Chapter 28: The Frontier

James sat cross legged in the center of a large rounded tent. Around him on all sides stood four buffalo, spears at the ready. The quadrupeds had stripped him of all his armor and equipment at spear point, all the way down to his skin. Thankfully, the let him keep his pants. They had him in there for hours. They did not treat him badly, however, every now and then a small buffalo doe would bring him corn and water under the watchful eyes of his guards. Occasionally he would try to talk to them, but each time he was answered with only stoic silence. The whole time, he stayed awake, not trusting his current captors. He considered escape, but he had no weapons and wrestling four six hundred pound buffalo bare handed did not seem like an attractive option. He could attempt to disarm one of them and use the spear against them, but didn't think he knew how to knock them out and killing them when they had not yet brought harm to him went against his ROE. The hours ticked on, the only indication of their passage the changing of the guards and glimpses through the curtains as food and water was brought to him. When the buffalo doe brought him food the fourth time, a short flash of sight through the curtain let him know the sun was setting. Finally, after so much waiting, two more guards walked in. At first, James thought it wad another change of guard, but a large dark colored buffalo bull wearing a large feathered headdress followed them in.

"You are different from the others." The large buffalo stated in a authoritative voice.

"Others? The hell do you mean. Also, since I got you talking, what the hell have you done with my friend? I swear to god, if you've hurt him..."

"Rest assured," The buffalo started, "your friend is unharmed. He awaits us outside."

"So what do you want from me?" James asked.

"You resemble those of the black sword. Those of savagery." The buffalo bull said to the human.

James knew where this was going and tried to counter, "Believe you me, I want nothing to do with those things, except to stop them."

"Your companion told us as much. However, we must be cautious in these times."

"I can understand that, but I happen to be working for the princess to help make these times safer, so maybe you could help me out here and let me go?"

"About that I must apologize, keeping you in captivity was done in the best interests of my people."

"That's ok, I probably would have done the same. So,, excuse me for being blunt, but who are you and where are we?" James asked.

"I am Chief Thunderhooves, leader of the proud buffalo. This is our home."

"Nice to meet you, Chief. I'm James. Any chance you can help us here? We need to get back. Also, maybe you can tell me about the savages you've encountered. One last thing, can I have my equipment back?"

"The nearest town is a half day's walk from here. As for your possessions, they are stored nearby. In the morning, you will be taken to Sheriff Silverstar in Appeloosa, but tonight you and your companion shall sup with us." The Chief informed him.

"Sounds good to me, Chief." James said while standing up.

He stretched his aching joints, creating several audible pops. The guards tensed, but relaxed again at their leader's signal. James followed the large buffalo outside into the dusky light. Feather was waiting for him near the exit.

"How'd it go in there?" The earth pony inquired.

"Well, they're treating us to dinner. So, good I guess. Tomorrow they'll take us to a town called Appeloosa to see the Sheriff. Hopefully they'll have a way for us to contact the others and let them know we're not dead." James told him.

They both followed the Chief to a large fire set centrally in the small settlement. James and Feather sat down with their host and listened to Chief Thunderhooves as he told him about the past month's events while the food was prepared.

"Not long ago, before the change of seasons, a great host marched past these very woods. A group of our scouts were the first to encounter them. Unfortunately, only one returned to warn us. It was the last thing he did before succumbing to his wounds. His noble sacrifice allowed us time to move and avoid the foul things." The Chief finished, a desolate look upon his large face.

"I'm sorry for your loss. He was very brave to have done that. Please stop me if I over step my bounds, but did he say anything else about the monsters?" James asked politely.

"He did mention one thing. They did not march alone. With them traveled members of the pony folk."

"Those were prisoners. They had been abducting unicorns for... malefic purposes. We were actually tracking them when you found us." Feather explained to him.

"Not all of them were unicorns. Nor were they all shackled."

The two warriors sat in stunned silence, considering the implications of this new information. Feather was the most disturbed by this.

"Are you sure!? Are you absolutely certain this is what he saw!?" The dark blue pony asked frantically.

The Chief responded with a hint of anger, "He was one of my most trusted and skilled scouts! I would stake my reputation and life on his words!"

James stepped in, not wanting the brief spark of emotion flare up into a heated quarrel, "Ok, ok, calm down. Chief, I apologize for my friend here, he meant no disrespect. We've fought those creatures before and the thought of his own kind working with those things shakes me up a little too."

"I too am sorry for my outburst. It is not how we treat our guests." The Chief replied.

"I just need to know one more thing, Chief," James asked him, "Where did they go?"

"They continued east, to the Blasted Mountains. It is there that I hope they are burned and torn asunder!"

"And, what would be over there that could do that?"

"Just beyond the Blasted Mountains lies the land of dragons. They are very territorial and very ferocious, even only one of the grown ones would be able to wipe them out." The Chief said in a hopeful tone.

"Thank you for the information." James said to the large buffalo.

The three of them relaxed as more buffalo sat down around them and food was brought out before them. The feast consisted of roasted corn, peppers, assorted wild berries and curiously, apple pie. Which was delicious. During the hearty meal, Chief Thunderhooves entertained his guests with the tales of his people. James was fascinated to learn that the pies were the result of a small skirmish with the town of Appeloosa. The large buffalo told them of how his people had once hated the frontiers folk for planting on their land, but eventually reached a compromise after what James almost refused to believe was an honest to god pie fight. Now the buffalo ran through the orchards, shaking the apples to the ground and in return, the townsfolk gave them pies. He was even surprised to find that his friends at his new home in Ponyville had a hand in it.

After they had finished eating, James and Feather were taken to a vacant tent where their equipment was waiting for them, along with two sleeping mats and some blankets. The two inventoried their gear to ensure nothing was missing before settling down for sleep. Tomorrow would be an early morning and a busy day. Hopefully Appeloosa would have a speedy way for them to get in contact with Celestia and the rest of their team.

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Feather and James were woken early before sunrise by one of the buffalo. Quickly, they donned their armor and equipment before stepping outside. Waiting to greet them was their host, Chief Thunderhooves. Together, they had a small breakfast of flat bread and berries before they were ready to set out. Before they did, the Chief addressed them one last time.

"With you I send two of my finest scouts; Runs Like Strong Wind and White Crow. They shall guide you to the town of ponyfolk. When you arrive, I have but one request to ask of you."

"Anything, Chief." James said eagerly.

"In town there is a stallion named Breaburn. Living with him is a buffalo doe named Little Strongheart. Please pass on to her her father's love and bid her to visit again soon." The proud leader asked.

"That I will. Thank you for all your hospitality Chief Thunderhooves. If ever you are in need of assistance, don't hesitate to give us a call. Just get to town and ask for 'The Fixers'. We'll get here as fast as we can." James responded.

"Thank you for your kind offer. I will remember it. Now go in peace." The Chief replied respectfully.

With that, the four set off to town. For five hours they journeyed out the forest and across a great plain. Eventually, the plains gave way to an apple orchard and within another three hours a small town came into view. Before they entered the outskirts, the two buffalo stopped.

"From here you go alone, we must now return home." Instructed White Crow.

"Thank you for your guidance. Have a safe trip back." James replied.

The buffalo turned to leave while Feather and James continued on. The sun was beginning its descent when they finally entered the town. It reminded the human of the towns of the western frontier back in his own world. Rows of wooden buildings sat along a wide central street that ran the length of the town. Feather stopped one of the towns folk and got directions to the Sheriff's office. Fortunately it only happened to be at the other end of the street. The two walked over and knocked on the door. It was opened by a grayish earth pony stallion sporting a vest, ten gallon hat, a black mane and a silver five pointed Sheriff's badge. James also noticed he was rocking an impressive moustache.

"How can I help you two uh, fellers?" He said, a bit taken aback at their disheveled and unshaven appearance.

"Sheriff Silverstar?" Feather asked.

"That is correct."

"Can we talk to you inside?" James requested.

"Well, of course. Come on in and pull up a seat." The law pony said, stepping aside to allow them entrance.

The two went in and sat down on two seats set in front of a wide desk. The Sheriff sat down behind it.

"Now how can I help you two fine gentlecolts?" Silverstar asked in a southern drawl.

James began to explain their situation, "Sheriff, we're with the Royal Special Tasks Group, sort of a special division of the Guards. We hit a snag during an evolution and got separated from our team up in Whitecrest. We need to contact them."

"Whitecrest! Y'all're quite a distance from there! How'd ya both end up way down here?"

"It's a long story."

"Well, ya can use some of mah stationary and I'll have it sent, rush, to where ever ya want. Ya know y'all're famous right? I thought that patch looked familiar."

"Famous?" Feather asked.

"Yeah, sure! Here, take a look." The Sheriff slid over a news paper.

James picked it up and read the front. The title of the paper was 'The Appeloosa Star' and near the bottom of the front page, next to a report of some stolen airships, was a well done pencil drawing of the RSTG patch under a headline that read:

'Princess Celestia's Secret Guardian Angels'

Many of you have already heard or read of the battle that occurred at the trading town of Whitecrest and the sacrifices made by our very own Royal Guardsponies. Their tireless efforts in the defense of the town not only allowed many of the civilians to escape unharmed, but also saved the town from certain destruction. What you didn't hear about was the small team of elite warriors that were instrumental in turning the tide against the horrific creatures that had besieged the Whitecrest. Hand picked and trained by a new sentient species our sources are telling is called 'human', these specially trained soldiers assisted the head of forces in Whitecrest, Colonel Rokjaw, in the defense of his home. Unfortunately we were unable to learn the identities of these brave souls. However, survivor accounts do tell of a unicorn mare in a miniaturized version of an airship shuttling wounded out of the city to safety. Already, ponies everywhere are calling her 'The Angel of Whitecrest'....

The article continued to go on about other details of the battle; such as the damage to the western gate, the strange disappearance of the creatures that had attacked and the still missing unicorns. It also went on to mention the recovery of one of the captives over a week ago. James passed the paper to Feather, clearly not pleased. He knew that it was inevitable that the existence of his organization would become general knowledge, but what he didn't like was the unwanted attention it would bring. Oh well, nothing he could do about it.

James wrote three letters. One for Sparks, Flash and Myst, One for Princess Celestia and one for Spike, who he was sending all three to. Sheriff Silverstar gave the package to the fastest pegasus in town. Now all the two needed to do was find a place to stay and get washed up. The Sheriff graciously offered up his own residence which had a guest room and a couch they could where they could rest. Feather went first in the shower while James washed their filthy uniforms and cleaned their equipment. Then while Feather went to find Breaburn and Little Strongheart, James hung out their clothes to dry and hopped into the shower himself. After a quick wash up he looked himself in the mirror. He really looked like hell. He hadn't shaved in over a week and his eyes were bloodshot. All over his body were cuts and bruises.

"Damn," He said to himself, "tonight's gonna be an early night."