Diplomacy 5

>The city of Canterlot itself was unlike any city that you had ever seen
>Pristine, massive despite it's location, and just as beautiful as it was functional
>And it this great city was one of the eleven wonders of the world
>This thing wasn't some great momument or natural landmark--though the city DID have more than a few of those
>No
>This wonder was ever moving, ever growing
>It was as old as the city itself and took up nearly a quater of its streets
>It was the great market of Canterlot
>"Come and get your apples here!"
>"Spices! I have spices! All kinds of spices!"
>"Need a blade? I'm your mare!"
>Even in Humeyithal you had heard of this great market
>How chaotic and vibrant it could be
>All around you you could see all manner of creatures, from a normal earth ponys to dragons and goats
>Some looked like wealthy lords, scanning the markets in search for something or another
>Others were vendors, selling from cart and tent and building
>Near a cart stacked high with horseshoes, you could see a group of ponies laughing together
>Near a utterly massive fountain, you could see two dragons conversing with each other, scanning the crowds with their teeth bared
>A small patrol of guards were making their rounds, eyeing up any potential purse snatchers or thieves
>It was indeed as chaotic as the stories said it was
>But there was a certain beauty in it, with its screaming ponies and the smells of cooking food and spices in the air
>If one wasn't careful, they might have let themselves become swept up in it
>But, as wonderful as the city appeared to be, you knew that this place wasn't all sunshine and rainbows

>You had heard dark tales about this place
>Of slaves being sold in unmarked buildings
>Of ponies and other beings being taken in board daylight never to be seen again
>And worse...
>Much, much worse...
>Because of this you, your lord, and group of thirty knights scanned the streets you were walking down carefully
>Each knight had a hand on his weapon
>Your lord had his hammer resting on his shoulder
>You could feel a tension in the air that made your stomach tight
>Everywhere you looked you could see creatures eyeing you
>In the back of your mind, you were pretty sure they were just curious
>Humans very rarely left their kingdom after all
>But the less rational side of you remembered some of the stories that the older knights would tell
>Gryphon raiding parties that would take men
>Donkeys that would sweet talk young children into their carts for a life of chains and servitute
>Minotaurs that had tried to take over your entire kingdom so that its heifers could forceably claim themselves a mate
>And there were gyphons, donkeys, minotaurs all around you
>And there were a LOT of them...
>Both Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight, both who were leading you through the streets, didn't seem to notice the tension in this air, or if they did they seemed to ignore it very well
>The alicorns, for some reason or another, had decided to walk the streets without a guard
>So, whether your lord and the other knights meant to or not, they formed a protective circle around the two

>Out of the corner of your eye, you could see that Princess Celestia was talking with your lord
>You couldn't quite catch what they were saying, what with all of the noises of the market, but you could see that your lord was beginning to look less tense
>His knuckle-white grip on his hammer was starting to loosen, and his expression was beginning to soften
>Seeing that put you at ease
>Not totally at ease, but at least you weren't holding your dagger so hard
>"--And over there is the building where Starswirl the Bearded spent most of his time! And over there is where the great Clover the Clever used to buy cheese! She used to be especially fond of any kind of prench cheese. Do you get prench cheese in Humeyithal? Maybe you have something similar...?"
>You turned your attention to Princess Twilight
>The purple alicorn trotted through the streets like she had walked them all of her life
>There was a smile on her face as she continued pointing out things to Ser Ulferic, who was doing his best to ignore her
>"Hey! Hey you! Little lord!"
>You perked up as a voice rose above the noises of the market and reached your ears
>Looking to your left, you could see a gyphon eyeing you
>"Hey little lord, why don't you come over here and have some sweets?" she called. "I got anything you could ever want right here!"
>The bird smiled at you, a predatory expression in her eye
>Your stomach tightened at the sight and, eyeing her warily, you moved deeper into your little circle
>Ser Keller, who was standing right next to you, placed a hand on your shoulder
>He looked at the gryphon for a moment before unsheathing a foot of his sword
>The hen's eyes widened in alarm, and she quickly looked away
>Letting his blade slip back into his scabbard, ser Keller gave your shoulder a squeeze
>"Never show fear to creatures such as that, lad," he said. "They can smell it just like a manticore smells blood."

>You nodded
"Yes ser. Thank you ser."
>Puffing your chest out, you tried to look as intimidating as you could
>Ser Keller smiled, giving you a pat on the back
>Yeah...
>Just like this...
>You were a soon-to-be big, bad knight!
>No one was gonna mess with you!
>No--
>"Your highnesses! It is EVER so good to see you!"
>You let out a yelp, jumping nearly a foot into the air
>Don'tstealmepleaseI'dbeahorribleslave!
>You were about to whip out your dagger when one of the other knights reached down and grabbed your hand
>"Easy there boy."
>You ignored him, your head whipping around to see where the threat was
>The threat, you saw, was just a group of well dressed stallions making their way toward you
>...Oh
>"Princess Twilight! It's wonderful to see you again, my dear!" one of the stallions said, trotting over and giving her a kiss on both cheeks
>He was a chestnut brown unicorn
>He was oddly large for his size you guessed, with a horn that was just a bit bigger than the rest of his friends
>The princess went ramrod stiff from the male's attention, a blush exploding across her face
>The stallions giggled behind hooves
>The brown stallion quick stepped around her and made his way toward Princess Celestia
>"Celestia! Its been a very long time hasn't it?" he said, kissing her cheeks as well
>Princess Celestia, who now looked like she had sucked on a lemon, returned the greeting

>"Good afternoon, Lord Hayseed. I'm glad to see that you're doing well."
>"As well as I can be, I suppose," the stallion said with a sigh. "I've been rather busy since you've last seen me, my dear."
>Princess Celestia's expression soured even more
>"Oh?"
>"Oh, you wouldn't BELIEVE how difficult it is keeping my girls from trying to kill each other," the lord said, swooning. "Some days I'm so beside myself with work I just don't know what to do!"
>"I'm sure..."
>The stallion took a deep breath, as if collecting himself
>He then gave the princess one of the fakest smiles that you had ever seen
>"I've been SO busy that I decided to spend the day with my fellows here to see if the market has anything for a poor colt to purchase."
>His eyes flicked up to Lord Aegis, who was standing there with a look of utter boredom on his face
>"There might not be much in the market today, but it does seem that there's something new," he said, before bowing at your lord. "It's very nice to meet you, lord Aegis."
>Your lord, of course, did not return the bow
>He simply looked at the stallion, a bit of distaste and confusion in his eyes
>"You're a noble," he said, making it sound more like a fact than a statement
>You could see the stallion's smile grow even with his head bowed
>"That I am, my lord. I'm count Hayseed of the Hayseed clan."
>Your lord grunted
>"And what can I do for you today, my lord? he asked
>Lord Hayseed picked his head up
>"I just wanted to meet the brave stallions that helped save poor Fancy the other day," he said.
>Your lord grunted again
>He looked at the knights on either side of him
>Making a motion with his hands, he walked around the stallion and made his way down the street

>The other knights, helping the princesses along with a few taps to the rump, followed
>Lord Hayseed and ther other stallions, not to be disswayed, followed
>"You know, Fancy and I are friends, and since I've known him I've told him not to go in those back alleys like that! Again and again I said, "Fancy, somepony's going to try something with you one of these days, and if you don't have a mare with you you're going to be in trouble!" but he never listened! The NERVE of someponies! Why, if he wasn't my friend I'd--"
>Lord Aegis tapped his hammer against his shoulder
>There was a thoughtful expression on his face
>"--And I'm not saying that I looked better in that vest than him, but I know for a fact that more mares were eyeing me than him when we went out that night and--"
>You had seen that look before
>It was the same look he had right before he smacked someone, usually you
>"--And do you know that she side to me? She said, "Hayseed, we can't keep buying new furniture for the villa every six months." Isn't that a load of horse apples? I don't know about you, but I simply CAN'T be in a house that isn't up to the latest fashions. So I told her, and my other girls, that they--"
>You could see Princess Celestia eyeing your lord meaningfully
>Lord Aegis looked down at her before looking at his hammer
>His eyes narrowed down to slits
>"--And that wasn't even the best part of the party! Duke Honey Lime--another one of my very good friends-- got up in the middle of a song and really showed us how to dance! You should have SEEN him, my lord. That stallion might be as ugly as sin but I swear to the sun he can glide across a dance floor like no other! You know, there happens to be a ball tonight. If you and these nice looking colts aren't busy I'm sure that I can talk to a few ponies an get you..."
>Lord Aegis was going to hit this stallion
>You could feel it in your bones

>He was going to hit this stallion and you, Princess Celestia, every knight here, and even some of the stallion's friends wanted him to hit him
>HARD
>But, for your surprise, your lord showed restraint
>"Lord Hayseed," he said, getting the stallion's attention. "As much as I'd... enjoy speaking to you for the rest of the day I'm afraid we must part ways."
>Lord Hayseed stopped, looking up at your lord
>"Are you sure, hon? My friends and I would be happy to accompany you, show you the places to be in this city."
>Lord Aegis let his hammer fall back into his shoulder
>"I appreciate the sentiment, but my knights and I are not here for pleasure."
>Lord Hayseed's brow furrowed
>He looked at his fellow stallions, who looked back at him
>There was some muttering, some glances in your lord's direction
>You stood there, squirming
>Please leave...
>Please leave...
>By all the gods, please leave...
>Finally, after a pause, lord Hayseed spoke
>"...Well, if you're positive dear. I know better than anypony just how busy a stallion could be. But, before you leave, I have to INSIST that you come to my estate for some tea."
>Though you could see that it took visible effort, your lord inclined his head
>"If my schedule allows, my lord."
>The smile came back to lord Hayseed's face
>"Make sure you do, or I'll be VERY cross," he said, playfully slapping your lord's thigh. "I'll be off then. Come on colts, I heard there's a gem sale a few blocks down."
>You and the knights around you jumped as the stallions let out an excited cry, spinning around and racing down the street
>You all watched them go, surprised, confused, and even a little concerned
>That...
>That was...
>Something...

>Looking back at your lord, you saw lord Aegis watching the retreating stallions
>His grip was once again tight on his hammer, and there was a look of disgust on his face
>"If I see that pony again I will throw him out of a window," he said to no one in particular
>Both Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia twitched, but otherwise made no comment
>Several seconds ticked by as your group just stood there, processing just what had happened
>The books had been right
>The men here were different from the ones at home
>A LOT different...
>Princess Twilight cleared her throat
>"Yes, well... how about we get back to the tour, huh?" she asked with a nervous smile. "There's still a lot to show after all!"
>"You're absolutely right, Twilight," princess Celestia said, looking up at your lord. "Lord Aegis, if you would..."
>Your lord made dismissive gesture with his hand
>"Come on then. Let's see what else this market has to offer..."