Between the Sun and the Moon

by Psychic Smith

Chapter 19

CHAPTER‌ ‌X‌IX

The streets leaving the castle were bustling with the crowds of ponies beginning their morning routine. However, the appearance of two armored pegasi flanking two towering, unfamiliar creatures certainly sucked the life out of the surrounding area to only be replaced by shocked expressions and ponies fleeing the scene.

The cobblestone roads had small rivulets of water flowing between the individual stones. Somepony must’ve spilled some sort of water cask at some point because it hadn’t rained last night. As the group kept walking, they never needed to step around any sort of litter. Whoever was in charge of the clean-up crew was doing an incredible job.

Those were the things Will noticed as he kept his eyes down to avoid the piercing gazes of the ponies all around him.

“Hey,” Nick whispered as he nudged Will’s shoulder. “Stand up straight. Show some confidence.”

Reluctantly, Will stood a little taller. Nick was still dealing with whatever the effects of protein deficiency were. If he could hold up like this under the simple, leering gazes of a couple of ponies, surely he could do the same.

Wait a second.

“Nick?” Will got his friend’s attention. “If you feel like shit because you haven’t eaten any meat, how come I’m not feeling it too?” Nick raised an eyebrow, prompting Will to continue. “I mean, I’m still really hungry all the time, but it doesn’t hurt or cause my hair to fall out.”

Sabre cleared her throat with a slight cough. “Probably tha magic in yer body. I’ve heard of Starswirl going days without eatin’ while in that study of his. Crazy ol’ goat.”

“How’d you know about that?” Will questioned.

“Guard lieutenant, ya gotta know things. Even things ya don’t think ya need to.”

Nick was quick to move past that. “I’ve heard Starswirl mentioned a couple of times now. Who is he?”

The lieutenant chuckled mournfully. “More like ‘who was he,’ mate. Starswirl disappeared nearly a year ago. Used ta’ be the high mage at the castle, but some sort of spell caused him ta’ vanish. Trust me, lad, if a pony goes missing in the Everfree, they won’t be comin’ back.”

“Clover seemed to be fond of him,” Will mused.

“As she should,” Sabre retorted. “That lass was Starswirl’s prized student before he poofed himself.”

“Heh… poofed himself.” Will was quick to shut his mouth when he was met with a raised eyebrow from Sabre. “But what made him so famous?” Will asked.

“Are ya buckin’ jokin’? Do ya know how many horn-headed books that greybeard wrote? I swear they could build a whole library dedicated to his spells alone. He knew more about magic than the princesses, and they are pretty much the most powerful magic users ever! They can move the sun an’ moon by themselves. They used ta get a whole village of unicorns to move the sun, but would have ta get a different village to lower it.”

Inside Nick’s mind, puzzle pieces used to fit together. “So, the princesses’ rule solely rests on their sheer power? Just because they have the power of multiple unicorns?”

“Ha!” Sabre exclaimed. “More like hundreds of unicorns, mate.”

“Wait. So what are the princesses? Goddesses?”

“If a goddess is the savior of an entire race and destroyers of masters of chaos... Aye lad, I’d say they’re goddesses.”

Will was still confused. “But, if they are so powerful, why do they need guards protecting them?”

Nick interrupted Sabre before she could respond. “Remember when we play chess, Will? No matter if you still have your queen on the board, if the other player has more pieces, you are more likely to lose. The princesses, at the end of the day, are just two ponies.”

“Aye, and would ya look at that. We’re here.”

Sure enough, the group was coming down the road toward a large wooden building. Sitting upon a ten-foot-tall stone foundation, white painted walls were supported by inset wooden beams. The sloped roof was made with golden thatch that gleamed gold in the morning light. Hanging above a double-door entrance, a large sign that looked like an unfurled wing behind a wooden stein swayed in the slight breeze. The words ‘Meadwing Tavern’ was written in yellow on a large forest green sign that leaned against the side of the building, chipping paint was a testament to the age of the establishment.

“Told you,” Will snarked. “Horse. Themed. D&D.”

Sabre rolled her eyes. “I ‘ave no idea what yer talkin’ about, but now I’m getting hungry. If the two of ya want yer fish, get yer flanks over here.”

The black coated pegasus guard that accompanied the Lieutenant cast wary eyes to the small crowd staring in awe before turning to his commanding officer. “I’ll keep an eye on the streets.” With a nod from Sabre, the pegasus took to the skies.

Entering the building, Nick soaked in the fantastical architecture. From the way the support pillars spiraled to the ceiling, splitting off at certain places. It almost looked like they had built this place using full trunks of trees.

Will, on the other hand, was enraptured by the artistry of the carvings in the wooden features of the tavern. Somehow, whoever decorated this place made it almost look like pictures from a ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ children’s book. The walls and pillars were covered in images of clouds and towering plants that pierced into the ceiling above. Occasionally, Will could spot a carving of a pegasus flying in and out of the clouds.

All sound in the tavern died as the two humans stepped into the main room. The few pegasi patrons seated inside looked at the aliens with wide, angry eyes that held a glint of curiosity.

“This place is… Awesome,” Nick whispered.

“Sabre!” A gruff voice yelled from behind the bar. A pudgy pegasus stallion stood there behind the counter, his maroon fur unkempt, and an unbrushed dull yellow mane gave him a rather grizzled appearance. “What in Tartarus are those things doin’ in my bar!”

“Friendly too,” Will muttered.

“Mornin’ to you too, Stein,” Sabre said with a forced formality.

“Answer the question, ya mad-mare. What are you doin’ with… with those?” The stallion gestured angrily at Nick and Will.

“Business of the crown. I don’t have time for this, where’s yer pa?”

“Probably sleepin’ off last night’s festivities. And he won’t take too kindly to you bringing animals into his bar, no matter if they got clothes on their backs.

Lieutenant Sabre scowled. “Watch that tongue of yer’s Stein, or you might find that I’ll cut it off. Now… where’s yer dear ol’ dad?”

“Now now, no need to talk about a stallion when he’s standing right here,” an older, raspy voice interrupted. A similarly colored pegasus, albeit much older given the greying fur and mane, rubbed at his eyes with the back of his forehoof from a doorframe in the back of the bar area. Despite his age, his well-built frame and defined muscles showed the strength of a much younger pony. “Now what’s all this ruckus about?”

Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, the elder stallion looked across the room, his eyes landing of Lieutenant Sabre’s. “Ah, Lieutenant. What a pleasant surprise.” As he crossed the room, he had quite the limp, favoring his right foreleg as he walked.

Sabre gave a casual salute. “Aye, the pleasure is mine, Lieutenant.”

“Bah, I gave up that title when I retired. This old warhorse has had his day.” As he walked past Stein, the younger pegasus got a swift smack from his father’s wing. “How dare you talk like that to a ranking officer. Respect your superiors ya lazy barfly.” As stein tended to his smacked cheek, Meadwing turned and addressed Lieutenant Sabre, but froze in his tracks, wide-eyed, when he was standing in the presence of giants. Before the stallion could speak, Will stepped forward, bonking his head on a low hanging rafter before getting on one knee to make himself seem smaller. Pony buildings were obviously not meant to accommodate humans.

“It’s, uh, a pleasure to meet you Mr. Meadwing. My name is Will, the human.”

The stallion and the entire tavern was at a loss for words for a moment when they heard the strange creature speak. “Sisters, they can speak. My apologies, I thought the Lieutenant brought guard monkeys,” Meadwing laughed. “I kid, it’s always a pleasure to meet a new race, welcome!”

Stein seemed taken aback by his father’s reaction. “But, Dad!”

“Colt, I have seen much stranger in my service under Captain Tornado!” Meadwing snapped. “I was there when we first contacted the gryphons! I sat on the shore when Thunderhoof called for the aide of the seaponies to stop a hurricane from destroying a nearby village. Tartarus, I even shared a drink with a dragon.”

‘Dungeons and dragons,’ Will mouthed over his shoulder to Nick. Nick shook his head with a chuckle while Meadwing finished lecturing his son, who was starting to look a little pale under his yellowish fur.

“Now, anypony, or any human in this case, who is a friend of the crown is allowed here. What can I do for you three?”

Lieutenant Sabre saddled up to the pony-equivalent of a bar stool, turning to lean back against the wooden counter. “Three of the catch of the day, and keep em’ coming. I bet these two are hungry.”

“Ah, another race that enjoys the bounty of the sea,” Meadwing eyed the humans’ size, almost calculating. “Or river as the case may be. We don’t get many saltwater fish here in the Everfree. Take a seat, boys. Stein!”

The young pegasus stood straight, pupils shrinking at his father’s voice.

“Get back in the kitchen, and if that Everfree Trout ain’t perfect, I’ll have your wings!”

There was a small dust cloud where Stein once stood, followed by the slamming of a door in the back of the tavern. None of the patrons moved a muscle, instead, trying to avoid the gaze of Meadwing.

“What’s wrong with you lot?” Meadwing addressed the room. “We welcome any creature here at my tavern. As long as they don’t make a scene, they can eat here. Anypony got a problem with that?” A murmur of head shaking and non-commital answers came from the other tavern goers. “Good.”

As Meadwing walks back behind the bar, he approached the two humans currently attempting to sit on the incredibly low stools, essentially sitting cross-legged on the floor, much to the muttering of the less flexible Will. The old stallion pulled out three mugs from underneath the counter, wiping the insides with a clean white rag before placing one before each of his three guests.

“Now, what brings you two to Equestria? Never seen anything quite like you before. Minotaurs are kinda close, but you’re something else.” Meadwing questioned.

Nick shifted in his seat as he watched the old stallion deftly pour a clear yellow liquid into the three mugs. “There was an accident, and we got lost. Landed right in the middle of the Everfree. We come from very, very far away.”

“Ah, sorry to hear that boys. Drink up. That’s the main attraction here. It’ll keep you coming back day after day, I guarantee it.”

Following Sabre’s lead, who was already burying her muzzle in her cup, Will and Nick shrugged and took a swig of the nectar, slightly flinching as the zing of alcoholic honey wine hit their tongues. The sweet liquid slowly traveling down their throats, warming their cores when it hit their stomachs.

“You know,” Nick coughed. “I wasn’t expecting to be drinking this early in the day.”

“Ha!” Sabre laughed. “You don’t go to Meadwing’s without getting the good stuff.”

While Will, Nick, and Sabre enjoyed their mead, the scent of cooking fish wafted through the kitchen door. It took every bit of self-control from the humans to keep themselves from drooling at the smell. Somehow, their bodies knew what they needed, and craved whatever was cooking behind that door.

A few minutes later, a scowling Stein carried out three platters of the largest trout filets Will had ever seen. The meat was at least 18 inches long, resting on top of a bed of greens with steam wafting into the air. A wooden pony-made fork and knife were placed in front of each of them, followed by the massive plates.

Will wasn’t the biggest fan of trout. He much preferred haddock, salmon, or his favorite: mahi-mahi. His stomach didn’t care.

With quick movements, a piece of the fish was already in Nick’s mouth, who moaned at the explosion flavor.

And with Will’s first bite, he was in heaven.

Time seemed to fly by as Will and Nick ate like men possessed. They didn’t take notice at Meadwing’s laughter, Stein’s judgmental scowl, the passersby that poked their heads through the front door, or the shocked expressions of the patrons. And soon the fish was gone, then a second round, and for the first time in a month, Will and Nick felt full.

“I swear, I have never seen anypony that enjoyed my food that much,” Meadwing commented. Stein cleared his throat, his frown deepening, but Meadwing ignored him. “What were ya, starving?”

“Pretty damn close to it,” Will mused dreamily.

“They don’t serve any meat up at the castle,” Nick explained. “We’re omnivores. We need that kind of food to live.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to give Julienne a stern word or two for denying you what ya need. I see him at the market once in the while with his underlings. I’ll set him straight.”

“No, please. Not *burp* his fault. We never told them,” Will interjected

“What?” Meadwing shouted. “What has gotten into your heads, boys? If you were sick, why wouldn’t you say something?”

Nick raised a hand. “That would be my fault. I thought that all ponies were herbivores, having two meat-eating aliens living next door would’ve caused a panic.”

“Ah, well no matter. You’re here now and got something in your stomachs.”

“You know,” Will mused. “This is the first time we have ever left the castle… Lieutenant, would you mind if we took the scenic route back? Give us a chance to stretch our legs and see the sights?”

“M’fraid not,” Sabre shook her head. “Not the greatest idea with the crowd outside.”

Will looked at his empty mug, discouraged at Sabre’s words. Nick interjected “Sounds fair to me. As nice as it would be to get out more often, we don’t want to cause any trouble.”

“Well, sounds like we’re done here,” Sabre said as she placed a small pile of gold coins on the counter. Meadwing gave the two humans a big smile as they stood to leave.

“You two come back any time. I’d like to hear about your home. If my idiot son gives you any trouble, smack him one upside the head for m-”

The bar went silent as a wail starting softly emanating from the front door. Said wail grew to ear-piercing screams as the thundering of hooves shook the foundation of Meadwing’s tavern. Suddenly, the black pegasus guard that accompanied Sabre burst through the front door.

“Lieutenant, Ma’am, we need to go. Timberwolves have breached the western wall.”

Author's Note:

OVER 50,000 WORDS!!!!

Comments

[Crystonian]

Well....I wasn't expecting pinkie at the end there.

[Raw Gem]

Well, I like it a lot. The pace is nice, their behavior is not of super nice guys, there is some calculation and good self control. Even if they get more "powerful" I guess it will be balanced to some degree. Ponies act quite reasonable so far... really good story. ^^ I hope it will continue. I wonder how their presence will twist the timeline, no spoilers tho ;)

[Marmo]

I have to agree with 'Raw Gem' this HIE is suuuper underrated. I'm gonna favourite that story and patiently wait for more chapters.