Chapters Today was the day.
Today Mathias was taking on the role as the Ponyville town guard. He was quite nervous, he had guarded before, but only during reenactments, never before had he actually worked in any form of security job. He was a student, and a lover of Roman history, nothing more.
Well, at least he was, in his own world..
It had been about a month since Mathias first arrived in Equestria. Exactly how it happened he had no idea. One moment he was in a forest, doing a mock battle with his fellow reenactors, then the next he found himself stumbling out of a place called the Everfree forest.
To say the ponies of Ponyville were shocked when they first saw him was an understatement. He was not only a creature they had never laid eyes upon before, but they recognized his attire as armor, and of course his scutum, gladius, and pilum, as weapons. He was confused, they were shocked, and soon enough he found himself confronted by six ponies.
Two unicorns, two pegasi, and two normal looking ponies, well, normal as in didn't have wings or horns. The mood was quite tense to say the least, but thankfully it never developed into a fight. The leader of the group, a purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, seemed to be more fascinated than scared, or angry. After some back and forth, the air was cleared, and Mathias soon found himself in Canterlot, willingly.
After more initial shocks, gasps, stares and whispers, everything went smoothly. Only, the two rulers of this land had no more of an idea how he ended up here than him. Twilight and her friends only stayed with him for a few days before they had to return to Ponyville, but Mathias stayed behind, agreeing to be examined, agreed to answering questions and so forth.
He wasn't a captive, and after the first few awkward days were over, he found himself enjoying the company of Celestia and Luna. Celestia enjoyed cake, music, and had sort of a small hidden wild streak. She enjoyed pranks, and being able to loosen up once in a while, which went nicely with Mathias. Luna however was a bit more refined, she enjoyed art, history, and the two quickly found themselves bonding over several subjects of culture.
Sadly however, it was soon found out they had no real way of sending him home...
Mathias was at a loss, and both Celestia and Luna were supportive, and offered him to stay at the palace for as long as he wanted. While the offer was tempting, Mathias didn't want to spend his days living for free and on the cost of the tax paying ponies. He wanted to work, earn his keep, and if it came to it, make a life of his own.
How exactly it came up, Mathias didn't remember, but Luna one evening suggested he become a guard. Celestia thought it was a splendid idea, and after some discussion, Mathias agreed to take the job as the Ponyville guard. Mathias had a few doubts, but it wasn't like he was unfit.
In fact, he was an athlete in his own right. He loved to study Roman history, and so he did training, Roman style. He learned to march, 29 kilometers a day, how to fight, and with a few training buddies they did it all over a long summer. Roman soldiers practiced hand-to-hand combat with wooden swords, spears and shields that were deliberately much heavier than those they used in battle, so his muscles were strong as well. They trained with dummy swords and javelins made of wood, so Mathias did have the physique to become a guard.
Though with Celestia, you could always count on her having more than one motive. she thought it would be a great way for him to learn more about Pony culture, and not only that, for her little ponies to get used to him.
Seeing nothing wrong with that logic, he accepted the position. Before he left though, Luna had looked over his Roman equipment, and he had explained everything in detail. As a parting gift, she had sent the set to their blacksmith, made it more real with better metal, and even a few enchantments.
Everything from the armor, the helmet, the belt, it was so much better, even lighter, and much stronger. His shield too had been enchanted, it was stronger and lighter. The most beautiful improvement was his gladius. Not only was it light and strong, but sharper than any blade he had ever seen, and more importantly, it would never cut its master. Like with the shield and armor, it was strong, but still had a bit of weight to it so he could better get a feel for it, and direct its swings. Better still, it was perfectly balanced, it felt even better in his hand than before. This was true craftsmanship, a true work of art.
Everything about it was beautiful, and he owed Luna big time.
Mathias departed a few days later, some starting bits in his satchel, and after staying the night at Twilight's library, he was up and about just as dawn broke. He had learned his guard house would not only function as his armory and jail, but also as his home, so thankfully he did not need to worry about the living situation after this day.
Now he was standing outside the building made of stone and wood. It looked more thick than the cottages around, and definitely more closed off than welcoming. It wasn't really ugly or anything like that, but you could see this was a place of authority, and he would manage this place all by himself.
While the building still looked sturdy and solid, it showed it had not been used for some time. Weeds had not been removed, and at certain places it lacked paint, or just looked sad, like the building itself had let out a great sigh and just never drawn a breath again.
He looked forward to seeing what he had to work with, but he would be lying if he said he was still not just a tad nervous. Mathias still didn't know how ponies would react to him being human, let alone him as the local guard who could arrest them if need be. Celestia and Luna had been encouraging however, and so he was determined not to disappoint their faith in him.
"Ahem."
A voice coughed. It was the kind of cough meant to draw another's attention, and so Mathias turned to find an older earth pony mare with a pale, light grayish amber colored coat. A light cornflower bluish gray mane and tail, and blue eyes. She looked tired, a fact not hidden by her small librarian style glasses.
Didn't take Mathias long to figure out this was his new boss, and so he stood a bit straighter, took off his helmet and placed it under his arm. "Mathias Frost, ma'am. The new guard." He greeted her a bit stiffly, though he was not quite sure how to act yet.
Either she was too tired to notice, because she gave a tired yawn, or she didn't care. "I'm Mayor Mare, it's good to meet you, guard." It was hard to tell if she was just tired, or being unpleasant, so he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, and not react to it. "This way."
She led him to the wooden door, pulled out a set of old looking keys and unlocked the door. She pushed it open, and it gave off a long creak, as if the door was protesting being opened this early in the morning. Already they could smell the thick dusty air, and the darkness of the room inside was not really a welcoming sight. Still, Mayor Mare trotted inside, trying her best to keep her muzzle covered so not to inhale any dust.
Mathias followed, and quickly his eyes scanned the large room. It was probably the biggest room in the building, it had a few desks here and there, some benches, and some papers scattered around.
"This will be your public room, you could say it is where ponies can come and have a talk if something is bothering them."
She explained, and Mathias understood. It kind of reminded him of a police station, and the desks were for his guards, a place to take notes and write down reports, and the benches were for the waiting ponies. To the far side, on the right wall, was a big fireplace, probably a life saver during winter, he thought.
There were some stairs leading up to the next floor, and an iron side door, leading to the basement where the cells were located. Mayor Mare made sure to show him around, but she seemed slightly annoyed and eager to get going. Upstairs were the common rooms for his guards, a room for simple relaxation, nothing fancy, but a place to relax and eat their meals. Then a bathroom, a room with two bunk beds, enough for four ponies to be sleeping here. There was even a small kitchen in the common room, pretty neat.
The last room was the armory, and inside were all kinds of weapons and armor, but they looked old, and not well taken care of. If Mathias was ever going to get more guards he would never put them in rusty armor like that, let alone give them weapons that looked ready to crack if they were as much as swung.
Lastly, there were another set of stairs, leading up to the final floor, right under the roof. Once up, they entered what looked like a small office. There was a desk, an old looking couch, a chest, shelves, and a big table with a map of Ponyville in the middle.
To the side was a door, which led into what would be his new home. The apartment was quite comfortable looking, well, after some cleaning at least. It was one big room, except for the small private bathroom he would have for himself. He had a kitchen, a comfortable living space, and more importantly, a big soft bed. Although, he would probably need to clean everything and get a new mattress, right now it looked like a dust bomb waiting to go off.
"And that is that." Mayor Mare said as they finally returned to the front door and walked out into the fresh air. "This will be your home, and your place of work. You have a lot to see to, please make a list of essential things needed to be done with the place. If there is anything you need, like new locks, equipment, quills, ink, and so on. I will see that you get a modest budget to start off on. Though please do remember, anything bought for private use must come out of your own pocket."
Mathias nodded. "Got it, Mayor."
"Good, you'll start your official duties tomorrow, so please make the time today cleaning as much as you can." She said, then added. "Any questions?"
For a moment Mathias thought about asking her why no one had ever cleaned this place? Or how long ago this place was used. He even thought about asking her if she had no one that could help him. He did however not ask, no reason, and having spent some time with the Mayor, he could tell she was not his biggest fan. She was not nasty, or even unfriendly, but he could tell she did not trust him, not yet at least.
Instead he simply shook his head, and said. "No, I think I got it."
"Very good, then I shall see you again tomorrow." Reaching back into her saddlebag, she pulled the bundle of keys out, and gave them to him. "Good luck."
"Thank you," replied Mathias, watching her trot away.
He let out a long sigh, then turned to face the building. There was a lot of work to be done, and even though it seemed easy, he had to go shop, and clean the entire building, make a list for Mayor Mare, and prepare for tomorrow.
Seeing no reason to put it off, Mathias walked inside, took off his armor and set it aside, but kept on his leather belt with his gladius and dagger. Now he only wore his red tunic , and his caligae, (leather sandals.). The only other clothing he wore were his boxers, something the royal tailor had been so kind to replicate so he had enough pairs for at least two weeks. He didn't like the idea of going Scottish, with his private parts dangling around freely under his tunic.
And so work began, he started with the main room down on the first floor. Knowing it was the place most ponies would see, he decided to focus on that area for now. Mathias opened all the windows he could, sadly many of them were small and barred, but at least fresh air streamed into the building. It was like the entire building could finally take a breath again, which was also true for Mathias.
He hated cleaning, but still he kept going, getting buckets of water, scrubbing the floor, dusting off, and made every surface clean and neat. No paper left on the floor, no speck of dust allowed to remain. It took quite a while to get done with the first floor, and when he was, it was already past lunch time.
His stomach rumbled, and he let out a long tired sigh. "Dammit.."
"Mathias?"
A sweet voice suddenly called from the doorway. Looking over, he found a unicorn with a pale, light grayish mulberry coat, and a moderate violet colored mane and tail, with streaks of brilliant raspberry. This was Twilight Sparkle, personal student of princess Celestia herself.
"Oh, hey Miss Sparkle." Mathias greeted politely, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
The greeting earned him a small smile from Twilight. "Mathias, I told you, you don't need to call me Miss Sparkle, just call me Twilight."
"Sorry, old habit. Thank you for letting me stay at your, uhm, tree." Yeah, Mathias was pretty surprised to find out Twilight lived in a hollowed out tree, but then again, he was in a land with magic and talking ponies, so he quickly got used to it. "So what brings you around?"
"I just wanted to see how you were settling in. I know this place has not been used for years, and the princess asked me to make sure you had a helping hoof nearby." She explained, trotting farther inside, Spike, a purple dragon following behind her, carrying what looked like a backpack.
Mathias had seen Spike before, though had never really had the chance to talk to him. He looked rather, not scared, but uncomfortable around Mathias. Still, he seemed a bit more relaxed this time around, but still slightly tense. Twilight in the meantime looked around the hall, she had an expression that told him she was quite impressed.
"Wow, I don't know how much work it was, but this place looks spotless." Said Twilight, moving her hoof over the surface of one of the desks. "You must have been at work since this morning."
"No kidding, you should see downstairs, or upstairs. It is a desert of dust." His stomach growled, this time louder, enough so that Twilight's ears flicked towards him.
She giggled. "Hungry? You were out before me, so I don't know if you ate breakfast."
The human shook his head, smiling sheepishly. "To be honest, I didn't. I was too nervous."
"I can relate to that," Twilight giggled. "How about me and Spike help you out? You probably need to get your home fixed up if you're going to spend the night here."
Mathias gave her a nod. "Yeah, I actually need to do quite a bit of shopping. Which reminds me, did you find the books I asked you about?"
"Oh yes, I did." She turned towards Spike, lit up her horn, and out from Spike's backpack levitated a few books, some quite thick, and it looked like Spike was glad to have them taken off his back. "This should tell you all about Equestrian law, and Ponyville local laws and guidelines."
"Thanks, Twilight. I look forward to studying them a bit more."
"I marked some pages that might be more relevant to you. No need for you to waste time on subjects you likely never have to deal with." She laughed, and Mathias joined in.
"That's true, thank you again."
With Twilight's help it all went quicker, magic sure is a useful thing. They had lunch, a much needed one at that, and Spike even seemed to warm up to Mathias. With the main floor done, they focused their efforts on the third floor, where he would be living.
As everything fell into place, some of Twilight's friends came over to bid him welcome. Pinkie Pie was probably the best friend and enthusiastic of them all. The others were still a bit wary of him, but none were cold or unfriendly, it was just a question of getting to know/used to each other. Even so, they had brought some gifts to welcome him to Ponyville, and it was pretty nice of them he thought.
Applejack had brought a basket full of apples. Pinkie some cupcakes, Fluttershy some meat... (She feeds bears, so, yeah.) Rarity brought some winter clothing, and a few more tunics for him. Rainbow Dash brought a poster of the Wonderbolts, and her speed, which meant a lot of tasks were done fairly quickly.
With their help, Mathias got everything he needed, bought with his own money of course. Food, a new mattress, sheets, and some scrolls, ink, and so on. Everyone had helped him in some way or another, and when everything was done and over, they all enjoyed a light dinner.
Mathias liked to think they had all gotten a little closer, or hopefully, a bit more used to one another. They were all pretty great in their own way, and it felt good to talk with them some more. When they were at Canterlot, most of them had gone off and done their own thing, so he had mostly interacted with the princesses and Twilight.
When dinner was over, he bid them all goodnight, Twilight however stayed back. "You'll do great, Mathias. Do not worry, Ponyville is a pretty peaceful town, I'm sure you're going to enjoy it here."
Mathias chuckled. "Thanks, and thank you for your help." He noticed Spike yawning, he tried to hide it, not wanting to seem rude. Mathias just smirked. "Better get to bed, you guys have been working pretty hard."
Twilight giggled, giving Spike a big sister kind of look. "Your right, he is a bit tired."
"I'm fine.." Spite insisted, but could not help but yawn one more time.
Twilight rolled her eyes, then looked at Mathias. "Goodnight, Mathias."
"Goodnight, Twilight. And thank you, again."
And with that, Twilight and Spike returned home. Mathias closed and locked his door, happy to have gotten so much done, he had even managed to get the second floor clean, and most of the cells done. With nothing else to do, he took his equipment, carried it upstairs and started to start cleaning and polishing it.
He had barely worn it today, but it had become a habit for him to do so when the day had ended. It was the little things in life, he had nothing other than his Roman equipment to remind him of home, no phone, no pictures, nothing. So while it was not his country's traditions, he felt a connection to his own world by doing them, even praying to the old Roman gods. It gave him comfort, and it made him feel closer to home.
That night he went to bed with a heavy heart, and nervous thoughts. Tomorrow he should be taking on the mantle of a guard, he had a lot to prove, and a lot of hearts and minds to win over. Still, he was determined to do his duty, and make Celestia and Luna proud of him. Blowing out the candle at his bedside table, he closed his eyes, and let sleep overtake him.
Night passed over Mathias, his slumber was peaceful despite his nervousness. When dawn finally broke, he was up, putting on his tunic, sandals, armor and belt. With a quick meal, he took his helmet under his arm, walked outside and raised the Equestrian flag.
He looked it over, then turned east, looked to Celestia's rising sun and drew his gladius. Mathias knelt, held the sword close with the end touching the ground. Bowing his head he whispered a prayer in Latin.
Testor ego eum alte
After taking a deep breath, he stood back up, sheathed his gladius, and put on his helmet. Light washed over Equestria, signaling not only a new day, but for Mathias, it signaled a new beginning.
Author's Note
What would you like to see next?
Does Rainbow break some law and get to spend the night in the fine new jail cell?
Or does the CMC course trouble?
Leave a comment, a like, or suggestions.
Caput I: De Nova Cohortis
The day was starting off pretty well.
Despite it still being early, ponies were already up and about, opening up their stores, going to work, or simply drawing in the morning air. There was a certain charm to this town, it was like you could actually feel it waking up, like if the town was a living being. He could smell the smell of freshly baked bread, hear the sounds of hooves as they moved about their business.
Sadly however, as Mathias walked with his shield in his left hand, and his gladius in his belt, he could feel a number of eyes on him. He could not quite tell if they looked upon him with fear or outrage, maybe a mix of both. One thing was certain, the ponies, despite being friendly creatures, were not happy of having a human acting as their guard.
Maybe they didn't think they needed a guard to begin with, heck, for all Mathias knew, maybe they didn't. The guardhouse had been empty of any guards for years now, and probably for a good reason. He would need to find out why, but it was likely because not much happened here.
Of course he wasn't ignorant of all the adventures happening here, Twilight and her friends were quite important, and had gained a reputation. They were the elements of harmony after all, heroes. So if anything did happen, his primary job would in all likelihood be bringing ponies to safety while the heroes handled the monsters. Now did that mean Mathias would not raise his sword if circumstances required it? Not at all, if it came to it, he would fight.
However, it was one thing to say that, but in truth, Mathias had never killed or wounded anyone. He could fight, he knew he could, but would he cross that final line if need be? He liked to think so, but it just showed he did not only have to prove himself to the ponies, but to himself as well.
This morning however he didn't really expect anything to happen, that was the funny thing about new jobs, nothing almost never happens on the first day. Still, it wasn't as much to watch out for ponies, although that was a part of it, he wanted to get the lay of the land. He did have a map in his office, but it was old, and probably outdated. Besides, no map could beat knowing your way around the place, so for now he just marched up and down every street, taking mental notes about the names of the shops and cafés.
A lot of ponies were watching him as he walked, it was to be expected, but as he walked he started to go over what to write on his list for Mayor Mare. He didn't have any other guards to worry about, so his budget would not be huge, something he figured would please his boss.
It wasn't like he needed much, some simple supplies, papers, ink, stamps, and some tools to maintain the place and equipment. He had hoofcuffs, a set was hanging from his belt, along with a bridle, something he hadn't thought he would see here, but he could understand how useful they would be when transporting a prisoner.
Mathias also considered asking for a baton, a wooden one. It was less lethal than a sword, but then again, he would probably not be able to use it very well when it came to ponies. More importantly, he needed to ask for some materials he could use to train with, like a thick wooden pole he could practice his swings on. That should be pretty cheap, maybe even free if he cut down a tree himself.
All in all he didn't see himself needing a lot of money right from the get go, but a budget would be nice to work with. Once he had a budget, he would decide what it was spent on, and being the only guard, it meant he could invest in important areas. If he ever got more guards, the budget would be limited, so if he was going to invest in big things, it had to be now.
Mathias stopped, looked to Celestia's sun above and figured he should get back to his guard house, write down his list of the most pressing matters, then go to town hall. Mayor Mare had not been very specific about when she wanted to meet, but he imagined the best time would be around lunch. So, turning on his heel, he started to march back.
Already he had gotten a pretty good idea about the layout of the town, there were still plenty to explore. He hadn't gotten to the Apple Farm yet for example, and neither had he been at the schoolhouse. Mathias wanted to plan out the best routes through the town to get to trouble fast, but he knew it would still take a little while before he was that comfortable with the place. Though it was not hard to navigate, he wanted to act on reflex, and not through guessing.
More ponies were out and about now, some of them he had passed before, and by now they had gone from quiet nervousness to just ignoring him. Suited him just fine, better to be ignored than feared or hated. Well, maybe hate was too strong a word, as far as he knew, ponies didn't hate creatures simply because they were different. They were simply nervous and unsure about him, and as the guard he would need to prove to them they could trust him.
The friendly town guard, that was who he had to become. Just like a local country copper on his bike, moving through the village where the biggest crime is the local kids stealing apples from an old lady's garden.
As he marched with his long strides, he spotted the little purple dragon, Spike. He was carrying a stack of boxes, trying his best to balance them as he took one careful step after another. Mathias frowned, knowing it could only end badly, and seeing no Twilight around, he decided to step in and give the little dragon some help.
"Woa there!" Mathias exclaimed, catching some of the boxes with one hand as they were about to fall over. "That was close, are you alright buddy?"
Spike let out a relieved breath, then nodded. "Yeah, thanks Mathias," replied Spike, putting down the remaining boxes as Mathias took the rest. "In a bit of a rush, so maybe I carried one too many."
"What's the rush?"
Spike smirked. "I'm going gem hunting with Rarity today, but I have to get these boxes to the library first. The quicker I get it done, the quicker I can get going with Rarity."
"I see, well, four hands are better than to, so how about I'll help you bring these to Twilight?" Mathias suggested, having no problem carrying his stack of boxes in one arm, and still hold his shield in his left hand.
"Thanks Mathias, you're a life saver."
Mathias smiled, happy to see the little guy had warmed more up to him. It made him more certain he could actually win more hearts and minds if he just showed he was not some scary monster, or whatever they thought about him. The human guard and the little dragon assistant started to walk once again, now that Spike had fewer boxes to carry and balance, it went much smoother.
As they moved, they talked about this and that, nothing serious. He talked about gems, how good they tasted, and Mathias enjoyed listening. He got the impression Spike did not always get enough attention, not in a bad way, but it was clear the little guy enjoyed being listened to.
Before they knew it, they could see Twilight's library ahead, but before they could even get a meter closer, something suddenly came towards them. Mathias only just managed to stop, placing a foot in front of Spike to stop him as well, and then, SWOOSH! Something insanely fast flew past them, leaving behind it a rainbow streak. Before Mathias could see where the object had gone to, it had already vanished.
Spike didn't seem as shocked however, more annoyed, yet relieved. "Whew, thanks for that Mathias."
"What in the name of Hades was that?" Mathias asked confused, slightly rattled as he had never seen anything move like that.
"Oh that? That was just Rainbow Dash. She likes flying fast, you can always tell its her thanks to the rainbow streak she leaves behind." Spike explained, then shrugged like if it was no big deal, and continued walking towards the library.
"And ponies are just okay with her going this fast through the streets?" Mathias asked, following the little dragon.
Spike shrugged again. "Guess we've just become used to it."
Mathias could hardly believe Rainbow Dash could fly that fast. She had boasted about her speed quite often, and when they cleaned he had seen how fast she could be, but he had never seen her fly that fast before, and the fact she did it so close to the ground unnerved him a little. It wasn't just the fact she was flying low, but she was flying through the streets, a place where the number of ponies were greater and more densely packed than up in the sky. He wasn't going to make a big deal out of this, but he would need to look the rules up, and have a little talk with her.
"Well, here we are!" Spike suddenly exclaimed, stopping in front of the door. "Thanks for the help Mathias!"
"Oh, no problem Spike." Mathias replied, putting the boxes down. "I need to get back to the guardhouse, have a list to finish for Mayor Mare."
Spike chuckled. "You should get Twilight to help you with that."
Mathias laughed, he knew Twilight had a love for lists and reports. Lord knows how many she made about him on their trip to Canterlot. "No thanks, I'm not that desperate yet." He replied, earning him a grin from Spike who raised his claws up to make a fist. Mathias smirked, made a fist of his own and bumped it against the little dragon's.
Spike beamed, clearly very pleased. "See you later Mathias!"
"See you later Spike!" And with that, the two parted ways.
Mathias couldn't help feeling a bit satisfied. Spike had warmed up to him, they chatted, and the whole interaction was pleasant. It gave Mathias that little confidence boost he needed, feeling that maybe he could be a part of this community. Still though, he had to talk to Rainbow Dash about her speeding through the town like that. Nothing serious, just a little talk about safety, that should be easy, right?
For now however he returned to his guardhouse, unlocked the door and stepped inside. He decided to leave the front door open, letting ponies know the guard was in. He made a mental note, maybe he should invest in a sign so ponies could see if he was there or not, that way they did not need to waste time.
He walked to a desk, put his shield next to it, took off his helmet, and sat down. The desk was a little small for him, but it would do for now, and he made yet another mental note to get some better furniture for himself. Getting some paper, dipping his quill in the ink, he started to write the list of things he had noted needed more urgent fixing.
Guard House Urgent Equipment Needs
Two sets of basic tools for basic use/repairs.
Maintenance equipment for armor, weapons, chains, and so forth.
5 sets of first aid kits.
Updated map of Ponyville.
Basic cell accommodation, such as 12 blankets, 12 pillows, plates, basic eating utensils, toilet paper and candles.
Guard accommodation needs, 8 blankets, 8 pillows, plates, basic eating utensils, toilet paper. Books for relaxation and time passing also recommended, even basic board games/cards.
The list went on, and of course there were things he did not put down. Such as new weapons and armor, for now he did not need it since he was the only guard, but he would get some new sets next time around. He'd rather not push his luck, and so wanted to make sure he had spare weapons if need be.
He let the ink dry, then went to his pantry to get some bread and an apple. It was a small meal, but he wasn't really that hungry yet. 20 minutes later he stood up, put on his helmet, took his shield and list, and was once again on the move, this time towards Town Hall.
It didn't take him long to get there, town hall was at the same street as the guardhouse for obvious reasons, so five minutes later, he was in the reception room. A mare sat behind a desk, looking bored, filing her hoof. Mathias had barely stepped into the room before she noticed him, that made her stop, her eyes go wide and straighten in her chair.
"C-can I help you, uhm, sir?"
Mathias strode up to the desk and took off his helmet, placed it under his arm and nodded. "I am here to see Mayor Mare. I'm the new guard." He added, even though it might have been obvious.
The mare nodded. "Ah yes, well, she's expecting you. Just right through that door, down the hall, up the stairs, and the door at the very end of the hall. It says Mayor on the door." Explained the mare, trying to keep her tone neutral, but Mathias could see she wanted to ask all kinds of questions.
"Thank you."
Mathias simply said, not feeling like sticking around for any questions she might have, not to mention anything he told her would likely end up as gossip. He didn't need any rumors spreading, or in any case, gossip that would just fuel any existent rumors. He followed her directions, down the hall, up the stairs, and down another hall. Pretty easy to find, and he made an internal map of the building in his head, he could deduce the mayor's office was right above the reception room, probably looking over Ponyville square.
Stopping in front of the door, he took a deep breath and knocked gently. A few seconds passed, no answer, so he knocked again, this time a little harder. This time the answer came only three seconds after. "Come in!" Mayor Mare's voice called.
The door was opened, and Mathias stepped in. After closing the door behind him, he placed the shield down to the floor, letting it rest against the wall while he walked up to the mayor's desk. "Good day Mayor, I'm here with my list."
Again, the mayor didn't look pleased, nor did she look hostile, just distrustful. "Ah, guardpon.. Guardsman Frost." She said, correcting herself. "Good, I've gotten your budget ready as well, so let us make this quick so we can continue our day."
"Certainly." Mathias nodded, placing the list on her table. "I've made it simple, since I'm the only guard the most things I need are tools, some stuff for the cells and so forth."
Mayor Mare nodded absently, as if only listening with half an ear. She took the list, unfolded it and let her eyes scan the words written. "Hmm.." She hummed, looking over everything with a keen eye for detail. After what seemed like a full five minutes she put the list down and nodded.
"This all seems reasonable." Mayor Mare then stated, and the ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. "Now then." She reached to her side, and pushed a key towards him. "This is for you, it is the key to the coin chest. In there you will find your entire budget, along with documents for you to record whatever you spend bits on in a official capacity." Mathias reached for the key, it hung in a leather string, and so he put it around his neck for safe keeping. "I want documentation for whatever you spend your budget on."
"Understood, mayor." Mathias nodded, knowing this was no small responsibility.
"Since we never had any trouble without a guard, I have not budgeted for a larger guard force. I see no reason to for now, so you will be acting guard, and guard captain." She explained, leaning back in her chair, tapping her hooves together with a thoughtful expression. "Is there anything else?"
Mathias shook his head. "No ma'am, I think I understand."
Mayor Mare nodded, then gestured with a hoof towards a chest. "Then you can take the chest with Bits and go."
"As you say."
Mathias took his shield, and the chest, and left town hall. It was quite heavy, but thankfully it wasn't far to the guardhouse. He was going to stash it away in his apartment, that way he figured no one could take Bits without him knowing about it.
As he walked, he glanced up at the sky, checking the position of the sun one more time. When done with the chest he should find Rainbow Dash and have that talk with her. After that he might as well return back, and start coming up with a schedule for himself. He was only one guard after all, and he could not patrol all hours of the day, he needed free time, time to sleep and eat.
Back home you had unions taking care of the hours, here he basically was his own boss, and he could decide his hours. A pretty sweet deal, and if there really was so little trouble in this town, then his job should be fairly simple. He made quick work of the chest, locking it in his wardrobe, then went back out to find Rainbow Dash. If he couldn't find her, he was sure Twilight could give him a hoof.
Once again he was out and about, his helmet on his head, his shield in his hand, and his eyes on the sky. One should think Rainbow Dash would be easy to spot, she left a rainbow trail after all, but of course there was a chance she was on the ground somewhere, resting, or hanging out with her friends.
Thinking he might as well take the opportunity to explore a bit more of Ponyville, he started his search at the big apple farm, Sweet Apple Acres. He knew Applejack and her family ran the place, and she had talked a lot about how their apples were the best in Equestria, in her humble opinion anyway. After tasting the legendary apples for himself, Mathias could rightly say he had never tasted apples as good as theirs.
He followed the dirt road out of Ponyville, soon enough he was greeted with open fields on each side. The tall grass waved in the wind like waves in the oceans. The wind felt good, it was relaxing, and besides the sound of his armor, there were no sounds other than that of nature itself.
"whaaaaaaaaaath oooooooooooooooooooooooout!!!"
"Huh?"
Mathias had barely managed to turn around when he was suddenly faced with an object speeding towards him. For a second he thought it was Rainbow Dash, but what typically followed Rainbow Dash was a rainbow trail, not flames.
"What the hell?!"
Mathias jumped to the side, barely managing to avoid what looked like a red pull along wagon with fireworks strapped to the end. He watched it zoom down the road, then hit a rock by a sudden turn and move down the hill towards the river. The sight was certainly something new.
"Oh no! Our space rocket!" A voice whined behind him. Mathias turned once more, then found three fillies panting, like if they had just been running.
"T...Tarnation..." A filly with a big bow panted. "Now we... We'll..."
"Never get our... Cutie... Cutie mark in rocket building..." A unicorn filly continued where the earth pony had left off.
"Or being space ponies." An orange Pegasus filly finished of. She seemed less out of breath, more tomboyish. Then she looked at him, she seemed puzzled for a moment, then her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, you're the homan Mathias, right?!"
Mathias was slightly taken aback by the sudden shift in conversation, like if he hadn't just seen a homemade rocket sink zoom past him and end its fate in the river. "Human." Mathias corrected. "And yes, I am. Who are you three?"
The Pegasus filly smirked. "I'm Scootaloo!"
The other two, having recovered, smiled and stepped up to introduce themselves. "I'm Apple Bloom, nice to meet ya mister!"
"I'm Sweetie Belle." The unicorn filly then said, seeming more gentle, but nonetheless excited.
Mathias couldn't help but smile a little at the three young fillies. "It's nice to meet you all. Uhm, that thing you just fired into the lake..?"
"Oh, we were trying to build a spaceship and go to space!" Scootaloo said, like it was a normal endeavor for three school fillies to start on. "Just like in my comics."
Apple Bloom sighed. "I told you, it wouldn't work.."
"Well, we might have gotten it into the air if we used more fireworks!" Scootaloo protested, earning her a frown from Mathias.
"Uhm, girls." Mathias butted in, making them all look at him again. "I would prefer it if you did not play with fireworks, or any kind of explosive or things that involve fire. You three could have gotten hurt."
All three frowned, looked down at the ground as they recognized they were being reprimanded by an adult. He may be human, but he was an adult nonetheless, and a guard. Mathias couldn't help but notice so far those three treated him just like they would any pony. Leave it to the foals not to see species.
Since no one got hurt, Mathias decided not to make anymore out of it, though he would need to fish that wagon up from the river at some point. "So, do you promise to be more careful in the future?"
They all nodded, then said in unison. "We promise.."
"Good." He smiled. "Then perhaps you three can help me with something." That made them look up, clearly interested, if not down right excited.
"We're going to help you?!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed with a small excited gasp.
"Are we going to become guards too?!" Scootaloo asked.
"Uhm, well I-"
"We could get out cutie marks in being guard ponies!" Apple Bloom added, and the three stood up on their hindlegs and bumped their hooves together like a group high five.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Guard ponies!" They called out in unison.
Then they got back down on all fours, stood stiffly, like if standing to attention, but still smiled excitedly. Mathias couldn't really help but find the fillies adorable, like a bunch of little sisters. Chuckling, he got down on one knee so better to look at them. "I'm looking for a certain pony by the name of Rainbow Dash."
Scootaloo gasped. "What?! She hasn't done anything wrong!" She yelled, almost in a panic.
"Easy there Scootaloo." Mathias quickly said. "I just need to talk to her about something important, she is not in trouble, promise."
"Oh.. Well, if that's the case.." Scootaloo sighed, clearly relieved.
"She's over at my place!" Said Apple Bloom. "She is helping my sister with some harvesting. I think.."
"Great, thank you little lady." Mathias chuckled and stood up. "You two stay out of trouble."
"We will!" They said, again in unison.
Mathias had thought that would be the end of their interaction for now, but as he started to march down the road, he quickly noticed the three fillies were following him. Their eyes were fixed on Mathias, and before he could ask them if they were following him, they started to ask him all sorts of questions.
"Are you an alien?"
"Yes."
"Can you fly?"
"No."
"Can you breath fire?"
"No."
"Can you read minds?"
"No."
"Melt minds?"
"Ew!"
"No."
"Destroy minds?"
"No."
"Can you fly?"
"You've asked that already Scootaloo!"
"Whoops!"
The questions went on, and on, and on. Mathias was a patient guy, so he just tried to remain calm and answer all their questions, no matter how silly. Thankfully they were pretty easily distracted, and more than once did their questions devolve into discussions between the crusaders, giving him a moment to breathe and clear his head.
He didn't really mind, kids would be kids, and he could imagine if a Pony arrived in his town, then he would be one of the kids running after it, asking the pony all sorts of questions. Thankfully though they were not far from the farm, so when they arrived the filly's questions died down.
Quickly Mathias spotted Applejack and the rest of her friends, more importantly, he quickly spotted Rainbow Dash, floating above the rest of the mares carrying some basket filled with apples. The only one missing from the group was Rarity, but Spike had told him she and him would be gem hunting, so it did not surprise him.
The five mares quickly spotted him in turn though, and Pinkie was the first as usual to give him that oh so Pinkie like greeting. "Matty Patty!" Pinkie called, her smile seemingly growing. "Have you come to help with the apples too?!"
Mathias walked closer, the three fillies having already run inside the farmhouse as they smelled the smell of freshly baked apple pie. "Oh, no I'm afraid not, I'm still on duty."
"What can we help you with then?" Asked Applejack in a neutral tone. "If ya not here to help, then you must be here on business."
"Oh dear.." Fluttershy said, her voice little, almost non existent. "Has something serious happened?"
"Oh no no no, it's okay. I just wanted to have a word with you, Rainbow Dash."
"What? Me? Why me?" Rainbow asked, actually seeming shocked, if not a little pissed off.
"It's okay, it is nothing serious, I just need to have a word with you in private." Mathias didn't really care if the other girls heard it, but he did think it was a private matter between the town guard and Rainbow Dash, if she decided to tell the others, then that was her right. It was not for him to broadcast anything involving anypony.
"Ergh... Fine.." Rainbow grumbled, finally agreeing. She put the basket down, and flew over to Mathias who walked a few meters away from the curious group of friends. Once out of ear reach the Pegasus crossed her hoof and asked. "What?" If there was a picture of the word attitude in the dictionary, Rainbow would be the one mare in that photo.
He hadn't even told her what the problem was yet, but already she was giving him a sort of closed off attitude, almost challenging. The way she moved, the way she looked at him, her tone of voice , it all just screamed she hated being confronted by an authority figure.
For now, Mathias decided to ignore it. He didn't want to waste time, or give her more reason to close herself off from him. He wasn't here to bust her after all, just give her friendly advice on safety, no reason to make a big deal out of it. "Listen Dash, I saw you fly through town today."
"And?"
Okay Mathias, just breathe, don't let her take control of the conversation. "And I don't know if you remember, or even saw us, but you almost flew into me and Spike. Had I not stopped him, you would have flown into the little guy."
Rainbow just snorted. "Pffft, please. I'm Rainbow Dash, I know what I'm doing."
"Perhaps, but other ponies might get in the way in a way that you cannot react in time." Mathias warned. "I just want to make you aware of it, ask you to be more careful when flying low in town."
Rainbow rolled her eyes, and she kind of reminded him of those teens who tried to act tougher than they were when facing authority. "Whatever, it's not like you can do anything."
He narrowed his eyes. "Rainbow, I'm the guard, I'm trying to be polite here."
Then she laughed, flew closer and patted Mathias on the shoulder. "Come on big guy, no reason to act so tough. You may be a guard, but you're no pony. You don't have wings, nor magic. If I wanted I could just stay right above you." She smiled, Rainbow actually smiled at him like he was the one being silly.
It was then that he knew for sure, Rainbow did not take him seriously in his role as a guard. Mathias didn't get the sense she looked down on him, but she was clearly used to having her way, and so being confronted by a guard, a human guard no less, she had trouble really understanding the seriousness of it. To her, it just seemed like a joke.
Mathias hadn't yet checked the rules about low flying in Ponyville, but even if he had, he had no intention of giving her a fine or arrest her, even though she was kind of pushing her luck right now. He wanted to be fair, just have a talk, but if she was breaking town law, and if she kept acting like a smartass, he would take her in.
"I'm warning you Dash, be careful."
Rainbow laughed, rolled her eyes, and even snorted, all three things pissed him off. "Yeah, sure, whatever you say Mr. Guard." She winked, then flew back to her friends without even confirming the conversation was over.
Mathias just let out a sigh, then left her and the rest of the girls alone. There was no need to escalate the situation, especially not when he had no idea if she really was breaking some sort of town code. So instead he decided to return to his guardhouse, spend some more time getting things organized and of course read up on local laws.
The rest of the day went by quietly, nothing happened, no pony came by to ask for the help of the guard. Seeing no point in marching up and down the streets any more today, he decided to keep his public door open until an hour to midnight, then close down. With nothing having happened, except for his little run in with Rainbow Dash, he wasn't really tired.
His studies had however paid off. He made notes about the most likely violations he was to encounter, some good tips, notes, not to mention the local flying codes. Seemed like if he caught Rainbow doing such stuff again he should have a more serious talk with her, this time, with less patience.
With the town quieting down, and time approaching the final hour, Mathias locked up and returned to his home. His steps were clear and loud, signaling to the empty building he was quite alone here. It was not a fun reminder, as he went to his apartment, which had been furnished quite nicely, he could not help but still feel alone.
Despite its niceties, its warm comforts, there were no items that really told his story, nothing to remind him of home. His mind, his roman equipment, those were the only things he had from his human world. This place, it was not alive, it had no expression of who he was, or where he came from. No pictures, no real personal items.
It would likely take time before this really felt like home, and so the only personal memorabilia was his old hobby and passion. He undressed, sat down on a small bench and started to work on his armor, making sure it was in top condition. To pass the time, he hummed a tune, sang silently a song his reenactment group had sung for fun.
It was from a movie, Dragon Blade , but the song was still fun to sing, and in this moment it made him feel less alone, as if it was closer to him.
Firme nunc me spondeo ,
Pulchras terrae patriae!
Frusta ipsa impetur,
Tubae militaris vox,
Et in tota patria,
When everything was over and done with, the hour was near midnight, a new day would dawn in just a few hours, so if he wanted to be rested he had to turn in for the night. He placed his armor on a stand, then took off his tunic and crawled into bed.
The last candle was blown out, and Mathias got comfortable under the covers. As he laid there in the darkness, his mind went over the events of the day. Mayor Mare was clearly not happy with him so far, or rather, maybe she wasn't happy having a guard in the first place. Still though, he didn't get the impression they could not get on better terms.
The same went for other ponies, the ones who had looked at him looked more annoyed than angry or hateful. So far Rainbow Dash had been the worst of them all, but even that didn't seem to come from a bad place. She didn't seem to see herself to be superior, nor did she seem like she thought he was below ponies. She was just being an arrogant little brat, but nothing irredeemable.
Despite these things, he had also seen the other side to this coin. Spike had warmed up to him, and the three fillies had never given him one bad look, they had asked him a lot, but no question carried the tone of accusation or suspicion.
Tomorrow would be better, at least he hoped so.
Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes and let himself drift into a deep slumber. His body relaxed, and his mind entered a realm where only one other living being was allowed.
Standing in a massive grass field, Mathias found himself looking to the stars above, and the silver light from the moon. It bathed the waving fields in beautiful light. Here Mathias didn't feel fear, nor did he feel alone, because he knew only one person, or pony, could make him this aware in his own dream.
He smiled to himself, looked up at the amazing artwork of the night sky. "You've outdone yourself this time."
"We had nothing to do with the landscape before you, this is your construct of my night sky." A mare's voice replied, the voice of Luna. "I simply brought it into focus." Luna chuckled, then seemed to appear next to him, as if stepping out from behind a curtain.
"Well, it's nice to have you here all the same." Mathias replied. "How goes it in Canterlot?"
"Celestia and I miss you, but we understand this is something that you must do. You must carve your own way into this world." Luna replied, then looked at him. "And what of you? How was your first day?"
Mathias let out a sigh, turned around and walked towards a hill. "It could have been worse." There was a tree up on that hill, Mathias was not sure what kind, but it was old and large. Its branches were thick and long, creating a crown that was almost majestic in nature. There at the roots he sat down, leaning back against the large trunk, looking over the waving grass fields.
Luna followed him, planting herself next to Mathias. "What ails you?"
He hesitated, but after a few seconds he spoke up. "No, well, maybe. It's only my first day, I guess I'm still a little nervous, unsure about everything around me. Unsure if I can make friends here or not."
"I see." Luna replied, nodding her head slightly. "I understand, I feel the same way sometimes."
"You? But you're their princess," said Mathias, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"Mathias, my title creates a certain barrier between me and common ponies, not to mention, my past does make most ponies uncomfortable."
"Ah, yes, I've forgotten about that, forgive me." He replied, having forgotten about the whole Nightmare Moon thing. Luna had told him everything about it, but it was just hard for him to imagine her as this dark and evil being.
"Nothing to forgive Mathias, I'm glad you can see past it." She smiled. "But more to the point, you should not be afraid of making friends. I know you are going to do great, I have faith in you."
He smiled. "Thanks Lulu, that really means a lot to me."
"Do not worry my friend, everything will work out, you'll see. Just be yourself, that is the advice Tia always gives me."
Mathias smirked. "And has it worked?"
She let out a sigh. "Only partially, turns out there are a lot of traditions that have gone out of fashion since my banishment... I am still catching up on the social norms."
He could see this frustrated her, even saddened her a bit, not being able to connect with her subjects. In that sense, they were pretty similar. Both of them felt like this world was quite foreign to them, like they were learning everything about the world all over again. Both had something to prove to themselves, and to the ponies around them.
Mathias smiled, putting an arm around Luna and let out a tired sigh. "Well, whatever happens, I'm glad to at least have you and Celestia as my friends."
Luna returned his smile, scooting a little closer. "Thank you, Mathias."
"Don't mention it.."
They sat there, under the stars of his dreams, just enjoying the scenery in quiet. Then after a few seconds she gasped. "By the stars, I've nearly forgotten! You promised me we should continue to see the plays of this poet Disney!"
Mathias chuckled. "Oh right, which one did we decide on next?"
"Lion King!" Luna exclaimed with glee.
In front of them appeared a great canvas, the kind you see in movie theaters. Where the light from the projector came from Mathias had no idea, but apparently his mind had recorded everything, like every movie, and when in the dream world he basically had unlimited access, which meant in turn he could have movie nights with Luna in there.
As Luna conjured up some popcorn for them to share, Mathias could not help but smile. He hoped things would work out here in Ponyville, but even if they didn't, he was happy to have friends like Luna and Celestia. Knowing they were still with him was a huge comfort, especially right now.
Mathias didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but he was determined to make it better than today, and the next day better than tomorrow. Here he would make a home, right here, in Equestria.
The Traffic Act
§ 1: The Act applies, unless otherwise provided, to road traffic which is used for ordinary traffic of one or more types of traffic.
Mathias sighed, he had been going through a lot of laws, regulations and codes. Sitting here outside his guardhouse , enjoying the sun and the sounds of Ponyville was a surprisingly relaxing way to read.
He liked to study, so it wasn't the work itself, and he wanted to be good at his job, so he could see the purpose, but this was so fucking boring. Still, if he wanted to be more effective, he needed to be as familiar with the law as possible. For now however, he focused on the things he was most likely to deal with.
For now it seemed traffic would be his biggest concern. Rainbow Dash had certainly motivated him to look into it some more, because if he was going to settle this and make her understand he wasn't joking, then he had to know what he was talking about.
He was sure she would just shrug off any attempt he made as nothing serious, but as he read on, he could tell these laws and codes were no laughing matter, especially for your purse. Equestria actually had some very strict codes, not to mention some very big fines, none of them went under 1,000 Bits, which was no small amount of money.
The more he read, the more he got an understanding of how to handle Dash. She needed to understand he was serious, that he could be fair and flexible, but the point was not to humiliate her so she would not trust him again. It was a delicate balance, but Mathias was confident he could pull it off.
Especially as he read on.
§ 3: Road users must act considerately and exercise caution so that no danger arises or damage or inconvenience is caused to others, and so that traffic is not unnecessarily hindered or disturbed. Consideration must also be given to those who live or stay by the road.
Section 2. Special consideration must be shown to foals, school patrols, elderly ponies and ponies who, according to special characteristics determined by the Minister of Transport, Building and Housing or otherwise, as the case may be, suffer from impaired vision or hearing or other physical deficiency or disease which is to the detriment of those in traffic.
Section 3. It is the responsibility of the guard and road authorities, after consultation with the schools, to take measures to protect the foals from the dangers of flying on their way to and from school.
Flying Speed Limits Near Ground Level/Populated Areas
Speed Limit, Your speed km/h, Fine:
Speed Limit: 40 km/h. Your speed: km/h 48-51. Fine: 1,500 Bits. Speed Limit: 50 km/h. Your speed: km/h 51-59. Fine: 1,000 Bits. Speed Limit: 60 km/h. Your speed: km/h 61-71. Fine: 1,000 Bits. Speed Limit: 70 km/h. Your speed: km/h 84-90. Fine: 1,500 Bits. Speed Limit: 80 km/h. Your speed: km/h 81-95. Fine: 1,000 Bits. Speed Limit: 80 km/h. Your speed: km/h 112-119. Fine: 2,000 Bits. Speed Limit: 90 km/h. Your speed: km/h 91-107. Fine: 1,000 Bits. Speed Limit: 90 km/h. Your speed: km/h 117-125. Fine: 1,500 Bits.
High speed surcharge:A high-speed surcharge is added to the fine if you have flown at 140 km/h or more. The supplement is at least 1,000 Bits and increases by 500 for every 10 km/h the speed exceeds 140 km/h.
A particularly severe fine is imposed if you have exceeded the speed limit by 30%, or more when flying in a populated area other than Highways with a speed limit of 100 km/h and when flying on Highways. The tightening consists of a supplement to the fine of 1,000 Bits.
Road work:If you have flown too fast in a place where the speed limit is temporarily set due to road work or work of a similar nature on or by the road, the fine is doubled in relation to the applicable tariffs. The doubling takes place in relation to the total fine, which is calculated in accordance with the other provisions in the Traffic Act, including e.g. also after the addition of the increased fine and the high-speed surcharge.
Mathias could go on, and the laws did so, page after page, after page, but Mathias had enough to confront Rainbow Dash if need be. Somehow he had a feeling he would not have to wait long before he would see her zoom through the town again.
Closing the book, he stretched, and was about to return the book to his desk. Before he got that far however, he spotted a Pegasus mare flying towards him. She seemed to be going a little too fast for her own good, and for a moment Mathias worried she would crash into something, or someone.
Luckily, she managed to land, though being it a little bumpy. As soon as she made contact with the ground below, she was still moving forward, so to slow down, he planted her rump to the ground, coming to a full stop after a second or two.
"Are you okay?" Mathias asked, no real urgency in his voice as he could see she was fine, but he was confused.
"Oh!" The grey mare with the blonde mane exclaimed as she stood up. "Yeah! I'm fine! Just wanted to make sure I didn't crash into your new guardhouse Mr. Guard."
The Pegasus mare wore a post uniform, so he assumed she was here with letters or something. Her eyes were crossing, which explained why she was being a little careful. The mare seemed cheerful enough, and so Mathias himself could not help but feel a little cheered up himself.
"It's Mathias, not Mr. Guard. And you are?"
"Oh!" The mare exclaimed once again, standing up straight and made a cute salute with her wing, smiling cheerfully. "Ditzy Do, Ponyville mail mare, at your service!"
Mathias couldn't hold back a small smile, she was adorable, and she seemed to beam with positivity. He held up his fingers to his forehead, and gave a more casual salute back. "Mathias Frost, Ponyville guard, at yours."
She giggled, reaching into her mailbag and got a hold of two letters. "This is for you then."
"Thank you, Miss Do," replied Mathias, taking the letters.
She giggled again. "Have a good day, Mr. Guard!" The mare said before turning and flew off to other houses on her route.
Mathias waved goodbye, and turned towards his guardhouse with his letters. He hadn't really expected to get any mail, anything Luna wanted to say to him she could just tell him in the dreamscape. Then again, maybe it was from Celestia, but he wasn't sure if she would have used the postal service.
Walking back inside the guardhouse, he found the desk where his helmet was placed and sat down. He took out his dagger, moved the shiny blade to the top, and carefully cut the envelope open. Somehow Mathias seemed to sense a small hint of perfume? It wasn't strong or anything like that, it was faint, like the sender had not been aware he or she had left a trace of themselves on the letter.
Mathias assumed the scent was of perfume, and so a mare, though he could not be certain. He wasn't sure why he noticed it, maybe it was in his imagination, but hey, maybe it could be a love letter? Chuckling to himself, Mathias chased the childish thought away. Of course it wasn't a love letter, but hey, a guy could dream, right?
Being the only human here meant he would likely die alone, well, maybe he would have friends, maybe even a girlfriend, or a wife, if he could ever get over that different species factor, but he would never leave any children behind, his genes would die along with him.
He sighed, not knowing why he was thinking about all of this now, he hadn't even opened up the letter yet. It just hammered home the fact he was lonely. Luna and Celestia had always managed to make him forget it, but here in Ponyville, he felt more isolated than ever.
He didn't have his phone, didn't have pictures, nothing to from home other than his Roman equipment. It was his only link to his home world, the only memento he had of earth, of home.
"Dammit." Mathias sighed, trying to get his mind off those thoughts. "I must be more desperate than I thought.," he mumbled before finally unfolding the letter. What he read surprised him, but in a good way.
Dear Mr. Frost.
First of all let me congratulate you on becoming the Ponyville guard/captain. I am fully confident in the princesses choice in appointing you to this office.
We have not had the chance to meet face to face, but I work as a teacher, and I would like to introduce my students to the new Ponyville guard, as well as gain understanding about you being a human. I hope it will help my students understand you more, and in turn, help make other ponies understand.
I hope you will reach out to me, you're always welcome by the school. If you come by after classes ends, then perhaps we can talk about it?
Best wishes.
Cheerilee
The letter brought a smile on Mathias's face, the letter was sweet, and he thought it was a very good idea. Perhaps that would be a good way to reach out to the community, show he was not some dangerous monster or some freak. Not that he thought the ponies had thought that badly about him, but he could see they were not sure what to think about him yet.
Putting the letter down, he made a mental note to swing by the school to have a talk with Cheerilee later on. The other letter was then picked up, it would be nice if it was something positive like the first one, though he doubted he would be that lucky. Likely it was some bill, or some other official letter he had to read carefully. Didn't matter, the first letter had put him in a good mood, so maybe he would get lucky twice.
Sadly however, that was not the case.
Mr. Guard.
I'm sorry to inform you that I cannot accept you as our town guard. If we do need a guard, and I say that we do, then we would feel safer if our town guard was a pony like us.
Please do the right thing and resign.
Concerned Ponyville citizen.
Mathias couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, he had only been working for one day, and already some pony decided he was unfit for the job because he was not a pony? It wasn't that he couldn't understand ponies being slightly nervous and careful around him at first, but he had hoped they would at least give him a chance.
He sighed, there wasn't anything he could do about it, he would just have to prove himself. It wasn't that this one pony could get him fired, the ponies didn't decide who got to be a guard or not, but to do his job right, he needed public trust and confidence.
His thoughts drifted to the small town where he grew up. It was kinda like Ponyville, a farmer town, a place where everybody knew everybody. They had a police station there, only three cops worked there, but they were part of the community, so much so they could easily drop by and help with some work, even while on duty. When they spoke, people listened, and it was the same when they spoke.
It was a relationship of mutual respect, and Mathias wanted to have the same kind of relationship with his community. It would make his job easier and more pleasant if he had their trust, if he could be their friendly Mr. Guard all the time, but he doubted it would be that easy. Sometimes he needed to be firm, other times he could likely smooth things over simply by talking things over, he hoped. Though all of that needed the trust and respect from the community, and there was only one way to get it, earn it.
Even so, he still needed to be able to put his foot down, and that meant he needed to show them he was a guard, and he was the law. So, if Rainbow Dash was going to break the flying code again, he would act, regardless of how it was perceived. That was the kind of balance he would have to walk, he could not pander to the town, but he still had to cooperate.
Mathias groaned, leaning back in his chair as he closed his eyes tight. "This is so frustrating," he mumbled to no one. Still, all was not lost, Cheerilee had suggested talking to the foals, explaining who and what he was, and his new role in Ponyville. It was a great idea! Mathias still fondly remembered when the police would show up in kindergarten and show off the car, and tell about themselves, it was really cool.
Hopefully he could leave a similar impression on these kids, he hoped so. Mathias decided to go on patrol, maybe a walk would clear his mind and put him in a better mood. Maybe he could swing by the school later, talk with Cheerilee and set up a date when he could come by and talk to the kids. Already the idea put him in a better mood, so he curled up the other letter and threw it in the trash. The sender had not bothered to sign it, so he would not bother saving it. Besides, even though he would listen to the ponies in the town, their needs and so forth, he would not just resign because he got one letter.
He stood up, put on his helmet, took his shield, and locked the guardhouse. There was no reason sitting around all day inside and dwell on that letter, better to be outside under the blue sky and enjoy the sun. His armor shined in the light, and he had to admit he felt a certain amount of pride.
Clothes make the man they say, Mathias could hardly disagree. Some part of him knew he was really just a history nerd, and it had always felt so cool to put on his gear, but now, now it was for real, and the responsibility that came from that felt both amazing and terrifying.
Gathering some courage, he started to walk down the main road, and towards the market. It was the busiest place in town, and if anything were to happen, it most likely would be there. Besides, even though most ponies around this town had probably already heard of him, it didn't hurt to be seen patrolling. They might as well get used to it, which was true for him as well.
The ponies around the town reacted as he had expected. Some were shocked, others outraged. Some simply did their best to ignore him, or simply had no opinion of him at all. A few ponies greeted him as he passed them, either with a small smile, a small nod, or even a little nervous good morning. It wasn't where he wanted to be, not yet, but it was a start.
The market was probably the most crowded area of the town, which wasn't really that bad. There were a lot of stalls, lots of vendors chatting with the regular ponies they see almost on a daily basis. It was kind of funny, with the stalls, the small tents, and the activity going on around him, it sort of reminded Mathias of those fantasy markets you would see in games and movies.
With him walking around in armor, holding a shield and had a sword in his belt, it certainly helped add to that picture. He stuck out like a sore thumb, all of these ponies went to his midsection, which meant he basically towered over them all. It made Mathias feel extra self-conscious, but not enough that he felt uncomfortable as of yet. So far, he was just utterly fascinated and mesmerized by the whole scene.
It reminded him of how surreal it all was. Here he was, a human wearing roman armor and weaponry, guarding a town full of magical and colorful ponies, in a world with even more magical creatures. How was this ever going to feel normal to him?
He would just have to take it one day at a time, hopefully he would get somewhat used to it. As insane as it was, it was also quite thrilling. How many humans could say they had moved into another dimension? As far as Celestia and Luna were concerned, he was the only one who had crossed into theirs.
Some part of him had wondered if other humans could be here. He wasn't even aware how he had crossed over in the first place, so in theory there could be more, though he did not bet on it. The thought was intriguing, finding other humans. Despite him having two good friends in Canterlot, and some friendly relations in town, there was still something about being the only one of your kind.
It wasn't a species thing, like him thinking humans were better, or that they were smarter than ponies. It was just the feeling of being the only one of his kind. It went beyond friends and family, though of course that was a big part of it too. But to be completely cut off from your own kind, no matter which race or religion, it was like losing a part of one self.
"Howdy, Mathias!"
A voice suddenly called, breaking Mathias's line of thoughts. He looked around, quickly finding the pony who had spoken. It was the southern belle, Applejack. She was giving him a friendly smile, and he sent one of his own. Mathias liked Applejack, well, like as in, he had found her pleasant to be around.
Mathias had grown up in a small countryside village, so he bonded pretty quickly with gals like her. "Howdy, Applejack. What brings you out here?"
"Helpin' my Granny setting up shop. Why don't you come over and have a look?"
"Sounds good."
The two made their way through the small crowd, though before they could get to the stall, Applejack looked up at him and said. "Rainbow told me what happened yesterday." Mathias eyed her, she didn't look upset, maybe a little concerned, but not upset. "I told her she was being foalish, and she should not act stupid. Especially not with the town guard."
Judging by her tone, it wasn't hard to figure out Rainbow had not taken Applejack seriously, just like she hadn't taken him seriously. "I don't know what she's thinking, I'm not trying to bust her, but I have to enforce the law. She could have rammed me and Spike yesterday."
"I know," assured Applejack. "I've been trying to tell her to be careful, hay, we all have." They made it to the stand where Granny Smith was busy bargaining with a customer. "All I'm saying, she isn't doing it to be a pain in the flank, even though she can come off like that."
Mathias snorted a small laugh, then smiled. He knew what she was trying to say, so he simply nodded. "I understand, don't worry about it."
Applejack let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, sugarcube. Here, have an apple on the house."
"Thanks."
She turned, took an apple, and gave it a gentle throw so he could catch it with his free hand. Though just as it made it to the halfway point, a powerful wind moved through the market with a powerful SWOOSH sound, blowing the apple to the ground. Mathias looked up, even though he did not need to in order to figure out what had happened, and just as he expected, barely two meters above them was a fading rainbow trail.
Applejack let out another sigh, this time one of annoyance. "Guess it was too much to hope for.."
Mathias looked at her, then back at the Market. It was not a mess, but some things had been blown off and down to the ground, annoying several of the ponies around. He looked back at Applejack with a small frown. "Sorry.." And with that, he turned, and walked away, off to find Rainbow Dash.
She wasn't hard to find, really, all he needed to do was to follow the general direction of her fading rainbow trail, then make an educated guess to where she could be heading. If he didn't get her today, then tomorrow. Luckily, he did come across her rather fast, and it was even where he thought she'd be, Sugarcube Corner.
Mathias had walked by it before, it was like a fortress of sugar. Not that he thought the roof and the giant cupcake tower was real, but it got the point across to all who might lay their eyes onto this structure, you could buy cake here. This was Pinkie Pie's domain, place of work, and home. The Cakes, a married couple, owned the place, Pinkie simply rented the tower section, or so he had been told.
Outside the shop stood Pinkie, or rather, she was bouncing up and down, talking excitedly to the mare he had come to see. Rainbow Dash was hovering above ground, laughing at something Pinkie said. Exactly what it was he had no idea, but it hardly mattered. They didn't see him, not before he called her name.
"Rainbow Dash," called Mathias, stopping a few meters away. Both mares looked, Rainbow looking surprised, then slightly amused. The change in expression told him she had not planned for him to see her speeding, but now that he had, she was interested in seeing where this would go.
"What's up, Mathias?" She asked, smirking at him.
She knew exactly what was up, and it just hammered home the fact she didn't take him seriously as a guard. Even so, he refused to be provoked by it, he had read up on the flying laws, he knew exactly what to do, and how to do it. Mathias stopped, giving her a stern look.
"Rainbow Dash, I warned you about this. You're flying way too fast, and too close to the ground, I can't look the other way on this." Mathias explained, knowing full well he could not let her off with a warning. Too many ponies had been near, if he let her go he would just be seen as a useless guard. Though he couldn't just go and drag her off like some thug either, she was still well liked, so he needed to do this right.
As expected, Rainbow just snorted, slowly flying around him as if daring him to try and grab her. Mathias did no such thing, he didn't need to touch her to bring her in. "Oh come on Mathias, I know what I'm doing. I'm the best flyer in Equestria."
"Even if that is the case, you're not above the law. I'm not just saying this for other ponies sake, but yours. If something happens you can get seriously hurt, and if you ram into someone they too could get very badly hurt." First Mathias tried to appeal to her more rational side, there was no reason to bring out the heavy artillery if he could actually talk some sense into the mare. "I've already given you a warning, which means I can legally haul you off to my jail cell, while yesterday you would only have gotten a fine."
None of this faced her in the least, she didn't take it seriously, which meant he really needed to make her understand this was no joke. It frustrated Mathias, because he knew enough about Rainbow Dash to know she didn't want to hurt anyone, and she did care about others, she was simply too stubborn and confident in her own abilities.
She was about to say something, make a joke, or some stupid statement about how he could not catch her. Mathias simply held up a hand, stopping any such statement from passing her lips. "Rainbow," started Mathias, putting as much sternness and seriousness into his voice as he could. "You're right, I can't catch you if you fly away. The thing is though, I don't need to capture you." She seemed puzzled about this, moving her head to the side as if trying to figure out his statement. "The only thing I need to do is write a report, list your violations, speeding, reckless flying and endangerment, resisting arrest, fleeing from a guard."
He listed, holding up his free hand and fingers to illustrate her crimes. "So I might not be the one to catch you, but you will legally be considered a criminal, a minor one, but a criminal none the less. That means you will have a record, and guess who is looking through criminal records when holding tryouts."
Her mood suddenly shifted, her face froze up as it suddenly dawned on her. "The Wonderbolts.." She uttered, barely above a whisper.
Mathias nodded, not proud of having to use her life dream against her, but it had to be done. If he didn't make it clear to her now, then she really would be getting a record, regardless of his own private thoughts, and then she really would have no chance of ever joining them. Still, it didn't feel good to use her dream against her.
"So," Mathias continued, holding up a stoic tone and facial expression. "You can either come with me now, spend the night in a cell, get your fine, and we can forget the whole thing tomorrow. Or, you can take your chances in flying away, see if the princess will pardon you. Even as an element, I doubt that will happen, but you can try."
By this time, Rainbow had landed on the ground, her ears back, her eyes on the dirt, looking smaller and more vulnerable than he had ever seen her. There he was, a Ponyville guard, a human, towering over the mare, probably looking intimidating. It wasn't that he wanted to look intimidating, but he could easily imagine what this looked like from the outside.
"So, what will it be? Will you come with me?" To his relief, Rainbow simply nodded, still not looking up at him. "Then follow me back to the guardhouse." Before turning around, he glanced at Pinkie Pie who had been strangely quiet through the whole thing.
She was still there, but her mane didn't seem so poofy anymore, like the whole thing had deflated like a balloon. She didn't seem angry, or even on the verge of tears. She simply recognized the situation for what it was, and had decided to stay out of it, but of course, that didn't mean it didn't upset her some.
Mathias didn't linger, nor did he bother to chain Rainbow Dash. He didn't want to make a show out of it, neither did he want to humiliate her in front of the entire town. No, now she knew what was at stake, she now knew how serious this was, that would keep her in line. Despite not being comfortable about the whole thing, Mathias knew he had done what was right.
This was, Rainbow would get off with a fine, which was like a warning, and a small punishment in the cell. No criminal record, no need for others to know, especially the Wonderbolts. Mathias couldn't be sure of how this would affect their relationship, but it was his hope they could move past this and still be friends, if they ever were.
They started walking, Rainbow followed close behind, her mind racing in order to calm herself. Mathias could imagine what she was going through, but hopefully once everything had settled within her, she would calm, do her time, and be out in the morning. She didn't say anything, not that he had expected her to.
They got to the guardhouse, and still with no words of protests or any signs of anger, Rainbow obediently followed him downstairs where the cells were located. The keys were noisy, and the iron barred door seemed to scream as he opened it. Mathias made a mental note to get that fixed.
Rainbow trotted inside, looking around. It wasn't big, but it wasn't uncomfortable either. Mathias had made sure to get it cleaned, and made it so no pony would be cold or lack anything. Still she didn't say anything, probably still trying to process it all. Mathias stood in the opening, letting out a small sigh.
He wanted to say sorry, wanted to let her know it was going to be okay, but he couldn't, not yet. As cruel as it could sound, he needed her to understand, needed the lesson to sink in fully before he could get on those terms with her again.
"Do you need anything?" He asked, keeping his voice neutral. She simply shook her head, and Mathias nodded. "Alright, I'll come check on you shortly." With that, he closed the cell door, his keys dangling as he turned and locked it.
There wasn't much else he could do, not right now, so he turned, and made his way back upstairs. No doubt the other girls would have heard about this by now, and no doubt he would get a visit from them at some point. He hoped they would understand, Applejack seemed to, and so too seemed Pinkie.
Mathias took off his helmet, placed it on the desk and sat down. What a rotten way to start his day, it was barely lunch time, and he had already received a letter, asking him to quit, and now he had to arrest Rainbow Dash, a local hero. It was only his second day!
"Ergh.." He groaned, knowing he did the right thing, but he still needed to get used to the feeling.
"Hopefully the rest of the day will be better..."
Author's Note
First chapter of the year!
