Chapters Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was very busy right now. Unicorns cantered in all directions, either desperately trying not to be late for a class or desperately trying to find some piece of research to finish a project, since it was the last day of finals. Red Ink, however, just meandered through the halls, whistling as he passed frantic students. He was a professor, so this day didn’t effect him nearly as badly as the students, and besides, he could give his students a few more minutes of review while he found some coffee. Some other professor must have some, since the faculty lounge was out. He peeked into a few offices, watching students jump and scrabble at their books. He smiled at the ones closest to him in each area before moving on. He really needed some if he was going to have the energy to test all these students.
After about ten minutes, it became apparent no other teacher kept coffee, so he magicked some from his own rooms. He might be cold, but with a few other minor spells, it turned into a decent cup. Finally, he trotted toward his own classroom. The stallion shook out his shaggy maroon mane before he pushed open his classroom door, with a glance making sure all of his two dozen students were there. Ponies of all colors and shades filled the classroom, though none exactly matched his bright red coat and maroon mane. Some of them wore ties or hats, which he didn’t mind, since he currently sported a green bow tie.
Not all of their cutie marks showed off their magical aptitude – some had discovered other talents, like cooking or they were from wealthy families. They still needed to learn to control their magic, even if it wouldn’t become their path in life. However, a few sets of sparks or elemental-themed cutie marks shown on flanks. Red Ink’s own cutie mark was an open book with sparks shooting from it, so it was easy to tell at a glance what he did for a living. Some of these young unicorns might end up in other jobs, but their magic would do them well for the rest of their lives.
“Books and notes away, colts and fillies,” he said and watched as they levitated everything into their bags and out of sight. After he made sure every scrap of paper was away, he stepped behind his desk and pulled out a bag of paintballs. These foals were only a year away from graduation at this point, so some practical application wouldn’t hurt.
“Shield charms!” he yelled before sparks erupted from his own horn. The bag of paintballs burst, the small pellets firing toward the students. Most of them got the shields up in time to stop the first salvo, but he heard some alarmed whinnies. However, by the time the second wave of little colorful explosions shot at the students, none actually splashed across coats. He levitated the bag down and smiled at his assembled students.
“Now…” He waited a few seconds as the door opened, revealing a small horde of puppies. Several of the fillies squealed, but now wasn’t the time for them to lose focus.
“Use your charms to convince these dogs to come to you… despite the temptation here at my desk.” He then opened a drawer, revealing a huge bowl of kibble. Every pup’s ears perked up and they rushed toward him, but he just watched as horns started blazing.
This spell was fairly simple, but he figured they’d use it a lot more than a gravity reversal spell or a spell to enchant other ponies. A spell to enhancing already-present emotions might be fun, but they better not have planned to control other ponies out in the real world. When he turned, he noticed only one puppy had made it to the kibble. When he counted, he realized two colts were warring over whom was going to charm a particular ebony-furred pup, and it was racing between them as green and silver light bounced around it. Red Ink quickly disrupted both enchantments the students casting with a toss of his head.
“Now, I appreciate the enthusiasm, so we’ll just count you both at full marks.” His pencil floated over his little checklist. He didn’t really expect anyone to fail, since this class was doing so much better than last year’s. However, the stallion still went through the motions, since Princess Celestia would definitely want to know about any standout students. Somepony would have to become a teacher after he retired, after all.
He transitioned them into the next spell – turning the dogs into rabbits. Every students managed to at least elongate their respective dog’s ears and feet, though a few still barked when stared at. Receiving a B was better than failure, but the current batch of students showed exceptional aptitude. Good, because he wasn’t planning on running classes during the summer.
Next, they had to reverse the spell and turn all those rabbits (or somewhere in between) back into puppies. This was a bit more difficult, but everyone managed it with a little concentration. He then charmed the small pack back out of the room, and proceeded to lead them through some basic levitation and repulsion spells.
“Looks like everyone is where they need to be,” the unicorn said. “I think most of you deserve As. Sparks, you’ll be receiving a B on your final.” A neon blue colt in the front row looked disappointed, but his puppy still possessed long ears and a strong urge for carrots by the look of it. He scooped that one up as well and ushered it out of the classroom.
“Now, you have about an hour before Professor Mystique quizzes you on theory. Notes can come back out, and I will see you all after the break.” The unicorn gave a theatrical bow before he left the students to a new wave of frantic studying.
Red Ink peeked in on a few other exams as he cantered toward the tempting sunlight. Professor Poppy Bloom was testing a few students on how to grow plants in a matter of seconds instead of weeks, while Professor Hostler quizzed his batch of colts and fillies on motion spells. Judging by the student on the roof, either gravity reversal spells were the current subject or a student screwed up. It was a difficult spell to pull off, even unintentionally – hopefully the cranky old professor wouldn’t grade too harshly.
The sun hit him and he took a few seconds to just close his eyes and enjoy it. This was his first time outside in nearly a week, thanks to exams – he lived in a tower on campus, along with most of the professors. The freshly-mowed grass, the faint scent of ozone from all the magic, wafting smells of cakes from the kitchen; these were the smells of home, but he could do without them for a bit. Some time in an isolated cabin to write a new book on charm theory would do him good. Besides, it was about time for a new edition. He decided to cut through one of the gardens, since it was the fastest path. He noticed a few ponies he recognized, and trotted up to one of them.
“Still going to your cabin?” one of the older professors asked him. He looked over at Magic Star, the head professor of elemental spells. Outside of a classroom or practical presentation, she just looked like any other older mare, though wearing a pointed, wide-brimmed hat. Her bright purple coat gleamed, showing off the deep red and orange whirls of her cutie mark: a swirl of fire.
“Yup!” He said, pausing to nibble on some roses. He hoped no gardeners saw him, but they were delicious.
“I wish you’d find someone to settle down with, Red Ink,” Magic Star said.
The stallion tossed his mane. “I’m young. There’s no rush,” he responded.
She tutted. “Just because you don’t want foals doesn’t mean you can’t find a stallion to settle down with. I know Starlight is looking for someone.”
“I don’t think we’d get along,” Red Ink answered tactfully. Starlight was her son, and he worked at the palace. They looked nothing alike, since his coat was ebony and his ‘talent’ – if you could call it that – was administration. His cutie mark was a ledger. The last time Red Ink had spent any time around the abrasive unicorn during a gala, he’d wanted to teleport out of Equestria entirely.
“What about the royal guards?” she offered. Red Ink didn’t want to miss his train, but he felt it would be rude to interrupt her. “I’ve heard rumors about a few of them.”
“That would be neat…” Red Ink mumbled. He wondered if the armor was enchanted to make them all look alike, or if they just dyed their fur. There was no way there were that many identical ponies.
“I’ll ask around for you,” Magic Star offered. “I do still have a few connections at the palace, you know.”
“Thank you, Magic Star, but I think I can manage on my own,” he said with as much grace as he could muster. He definitely needed to hurry now. “I need to catch my train…”
“Oh, yes,” Magic Star said, nodding a few times. “Go, go. I’ll see you at the start of the semester. I hope to read your new charms edition soon.”
“That’s the plan,” he said, and bolted toward the street entrance. Hopefully he wouldn’t get delayed again.
His bags should have already made it to the train station, thanks to the school’s very efficient staff. He could have gone first class, but where was the fun in that? The whole point of taking public transportation was to meet interesting ponies, see new sights, and learn about new spells. Many of Canterlot’s unicorns didn’t like associating with riff-raff, but Red Ink figured by those standards, he was riff-riff, what with his untrimmed mane and indifference to where someone was born. He had grown up here, and he certainly wasn’t rich. Well, he certainly wasn’t Filthy Rich rich. That was far too much money.
As expected, his bags were waiting for him at the train station. He didn’t see any member of the school’s staff, so he’d need to remember to send some flowers to that office in general, rather than to a specific pony. The northbound train was already there, and ponies were already boarding. No time like the present to start a relaxing vacation.
After boarding the train and showing the conductor his ticket, he decided now wasn’t the time to settle into his compartment. He trotted down the halls to the dinner cart, knowing they’d probably have some brunch out. As he expected, stallions and mares loitered around a bar that was covered in different vegetables and serviced by a bartender. He ordered an appletini, and while waiting for his drink, he chatted with a Pegasus who was on his way to a family reunion; that pony introduced him to his three brothers who were here for the same reason. The oldest brother smiled a bit shyly at him, but he bought all of them a round just to be on the safe side. It was a vacation, after all. Why couldn’t he make everyone a little happier?
When his brothers turned around, the oldest brother gave him a quick nuzzle and blushed all the way down his neck. Red Ink smiled, but he was getting off the train in only a few hours, and that was not nearly enough time for romance. Maybe he’d meet someone when he came back to Canterlot, but he’d probably be spending this vacation alone unless something strange happened.
Author's Note
Revision 2.1: Punctuation fixes
Long Jump slowly woke up, and for a few moments wished he was still asleep; a headache throbbed right behind his eyes. He groaned a bit, and dragged a hoof up in order to cover his eyelids and block out the painful light. With his vision still cloudy, the only senses he could take advantage of were hearing and smell. First he recognized the sound of hooves on wooden floors, his military training dully telling him there was only one other pony in the room with him. His sense of smell, however, picked up a very aromatic stew somewhere nearby. The hoof-beats got closer, and a happy voice chimed in through his headache.
“Good to see you finally woke up. Sorry about how long you were out - I’m not that good at healing spells. Hungry?” the voice asked.
Long Jump blinked his eyes open, even if they were unfocused, letting his brain going over the sounds he heard, and then shut his eyes again, at the brightness of the room was still too much. It was almost as bad as when he drank too much hard cider. He lay still for a moment before thoughts started to clink together.
“Healing… Where am I?” the pegasus asked in a raspy voice, rubbing his left forehoof against the top of his muzzle in a hopefully stealthy way to check to see if there’s some restraint around it. A kind voice didn’t necessarily mean he was in less-than-friendly hooves, after all.. His head felt foggy, as though he was a little drunk, though he could make out the general shape of a unicorn walking around the cabin. That unicorn stepped around the small cabin, stirring the stew Long Jump could smell, and then yanking out additional blankets from under a large couch.
“You’re in my cabin, out in the Northern Equestrian Woods. Don’t you remember crashing during the hailstorm? I brought you back here, bandaged you up, worked some spells,” The stranger said. A bowl of stew floated down in front of the pegasus’s muzzle, the fragrant aroma bypassing everything else to lodge directly in his somewhat-addled mind. He might have been in a lot of pain, but he was also starving.
“You’ve got bandages around your middle so you don’t throw yourself off balance,” the unicorn commented.
The guard ignored the final off-hoof comment, but relaxed somewhat at hearing that he was still on sovereign soil. He started to bend his right foreleg out to find the bowl but stopped with an involuntary yelp, his shoulder protesting at the movement. Instead, he switched to the left hoof to reach the bowl and plop his muzzle into the stew. He started to eat with a distinct lack of dignity.
The unicorn continued to flit around the small cabin, doing random cleanup and chores while the pegasus ate. When Long Jump’s muzzle lifted from an empty bowl, the unicorn replaced it with a full one almost immediately and set a cloth napkin down on the floor right next to it. The empty bowl floated over into the kitchen and dropped into the overflowing sink.“Are you just out here on patrol?” The unicorn asked. “I’ve heard the Royal Guard sends soldiers this far out, but I’ve never seen one out here before.” He lifted a foreleg to point at the pile of dented, dirty armor sitting in a corner, a few dozen feet from the pegasus. “I can probably fix it, if you’d like. Doozy of an enchantment set though, including the ones that make you all match.” He poured himself a bowl of stew and flopped down on the floor next to Long Jump. “I always wondered what the point of that was…” he mumbled before digging into his own food.
After finishing the second bowl of stew, the pegasus tried to sit up, then quickly gave up with a pained whinny, resting his chin back on the pillow that had been supporting his head. He gave out a bit of an annoyed huff at being so injured. Now he could think a little more clearly; the food had also definitely helped with his headache. He rubbed his left foreleg over his eyes a few times, blinking until things were less fuzzy. At least now he could identify the stove and a couch against the far wall. All the walls were lined with bookshelves, and more stacks of books had been piled in front of them. Papers stuck out of most of the books on the floor.
“The guard does patrol the borders, just not in the Celestial armor, usually…” Long Jump muttered. He squinted at the pile of mangled metal that used to be his armor and let out a bit of a low whistle.
“Damn. That looks like I got into a fight with the Guardian of Tartarus and lost,” Long Jump mumbled before he fell back into more formal speech. “Still, this guardsman owes you a debt of gratitude. May I have your name, Sir?”
The unicorn waited until he finished his bowl of stew before he answered. He wiped off his mouth and then stood up. “Red Ink. I’m a Professor at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. I’m out here for the summer break.” He walked over to the pile of discarded armor, and with a little glow around his horn, the armor floated up. Long Jump could see some actual holes in the barding caused by the hail, and a few of his feathers clung to it thanks to the grime.
“Now, I think I can fix this, but it will take a bit of luck,” Red Ink said. “Enchantments are my specialty, but not this kind.” He floated the armor up over Long Jump, across the room, and set it down on a large, oak desk; papers got pushed off onto the floor as it landed.
“What’s your name?” the unicorn asked as his horn glowed brighter. It looked like shadows of the armor were floating around it, or as though the armor was a small and it was showing the difference between a medium and a large. “Ignore the after-images. I’m just examining the enchantments. If you stare too long at them you’ll go cross-eyed.”
“Lieutenant Long Jump, Sir,” spilled out automatically. “As for the armor… it is against protocol to let it be examined, Sir.” If crashing out in the woods wasn’t going to get him in trouble with the brass, letting a civilian inspect his armor definitely would. “Crown secret. I must insist that you stop what you’re doing.” Red Ink just stared at him for a few seconds, and he realized he was trying to sound official while helpless on the floor of the quaint little cabin. He changed his tone to be more polite.
“I mean, please. My CO will have my hide and I’m…” He let out a grunt as he tried to stand up again and failed. “…not in any position to stop you at the moment.” Long Jump laid his ears back. Red Ink looked over at the pegasus, concern in his eyes.
“Then tell your CO that I’m an official enchanter for the Crown,” Red Ink said, and then smirked. “That may or may not be true.”
Red Ink turned back to the armor and stuck his tongue out of the side of his muzzle as he concentrated. The after-images disappeared, and there is an audible ‘pop’. There were still dents and holes in the armor and a lot of dirt still on present, but the armor definitely shone brightly underneath.
“I can’t really do anything about the metal at the moment, but you can wear it again, and the disguise enchantments might work now. Once you can get up, of course,” Red Ink added. The unicorn then trotted back over to the pegasus. “Any particular parts of you that are in a lot of pain? I know your back probably hurts a lot after the crash, but I can’t really do anything about that. Any joints pulling the wrong way? Achiness? I can’t really repair anything if it’s broken, but I can take the edge off.”
The guard gave out a huff of annoyance at the unicorn ignoring his request, then sighed in defeat, eyes downcast for a moment. If it helped ease the pain a little more, maybe it would be worth it to open up to this unicorn.
“I’m having trouble moving my right foreleg at the shoulder, and my entire right side is in a combination of burning pain and completely numb.” He shifted a bit, just to test his joints. He hissed and bit back the pain before going limp, panting. “I can’t feel my right hind leg or my right wing.”
The unicorn paused, taking a deep breath. “Well, the right hind leg I can do something about.” His horn glowed, and slightly painful tingles cascaded down the pegasus’s right hind leg, eliciting a grunt of pain from the pony. “This is basically magic acupuncture,” the unicorn said as the wave of tingles reached Long Jump’s hoof. “As for your right wing, well… you can’t feel it because it isn’t there anymore. It got severed in the crash and I, well…” he sighed heavily. “I couldn’t find it.”
The guard blinked a few times before he spoke again. “I’ve… I’ve been clipped?”
The unicorn sat down in front of Long Jump, leaning forward to give him a comforting nuzzle. “I’m sorry. I know it must be awful to think about.” He smirked, despite the seriousness of the situation. “There can’t be that many one-wigged Royal Guards, though. You’d be unique.”
The pegasus let out a grim chuckle. “No, what’s awful is my mom was right.” He raised his voice into a falsetto. “Don’t you dare join the guard, you’ll lose a wing!” He laughed a little harder until he started coughing and cringing in pain from rattling his bruised ribcage around too much.
Red Ink gave Long Jump another nuzzle before standing back up. “My mom expected me to run a bakery. A bakery! Not when I can do…” His horn blasted out a stream of violet sparks, and Long Jump found himself floating in the middle of the cabin for a few seconds. Red Ink gingerly set him down on one of the soft couches, a blanket folding over him a second later. “…that. Now, try and relax. Your body needs to heal.”
Long Jump did his best not to blush at the oddly forward nuzzles from the unicorn, somewhat thankful that he probably didn’t have enough blood to do so right now anyway. He then tried to get comfortable on the couch, fighting off a yawn.
“Wait, how far away are we from anypony? Do you have any way to get a message out?” Long Jump asked.
Red Ink looked up, thinking for a moment. “Not really. The train only comes every two weeks, and the mail doesn’t go out this far. It’s why I stay here - no one can bug me,” the unicorn said.
“Getting a message back to the castle isn’t going to happen for a while, huh?” Long Jump grumbled. “Hopefully they’ll take this as an excuse for being out of contact.”
The unicorn shrugged. “As soon as you can walk, we can put you on the train. You’ve got ten days. Besides, how is ‘horribly crashing’ not a legitimate excuse?” He stuck his tongue out playfully at the pegasus before prancing back into the kitchen. “Do you want some cupcakes? I think I am going to make cupcakes.”
Long Jump boggled for a moment at the randomness of the unicorn’s topic change, and refrained from answering either question. Instead he closed his eyes and fell quickly back into slumber.
Author's Note
Revision 1
Long Jump Walks and Red Ink Enchants
It took three days before Long Jump’s bad foreleg could take any weight, and one more day before he could take more than an awkward three legged step or two, since his right hind leg was completely useless from his injuries. He knew he was beat up, but right now, that more meant he couldn’t get home than the fact he was in pain. Red Ink kept making him potions and casting spells to ease it, but they needed to be monitored continually. Occasionally the pegasus felt more like a magical experiment than a soldier on the mend, but he definitely couldn’t complain about the unicorn’s results. He was feeling better, marginally, and he could limp around the cabin for exercise. If only he could still fly, this whole endeavor would have only resulted in a few scars.
However, it took the Royal Guard a week before he could look himself in the mirror. The only mirror in the little cabin was in Red Ink’s bedroom closet, and that meant walking through a room strewn with discarded clothes, piles of paper, spilled ink, and dried herbs. Without more control over his gimpy movements, he’d crash to the ground again. He knew, or at least suspected, the extent of the cuts down his side, and he really didn’t want to see what was left of his wing after the crash. Those concerns aside, he knew he needed to, if for no other reason than because it might not be as bad as it was in his head. So, after Red Ink left for the morning to collect herb samples and do some spell research out in the open air, the pegasus carefully hobbled into the unicorn’s bedroom to use the full-length mirror, and started by pulling off the antiseptic-smelling adhesive bandages from his legs and barrel.
Well, when he just stared at them, the injuries weren’t too bad; just ugly to look at. Lots of scarring and missing fur, but he had expected that. He turned back and forth as best he could to survey the damage. There was a large gouge high on his right haunch, which would explain the trouble he was having. It might heal over time, but he wasn’t going to hold out hope. The cutie mark on his right side had been practically scraped off as well. Would magic to restore it, would be just have to twist around if someone wanted to see it? Maybe now wasn’t the time to worry about that. He sighed, and after mentally bracing himself, flexed his left wing hard enough to pop the tape holding down the bandages wrapped around his midsection.
Overall, he had to admit it was not as gruesome as he’d expected, thanks to the unicorn’s medical attention. Rather than a mess of broken feathers or plucked skin, it looked like the cliff face had precisely shorn off his right wing. All that was left was a short, heavily bandaged spar sticking out from behind his right shoulder, and though he could wiggle it without much pain, it was otherwise useless in his eyes, finally cementing in his mind that he’d be ground bound for the rest of his life. Fighting against his body’s protests, he craned his neck around to poke at the stub with his muzzle, hissing at the pain. He now understood the bandages around his middle to help his maintain his balance; even now, he had to concentrate to stay upright, since any subconscious movement of his remaining wing threw off his equilibrium.
“I can always sew you a corset or something,” Red Ink said from behind him. The pegasus was so startled he reared up, whinnying, and twisted painfully to the side thanks to being so unbalanced. Magic engulfed him, and his vision clouded with purple sparks for a few seconds. When all four hooves touched the ground again, he was facing the unicorn. Also, he watched a fresh set of bandages begin to float around him.
“A corset isn’t particularly…stallion-like,” he muttered, but that comment just caused the unicorn to grin.
“Well, what do you think a back brace is? It’s just a corset without frilly bits attached.” The bandages tightened slightly, and the pegasus found his wing restricted again. The magic faded completely now, leaving him to slowly follow the unicorn when the other stallion walked back toward the living room.
“I found something of yours out in the woods,” Red Ink said. Before Long Jump looked around, morbid images popped into his head. He dismissed them. As far as he could tell, the unicorn wasn’t that macabre. He hoped the unicorn wasn’t that macabre, anyway.
However, the pegasus did smile when he saw what was waiting for him on the unicorn’s desk: his saddlebags. Losing all that gear would have been awful, so he dived right in to see if anything was missing. Red Ink took a step back and sat down, apparently content just to let Long Jump have his fun. Well, it might not be entirely fun, but he needed to make sure he still had a compass, his survey map, and hopefully his personal notebook. As he expected, forest creatures had eaten his rations, but that didn’t matter. Where was the notebook, or any of his heavier gear?
“There’s stuff missing,” the pegasus said, but then he found out why when his hoof slipped through a hole in the canvas. Apparently he hadn’t been the only thing ripped up by the storm.
“We can go look for it,” Red Ink suggested, “if you think you’re up for it.”
“Sure,” Long Jump said. The pegasus did feel he could do for a little exercise. As long as they moved slowly, Long Jump felt he could probably assist in the search. It was his notebook, after all. Red Ink nodded and pushed open the back door, holding it open with his flank for the both of them. Long Jump limped out ahead of him, fighting down a blush when the unicorn flicked his flank with his maroon tail.
Red Ink had been flirting with him these last few days, and there was really no point in denying he enjoyed it. Before meeting Red Ink, being considered romantically interesting from someone else had been rare, and mostly those advances had come from mares trying to get into events where he was on security detail. An occasional stallion might try to flirt with him, but most of those had felt disingenuous. From Red Ink, the friendly nuzzles, casual compliments, and shy smiles felt very natural.
After only two minutes walking in the woods, the pegasus already felt exhausted, but he didn’t want to say anything. He was a soldier, and that meant toughing it out through any and all obstacles. The pain in his right side started to throb instead of just being a slight distraction, but he’d been sleeping and resting for days. He could deal with it.
“I think I found something,” Red Ink said. He was muzzle-deep in a pile of leaves, and came back out with a very grubby-looking notebook between his teeth. It didn’t look damaged, but then again, who knew what condition the pages might be in. The unicorn set it on a stump, took a look around, and then pranced deeper into the woods. He must be trying to find anything out of the ordinary, since Long Jump hadn’t told him any other specific objects.
Once the unicorn was out of sight, Long Jump gratefully slumped down on the forest floor next to the stump, panting. He could take a minute to try and get his breath back, and he didn’t want Red Ink to see how winded this made him. It might be best to walk back to the cabin, wrap up in a blanket, and just read of one of the many books there, but he was a soldier. He needed to be active. He needed to get his strength back, and sipping cocoa while learning about Equestria’s history wasn’t going to fix that, especially with the unicorn doing his best to distract him at every moment.
Long Jump rolled over on his back, just looking up at the canopy and waiting for his pesky limbs to stop shaking. He’d flown hundreds of miles without even becoming sore and this brisk walk had taken it out of him. Would he be able to return to the Royal Guard after all of this? There were older guards with eye patches and scars, sure, but none who couldn’t keep up with the best of them. Maybe he’d end up a quartermaster, or part of a training crew. He might not like newbies that much, but it sure beat retirement because of one accident. His pay was low enough as it is and if he had to bet, Bulwark would bust him down to ensign before signing the discharge papers, leaving him even more destitute.
Could he return Red Ink’s obvious advances? Probably, he told himself, but it wouldn’t be a fast process. This just hadn’t happened to him before, and he wondered if the unicorn’s crush would continue once they got back to the city, or after Long Jump was able to take care of himself. Was this just a flight of fancy for the unicorn, or was it something more? He’d heard from other Royal Guards about nurses falling for the ponies they took care of; this might be like that. Then again, there wasn’t anyone else to talk to out here. Maybe Red Ink was just lonely and didn’t want to admit it. The pegasus falling out of the sky might have been inconvenient for the unicorn, but Long Jump knew his host was enjoying the company. Perhaps there was something mutual here, something nice, but the pegasus’s worries filled his mind. He’d like this to continue, if it were real.
“Are you alright?” Red Ink asked. He was standing over the pegasus, smiling down at him. He was handsome, Long Jump had to admit, and the sun was starting to set. They probably needed to get back to the cabin anyway, since Long Jump was in no condition to ward off anything dangerous out here.
“I’m fine,” he said, moving to roll over, but failing, since he started on his right side and a stab of pain flared up his right shoulder. After taking a deep breath, he tried again on his left, but he just didn’t have the strength at the moment. Honestly, he knew he could ask the unicorn to magic him up on his hooves, but that felt more like cheating.
“I’ll help you up,” Red Ink said, smirking, “if you close your eyes for just a second.” He leaned down a little more, and their muzzles were only a few inches apart. Long Jump blushed hard, figuring out pretty fast where this was leading. He could say no, of course, but secretly he didn’t want to. So, he took a deep breath, and shut his eyes.
The unicorn kissed him, softly, tenderly, as though he thought Long Jump was something fragile that might break. Maybe he was, come think of it, but it was nice for a single, precious moment to not have to worry about appearing like a guard or soldiering on like nothing was wrong with him. Right now, in the empty woods where he’d crashed, where he was slowly working his way back to being healthy, he could have a single second of peace.
After Red Ink broke the kiss, he stepped over to Long Jump’s left side and helped him get back up on his hooves. Even after they started walking back to the cabin, the pegasus’s notebook between his own teeth and his compass dangling on a chain from Red Ink’s, he couldn’t stop blushing. He’d been kissed before, sure, but never like that. It had never been something warm and perfect. He shouldn’t think like that, he told himself. He should focus completely on recovery and then returning home. Right now, though, he was happy. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy.
They set Long Jump’s recovered possessions down on the unicorn’s desk, and Red Ink nuzzled him. Long Jump nuzzled the other stallion back with some trepidation, having to angle and go slow in case the muscles in his next pulled again. However, it did feel good to reciprocate the affection for once.
“How’s your pain level right now?” Red Ink asked. “While we were out in the woods, I had an idea.”
“Not as bad as before, but still irritating,” the pegasus admitted.
Long Jump watched as the unicorn pulled open a drawer of his desk and retrieved a long strand of faux leather. Just when he thought he was done blushing, the heat crept back up his throat; it was a collar, complete with a little silver tag. It started to float toward him, and the pegasus instinctively took a step back, his rump bumping into the cabin door. Why a collar, of all things, and more importantly, why did the unicorn just happen to have a collar sitting around in his cabin, sized for ponies?
“I have to enchant something with the pain suppression spell I’ve been researching and perfecting,” Red Ink explained. “I figure this is the least bulky piece.”
“Wh…” Long Jump stuttered. A collar? He didn’t really mind the look of the thing – the sleek black leather would go with his fur quite well. Why did he care what it looked like? He’d never cared about fashion before. More importantly, why did he want the collar to look good with his fur? He didn’t have anyone to impress. Did the tag read ‘Property of Red Ink’? He hoped not. It clicked around his throat, and the pegasus’s blush nearly reached his ears. It was comfortable, at least. When had Red Ink gotten so close to him?
Red Ink stood in front of him and inclined his head, pressing the tip of his horn to the thin leather. Purple streams of magic pulsed into the collar, and Long Jump involuntarily let out a sigh of relief. The pain, all of it, was gone. Sure, he probably still couldn’t canter very far, but it would be nice to sleep for once without having jolts of pain travel up his flanks.
“Why did you have a collar in your desk?” Long Jump asked. The lack of pain certainly helped him clear his mind.
“You never did tell me what your cutie mark meant,” the unicorn said. Touché. They could both have secrets.
Long Jump looked over at his right flank. Scars and missing fur cris-crossed his side to the point that if someone looked at him from his right, he might as well be a blank flank. “My special talent is running into sharp rocks.”
Red Ink snorted, and then his whole body started to shake. For a second, Long Jump thought something was seriously wrong, but then the unicorn fell over, laughing so hard he was having trouble breathing. Long Jump pawed the ground with his good forehoof and rolled his eyes. While the unicorn tried to recover, he sank down on the largest couch. Silly unicorn.
Author's Note
Revision 1
“I need to buy a cloak,” Long Jump said stoically.
Red Ink stuck his tongue out at the pegasus. They were in the small boom town built around the nearby train station, running a few errands before they departed for Canterlot. Long Jump could walk around without losing his breath now, even if it was a three-legged hobble and only because of the pain suppression of the collar. That had started two days ago, but they still needed to wait for the train to arrive. It would be here in about an hour, which would allow Long Jump to report back to his commanding officer and Red Ink to run some charm ideas by some of the other professors. There was still a sizeable chunk of the summer break left, but the unicorn felt he was all out of excitement for this trip.
Long Jump’s armor had been stuffed into his saddlebags, leaving little room for his other provisions. The few irreplaceable objects rested in Red Ink’s luggage (already dropped off on the train platform) but the pegasus insisted on carrying his damaged armor. The dents and other damage rendered it un-wearable, but apparently it was a source of pride. He wouldn’t even let Red Ink enchant it to make it weigh less. The unicorn just didn’t understand that sort of stubborn, prideful behavior, but then again, that’s one of the reasons he liked the pegasus so much.
More than anything, he wondered if Long Jump would want to continue seeing him after they both went their separate ways in the capitol. Red Ink certainly cared for the guard, but he wasn’t sure if the pegasus felt the same way back. Most of Red Ink’s charms didn’t really work on the stoic guard; his jokes had been met with stares, and his magic generally elicited nothing more than a glance. It felt like he was trying to woo a cat; Long Jump would occasionally kiss him and be affectionate, but only on his terms.
Sure, Red Ink snuck in a kiss or a nuzzle, but the pegasus danced away sometimes, as though such affection was a surprise. Well, it might be, the unicorn thought, since Red Ink didn’t think Long Jump had ever been with his own very special somepony. If he had, the nuzzling and kissing might not come as such a shock. They could finish their errands here, and then maybe talk about it on the train.
While Long Jump limped into a clothing shop, Red Ink turned into the only local magic shop. One of his previous students ran this one and always gave him free potion ingredients when he came by; if he was leaving early, now was the time to stock up.
Hot Head stood behind the counter, carefully measuring out a bright pink powder. When the unicorn noticed Red Ink, he smiled, and accidentally bumped the scale, sending the powder whooshing into the air. Red Ink sneezed.
“You should be more careful with that,” Red Ink said, and stepped back while the other unicorn hastily swept up. Once the mess was taken care of, he rushed back behind the counter, smiling at the professor.
“I didn’t expect you here for a few more weeks,” Hot Head said. His orange coat gleamed in the brightly-lit shop, and his red-and-yellow striped mane swept back over his shoulders. He’d excelled at enchanting fireproof armor and houses, which ended up making him a lot of money out in dragon country and the drier areas of Equestria. Red Ink wondered sometimes why he still ran a quaint little shop when he could be rolling around in a pile of money in Canterlot.
“I’ve got to run home for a little bit,” Red Ink explained before pointing to a rack of dried herbs. “If you could cut me off a little sample of everything, I’d appreciate it.”
“Going to mention me in the new edition?” Hot Head asked. Red Ink had forgotten the other unicorn still bought all of the textbooks he wrote.
“As always. You are the fireproof expert.”
They chatted for a few more minutes about the other stallions in town - Hot Head had a crush on the local baker - and the visit ended with a bag of dried herbs, all individually labeled, stuffed into Red Ink’s bag. Most of them were probably known, but maybe he could figure out a few new uses to fill some pages. If anyone could find a rare herb that no one knew what to do with, it was Hot Head. Now he just needed to find his pegasus guest.
Well, the only way he recognized Long Jump was by his gait; odds were low more than one pony with a bad rear right leg was in this particular town. Apparently, he’d found the cloak he wanted, since it covered every inch of him. It was simple, black, and probably far too hot for the warm day, but it did hide most of him from view. “I like the look. Very stealthy,” Red Ink said.
“Let’s just get on the train,” Long Jump said.
Red Ink smiled, even if he thought the pegasus was more than a little embarrassed. He’d been crippled and didn’t want anyone to see him in his current state, even if the unicorn honestly thought the scars made him look more distinguished. The bandages around his barrel were the only ones left, and they only secured his remaining wing to his side to save his balance. There was nothing shameful in admitting injury, even if the unicorn understood it might be different for a soldier.
“I can pay for my own ticket,” Long Jump said. They were standing in front of the ticket booth, and the green Earth pony eyed the pegasus covered in the cloak suspiciously.
“With what money?” Red Ink asked. They hadn’t been able to find the small pouch of coins that Long Jump insisted had been in his saddlebag. Red Ink had passed him a few coins for the cloak earlier.
“I… I can pay you back for it,” the pegasus insisted. “Or the crown can.” He took a hasty step toward the ticket master, whose eyes widened considerably. “Do Royal Guards ride free? I need to return to Canterlot.”
“We don’t offer free fares, sir,” the Earth pony said, and Red Ink just produced a small sack of coins from his bag and set them on the counter.
“For your trouble,” the unicorn said, knowing the coins there were worth about double what the tickets cost, and took the two tickets between his teeth. Long Jump might protest, but he could afford to grease a few hooves.
He gave their tickets to the conductor, a stern-looking Earth pony, and found one of the still-deserted compartments. With the train coming by so infrequently, the entire length of cars would soon be packed with eager ponies. Red Ink, however, wanted to keep the trip as event-free as possible, so once they shut the cabin door behind him, the unicorn concentrated.
“I’ll pay you back for the ticket,” Long Jump insisted, but Red Ink ignored him for now; the pegasus could be neurotic once he was done casting this spell.
It might be cheating, but Red Ink wanted Long Jump to be able to relax before reaching Canterlot. With the off hoof comments the guard made on occasion, the pegasus’s commander would yell at him, or worse, so he was going to make this journey stress-free. Beams of violet light shot from the unicorn’s horn and landed on the empty seats. Each filled with the ghost image of a pony. It breathed, silently laughed, and turned to the other illusions as they formed to fill the area. Someone just looking through the frosted glass of the cabin door would see a packed compartment. Red Ink locked the sliding door just to be sure. If someone specifically asked to come in, he could make them appear more solid. “They won’t bite,” Red Ink assured Long Jump. “I can’t project this many solid ponies.”
“Aren’t you denying other people on the train their seats?” Long Jump asked. Red Ink smiled.
“They can find somewhere else to sit,” Red Ink said, now wondering if the images had been a good idea after all. They seemed to only add to the pegasus’s stress. He walked through two of the phantom ponies, watching as Long Jump winced.
“They aren’t solid at all,” the unicorn explained. “It’s like walking through fog.”
“How do you feel?” Red Ink asked.
Long Jump eyed the fake ponies for a moment, and then waved a forehoof thought one of them before taking a bench near the window, lying down on his stomach to take the weight off of his hooves.
“Tired,” the pegasus admitted. “And confused. I appreciate you taking care of me, and, um, paying for the train ticket, but why are you heading back with me? I thought you were on vacation?”
The unicorn took up the bench on the other side of the narrow aisle, flopping down and facing the pegasus. “I was on vacation, and then you crashed.” He smiled. “I wanted to make sure you made it back safe. I care about you.”
The guard couldn’t help but blush while using the edge of the plush bench to get his heavy replacement saddlebags off his back; they landed on the floor with a muffled thump. With a deep breath he then lied down fully, and rested his chin on the cushion, looking at Red Ink with one eye.
“I may be crippled but I’m not helpless. I’d have been able to make it back.” He paused for a moment, visibly trying to form a statement, then giving up on being tactful. “I don’t understand why you’d say that last part, though.”
Red Ink stretched out a little more, one of his forehoofs dropping over the side of the bench and scraping the floor.
“Because I do,” the unicorn said. His mane covered one of his eyes as he spoke, so he took a second to shake it out of the way. “I think you care about me too. You just… aren’t used to it,” he finished lamely. “Have you ever had somepony special?”
Long Jump shook his head. “No. I… um, well I never thought about it when I was younger to be honest. After that I spent most of my time writing in my notebooks until I figured out that I couldn’t make a living out of it. It wasn’t until I was in the academy that I finally realized that I spent more than a normal amount of time looking at other stallions.” He coughed out of embarrassment. “And by that point I was too busy with training.” The pegasus looked directly at the Unicorn. “But have you either? You act like the type who would flit around between colts who catch your eye.”
Red Ink chuckled. “Magic academy was a bit different. We didn’t have to be strict and we could… experiment if we wanted to. I figured it out earlier than you, that’s all.” Someone cantered by the compartment, and he magically upped the phantom noise, just to be sure. “I’ve had special someponies. I’ll flirt, sure, but it’s different sometimes. Sometimes it’s something more.” He paused and looked directly at the pegasus. “I think this is one of those times.”
Long Jump opened his muzzle, and then closed it after a second, visibly sagging and reaching up to rub his eyes with his forehoofs before dropping them back down.
“This is all just so confusing. Riot control when the sun didn’t come up, piece of cake. Dealing with pink sticky clouds, annoying but doable. Changelings… well let’s skip that one, nopony in the guard did well during that except the Captain. This though, I’ve got no idea what I’m supposed to do.”
Red Ink slipped off his bench, and with one side step stood next to Long Jump. He leaned down and nuzzled the pegasus, ending by giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Why don’t we figure it out, then? Together. I have my own place at the school, and I bet you don’t want to go back to living in the barracks with smelly recruits. You can stay with me for a little while.”
“They aren’t smelly.” he said defensively. “The Guard is made up of good ponies.”
“So you want to live with boisterous newbies?” Red Ink asked, smiling. “I’m energetic and I don’t think I could keep up with them.”
Long Jump rolled his eyes and huffed, leaning over to nuzzle the Unicorn. “Well, I don’t need to stay at the barracks. It is, was, is easier…” He chewed on his lower lip for a moment before he continued. “I’ll admit, physical contact does feel nice.” His cheeks turned a bit pink at that. “Ok, if I am going to stay with you, though, I want to set some ground rules.”
Red Ink kissed the pegasus again. “Depends on what they are, but go ahead.”
“One, let me sleep on the couch. You do have a couch, right?” Long Jump asked.
“Several,” the unicorn answered.
Long Jump raised an eyebrow at that. “How much do they pay you teachers?”
The unicorn smirked. Maybe he should be vague, he thought. “If I told you, you’d vomit. Not ‘feel like vomiting,’ mind you. You’d physically vomit.”
The pegasus laid his ears back. “Oh. Um, anyway, Two: Please don’t embarrass me in, doubly so when I’m working.”
Red Ink climbed up on the bench next to Long Jump, setting his muzzle down carefully on the other pony’s flank. “I think I can manage that.”
“Three…” He undid the clasp of the cloak and jabbed his hoof at the collar. “Tell me why you own a pony-sized collar.”
Red Ink smiled wide. “In case I had a chance to convince another pony to wear it.” He poked the collar with his own hoof. “The tag is blank, by the way. Don’t fret.”
Long Jump gave the unicorn a blank look, opened his muzzle, then snapped it shut “You know what? No. No, I’m not going to ask why. You just had this for researching magical aid to chronic pain, and collars were cheap. Period.”
Red Ink giggled. “If you’d like.”
• • •
Red Ink stayed in the cabin with Long Jump most of the train ride back to Canterlot. Mostly, it was to be supportive and keep the illusions running, but there was also the cuter reason when the pegasus fell asleep while draped over him. If anyone had come into the cabin during those couple of hours, they might have thought a spectre was haunting the train.
The train slowing down woke the pegasus up, and then Red Ink started to giggle when Long Jump was so startled by his current position. In sleep, he’d draped over the unicorn’s lap, the hood of the cloak fallen forward, gently snoring into the cabin. Now he rolled off onto the floor, though he landed on his good legs.
“Wh… wh…” he mumbled, readjusting the cloak. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Red Ink asked, smiling as he stood up to stretch his legs.
“I fell asleep on you,” the pegasus said. “You didn’t get to go do stuff on the train.”
“Like what?” Red Ink asked. He leaned toward the other stallion, and kissed him on the cheek.
“I don’t know,” Long Jump stammered. “You told me there was a lounge and a bar.”
“I wanted to spend my time with you,” Red Ink whispered before pulling his muzzle back. With a quick thought, the illusions all dissipated. “It’s not a big deal. Now c’mon. We’re home.”
Author's Note
Revision 1
Long Jump Reports for Duty
Damn, his side hurt. Long Jump limped down the wide street, trying to keep in step with Red Ink. He was failing. The unicorn might as well be bouncing with excitement at being back in Canterlot, though Long Jump couldn’t really share in his glee. The pegasus needed to return to the barracks, since he was incredibly late with his report. Bulwark probably thought he was dead, or worse, that he’d intentionally deserted. He had his pride as a soldier to think about, on top of letting everypony know he could no longer be part of the flyover squad (which he shouldn’t be on to begin with, since 1st year as a lieutenant was supposed to be palace duty). The protection of Equestria came first, even over temporarily moving in with the bouncy unicorn.
However, he still needed Red Ink’s help with something. The enchanted Royal Guard armor couldn’t be worn at the moment thanks to a few bangs, and he bet the unicorn knew someone who could fix it. He didn’t want to bring it directly to the Guard blacksmiths, since once he started that way he needed to immediately report for duty reassignment. They’d found his report log and map, and he’d technically been successful in scouting some of the area, even if that had been constrained to a small cabin and the surrounding woods for a few weeks. Nothing had invaded; he could count this whole endeavor as a partial success.
“I can float you up the stairs, if you’d like,” Red Ink said.
Long Jump shook his head to pull himself back to the present. He stood at the base of a spiral stone staircase, wide enough for two ponies to walk flank-to-flank. However, though the injured pegasus had been able to master a few stairs, this looked daunting.
“I can do it,” he said. If he was going to continue to be a guard, stairs weren’t going to conquer him.
“Alright,” Red Ink said, and continued up the staircase. Their luggage floated above him, which included Long Jump’s notebook. He needed to bring all of his military supplies with him, even if the armor might not fit as well as it should.
Climbing the stairs was slow going. Every few steps he needed to stop, re-balance, and take a deep breath. The pain suppression collar might be working wonders, but it didn’t seem to be able to cut out the pain entirely when he pulled something or leaned the wrong way. Up until now, it had only been a nudge, or a slight incline that his joints needed to work against; apparently a staircase was too much to ask.
When he made it to the top of the stairs, he looked down the long hall, sighed, and limped along. Only one of the large oak doors was open and he could hear Red Ink singing something obscene. He made it past the doorway before he needed to slouch down and take a deep breath. At least he wasn’t where anyone but Red Ink could see him.
From what the unicorn had described, Long Jump had expected his place of residence to be a bit more… grandiose. Sure, the couch against the far wall looked expensive, and the large kitchen certainly looked new, but there were no giant sculptures, fountains, or anything gilded; just more books, piled in corners, weighing down shelves, and even stacked on the kitchen counter. Most looked old and heavy, but smaller adventure and romance books dotted the floor closer to the couch. It was like he knew he needed to read the heavy books for his job, but the smaller ones were for enjoyment.
“Do you want a glass of water?” Red Ink asked as he walked into the pegasus’s line of sight. “Or I could get you a glass of wine? Or a stretcher?”
“I’m fine,” Long Jump said, and heaved himself upright. Now was not the time to be weak. He needed to report. He needed to get his armor strapped on.
The pegasus swung his saddlebag off his side, and unloaded his armor. A few pieces, like his helmet, were probably beyond saving, but he could definitely wear the barding and even keep his bandages intact. Well, assuming that gaping hole in the side could have its rough edges polished off and that dent on the flank could be repaired. Overall, though, it didn’t look too bad.
“I assume you want to wear your beat-up armor down to the barracks,” the unicorn said. Long Jump nodded as he fought with getting his traveling cloak off.
A bright glow encompassed the armor, and Long Jump took a step back. He watched as the jagged edges of metal smoothed out, and then the dented sections popped back into place. It still looked destroyed, but at least he could wear it without causing further injury. Finally, the full set of armor floated up over him, and then settled over, withers to dock. He felt the buckle around his barrel click closed. The shoes still sat on the hardwood floor, waiting for him to step into them.
“The helmet is too heavily enchanted for me to repair completely,” Red Ink said. The pegasus watched as the unicorn tied his helmet to a strap over his chest, leaving it bouncing lightly against his armor. “There. Should be good enough.”
“The uniformity enchantments won’t work if I don’t wear the helmet,” Long Jump said.
“They also won’t regrow your wing,” Red Ink said, then gave him a kiss. “Besides, if you look like every other guard, how will your CO know it’s you checking in?”
“But…” There was a point to that. “Fine. I’m leaving now.”
“Meet me at the Boggle Bakery when you’re through,” Red Ink said. “We can get a late bite to eat.”
“Alright, but I don’t know how long debriefing will be. I’ll send someone to let you know if I’m going to be excessively late.” Long Jump said, and started back out the door. Hopefully walking down the stairs would be easier than walking up them.
• • •
A strange sight greeted the pegasus when he finally made it to the barracks. It had been slow going, even if the Royal Guard armor caused the crowd to part somewhat for it. With his slate-blue coat, he didn’t fit the image of a guard, but the shine off the armor was apparently enough. He was wheezing by the time he made it to the barracks, and the two Earth ponies stationed near the gates looked shocked at his appearance. He couldn’t blame them; his armor could only look worse if it had gone through a wood chipper while he was still wearing it. Besides that, those guards looked identical; he could be any schmuck in a stolen set. However, one of the guards looked a lot more concerned than the other.
“Is that you, Long Jump?” he asked.
“I’m here to report in,” Long Jump said, and started walking past them. Neither stopped him.
“There have been rumors…” the Earth pony said, but then trailed off. Well, Long Jump didn’t care much for rumors. Besides, if there were rumors about him, he could squash them right now by simply walking through the barracks and showing himself to Bulwark. The other pegasus might be mad at him, but that was no reason to be unprofessional right now. After all, Long Jump had survived the trip.
Guards peeked out of doors, turned to look at him as they walked by, and generally just seemed very curious at his presence. What was happening? Surely one guard returning from a mission out in the boonies didn’t warrant this kind of attention. He didn’t really like being noticed to being with – in his mind, he did his job best when people didn’t know he was there. Why were all these cadets taking a sudden interest in him? His helmet clanked against his armor, but that wasn’t that strange when a pony was off-duty, especially if they stayed on base. There must be something else going on.
“…Bulwarks’ been claiming he deserted for days…”
“…he looks awful…”
“What happened to his armor?”
“You think he’s going to be thrown in jail for doing that to himself?”
Long Jump figured the last questioner must have assumed he’d gotten into a fight, or destroyed his armor through a poor decision of his own instead of a freak accident. Well, he really hoped that Bulwark believed his story, especially considering it was true. Dozens of pairs of eyes followed his hoofbeats, but most of the muzzles pointed at him remained silent. That worried him. Guards talked. Guards gossiped. Most of all, guards shared a camaraderie not seen in other jobs. A guard respected his fellow guard, no matter if they originated from Canterlot, Manehattan, Cloudsdale. If they shot magic or flew through the sky or thundered across the plains. Maybe his wings not showing freaked those who knew him. His armor did have opening for his wings, and neither showed at the moment; they might be assuming he was completely clipped.
“Long Jump!” a voice boomed into front of him. The pegasus nearly reared up, but fought back the urge. Bulwark’s voice could probably carry across entire continents.
Bulwark did not like him, and that was a fact Long Jump had learned to deal with, but he’d never seen the other pegasus so angry. He was already large, and now, with his wings spread out and his nostrils flaring, he looked more like a wild beast than a respected military commander. He snorted, and Long Jump needed to stop from bolting. Twenty yards away, and his superior officer could scare away a ghost. His silver coat gleamed in the harsh sunlight, which made him appear even more ethereal. Maybe Long Jump could talk some sense into him, but his expression said otherwise.
“Sir, I’m here to…” Long Jump started, but he didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence.
In a move almost too fast for Long Jump to react, Bulwark charged at him. In seconds his shoulder impacted the injured pegasus’s side, sending him flying backward. Rather than trying to get between him and the enraged commander, the cadets scattered, taking up places behind crates, around corners, and inside tents, but always with their heads poking above cover. They must have wanted to see this, Long Jump thought bitterly, even as pain rocked down his good side and he sprawled across the dirt path. Bulwark lunged at him, and Long Jump just didn’t have the force of will to fight him; there was no coming back from striking a superior officer.
“You’re under arrest, maggot,” Bulwark said.
“Sir, I…” he started, and Bulwark struck him across the muzzle. His teeth shook. Alright, so Bulwark didn’t want to hear his story. Maybe he could tell it to someone else, once he could talk again; he’d bitten his tongue.
“Drag this maggot to the brig. I’ll deal with him tonight,” Bulwark ordered, “and muzzle him. I don’t want any of you weak willed types being swayed by any of his lies.” Two Earth ponies as big as the commander moved forward. One lifted Long Jump and draped him over the other’s back. Finally, he wrapped a set of shackles and chains around the pegasus’s forehoofs and another set around his ankles, leaving him practically helpless with the addition of being muzzled. The Earth pony then patted down his side, probably checking his wings. The hoof paused when he found nothing on the right side, but didn’t alert Bulwark to the missing wing. The second Earth pony then began walking deeper into the base, and Long Jump closed his eyes. It was going to be a long while in the brig, and he had no way to tell Red Ink what had happened. Hopefully the unicorn could get by without him for a while.
Author's Note
Revision 1
Red Ink Casts Too Much Magic
Red Ink had been sitting outside the Boggle Bakery for about an hour, growing more irritated as the sun moved across the sky. His loitering wasn’t making the owners happy, and even after ordering a bottle of champagne in a bucket and some scones, Long Jump still hadn’t shown up. He laid his head down on the table, sighing, when he saw Calpain, his buckskin-patterned assistant, coming out of a nearby sweet shop. He met his assistant’s gaze and waved; Calpain probably hadn’t expected him back until the end of summer break. Maybe Calpain could catch him up on the city, since he’d been back in town for the whole of two hours.
The earth pony stallion did a double take, and Calpain approached his mentor, nodded in greeting, and then took a seat at the table and set his saddlebags next to the chair.
“Professor Red Ink! I didn’t expect to see you back in town so soon. Surely everything is all right, isn’t it?” Calpain asked, a touch of concern creeping into his voice.
The unicorn lifted his head off the table and smiled a bit at his assistant. “Someone crash-landed at my cabin. Was helping them back to the city.” Red Ink looked over at the warming champagne and let out a huff. “Well, I expected him to be back in a few minutes, but it’s dragging out. He’s a guard and had to report in.” Red Ink took a breath before continuing. “Have you ever dated one of the guards? I know there’s more than a few coltcuddlers in there.”
One of the other stallions at a nearby table looked over in shock at the pony’s open language, but didn’t say anything. Calpain’s face immediately flushed a deep red, and Red Ink wondered for a second if he had said something wrong. They might not be that close, but they occasionally talked about their personal lives. They’d never gotten specific before, but the unicorn was in a bad mood and wanted to talk about it.
“Uhh… no, I’ve never dated one of the guards before, sir. But I have heard the same sort of rumors you have through the grapevine,” the pony replied.
Red Ink rolled his eyes, and his horn suddenly glowed. The champagne bottle popped and then floated over two small glasses. One slid over the table to the Earth pony.
“Relax. I think Long Jump - the colt I’m seeing - is a lieutenant. That’s what he said, anyway.” He lifted his own glass and drained it in one movement. “Are you seeing anyone at all? That cute graduate assistant in the Magical Theory department? I heard he might look mean, but he’s a sweetie.” Red Ink refilled his glass, but kept his eyes on Calpain. He still felt irritated, but at least teasing the Earth pony got him to smile.
Cal carefully took the glass, giving Red a smile and a nod in thanks as he took a small sip of the champagne. Apparently finding it to his liking, he downed it in a swift movement. The earth pony then blushed, his ears folding back.
“N… No, no one at all. I… I’m not really interested in his type…” The colt trailed off, looking a little sullen.
Apparently Calpain didn’t want to talk about his love life. Red Ink downed his second glass of champagne and frowned.
“Long Jump won’t tell me. ‘State secrets’ and all that.” The third glass didn’t take much longer to reach his lips. “I’ve got half a mind to march down there and give that colt a piece of my mind. I got him back here, and now he’s leaving me high and…” He took a look at his empty glass. “Well, not exactly dry, but you know what I mean.” He stuck out his tongue. “I’ve been waiting for an hour. The sun’s almost set. He’s really nice, so I bet it’s that asshole of a commander he told me about. Apparently his boss on base is a piece of work.” Now one of the guards eating at the cafe looked completely offended, but Red Ink felt a little past tipsy.
“That asshole pony gave him a shitty assignment, sent him out alone, and is probably yelling at him right now.” Red Ink stood up and bumped the table. “You know, I should go down there. I should find out what’s going on.”
The yellow cream pony stood up as Red left his chair. Red Ink knew he was in no condition to go anywhere and any attempt to confront the commander would surely end in the unicorn having his flank handed to him, but right now he didn’t care.
“Whoa, sir! Calm down! If you get into a fight with a commander you could get seriously hurt, and Long Jump might be punished as well. You don’t want that, do you?” Cal pled as he held Red Ink back with his forelegs.
If he was sober, the unicorn would have definitely appreciated Calpain’s attempts to hold him back, but right now, he’d gotten riled up and wanted to do something about it. With a quick glow of his horn, he lifted Calpain away from him, setting him down a few steps away. Red Ink shook out his mane, glared, and started to stomp toward the castle. He didn’t really know where the barracks was, but he bet he could just check near the palace or follow a returning guard. Something was wrong with Long Jump, and he was going to figure out what it was.
“Follow me if you want, Calpain, but someone’s gonna tell me what’s going on with my very special somepony.”
Red Ink stomped down the sidewalk, working through his mental checklist of all his meanest spells. He might not be the best at chucking lightning bolts across a field, but he’d try if he needed to. Stupid military. Stupid duty. Stupid commander who intimidated Long Jump.
Two guards stood at the wide entrance to a cordoned-off section of the city next to the palace, so Red Ink figured there would be a good place to start. He walked right up to the two identical Royal Guards, wondering what he could say. He wasn’t actually an enchanter for the palace. His credentials might get him into the palace itself, but a military post was another story. What tale could he tell? Enchanting them for information should be a last resort.
“I need to speak to Lieutenant Long Jump,” Red Ink ordered one of the guards. “Immediately.”
The guard just stared at him for a few seconds before answering.
“Civilians are not allowed on base without permission,” the guard said.
“Then bring him to the gate,” Red Ink offered. “I don’t have to come on the base.”
“I can’t authorize that,” the guard said. Now the unicorn was getting a little more irritated.
“Then just send a message down!” Red Ink said. “I’m a professor as Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. I think I deserve a few words.”
“He can’t come to the gate,” the other guard blurted out, and Red Ink jumped at the chance.
“And why is that?” Red Ink asked very quickly.
“Long Jump is currently in the brig, sir,” the guard answered, almost automatically. Then, he looked embarrassed.
“Excuse me?” Red Ink felt the heat rising within him.
“We aren’t allowed to divulge that kind of information,” the other guard said, glaring at his comrade. “It would be best if you two just returned to your homes.”
“Well, I want to know why he was arrested!” Red Ink demanded.
“He was arrested for desertion earlier tonight, sir,” the guard finally admitted. Now his comrade looked positively furious.
“He’s not a dessert!” Red Ink cried, and moved to walk past the guards. One of them stepped in front of him.
“Civilians aren’t allowed on base without auth…”
However, the Earth pony did not get to finish that sentence. A wave of purple energy blasted them back into the gate, and a second wave threw the gate off its hinges. Red Ink stepped over the debris, his horn still glowing. Calpain stayed outside the ruined gate, looking more than a little panicked.
“You really shouldn’t have done that!” he said.
“They shouldn’t have arrested Long Jump,” Red Ink said. He kept walking, and then heard a siren go off. There would be none of that. He pointed his horn at the nearby siren and blasted it. The pony turning the crank had the good sense to jump out of the way. Many more pegasuses and Earth ponies moved toward him, but with a swing of his head and a few well-chosen spells, they hung in the air, trapped in large bubbles.
When a unicorn came hurtling around a corner, shooting beams of white light at him, Red Ink’s anger only rose. No one was going to hurt Long Jump ever again. Blasts of purple light shot at all the approaching unicorns, neutralizing them before they could start casting spells of their own. He wasn’t going to hurt any of these guards – they were just doing their job, after all – but this would not stand. Red Ink kept walking.
It only took him about a minute to find the brig, since it was the most solid building on the whole base, and it had a sign labeled ‘detention’. However, brick walls weren’t really designed to withstand magical transformation on their own. Sweat poured down the unicorn’s brow as he lashed his magic around the entire building, pouring little drops of power into each and every stone. Red Ink worked through the last steps. He might not throw fire, but he could do some cool things to stationary objects.
Suddenly, the building was made of potatoes, and potatoes didn’t stand up in walls like bricks did. They tumbled down in a wave of starch in all directions, pushing back a few ponies that had managed to reach the unicorn while he concentrated. Besides the desks and cell bars that still stood, a massive pegasus turned to look at Red Ink. Long Jump was in one of the cells, but transforming the walls left the cell intact, and it wasn’t like he could fly up out of there. That large pegasus shook potatoes off his wings.
“You’ve got one chance to surrender, unicorn,” the huge pegasus said.
“Did you give Long Jump that chance?” Red Ink asked. Anger surged in him. He could see a huge welt on the side of Long Jump’s cheek, starting under his eye and disappearing behind a muzzle.
“He’s a soldier,” the pegasus said, as though that ended the conversation. Red Ink scowled.
“You’re going to unlock that cell right now,” Red Ink said. “Or I am going to turn you into a duck.”
“Go ahead and try,” the huge pegasus snarled, and took to the sky.
To be fair to the giant pony, he was remarkably agile for someone of his size. Red Ink shot transformation spells at him, but he dodged, diving down to grab a weighted net from a rack adjacent to the destroyed gate. When he threw it, Red Ink was able to bounce it back at the pegasus, but he swatted it away with one flap of his wings. The unicorn was getting tired; perhaps changing the brig into potatoes had been a bit too flashy.
The huge pegasus took another pass at him, and this time the unicorn got lucky. One of his transformation spells caught the pony in his wing, and though it didn’t change him entirely, one of his wings shot down into the size of a duck’s wing. The pegasus then promptly crashed into a tower, sending it and him into the dirt road.
Red Ink sprinted to the brig’s exposed cell, and with a carefully-aimed blast, the lock turned into a dove and flew away.
Long Jump’s eyes slowly narrowed while the unicorn pushed the cell door open, and with another wave of magic the unicorn tore the muzzle off of the slate blue guard. Right when Ink took a step closer to Jump, he lashed out and promptly punched Red Ink in the shoulder with his good hoof, the shackles pulling the punch so that Red Ink was knocked to his rump instead of completely over.
“You…you…you Ponce!” Long Jump yelled.
“What?” Red Ink asked. “I’m saving you.”
“Saving me from what!” Long Jump yelled louder, and then headbutted the unicorn in the chest, pushing him the rest of the way out of the cell, this time landing the unicorn on his back. With a half-leap forward he dropped his forhoofs on either side of the unicorns’ neck, effectively using the hobble chain to pin him down. “Are you out of your Celestia-damned mind?!” The pegasus was seething in rage.
Long Jump broke off and stepped away from the Unicorn, eyes locked up and away, completely ignoring the maroon stallion. The guard quickly turned his head to grab at the bandages around his flank and with a sharp pull ripped them, then flared his one wing out, sending the fabric fluttering. Red Ink blinked and looked in the direction Long Jump was staring and saw a bruised and enraged Bulwark charging at them with a spear.
With a crouch and an unfurled wing, Long Jump telegraphed that he was going to take off, making Bulwark instinctively alter the angle of his spear to impale a flying opponent. Long Jump gave a small grin and completed the launch right before impact, but instead of getting him airborne threw him into a hard corkscrew, so instead of his body being in the way of the weapon, it instead passed between his legs, over one chain and under another. Long Jump hugged his responding limbs to his chest, trapping the shaft of the spear against himself, pulling it down with his weight, causing the tip to bury into the ground, and sending Bulwark in a rather impromptu pole-vault over his captive. With one last movement, he twisted, landing on his good side, sending the spear rolling away.
“Bulwark arrested me. It wouldn’t have stood up in court,” Long Jump said, clearly winded from his stunt as he fought to regain his breath. Just then, Red Ink realized how mad the pegasus was at him. He thought he was being the hero, but apparently, Long Jump did not.
When Red Ink turned, there was someone new coming down the road, with more seasoned looking guards on either side.
“We can escape, c’mon,” Red Ink insisted, but Long Jump laid down on his belly instead, hoofs out instead of tucked under his body, and his one wing splayed on the ground; the position demanded of somepony being arrested.
“That’s Shining Armor,” Long Jump said, glaring up at Red Ink. “You’re screwed.”
Author's Note
Calpain used with permission.
Revision 1
Red Ink might have surrounded himself in magical barriers, but Long Jump stayed on the ground, knowing what would come next. Shining Armor was classes above anyone currently in the Royal Guard, and the pegasus sort of doubted Red Ink could stand against him. If it came to some epic spell slinging, he felt the safest place to be was as low as possible, remaining prone, and with everypony seeing him surrendering. He knew better than to screw with the former Captain of the Royal Guard. Why in all that was holy did Red Ink think he could just waltz in here and destroy stuff? A potato rolled against his hoof. Oh, right, Long Jump thought. It was the magic.
With one giant, blinding explosion of light blue, Red Ink flew over Long Jump as though he had sprouted wings. The unicorn landed in a pile of potatoes, groaned, and didn’t get back up. Well, so much for that fight. Long Jump stayed where he was and watched while Shining Armor walked over to check the downed unicorn. He prodded Red Ink’s side before nodding.
“Is anyone going to tell me what is going on?” Shining Armor called out. The two guards with him both looked equally astonished. “Some unicorn was shooting spells all over the place, and there are potatoes where a building should be. Where’s Bulwark?”
“He’s… indisposed?” one of the other guards said, and looked up.
Long Jump followed the other guard’s gaze and became mesmerized, watching Bulwark flying in tight circles. He must have tried to gain air in order to execute a fantastic dive, but his mismatched wings were making him fly in tight circles.
“Can somepony help him down here?” Shining Armor asked. “I really need to know what’s going on before I start having to arrest ponies.”
Long Jump stayed where he was, since he figured continuing to be the prisoner would a lot better than whatever Shining Armor or his personal guards could do. One of them, a pegasus, took off; a few seconds later helping Bulwark come to a rickety landing.
“I’ll kill that little colt-cuddler!” Bulwark roared, and charged forward. Well, he tried to charge forward, but a magenta bubble popped up around him, and sent him tripping over his own hooves.
“I don’t think we’re supposed to kill our prisoners, Bulwark,” Shining Armor said. The pegasus was practically foaming at the mouth, kicking at the bubble in an attempt to get at Long Jump. The downed pegasus wasn’t moving, since the Prince stood between the two of them.
“He tried to kill Long Jump!” one of the other cadets cried out, and Long Jump snapped his head around, trying to identify the speaker. That was true, but he hadn’t thought anyone was trying to pay attention.
“Yeah, he tried to stick ‘im!” another yelled. A chorus of disgruntled voices was rising now, and Shining Armor, still looking bemused, turned to listen.
“He tore up my books!”
“He kept me on shift for days, then punished me when I passed out!”
“He cut me off from the canteen!”
Even if Long Jump had suspected Bulwark of just being a terrible commander, he hadn’t expected all of his compatriots to be in the same situation as him. If the other pegasus did this sort of stuff to everypony, there would be no hiding from it.
“They’re all liars!” Bulwark screamed, but no one was listening to him now. Shining Armor smiled, and now everypony quieted down, probably expecting him to call out some great edict or cast something magnificent.
“Everybody go back to your duty. It looks like I have some ponies to talk to.”
“Take him to the brig at the palace,” Shining Armor said, motioning at Bulwark. Despite the pegasus letting out a particularly impressive string of curses, the two accompanying Royal Guards started rolling his bubble away. He then caught Long Jump’s gaze, which made the pegasus promptly state back down at the dirt. Right now he just wanted to give Red Ink a good kick, but he supposed if the unicorn was already unconscious the lesson would be lost.
“So, are you incarcerated in a pile of potatoes for trespassing, insubordination, or what?” Shining Armor asked.
“I’m Lieutenant Long Jump,” Long Jump said wearily. “I got thrown in here as soon as I came back.”
“He really wasn’t very nice…” Shining Armor muttered, and then his horn glowed. Long Jump’s chains unlocked and fell away.
“Do you have an assignment to return to?” Shining Armor asked.
“Not at the moment, sir,” Long Jump said, and considering it was probably safe to do so, he shakily stood up. “I was reporting for duty when Bulwark arrested me, sir.”
“Oh,” Shining Armor said, and now he looked a little lost. He recovered quickly though, and shook out his mane.
“Then consider yourself on paid leave,” Shining Armor said. “Effective immediately. Even if I’m not entirely in charge anymore, I am a prince. I can give you a few days off, I bet.” He smiled wide. “If you have a report, leave it with Bugler.” He indicated a stern-looking Royal Guard the pegasus didn’t recognize.
“Yes, sir,” Long Jump said, and then sat back down to salute. The prince saluted back, and then turned back to the mess Red Ink had created, his horn glowing.
Long Jump didn’t really have the patience for incredible magical works to begin with, and he certainly didn’t want to wait around and watch one be undone. In a few days, he might find the idea of his prison being converted into a pile of potatoes interesting, but his side hurt, his leg hurt, and he probably needed to redo his bandages. Red Ink needed to refresh the pain suppression spells as well, but just thinking about the stupid, stupid unicorn was making him mad. Maybe he could get some rest at the unicorn’s rooms. Would the door be locked, or should he just figure out somewhere else to stay tonight? Surely Red Ink couldn’t talk his way out of blasting through a military base.
When he reached the destroyed gates of the base, he noticed a buckskin-patterned pony running as fast as possible away from the action. What that one of Red Ink’s friends? He certainly didn’t recognize the pony. Maybe he should track him down, but there was no running in his current condition. So, instead, he just informed one of guards that had come with Shining Armor of the fleeing pony and went back on his way. Maybe he should get something to eat.
With no real plan or purpose at the moment, the pegasus sat on the sidewalk a few after a few hundred feet of walking, keeping his bad side away from public view. He wondered what the palace might expect of him. Would they reassign him to the base? Would he be stuck doing a desk job? He really should be at the palace, but he doubted they’d let a crippled pegasus represent the kingdom. Odds were, his injuries would result in an honorable discharge, or a job he would not enjoy. He’d joined the Royal Guard to serve Equestria, and now he worried he wouldn’t be able to do that for much longer.
After resting for a bit Long Jump limped back to the school that housed Red Ink’s apartment, doing his best to keep his mangled appearance out of view to avoid starting a panic. Completing the climb up the tower staircase with a generous helping of cursing, he came to the stupid unicorn’s door. Weirdly, Red Ink’s front door wasn’t locked, which really bothered him until he saw two Royal Guards standing at attention in the middle of the room. At their hooves was the buckskin-pattern pony from a little while ago, and when he froze in the doorway, Shining Armor came in from around a corner. Was there more going on here than he thought? Was he about to get arrested again?
“We were just confirming Red Ink’s story,” Shining Armor said. The giant stallion magically floated the pegasus’s saddlebag into view and set them down on the kitchen counter. Were they going through all of his belongings, or was this just part of a search?
“What was his story, sir, if I may ask?” Long Jump asked. Would Red Ink be stupid enough to lie?
“He said he helped you get back from the wild after a life-threatening crash, and then thought you’d been kidnapped,” Shining Armor said. Long Jump mouthed the word kidnapped back with one eyebrow up in befuddlement.
Long Jump spent the next few minutes explaining the whole ghastly affair, including twisting left and right to show off his scars, missing wings, and his bum leg. Shining Armor stayed quiet while the pegasus went through the trip home and Bulwark assaulting him, and just nodded when he paused for breath.
“…And you know what happened after I was thrown in the brig,” the pegasus finally said.
“Well, that definitely confirms that section of the story,” Shining Armor said. “Bugler, if you could fly over to the palace holding cells and have Red Ink released.”
“Is he going to be charged with anything?” Long Jump asked. He was definitely going to be charged by at least one angry pegasus, right in his face.
“I don’t think so,” Shining Armor said. “By the sound of things, Bulwark was incredibly out of line, and Red Ink coming to save you is just the sort of thing the Princesses like to hear ponies doing.”
“Oh,” was Long Jump’s only response. It was that easy? Red Ink had been stupid, but it was a valiant kind of stupid, so that meant everything was alright? He’d always been told that the law was even, and just, and now it just looked like the only pony getting in trouble was going to be Bulwark. He didn’t mind that, exactly, but a certain unicorn needed to be told what he did was wrong as well.
“I’ll take my leave,” Shining Armor said, interrupting his train of thought.
“Thank you, sir,” Long Jump said, and saluted again.
The guards left in an orderly fashion, leaving the pegasus alone with the buckskin-patterned pony. He hadn’t said anything in the last few minutes, and for a few seconds Long Jump wondered if he was too scared to say anything in front of a guard. Was he some friend of Red Ink’s? Is that why he was in their rooms?
The pegasus stood in the apartment after the prince and his stallions had left, just staring at the remaining earth pony as the silence dragged on, only broken by the ticks of one of the unicorn’s clocks in the room. Why did he own so many clocks? After the silence went from somewhat long to awkward, Long Jump broke, visibly deflating
“So, are you one of Red Ink’s… friends or something?” Long Jump asked.
“Y-Yeah”, he muttered in response, “I’m a friend – a coworker of the professor at the university.”
“So does that mean you know where he keeps his alcohol?”
The colt raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Uh, I haven’t really been a visitor in Professor Red Ink’s home before.” Calpain made a quick survey of the room and noticed a finely crafted wooden cabinet nearby. “But that appears to be what you are looking for.”
The exhausted pegasus nodded and limped to the cabinet, then nosed one of the doors open and gave out a low whistle, talking mostly to himself. “How much does this school pay that dumb unicorn? I think some of these bottles cost more than I make in a year.” Then, louder to the colt behind him, “You want anything?”
“Sure… I’ll have what you’re having.”
With two tumblers tucked under his wing, Long Jump grabbed a bottle by the neck with his teeth and headed back toward one of the couches that had a coffee table in front of it, visibly wincing with each step before setting the glasses and the bottle down.
“Well then, we’re having what looks like a fifty-year-old whiskey from Saddle Arabia, I think.” He fought with the bottle for a moment before getting it open, and filled the two glasses with the amber liquid, picking his up, downing it completely, then took a step back to collapse onto the couch.
Calpain took his own glass into his mouth and downed the amber liquid in a single gulp. “Are you ok? You seem awfully… unsteady.”
Long Jump waved off the question before letting that forehoof hang off the edge of the couch. “I’m just in a lot of pain. Got sucker punched and had to move well beyond my current physical abilities.” he rubbed a hoof against the collar about his neck. “And I think Ink’s enchantment on this is wearing out or is completely dead. Anyway I’m Lieutenant Long Jump, never caught your name?”
The pony nodded and adjusted himself on the couch. “I’m Calpain, Assistant Professor of Magical Theory and History at the university. Pleased to meet you, Long Jump.”
“Likewise.” He reached for the table, realized he couldn’t reach it from where he lied, then gave out a huff and let his hoof drop again. “So maybe you can explain something to me. What on Equestria would possess Red Ink to attack a military area? The only reason he isn’t dead is because that place is mostly Cadets at this time of year.”
The buckskin got off the couch and approached the table, clutching the bottle of liquor and then refilling Long Jump’s glass. “Much like we’re doing now, he was just a tiny bit inebriated at the time…”
Long Jump took the proffered glass with a grateful smile, and drank it a bit more sedately this time, leaving some in the glass after a pull. “So I take it he gets more impulsive while drunk?” He shook his head slowly and sighed. “I’m going to need to beat some sense into that pony.”
Calpain smiled for the first time. “Heh, yeah, he can get a bit like that. He’s a fun pony, but he’s a little wound up. Once you get some drink in him he really… pops.”
“So I shouldn’t just get my stuff and leave before he gets back?”
Calpain sat back down on the couch, his own glass refilled. “I’d advise not to. He looks strong and might be a bit bullheaded at times, but… he does seem to care a lot about you. It would devastate him if you just left him high and dry.”
Long Jump nodded again, introspectively quiet for a time. “Yeah… yeah.” The guard started to blush. “I care about him too. Just what he did today was scary. Him risking getting himself killed I mean. That’s my job…” He looked at his side. “…was my job. Why don’t you pick out another expensive bottle of his for us to try, since he isn’t responsible enough to own any,” he added with a smirk.
Red Ink then burst through the door, but rather than the happy, emotional reunion the unicorn was probably expecting, Long Jump stood up, took a step toward the excitable unicorn, and swung out a hoof. It solidly connected with Red Ink’s jaw, sending him sprawled across the plush carpet.
“You idiot!” Long Jump yelled while Calpain jumped to his hooves. “You… You… I wasn’t kidnapped! I wasn’t in trouble! Somepony would have sorted it all out. Bulwark stepped way out of line. You turned a military building into potatoes.”
Red Ink rubbed his jaw. “It was pretty cool, though.”
“That. Is. Not. The. Point,” Long Jump said stomping a hoof with each word, though apparently his emphasis and haymaker did very little to curb the unicorn’s enthusiasm.
“Are we both out of jail?” Red Ink asked.
“Yes, but…”
“And are we both in the same number of pieces, and in the same general shape, as when we entered Canterlot?” Red Ink asked.
“Yes, but…”
And Red Ink kept smiling, kept looking at Long Jump, and wasn’t about to back down. He probably honestly thought he was being the hero, and had heroically saved the crippled pegasus from some sort of evil fate, on the pure, unfiltered logic that him missing dinner meant something nefarious was going on. What made the unicorn so sure of himself? The magic couldn’t be everything, but he had a swagger than Long Jump just couldn’t possess. Maybe that’s why Long Jump liked him, even if he wouldn’t say it out loud in so many words.
“Uhh…” Calpain said, but Red Ink just stepped forward and kissed Long Jump on the cheek.
“I missed you, too,” he whispered, before nuzzling the slightly stunned pegasus. Well, so much for continuing his berating.
“There’s a letter for you,” Calpain said. “It’s on the kitchen counter.”
Red Ink trotted over to check, lifting it up with a little spell. It didn’t stay in midair for very long, though, since the unicorn’s eyes widened and let it drop.
“Well, that certainly looked like Princess Luna’s seal,” Red Ink said. “I wonder what I did to piss her off.”
“I wonder,” Long Jump said dryly.
Author's Note
Calpain used with permission.
Revision 1.1 (punctuation fix, no content changes)
Red Ink had been to the royal palace a few times, though generally those gatherings involved large amounts of wine and attempting to do unspeakable things to Saddle Arabian princes or stalwart guards. Now, however, the polished marble and high archways seemed more intimidating than anything. He’d never been here on official business; there were more powerful unicorns than him, and it wasn’t like the group of all-powerful alicorn princesses needed help in the enchantment department. Prior to their official summons, this building had been little more than a shelter for fancy parties. Now, it seemed a lot more intimidating.
Sure, he’d done something wrong, but did the princesses really need to summon him? If Shining Armor had been able to fix everything with a few spells, that meant there was nothing to punish him for. He’d been acting heroically, and Bulwark had definitely been in the wrong. Of course, that might not matter for him that much. Did the princess still send people to the moon? Did the fact Princess Luna had been the one to summon him mean there was something worse in his future? Furthermore, why had she summoned all three of them, rather than just him?
“Either of you have any idea why we were summoned?” Red Ink asked. Maybe they could dismiss the worries from his mind.
“This late at night? If I had to guess, the Princess decided that letting you off scot-free was a mistake,” Long Jump muttered.
“I wouldn’t be that pessimistic, Long Jump,” Calpain said. “If Red was in serious trouble I’m sure they would not have just summoned us to the palace.”
Red Ink nodded. “I doubt they want witnesses for something like that. What do you think they might have for all three of us? I haven’t invented any magic recently…” He looked over at the nearby guard. “Maybe they’re worried about Long Jump.”
Long Jump tugged at the side of his traveling cloak, having made sure to put it on before trekking into the waning daylight. “Maybe… they do care about the Royal Guard. However I’m just a lieutenant, and a fresh one at that. Not really worth notice. Besides that scroll had Luna’s seal on it only, right? Calpain, did Shining Armor or his associates drop it off, or was it there when you got to the apartment?”
Calpain paused for a moment before answering. “It was just on the door step. No one about that I could see who might have dropped it off.”
“Hrmm…” Red Ink tried to think. He knew transferring letters magically was pretty easy. “It must have come directly from the princess. She could have just magicked it there without the need for a mailpony.” He looked over at the other two. “Maybe this is something else entirely. Nothing to do with me and… the spells… or your injuries. Maybe.”
“We’ve been in Canterlot for less than a day, and turned part of it … I’m sorry, YOU turned part of it upside down. It has to be related to that,” Long Jump said.
Calpain shrugged. “You never know with Royalty. Who knows what they have planned for us.”
The three of them walked through the main doors into the throne room, and the unicorn looked around. The giant stained glass windows looked a lot more impressive during the day, but they also discolored his coat as they approached the two massive thrones. The sun had started to set, which created even further distortions in the light. What could Luna want? Was he going to take her place on the moon? Maybe the potatoes had been too much. No one liked cleaning up food spills. Well, the transformation spell should have faded by now. That just meant they were back to being bricks, which he thought was probably even more irritating to clean. Yup. Red Ink was sure he was going to the moon, and Luna just wanted witnesses.
As soon as the sun slipped under the horizon, the room became significantly darker. Giant curtains materialized over the windows, and small faerie fire lamps appeared, floating in midair. It might be a simple spell, but it scared the willies out of Red Ink. Nothing like atmosphere to crack his confidence. Luna might not be sending him to the moon. She was probably sending her to a nightmare world or a parallel dimension where ponies got chased by monsters all day.
He really needed to not focus on the bad things Luna could do to him. If she wanted to destroy him, take away his magic, or some other horrible thing, she could have done it already. The night was her domain. This must be something a bit more official.
“Hello, Red Ink, Long Jump, Calpain,” a voice echoed around the room. Calpain jumped, but Red Ink tried to stay still. Princess Luna apparently knew how to make an entrance.
Seemingly from nothing, the princess walked out of the darkness. She was definitely bigger than any of them, and much larger than Red Ink had expected. Maybe because he’d only ever seen Princess Celestia from afar, but he hadn’t expected the princesses to be so… big. Luna towered over the three of them, looking between their small group before speaking.
“It is good to see you have recovered from your ordeal, Long Jump,” the princess said in her eerie voice.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Long Jump said, and clumsily dropped to kneel. Calpain followed him, and Red Ink was the last on the ground.
“No need for that,” she said. “I have summoned you here so I may send you on a task on my behalf, beyond the reach of even my power.”
“I thought you could go anywhere?” Red Ink asked, immediately regretting his words. He was going to a nightmare world for sure.
“There are areas beyond my reach, and especially there are those tasks more suited to a group of explorers than one of my position,” Luna said. Red Ink wondered if cowering might be a good idea right now.
“You will travel far to the Northeast. I believe the three of you well-suited for this task. One, a guard loyal to the Crown…” She nodded at Long Jump, who still knelt. “…one who is strong and confident in his knowledge…” She nodded at Calpain. “…and a unicorn powerful enough to face even the worst magical barriers.”
“Why us?” Calpain asked. That was a good question, Red Ink thought. Why send a young theoretical magician, a trained though admittedly lazy magician, and a semi-crippled pegasus out into the wild?
“Because I believe you three will be able to work together, without the divisions that can cause even the most stalwart of groups to fall apart,” Luna said. “Some friends cannot travel together. Some rely too much on each other and do not know their own strength. You three are perfectly balanced between the two.” That felt like a dodge to Red Ink, but he figured a princess didn’t have to explain herself.
“I just got a job!” Calpain squeaked out, but then went back to groveling. Well, Red Ink could certainly fix that; he could easily get the university to hold Calpain’s position, especially if they were on an errand for the crown.
“I believe your employer will understand,” Luna said.
Long Jump shuffled forward and bowed as deep as he could go. “Your Highness, I humbly request you send a different guard,” Long Jump said. “I am no longer capable of performing my duty.”
“Yes, you are,” Luna said, a tone of finality in her voice. Long Jump bowed his head until his nose touched the ground, and then moved back away from the princess. Red Ink knew a lost argument when he heard one.
“What should we expect to face?” Red Ink asked. “I’d like to prepare as many spells and potions as possible.”
“I do not know, my ponies,” Luna admitted, and for the first time she looked unsure. “But I entrust this to the three of you.”
“So, I’m not in trouble?” Red Ink asked.
“Why would you be in trouble?” Luna asked.
Suddenly, something occurred to Red Ink: the letter had probably arrived before the whole ‘potato incident.’
“Nothing,” he said quickly.
“Did something occur?” Luna asked.
“Nothing that would concern Your Majesty,” Red Ink said quickly. He could almost feel Long Jump’s gaze burning a hole through him, but the pegasus didn’t say anything.
Luna stared at Red Ink for a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, but eventually turned back to the other two. “You should leave in the morning,” Luna said. “Further instructions will greet you with the dawn.”
She was gone, then, along with the curtains and deep darkness. Calpain and Long Jump both pulled themselves back up, and Red Ink felt the stress drain away from him. Dangerous mission from a princess? He could do that. That wasn’t on the moon. That wasn’t some horrible Nightmare Moon thing.
They walked out of the palace, and though Long Jump acknowledged the many guards they passed, he didn’t spare any attention for Red Ink. Was the pegasus still that mad at him? Calpain started to gallop back to the school, probably to panic over packing.
“Do you want to get some dinner?” Red Ink asked.
“Not really,” Long Jump muttered. “I want to punch you a few times for that crap you pulled.”
Red Ink danced in front of him, his usual smirk returned to his muzzle. “C’mon. I bet you haven’t eaten all day. We were going to get dinner anyway.”
“I don’t feel like eating…” Long Jump said.
“Does your brain not feel like eating, or does your stomach?” Red Ink asked.
Long Jump frowned. Apparently he’d been right.
They went back to the small café where Red Ink had gotten far too drunk, and took seats on opposite sides of the table. Luckily it wasn’t the same waiter from earlier in the day, so Red Ink didn’t have to fervently apologize for drinking an entire bottle of champagne and then storming off without paying. He’d make sure to leave the money this time around.
“I’m still mad at you,” Long Jump muttered as soon as the waiter left. Red Ink suspected the pegasus was close to pulling the hood of his cloak up to hide.
“Right now, that’s fine,” Red Ink said and set his muzzle down on the table. “At least Luna didn’t find out about the potatoes.”
“She’ll know by tomorrow,” Long Jump answered. “And that isn’t the only reason why I’m mad at you.”
“You’re mad at me because I got drunk and stupid,” Red Ink said.
“That’s… most of it,” Long Jump mumbled.
“Is it because I tried to rescue you?” Red Ink asked. He had an idea, so he decided to run with it. “I know you’re used to taking care of yourself, being a guard and all, but I really thought you were in trouble. Yes, I was drunk, but that was more for courage. I wanted to save you.”
Long Jump stared at him for a few seconds, then leaned forward. Red Ink wondered what was happening, and then something occurred to him. They needed to leave in a few hours! The unicorn sprang up.
“Go ahead and eat,” Red Ink said. “I need to pack!”
Red Ink arrived back at his rooms at a full sprint, his horn glowing to move this bag back out into the forefront of the room. What might he need for a trip like this? Well, books wouldn’t hurt. He floated Starswirl the Bearded’s theorems down, some paper, ink, and a couple of length of feet of leather if he needed to bind any books. What else might he need for an adventure? Long Jump probably had all sorts of things for the wild, so the unicorn wouldn’t need to focus on that. Money. He’d probably need bits.
Half an hour later Long Jump pushed open the front door and after discarding his cloak onto the floor slumped onto one of the couches, not even acknowledging the presence of the unicorn. His remaining wing stretched out and fluttering slightly before dropping in exhaustion.
“What else do you think we should bring?” Red Ink asked.
“Sod off” came a tired reply, still tinged with irritation.
“I thought you wanted to serve the Princess?” Red Ink asked. “Isn’t that what this is?”
Long Jump turned and gave the unicorn an incredulous look before dropping his muzzle back on the couch. “I was looking forward to sleeping on something soft for a few nights…” he muttered. Red Ink walked over and nuzzled him, ignoring the glare at the sudden affection.
“We’ll stay at the best inns on the road. We might have to sleep under the stars once we get up there, but on the way? You’ll be in the lap of luxury.”
“I don’t need that,” the pegasus whispered, so Red Ink kissed him.
“You deserve it. How are the spells holding up?” Red Ink asked.
Red Ink watched the other stallion’s face. From the best he could tell, Long Jump didn’t like to talk about the pain he experienced.
“Hold still,” the unicorn said, and pressed his horn to the side of the collar.
As magic poured down his horn and into the leather, Red Ink wondered how his and Long Jump’s relationship would evolve over this adventure. Well, he could afford to rent Calpain a separate room for sure, but he was more worried about how Long Jump would react to all sorts of different thing. No time to find out like the present, he figured, so while Long Jump’s eyes were closed as the painkiller spells took hold, he quietly opened a drawer and pulled something out.
The click of the small, heart-shaped lock was a little louder than Red Ink had expected, and Long Jump’s eyes shot open.
“What was that?” he asked. Red Ink spun the pegasus’s collar around, so the lock faced backward and then Red Ink smiled.
“Shhh…” He kissed Long Jump on the lips, causing the stallion to blush.
“I’m serious,” Long Jump said after they broke the kiss, but Red Ink just kissed him again.
“It’s just something I thought you’d like,” Red Ink whispered after he broke the kiss.
“Did you…” Realization dawned on Long Jump’s muzzle. “Did you lock the collar on?”
“It has to have a focus for the spell to last longer,” Red Ink explained. That wasn’t entirely true – he needed to work on extending the spell, but the lock was an easily, temporary solution.
“I…” Long Jump said, then dropped it. Even after their earlier fighting, he leaned against the unicorn, breathing gently against the side of his neck.
Red Ink wasn’t sure what they’d face in the future. It might be monsters, it might be horrible traps, but he did know they’d face it together.
“I…” Long Jump started again, somewhat muffled by the mane in his face.
“Shhh… No more words…” Red ink whispered. They could worry about tomorrow tomorrow.
Author's Note
Calpain used with permission.
Revision 1
Well that's it. Hope you enjoyed the story. And if it isn't glaring obvious; part of this is a setup for a sequel that Red Ink already wants to write. Just change the slice of life tag to adventure and that would be the expected tone.
“I don’t care what you want, Long Jump, you’re going to complete your assignment,” Bulwark said, without looking up from his desk. He was a massive Pegasus who barely fit through doorways.
“I’m no longer an Ensign,” Long Jump said, fluffing out his wings, even if he knew letting the other Pegasus literally ruffle his feathers wouldn’t do him any good. “I should be stationed at the palace, just like every other starting Lieutenant.”
“Tough,” Bulwark said. “Now get moving or I’ll have you court-martialed.”
Long Jump stomped out of the barracks, wondering if lonely patrols were the price to pay for a commander not liking him. He didn’t know why, but Bulwark just didn’t like him at all.
His enchanted armor hid his normal slate-blue coat from view, since it was traditional for all the palace guards to look identical. Now, he was going to take this brand new, shiny armor out in the wild and probably scuff it up enough for Bulwark to court-martial him anyway. Maybe he could occupy his time flying to the far edges of Equestria by thinking of new insults to call his CO behind the large Pegasus’s back. The absolute northernmost part of the kingdom would take him weeks to scout. Long Jump would be going this alone, since to quote Bulwark from a few days ago, “you’re a Lieutenant now, are you telling me you can’t handle yourself,” never mind that these types of missions were never done solo out of common sense. Even if he was more than capable of handling himself on a little recon mission, being isolated for so long would definitely get on his nerves. Blasted CO wouldn’t even let him use the perfectly good Equestria rail system to get there. He could have been there in a few hours otherwise.
The Pegasus decided he needed to go ahead and pick up his supplies, since he was going to be out in the wood for weeks. He snuck by one of the barracks, trying to avoid the other Lieutenants marching toward the palace. They’d all know about the recon trip within a few minutes – rumors spread faster here than at a mane salon. Instead of getting angry right now over his assignment, he stepped into the quartermaster’s office.
“I need supplies for a four-week expedition along the northern border, and whatever else I might need to keep this armor in tip-top condition.”
“That’s magic armor, Long Jump,” the Quarter Master said. He was a large golden-coated Earth pony with a trumpet as his cutie mark. “You don’t have to do anything to maintain it.”
“Oh,” he said quietly. He’d only been wearing the armor for three days, so he wasn’t exactly used to the weight or the maintenance of it.
“Let me find one of the saddlebag sets…” the pony ducked under the counter and came up with a huge set of bags that, judging by the thump as they hit the counter, weighed as much as his armor.
“I’m supposed to fly with those?” Long Jump asked.
“Spend your time until you leave practicing, or take breaks when you’re flying out,” the quartermaster suggested. “I know the palace guards don’t have to carry all of this stuff, but you won’t have any support out there.”
“What if I actually find something?” he asked, stamping one of his hooves. Why hadn’t Bulwark assigned him a partner?
“Then drop the bags and fly back here as fast as possible,” the quartermaster said, as though the answer was obvious. “You won’t see anything, though. The north region is all cabins for rich people and small towns.”
“Why is Bulwark sending me up there, then?” he insisted. It didn’t make any sense. He understood general patrols, especially after all these recent magical attacks, but pushing one pony all the way to the edge of the kingdom just didn’t seem smart, unless Bulwark’s personal grudge against him had taken a crueler edge. That was definitely a possibility.
“Be safe, Long Jump,” the quartermaster said. “We need all the guards we can get.”
“Fine, fine.” He hooked the heavy saddlebags around his middle, wondering if he could even get off the ground wearing these. “I’ll see you when I get back,” Long Jump said. He nodded to the quartermaster before turning back around.
There were still some things he needed to do before flying off into the wilderness. He wanted to give Canterlot a sweep today before the sun went down, more to seal the image in his mind than for any security reasons. If Bulwark weren’t being so obstinate, Long Jump would already be touring the palace to familiarize himself with the corridors and gardens. Instead, he’d be spending that time soaring over empty forest.
Long Jump pumped his wings, his muscles protesting the extra weight. He landed on a nearby roof next to one of the barracks guard and took a deep breath before launching himself toward the city proper. He did not like these saddlebags, but it was either this or live off grass and whatever he could forage for the next few weeks. They might be paying him, but he also didn’t want to waste his meager salary on food if he could avoid it. That, of course, was assuming there were any restaurants in what small towns he might pass over while making his way to the border.
He soared as best he could over Canterlot, deciding to not add to his bitterness and avoid the castle. The high-end shops were aesthetically pleasing, but he stayed high enough above to buildings so he didn’t ruffle the coats of any of the high-class ponies. He knew most of the richest ponies lived here, and nearly all of the greatest unicorns. His plan was to keep them safe, even if it meant this terrible assignment. Maybe over the trip he could figure out why Bulwark disliked him.
There was a sweet shop he liked, so he ungracefully landed on the roof, breathing hard from the extra exertion. The smells of baking, icing, and fruit tarts wafted from the windows and chimneys, so he just enjoyed those for a few minutes while his body recovered. Surely, they didn’t expect him to carry this much weight through hundreds of miles of sky. The military voice in his mind told him of course they did, and that he should tough it out. He shook out his mane, got shakily to his hooves, took a deep breath, and launched again. Now wasn’t the time to expect pity, or to go over Bulwark’s head. He needed to prove he was more than capable, so he could be respected. After this terrible assignment, he might even be able to guard one of the Princesses, or maybe even the new Prince.
Assuming, of course, no pony invaded the country in the next month. Between Discord and the Changelings, anything was possible.
• • •
Long Jump did his best to unclench his jaw before he ground his teeth into dust. The flight out this far had been long – almost two weeks, sixteen hours a day. He sat on a hill, chewing a mouthful of grass, with a map of the area spread out in front of him. The slate blue Pegasus had reached his recon area; a couple hundred miles of mountainous forests that acted as a natural border between Equestria proper and the untamed lands to the north. With a pencil he made a tick mark on the map, and with a glance at the rising sun, started to pack his gear back up. Map, blanket, rations, a well-worn notebook, and other bits filled his canvas bags. Then he lifted up the enchanted armor of the royal guard and put it on, shifting it back and forth with his hooves to get his wings situated just right, then stepping into the gilded shoes. Finally he got the helmet on and felt the now-familiar tingle of the armor doing its job, changing his coat color to the uniform white, his mane and tail from gunmetal gray to the customary two-tone blue, and his blue eyes to a much brighter shade of blue.
Hefting his bags over the armor and closing the strap under his belly to keep them in place, the guard crouched down and then sprung into the air, wings beating hard.
• • •
A few hours into the new day and the wonderful weather started to break. Long Jump started flying low under some dark and ominous-looking clouds. During his approach he observed that they just ‘looked’ mean, but they weren’t shooting lightning or raining, just windy. So he continued on his flight pattern under the cloud level, following the edge of a cliff face a few yards up, looking for anything to indicate that the trees and bushes in the area were planning an invasion of Equestria en masse, since no pony else was visible for miles.
He could make out train tracks, which had served as an easy landmark for most of this trip. Every few miles a station sprouted out of the trees, with small boom towns built around most of them. There was one a few miles north of here, and he bet there were cabins and longhouses peppered through the forest under him. However, they certainly all held loyal residents of Equestria, so they didn’t really matter for his assignment Even in the middle of the day, it turned out to be difficult to discern roofs from treetops. The cabins must have built all their housing out of local wood.
However, the attack he’d worried about came not from the vegetation, but the clouds. With a peel of thunder that made Long Jump’s heart skip a beat, hail the size of golf balls began to drop from the sky.
The Pegasus winced as he felt the ice pinging off his back, doing a fair job of denting his so-called ‘Magic so it takes care of itself’ armor. Keeping his head down and dropping down along the side of the cliff face, Long Jump started looking for an outcropping or cave he could hide in before the ice beat him to a pulp. He looked up for just a moment to make sure he wasn’t going to hit a turn in the cliff, and caught a huge hailstone on his helmet edge, above his right eye, buckling the metal to the point that his helmet lifted up on the left. The added wind caught him, and the fact that he was now knocked silly caused Long Jump to lose control of his flight, shaking his head to try to clear his vision. During this attempt he ran full speed into the side of the cliff, shoulder first. Pain exploded down his side, and the next thing he saw was blackness and felt himself beginning to fall.
• • •
Red Ink felt the crash as much as heard it. He was out in the woods when the hail started, but all it took was a little magic to deflect them while he collected herbs. Trees fell, and the unicorn saw a mass of large, blue feathers streak through the canopy and crash into the forest floor. He sprinted toward the direction of the noise. Shots of magic blew branches out of his face, and a few warning shots sent animals scurrying in the other direction. There was a pony wing poking out of a pile of tree limbs. He yanked some of those branches out of the way, careful to not pull at feathers to damage whoever was under this mess any further. Well, there was definitely a Pegasus under all this, though he was not in good shape. Really, really bad shape to be exact. Red Ink squinted, sweat pouring down his sides as raw magic poured out of his horn. It encased the Pegasus, gingerly lifting what was left of him out of the mess. Healing spells started to shoot from the unicorn’s horn, and even if Red Ink wasn’t very good at them, they would serve in a pinch. Could he just bring the injured stallion back to his cabin? There wasn’t really any other choice, since he’d picked this place for its isolation. Floating the broken Pegasus out of the debris, he turned back toward his cabin. If he was lucky, he could save this broken, royal guard Pegasus. It looked like the charms book would have to wait.
Author's Note
Revision 1.2 Punctuation fixes
