Sand... nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. Sandy hills, sandy oceans... sandy mountains. That's all that the guards posted around the large walls of the city of Anugypt could find surrounding their humble community. Within the sandstone walls of the city, multiple houses, shops, and other buildings stood; each made of different gray, golden, or red stones. The streets themselves were made of sandstone, and held several sandy spots where the sands from the surrounding desert blew over the gates.
The city's streets contained several inhabitants, ranging from unicorns, earth ponies, pegasi, minotaurs, donkeys, goats, cows, and most of all, camels. The guards themselves were all camels wearing white and gold armor, which was all covered in black and gold cloaks, with a golden picture of the long-deceased "King Anubis" embroidered on them.
The pair of guards outside the eastern gates of the city yawned before the one on the left turned towards the one on the right. Then, in Anugyptian, he asked, "What time is it getting to be, Blue Stone?"
Blue Stone turned to his coworker and replied in a slightly irritated tone, "Time for you to wake up, Red Stone! Honestly, we haven't even broken an hour yet, and you're already getting tired?"
Red Stone deadpanned at him before shrugging his shoulders and looking forward again. "It's not my fault I had a restless night last night! I do live in the south side of town, after all."
Blue sighed before nodding his head. "The same thing happened to me last week, actually... the latest disappearance, right?"
Red nodded his head and sighed. "I even heard her screaming with my own two ears... would've done something about it, had it not been so dark last night."
Blue shook his head and replied, "I wouldn't have. You know good and well that she was past curfew... I'd say she was more than likely just another tourist looking for trouble."
Red blinked before placing his right hoof over his eyes. Then he sighed and shook his head before turning towards Blue, pointing his hoof towards the distance. "Speaking of tourists... looks like we have company headed this way."
Blue raised an eyebrow before looking straight ahead. Then he sighed and turned towards Red again. "Should I be the one to greet them, or you?"
Red shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Eh, I haven't studied the Common language enough, yet... perhaps you should be the one."
Blue nodded his head and turned towards the approaching company. "Very well, then. I suggest you run in and let the mayor know, at least."
Red nodded his head in response before heading inside the gates. Then Blue sighed, closed his eyes, placed his hoof over his forehead, and mumbled, "They don't pay me enough for this crap..."
From the hellish heat of the sun, three unusual figures approached the distant city; two simply walking towards the gate behind the third. The first of the two was a simple little filly being held by the second.
The filly had a dark blue coat with black stripes adorning it similar to a zebra's. She also had a long, light blue mane and a short light blue tail. Her eyes were light blue, and she was smiling as she examined the nearby town.
Being half zebra and half pony, Silent Night was raised in an orphanage ever since the day she was born. It wasn't until she was two weeks old when those who fostered her realized that she was not only deaf, but mute as well. Never, in all her little life, has she ever made a sound, nor has she ever been able to hear one.
The moment she turned six, she was taught two different languages; sign and vibration. It is thanks to that knowledge that she was ever able to communicate with the select few who could understand it.
Despite them teaching her the lessons, she was always bullied for her disabilities, and oftentimes ignored by the teachers and her caretakers. Finally, at the age of eight, she ran away from the abuse, and was shortly found by another outcast in society... the very same figure who was carrying her towards the town ahead.
The second of the two in the back of the group was a tall biped wearing white and gold plated armor. On the top of his helmet was a red feather that somehow emitted a red aura around it at all times. On his back was a tall, thick tower shield with sharp corners around the edges. Its handle, unlike ordinary shields, rose all the way up to the top of the shield, and attached to the golden exterior of it. The top edges of the exterior of the shield protruded upwards; wings of a mechanical eagle spread out to keep the one wielding it from any harm.
The biped was, without a doubt, a human... but in a world he did not belong in. Zeth, a paladin from a distant magical world, mysteriously appeared in this one after a long battle with a powerful necromancer. Though the battle was won, he still wondered if the spell he was hit by killed him, or if it really did send him to another world.
Regardless, he began traveling this world, seeking to protect the innocent from the evils of the land, as his duties of being a paladin required him to do so. Even then, he was always avoided by the locals, and quickly marked as an outcast for one reason or another. He never held a grudge, though, and did as he was told by the locals of each and every town he visited without question... leave them alone. Though he eventually caught onto their common language, he always had trouble speaking it, and never had a chance to explain his true intentions.
It wasn't until the end of the second month since he arrived when he came across a lone filly lost in a jungle... Silent Night. Though they didn't understand what the other said, they still felt a small connection... a common problem... they were alone in this world, outcasts to society. She never spoke a word to him, nor did she react to any of his questions. It wasn't until he motioned that she follow him when she unwittingly revealed her reasons for ignoring him... by motioning her hooves in patterns he was unable to understand, but was able to comprehend. He learned that she was deaf, and then eventually following that, he learned that she was also mute.
Ever since then, he dedicated most of his studies to understanding her sign language, rather than the Common one. Now, he was able to understand it perfectly, and could even communicate with her in vibrations, thanks to a necklace that each of the three of them wore at all times. With the necklaces, they could easily tap on their own, and the others would vibrate in response.
Finally, there was the third figure... the one leading the first two. She was a doe with short hair on top of her head. She had bright green eyes and a large smile on her face almost every time.
Little Leaf... little is known about her past, other than the fact that she started following Silent and Zeth without any true reasoning behind it... though they didn't mind, considering her friendly personality. She revealed to them that she was quick at learning, and started teaching Zeth the Common language, despite her having a slight accent with it herself.
A teacher at heart, but a "wild child" by nature, she would oftentimes get the three of them in trouble, mostly due to her playful personality, and her pranks with the locals.
Despite this, she also had moments where she would act her age. As a young adult, she knew where to draw the line, and always avoided insulting others, even though the language barriers would sometimes make that an unavoidable situation. She would vow to make things right, and never leave a town in bad blood... but once again, that was also an inevitable situation for some cases.
"Finally! Something that isn't endless sand!" Little Leaf cheered as she picked up her pace.
Zeth and Silent tilted their heads confusedly at her before looking at each other and shrugging a shoulder. Then they turned back to Leaf and picked up their paces as well, even though Leaf was already ahead of them by several meters.
Once they reached the front gates, they were stopped by Blue, who cleared his throat before speaking in the Common tongue.
"Hold it right there! What business have you three in Anugypt?" he asked, looking between the three figures. He felt a slight bit of unease upon seeing Zeth, however, considering he stood twice as tall as the simple camel guard.
Leaf replied in a slightly accented Common tongue, "We come in peace... we were wondering if we could stay here for the night? We've been traveling the desert all day, and could use a break."
Blue eyed the three of them curiously before sighing and motioning towards the gate. "Very well, then... though I'd normally advise against it, there's not many more towns nearby, anyways... and considering the situation we're in right now, I'd advise staying indoors the rest of the night."
Leaf tilted her head confusedly. "Situation? Um... please do explain it to us. We-"
Blue cut her off by deadpanning and whispering, "Just don't worry about it, okay? Go to the tavern, stay indoors, and whatever you do," he leaned closer to her, causing her to step back worriedly, "do not, under any circumstances, go out at night!"
All three of the travelers stared blankly at him before he regained his composure and motioned for them to enter. They did so, but not without eying the guard curiously.
~"Is it just me, or was that guard a little strange?"~ Leaf asked by tapping on her necklace for her companions to hear.
Zeth nodded his head before replying, ~"Not just the guard... something seems to be disturbing the whole town."~
Silent looked around, only to notice the eyes staring at them. Several of the citizens of the city were carrying bags with them, almost as if they were packed up, and ready to leave.
While normally a town would only have a couple citizens leave, most of the time the towns would try sending them away, instead. ~"I don't like this place, you two. Its people are being scary."~ Silent signaled.
Zeth followed her eyes and nodded his head. ~"Don't worry, little one. We will leave tomorrow, if you want."~
Silent nodded her head before replying, ~"If they want us to leave."~
Leaf weakly smiled at her before shrugging her shoulders. ~"Who knows? Maybe the next place we go to will greet us with a bunch of smiles!"~
Zeth deadpanned at her before commenting, ~"Or in our case, a group of parents hiding their children from the group of strangers, a few citizens holding weapons in case we try something, and an entire army waiting for us to slip up one time, just so they could kick us out of their humble little community."~
Leaf smirked. ~"What? They were smiling before they saw us, weren't they?"~
Zeth sighed before opening the door to the tavern, and holding it for his companions. They nodded their appreciations before entering, with Zeth following right behind them.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I do not understand a word you're saying." the bartender told the human who, once again, tried speaking in the Common tongue.
Zeth groaned before clearing his throat and speaking again in a very very heavy accent. "Paladin am me need friends bed place sleep to. Yes understand, you?"
Several of the customers around him burst into a fit of laughter, including Little Leaf. Then she patted him on the back of his shoulders before turning to the bartender.
"What my friend here means to say is that he's a Paladin, and needs a place for us to sleep."
Zeth deadpanned at her before tapping, ~"Isn't that what I said?"~
Leaf smiled widely at the bartender, who was checking the list of rooms available, and tapped, ~"Far from it. Even a newborn could make more sense than that!"~
Before anyone could respond, the bartender sighed and shook his head, catching their attention. "Sorry, you three. It looks like all of our rooms are full today."
"Aw... are you sure about that?" Leaf asked, a sound of worry in her voice at the news. She then frowned, quivered her lower lip over her upper one, and mustered up a puppy-like pouting face. Her ears then splayed behind her head and she tilted her head to the side.
The bartender, however, didn't even seem slightly fazed by her expression, and deadpanned. "Sorry, lady. The papers don't lie."
Leaf's pouting face was soon replaced by an annoyed expression. She turned around, brushed her right hind leg on the ground, closed her eyes, and raised her snout in the air before slowly trotting towards the exit. "Well fine, then! See if I care! I wouldn't be surprised if your prices were way too high, anyways!"
Before she could even reach the door, the sound of a loud horn blowing in the distance caused everyone's eyes to turn towards the direction that the horn was coming from. All conversations were immediately dropped, and several smiling faces were quickly replaced by fear and panic.
Zeth tilted his head confusedly before approaching the door. The bartender quickly gripped his shoulder, spun him around, and shook his head.
"Hey! Don't leave, you fool! The night's beginning!"
Zeth scratched the back of his helmet while Leaf trotted up to him with a worried expression on her face. "Um... you mind explaining what's going on, then?"
The bartender looked at her dumbfounded before asking, "You mean you haven't even heard, yet?!"
She shrugged her shoulders before looking at her companions and replying, "We aren't necessarily the approachable type, if you know what I mean... or rather, that's what most seem to think."
Before the bartender could explain anything, the lights to the bar flickered then went completely out. Several of the customers yelped before scurrying towards the walls, where they took cover beneath the furniture.
Even the bartender quickly ditched the three adventurers and took cover behind his bar.
A black and purple fog quickly rose outside the windows, blocking out all hopes of seeing what was going on out there. If one would listen closely, then he or she would even be able to pick up the sounds of slow movements and silent growls coming from all around the area.
Zeth glared at the doorway before firmly gripping his necklace. Then he turned to his companions and tapped a message.
~"Stay here, you two. I'll be back shortly."~
Leaf gulped before nodding her head. ~"Stay safe, Zeth."~
Silent frowned before quickly hugging Zeth's left foot, making him gently pick the filly up and pat her mane. ~"I'm scared, Zeth... please don't take too long."~
Zeth chuckled before shaking his head. ~"Hey, since when did situations like this take me long to handle?"~ Then he gave her a wink and added, ~"And besides, I have the Holy Light on my side! That's more than enough power for me to use against whatever it is out there! And you have Leaf on your side! That's more than enough reassurance for me to know that you'll be safe!"~
Silent weakly smiled before nodding her head. Then Zeth placed her on the floor next to Leaf before turning towards the entrance again.
He reached behind his back and drew his shield, then firmly held the bar at the top of it with his right hand, and a bar that was in the center of the inside of the shield with his left.
Once he reached the door, he firmly placed his left hand on the handle. Then, after taking a deep breath, he quickly opened it up, then left the building, all while those inside the bar stared at the place he once stood in disbelief.
The bartender looked at Leaf with a highly confused expression. "Um... hate to break it to you, lady, but I think your friend there just signed himself a death wish!"
Leaf, however, lightly chuckled before shaking her head. "Eh, he always does these kinds of things. Don't worry, though! Despite how simple-minded he is, he can take care of anything once he sets his mind on something!"
The bartender sighed before shaking his head and looking away. "Well, I guess we'll just have to see for ourselves once the morning arrives."
Zeth squinted his eyes to get a better view of the outside. Despite still being in the same town, the entire place looked far more different than it did at daytime. The once yellow and red houses now had a far more sinister-looking appearance, and several of the buildings almost looked like they were abandoned. Several of the light posts were lit up, but their lights were so dim, they were practically useless for lighting the way.
The sounds of hooves shambling around the stony road caused Zeth to regain focus. From within the purple and black fog, several pairs of glowing red eyes stared at him. Once the owners of the eyes came into view, Zeth's glare intensified as he raised his shield, braced for combat.
The creatures were none other than the undead. Mummified camels, ponies, and several other species, all approached him, ready to strike.
From inside the tavern, a few of the citizens eyed Leaf curiously as she told them portions of her adventures with Zeth and Silent Night.
"Wait," a young camel began, "y-you mean to tell me that you three have faced monsters before?!"
Leaf nodded her head and smiled at him. "That's right, little one! Zeth may not appear as intelligent as one would assume... but that doesn't mean he doesn't know how to handle a fight!"
The bartender tilted his head confusedly. "Even though he doesn't have a weapon?"
Leaf chuckled at him before patting him on the shoulder. "No weapon?! Who says he doesn't have a weapon?"
The bartender looked towards the door and raised an eyebrow. "All I saw on his back was that shield!"
Leaf nodded her head. "Yeah... and you wanna know something?"
The bartender looked at her before nodding his head. She motioned for him to get closer to her. Once he did, she whispered, "That shield is his weapon!"
As the mummies approached Zeth, he firmly gripped the middle handle with his right hand before lifting the shield in the air. Then, once they were within reach, he dashed towards them with his shield outstretched, and swung it horizontally, slicing through the monsters' limbs in the process.
In his native tongue, he spoke, "May the Holy Light blot you all from this world, foul beasts!"
As one of the fallen mummies crawled towards his ankles, he pierced the shield into the ground, decapitating the mummy, and sending its head rolling away from him.
He tightened his grip on the shield while more mummies approached him, this time more cautiously than before. Zeth took note of this and shifted his right hand onto the top handle once more. Then he quickly detached the lower half of the handle and lifted it until it clicked onto the midsection of it. After it clicked, the midsection rose up to the upper half, which clicked in place as well. Finally he lifted the rest of the handle until it was right on top of the shield itself.
"So wait... you mean to tell me that he's a warrior from another world?!" the bartender asked in disbelief.
Leaf nodded her head and replied, "That's right! And his world may be similar to ours, but when it comes to weaponry, they seem to have far more advanced weapons than our own! Add magic to the mix, and you can bet that he's a force to be reckoned with!"
The crowd awed at her statement as they sat gathered around a small lit candle. Silent Night lied in front of her, sleeping peacefully in her lap.
The bartender looked at her and asked, "So... why exactly have the three of you come here, anyways? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's... nice to have company here again, after so many years of isolation... but this isn't necessarily the best place to be, if you know what I mean."
Leaf looked at Silent before smiling and gently brushing her mane. "Well, it's more of a common interest that the three of us share, really." She looked at the bartender and added, "The three of us are searching for a place called 'Equestria'... but we got lost in the desert, and was hoping this town could help point us in the right direction."
The bartender rubbed his chin in thought before shrugging his shoulders. "Sorry, ma'am. I can't say I know much about Equestria, other than the fact that several stories have been told of it being a land of love and tolerance."
Leaf nodded her head. "Those are the same stories that we're using as a guideline. We felt that there must be a connection between those stories... and that connection must be discoveries of the kingdom from the ancient explorers. I mean, some of the stories date back to before the written age, and was translated by modern day writers... clearly there must be something that the ancients discovered! And that something must be Equestria!" She closed her eyes and lowered her head. "It's the ambition... the will to find such a place... that drew Zeth, Silent, and I together." She opened her eyes and concluded, "We started this journey together, even before we met... so now, we plan to find it together."
The bartender nodded his head and rubbed his chin in thought. "Well... I have to say, it's quite a lovely tale and all, but... don't you think it's a little strange to be seeking a kingdom from a series of tall tales?"
Leaf shrugged her shoulders before replying, "Eh, maybe so... but you know what? We're strange people, anyways!"
"S-sir!" one of the guards standing by the windows, Blue, said before rushing up to the bartender.
The bartender looked his way and raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Blue? What is it?"
Blue pointed at the window and stuttered, "T-that Zeth person, sir! He's... he's letting them approach him!"
The crowd inside the room gasped before rushing up to the windows. Once Leaf made it to the windows she exhaled her breath, fogging up the windows, then wiped it clear before pressing her eyes up against it.
When she saw Zeth standing in front of his shield with both hands on the handle, a large, goofy grin spread across her muzzle. Then she turned towards the crowd and asked, "Ooh! Does anyone have any popcorn?!"
The crowd turned to her with confused looks on their faces. She seemed completely oblivious to their expression, however, and held a large, toothy grin as she bounced around in place.
"Why... do you need popcorn at this time?" the bartender asked, before murmuring, "And why popcorn of all things?"
She turned towards the window again before replying, "Because, silly! Things are about to get really, really, really interesting!"
Zeth stood in front of the shield with his hands firmly gripping the top handle. The middle handle, however, appeared to be pulled downwards a little, leaving a small gap over it, where the central piece holding it slid down. Then he closed his eyes before muttering in his native tongue, "Holy Light, guide the path of this one..."
The mummies began to close in on him. Their hoofsteps grew evermore closer, yet he continued with his prayer.
"See to it that thy will be done..."
They were only a few meters away at least. Their decaying jaws opened, and their moans became silent shrieks as they prepared to lunge for their target.
"And in thy path, I shall always serve..."
His shield suddenly began to glow brightly. He opened his eyes before lifting the shield up, arched slightly forward. Then, in one powerful swing, he lifted the shield, which suddenly began to thin out and spread further. The swing emitted a white and gold aura where the shield was, and its tips quickly constricted around the metal center where the handle was, only to stop once the inner tips of the shield reached the other.
From inside the bar, the crowd gasped and stared at the weapon in shock.
"D-did that shield..." the bartender began.
"...t-turn into..." Blue continued for him.
"...a GREATSWORD?!" the two concluded.
Leaf nodded her head and giggled. "Yep! It looks like-"
"-it's time..." Zeth began as he stared at the huge group of fallen corpses. He swung the giant sword over his right shoulder with surprisingly little to no effort before glaring at the mummies and continuing, "for a Divine Retribution!"
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Note
Leaf: YAHOO! GO, ZETH! KICK ALL OF THEIR ASSES!
Zeth: How many times must I say this, Leaf? This isn't me fighting! This is merely a defense mechanism!
Leaf: Yeah, yeah. Anyways, where's my popcorn at?
Zeth: *SIGH* Why do I even bother?
Both: Next time, on Silent Night, Holy Knight, Episode Two! "Divine Retribution!"
Leaf: See you then!
