Author's Note
So YES, this is just a fun story I made within two hours for a competition.
No, I will not be editing this. (It's a feat in it's own.)
No, I don't know who these ponies are, or their background; it just kind of came to me.
Enjoy
To Save a Village
Star Gazer sat quietly on the poop deck of the ship as he watched the open expanse of the ocean. There wasn’t much excitement to be had at night, let alone on a merchant’s vessel.
He had been assigned as a guard to the merchant Sales Pitch as he made his way to the Vaneightian Islands. The Princesses had grown worrisome as more and more trade ships were being attacked while at sea, and had ordered the Royal Guard to station a soldier on each boat that was setting out until the threat was reduced.
Being asked to guard a tiny boat on a two week journey was a bit overkill, though.
Though he did feel bad for these poor merchants, Star Gazer was an Earth Pony, and lacked any edge that a Pegasus or unicorn would have on the open water. He couldn’t fly to board an enemy ship or cast magic to set a hostile boat ablaze, so he felt out pf place.
Footsteps could be heard creaking behind him, and he turned to see Sales Pitch climbing up the ladder. “What are you still doing up,” Star Gazer asked. “I thought you went to bed hours ago.”
Sales Pitch laughed a little nervously. “Yeah, well I just couldn’t sleep,” he explained. “I mean, we’re finally going to land at the Vaneightian Islands tomorrow morning. It’s going to be my first visit, and I’ve always wanted to go!”
Star Gazer paused for a moment, considering asking a question. “You know, I haven’t asked yet,” he pointed out. “What’s at the Vaneightian Islands, anyway? Isn’t it just inhabited by a bunch of tribal ponies?”
“Yes,” he answered enthusiastically. “But it’s their culture and this magical tree sap that only grows on their island that makes it such a desirable place for merchants such as myself.” Sales Pitch rubbed his hooves together. “I’d always dreamed of making my own trip there, and I finally saved up enough supplies and goods to trade.”
“What does this tree sap do?” he decided to ask.
“Well, the Life Tree sap is a marvelous thing of nature. Applying it to your skin help you recover from injuries and burns much faster than using modern medicine. You can heal up from a two week injury in just three days with that stuff!”
The two went silent after that. Star Gazer had been putting up with Sales Pitch’s nonstop ramblings of how great the Vaneightian ponies are, and how exotic their lifestyles is; he was just about done with this trip, and they had yet to arrive.
“Well, I guess I should try to go back to bed, eh?” Sales Pitch spoke after a period of silence. He didn’t wait for a response before getting up and climbing back down to the deck. “Good night, Star Gazer.”
Star Gazer started considering sleeping as well, with no islands anywhere near them. But, he was the night watch, and needed to navigate the ship so they weren’t blown off course. He had been the night watch for the most of the two weeks, but had grown accustomed to doing so after working in the castle for so long.
The night passed uneventfully, once again, with the sun slowly raising across the horizon. As the light filled the sky, Star Gazer began to feel himself become invigorated with energy, ready to persevere.
Sales Pitch finally awoke, yawning powerfully as he left the small cabin. He began to make a breakfast for the two of them as he shook himself awake.
Star Gazer tried not to pay him much attention, keeping his eyes on the horizon, which had finally began to give way to the sight of land; he had been looking forward to this for days now. The two shared a sigh of relief, excited to be on land again. The ocean was a great land, but ponies weren’t meant to live on it.
As the islands came closer, Star Gazer lead them to a spot that appeared to be safe enough to land. Carefully riding alongside the rocks, they managed to tie up the ship, securing it to a large tree that sat near the water.
Sales Pitch nearly tripped over himself as they made their way up the beach. “Star Gazer! We’re finally here! Oh, I’ve been waiting for this for so long!” He continued on various ramblings that Star Gazer eventually tuned out.
“I’m just waiting for this little ‘business trip’ to be over,” he thought to himself. While Sales pitch carried on, he noticed a bit of movement in the brush at the end of the beach. Star Gazer’s ears perked up instinctively, and he raised an armored hoof to block his companion from moving any further.
Surprised by the sudden stop, Sales Pitch looked over. “What’s the matter, Star?”
Star Gazer shushed him, his eyes scanning the brush, panning over each individual plant for signs of movement. Finally, he saw a branch twitch, and he quickly readied his shoulder mounted spear. “Come out!” he barked to the pony behind the trees.
Nothing happened for a few seconds, prompting Sales Pitch to speak. “I don’t think there’s anypony-” he cut himself off as a figure walked out of the bushes.
It was an Earth Pony, by first glance, though her mane was wrapped around her head in a way that it could have concealed a horn. Her mane was a cream color, and her coat a light red. She was decorated with a multitude of jewelry and piercings on her body, and had a skirt of feathers wrapped around her waist.
The two parties stared in silence for a few more seconds, before the mare spoke at last. She muttered something intelligible, as though thinking, before speaking more clearly. “Uh, hello?” she greeted, sounding as though she was trying to speak the words.
“Hello,” Sales Pitch spoke up, a smile now on his face. He then spoke some gibberish which made no sense to Star Gazer, which seemed to make the mare laugh.
“What are you saying?” he finally asked, curious.
“Oh, we are speaking Vaneightian,” he explained. “I’ve been studying for years..”
“What did you say?”
“I told her that we are not from around here, which seemed to make her laugh.” Sales Pitch laughed himself.
“Well, whatever,” he replied gruffly. “Let’s just finish our business.”
“Ah yes,” the mare spoke up, catching their attention. She made a bowing motion, closing her eyes. “Welcome to Vaneightia,” she greeted. “I am Impala.” Her voice was a little awkward, obviously trying to speak the words correctly.
“You speak Equish?” Star Gazer asked; he was a bit surprised.
She simply nodded. “Follow me to our village if you need anything.” Impala turned to walk back into the brush, looking back at the two stallions as she vanished.
“I’m glad we found a local so quickly,” Sales Pitch said excitedly. “And a cute one at that.” He raised an eyebrow to Star Gazer, who just rolled his eyes. “Well, I suppose we should follow if we don’t want to wander around here all day.”
The two ponies followed Impala through the jungle-like island, making their way over a couple of streams, scaling a few hills, and seeing a plethora of wildlife that neither of them had seen before. Any attempts to speak to Impala again only resulted in a shrug or silence; she seemed to not be willing to speak much, and they assumed that it would have to wait until they reached the village.
After what felt like an hour of hiking, Star Gazer finally made out a clearing in the brush that was lined with a very basic fence; it was made from what looked like bamboo sticks.
“Welcome to Juraka Village,” Impala finally spoke, her tone hinting a bit of sadness.
Star Gazer and Sales Pitch looked around as they entered the villager. The villagers all wore the same accessories as Impala, but didn’t wear the same eager expression; they started to notice that even her smile was growing weaker.
“What’s going on,” Sales Pitch asked, growing concerned as he saw the other villagers. “Why is everypony so glum?”
Impala didn’t look back, but answered solemnly. “It is better to ask chief.”
Star Gazer grew a bit interested in the situation now, and simply followed Impala to the large hut in the center of the settlement. They entered the straw hut, Impala yelling out a greeting in Vaneightian. She then gestured for them to follow.
In the middle of the hut, sat an ancient Unicorn stallion. His beard was braided in a large horn-shaped decoration, and he sat up with pride as they entered. “Greeting, Equestrians,” he spoke with a raspy accent. “I believe you have come to trade goods for a sample of our Life Tree sap?”
Sales Pitch stumbled slightly. “H-how did you know that?” An expression of awe filled his face.
The Chief simply laughed. “I have seen many merchants make the grand voyage to our island, and you do not stand apart from them.” His gaze turned to Star Gazer. “You, my friend, are no merchant though.”
“That’s correct,” he replied. “I am Star Gazer, and I am a member of Canterlot’s Royal Guard. I was assigned as escort to Mr. Sales Pitch here.”
“A soldier,” the chief muttered. “Perhaps you could be just the pony we need.”
Impala’s eyes widened, and she turned to the chief. She spoke in Vaneightian, triggering Star Gazer for a translation.
“She says that they shouldn’t ask an outsider for help,” Sales Pitch translated. “It is the villages problem, and they shouldn’t have to get us involved.” He seemed confused by the words spoken.
Star Gazer thought for a moment, then approached the chief. “What is the problem?”
The two Vaneightians just looked at him for a moment, then back to each other. The Chief nodded, and dismissed Impala. She walked away quietly, looking at the two with worry.
“We would love to make trade with you, young merchant,” he started. “But, I’m afraid our Life Tree sap has been in short supply as of late,” the chief admitted regretfully. “We have been plagued by a monster, and it has been feasting on our sap, as well as much of our crops.
“We are unable to fight it off, with our weak weaponry and lack of battle magic. Our stone cannot penetrate it’s hide, and none of our ponies are trained fighters.” He raised his head to look at Star Gazer. “I would like to ask of your help, stranger. If you accept to slay this creature, we shall give you all of the Life Tree sap your ship may carry.”
Sales Pitch grew a wide grin on his face, slowly turning to Star Gazer. He didn’t say anything, just staring at his Guard companion with a smile.
The two looked at each other for a few moments, before Star gave a sigh. “Fine.”
“Yeah!” Sales Pitch hooted.
“I can’t believe I’m getting myself involved like this,” Star Gazer muttered to himself as he fitted his armor. He did promise when he swore in as a Royal Guard to always protect ponies in need, but these weren’t even his ponies. Still, what would his captain say if he put this in his report.
The Chief had told him that the monster would always descend on the village before sunrise, as the farmers would arrive to the crops. So, Star Gazer made himself ready, fully armored, and spear ready as the light began to reach the sky. He stood in the clearing where the monster was said to roam, waiting for any signs of the beast.
Finally, after sunrise had nearly reached, Star Gazer saw a figure exit the brush of the jungle. It had the large head of a lion, but stood nearly three times the size, with a scorpion tail.
“Oh Celestia,” he cursed. He prepped his spear, locking it against his shoulder as the beast made eye contact with him. Manticores were once very docile creatures, but apparently this one was terrorizing the village of Veneightia. He was trained in how to fight these, and knew it would be over quick.
The Royal Guard charged at the beast, letting out a loud battle cry. The creature returned with a roar, also running in to meet him. Just as the two met, Star Gazer made a dash with the speed of lightning to the side, dragging his weapon along the underside of the creature.
As he passed, he heard the creature thump to the ground, and he was glad he succeded on his first attempt. Fighting a creature that size is not wise alone, and he only had so much time.
Star Gazer turned to see the fallen body of the manticore, already limp in the dirt.
That morning, the entire village was full of life, every villager now partying and celebrating their freedom from the creature that had plagued their island. The mares were making masks for the village to wear, each with their own unique drawings and symbols. Sales Pitch wore his with pride as he danced alongside the other villagers, but Star Gazer had decided to stay to the side of the festivities. He wasn’t the partying type, and didn’t want to disrupt the village’s traditions.
As he sat against one of the huts, though, he was approached by Impala and the Chief. He bowed as a sign of respect, but then spoke quickly. “What did you need of me, Chief?”
He nodded to Impala, who was carrying a case in her mouth. “We cannot thank you enough for helping us strangers from our dilemma. Without you, I cannot say what the future of our village could have been.”
Star waved a hoof in front of himself. “It’s nothing, really. It’s my duty to help ponies in need.”
The Chief simply nodded again. “But we cannot just let you go without expressing our gratitude.”
Impala walked over to Star Gazer, and set the case on the ground. She opened it carefully, revealing a very decorated wooden mask. It stood out from the ones that the other villagers wore, being much more elaborate and with a menacing face.
“This is the mask of Ojunda, our guardian spirit,” the Chief explained. “In tradition, we only bestow these upon any pony who is considered a savior of Vaneightia. We believ you worthy of the title.”
Star Gazer said nothing, taking the mask in his hooves. He smiled at it, taking it gratefully.
As the two ponies set out to sea, saying their goodbye, and the ship now full of Life Tree sap, Sales Pitch couldn’t stop bouncing up and down.
“I can’t believe they gave you a mask of Ojunda! That’s such a great honor!” He continued on as he was tuned out by Star Gazer once again.
Star Gazer just stared at the mask. It was the mask of a guardian, of a warrior. He may not be able to wear it while on duty, but it was certainly not something he would soon forget.
