Pushing forward with his forelegs and raising his ass into the air, Cloud stretched out his body like a cat as he yawned. I did need a place to sleep… Technically I succeeded. He had spent the night in a cell after being arrested. No police officer that he had seen thus far had been able to speak Equestrian - nor Saddline - and Cloud had reached the point of apathy. Even as a somewhat muscular Zebra approached the cell - clad in helmet and jacket uniform, as expected - Cloud felt preemptively bored.

Cloud sighed. “When will any of you understand-?”

“I understand perfectly well, thank you very much,” the large Zebra cut him off, surprising Cloud with his very clear and refined speech.

“Oh good, that’s… good.” Cloud nodded in place of not knowing what to say. “Right, so getting right into things, what I did was totally self-defense. That asshole attacked me first, and was a dick, he has every reason to be in here as much as if not more than I do.”

The Zebra frowned, though looked more annoyed or disgruntled rather than angry. “First of all, he was arrested, ya dip. Second, mind your language. There’s no need for that.”

“He… was?” Cloud blinked. “Huh. Alright then.” There was a pause. “Also no to the second thing. How long until I can get out of here?”

After a moment of sighing through his nose, the Zebra began to pace across the front of the cell. “That depends on the punishment I decide on. This village is very independent, you see. I’m in charge of our policing system, the equivalent of a chief or sheriff, and I decided sitting in a small, confined space would hardly change the mindset of an individual, nor help our small society in any particular way.”

“I… guess I can see the logic in that,” said Cloud. “You’re really fully alone? Independent? From a government or whatever?” Yeah thanks, brain, that sentence worked. He mentally rolled his eyes at himself. “What’s with the pacing?”

“Yes, we are independent,” the pacing Zebra replied. “The pacing is because I don’t like standing still; my back acts up. Anyway, in regards to your punishment, I decided making nuisances like yourself, little offence intended, helping society directly is much more helpful.” The Zebra suppressed a little smile at the accidental pun.

Cloud frowned. “So if someone-?”

“Before you ask, no, I don’t treat severe crimes the same way,” he stopped pacing for a moment. “Respectable manners don’t equate to foolishness.” The pacing resumed. “With your indiscretion, I have an issue. You appear to be able to handle yourself in a combat sense, if witness accounts are to be believes, and I have job someone like that could help me with. The issue…” He trailed off.

He mentioned combat, so he probably has something dangerous in mind.

“Taking a shot in the dark, it’s more dangerous than my shitty little ‘crime’ makes you want to make me do?” Cloud asked.

“Yes,” the Zebra stopped for a moment and a shadow of a smile passed over his face, “that is my issue.” His smile dropped. “But please avoid such vulgar language.”

“Speaking of language-” badum-tish, “how come you’re so fluent in Equestrian?” Or whatever the hell the language is called...

“My mother was an Earth Pony from Equestria,” he replied simply. “She taught my sister and me Ponish as our first language.”

“Alright then.” Simple enough.

“Regardless of this digression, I have a job you could do as payment, but it is dangerous. If you decline my offer of it, I will not worsen your sentence. I will instead find simpler work to put you.”

...Sounds like she taught him the language of purple prose…

“The dangerous job in question,” he continued, “is to stop a dangerous monster. Our crops have been attacked on multiple occasions. Though I would prefer it not be killed, I recognise there may not be a choice when the task is at a head.”

Cloud’s mind rolled back to the Everfree Manticore. I sure couldn’t handle a monster back then, even with T- ...Even with a shielding spell active, but then again I’ve grown a lot since then. Both in magic, physically, and mentally. Though it often feels not so in the latter…

A few moments passed.

“I think I can handle it,” Cloud finally replied. “What kind of monster is it?”

“A Stone Golem,” said the never ending pacer, “slow, stupid and extraordinarily strong. It has been destroying our crops for some time now. I have been trying to assemble a small team to take it down, but aside from myself there are few people qualified to do so, let alone anyone who wants to do it. You seem like a good candidate, but what exactly would you be bringing to the table?”

That’s a pretty weird phrase the more I think about it.

“I have a little combat training from-” Cloud caught himself about to say too much. “F-from a very… enthusiastic teacher.” I probably shouldn’t announce to people Luna trained me. “They taught me a little in general defense and conditioned me to not do too badly with pain.” And yet I always go through so much of it... “I have a variety of magic, some generic stuff like the three Ts, but also-”

“Three Ts?” The pacing paused for but a moment, before continuing.

Cloud huffed impatiently in his mind. “Telekinesis, teleportation, and telepathy, though the last one’s a struggle. I also have shit like-”

“Language.”

“-Shit like, a couple of conjuration spells, a simple magic bolt spell, a disorientation spell-”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Would you stop-?” Cloud stopped himself before he worked himself into anger. He sighed to calm himself, and continued, “a… spell sort of that shocks people with electricity, a well rounded supportive ‘spell’ that allows me to fly-”

“That sounds very useful.”

Cloud’s tail flicked. “-and a couple of other simple things.”

“Yep, you’ll do nicely.” The Zebra did the unthinkable - he stopped pacing. He pulled a few linked keys from his pocket, unlocked the door, and extended a hoof to shake. “My name is Bravura. Let’s go monster hunting.”

Cloud smiled and shook his hoof. “Sounds like a plan.”