More than We Bargained For [PRIVATE]

[NeilWacaster]

Note: Private RP between NeilWacaster and Partheus. Feel free to read, but unless your name is Partheus, do NOT post a response to this thread. Thanks

Along a long, dusty road, two travelers plodded. One, a human, wore a white collared shirt and black pantaloons, and the other, a grey earth pony, wore nothing but a look of disgust. Both were sweating, the saddlebags of the pony and the satchel of the human feeling heavier with every step.

At the pony's insistence, they stopped for a rest at a small lake, looking little more sanitary than Froggy Bottom Bog. At least the breeze off the water gave a short respite from the heat. The equine produced a water skin and took a long drought.

He wiped his mouth with a free hoof and then rubbed his temple. He had a splitting headache from the combination of the exertion, heat, and nerves. "It really is a pity you humans can't fly," he said, grimacing. His lilting Trottingham accent made the words all the sharper. "This trip could be so much easier if we had just taken a flying carriage like I suggested. But no. Your stupid kind would probably shoot it out of the sky with their ridiculous cannons."

[Partheus]

The human, indifferent to the relatively short distance they'd travelled compared to his usual rounds, folded his arms and leaned back against a nearby tree. "Well, it's not like they only hate you Equestrians. They hate everyone else, too. If memory serves, they're still at war with Eden, home to the elves. Although they can be a little snobby at times, elves are quite a peaceful race on the whole. Heck, they're one of the last races to have a proper religion, with congregations and ceremonies and whatnot. But, Hominopolis still declares them an enemy because they have resources Hominopolis doesn't. Ugh, it's always about them and their precious resources. Call me crazy, but I miss the days where wars were waged much less frequently and for a just cause, not because the king wants more resources to squander on statues of himself on every street corner."

He leaned his head back against the trunk, taking in the fresh noon air and bathing in the warm sunlight. If he was on duty, taking a break this early would be considered slacking off, but he didn't care. Letting things mellow had its charms, and he had grown quite used to living peacefully without having to rush everywhere. One month had elapsed since Sagittarius attacked Equestria, and apart from the occasional training session in Canterlot Castle, Partheus had enjoyed the quiet life, helping folk out when they needed it, as well as spending time with his friends. One friend Partheus had grown particularly attached to was one Twilight Sparkle, who, for a brief few days, he had been in a serious relationship with, but they both decided to keep it strictly Platonic to make life easier going for both of them, after an unfortunate incident involving his friend, who was currently taking large intakes of water from his canteen.

He looked over to his parched and weary partner, smirking slightly. "So, how does it feel to be a boring old Hominopolis Horse? I bet you're dying to use your wings right about now."

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy glared at Partheus. "Like I said ... stupid. Why you don't have a regular system of government with a morally perfect demigod I can't understand."

He pushed something unseen off of his torso revealing a large pair of grey wings. He stretched them with a grunt, and began to preen them with his mouth. "You don't know the half of it," he said, between mouthfuls of feathers. "Even with saddlebags I can fly all day. But walking ... ugh ..."

[Partheus]

Partheus ran a hand over his face, chuckling to himself. "It's not that far away, Newsworthy. You're making it sound like we're walking from one end of the Five Realms to the other!" He looked over his shoulder at the surrounding thickets, taking note of the positioning and spread of the oaks and birches. "I recognise this part of the forest. We're about 11 hours walking distance from Hominopolis. We'll walk until sunset, then make camp somewhere in the bushes. At dawn, we'll pack up our things and do the final stretch to Hominopolis. You'll know when we're there, trust me." He turned back to his sore friend, a hint of Celestia's sternness in his eyes. "Trust me, you'll make it. I wouldn't have let you come with me if I didn't think you could." He suddenly paused for thought, rubbing his smooth chin with his forefinger. "Actually, now that I think about it, I can't remember exactly why you wanted to come with me in the first place. I'd imagine it's something to do with writing an article about Hominopolis for your paper, right?"

[NeilWacaster]

"Of course." Newsworthy rolled his eyes, and began rewrapping the invisible bandage around his midsection. "Celestia decided that it was time for the ponies of Equestria to at least know about what extends beyond the borders of Equestria. It's about time we started trading with more than just the zebras, for crying out loud. Who knows? Enchanted items could probably fetch a pretty penny, and perhaps we could do with a few more machines. Rarity, at least, has been dying to get some fabrics from your country. I'm going to bring a few bolts back for her if I can."

[Partheus]

Partheus' face lit up at the prospect of Hominopolis and Equestria becoming trading partners. "That'd be interesting. Who knows? Mabye by becoming trading partners with Hominopolis, we can make it a more pleasant place to live?" He walked over to the edge of the lake, pooled his hands together, and splashed it against his face a few times. Afterwards, he pooled his hands together again and drank handfuls of the clean water, wiping his mouth on his sleeve when he was done. He stood up and looked back at the way they had came. "Are you ready to continue the walk? Feel free to talk to me as we walk. It helps to take your mind off the burning in your legs."

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy grumbled something under his breath and stood to his hooves. He began trotting down the road as before. After about an hour or two, the sun began to set, signaling the changing of the duties of the princesses. The crickets and other nocturnal beasts stirred from their slumber, causing the forest's aural aura to shift.

After a lull in the idle chit chat, Newsworthy looked back at his dull, grey coat and asked, "Are you sure this disguise is going to work? If nothing else, it's going to be difficult for me to pretend to be just a normal pony."

[Partheus]

Partheus shook his head affirmatively. "Just as long as you don't talk, they'll be none the wiser. If it weren't for that distinct accent of yours, I'd be convinced you were Ungula." He gazed towards the sunset reminiscently. "I remember walking here down here plenty of times. Even back then, she was as accident prone as she is now. Whenever we set up camp for the night, she'd horse around and do something stupid, and I'd always have to save her. Most people would find that annoying after a while, but there was a certain endearing charm to her that kept me from getting a more sensible partner." He sighed as his fond memories slowly faded along with the sun, returning to present matters. "But yeah, when we get there, act like a normal horse. That means no talking, no wandering off by yourself, and no investigating. Understand? I don't want to return to my base of operations in Torbolt knows how long only to start a huge commotio-"

Partheus could hear a rustling noise from behind him. He quickly spun around, fists raised, trying to peer through the shrubbery from which the noise came from. "Who's there?" No response came, only smaller rustling noises, followed by a blackbird popping out of the bush to greet them before taking off into the night. Partheus lowered his fists and resumed his walk, thinking nothing more of it. A frightened Twilight Sparkle was sat behind that very same bush, eyeing the two travellers carefully as they wandered down the long and winding road to Hominopolis. Right, she thought, that was too close. Let's just keep our distance for now, and wait until they cool down, then I'll resume spying duties. She tip-hooved carefully and quietly to the next small bush by the road, taking care not to disturb any of the surrounding flora.

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy's ears perked as soon as he heard the rustling in the bushes. He was pretty sure that the sounds were caused by more than a blackbird ... he had heard that these woods were full of predators. Despite Partheus' magical prowess, he did not want to be caught off guard. Walking close by his friend's side, Newsworthy put on a brave face. "I'll do my best. I'm I'm lucky, your king will let me wash of this itchy makeup and let me explore a bit. I really would like to get some good interviews, and of course that fabric."

[Partheus]

Partheus wheeled around to Newsworthy. "No. The king will not allow it, and even if he did, I wouldn't allow it. Imagine how people, who are only aware of grey horses existing in the Five Realms, would react to see a sky blue horse with a goatee and wings strolling down the marketplace without a care in the world? And trading? Are you nuts? If you tried to walk into a fabric store and talk to the shopkeeper about purchasing his finest silks, you'd attract the attention of the authorities faster than you could blink, and be thrown into the Human League dungeons to be interrogated by..." He stopped himself from saying his name. The very thought of the man in charge of interrogation in the Human League sent shivers down his spine. "...an elf known only as The Sadist..." Partheus looked ready to vomit at the mention of his name. "Please, for the sake of my sanity, promise me you will not do anything rash. If he got his hands on you... no, it's too horrible to think about..."

The moon had peered over the forests to greet them, bathing the two of them in a silvery glow. "Let's just continue on our way. Save your questions for later."

[NeilWacaster]

After about half an hour more of plodding, Newsworthy's hooves were causing him a great deal of pain. He spotted a small clearing a little way off the road. "Here, can we stop here for the night? I don't think I can walk any more."

[Partheus]

Partheus, noting the hour of night, nodded his head in agreement, and made his way to the clearing. It was partially covered with loose twigs and leaves, which Partheus cleared away to make an even sleeping surface. He opened his satchel and rummaged through it, looking for particular items he needed to set up a camp for the evening. He laid out two pairs of short metal prongs with hooks in them, two long pieces of worn leather, each measuring about two feet by six feet, and two pieces of flint. He set his satchel by the nearest tree, and began work on the camp. He found two trees that were a certain length apart, and planted a prong in each one with a firm push of his hands, making sure the two prongs were facing each other. Using the holes drilled into the leather strip, he hooked it onto the prongs, creating a makeshift hammock. He repeated the process with another pair of trees near the previous pair, planting the prongs into the trunks and hooking the leather onto the prongs as before.

He gathered the twigs and leaves into a circle in the centre of the clearing, placing small pebbles around the edge of the circle to mark its boundaries. Then, when he had sufficient wood, he picked up the two pieces of flint and struck them together, creating sparks that landed on the pile of timber, setting it alight. In the space of about ten minutes, Partheus had constructed a sleeping area for the two of them, complete with two hammocks and a fireplace. Partheus moved his bag to his hammock, and pulled out the last item he needed for the evening; a knife. "Okay, we need to get food for the night. I'll go hunt for something in the woods, and you go gather some berries or something. Shouldn't take us too long."

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy tried to help Partheus set up the camp, but was mostly useless. It was obvious which hammock was his, as it was much lower to the ground. He rested his weary bones and sighed contentedly, retrieving a book from his saddlebag.

Just as he started to read, Partheus mentioned getting food. Hunting for food.

"What!?" Newsworthy said, scrambling clumsily out of the hammock, falling flat on his face, and planting himself in front of Partheus. "Hunting, you say. Please tell me you're going to use that knife to cut branches or grapevines. Because you'd better not be doing what I think you are."

[Partheus]

Before Partheus questioned why Newsworthy was against him hunting for food, he suddenly remembered that he was a herbivore. "Ah. You're right, I wasn't." He sheepishly put his knife back into his satchel, and turned back to face Newsworthy, wearing an embarrassed smile. "I'll, uh, go get some berries for us both. I know where to look for them. Be right back!" With that, Partheus ventured off into the woods, keeping his eyes peeled in the dark for specific bushes which he knew bore fruit. Oh man, he thought, I haven't had a good leg of venison for ages! Mabye I could stuff my face in Hominopolis when Newsworthy isn't looking? Ahh, I can just picture it now, the succulent pieces of deer and chicken and turkey covered in a rich sauce, practically begging me to stick my fork in it and carve a good slic-

Another rustling noise sounded from near Partheus. He raised his fists and approached the bush cautiously. "Alright, I know you're following me. Show yourself!" He swatted the small branches of the bush away, to reveal a pygmy deer hiding in the midst of the leaves. Partheus scrutinised the surrounding area, not believing that it was mere coincidence that his senses were deceived twice in one evening. After a few moments of painstaking observation, Partheus was satisfied that nobody was there, just the deer, and went to walk away. However, he remembered that the bush happened to be one that had ripe purple berries on them, so he quickly ran back to it and collected as many as he could, stuffing the handfuls in his pockets.

He made his way back to the camp, following the light from the campfire. He trudged through the waist-high bushes and emerged back into the clearing, brushing off loose leaves and twigs that had clung to his clothes. He sat down beside the fire and took out the berries from his pockets, laying them out on the flat grass in a large pile. "Here you go, there should be enough for the two of us." He took a handful and began popping individual berries in his mouth, watching the flames dance and sway in the night time breeze.

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy brushed the dust off of his coat. "Good."

While Partheus was gone, he plucked a few branches off of nearby trees and bushes that he knew were edible. They weren't nearly as tasty as the food he was used to back in Ponyville, but the woodsy, wild flavor of the leaves was not unpleasant. When Partheus returned, he tried some of the fruits. A bit underripe, but better than nothing.

"Thanks, Partheus," he said gratefully. "Here, have some oak and poplar. Not particularly flavorful, but good to fill the stomach at least."

[Partheus]

Partheus raised a confused eyebrow back at Newsworthy. "We don't normally eat the leaves or twigs, just the fruits. But hey, that's what I said about feed, so why not?" He took some sprigs of oak and placed them in his mouth, chewing it slowly. He couldn't tell whether it was because he had had a strictly vegetarian diet for the past month and a half, or because he never thought of trying it, but for some reason, he partially enjoyed the oak. The dull wooden flavour had a slightly sweet taste in his mouth, and combined with a couple of berries, it almost tasted like coarse feed. Feeling confident, Partheus placed the poplar branch into his mouth, chewing it a little faster than the oak sprig. After a few chews, an unpleasant expression washed over Partheus' face, and he spat it out into the fire, the little chunks of masticated poplar catching fire as they flew onto the pyre. Unlike the oak, it had a bitter aftertaste, like that of cranberries without the sweet spike at the end.

Partheus wiped his tongue on his sleeve trying to get the taste off his mouth, then stuck a whole bunch of berries at once into his gaping maw, chewing them quickly and squeezing them with his cheeks to make sure as much juice as possible seeps into his mouth. After he swallowed the berries, he sat back and continued to watch the fire, its midnight dance having changed time signature into something a little more lively with the arrival of a more forceful breeze. "I don't know why, but I feel as though someone is watching us. It's not just the bushes or the fact that it's night time, but..." He pressed his index finger and middle finger on his temple and rubbed it. "... you ever get the feeling that you're being watched by someone, even though you know full well there's no one there?"

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy grinned. "I'm a pony. You realize that we're descended from animals that were food for manticores way back when, right? We get feelings like that quite often. And yes, I've been concerned about that too. Like that blackbird we saw? There was way too much noise in the bushes for that to be the only explanation. We should probably take turns keeping watch, I suppose."

* * *

Meanwhile, Twilight was crouching a few dozen yards away, listening intently to the conversation of her two friends. They're getting suspicious, she thought grimly. I need to do a better job of staying hidden.

[Partheus]

Partheus retreated into his hammock, resting his head against a groove in the leather where his head had laid many times before. "First rule of bushcraft; sleep with one eye open. If anything or anybody tries to get either of us, I'll know about two seconds in advance. Just one of those things I've developed over the years." He turned over in his hammock, closing his eyes. "You coming to bed? None of the woodland critters can talk, so it's going to be really lonely out here."

[NeilWacaster]

"I won't be able to sleep for a while. You go on to sleep, I'll just read for a bit." For a few hours, Newsworthy read quietly by the fire. Eventually, he couldn't keep his eyes open. Curling up into a little ball, he slipped into an uneasy slumber.

[Partheus]

Partheus drifted off into a comfortable if a little anxious sleep, his mind thankfully lacking in activity that particular evening. A few visions of the previous day flashed before his eyes, but nothing of any importance.

* * *

As if the night had passed in the blink of his eye, Partheus awoke to the sound of jays and thrushes chanting their morning chorus in the surrounding trees. He stretched his arms and yawned, but as he did, he fell out of the hammock and into a messy pile on the grass. He picked himself up and dusted himself down, scanning the clearing for any signs of intruders. Apart from the occasional broken twig from some small and insignificant creature, the clearing had not been breached during the night, and all was seemingly well. He unhooked the leather piece and yanked the prongs from the trees with a sharp tug. He put the items back into his satchel and walked up to Newsworthy, who was still fast asleep in his hammock. Partheus placed his hand on Newsworthy's shoulder and shook him on the shoulder gently. "Hey, wake up. We need to set off early if we want to get there at a reasonable hour."

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy groaned. "Fine." He hopped out the hammock and stretched his legs like a drowsy cat. He unwrapped his wings and gave them a quick preening. "Ugh. While you gather breakfast I have to take a quick fly. And don't try to stop me. A pegasus' home is the sky, and he gets homesick rather quickly."

He leapt into the air, climbing quickly to the treetops and circling lazily.

[Partheus]

Partheus shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, you might as well. It's highly unlikely we'll bump into anyone else around here, so you're safe." He peered back into the thicket he ventured through the previous night, and began exploring once more. However, before he could find another berry bush to strip clean of its fruits, he tripped over something and landed flat on his face. He picked himself up slowly and looked to his feet to see what he stumbled over. It was a small wooden box with no inscriptions on it, and a golden heart shaped handle on the front. Partheus picked up the wooden box and turned the handle, hearing a small clicking noise come from within. The box prised itself open, revealing two bowls of feed and a note. Partheus laid the box down, took the note out of the box, and read it to himself:

"Breakfast is served. Eat up!

Rasp Elk Light Wit"

His eyes darted around his surroundings, trying to see where this mysterious package could have come from. It couldn't have been from a spy, he thought, and I'm not a wanted man, so it couldn't have been an assassin either. And what could those words mean? Perhaps they are clue words that relate to someone I might know? Who do I know that speaks with a rasp? Not many. Who has anything to do with an elk? Not many of those either. But Light Wit? Perhaps someone who likes playing mind games with me, or someone who constantly tests my knowledge? Twilight kinda does that, but it's not a complete fit, so it can't be her. Besides, there's no way in Tartarus she could be out here stalking us. She doesn't know the first thing about bushcraft! I should know, she pesters me enough about it, and even then, I only tell her the most basic of things. Well, I see no harm in taking this gift...

Partheus stuffed the note into his pocket, and picked up the box with the lid open. He walked back to the camp and laid the box down by the fire. "Newsworthy! Look what I found!"

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy glided back down, his wings feeling a little better after their stretch. "Where in Equestria did you get that? Oh ... Celestia sent it, probably. I wouldn't be surprised if she had Twilight or somepony locate us with a scrying spell and send us some food. But, seems a bit of an overkill when she could have just given it to us before we left. Odd ..."

[Partheus]

Partheus knelt down by the fire and picked up one of the bowls of feed. "Celestia moves in mysterious ways. Mabye she sent it, mabye she didn't. As far as I can tell, this feed hasn't been tampered with, and nobody would have any intention of poisoning us. Plus, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. I remember receiving a gift bag out of nowhere from some friendly elven children when I was camping out in the northern regions of Eden. You never know, Newsworthy, you could have a secret admirer in this forest, watching our every move to make sure our travels are safe." He took his first handful of feed and hastily stuffed it into his mouth. He chewed it as he normally would and swallowed it down without a second thought. "Well, seems safe to me. Here, have some." He pulled out the second bowl of feed and held it to Newsworthy, a trustworthy smile plastered onto his face.

[NeilWacaster]

Newsworthy gave the feed a few tentative sniffs before eating. It smelled and tasted completely safe, so he cleaned his bowl.

They quickly broke camp and headed out, and walking briskly toward their destination. Once they had traveled an hour or two, they began to pass human travelers on the road. Most looked sullen, weary of life. Newsworthy felt sorry for them, actually. After a particularly distraught looking family passed them, Newsworthy whispered, "Why do your kind look so sad all the time? If a pony was that depressed, they would be sent to a counselor immediately by their friends or the state."