So. This wasn’t going how I thought it would.

Sure, the first step was to meet with Sir Manuscript, but for it to happen this quickly and at his request, I couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious about the whole thing. It looked like Indigo and Fletch were feeling the same way, as they were both eyeing the ponies leading us to the manor.

There were only three of them, and though none of them were seriously armed or armored, it was obvious that two were guards. The one leading us was just some sort of messenger or servant, so it wasn’t like we were outmatched. At least I think, I don’t actually know how well Indigo or Fletch could fight, and Fletch didn’t have her bow right now. As for myself…

I had no weapons and only one arm that would probably break if I tried to hit anything hard. What did that mean when getting into fights was going to be part of my job?

It was too early to suspect a trap though. I had only met this Sir Manuscript once, in which he showed his disdain for me in a slightly subtle way. The only reasons I could think of for wanting to meet with me again were either I had piqued his curiosity again, or that something he was doing was relevant to me, e.g. constructing a road through the forest. So there shouldn’t be a reason to pick a fight.

Unlike last time, we were dropped off just outside the front doors. The servant went inside to go retrieve Sir Manuscript, but when I went to follow, I was barred from entering. I could think of a reason why they didn’t want me inside, but my new disguise was much more solid, and only left dirt or mud behind when I really tried to scrape it off.

Not much longer afterwards, the doors opened to reveal the servant again, who quickly bowed.

“Now presenting Sir Manuscript.” He ducked out of the way.

And out came Sir Manuscript, in a similar getup to last time, they might even be the same clothes. He carefully looked across the group, starting with me, then moving to Indigo and Fletch, then landing back on me. He immediately noticed my new complexion.

“You look… refreshed,”

“Thank you… uh, sir.” I quickly bowed, “I was able to replenish some since uh… being attacked,”

His eyes shifted over to my arm.

“That…” I clutched the stump, “Will take more time.”

“I see.” Sir Manuscript inhaled and exhaled, “Tell me, do you know why I have asked to speak with you?”

“N-No sir.”

“See, you have done something. Something that is not easily forgivable.” He began,

Yeah, causing a ruckus at a construction site will do that. But wait, he wanted to speak with me before that even happened, this wasn’t lining up.

“You have lied to me.”

Oh shoot.

“And not only that, but I find you have interrupted the work of my employees?”

This wasn’t good, I had to recover this somehow, “Th-That’s actually why I’m here. They were uh… cutting down trees.” I tried, “T-Too many trees.”

“Ah yes, that would make sense for Chlorophyll the forest nymph, but not Phos the not-quite-a-golem.”

I froze, and at the edge of my vision I could see Indigo struggle to keep a level face. How did he know? Never mind that, how much did he know? He knew my name, and called me a golem, or not quite one. Indigo was the only one that called me a golem before, and she said that last night at the…

At the inn…

There was someone at the inn. Of course, we were most likely being monitored, Indigo said so herself, so it would make sense that there would be spies around us for the next few days. Instead of finding out about any double dealings however, they found out about me.

“...I… I…” I stuttered, “I-I’m not a golem.”

“So it would seem.” Sir Manuscript continued, “Then what are you really?”

“I… I… I’m…”

“We don’t really know.” Indigo interrupted, “She doesn’t know either.”

I was still struggling to speak, so I just kept quiet and nodded along.

“Now I can understand why you would lie about yourself,” Sir Manuscript pointed to me, “but what really perplexes me is that you got the mercenaries to go along with it. Do you know what that tells me?”

“W-What?” Fletch asked,

Sir Manuscript smirked, “That you have a reason to lie. There’s something that you don’t want me, or Lord Tungsten to know.”

This was getting way too close for comfort, I needed to get this back on track, now.

“Th-That doesn’t ch-change why I’m here.” I managed,

Sir Manuscript almost seemed disappointed that he had to stop applying pressure, and he gave me a very disinterested look. “Then why are you here?”

“I’m… representing the forest. I may not be a forest nymph, but I’m still from the forest.”

Sir Manuscript narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say anything.

“And I have come to warn you.” I continued, “The actual spirits of the forest do not condone the construction of your um… road. I have been tasked with finding a solution to this problem.”

An eyebrow raise, but no interruption. He continued to let me talk.

“Um… By any means necessary. So, I-I have decided to negotiate.”

“Negotiate?” Sir Manuscript repeated, he snorted, “Make no mistake, that road will be built.”

“I-I am aware.” I nodded, “But its current path puts it through… important territory… in the forest.”

“Impossible, surveyors reported nothing like that in the plans.”

“That’s because…” How do I word this? I don’t actually know the specifics, there might not really be anything there, but it’ll still cause problems with the deer. I’ve been to their glade, but I don’t know if it's directly in the path of the road. I don’t know where it is at all, since I had to be guided to it by a Breezie. It didn’t make sense physically, but it did magically.

“Well?” Sir Manuscript tapped his hoof,

“It can’t be found like that.” I began, “But… it’s still there. Um… and in order to prevent any conflicts from arising, the plans have to be changed.”

Sir Manuscript just stared at me, before taking a deep breath, “That could certainly pose an issue. The budget is already tight, I don’t want to spend any more than what’s necessary.”

We all relaxed ever so slightly.

“If what you say is true.”

I swear part of my face cracked as my eye twitched.

“You’ve already lied to me once, I have no reason to believe you further.”

“But- I- The…” I sighed and hung my head,

Indigo kicked me lightly on the back of the leg.

“There has to be something we can do.” Fletch stepped forward,

Sir Manuscript looked over to her with a neutral expression. “Bring me proof.”

“Proof?” I repeated,

“What kind of proof?” Indigo asked,

“Definitive evidence that you are not only allied with the forest, but that it is actually inhabited by… spirits.” He practically spat that last word, “Until then, construction will continue as planned,

“O-Okay,” I nodded rapidly,

“Is this not enough?” Fletch gestured to me,

I took that as a cue to open up my cloak some more.

Sir Manuscript just squinted at me. “I don’t know what you are, but you’re not what you said you were. So no, that’s not enough. Now begone,” he smiled a bit, “I look forward to what you’ll bring me for proof.”

He ventured back into the manor, and the door slammed shut.

A moment of silence followed, before the guards ushered us back out of the property and onto the street, closing the gates behind us a moment later. Unlike last time, there were no sighs of relief. We weren’t in the clear.

“That… could have gone better.” Fletch announced,

“You gave up way too easily,” Indigo said, "What happened to that stubbornness you had earlier?"

“I didn’t know what to say!” I responded, “I thought we were done for!”

“We still might be.” Indigo groaned, “Ugh! I feel so stupid! Of course there was somepony listening, we shouldn’t have talked about you so openly.

“Do you really think you could’ve gotten Rusty to shut up though?” Fletch asked,

Indigo sighed, “No.”

“I um… think it was inevitable.” I said, “Being a forest nymph was never going to work as a permanent solution

“But now what are we supposed to do?” Fletch asked,

“Probably go back to the forest to get some proof.” I suggested,

“Maybe not,” Indigo looked up at the setting sun, “It’s getting pretty late, I don’t know if your forest friends care about that sort of thing, but travelling to the forest and back would put us well into the night.”

“Are you saying we should call it a day?” I asked,

“Yeah, the road’s not going to be finished by tomorrow, and you’re the only one that knows if we’re constrained for time or not.”

“We can…” I trailed off. The road was barely into the forest, and going off of two days of work for that much distance, it would probably take more than a month to finish it. That was plenty of time, and taking into account all the back and forth we would be doing to make this work, I don’t know why I ever thought this could be a one day quest. I sighed, “...go in the morning.”

“Okay,” Fletch nodded, “But what are we supposed to do about you, Phos? Sir Manuscript’s onto us, and he knows you’re not a forest nymph!”

“We’ll have to come up with a new cover.” Indigo deduced, “One that’s easier to maintain.”

“Hmm…” We all thought for a moment,

“Why not go with what you said, Indigo?” I began,

“What?” She asked,

“I could be Phos the advanced golem, instead of Phos the living-”

“Shhht!” She interrupted, jumping up to cover my mouth with a hoof.

I stumbled a bit as she leaned against me, and for the next few moments she looked around frantically. The streets were relatively empty, with only a few ponies hanging around a fair distance away.

“Let’s maybe save that until we’re somewhere more private.” Indigo whispered,

“Good idea,” I whispered back, putting up my hood, “Does that mean we’re heading back to the inn?”

Indigo stepped back, “It’s your call, is there somewhere else we need to go?”

“Nowhere specific, but…” I thought for a moment, a growing smile on my face, “I would love to explore.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that, have fun then!” And with that, Indigo turned and continued walking down the road,

“Wha- You’re not coming with?” I called after her,

“It’s not part of the job!” She replied, “Besides, I still have work to do, somepony brought me a bunch of flowerheads when I asked for petals!”

“I only have one hand!” I shouted back,

Indigo just kept walking. I debated flipping her off, but I didn’t think she would get the meaning, and I don’t think I had the courage to follow through with it anyway.

“That was sarcasm by the way.” Fletch said,

“You don’t have to spell it out for me,” I turned to her and sighed, “Do you want to come with me?”

Fletch pursed her lips for a moment, thinking. “Sure.”

“Thanks, I don’t think I’m supposed to be going off on my own yet either.”

“That’s a good point,” Fletch said, “Indigo was first watch, I guess I can be second.” She frowned slightly.

“That’s not a problem, is it?” I asked,

“No. Now where do you want to go first?”

I looked back at Sir Manuscript’s mansion, “Preferably somewhere away from here.”

“Agreed.”

♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦ ♥ ♦

One thing became immediately apparent as we wandered the streets.

I couldn’t read.

More specifically, I couldn’t read the ponies’ language. I still knew my alphabet, though I had to trace a few letters in the air to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. It never occurred to me that while we may speak the same words, that doesn’t mean we write them the same.

We stuck to the paved road part of town, and as we reached the business sector, there were all manner of shops and stores and restaurants to browse. Most had signs out front, with pictures and strange symbols. It didn’t take me long for me to figure out that they were supposed to be words, and when I asked Fletch what they meant, I learned something surprising.

She couldn’t read either.

Or at least, not well. In fact, among the mercenaries, she and Maul were the only ones who didn’t know how to read. She didn’t seem to be very proud of that fact.

So for the most part, we dictated which establishments were which based on what pictures were out front, and what was immediately visible inside. Unfortunately, Fletch didn’t carry a lot of money, and I didn’t have any to begin with, so it wasn’t like we bought anything. We did get to see a lot of cool shops and restaurants though, but Fletch said they were all ‘too expensive.’

A few things did catch my attention though. There was what looked to be a tailor’s on the street corner, and as we neared the lower echelon of town, a smithy was on full display just outside of the market. Based on what Indigo said, those places were worth investigating in the future.

Speaking of the market though, despite it being the end of the day, it was still bustling with activity. Fletch informed me that summer was coming to a close, so a lot of produce was for sale. Even though there had been almost a full day of business beforehand, there was still plenty on display.

I did some minor browsing of course, and though the wide variety of vegetables and fruits didn’t do much for me, imagining what they could become made me begin to lament my lack of taste and hunger. Surprisingly, Fletch actually picked up a few things, mainly just a couple different fruits.

“Rations can get really boring sometimes.”

I glanced at the apple she just placed in her sack, “Doesn’t the inn have stuff like that?” I asked,

“Tavern food is expensive.” Fletch said, “Last night was a celebration, so we bought some. We don’t normally eat like that.”

“Huh,” I’m almost glad that I don’t have to deal with that.

Looking up, I could see the sky beginning to turn orange, and tracing it to the horizon revealed a beautiful sunset. It was slightly obscured by some buildings, but the dim glow of the sun still peaked through as it faded, the sky taking on a more purple hue in the process.

I’m sure there was some poetic thing I could say at this moment, but I was simply lost in awe. It really was something I had never seen before. Well that’s not true, I’ve seen plenty of sunsets in pictures, movies, cartoons, and anime. It was something I’ve never experienced in person before, and it really showed just how different everything was now.

Which reminds me…

“Hey, do you mind if I ask you some questions?” I began,

“Um…” Fletch looked at me with an odd face.

“It’s nothing personal, I swear.” I quickly added,

“Uh, okay. Sure I guess.”

“To start, what year is it?”

“Oof,” Fletch visibly winced, “Alright, give me a moment.” Her face scrunched up as she thought, “I want to say it’s been… I think almost fifty years since the three tribes joined together?”

“So what? That makes it year fifty of this era?” I guessed,

“Probably,” Fletch shrugged,

“And what about before that?”

“No idea.”

"How many days are in a year?"

"Uh..." Fletch rubbed her temple with a hoof, "I think the number was set to four hundred. You should really ask Indigo or Duck about that."

“Oh.” I said, before something else she mentioned caught my attention. “What are the three tribes?”

“Pegasi, unicorns, and earth-ponies.” Fletch listed,

“That’s right…” I muttered, “And is it only the three tribes?”

“I don’t know what else there would be. What would a fourth tribe even look like?” Fletch wondered, she touched her forehead and wings with a hoof. “Six-legged ponies?”

“And it’s just ponies?” I continued,

“I mean…” Fletch trailed off as she rolled her hoof, “There are other races like griffins, cows, and diamond dogs, but you won’t find many of them here.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well… The Tungsten state doesn’t exactly… welcome them.” Fletch drew out some of the words,

“Uh oh, what does that mean for me?”

Fletch looked me up and down for a moment, “I mean it’s not like you can get arrested for not being a pony, but… Yeah, I think there might be some problems.”

“Okay…” I said slowly, adjusting my cloak a bit, “Moving on, this country is called Equestria, right?”

“Yeah,”

“What do you call the planet?”

All I got was a blank stare, “What’s a planet?”

“Uh… What do you call this world then? This realm?” I tried,

“Besides just ‘The World?’” Fletch asked, “Um, I think Indigo said it was something that started with ‘Equ-.’”

“So like Equestria?” I asked,

“She might’ve just been talking about Equestria.” Fletch murmured,

“Alright, last question.” I said, “And this is a big one.”

“Oh boy,” Fletch replied,

“Do you believe in God?”

“Which god? And no.”

There’s more than one god? Of course there are, I knew that for a fact.

…

I blinked. Why did I know that?

“If that’s all your questions,” Fletch continued, “Then are you ready to head back?

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

Just how different is Equestria compared to Earth anyway? If the ponies control the solar cycles, the seasons, the weather, the plants, and the animals to a certain extant, you'll probably find yourself in a wildly different place.

At least we have a time frame as to when Phos is. If you know more about the gems' physiology, then you might be able to see where I'm going with this.

Also, if the Prologue wasn't enough, this is sort of a callback to the Chess Game of the Gods event that took place on this site a while back. I personally enjoyed some of those stories, even if they never got finished.

As to why Fletch would even know about the gods, there's probably a reason that religion isn't very prevalent in modern Equestria, but it hasn't happened yet. That doesn't mean the ponies have to be extremely religious though. Just your standard medieval peasants going about their days.