolent instead focused on the small pile of magic tomes he had left to read. ‘ “Night Light’s guide to light spells” There’s a book I haven’t read in a while!’ Grimacing at the memory of why he had avoided reading it, he tucked the book into his saddlebags. ‘Better make sure I read this outside though, I don’t think my new bed has any fire-proofing spells on it.’ His reading material for the day selected, Benevolent headed out, locking the door behind him. Key secured in his bag, he set out to find the bakery his father mentioned in his note. ‘Ok, so the town is built out from the pass, and if I remember what dad said right, then the market is near the pass. So if I head towards the pass, I should be able to find somepony who can help me.’ With a plan in mind, Benevolent set off towards the pass, taking in the sights and sounds of the town as he went. Heading towards the main street of town, he reflected on what his father had told him a bit about the town when they were unpacking. Because of the circumstances behind the founding of the town, everything had been built from the pass going out. Reaching Main Street, he caught sight of wall boxing in the own. His dad told him the wall was built from Ironwood, from trees grown right here in this very town. One of the founding families, the Oak family, having discovered a way to more easily grow and harvest the extremely tough ironwood tree, has settled on the forest side of the mountain pass. Because of their simpler method of harvesting trees, they quickly became known as a reliable supplier of the extremely durable wood. Turning down Main Street, Benevolent fixed his gaze on the mining tunnels and paths carved into the side of the mountain. According to his dad, on the Badlands side of the pass, the Ironhide clan had been hard at work prospecting for precious metals. Upon reaching the pass, they discovered the mountains on both sides of the pass where rich in both ore and gemstones. Setting up camp at the pass, the dug into the mountain. Reaching the center of the town, he could see the market square, sitting right at the opening to the pass. The reason for this, according to his dad, was because the town is actually on both sides of the pass. After the Oak family had set up on the forest side, and the Ironhide clan had set up on the mountain side, the two crossed paths when a pony from the Ironhide camp had stumbled upon the Oak families produce field while out foraging. Upon becoming aware of each other, the two groups set up trade, The oaks trading their abundance of produce, in exchange for metal for tools. Eventually, with the influx of workers needed to keep up with the demand for raw materials, the camps grew large enough that they decided to found a town. With the town spread out so far, it was decided that the market should be in the center, where it was easy for everypony to reach it. Of course, a growing town known for its export of valuable resources also attracted some unsavoury characters. It wasn’t long before the town started coming under attack from small raiding parties, groups of bandits trying to make off with some of their precious resources. It was decided that, to defend the town, it was necessary to form a town militia, and that a wall needed to be built to help defend their town. With the town’s main export being an extremely tough and durable type of lumber, the Oak family was quick to supply all the wood needed to secure the town. Wandering through the multitude of stalls in the open air section of the market, He kept his eye open for anything that might catch his interest. The market itself had a rather interesting layout. In the center were rows of stalls. These stalls were open for anypony to set up at and sell anything including produce, tools, and any other home made knick knacks they might have. Surrounding the stalls were buildings containing the more permanent vendors and businesses. As he walked along the storefronts looking for the bakery, he passed a blacksmith, general store, and a woodworker’s shop before finally spotting a store that caught his interest. “A book store!” In his excitement, Benevolent failed to notice a pony heading for the same store as he rushed towards it. As he ran towards the store, he collided with the other pony, knocking them both to the ground and spilling the contents of their saddlebags. As he picked himself up and started gathering up his things, he heard the voice of a very aggravated sounding mare call out to him. “Excuse me, young colt!” “I’m sorry, ma’am,” Benevolent turned to the mare to apologize. “I got really excited when I saw the book store and wasn’t looking where I was going.” The mare he ran into was a pegasus around his dad’s age. Her coat was the color of old parchment paper, and her mane was a striking pure white, like freshly fallen snow. Her Cutie Mark consisted of an unrolled scroll, with a quill writing on it. Upon hearing his excuse, her sharp blue eyes softened a bit. “Well, it doesn’t look like any of the books were damaged, so I’ll forgive you this time. But please try to watch where you are going in the future.” Her voice, while still slightly haughty, didn’t have the hard edge it originally had. “Yes ma’am” Benevolent responded, helping the mare collect her books. “'Night Light’s guide to light spells', I don’t remember grabbing this book. This wouldn’t happen to be yours, would it?” “Oh, yes, it is!” he responded, “Thank you for catching that, today would have been boring without my book!” “You really do like your books, don’t you?” She asked bemusedly. “I don’t think I caught your name. My name is Swift Script, I’m the owner of the bookstore you were so excited to see.” “Nice to meet you, ma’am. I’m Benevolent Heart. My father and I just moved here a few days ago, from Canterlot.” “Canterlot, you say? May I ask what brings you out to a town like this? It’s not exactly as luxurious as you Canterlot ponies are used to.” “Oh, umm, my dad just retired from the Royal Guard, and a friend of his that lived here asked him to come help train this town’s guard.” “Oh,” Swift exclaimed, a look of realization on her face. “You must me Stalwart’s colt! I had the pleasure of meeting him the other day. He talked about you quite a bit, I’m almost ashamed it took this long to realize who you were. He said you were quite the avid reader, although I see he finally got you out of that house.” “Yes ma’am, he told me i should take some time to explore the town. That reminds me, there was a bakery he suggested I stop at to get breakfast. You wouldn’t happen to know where that is, would you?” Slinging her saddlebags back over her back, Swift pointed in the direction Benevolent had been heading. “You must mean the Divine Treats bakery. Yes I know where it is, it’s just a few buildings down. I’m surprised you can’t smell the fresh bread from here.” Gathering his own repacked saddlebags, Benevolent started heading the direction Swift had indicated. “Thank you Miss Script, I’m sure I’ll see you again soon. I’ve already read all the books I own, so I’ll be needing some new ones.” “Of course you will, dear. And don’t call me ‘Miss Script’, it makes me feel old!” Swift called after him, shaking her head and continuing to her shop. Continuing down the street, Benevolent finally found the bakery he set out for. The building itself looked like many of the other shops in the market. It was a large, single story building, with a set of double doors in between two large windows that stretched across the rest of the front of the building, giving passersby a view into the shop. The windows had the words ‘Divine Treats’ in fancy lettering, along with pictures of different kinds of pastries that looked to be hand painted on them. The double doors had been propped open, to allow the smell of freshly baked goods to lure in customers. A couple of small, two pony tables were spread out in front of the store, giving customers a spot to sit and eat. As he walked into the bakery, he saw that the walls inside were lined with booths, a majority of which were filled with an assortment of earth ponies, and a few unicorns, all of whom seemed to have some type of rock or mining related Cutie Mark. Behind the counter was a large golden mare with a cherry red mane and pink eyes. Upon spotting him approaching the counter she gave him a friendly smile a greeted him. “Well hello there, dearie, you aren’t one of JD’s friends, are you? I don’t think I recognize you from around here.” The mare asked, her voice sweet and smooth. “No ma’am, my father and I just moved here. He said he heard that the bakery here had good food, and wanted me to come check it out.” Benevolent replied, fishing out his bag of bits. “Oh, you must be Stalwart’s son, wouldn’t’cha know? He was just in here the other day, had an awful lot of good things to say about you. Although he did say you hadn’t made any friends yet.” “No ma’am, I was busy unpacking and haven't gone out much yet. I figured I’d wait until school started up to meet ponies my age.” “Well you’re going to be waiting a while then, don’t’cha know? This is a farming community, we don’t have classes during the summer months so that the young ponies can help their families on the farm.” “Oh, I didn’t know that,” Benevolent responded, looking a little down. “In Canterlot we usually have the winter months off, so we don’t have to worry about the snow as much.” “But don’t worry about it dearie, I’m sure you’ll make friends in no time, don’t’cha know? So what can I get you? I noticed you’ve been eying those cinnamon rolls, would you like one of those?” “Yes ma’am, a few please. I’m going to bring my father breakfast over at the training field. It didn’t look like he ate anything before he left.” “Aww, that’s such a sweet, thoughtful little colt. I’ll go ahead and get those wrapped up for you, and you can be on your way.” The mare turned and called through the pass-through, “Hey JD, we got a customer up here wanting some fresh cinnamon rolls, don’t’cha know? Why don’t you wrap up a dozen and bring them up front.” Before Benevolent could protest the amount, he heard a young voice call back, “Ok mom, they’ll be right up.” “Excuse me, ma’am, but I was only going to get a few. I don’t think I have enough bits for that many,” Benevolent stated bashfully. “Enough with that ‘ma’am’ nonsense, the names Tasty Desserts, don’t’cha know?” The mare chided. “And don’t worry about the bits, dearie. This one is on the house, for you being such a thoughtful young colt.” “Oh, umm, thank you ma’am,” he squeaked, failing to fight back a blush. Before Tasty could correct him on his use of ma’am again, a young pegasus filly came walking out of the back carrying a bag on her back. The pegasus filly was almost the same golden color as the mare behind the counter, her coat a few shades darker. Her mane and tale a charcoal black, with streaks of silver through them, her eyes a striking silver. Her flank, like Benevolent’s, lacked a Cutie Mark. “Is this the one who ordered the rolls, ma?” The filly asked, her voice rough and raspy, sounding more like a colt’s than a filly’s. “Yes dearie, he and his dad just moved here from Canterlot, don’t’cha know? Why don’t you introduce yourself, maybe take the rest of the day off, show him around town?” Tasty replied cheerily, making her way towards the back. “But I..” The filly started to protest, before Tasty cut her off again. “Go on dearie, your father and I can handle things just fine without you, now that the morning rush is over don’t’cha know? Besides, he’s headed to the training field from here, and I know how much you just love watching them train.” Tasty called over her shoulder, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “But mom, do I have to?” The filly whined. “Why do I have to go with him, he looks like such a nerd.” “Hey now, that isn’t very nice young lady.” Tasty scolded from the back. Emerging from the kitchen area with a small set of saddlebags in her mouth, she tossed them onto the filly’s back before continuing. “Now I packed enough food for both of you to be able to have lunch, I don’t want to hear any more complaining from you. You spent all week complaining about being stuck working the kitchen because all of your friends are busy, so I don’t want hear it. Now you will take that colt, and march your little flank down to the training field, do you understand me?” “Yes mom,” the filly conceded. After checking to make sure her bags were secure, she started heading for the door. Halfway to the door she stopped and turned back to Benevolent. “Well, ya comin’?” “Um, yeah,” he answered nervously following after the filly. Before he reached the door, he turned around to thank Tasty one last time. “Thanks again for the food, Miss Desserts.” “Don’t worry about it dearie, you just run along now, your hear? And enough with the ‘Miss’ and the ‘ma’am’, you’re making me feel old, don’t’cha know?” Tasty called after him, shooing the two young ponies out of the bakery. Hurrying out the door, he saw the filly walking towards Main Street and trotted after her. Catching up to her, he fell in step beside her. “Hey, uhh, thanks by the way.” He mumbled, watching her out of the corner of his eye. “Whatever…” the filly grumbled, keeping her eyes glued on the road in front of her. When they reached Main Street, the filly quietly turned up the street and started heading towards the residential area. They walked in silence for a few more minutes before she finally spoke up. “JD.” she mumbled. “What was that?” Benevolent asked, starting a bit. “My name’s Just Desserts, but everypony calls me JD,” she repeated, speaking louder. “Oh, um, nice to meet you. Mine name is Benevolent Heart.” JD turned to Benevolent, giving him a playful smirk. “Well that’s a mouth full, I ain’t sayin’ it. I’m gunna call you Benny.” “Sure thing, JD,” Benevolent replied, returning the smirk. Giving Benevolent a light nudge, JD picked up the pace. “So tell me, what’s a nerd like you doing going to the training field?” “I am not a nerd, I just like reading.” Benevolent huffed. “Exactly, nerd,” JD teased. “But that still doesn’t answer my question.” “Well if you must know, my father is there, and he skipped breakfast this morning. So I thought I’d bring him some breakfast.” “Aww, isn’t that sweet,” JD snarked. “What, is your dad some new recruit that couldn’t drag himself out of bed in the morning?” “No,” Benevolent retorted grumpily. “He’s the one training them.” “Woah woah woah, wait a minute,” JD ground to a halt. “You mean to tell me that your dad is that tough new pony that they got from the guard to train the militia?” She asked incredulously. “Uh, yeah? I don’t see how..” Benevolent began. “Whatever, just, let’s get goin’. I wanna see what kinda drills your old stallion is putting them through.” JD cut him off, picking up the pace again. “My dad is not old,” he grumbled. “And why are you in such a hurry to get there? Your mom said you like watching the guards train, what did she mean by that?” “Oh, you heard that?” JD mumbled, blushing lightly. “Well, to answer your questions in order; I’m excited to see what kind of new training drills your old stallion brought with him from Canterlot, and she meant that I like to spend time at the training grounds why the militia is training. I wanna get a head start on my training, because when I turn 16 I’m gunna join the militia, just like my dad and my grandfather. It’s become a bit of a tradition in our family that the first born signs up, and since I’m an only child that means I get to be the lucky one!” “Wait, so you actually want to join the guard?” “Militia, this town doesn’t have a guard,” JD corrected. “And yes, joining the guard has been my dream since my grandpappy passed.” “Why since then?” “Cus he was killed in action,” JD stated happily, beginning to prance down the street as Benevolent stopped in his tracks. “My grandpappy died in battle with honor, and if there’s one way I wanna go out, that’s it!” “Oh, umm, ok then. So where are we going anyways,” Benevolent inquired, cantering after her. “I thought we were going to the training field?” “Oh, we are.” JD responded, continuing her prancing. “And if you’d hurry your lazy flank, we’d get there that much faster.” “But this is the residential area,” He replied, looking around. “Well yeah, we gotta go through the residential area to get to the training grounds.” JD slowed down to shoot Benevolent a questioning look. “Don’t you know the layout of the town yet?” “Only parts of it, we just moved here a few days ago. Today was my first time really out exploring.” “Well then,” JD stated, giving Benevolent a cocky smirk. “Guess it’s a good thing you got me to show you around.” “I appreciate it, JD.” Benevolent said, giving JD a warm smile. “It’s no problem Benny,” JD stated, her smirk morphing to a genuine smile. “So, you already know that the market is at the center of town, and the residential area surrounds the market, correct?” “Yeah, my dad told me a little bit about how the town is laid out, and why.” “Ok, so do you know about Main Street and Stirrup Street?” “I just know that Main Street runs from the main entrance to the town all the way to the pass.” “Well, you’re sorta right there. See, you got Main Street running from the northeast entrance to the town straight back to the pass. You’ve also got Stirrup Street; that runs from the southeast entrance to the town all the way through to the pass as well. If you ever get turned around, just find your way to one of those two streets and you can go straight to any part of town. You with me so far?” “Yeah, I think so. So rather than one main street running the length of the town, you got two?” “Exactly! Now, you’ve got the market square at the center of town, right in front of the pass. Surrounding that is the residential area. The residential area consists of, as the name suggests, general housing for the ponies that work in the mines, as well as the shop owners. In the center of the residential area, sitting smack dab between Main Street and Stirrup Street is the school house. Great position for those of us that live in the residential area, but sucks for the ponies that live on the farms on the other side of the pass, like Heavy.” “Like who?” Benevolent cut in, confused by the new name tossed in. “Heavy Oak, good friend of mine, part of one of the founding families. Don’t worry about him now, he’s busy working his family's farm, you won’t meet him till school starts up. You guys will get along great, he may be big, but he's a softie. Anyways, back on topic. Outside of the residential zone you’ve got the barracks and the training grounds. The barracks are located right dead center, in between Stirrup and Main. The reasoning for this is so that if there is ever an attack, the active militia can easily respond and move to any area along the wall quickly. Wouldn’t due if the barrack where all the way in the southern end of town and some bandits decided to attack the northern entrance, ya know? Now in between the barrack and the wall is the main training area. The main area consists of a track for running, as well as a field for sparring and some targets set up for weapons and magic training. That’s where we’re heading.” “You really know your way around the town, don’t you?” “Well of course I do, my great grandfather was part of the original group that settled here with the Ironhide clan.” JD informed Benevolent, chest puffed out in pride. “It wouldn’t do for the daughter of one of the families that helped found this town to not know her way around town! Plus it’s not like it’s really that complicated, the town is divided into three sections, and you got two main roads running all the way through. Give it a month and you’ll be navigating this place like a pro!” Benevolent simply nodded, continuing to pay attention to where they were going. “So what about you Benny, got anything you wanna do?” “Well, for the longest time I wanted to study magic. In fact my collection of magic books started because I was studying to get into the School for Gifted Unicorns back in Canterlot.” “You would, nerd,” JD teased. “So what happened with all of that?” “Oh, well,” Benevolent paused, seemingly taking a minute to organize his thoughts. “After everything that happened, dad decided it would be best to leave Canterlot.” “What happened that your dad wanted to leave?” Seeing a pained expression cross Benevolent’s face, she decided not to push for answers when he lowered his head and kept quiet. Noticing they were nearing the gates, JD broke off from the road and approached a massive, single story building. “This is the barracks, most of the active militia ponies stay here. By active I mean the ones that serve in the militia as their main job. Those are the ponies you see patrolling during the day, and they act as the closest thing this town has to a guard.” Walking along the side of the barracks, JD continued explaining how the town's militia worked. “Now besides the active militia, there’s also the standby division, or minuteponies if you will. These are everyday townsponies who spend a few months training with the militia, but keep their regular job and only act in case of an emergency that the active members can’t handle themselves. My dad is one of these ponies. He’s got a spear and a set of armor he keeps in the kitchen, but he gets mad at me if I play with them.” Taking a moment to pout, JD rounded the corner at the end of the building before continuing. “And here we are, the training field! As you can see, the track and the open field are right in front of the barracks, with the training dummies lined up against the wall for practicing with magic and bows.” Pointing out a stallion seemingly chasing the trainees around the track, JD continued. “And look, that’s your dad, right? He’s got everypony running laps, huh… Guess I expected something a little more extreme than that.” The stallion in question was an earth pony of average height, but with a build that showed his military training and dedication to staying physically fit. Like his son, his coat was reddish brown, and his mane and tale the color of rust. However, unlike his son, his eyes were brown. His Cutie Mark consisted of a large tower shield with a large heart in the center, showing his dedication to standing tough and protecting those he cares about. “Yeah, that’s him, and he did a lot of that when he was in the guard. I think he said it was endurance training,” Benevolent chuckled. “He told me about one time when he was still in training himself, he decided to mouth off to the drill sergeant. He told me they made him run laps till he threw up, then they made him clean it up and run some more!” “Oh, wow!” JD exclaimed, a giddy smile on her face. “That sounds awesome! I hope your dad is still doing the training when I join!” “Wait, are you serious?” deadpanned. When all JD did to answer was nod her head, her smile threatening to split her face, Benevolent just rolled his eyes and started trotting towards his dad. “Whatever, listen, I’m going to go talk to my dad quick and give him some of the food I brought.” JD simply nodded, too caught up in her fantasies of her future in the militia to respond. Noticing his son heading his way, Stalwart Shield told the group of trainees to take a break and moved to meet him. “Hey kiddo, didn’t expect to see you out here. What brings you to the training field today?” Reaching into his saddlebags, Benevolent pulled out the bag of cinnamon rolls. “I didn’t see any food left out this morning like you usually do, so I figured you didn’t eat this morning. I decided that since you wanted me to check out that bakery this morning, I’d bring you something.” Stalwart reached down and ruffled his son’s mane before grabbing a few rolls. “Sometimes I think you’re the adult and I’m the kid, have I ever told you that before Ben?” Blushing at the attention, Benevolent bashfully scuffed the ground with a hoof. “Well somepony has to make sure you eat.” “Come on, it’s not like skipping a meal ever killed anypony,” Stalwart joked. “But the thought is appreciated. So I see you made a friend, what’s her name.” Looking back the way he came, Benevolent saw JD waiting for him to finish up with his dad. “Oh, that’s Just Desserts, but she prefers JD, her parents own the bakery. When I told them I was heading out here, her mom insisted she come with, show me the way. Apparently she likes to come out here and watch the guard train, she wants to join once she’s old enough.” “It’s a militia kiddo, I’m not part of the guard anymore,” Stalwart corrected. “I’ve seen her around here a few times, thought her parents were one of the ponies I was training. You’ll have to introduce me some time, but for now I need to get these ponies moving, don’t want them to get too much of a rest now.” With a wink, Stalwart trotted off, barking orders at the resting militia ponies, getting them moving again. Laughing at his father's antics, Benevolent went back to where JD was waiting for him. “So, what now?” Benevolent asked as he neared JD. Turning to head towards the barracks, JD led Benevolent to a set of benches sitting in the shade. “Well, I usually sit in the shade while I watch them train. If you planned on sticking around you could join me.” With a flick of her wings, she hopped up on the bench and laid her saddlebags out next to her, attempting to get comfortable. Climbing up on the bench next to JD, Benevolent pulled out his book and shot her a smile. “May as well, the only other thing I had planned for today was reading.” JD gave him an incredulous look, before shaking her head and turning to watch the ponies train. “Nerd” Rolling his eyes, Benevolent set out his book before digging into the bag of cinnamon rolls, munching away as he read. After sitting in silence for a while, it was JD who finally broke it. “So what ya readin’?” “Hmm?” Benevolent looked up from his book, taking a moment to process what she said. “Oh, it’s called ‘Night Light’s guide to light spells’. It’s a book about, well, light spells.” “Yeah,” JD snickered, “the name was quite self explanatory. Can you cast any?” “Any what, light spells? No, last time I tried didn’t turn out too well, but I’m working on it. Besides, there’s still a few years before they start magic training in school. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it by then.” “What happened last time?” “Oh, well, umm,” Benevolent stuttered out. “Last time, I, uhh… Managed to set my own mane on fire?” Fixing him with a gaze that said she was trying to figure out if he was serious or not, JD stared at Benevolent for a full minute before she rolled off the bench and fell to the ground laughing. “Bah ha ha ha! That it great! How?! How did you even manage that?” Lifting his book up to try and hide his embarrassment, Benevolent tried to defend himself. “Come on JD, it’s not that bad! All young unicorns have trouble with their magic, and it’s not too uncommon to accidentally start something on fire.” “Yeah, other things!” JD choked out, still on the ground struggling to contain her laughter. “But I don’t think I have ever heard of a unicorn setting their own head on fire. And from a light spell, too! I thought those were supposed to be the easiest spell for unicorns to learn?” When her question was met with silence, she looked up to see Benevolent had the book placed over his head, his forelegs holding it firmly in place. “Oh man, hey, I’m sorry Benny,” she apologized, hopping back up on the bench and putting a hoof on his shoulder. “I was laughing to be mean, just the thought of you accidentally setting your own head on fire was funny, and I couldn’t stop once I started. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” Peaking out from under the book, Benevolent sighed before removing the book from his head. “It’s ok, I know you didn’t really mean anything by it, it’s just really embarrassing. The ponies I went to school with in Canterlot used to tease me about it.” “So there’s no hard feelings then?” JD asked, giving Benevolent a light nudge and a smile. Returning the smile, Benevolent nudged her back. “No, no hard feelings.” “So, you mentioned something about ponies that used to tease you, what about friends? What were your friends like?” “Well…” * * * The two ponies spent the rest of the day talking, trading stories of their friends, and what they did before they met each other. Eventually, Stalwart finished up with the training session for the day and they left, walking JD home before returning home. As Benevolent settled into bed that night, he decided he might just like this new town, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.