John Sampson's Story

“Swift Trail, I thought you said horn or wings?”

The sergeant had snapped to attention but said softly “John, this means that my report has gone all the way to the top. I never expected that. Be calm and respectful. The Princesses are nothing if they are not fair.”

John stood and bowed slowly toward the newly arrived purple pony when a ton of invisible rocks seemed to land on him. He heard hooves thundering behind him and knew trouble would be here in seconds. A half ton of pissed off horse was coming at full speed and Twilight had to do something about it fast. It took a lot of concentration to seize the horse and control his built up momentum without harming him. The distraction gave John a chance to wiggle the Beretta out of its holster and aim it at the Princess while keeping it concealed beneath his body. “Sergeant, in honor of the fact that she hasn’t hurt Fred, you have ten seconds to prove this is just a misunderstanding before ponies begin to die.”

“Princess! Ma’am!” the sergeant shouted, “Please release them NOW! We were talking about asylum when you arrived and they have magic that I’ve never seen before. He thinks the Everfree is a pleasant place.”

The young Alicorn turned a lighter shade of lavender but the weight lifted off of them. John rolled a bit getting up so he could ease the Beretta back into its holster without being noticed. As he made it to his feet Fred came up and checked him over. “At ease Fred. Go get yourself some food and water while I straighten this out.” With a quick nuzzle to John’s cheek, Fred turned and walked back toward the river.

In her best military voice the sergeant said, “Princess Twilight Sparkle, this is John Sampson, a Man unsure of his way home. The Horse is Fred, bonded companion to John. Fred doesn’t seem to communicate with anypony but John. John, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle, one of the Alicorn rulers of Equestria.

Twilight looked up at John (my, he is big, and Fred dwarfs him!) with a sheepish grin, “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. The last report I had was that some monster was holding my soldiers captive. I came to rescue them. Tell me truthfully, would you have killed ponies if I hadn’t released you?”

John looked back seriously and said, “Ma’am, I will not kill without a very good reason. But I consider trying to harm me or mine the best of reasons. If you had harmed Fred, you would have been the first to die. We come from a civilization that has more fast and efficient ways to kill than you can imagine so we are fairly good at restraint and expert at loyalty.”

This worried Twilight. It wasn’t just that he would kill, anybody that wouldn’t defend their family had something wrong with them, it was his complete certainty that he could kill one of the most powerful wizards in Equestria even while restrained. So there was a decision to be made. “I can’t just take you to Canterlot to meet Celestia and Luna. You’re too much of a dangerous unknown at this point. On the other hand, you have spent most of the day with the sergeant here and she seems to hold you in high regard. What would you need to be comfortable while we get to know each other?”

John thought for a moment, “Fred would need enough room to run around and exercise with free choice water and leaf vegetables. I would need much the same but with the addition of fruits, grains, and occasional meat. We would need to sleep together at least a couple of hours a day and have some protection from weather extremes. I wouldn’t expect to roam freely through a city without learning a lot more about your people but neither would we accept caged specimen status. A farm near a town would probably be ideal with guards on the perimeter to keep us in and the curious out. I would like to request Sergeant Swift Trail for our daily liaison. We have a lot to learn about each other and the sergeant seems a more than adequate teacher.”

The Princess looked at the sergeant, “Would you accept this assignment? You and your squad know more about our visitors than anypony else in Equestria at the moment so you are the obvious choice but I can’t just order you to take such a risk. There would, of course, be others coming to learn about them.”

The sergeant nodded, “Yes ma’am! As long as any of the troops can opt out later if they must.”

The alicorn smiled, “They won’t fail you sergeant. I know that just like I knew you wouldn’t fail me but of course I won’t force anypony.” Turning to the Man, “John, do you have any luggage? I think that you and the Guard should hike out toward Ponyville while I go ahead to arrange for your quarters. They can help you with anything you need carried.”

This got a big grin from John, “Princess, Fred and I are a mobile unit ourselves. We were traveling when whatever this is happened to us so we can easily load up and carry about half of the Guard too. This is your world so I’ll let the sergeant set the pace and pick the place.”

The sergeant calculated briefly then asked “John, how soon can you be ready to go? I want to be out of these woods before dark and we have just about enough time to do that right now.”

John replied, “Give me about fifteen minutes. And if you’d like to expand this new found spirit of co-operation, I know a way to get out in about half the time. The only drawback is that a small part of it is crossing water deeper than you are tall.”

Twilight marveled at the way Fred and John seemed to move as one to the shelter and dress out for the trip. She didn’t recognize half of the things John hung on Fred and himself but they were all obviously well made and well used. Anyway, there were things to arrange and people to notify so she gathered her magic and teleported back to Ponyville.

By the time Sergeant Swift Trail had her squad assembled and ready, John and Fred were walking up with their gear stowed and strapped. “Some day you are going to have to tell me what all of that gear is. Some of it looks damned useful and some of it just looks mysterious,” said the sergeant as she studied the approaching pair.

“The water is shallow and the bottom smooth on this side of the river for a several hundred yards. When we get to a road that crosses the river we will have to ford the center channel. The deepest part of the channel is belly deep on me but we can help you cross if needed. The road across the river curves out to the open plain parallel to the river. Once on it we can travel as fast as you want.” John laid out their route.

The sergeant just smiled. “We’ll cross that channel when we get to it. Lead on.” And with a quick wave the sergeant launched the squad’s Pegasi for overwatch. Following John to the river they found a ramp concealed behind a large rock and walked easily down to the water . John and Fred were used to this route and made quick time down the river. The ponies could trust the depth of the water and the firmness of the bottom following Fred so they had no problems keeping up. Then John stopped.

Pointing to a small clear area on the far bank John said, “That’s our road. Fred and I can string a rope for you or even tow you across. Will you need to lighten up?”

The sergeant’s smile just got bigger as she waved and pointed. The Pegasi dropped down in a neat line with a short rope hanging from each. An earthbound pony grabbed each rope and was immediately towed across the river like small skier. “You’d better get moving if you don’t want to be left behind,” laughed the sergeant.

It actually worked out closer to a dead heat because each Pegasi had to make more than one trip. John was laughing as he clambered up the bank. “I bet you guys have done this before. Teach me just how much I have to learn.

"Sergeant, I’d like you to lead from here and set the pace. I believe that I have enough advantage of stride to outrun the earthbound ponies but if you get ahead I’ll just get Fred’s help and I know you can’t outrun him.”

With mock seriousness the sergeant said, “Have you learned nothing?”

John replied, “One of the names my people give Fred’s kind is ‘Brother of the Wind’. Once we get settled in I will arrange a demonstration. It really looks like he is flying just above the ground when he kicks in high gear.”

They made out to the open fields without further event and as nightfall neared the sergeant called a halt. She signaled the Pegasi in and said, “Thirty minute break. Water and trail rations. Prep for night march.” Turning to John, “The Pegasi don’t like to fly at night because the shadows interfere with their depth perception so they’ll walk now. The Unicorns will cast an enhancement spell on everypony’s night vision but I don’t think we should try it on you or Fred until we know more about you. Can I assign you guides?”

“Don’t worry about us,” John assured the sergeant, “I can see just fine as long as the sky remains clear and even if it doesn’t Fred can see in near total darkness.”

After a few hours of steady march across the grassland they cut across a road. The column turned and continued down the road towards Ponyville. About twenty minutes later Fred suddenly stopped and looked up into the night sky. John rested his hand on Fred’s withers for a few seconds then faced the approaching sergeant. “Something is coming. It’s flying directly at us.”

The sergeant motioned to John, “Come on, you’re about to meet your fourth Tribe.” As they stepped out ahead of the column a Night Guard landed on the road right in front of them.

“Sergeant Swift Trail?” the courier inquired.

“Right here,” the sergeant answered.

“Your orders are to proceed to the Apple family farm circumventing Ponyville and any occupied dwellings. You will be met near the farm main gate and guided to an empty barn with attached field where you will set up temporary quarters for your ponies and guests.”

The sergeant acknowledged the new orders. Her duty discharged, the Batpony sprang into the air and disappeared back the way she had come.

Turning back to John, the sergeant said, “Before you ask, that was a Night Guard Batpony. They prefer the dark because they don’t have the plumage on their wings to protect them from direct sunlight and they have no trouble at all flying at night. They are famous for their ability pass unseen in the dark so I want to know how you could know she was coming.”

“My turn to teach you,” John said, “This is why Fred and I make such a good team. My eyesight is wide spectrum and narrowly focused. Fred’s is narrow spectrum and panoramic focused. He can spot small movements at great distances and I can evaluate and identify whatever he finds. Our link makes sharing the information quick and easy.”

“That’s good to know. We’re going to have to leave the road and skirt the woods soon. The going will be rougher and there is some risk that we might bump into something out of the woods. A little forewarning could be real nice.” The sergeant grinned at John.

Despite the sergeant’s concerns the rest of their march was uneventful and dawn found them resting just outside the gate to the Apple farm.