Author's Note
Just a little warning, I am caught up on One Piece so if you are not expect spoilers ahead.
Romance Dawn
An alarm blared, forcing an indistinct lump of covers to slowly stir. A hand shot out, hitting the snooze button dozens of times. Before the hand could retreat into the refuge of the blanket, it was torn away to reveal a curled up young man.
“Oh no Alex, none of that.” The young man through groggy eyes looked up to find a middle aged woman with dark red hair save for a lone silver streak staring back at him with blankets in her grasp. She tried to hide that streak with a neatly layered bun haircut. “You promised to have perfect attendance this week instead of sleeping and running off to the woods.”
Forcing himself upright, Alex yawned and gave a slow nod. “Okay Mrs. Patrick, I’m up.” Hopping out of bed he popped his back and strode towards the nearest bathroom.
“Hurry up, Alex, or else your omelet will get cold~” Mrs. Patrick called after him, a small smile creeping onto her face.
This had the desired result, the groggy teen double timing to the bathroom for the promise of food. Running the sink, he tried to tame any upright strands of his pale blond hair. Satisfied with his work, he took a moment to examine his reflection as he brushed his teeth.
Even at fourteen he still had quite the baby face with rounded features and a certain fullness to his cheeks. If he hadn’t managed a lucky growth spurt that put him nearly at six feet tall, he could almost be confused with someone nearly half his age.
With one last gargle and rinse, Alex slid down the stairway banister to follow the scent of food to his place at the breakfast table. A man around Mrs. Patrick’s age was already there, a mug of coffee in one hand and an Ipad in the other.
At the sound of Alex pulling out his chair, the man greeted the teen with a smile and put his tablet down. “Ah, there you are, Alex. We’ve got some news for you.” Alex nodded, showing he was listening as he tore into his omelet with all the manners of a feral dog. “We’ve been working things out and if you keep attending classes like you have been and keep your grades at a passing average, it looks like we’ll be able to fully adopt you. How does that sound?”
Swallowing, Alex gave himself time to think by making a halfhearted attempt to clean his face with a napkin. “Well, it would mean I’d stop traveling around all the time.” Frowning, he crossed his arms for a moment. “But I guess it’d be pretty cool.”
Lifting up his coffee cup in an offer of cheers, Mr. Patrick’s smile grew warmer as his wife put a bowl of hash browns onto the table. “You jerk, didn’t we agree to tell him together?” she chided, giving him a light slap on the arm.
“Did we? I don’t recall.” Chuckling, he returned his attention to Alex. “By the way, do you have your costume ready for that party?"
"Yup! Mrs. Patrick lent me a wig since she said dyeing my hair that dark on short notice would be hard. She's even doing some makeup for the eye scar."
Alex couldn't help but grin at the thought of the Halloween party his latest school was holding. While hopping from one foster family to the other was an easy way to see the country, it made socializing difficult to put it lightly. With his costume he hoped to at least start a conversation or two. He was going as one Monkey D. Luffy, rubber pirate extraordinaire.
"Are you sure you just want that work done?” Mrs. Patrick questioned, dishing out some of the hashbrowns for herself before passing the bow to her husband. “I’ve got enough to give you that chest scar you showed me.”
Alex waved off the idea, finishing off the last of his omelet. “Nah, I’m built more like Luffy before that scar so I’ll go with that version.”
With the matter settled, an amicable silence formed, broken only for the sounds of eating. Alex’s school day passed in a monotonous slog. If it weren’t for the promise he made it’d be a great chance to pick up on some extra sleep.
The night of the party finally came. Alex had biked to the school in costume, replacing his helmet with the straw hat that completed his costume. Jogging into the gym to get out of the brisk Autumn air.
A whistle escaped Alex's lips as he entered the decorated gym. An elaborate graveyard had been set up, complete with fake mausoleums and patches of fake turf brought in. Some fog machines had been hidden in a few places to complete the ambience. After a moment of taking it all in, Alex went to the right wall where the snack table was set up. Manning the table was a member of the faculty in an elaborate witch costume.
“Nice Luffy costume,” the witch said, pulling Alex away from the cupcakes with zombie designs in the frosting and oreo crumbles to simulate disturbed soil. “Did you do the makeup on the scar yourself?”
“Nah, my foster mom did that for me,” he said, trying to recall if he recognized the witch. He didn’t, but that wasn’t saying much given his lack of time in school. “I’m surprised someone working at the school knows about One Piece.”
The witch chuckled and offered a hard to read smile. “It can’t be that surprising, anime has gotten so popular in the last few years.” Reaching under the table, she produced a tupperware container and removed the lid. “Speaking of which, I was going to give these out at the next choir practice since one of the members is a big fan, but I have to reward the effort in that costume.” Within the container were what looked like devil fruits on paper plates. Reaching in, she offered the one made to look like the fruit the real Luffy ate.
“Whoa, how’d you get a fruit to look like that?” Alex asked, taking hold of the plate.
“I didn’t,” the witch answered, giggling. “I just bought one of those fancy cake decorating kits and wanted to try my hand at it.”
“Well thanks!” Alex greedily took a bite, juice dribbling down his chin.For whatever reason, he didn’t seem to notice the fact that instead of spongy cake, the flesh of fresh fruit greeted his senses. He couldn’t even taste it until even the stem disappeared as if compelled by some unknown force. When the taste finally did hit him, it hit hard. “Gah! That tasted awful! Are you trying to poison me, la-!” His outburst died as he swayed on his feet. Before he realized it, the world was going dark and he collapsed forward into the snack table.
The sounds of birds chirping finally caused Alex to stir back into consciousness. Sitting up, he groggily rubbed the back of his head. He snapped alert, a realization shooting through him. Where he had expected to feel the shifting of a wig, he only felt hair and scalp. Scrambling to his feet, he cast his eyes downward to find he was still in his costume, the red vest, cut off shorts and sandals were completely undisturbed.
“What the hell is going on?” Alex asked, the question falling into the wind. Plucking a hair, he examined it to find that it was black.
He didn’t have time to dwell on that, a distant animal sound made him whip his head to notice he was in the middle of a dark forest. His eyes darted around, the foliage not matching the area he had been in. Sucking in a deep breath, he tried to recall all the survival skills he’d learned from Youtube and blogs. He started to walk into the forest, looking for a water source to follow. If he could manage that, it theoretically should eventually lead him to some form of civilization.
To distract himself from the panic creeping in, Alex started to hum as he walked. Weaving through the trees, he pushed himself in a singular direction only stopping in attempts to keep an ear out for the sounds of moving water.
With the thick canopy of the forest, he couldn't use the location of the sun to gauge how long he'd been walking. Eventually, the terrain turned muddy, with patches of standing water scattered around. The trees had thinned out and were replaced with smaller, leafy plants poking out from the ponds.
"Alright, water!" Alex cheered, approaching the edge of a pond. "If I remember the videos correctly there's likely a moving water source nearby that helped make these."
He scanned the surroundings, finally seeing the sun. His best guess was that it was midday. Before he could dwell on that, bubbles from within the pond caught his eyes.
A massive alligator surfaced with stone-like protrusions on its back. It gave off a deep hiss, jaws at the ready to snap on Alex's neck.
Screaming, Alex bolted in the direction he'd just come from. Grabbing a tree, he planned to swing around it to outmaneuver the strange reptile. Instead, his arm stretched going on until it easily reached fifteen feet in length.
Looking over his shoulder, Alex only had a second to process the situation before he was sent flying towards the gator. Face screwed up in terror, Alex could only follow his instincts and threw a punch right into the reptile's throat. Upon impact, the animal went stiff and collapsed.
Taking a stick off the ground, Alex poked it for signs of life. When it didn’t stir, he allowed himself to fall back and relax. Pinching his cheek, he gave it a pull. Just like his arm a moment ago it stretched well beyond what a human body should be capable of.
“So that wasn’t a hallucination. I’ve got a rubber body.” Swiveling his head, he finally got a good look at the thing that attacked him. It was larger than a normal alligator, looking more at home on an Animal Planet special on ancient animals. The other notable thing about it was that instead of scales its body was made up of plates of rock. “And that thing for sure isn’t from Earth.”
Alex let the realization sink in, the cacophony of the forest fading as his thoughts swirled in his head. It was clear that his body had been changed and he was in another world of some kind. If he was honest with himself, it was even unlikely he’d find his way back to his old world. He didn't have much in the way of possessions, but things had been slowly turning around.
While Alex hadn't known the Patricks for very long, they'd opened up their home to him. They even wanted to take steps to make him a proper member of their family. If he really was stuck in this world, there was no way that could happen now. This could only mean one thing.
“I get to go on an adventure!” Alex boomed, thrusting his arms upward at his declaration. His arms rocketed skyward, hanging in the air for a brief moment before falling back down and conking him in the head. Shaking his shoulders, his arms contracted back to their proper length. "Hmm, might wanna train and get used to this body."
Grinning, he hopped up and gave the downed gator the hungry eyes. "But first, my first meal in a new world!"
Making a mad dash, Alex gathered up firewood. Once that was complete, he pulled off enough of the rocky plates to make a fire circle. With some work, he sharpened one of the plates and used it to cut into the flesh hidden beneath the rocky exterior.
Alex couldn't help but drool, the smell of meat cooking over his hard earned fire triggered a long buried instinct. He could now fully understand the primal satisfaction of his ancestors after a successful hunt. When harnessing fire was a fresh discovery and the inner workings of the world were all a mystery.
Pulling the meat off the fire, Alex took a bite and closed his eyes to savor the flavor. "Gack!" Face scrunched up in disgust, Alex coughed in a desperate bid to expel the offending matter from his tongue. "That tastes awful!" Throwing the stick down, he gave a frustrated kick to the harvested creature.
Standing up, Alex regretfully patted his stomach. "That's a sour note to start my adventure on. I better go get some actual food and make a shelter. Then I can start training. Shouldn't take too long."
A little filly sniffled, tears no longer flowing down her cheeks. Her white fur had been stained with dirt and mud and sticks and leaves poked out from her pink mane. The faint golden glow from her horn led her through the dark and foreboding forest night.
A shiver ran through her form both from the chill in the night air and the sounds from within the woods surrounding her from unseen sources. Just as she was about to take refuge under a tree, a flickering light in the distance caught her attention.
With newfound strength, the filly tore through the woods towards what she hoped was signs of rescue. What she found made her jaw drop and her eyes nearly flew from her skull.
There was a group of cragodiles, fearsome creatures she'd only ever heard of in stories, all surrounding the dead body of a hydra, and an even stranger creature sitting atop the largest of the gators.
It mostly lacked fur with the only hair she could see were bits of its black mane poking out from a straw hat. The fact it wore clothes was somewhat reassuring, but the bite it took of what she could only assume was hydra meat made her nervous.
The source of the flickering light she had been following became apparent. A large bonfire roared in a drier part of the marshy clearing washing everything in a brilliant orange and beckoning her with its promise of warmth.
"Whoa a unicorn!" A male voice called out, nearly making her jump out of her fur. When she turned her head, she could see him hopping off his cragodile perch to approach her. "Can't believe you guys are so short."
That comment set her off, her fears entirely forgotten for the moment. "I'm still growing, I'm not short, jerk!"
To the filly's surprise, this made the creature laugh, the widest grin splitting his face. "Ah, so you're a kid? What're you doing out all by yourself then? It's not that safe out here."
Wringing her hands on her dress, the filly cast her eyes down at her hooves. “A storm blew over from the forest and hit the caravan my family was traveling on. I got separated from them.” She sniffled, fresh tears trickling down her cheeks. “I thought I could catch up to them by cutting through the forest but I got lost.” Before she knew it, she was breaking down in sobs, her tears refusing to stop as the faces of her family flashed in her mind.
A hand on the filly’s head stopped her, gentle fingers ruffling her mane. “There’s no need for that. I know these woods like the back of my hand. I can get you out of here and back on the road. Besides, I think I’ve spent enough time here. I’ve got a world to see!”
The crocodiles reacted to the declaration, a chorus of plaintive hissing rumbling from their throats. The creature in the straw hat frowned at this, holding up his hands in reassurance. “Aww come on guys, none of that. I’ve told you before that I was leaving some day.”
The filly’s eyes lit up, her tears forgotten for the time being. “Wow mister, I’ve never heard of anypony making friends with cragodiles before.”
The creature grinned again, kneeling down next to the filly. “Yeah, these guys are pretty great once you show ‘em who’s boss. I never killed them because I learned a long time ago they taste bad and slowly but surely they all started hanging out with me. You wanna pet one? Rocky likes head pats.”
The filly nodded, letting the creature pick her up and walk over to the cragodile he’d been using as a perch. Hesitantly, she reached out a hand and gently placed it on the top of its head. Rocky let out a light rumbling, encouraging her to continue patting at the smooth, stone surface.
“Rocky likes you too. By the way, what’s your name? If I’m taking you home it’d be weird if I just kept calling you Unicorn.”
Looking away from the pacified gator, the filly offered him a smile. “I’m Celestia, what’s your name?”
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, but you can just call me Luffy! Nice to meet ya, Tia!" Placing her on his shoulders, Luffy made his way out of the clearing. When they were on the edge he turned back to face the assembled gators. “Thank you guys! You made my training so much fun! Be good, okay?!” The cragodiles gave an affirmative hiss to bid the pair farewell.
Humming to himself, Luffy weaved around the trees without a care in the world.
“What’s that song you’re humming?” Tia chimed, her head popping into view from his shoulder.
“Wanna hear it?” Luffy asked, grinning. “I know all the words.” With a nod from the unicorn, Luffy began to sing. He told the tale of Binks’ Sake though the English lyrics he was familiar with used the word brew for the sake of rhyme scheme.
When he finished, Celestia broke into a giggle fit. “Wow mister, you’re a bad singer.”
Luffy gaped at her admission, staring back at her in shock. “That’s so rude!”
The pair started to laugh together, time losing meaning. When they finally made it to the forest’s edge, dawn was just starting to break. For the first time since he arrived in this world Luffy was able to see what laid beyond the forest. Rolling hills stretched on for miles, with a set of woods a couple hours walk away. The most striking landmark was the massive mountain rising up over the horizon and into the heavens.
Tia pointed off to the mountain. “My town is at the base of the mountain there.”
“Great! Let’s get you back to your folks.”
With the destination in sight, Luffy picked up the pace. In only a few hours, the duo came upon the village’s edge. Celestia’s expression fell, her head swiveling for signs of life on the empty streets.
“I don’t get it, there should be somepony up at this hour. Did something happen?”
Joining in the search, Luffy spotted a notice board ahead. “Maybe there’s something there that’ll fill us in?” Walking up to it, there were several pieces of paper nailed up to it with bits of news on them. A quick glance confirmed he could actually read it much to his relief. “Aha! Public trial for Minerva Gale for improper guardsmare conduct. That must be where everyone is! Let’s check it out.”
With their new destination set, the pair walked deeper into the town. Luffy grinned to himself, excited to see even more people. It really felt like his adventure was off to a proper start.
Luffy and Celestia eventually found signs of life. Ponies were filing towards the center of town while chattering about the public trial. Following the crowd, they came to the edge of the town square, but with the throng of ponies it was impossible to see what the crowd was gathered for.
“Tia, can you see anything from my shoulders?” Luffy asked, looking back at the filly.
She shook her head, a frown on her face. “Just a bit of what looks like some platforms, there’s too many ponies here to see everything.”
Luffy’s eyes lit up, an idea forming in his head. “Yeah, I bet everypony in town is here. Hang on tight, Tia.” Before she could even ask what he was thinking, Luffy stretched out his arms and grabbed a nearby roof. In an instant he retracted his arms and used the momentum to hop onto the roof. “There we go, now we can see the whole crowd. Your folks should be down there somewhere.”
Celestia didn't respond, still trying to wrap her head around what just happened. "H-how did you do that? I've never seen magic like that before."
"That wasn't magic, I ate a devil fruit and now I have a rubber body." Luffy pulled on the corner of his mouth to demonstrate. "Now, what do your folks look like so I can help you find 'em?"
Celestia described them both, her father sharing her white coat with a short, deep red mane and her mother had a navy blue coat with a lilac colored mane that went down to her shoulders. Between the two of them, it was quick work finding her parents. The couple seemed to be pleading with a guard who had a sympathetic look, but seemed to be unmoving.
Hopping off the roof, Luffy cut around the crowd and pushed his way towards the distressed parents. "Excuse me, does this pony happen to belong to you?" He asked, grinning and holding out the foal in question.
The couple recoiled at his appearance for a moment, allowing Luffy to see an infant in the mother's arms with very similar colors to her. When they finally did notice who he was holding, joy overtook them and the father scrambled to scoop her into his arms.
"Thank you sir," he stated, hugging the filly tight. "When the caravan wouldn't turn around in the storm, we feared the worst."
Luffy waved off the thanks, a grin on his face. “No need to thank me, she led me to town so we can call it even.” Before the stallion could argue further, he turned and ducked away into a nearby alley. Once he was out of sight he pulled himself onto another roof to get a good view of the trial. A round of trumpets blared, signaling the start of the proceedings.
A lavender pegasus mare led out by a pair of unicorn guards by a chain attached to the shackles on her hands. Her long, navy mane was disheveled, hanging limply around her with bits of it sticking up and obstructing her eyes. Her wings were chained to her back, the metal appearing to dig uncomfortably into the appendages. She was pulled forward and left to stand on the lower of the platforms. Even with the shackles in place, her well developed muscles were plain to see.
“Ooh, she looks crazy strong,” Luffy said to himself, watching as the mare knelt on the platform.
Another trumpet blast echoed across the square, a crier stepped forward with a parchment unfurled “Hear ye town of Platinum. We stand in attendance to the trial of Minerva Gale. She stands accused of raising her arms against a fellow guard. The honorable Count Shadowmark presides.”
The trumpets sounded again, a procession leading an opulently dressed unicorn stallion onto the larger platform. A pair of earth ponies brought out what could only be called a throne and carried it onto the platform for him to sit over the trial.
The grey stallion sat upon his throne, smoothing out his fineries before an aura appeared around his horn and throat as he spoke. "Never let it be said that I am not a fair ruler. Miss Gale, do you confirm that you raised your swords against your fellow town guard?"
"I cannot deny that," Minerva answered, her voice even as her answer. "But if I may ex-”
"So your plea is guilty." Shadowmark's lip curled in a smirk. "I am aware of no circumstance where a guard can turn their weapons on a fellow guard legally."
Luffy frowned, the words of the Count not sitting right with him. Glancing over at Minerva, he could see her rage was muted, as if she’d seen this coming before the trial had begun.
“With an admission of guilt I have no choice but to lay down judgment. Minerva Gale will be executed in three days time. She will not get the honor of being buried in the cemetery reserved for guards." Grabbing a gavel from within his smokey blue shirt, he banged it against the arm of his throne.
A hush fell over the crowd, a tension palpable within some of those closest to the platform. A colt rushed forward, tears streaming down his face.
"You can't do that!" The colt cried, his mother pulling him to her chest before he could rush either of the platforms. "She was just protecting me!"
"Hush little one," Minerva said, guards leading her off the platform. "This is merely my fate. I have no place here." Her tone fell hollow at that last sentence, but she refused to do anything but look forward as she was led away.
The colt continued to cry out, but Minerva refused to speak further as his mother offered what comfort she could.
From his perch on the roof, Luffy tracked Minerva's path, memorizing every turn as best he could. With that done, he jumped down from the roof and nodded to himself. He quickly traced the path Minerva had been taken on, stopping at what he assumed was the town's equivalent of a jail. He walked inside, finding a lone unicorn guard at a desk manning the place.
The unicorn stood up, holding out a hand to halt Luffy. "Sir, nopony can visit the cells at this time."
"Can't you make an exception? I just wanna have a quick chat with Minerva."
The unicorn let his horn light up in a final warning. "Sir, please exit or I'll use force."
Sighing, Luffy reared his arm back and punched the unicorn in the face, his arm stretching across the room. The guard could only let out a pitiful squeak before crumpling to the floor.
"I really wanted to do this the easy way." Luffy approached the unmoving guard, dragging him over to the desk. With a little work, he made the guard look like he was peacefully sleeping while taking the keys on his hips. "Sleep well, buddy. Just gonna borrow these."
Whistling to himself, Luffy moved into the back where the cells were. All of them were empty save for the one in the far right corner. Her icy blue eyes were already on him, not looking away for an instant as he approached.
"Hi there, I'm Monkey D. Luffy! You can just call me Luffy though. Is it okay if we talk for a bit?" He took a seat in front of the cell, grinning at her.
"I was under the impression I wasn't allowed any visitors. Even unique ones such as yourself." Minerva had a knowing tone, glancing towards the door separating the cells and the office area.
Luffy chuckled, scratching at his cheek. "I think that guard was saying something about that before he randomly took a nap."
"How odd, I've never known Sable to take naps while on duty." A smirk grew across the mare's lips.
Luffy shrugged, his grin not wavering. "Don't know what to tell ya. Anyway, do you mind telling me the whole story of why you're in here?"
"Were you not there at the trial? The story was laid out quite plainly." Her wry smirk grew across her lips as she studied Luffy. "Though given the trouble you're going through I doubt you'd let me leave it at that."
Taking a calming breath, Minerva told her story.
Minerva walked into Captain Striker’s office with the stern neutrality expected of her station. She had adjusted the straps on her armor several times before attempting to enter. She knew where she stood amongst the mostly unicorn guard so avoiding any potential criticism was second nature.
Crossing the threshold, Minerva snapped a salute and went into attention. "Sergeant Gale, responding to your summons, Captain."
"At ease, Gale," Striker replied, not looking up from his paperwork. "We've got a new recruit and you're going to act as his training for patrol duty.”
Minerva suppressed an outward reaction but couldn’t stop herself from asking, “I thought Mist was in charge of training the fresh recruits, sir?”
Pinching his brow, Striker let out an exasperated sigh. “She is, but she’s on medical leave at the moment. Word from the doctor is that she’ll be out for at least a couple weeks. And since your performance is the best, you’re gonna act as her substitute for the time being. There's just one recruit ready for patrol duty. Should be dirt simple, even for somepony without a mind for spells."
Minerva bit the inside of her cheek. Comments like those were all too common from her superiors. That particular one was rather tame really. It at least lacked the sting of malice.
"Very well, Sir. When do I start duty?"
Finally, Striker looked up and pushed away from his desk. "You're starting today. Opening the door, he poked his head out. Shadowbolt, you can come in now."
A young unicorn stallion walked into the room. If he had seen eighteen winters Minerva would be shocked. The thing that stood out immediately was how gaudy his armor was. Rather than the standard leather armor his was a polished black with gold leafing all across it in spiraling patterns. A short cape was draped along his right shoulder in a rich purple that matched his fur. His amber eyes scanned his surroundings with thinly veiled disgust.
"Shadowbolt, you're going to be learning from Miss Gale here. We're expecting great things from you."
“I’m looking forward to it.”
That might’ve sounded convincing if the whelp had even bothered to glance Minerva’s way as he said it. She had a feeling she was going to need to make a trip to the apothecary once her shift was over.
Snapping a salute, Minerva exited the office with Shadowbolt in tow to begin her patrol. Putting her feelings aside, the pegasus offered her best advice on how to perform the duty. Tips on how to scan one's surroundings without too much eye movement along with subtle sounds to be mindful of.
If Shadowbolt was listening at all he made no show of it. He walked several steps behind her and paid more mind to his own armor than the streets. When asked directly to repeat her lessons he gave half-heart facsimiles of her points.
The headache she'd predicted was coming in strong and the day wasn't even halfway over. Minerva was about to offer a silent prayer when the surprised yelp of a foal caused her to look behind her.
A colt no older than eight rubbed his muzzle as he sat at Shadowbolt's hooves. Further down the street a ball was bouncing, making it obvious to figure out what had just happened.
Before Minerva could help the foal up Shadowbolt snapped with, "Damn whelp! Are you trying to assault a guard?!"
The colt squeaked, unable to form words as panic filled him. Shadowbolt took umbrage with that, drawing his sword from his hip.
"No excuse then? Very well, the punishment for assault on a guard is execution!"
"Put your weapon away!" Minerva snapped, her wings flaring out behind her. Again, Shadowbolt ignored her and raised his sword. "That's an order, Recruit!"
"I cannot follow that order. A law has been violated and thus action must be taken."
Minerva wanted to argue but the rookie brought his sword down. The colt closed his eyes, fear freezing him in place as he awaited his fate. The sudden clashing of metal and a solid thunk made the colt dare to look.
What he found was Minerva pointing a gladius at Shadowbolt while his own blade was buried in the street. Despite being disarmed, a smirk crossed the rookie's face.
"I need backup! Somepony has raised their sword against a fellow guard!"
Clicking her tongue, Minerva sheathed her gladius. A few minutes later another pair of guards appeared on the scene and listened to Shadowbolt's testimony. Not long after Minerva was clapped in irons.
Shadowbolt approached her, venom oozing from his gaze. "I can't wait for my uncle Shadowmark to pass judgement on you. You never would amount to much as a guard, but maybe those feathers will make decent down for my pillow."
Minerva was dragged away, the colt that started the whole incident finally breaking down in sobs as he processed what happened. Shadowbolt ignored the colt, trying and failing to pull his sword free with his arms. Minerva allowed a small grin to play across her lips as the rookie was forced to light up his horn.
Luffy crossed his arms, nodding sagely as the story came to a close. "So the Count's nephew joined the guard, got assigned to you for training, caused a commotion that forced you to technically commit a crime and lock you up. But that foal is free and clear?" He inquired, a conspiratorial edge to his tone.
Minerva nodded, a faint smile playing across her muzzle at the question. "Yes, I suppose it's fairly obvious what it all means."
"Yup, the guards here are really incompetent."
"How dense can you be?!" Just as quickly as the outburst came, Minerva's mask of calm returned as she cleared her throat. "I mean, no. The evidence points to me being set up."
Laughing at the outburst, the rubber man threw his head back. "That makes way more sense! But why would the Count want to set you up?"
Minerva moved a wing in front of her, seeming to be studying her feathers. "An outsider such as yourself may not be able to see it, but the unification of ponies is tentative at best. Old tribal attitudes flee from death like a roach exposed to the sun."
Giving her wings a flap, she let them settle on her back before continuing. "I was sent to this town as part of a measure by the Council of the Three Tribes to promote intermingling between all pony kinds. The Count was expecting a weather pony when I was sent over to this town. However, I am unable to perform such a duty."
Tilting his head, Luffy tried to parse out the concepts she was talking about. The council thing was simple enough but what about weatherpony? "Why couldn't you be a weatherpony?"
"I was born with a deformation. My wings cannot lift me up no matter how hard I flap. Many a doctor have come to the same conclusion; my wings are situated within my body in such a way that there is no way for me to fly. And that means I cannot reach clouds to shape them for the weather."
Reaching back, she ran her fingers through her feathers. "With wing strength not being an issue, a thought occurred to me; why not affix blades to my wings and master what few would dare to dream of, a four sword style. I've devoted myself to my physical training. So when I came to this town and outperformed my unicorn peers, I believe the Count took this as a slight."
Hearing her story, thoughts swirled like a storm in Luffy's mind. It was hard to sort out which to address first. One one hand, he'd had a bad feeling about the Count and Minerva's story only confirmed it. On the other though, four sword style sounded amazing! Nodding, Luffy met the pegasus's gaze with his own. "That settles it, I want you to join my crew!" Jumping to his feet, Luffy held up the cell keys.
"Your crew?" Minerva repeated, unable to get a read on the man before her. One moment appearing serious, the next jumping like a foal with a new toy.
"Yeah, I'm making a pirate crew and someone like you is perfect for it!"
Minerva's expression twisted, staring daggers at the rubber man and testing the strength of her chains. "I would never join a pirate crew! I'm a guardsmare! I've sworn to protect ponies, not pillage and plunder from them!"
Luffy chuckled, putting his hands on the bars. "That's not the kind of pirate crew I wanna make. I wanna travel, see what the world has to offer and find things other people have never seen! You'd be able to find sword fighters to test your skills against! If we're lucky, we might even find lost treasure!" His eyes lit up as he spoke, threatening to bounce out of his skin. "I hope we come across a haunted hoard."
Minerva stared at the would-be pirate in gaping disbelief. There was no way someone could have such innocent intentions. No. Studying his face, the guard could only find pure curiosity and wonder. Slumping in her chains, she could only laugh. "It seems a fool has crossed my path. Consider my interest piqued. I wish to see what kind of pirate you aspire to be. If you can find my swords and clothes in the barracks, then I will accompany you." Sensing his eagerness, she gave a hasty explanation on where to find the barracks.
"Is that all?! I'll be back before you know it!" Stashing the keys away, Luffy zipped out the door.
Seeing a cloak hanging up on a clothesline, Luffy grabbed it as an idea popped into his head. Throwing it on, he followed the directions Minerva had given him. Once the barracks were in sight, he slowed down to a casual walk.
Pulling himself onto a nearby roof, Luffy stared at the guards at the gate. "They probably would ask me for proof if I said the Count asked me to clean out her stuff." Sitting on the roof, he thought for a brief moment. Jumping up, he studied the twin barracks buildings, seeing that the one on the right had a couple mares exit.
Grabbing the roof of the building he was on, he pulled himself back like a slingshot. Once he let go, he sucked in a deep breath to let his head inflate. Once it was five times its original size, he slowly floated over to his target.
Once he landed, Luffy let the air out in one big blow. Wobbling for a moment, he quickly regained his balance and hopped down out of sight. He quickly looped around, only to be stopped at the door by a female guard.
“What is your purpose here?” She asked, blocking the door with her spear.
“I’m on orders from the Count to clean out Minerva’s belongings,” Luffy said, holding onto his cloak.
“Please present your work order,” the guard asked, holding out her free hand.
“I already gave it to the guard at the gate,” Luffy said, pointing behind him.
“And I’m asking to see it now,” the guard insisted, irritation creeping into her voice.
Silence hung in the air as the two stared at each other. Luffy hadn’t seen this coming. Between his disguise and avoiding the front gate it all seemed like the perfect plan. He’d need to call upon all of his wit to come up with a solution.
“Is that a dragon?!” Luffy shouted, pointing to the sky.
“What?! A dragon!” The guard actually turned to look, moving her spear away from the door as she readied for battle. Other guards within earshot also turned their attention skyward, scanning for the imaginary dragon.
Seizing the opportunity, Luffy slipped into the barracks and quietly closed the door behind him. Given the time of day, the building was currently empty, leaving him free to try and find Minerva’s things. With a quick glance, he was able to find four two swords and something he didn’t recognize leaning against a small dresser by a bunk.
Going over to the bed, he picked up the object he didn’t recognize. It had two sections, with an open space on the inside like it was made to cover something. The outer edge had a lovely glint to it, promising just how sharp it was.The two swords were basically identical to one another with a simple double-edged iron blade, a hilt wrapped in tightly woven white cloth and a rounded crossguard. Etched into the crossguard of both was a design of a cloud that wisped off at the end like it was being blown in a heavy wind and five raindrops falling from it.
Putting the swords down on the bunk, he removed his cloak and opened the dresser. Hastily pulling out all the clothes he could get his hands on, he tossed them onto the cloak and tied the bundle off. Hefting the bundle over his shoulder, he tried to find an exit route.
Turning his attention to the ceiling, he grinned as he spotted a skylight. Setting the bundle down, he grabbed the empty dresser and chucked it through the skylight.
The door to the barracks swung open before the glass even finished falling. Four guards poured into the room but Luffy was already rocketing out the building with the bundle in tow. Landing on the roof he had to duck as a bolt of blue energy whizzed through the air where his head had been a moment ago.
"W-was that magic?! Luffy cried, running across the roof as more beams whizzed by him. "This world is so cool!"
Stretching his arm out. Luffy grabbed another roof and pulled himself onto it. Dashing along the rooftops, Luffy dodged a hail of incoming arrows and bolts of magic.
The unicorn in the jail slowly roused, rubbing at his sore head. "What the tartarus happened?" Standing up, the guard walked around his desk as he tried to gather his memories. Before he could dwell on the matter for even a moment, the door flew off its hinges.
Splinters danced along the air as the door turned projectile collided with the guard and sent him crashing into the wall behind him. Groaning, the guard caught a glimpse of furless legs running by as the embrace of unconsciousness claimed him once more.
Luffy ducked into the cell area, skidding to a stop in front of Minerva. Hastily opening the cell, he handed off the bundle.
"We've gotta get a move on! The guards are chasing me!"
Slipping two of the blades into their proper resting place on her wings, the mare chuckled. "Somehow I knew stealth was going to be out of the question." Once the pair of swords rested on her hips, she stepped out of the cell.
"It's not my fault!" Luffy pouted, heading to the exit. “How was I supposed to know they’d ask to see a work order once I snuck past the gate?!"
Minerva held her tongue, not wanting to dishearten her newfound captain any further. "Then perhaps stealth is something we should avoid in the future?" Following close behind, she tied the bundle to her back to keep her hands and wings free.
"Totally!" Luffy chirped in agreement.
The two emerged onto the street, a nearby guard shouted, causing others to swarm and surround them. “Halt!” One of the guards in the crowd shouted, the assembled ponies readying their weapons.
Sighing, Minerva drew her pair of swords and flared her wings. ”Captain, permission to engage?”
“Yup, just try not to kill them. You take the ones blocking the way out of the city, and I’ll take the ones behind us!”
Nodding, Minerva dashed forward in a blur, slicing through the shaft of a guard’s spear with one sword while knocking him out with the pommel of the other. Before the stallion even hit the ground, she moved on to engage the next opponent.
Cracking his knuckles, Luffy eyed the crowd before him. Bringing his leg back he shouted, “Gum Gum Whip!” before sweeping his leg out and having it stretch towards the wall of armed ponies. The rubber limb bowled over the guards like pins, sending them to the ground in a tangle of armor.
The crowd recoiled as the limb snapped back into place. "He's eaten one of the cursed fruits!" A voice cried out, hidden among the sea of ponies. "The legends are true!"
“Don’t let that scare you! You’ve got horns, use them!” Another stallion barked.
The order revitalized the assembled guards, a volley of multicolored spells arcing towards Luffy. The rubber man Stretched his arm out, zipping up towards the roof to avoid the magic. From his vantage point he could see that most eyes were on him and not Minerva.
Grinning, he threw his head back and let out a villainous laugh. "That's right! I ate a cursed fruit! Glorious power is at my disposal! Even all of you together could not hope to defeat me!"
Luffy's proclamation had just finished when the sky was blotted out by a volley of arrows and magic bolts. Hopping down from the roof, he avoided the storm. Landing in an alley, he grabbed two buildings and stretched his arms.
"Gum-Gum Rocket!" Luffy called out once his back hit the end of the alley.
Zipping forward Luffy collided with the wall of ponies, knocking them over before crashing through the wall of a house. Standing up, Luffy found a family staring slack jawed at him as they sat at a dinner table. Waving at them, he chuckled.
"Sorry, thought the guards would stop me better than that. Anyone hurt?"
"No, we're fine," the mare said, relaxing visibly while warily eyeing the rubber man.
Sighing in relief, Luffy turned on a heel, a basket of bread catching his eye. "Do you mind if I have a piece?”
“Uh, go ahead," the father said, floating a roll over to Luffy with a quick bit of magic.
"Thank you!" Luffy chirped as he stuffed the bread into his mouth and dashed out the hole he made.
"Luffy!" Minerva called once he was back in the street. Behind her was a clear path out of the village. “Your distraction worked, let’s go!”
Luffy bolted, Minerva at his side as the open countryside grew in their view. “Nice job, Minnie! Can’t believe you opened us up a path that quick."
"It was quite easy. Your distraction played off their superstition beautifully. Quite the clever ploy, Captain."
Blinking owlishly, a blank stare overtook the captain. "What're you talking about? I just thought it'd be funny to scare those guys."
A distant sound of glass breaking could be heard from the direction of the swordsmare, pure incredulity overtaking her features. "You cannot possibly expect me to be-"
Her sentence was cut off by the pair slamming into something. Stepping back they found themselves face to face with a translucent, shimmering royal purple wall.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I expect that Minerva Gale would betray her honor by attempting to flee her sentence~" A voice rang out, causing them to turn around.
Floating several feet above the air with an aura the same color as the wall that had blocked their path was Shadowmark.
"Why do you care what Minerva does?!" Luffy snapped, pointing at the Count. "You're getting what you wanted! Minerva's leaving so your guys won't look bad anymore! No one's been seriously hurt so just let us go."
"Is this the kind of company you keep, hairless apes?" The Count questioned, pointedly ignoring Luffy.
"Now that I am no longer in your service I believe I should be candid with you,” Minerva started, bringing her wings in front of herself. “Piss off you spoiled, tribalist lout. I'm leaving this town to see how far my skills with the blade can take me."
"The answer is going to disappoint you." Magic hummed around the unicorn's horn.
Balling his fists, Luffy's mask slipped and a fierce glare was leveled at the noble. "I'm tired of your attitude. I thought I left entitled pricks like you back in my old world. Minerva! Let's kick his ass!" Luffy charged forward, his eyes glued to the floating pony.
Shadowmark laughed, lazily floating up higher. "And how do you suppose you'll reach me?"
"Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy cried, his punch stretching out towards the Count. The unicorn’s eyes widened at the oncoming attack. Just before Luffy’s fist could make contact with the noble’s snout, a barrier popped into existence. The force of the blow was enough to knock the Count back several feet in the air.
“Hurricane Waltz!” Minerva boomed, Using her whole body to slash with all four blades in a fluid motion. A barely visible, razor thin wave of air pressure flew out from the mare's swords, slamming into the bubble Shadowmark had enclosed himself in.
Gritting his teeth, Shadowmark looked down on the two as he trembled with barely contained fury. A cold darkness crept into his gaze. "I see, so the ape has eaten a Tartarus Fruit. And the flightless bird has found a way to reach the sky." Straightening out his clothes, the unicorn grabbed his wrist to stop his shaking. A wicked grin split his muzzle and his eyes focused on Luffy. "But we unicorns have proposed a way to quickly deal with you cursed beings."
A ball of light concentrated on the end of the Count's horn. Before Luffy could wonder what he meant, droplets of water started to swirl around him. The rubber man tried to run, but the drops zeroed in on him and in a matter of moments a reverse diver's helmet of pure water fixed itself to Luffy's head. An involuntary gasp escaped his mouth, letting the taste of salt assault his tongue.
On reflex Luffy slumped, his limbs going limp. After a second, he blinked and righted himself. Rearing his arm back he flung another punch at the noble.
Before Shadowmark could react Minerva put herself directly under the Count. She started flapping her wings kicking up powerful winds. Once the wind picked up she started to spin the swords in her hands like a propeller to give the winds more shape.
"Tornado Tango!" True to its name, a tornado formed from the pegasus’s attack, catching Shadowmark within it. The Count’s shield ping ponged around the tornado, his body twisting into uncomfortable positions within the bubble.
At some point Shadowmark's concentration faltered and the orb of water surrounding Luffy's head collapsed, soaking his clothes. Sucking in lungfuls of air, the rubber man watched his new crewmate's display.
Spreading out his limbs, the Count put a stop to his tumbling. The glow around his horn grew and a deluge of magic bolts rushed down towards Minerva's head. She stopped the movements of her blades and moved in a serpentine motion to deftly dodge the magical storm.
Shadowmark's horn glowed even brighter, even more bolts of magic coming down and forcing Luffy to begin weaving to avoid the spells. Despite his best efforts, a few of the blasts grazed his body.
Gritting his teeth, Luffy ignored the smell of singed hair and skin as he stretched his arm out towards the Count's shield. His arm wrapped around the shield a few times, his body being buffeted by spells. Bracing his lasso arm, the rubber man strained and attempted an over the shoulder throw. With a roar of effort, Luffy brought the Count down, a cloud of dust bursting upward as the shield made contact with the dirt road.
Luffy wrapped his other arm around the barrier, stomping his feet into the ground to act as an anchor and keep the Count from floating away.
Capitalizing on the opening, Minerva came in, bringing all four blades down in a series of flowing strikes. "Squall Samba!" She boomed, practically pirouetting around the shield in a blur of motion the swordsmare made look effortless.
Against the assault, Shadowmark could only watch in horror as his barrier shattered like glass, shards of it dancing in air for a brief moment before dissipating in fading sparkles.
The feedback from the spell's forced failure left the Count stunned, his body stiff as his eyes glazed slightly.
With the barrier gone, Luffy's arms snapped back to his sides. The next moment, he threw his arms out behind him, letting them stretch as far as they could. Taking a knee, Luffy launched his final attack. "Gum-Gum Bazooka!" Thrusting his palms into Shadowmark's stomach, the rubber man sent the noble flying until he faded over the horizon.
With his adrenaline fading, Luffy started to fall backwards, only to be caught by Minerva. "That was quite the gamble you made."
"What? No way I'd do that, gambling's dumb," Luffy's eyes were half lidded and his legs were swaying.
Minerva chuckled for a moment before the sound of chatter and rapid hooffalls in the distance cut it short. Hefting Luffy onto her back, she took off and spared the town behind her a glance its way. "Goodbye Platinum, I doubt we'll meet again."
A smile graced her face, thoughts of the future swirling in her mind. The train of thought was interrupted by a loud snore coming from her back.
Do You Hear the Ponies Sing?
The moon was creeping into the sky by the time Minerva decided to stop running. She propped Luffy against a tree so he could face the river they found themselves at. The movement caused Luffy to stir, his eyes fluttering open.
Minerva took notice of this, stepping towards the river. "Glad to see you're awake. I managed to find a river. I don't know about you, but I need to wash off the grime between that cell and our escape.” Grabbing the bottom of her prison garb, she pulled it over her head and was left completely bare.
Luffy’s eyes threatened to evacuate his skull and any traces of sleep left his thoughts. Turning so red and moving so fast that he almost swore he entered his second gear as he put himself behind a nearby tree at the river bank.
With the image of his crewmate seared into his retinas, Luffy was left a muttering, stuttering mess. If one were to listen closely, they'd be able to make out the words, boobs, butt and abs being said at random intervals.
Reclined in the water, the pegasus took note of the rubber man's distress and tilted her head. "Why are you behind that tree? The water is fantastic."
"How am I supposed to do that?!" Luffy snapped, poking out from behind the tree with closed eyes. "Girls and guys can't share a bath!" His blush returned and he ducked back behind the trunk to quietly add, "Not unless they're dating."
Chuckling, Minerva went about scrubbing herself the best she could with just the flowing water. "Your species is rather odd. For us ponies communal bathing is all too common." Pausing, she turned her head towards where Luffy was sitting. "You had mentioned something about your world during our fight with Shadowmark, can you explain?"
Letting his hands rest on his knees as he turned his eyes skyward he answered, “Oh, I’m not from this world. I was originally from Earth. My name was Alex Birch."
Minerva stopped her scrubbing to give Luffy her full attention. She couldn't see his face, but there was an uneasiness radiating off of him. "How did you come to be here?"
"I went to a costume party when someone who I thought worked for my school offered me a cake shaped like a devil fruit. Next thing I know I woke up in the middle of the woods as Monkey D. Luffy." Sensing some confusion, he quickly added. "Back on my world, Luffy was the main character of a story."
Nodding, the swordsmare went quiet for a few moments, simply mulling over and digesting what her captain had said. "If I might be so bold, why ask to be called Luffy and not your original name?"
Pulling off his hat, Luffy examined the article of clothing as if expecting an answer from it. "Well, my birth parents gave me up for adoption basically right after I was born; I was never told why. So Alex Birch was the only thing they ever gave me and it just felt hard to get attached to it.”
Smiling, the rubber man returned the straw hat to its proper place. "But to me Monkey D. Luffy is synonymous with freedom and adventure, so since I found myself in a new world full of endless possibilities I thought I'd take on the identity and embrace adventure."
Minerva wiped a tear from her eye, a melancholy smile on her face. "That does make sense. I'll respect that and keep calling you Luffy."
Chuckling, he could feel tension ebb away from his body that he wasn't even aware had been building. "I appreciate it." Hearing the rustle of clothing he dared to poke his head around the tree.
Much to his relief, he was greeted with the sight of the pegasus adjusting the bow on her dress. Said bow almost resembled a military decoration with a metal portion containing a folded wing logo at its center. The dress itself was navy blue with ten copper buttons lined up neatly in two rows that started at the top of her chest and ended around her navel. A slit formed at the frame of the buttons revealing a black pleated skirt layer to the ensemble that ended just above her knee while the blue portion ended at the middle of her thighs.
Her mane was styled in a ponytail that seemed to turn up from the crown of her head before trailing behind her. She had two long bangs that framed her face and drew attention to her sharp, dark blue eyes. All in all, Minerva cut an impressive figure. If he hadn’t already seen her skills, the way she carried herself alone would assure Luffy he chose his first crew member wisely.
Opting to take a bath of his own, Luffy carefully placed himself in the water. He made sure to stay in the shallows, feeling the drain due to his devil fruit curse, but still able to move and scrub off the grime of his travels.
“I have to ask,” Minerva started, sitting behind the tree like he had been a moment ago. “I thought that those who have eaten a Tartarus Fruit were cursed to lose all their strength if they come into contact with sea water. So why didn’t that water orb the Count used seem to affect you?”
Luffy paused, the question surprising him. It seemed that just like in the world of One Piece, devil fruits did exist. And the way she asked the question revealed that the fruits were the stuff of rumors and legends like they were in the Four Blues.
“Well, it’s hard to say but I do have an idea.” Luffy stopped scrubbing and stared up at the light filtering in through the treeline. “In the story the fruits were called devil fruits. Thought to be aspects of a sea devil. So if you eat one then you’d be so hated by the sea that you couldn’t swim. And your powers don’t work in sea water.”
“I fail to see how this explains your display while under that orb. Didn’t the Count conjure sea water?”
“Did he though?” the captain asked in return, scooping up a handful of water. “If you draw water up from a well and throw some table salt in it, does that make it sea water? I may not know anything about magic, but I’d imagine it’s something similar.”
There was silence from Minerva, a pregnant pause filling the riverbank. “That does make a lot of sense. A normal pegasus is able to weave clouds in all manner of shapes. Clouds are essentially just water and yet pegasi have no real control of bodies of water."
Luffy grinned, glad to have made some kind of sensible point. Grabbing his clothes, he started giving them a quick wash of their own.
"So what is our goal now?" Minerva questioned, polishing her swords. "Are we going to purchase a ship or flesh out our crew as our first order of business?"
Using the time of laying out his clothes to dry, Luffy pondered the question. "How good are you with directions?"
"I have somewhat of an internal sense of direction. All pegasi do to best direct weather and find good updrafts. However, I wouldn't exactly call it a particular strength of mine."
Nodding, the rubber man jumped out of the water. "Then a navigator is our next goal! What good will trying to buy a boat do if we can't even find a port?"
"That's an excellent point. One might almost think there's a genius behind that foolish grin."
Luffy couldn't see her, but he knew there was a smirk on the pegasi's muzzle. Stretching out his arms, he grabbed a nearby tree branch. Rotating his body dozens of times, he squeezed the water from his body. Once he felt he was sufficiently dried off he let go of the branch and was sent spinning like a pinwheel.
"Ahh! I can't stop!" Luffy screamed, trying and failing to stop his momentum as his spinning body crashed into a tree trunk and wrapped around it in a knot.
A loud sigh could be heard from within the brush. "Do you need help, Captain?"
Tugging at his limbs, the rubber man only succeeded in constricting against the tree. Letting his head sag, he nodded weakly.
The town of Platinum was in an uproar. When the Count had failed to return after leaving to confront the fugitives the town guard scrambled to go and find him. That left all the citizens to themselves. Tensions were mounting as several voices rang out to be heard.
"We have to flee this town now!” One stallion cried, his pupils contracted to pinpricks. “There’s no way that the Count won’t be angry once he returns. And where do you think that anger will go?”
There were some murmurs of agreement within the crowd before a mare stepped forward. "Why in Tartarus's name should we leave?! If we go and assist the guards then the Count will have no reason to take his aggression out on us!"
There were murmurs of agreement within the crowd at the sentiment. The two sides separated themselves and broke out into a discordant shouting match.
A russet maned stallion looked at his wife and whispered something to her. The blue maned mare nodded back at him, sending him off with a kiss as he pushed to the front of the crowd.
“What is this pony feathers I’m hearing?!” His voice boomed, carrying out across the square. Much of the arguing skidded to a halt, the crowd letting their attention to the stallion. “Why should we run from the homes so many of us have slaved our lives away to obtain?” His gaze swept along the crowd, a hardened look in his eye. “And why should we stay in those precious homes only to be held under the thumb of a colt wearing a stallion’s clothes?!”
The unicorn let the questions hang in the air, the last of the arguments dying. “I say that Platinum belongs to us! If he manages to crawl his sorry hide back to us then let us welcome him with the point of swords, daggers whatever you have at your disposal! After the beating he’s received there’s no way that he can rally against all of us! Family of guards should be at the front. Given our Count’s behavior it’s no secret where our protectors’ loyalties lie!”
A mare stepped forward, gray encroaching upon the raven hue of her mane. The beginning of crow’s feet and smile lines were evident on her face. “I have no doubt that we could easily turn the guards against the Count. His yoke fell heavy upon this town’s neck, even theirs. But what of the Council of Three? Shadowmark is sure to go to them if we decide we no longer want him here. What are we going to do if the forces of Equestria come marching on our doorsteps?”
“And why would the council do such a thing? Not to put our community down, but the revenue we generate is a drop in a bucket compared to the major hubs of Equestria. Not only that but we are a considerable distance away from the capital. Mobilizing troops to march upon us would be costly. However, we do have a refuge.”
Sweeping an arm towards the mountain, he continued. “The mines have tunnels that can lead us up the mountain. We can even create a hidden shelter up there if such things come to pass. My fellow townsfolk, we’ve seen today that the nobility is not invincible. One stallion and mare can openly defy them and succeed. So what could happen if we all came together?”
Silence hung over the town for what seemed like an eternity to the stallion. Just when he was about to open his mouth to speak again, a raucous cheer tore through the crowd. The hamlet came to life, defiance in the eyes of the ponies. Chants against the nobility started and echoed along the streets. Leading the charge were the miners and carpenters, eager to get the proposed plan put into action.
Sitting in her mother’s arms Celestia couldn’t let her eyes drift from her father. Where there had been confusion and fear in the town there was certainty. She didn't know a lot of what the stallion had been saying, but even still there was no stopping her sense of pride over his effect on the crowd. At that moment, she knew she wanted to be just like him.
The sun hung low in the sky over Dressageshire, its tall buildings casting long shadows on its stone streets. Lining said streets were metal posts with glass paneling. The purpose of said paneling became apparent as a uniformed unicorn approached one. With a quick use of his horn an orb of light started floating within the enclosure.
With nightfall approaching the carts carrying goods meant for the capital had a choice to make; either stay at an inn and pay for some form of protection, or press onward and take a chance that one of the bandit troops known to make the surrounding grasslands their home happened upon them. Those from larger trade groups easily chose the former while those who were from smaller groups or independent traders had to save for months to be able to afford the protection services.
At the center of the city was its pride and joy, Clover Hall. Equestria's undisputed best magic school and research center. Its central tower was home to not only the head of the Hall but also to the current and those training to be Sun and Moon Movers. Only those found to have high innate magical reserves upon their enrollment could even hope to join the ranks of the Movers.
Inside those tower halls, a young robed stallion was being led by an older mare. His fur was a pinkish red one might find at sunrise or sunset while his well trimmed mane with a fringe in the front matched the sun itself with strands like golden sun rays intermingled in. His aquamarine eyes were pointed forward, a bored glaze settling over them as the mare droned on and on.
It was a lecture he had received more times than he could count. About the prestige and honor of what being a Mover in training represented. It was all he could do not to laugh at the idea. The true secret to the training was that it was the most mindless thing on the planet. It was levitation, but for vastly heavy objects.
There was no doubt to the importance of the work, but it wasn't magic. Magic wasn't just mindlessly lifting things, but an art. Something that allowed one to pluck at the strings of reality to create melodies without compare.
While he was lost in thought he almost collided muzzle first into the door to his room. “Solar, are you even paying attention?” His senior sneered, fixing an annoyed glare upon him.
“Yes ma’am, you were just talking about how our occupation has existed since before the founding of Equestria and will exist as long as ponies do.”
Sighing, the mare turned to walk back down the hall. “Very well, now rest up. We’ve secured large quarry stones for tomorrow’s training. It should prove to be quite the challenge.”
Nodding, Solar entered his room and quickly closed the door behind him. It wasn’t hard to guess where in her diatribe his senior Mover had been at. He’d heard it so often he had the timing of the words down within a few seconds. The only time he’d be thrown off is if she had a cough or a bad case of the sniffles.
His room was a simple affair, a cot, a window, a desk meant for research with a chair. Above his desk were a couple shelves that held scrolls and books that housed his research materials. He thanked that research pursuits outside the realm of his Mover duties weren’t expressly forbidden. One of the few luxuries he was afforded. If one were to look within the contents of his books, they’d predominantly find studies on the nature of magic that each of the pony tribes possessed. There was a slight favoring towards pegasi and their weather manipulation in recent months. Besides magic, there were books about the stars and various other topics that caught his eye.
Sitting at his desk, he produced an orb of light with his magic that he allowed to hang over his head and grabbed a length of parchment and quill. With another bit of magic, he threw open the shudders to his window so he could look out across the city while he worked. Another luxury he was thankful for. With his atmosphere set, he began to draw up a map of all the places he’d been to within Clover Hall. This habit had started as a means of mental stimulation he’d found to be lacking in his training. As time passed though, he’d found a genuine passion in the activity. He only wished that he could draw upon other places to create his maps.
