Equestria AM (after magic)

Chapter 2: The Shield

Warding Soul hated small towns with a burning passion. In Manehatten or Canterlot, he could easily move about without drawing any ponies attention. The moment he walked into ponyville, every pony on the street was stairing at the strange midnight blue unicorn who had flew into town.

Maybe that’s why everyone was starring at him. A unicorn flying into town probably was an unlikely event in this tiny settlement. As much as he wanted to tell them all that the rubbery bat like wings he had were a simple spell, it was a lot safer for them to think he was some sort of alicorn.

The pones in the town seemed to perk up a bit at seeing the new comer, although ward has no idea why. The pones of the town still seemed on edge despite there happy nature. Something he come to expect in most pony settlements.

He had been to this tiny town once before, and he had found it nice. Now it just felt...darker somehow. All the pones out in the streets where doing business with street venders, or talking quietly to each other. Not a single filly or colt seemed to be out enjoying the evening sun.

Ponyville wasnt as bad as some of the other places he had wondered through though. In fillydelphia, he had been mugged right after landing. That poor thief...

He sighed as every head on the street turned his way, watching the new comer and gauging his intent. They almost seemed to be guessing how many bits where in his saddlebags.

Don worry about them, you have a job to do

Ward shook his head slightly, pushing back the voice in his head. He didn’t need her breathing down his neck. Not for something like this.

Shortly ahead of him, a peace keeper was trying to barter with the mare running a fruit stand. Ward studied the zebra, trying to figure out if he looked familiar. Ugh, they all look the same!

If ward passed by that zebra, and he recognized him, it was all over. They would take his horn for what he had done.

Ward continued to walk towards the center of town, fainting interest in the wares some of the venders had. He made his way past the zebra guard, his crystal horn gleaming as the sun shone through it. Ward smiled to himself as he moved pass the zebra, silently congratulating himself on not getting busted.

“hey you, wait!”

Ward froze, paralyzed by the fear of being imprisoned. He had made it to far for his journey to end here. He had to find her. Ward turned towards the voice, breathing slowly to keep himself from panicking.

Ward let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t the zebra that had yelled at him, but the green earth pony running the fruit stand. She was beckoning for him to come over.

“Your new in town, right?” The green mare running the stand asked as Ward walked up beside the zebra.

“Ugh...yea, that's right,” He said, nodding. “Just got here from detrot. Why?”

“Well, this zebra here seems to think im trying to rip him off.” She said slyly, motioning at the zebra with the muzzle.

“That’s cause you are!” The zebra snapped.

“Calm down, or get lost!” She snapped at the zebra, stomping a hoof. She turned back to ward. “So, out-of-towner, what would you pay for a watermelon”

“Well. Umm...in detrot city, it would cost 18 bits... usually.” Ward said. “What do you charge?”

“15 bits.” She said, looking at the defeated zebra. “So, are you convinced now?”

“Fine.” He muttered, dropping 15 bits on the stall. The zebra levitated the melon into his saddlebag, using his crystal horn implant, and walked away. The earth pony chuckled as the zebra muttered something about greedy pones.

“Thanks for that.” the mare said, smiling. “Most pones would have kept on walking.”

“Im not most pones.” Ward said.

“So wings, what brings you to ponyville?”

“Im looking for some pony. An old relative I haunt seen in a while. She lives in a haloed out tree, but I have no idea where it is. Also, do you now a good place to get a bite?”

“Well.... The library is a tree. Its down over that way.” The mare said motioning with her hoof. “Go two blocks, take a left. Giant tree, you cant miss it. As for a place to eat, im going to assume by good you mean cheap. the Hay Burgers not bad.”

“Oh, thanks...umm...”

“Clear Sky.”

“thank you, Clear Dky..” She smiled, as ward turned and made his way to the nearby restaurant. Sure his mission was important, but he hadn’t had a hot meal in over a week and a half.

“Whats the matter twilight, you've hardly touched your food?” Pinkie asked, motioning to twilight’s barley touched meal. Pinkie pie had never seen her eat so little at her favorite restaurant.

Twilight poked at her burger, and sighed. “It looks good, but I just don’t feel like eating.”

“Come on twilight, its your favorite.” Pinkie sung. “Just forget about all that work stuff and enjoy yourself.”

“Im trying pinkie, I really am. Its just that, I cant take my mind off it.”

“Sometimes, the answer your looking for comes to you when you stop thinking about it.” Pinkie said, smiling. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at the ketchup dripping down her face.

“See, there you go. Laugh, smile, have some fun.”

“Alright pinkie, I’ll try harder to have some fun.”

“Good, i-” Pinkie stooped as she looked at her left hoof. “Cold hoof, cold hoof!”

“What does that mean?” Twilight asked.

“It means that im going to meet some pony new!”

“Come on pinkie pie, who could that possibly be? You already know everypony in ponyville.”

The moment warding soul stepped foot into the restaurant, he was assaulted by the succulent aroma of food. After weeks on the road, even a simple daffodil burger tasted like gourmet food. He had to stop himself from drooling, as he made his way to an empty table, and sat down on the barrel.

He had never eating anywhere like the hay burger, but he didn’t care. The smell of the amazing burgers and the crispy fires made his mouth water and his stomach rumble.

“Welcome to the hay burger.” His waitress said as she walked up. “May I take your order?”

“Hi, I’ll have a double chess burger, extra lilac and daffodil, hay fries, and a mug of hard cider.” He told the orange mare

“Ok, they’ll be 54 bits.”

“54 bits!” he burst out, utterly shocked at the price. Clear Sky said the place was cheap.

“Times are tough kid.”

“Ugh.”

Ward stooped himself from levitating the money out of his saddle bag, and reached in to get it. Not the best idea to use magic in public with all the pones eying the new guy in town.

Ward put his little bag of bits on the table, and counted out 54 bits. The waitress took the money, and left. Ward looked at his nearly empty sack of money, and then placed it back in his saddle bag.

A few minutes later, the waitress returned with a plate full of awesome. The food looked nearly as good as it smelled.

Ward bit into the burger, closing his eyes and chewing it slowly. its perfect mixture of flavors flowed through his mouth like a river.

It was the single greatest thing he had tasted in weeks. So much better then the bitter dried fruits he had to eat on the road.

Ward opened his eyes to find a pink mare with a messy mane starring at him happily. Ward took a drink of his cider, which tasted nearly as good as the burger.

“Umm...hi?” Ward said to the strange earth pony watching him eat.

“Hi.” the Pinke mare said back, wairing a giant grin.

“Ugh... can I help you?”

“I did really want a cup cake earlier, but im eating lunch now, so I doubt I would have room. Thanks for asking though.”

“ugh, okay....” ward said. There was something about this mare that made him vary uncomfortable.

“So, what brings you to ponyville?”

“Business.”

“Ohhh, what kind of business? Is it cider? Realastate? Or delivery? Maybe selling zap apple jam? Are you a courier?”

“Im looking for some pony.”

“Well in that case, your talking to the right pony. I know everypony in ponyville. Well, except for you. I’m pinkie pie.”

“Warding Soul.”

“Awe, I was going to guess!” Pinkie cried. “Oh well, to late now. So, wardie, who is it your looking for?”

“I cant tell you.”

“Because its a secret?” Pinkie squealed.

“No, because...I cant.”

Warding Soul new he needed to get out of this conversation, but he couldn’t figure out how without offending the filly.

“You can tell me, I wont tell any pony.”

“Do you really now every pony in town?”

“I do now.”

“So, you could help me find her?”

“So its a her...Was it an X-mare friend? Or a long lost relative? Is it a mare thief that stole from you?”

“No, no, and no. If you really want to help, you have to promise not to tell any pony.”

“Cross mu heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She said, doing a vary strange set of hoof gestures as she said it, after which she poked herself in the eye.

“Alright then... Im looking for a student who lives in a tree.”

“A student?”

“Yes.”

“Well, i don’t know any pony like that.” Pinkie pie said. “Why do you need to find her.”

“Because its my mission. My quest.”

“A quest? Sounds super duper fun!”

“Yea, sure, fun. Now why don’t you go back to your table so I can get back to it?”

“Okie dokie lokie.” Pinkie said, walking back to her table, and sitting beside a purple alicorn.

“Crazy mare.” He mumbled, continuing his meal.

Just as ward was finishing up his meal, he got another surprise visit. The purple alicorn that pinkie had been sitting with had trotted over.

“Hey, lesson, im sorry about my friend.” The mare said. “She can be kind of....”

“Eccentric?” he asked.

“Yea, lets go with that.”

“Its fine. Really.”

“So, I heard something about a quest?”

“Yes.”

“Care to share?”

“If the wrong pony finds out about in, im boned. So... no.”

“what if I told you im close to Apple Jack?” Twilight said. She knew that every pony in the rebellion knew or knew about Apple Jack. Maybe this colt was on a mission for them. If he was, she had no doubt him knowing she was close friends with AJ would get him to open up.

It took a moment for wards brain to kick in. Apple Jack was one of the generals for the rebellion. She had helped him out in filliedephia. If apple jack trusted this mare, then maybe he should give her the benefit of the doubt.

“Well, if the element of honest can trust you, I guess I can.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yea. Just let me finish up, we can talk outside.”