Sand on the Doorstep

The flight to the castle was an experience that would always remain in the back of the Gunslinger's mind afterwards. Nearly an hour went by as he remained suspended between the two pegasi, the steady beating of their wings keeping time with the subtle lifting and falling motion that accompanied their flight. As they passed over the veritable ocean of trees below them Roland began to wonder just how much of this beautiful land would have burned had these defenders not been diligent enough to have stopped the fire as swiftly as they did. Eventually the forest fell away and the land was suddenly coated with the brightest of greens that Roland had ever seen. The spring grass covered a vast landscape, dominated by rolling hills and scattered foliage.

Though the view was undeniably beautiful, the journey itself was less than a pleasant experience for the Gunslinger. He was not used to being carried, nor the prospect of having no possible control over where he was going. They were at least 60 feet up, much to far to have any hope of escaping if these two pegasi turned out to be pawns of Walter's. The thought had crossed his mind several times since their first meeting after the fire. Without a doubt the forest would have burned had they not stopped the inferno, but who was to say that the magician had not instructed them to do just that, in order to gain the Gunslinger's trust? They had appeared at the exact moment he had needed them most, as if they had merely been waiting until the time was right to break him out of his hellish prison, waiting until he was to preoccupied to decline their assistance. He knew Walter was a master of subterfuge and, because of this, the entire journey passed by agonizingly slow. Each minor decent left him certain that his escorts were about to let him fall to his death, out here where no one would come looking for him.

Yet they ultimately made it to the plaza without any incident occurring to confirm Roland's suspicions. They continued on a bit further, providing the Gunslinger with a luxurious view of the castle, the city, and the mountainside that it was built onto. The buildings blazed in magnificent shades of white, blue, and violet; each one bearing the royal standards upon it in some form. Many had flags with the coat of arms upon it, others had the crest of the Royal Sisters painted on them somewhere. A few were marked by other signs, far more familiar to the Gunslinger's eyes. The dwelling they were preparing to land at was one such familiar building, the red cross upon its sign being one of the few things that had always had one constant meaning where ever he had traveled: medicine.

Upon landing several ponies, all but one of them unicorns, rushed out of the medical building to meet their newest patient. "What's happened here?" exclaimed the lead medic.

Clarion, the female pegasus who had helped fly Roland to the city, summarized the events of the past few hours as quickly as she could. "...so we figured it would be better to bring him straight to you rather than try getting him into the palace in this condition."

Nimbus helped support the Gunslinger as two of the unicorns made their way over to bring him inside. "The flight here took a bit more out of all of us than we thought it would. I doubt we'd have been able to make it even half way down to the castle's infirmary before we collapse." He was not exaggerating, either; both pegasi as well as the Gunslinger himself looks like they were about ready to fall over at any given moment. The doctors escorted them inside, where the two carriers were given a strong herbal drink to bring them back to flying condition. Meanwhile, three medics began working on Roland, using magic to clear his lungs, heal his burns, and generally return his stamina to him.

When all was said and done the Gunslinger was feeling better than he had in years. He had already been weak from the chase when he had entered Equestria to begin with so this time, when he emerged back out into the colorful world around the medical center, he was able to fully appreciate what he was seeing. The shades and hues were so vibrant and alive that he could hardly convince himself that it wasn't merely something that he was dreaming. There were crowds gathered on the street corners, around shop windows, and a small procession heading up the main street toward the royal palace. His two escorts soon joined him, forming up on either side of him as he stared at the marble towers jutting up from the castle. "Lovely sight isn't it," Clarion asked. "It's one that I know I'll never get tired of seeing."

Nimbus turned to the Gunslinger and asked "Is this your first time in Canterlot? Cause if it is you should definitely see the castle up close for yourself... If your feeling up to it of course. I'm sure the healers did a fine job on you, but there's only so much magic can be relied on for. Personally, I think a little bed rest would really be the best thing for you at this point."

Not wanting to sound ungrateful for the help that they had provided for him, Roland went along with their conversation. "I was here once before, briefly, but that was long and ago. The castle seems so much larger than I remember it being." He paused for a moment. "Do the Princesses still hold court there? What I mean is, they still meet with their subjects, yes? They have not locked the pe-ponies of this land out of their councils, have they?"

this time it was Clarion who spoke up. "Not at all. To the best of my knowledge they hold court in the throne room every day. Between greeting new-comers, sorting out common problems and disputes, taking complaints, and managing their little council of lords and ladies I'm amazed that they still find the time to keep the heavenly bodies in line. The sun and moon won't govern themselves so we'd be lost if the Royal Sisters ever became too distracted by their duties."

That still struck the Gunslinger as one of the strangest things about this strange, strange world. Nature was looked upon here the way magic was back in Mid-World. It was something uncontrollable, something to be feared, something that you could never trust. While magic dictated the survival of the ponies who lived here, nature threatened to invert everything that they had come to know. A sun and moon which rose and set on their own would have seemed as preposterous to them as the idea a pair of horses shepherding those same bodies across the sky would seem to any human he had ever known. Yet that was the way of things here, and he had come to accept that during his previous passage through Equestria.

Clarion continued what she had been saying; both her and Nimbus keeping time with the Gunslinger's steps as he began to make his way down the main street. "You know, even though your not exactly a new-comer, I bet the Princesses would love to meet you. We need to rent what happened back in the woods to them anyway, so having someone present who actually witnessed the fire would be a great asset to us."

Nimbus finished the sentiment for her, picking up on the discomfort weighing down her voice as she searched for the right words to convey what she really wanted to say. "It would be our pleasure to escort you to the palace. You will be a guest of honor so long as your their with us; something that I should think would appeal to you after what you just went though back in the woods."

The Gunslinger nodded. This had been Roland's plan for the past hour. He had no doubt that Walter was within the city somewhere, the only problem was that he had no idea what the wizard would look like now. Having noted that his own body was far different than the earth-pony form he had had during his first visit to this world, he could only assume that Walt o'Dim no longer inhabited the same body either. He planned to seek out the Princesses, whose trust he had secured back then and whose power would be essential to tracking down his fleeing quarry. He had feared that the two young mares he had assisted all those years ago may have fallen to the same glam of power that so many other monarchs had in so many worlds before them; growing greedy, secluded, and deaf to the problems and needs of their subjects. Yet if what the pretty young pegasus had just said was true, it would seem that they had remained true to their promise to rule for their people rather than merely ruling over them. This knowledge ignited a new spark of hope within the Gunslinger's heart. Perhaps Gan has finally seen fit to let things work out easily for me, just this once. To let some of these problems work themselves out without mine own involvement, and to let something I have touched not simply fall to ruin.

...He let himself enjoy the that thought for a moment, but did not dwell on it, and by no means did he truly believe it. Ka would play its part in this just as it had through all the rest of his life. And if that life had provided him with any knowledge of what the future would bring, it was that fate had a way concealing its hand until all the money was on the table. Ka would play its part alright, and as the three ponies made their way toward the great palace that dominated Canterlot's skyline, the breeze picked up, bringing with it memories of a time Roland wished he could have forgotten. Ka... like a wind.