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Anthrexia: A New Element | ...And Little Did I Know | Fratermutis broke the silence. He allowed a grim smile. "Have you come to kill us all, Little Star?"
She snorted softly, like a laugh that didn't quite make it.
"No, I've come to make you all beg for death. We'll see how I feel after that."
Then, several things happened at once.
The Dwarf hefted his hammer above his head and charged Celestia, bellowing Nirine's name. The minotaur and the centaur both hesitated a moment before emulating him, splitting off to either side to surround her.
Celestia's dual scissor blades whipped from their scabbards, spinning like saws. One spun toward the minotaur and barely missed his head, neatly lopping his remaining horn off close to his skull. He barely had time to bellow protest when the blade spun back and decapitated him. The other blade had gone in the direction of the centaur, and she caught it on her sword. The blades stuck for a moment, before Celestia grunted softly, and the scissors halved the bronze blade like paper. The horse-woman danced back from the spinning death trap, dodging once, twice, before the blade darted down and separated her human half from her horse half. They both fell to the ground spewing blood, and somehow, the horse body continued huffing and kicking long after the human half had gone limp.
The Alicorn herself met the dwarf's charge head-on, as in literally blocking his blow directly with her forehead. She deflected his attack to the side and continued the spin, to buck him with her heavy war-hooves. He caught one in a meaty fist, though by the cracks she'd broken every bone in it. Her free hoof smashed into his face again and again, and finally she kicked free and the dwarf fell, his brain clearly visible between the cracked plates of his skull.
"You're running out of slaves to die for you, Humans."
The Wyvern swooped down and landed before her. The little white donkey was clinging to his back. "If dying for your family is slavery, then I will call myself a slave and be proud. Now, Pedronus!"
The Donkey grunted and a glowing red blade of magic extended from his horn. He stabbed it into the back of the wyvern's neck, and the creature inflated like some grotesque balloon animal, his neck and body thickening and lengthening, rips forming and glowing with magic. The wyvern cried out and something internal gave, his reptilian body was torn though like a shed skin, hanging loosely from whatever being had materialized within. Fire spurted from the tears, and the behemoth swayed drunkenly, like a puppet missing strings.
Pedronus still rode on the glowing creature's back, and like before, he shouted an accusation with deep, booming command. "CELESTIA GALAXOS-UNIVERSA, HIGH PRINCESS OF PONYKIND, SUPREME LEADER OF THE HOOVED PEOPLE, VESSEL OF HARMONY, TAMER OF DISCORD, AND SHE WHO RAISES THE SUN, YOU HAVE COMMITTED TERRIBLE CRIMES AGAINST THE FELLOW INHABITANTS OF YOUR PLANET, INCLUDING THE HUMANS AND THEIR KIN, THE SHADOW DWELLERS, DRAGONKIND, SPIRITKIND, THEY WHO WALK ALONE, AND YOUR OWN PEOPLE. YOU HAVE KILLED AND DESTROYED WAYS OF LIFE AND ENTIRE CIVILIZATIONS, THOSE CLOSE TO YOU AND ACROSS THE EDEN. AS RECOMPENSE FOR YOUR ACTIONS, I, PEDRONUS THE SHREWD, PRINCE OF NOTHING, SON OF NESTORUS, THE LAST KING OF THE DONKEYS, SENTENCE YOUR BODY AND SOUL TO BE CONSUMED BY THE BEAST-OF-THE-INFERNO PAINTRAIN THE FIREBRAND."
Again, a kind of not-voice scratched at the base of my skull.
Is it hot in here or is it just me?
The shed Wyvern skin snapped taut and pillars of fire exploded from the tears. A pair of bright nodes where there used to be eyes cast a bright light on Celestia.
Here's where I make a joke about fighting fire with fire.
"Pedronus... What have you done? What have you unleashed?" Celestia clearly gaped behind her stoic helmet, backing away. I agreed. I would not have liked to fight that thing.
"Do whatever it takes to kill her, Paintrain," was the little white donkey's reply.
Sure thing.
The fire-balloon-wyvern-corpse-demon moved with ridiculous speed for something so large. Celestia seemed to have a difficult time reacting, let alone trade blows with the demon, so she streaked away in the opposite direction. Any time she would seemingly gain some distance, it would just speed up, as if it wasn't affected by the rules of our reality.
Finally, she rocketed up into the sky, seemingly trying to draw him away from the city or into space or something. Which was disappointing, because after a few moments, even the massive form of Paintrain shrank to a nearly-invisible speck.
Then it exploded.
The fireball took up a greedy spot in the sky, dwarfing a thunderhead approaching from the west. After a few seconds, the cloud shuddered, then began drifting in the other direction, as if it had been scared off by the detonation.
It took nearly ten seconds for the sound to hit us. It rippled through the air like a physical wave, though all that reached the Royals was a strong, hot wind, and a soft whistling noise, like a tea kettle left on too long.
"Are they..?"
"So much energy, I can feel my aura tingling. Surely the demon self-destructed to fill his charge." Lex shook his head, before his youngest sister attracted his attention. "What's wrong, Vita?"
Sororevita clutched her breast, breathing heavily. She seemed barely able to form words. "She is still alive!" she cried.
Lex looked up again. "That's impossible! Paintrain is a level ten malevolent entity, he is the fires of Tartarus! He should've chewed her up and swallowed her, then washed her down with a few thousand mortal souls! How could she have killed him and survived? She's just a child!"
Vita shook her head. "We were blind, Lex. We draw our power from the people, the collective soul of humanity. We are strong when they are strong. We were fools to think she was the same. I see it now, Lex, it's backwards. The ponies draw their power from the Alicorns, the Alicorns draw their power from the gods. And now the gods are angry."
Realization dawned on Lex's face. "We thought that by destroying her subjects, we would make her weaker, but we were only focusing her power, funnelling it. Huma help us all."
There was a small flash of teleportation, and Celestia joined us once again. Her body and armor were intact and her eyes were closed. Around her body, a sort of spectral afterimage glowed, tendrils of light whipping around randomly. Several tendrils held a small white donkey tightly in their grip. He struggled against them, swearing inaudibly. The tendrils whipped, and the donkey spun away, landing several miles in the distance. A thick orb of gold surrounded her, and some kind of simplified pony made of light whirled about her, it's edges blurred by a corona of energy. For a second, the entity looked at me and I felt a chill. Could it see me?
It looked away, at the Royals, and narrowed it's light-eyes. Then it merged with Celestia, and her eyes opened. They were flat gold, glowing with energy, like Twilight's had not so long ago. Celestia's own voice echoed in my head. Her emotions have taken control of her powers.
The voice was totally unlike the demons, which had been dark and subtle. This one was bright and keening, layered over Celestia's in my head, even though her lips didn't move. The entitie's power could be glimpsed through the connection, and it was so vast that it actually hurt a little.
Your god cannot help you now. You have hurt my children. You have made a mess of my home. You will be punished.
The four royals gaped at her. Pedronus flew close again, the waves of power rolling off him were massive, but nothing compared to the god's. It spoke to him.
Do not interfere, child. You meddle in matters you cannot even begin to understand.
"HOW DARE YOU! I AM THE LAST OF THE ONALLOCORNS, HEIR TO THE FALLEN KINGDOM OF JAKASINUS! MY FATHER WAS NESTORUS THE TITAN, THE LAST GOD-KING OF THE DONKEYS, MY MOTHER MARINAIA-OF-THE-SIREN-SONG! I STOPPED BEING A CHILD THE DAY YOUR FATHER KILLED MINE, AND NOW YOU DARE TELL ME NOT TO MEDDLE?! I'LL SHOW YOU MEDDLING!
A charge of pure white magic gathered at the tip of Pedronus' horn; clearly putting into it everything he had, it released as a giant, white-hot orb, careening at Celestia with extreme speed.
One of her light-tentacles whipped out and caught the ball gently, cupping it like a baby. She held it up to the light as if to inspect it.
An impressive charge, considering how little of my essence lives within you. But you are still mine, Pedronus, no matter how much you wish it was not so.
She wrapped the titanic ball of energy in her tentacles, compressing it. When she opened them, a living dove fluttered out, circled her once, then flew away. She watched it for a moment, seemingly entranced. Pedronus stomped his hoof, roaring, gouging a hole in the earth.
The god's glowing eyes snapped back to him, and narrowed in anger. With sudden violence, her tentacles whipped out again, wrapping around his neck and hooves, pulling him off the ground. His wings flapped powerfully, churning wind, but he was no match for her.
"No! Let go of me!"
You are a child, ignorant and blind. Your father was warned, if his people rebelled again, they would be exterminated. For their sake, it is fortunate you are not their king.
Her appendages snapped down again and again, slamming the jack brutally into the dirt, again and again. I lost count how many times. Finally, after an eternity, she stopped. The little broken donkey hung limply, but his eyes burned brightly with hatred, and he still struggled against the unbreakable light bonds. I was surprised he was still conscious; she'd dug down to the bedrock with his body. He spat soil, teeth, and silver blood.
"Is that... all you've got? C'mon... I'm not dead, yet! Let's... let's go again..."
The god ignored him. Her appendages went taut, racking the jack. He grunted, and I could hear his abused skeleton straining, crackling against itself. Consider this a reminder.
His right wing tore from it's socket with a sickening squelch, and finally Pedronus screamed, first high with agony, then trailing off into a low keen of despair. Then he sobbed, once.
While Celestia had been distracted punishing Pedronus, the Royals had taken position. Now they struck.
"Leave him alone!" Fraterlex leaped up and swung his hammer in a high arc over his head. The dark head, enlarged to nearly the size of a fridge, collided with the sphere surrounding Celestia...
...and stopped dead.
"...Impossible..."
The god giggled girlishly and swung a tentacle at him. He blocked with his hammer, rocking backward on his heels, and like an oiled machine, Mutis and Vera took his place, scythe and shovel spinning in unison. Lex fell back and asked his youngest sister seriously, "Vita! What manner of sorcery is this? We should be cutting through that shield like butter!"
The youngest royal shook her head again, "I don't know! It looks like she's just... absorbing our auras, like no matter how much of her magic we negate, there's more to take it's place. Could her power be limitless? Is that possible? This is unreal..."
Lex stared at his siblings attacking the pony-god, and his eyes hardened as she giggled again. She was playing with them.
"Brother, if we opened the Ley Gates... the power of the people... we could..."
"No. It cannot come to that, not again. We will defeat her together or not at all. ROYALS! TO ME!"
Mutis and Vera flipped out of Celestia's reach, joining their brother. The Royals joined hands in a circle, grasping each others weapons.
Gravity
Time
Light
Life
When the void comes, we will meet it.
Together.
WE ARE ROYAL. WE ARE HUMAN.
Chunks of earth began to break free, twirling like planets in orbit. Time stopped.
The god giggled again, which was cut short when a thick, dense beam of energy shot from the group and collided with her sphere. The beam began to slowly cut through the shield, until she focused her tendrils of light into a similar beam, beating it back. They pushed against each other, unstoppable forces meeting immovable objects.
Celestia won.
The Royals were bowled apart like pins. She pounced.
Enough.
The royals seemed only slightly fazed. The oldest and youngest took their turn distracting Celestia, Lex dealing heavy blows with his hammer, Vita darting in to block any returned by the alicorn.
"Brute magic isn't going to win us this one, brother." Fratermutis spun his scythe, breathing heavily. "We need an alternate strategy."
As he said this, Vita missed her parry, and a spear of light cut through her stomach.
All four Royals cried out together.
Vita fell back, clutching her midriff. Vera, wasting no time, leapt back into the fray, but the god, heartened by her successful blow, redoubled her efforts. "Tis! A little help, please?"
A whip of light struck Vera across the face, lifting her off the ground and spiraling her into the air. Another whip snapped into Lex's crotch with an audible crunch, rocketing him twenty feet straight up.
Enough. I tire of this.
Lex got almost a full second of hang time before painfully hitting the ground. "Speak for yourself," he grunted, an octave higher than before. He cleared his throat. "Royals! Fall back to the cliffs!"
The Royals split in different directions, and Celestia seemed unsure of which one to follow. The humans took full advantage, disappearing into the mountainside. In my memory-specter form, it was not difficult to follow.
They met in a little cave with trinkets strewn about and child's drawings on the walls.
Tis kicked one of the toys softly and chuckled. "Remember these?"
Vera smiled and gestured at the walls of the cave, pointing out one in particular, depicting four human stick figures holding hands in a circle around a stick-pony with wings and a horn. "Remember this one?"
Vita giggled, clutching her stomach, her injury apparently only minor. "She made us sit still for almost an hour, and look how it turned out...."
Lex ran a finger down the drawing, almost tenderly, his eyes lingering on the stick-pony in the center.
"Well, you know what they say about old friends; they make the most bitter enemies."
"What in Tartarus are we going to do?"
"The Eye is watching New Huma. The government, the aristocrats, the last of the factories and the farms, those are all going to be essential if we survive, and if we don't, they'll be that much more important."
"The Eye's gaze stays where it is. The nukes are primitive and slow, not to mention dirty and spiteful, barely worth the thought. We only have one option, the Ley Gates. We can open them and fuel our attack with the fear and anger of twenty billion human souls. "
"Boys? I don't know about you, but I've never done this before. How can we be sure it will work?"
"We can't, Vita. All we can do is try to follow in Dad's footsteps, and hope we're strong enough."
Lex took Vera's hands in his. "Even if we live through this, we won't be the same when we come back."
I decided to go outside. I walked out of the cave, and the demon-Celestia was still searching, casting some sort of scanning beam from her horn. It was probably only a matter of time until she found them.
"Hey!" I yelled, waving my arms at her from the mouth of the cave. She didn't turn. I guess she can't see me.
A blast of white light shot from the cave, streaking towards the god-pony. It collided with her with far more force than any of the blows she'd recieved earlier.
This just seems to piss her off.
Vera, Avatar of Light and Truth, seemed to have taken the form of a living corona of photons, vaguely female-shaped. I had trouble looking directly at her. She moved instantaneously, striking faster than even my eyes could see.
Next came Tis, Avatar of Change and Time. His form appeared to be a rip in space-time, and he didn't so much move as shift, appearing suddenly on the battlefield and phasing in and out of visual range.
Vita, Life and Growth, also seemed to have a shifting form, first appearing as some sort of fleshy wolf, but as she got farther from the cave, her form reshaped itself into a winged serpent. She spat fire and magic in a rainbow of colors, trailing it behind her as her speed blurred her.
Finally, Fraterlex, Justice and Penance. He was a swirling black shadow, and as he passed, his aura tore chunks of stone and detritus from the land around him, and they began to orbit him, curling in on themselves to form tiny planetoids.
The four abstract concepts began to circle Celestia, increasing in speed until they blurred together into a ring of whirling color. Seemingly in response, Celestia's light grew more intense, until my poor mortal eyes could barely make out what the fuck was happening.
There was a loud tearing noise that came from everywhere and nowhere. I couldn't grasp the true nature of Celestia's attack.
If this whole thing hadn't been some sort of spectral vision, the flash would have burned my eyes out, and in all likelihood, I'd be dead. The next parts, I didn't so much see as feel. I sensed the death of the Royals as I knew the rest of humanity had.
The youngest, Vita, died first. Celestia's magic swallowed her, burning and corrupting her, drowning her. Her essence was already weakened from witnessing all the death that day, and when it came in contact with Celestia's hate and rage, and the death within Celestia's own heart, it simply wilted and died, like a spring flower killed by an unexpected frost. She died without a mark on her.
Vera died next, her light burning bright against Celestia's, until the two were hard to tell apart, and then I realised that I couldn't tell them apart. Celestia's immortal soul had burned Vera's out, like two wildfires clashing.
Fratermutis fought valiantly, but he was his own undoing. She somehow faked him out and sent him in two directions at once, his own power over time tearing him into pieces.
Fraterlex tried to kill her by sacrificing himself, imploding on himself and trying to suck her in.
It didn't work.
There was a sort of reality-snap as normal physics sprang back into place like a rubber band. At that point I realized how close this fight had come to tearing the very fabric of the universe apart.
Colors returned and I saw that Celestia still hovered over the battlefield in god-form. The bodies of the Royals fell where they would rest for the next six thousand years, the security systems in their weapons taking over to preserve their masters.
My spectral self began to dissolve. My last glimpse of the memory was Celestia's face. It's hard to read horse emotions, but I swear she was crying.
My feet hit the wood floor of Dirty Mike's as they had before. I stood, numb for a moment.
I poured myself another drink.
"Now do you understand, John?"
I looked at Lex, dumbfounded. "Fuck no, are ya goofy?"
Lex and his companion, who he still hadn't introduced, facepalmed simultaneously.
"Well, allow me to clarify; My mother was murdered and my father went into a depression that lasted several hundred years. In that time, my siblings and I initiated a cleansing war against all non-human inhabitants of Eden. That may sound awful to you, but similar wars have been fought on Earth, against far more human opponents. We killed their leaders, hoping it would topple their civilization, but we overlooked one detail. With her dying breath, Celestia's mother hid her and her baby sister in the Ethereal, a dimension of pure, endless magic that Humans are physically incapable of entering. My theory is that she and her sister absorbed so much ambient magic in the Ethereal that they became tied to it, and capable of tapping into it's magic at any time. We'd created our own worst enemy; a creature capable of tapping into enough magical energy to overload even a Royal's aura."
"Ok, I got that much. Get to the part that actually has something to do with me."
"I'm getting there. Celestia organized the last of her race into a formidable fighting force, and like so many global takeover attempts, our forces were spread thin. She didn't even bother trying to take her country back, she headed right for Canterlot with a thirst for Royal blood. You just witnessed the results of that."
"Yeah, you got your asses kicked."
"I guess I couldn't have said it better myself. After we died, Father had no fight left in him. He surrendered with no terms and used the Meridian we'd built in Canterlot to take the rest of Humanity to the nearby seed-world that would eventually become Earth. I have no memories beyond that. Gravic preserved my memories within himself, in the hope that humans would one day return to Eden. Fraterlex would be pleased to learn that they have. This planet is the closest thing humanity has had to a home since Huma was destroyed. You are the reincarnation of Fraterlex, and by claiming Gravic as your weapon, you've activated the Royalty genes hidden within you. You will be the vanguard to our return."
"What if I don't wanna?"
"Then you're a fool, and you'll be sorely disappointed. Even creatures as powerful as us are still slaves to providence. Or did becoming stranded on an alien planet of magical horses figure into your plans somehow? If so, I'd love to hear it."
"Point taken. I still don't understand a lot of this, in fact, I'm taking this remarkably well for someone with no prior knowledge of what's going on, so I'm just gonna take this opportunity to ask you a few qustions. First, if you're dead, then how are you talking to me, and a follow-up question, who is this and why is he not talking to me?"
"I am what you would call a 'ghost,' basically, I'm a dead creature with no soul whose memories are being sustained by an alternate power source, namely Gravic, which brings me to your next question, this gentleman is Gravic's representation of himself in your mind. He can't talk because he's a hammer, duh, but he has to be here because his life force is sustaining me. As far as memories go, I have nearly Lex's full life other than unobtainable natal memories, but I have none of his personality or morals. We built this astral plane to have a true conversation with you, and to explain a few things."
"Well, you've explained it, and I don't really care. Fuck you and your stupid ancient war, fuck Eden and all it's bullshit, and especially fuck Celestia. I want to go home, drink a beer, smoke a cig, and go to sleep in my own bed and not wake up. I definitely don't want to get involved in any ancient prophesies."
"Well, get over it. If you'd take a moment to think, you'd realize that I'm not particularly invested in your actions, I'm dead. I don't even have a soul. So, listen up, if you want to go back to Earth, you'll have to re-activate the Earthen Meridian, and to do that, you'll need the treasure hidden within the Canterlot Vessel. That's the sealed bunker Celestia was talking about. The Meridian will open a Ley Gate between Earth and Eden, allowing humans to travel back and forth instantaneously. Your return to Earth will spark attention, and soon enough, humans will be flooding back to this planet in droves. If you truly wish to return home, our goals are one and the same."
I sighed, feeling helpless for the first time in a long time. "Fine, If that's all you want me to do, I'll do it, but I'm not happy about it. I seriously just wanna go home. Anything else is secondary to me."
"I'm a fucking ghost, I can't be happy about anything. I'm just telling you what Lex would tell you."
I shook my head, at a loss and still extremely confused. "This isn't really a solution, Casper, I'm not exactly much closer to my beer and cigarette. Celestia isn't just gonna let me walk into the place, especially if she knows what I plan to do."
"I don't mean to sound indifferent, but that's not really my problem, is it? Oh wait, nevermind, I did mean to sound indifferent. Be creative, you're a Human, and a Royal, I'm sure you'll figure it out. In the mean time, feel free to take advantage of this simulation. I believe the beers are where they were, and you'll find the cigarettes in their usual spot as well."
I narrowed my eyes at him, grabbing three beers from the fridge and snagging the pack of cigarettes from the drawer. I lit one and cracked one, handing the other two to the other two. "So, what happens now?"
"We can just hang out for a while, if you want. I will dissipate when this simulation ends, and time is doesn't exist here. You will be returned to Eden, and your mission will begin. In the mean time, wanna watch the game?"
"Yeah, actually. I'd like that."
. . .
Brain: Well, that was wierd.
Mouth: This beer tastes like dreams.
(Door opens, DNA enters)
Brain: Officer on deck!
DNA: At ease. We just got a private communication from outside. I have orders to activate the Royalty protocol.
Brain: The Royalty protocol? I wasn't informed.
DNA: Neither was I, but apparently it's a thing. Do you remember all that extra equipment they installed back when we were in wet dock? Apparently, this is what that's for. (Hands Brain a thick folder of documents) And I thought we were already non-standard; We're supposed to double structural support and efficiency, increase brain function, metabolism, the works.
Brain: (Eyeing the documents shrewdly) Well, I guess we better get to it. |
Anthrexia: A New Element | And A Skeleton Popped Out! | I came back to my body in a rush, gasping as true sensation returned to my limbs. I was soaked with sweat and my back was killing me. My head swam with a slight buzz, apparently that booze had been realer than I thought. Gravic the Fallhammer was in my hand.
I rolled over and stood, stretching. The defense field had dissipated, and in the center of the circle of fallen rocks was what appeared to be a sphere of dense bone the size of a fist. Fraterlex's remains. After a moment of thought, I picked it up and stuffed it in my pocket. At the very least, I could bury it, if I could burn it, that'd be great.
After a bit of looking around, I found that Celestia and Luna had left, which wasn't surprising. The sun was long set, it had clearly been several hours since I had first touched the hammer. I took this as a sign to not waste time, it's not like I need their fucking permission to explore a human ruin that by all rights belong to the humans, i.e. me.
Lex's ghost had given me directions to the Canterlot Vessel, which had been sealed after all the humans had left. It was apparently one of the largest of it's kind, built into the cliffs beside Canterlot, which were rich with gems and crystals. There were several entrances, one of which was nearby. I beelined to it.
Sure enough, a carved slab of rock that was actually a door revealed itself. It was well-hidden, if someone had just been passing by, they would have thought it was simply a section of cliff face, but Lex's ghost had pointed out what to look for; symmetrical cracks in the rock that gave it away. I touched the door, and was surprised to find a synthetic voice speaking Old Humish or whatever the fuck the pink text is.
"Welcome, Your Highness. The Canterlot Vessel is currently in security lockdown. Would you like to bypass the lockdown?"
"Um, yeah."
"Royal bypass confirmed. Warning: Primary automated security systems have been shut down due to atrophy. Secondary security systems are not capable of recognizing human beings and will attack on sight. Do you still want to proceed?"
"Great. Yeah, let's go."
"Confirmed. Please enjoy your stay."
"I'm sure I will." I sighed. Typical. The door slid open quietly, revealing a drilled tunnel going straight down and a dusty ladder attached to the side. I swung myself into the hole and began to descend, only to have the door slide shut above me, plunging me into darkness. "Great."
The voice chimed in my ear again. "Sarcasm detected. Is there a problem, Your Highness?"
"Well, it's dark as shit and it smells like something fucking died in this hole, but other than that, I'm alright."
"Sarcasm increased. Unfortunately, this facility is running on emergency power, and most illumination has been shut down, as well as the primary maintenance systems. As a result, it seems that aphotic ecosystems has formed in several of the larger chambers of the facility, which would account for the odor."
"Gross. How long is this fucking ladder?"
"The tunnel you are currently in is an emergency exit, and is one of the shorter tunnels of it's kind. At your current speed, you will reach the main service tunnel in 63 heartbeats. If you'll pardon my asking, is this your first time visiting the Canterlot Vessel? Your DNA does not match any Royal signatures in my database, and you do not seem very familiar with the facility."
"You could say that. I'm from Earth, actually, apparently I'm descended from Royals or some shit, I dunno, I wasn't fucking paying attention. I was told all of this by Fraterlex's fucking ghost, and a hammer. Are you a ghost, too?"
"I am a digital construct embedded into this vessel's systems. I am responsible for maintaining the vessel's function and aiding humans in it's operation. Is there anything in particular I can assist you with?"
My boots touched soft dirt. I couldn't smell any cave gas or anything, just the soft scent of earth and rot, so I lit my Zippo and let my eyes adjust to the light. The cavern was carved from solid stone, with broken lights set in the ceiling. Loamy soil covered the ground. The tunnel extended in either direction away from the ladder. "Where do you guys keep all the treasure? I was told there would be treasure."
"Anything valuable to be kept in the vessel would likely be near the central control chamber, in the center of the vessel. Is there a specific item you would like me to locate?"
"I was told it could activate the Earthen Meridian."
"There are no objects within my database that match that description."
"Shit. I don't know, you're the ancient computer that has all the answers, don't you have anything I can work with?"
"The First Oracle, Pithia of Delphi, was visiting the vessel when Celestia attacked human-controlled Canterlot. This was when I was told to prepare the vessel for the arrival of the human populace. I have record of her entering the vessel, but not of her leaving. It is likely that she still rests in the central control chamber as well, as she remains off my sensors, and that is one of the few areas within the vessel where I have limited surveillance."
"How does some lady's six-thousand-year-old corpse help me activate the Meridian?"
"Pithia was an Oracle, the first and most powerful of her kind. They are constructs, of sorts, similar to me, but infinitely more complex. Oracles were heavily utilized in the war against the ponies, their strategies and tactics were almost clairvoyant in their brilliance, and their knowledge in all things seemed nearly boundless. The vessel you stand in and many of it's kind were her design. If Pithia still exists, the operation of a Meridian would be a simple task for her."
I pinched the bridge of my nose, sighing. "All I'm trying to do is activate the Earthen Meridian. I was told that what I need to do that is hidden in this vessel. I don't care what form that McGuffin takes, as long as it works. Now, please, take me to it."
"Continue down this tunnel until you reach a split, then take the left path. "
The left path took me into a larger chamber, and now I could tell where the stink was coming from. Bioluminescent plant life, indeed, it looked like Avatar and Sanctum had some hot, nasty sex in here. Smells like it, too.
Between the soft blue and white glow of the plants, the flicker of a campfire could be seen. I walked to it. Sure enough, a set of three bone-thin humanoid figures squatted in a semicircle around it. Scratch that, did I say bone-thin? I meant actual bones. They're skeletons.
I hate cliches.
"Intruder alert. Identify."
"John Salem, Onawash, Wisconsin. Uh, kneel before the king?"
"Unauthorized. Removal in progress." They were on me in less than a second, skittering like insects through the brush and latching onto me. Damn, they're fast.
"Fuck-ass!" I cried, cursing on instinct. Not my finest work, but I was distracted, so there you go. They tried to wrestle me to the ground, but they were weak as skinny children, which made me actually laugh out loud. Then, after they seemed to realize that wasn't going to work, they all pulled what appeared to be crystalline knives from within their rib cages. These knives actually gave me cause for concern, in moments I was covered in cuts on any exposed skin. I remembered Gravic.
I reached to my belt, grabbing the handle, but it slipped out and fell to the ground, and suddenly the skeletons lost their grips and smashed to the floor.
I was confused for a moment, but then I remembered, the Fallhammer. The foliage around me had folded and snapped to the ground as well. Stop, hammer time.
I picked up the hammer, breaking the spell. The skeletons remained in pieces.
"So, uh, where do I go now?"
"Utilize the personal lift at this chamber's center. It will take you to Central Control directly."
"Sweet, thanks, toots." |
Anthrexia: A New Element | And It's A Bad Motherfucking Day To Be A Spider | The lift took me down, down through the vessel, for an even longer time than the ladder did.
"How fucking big is this place?"
"The vessel extends 231 kilometers below the surface of Eden."
"Jesus fuck-off Christ, that's like 150 miles! How fast am I going?"
"The lift you are currently occupying has just begun it's deceleration cycle down from it's max speed of 750 kilometers per hour."
"Double Christ."
I waited a few more moments, and the lift deposited me at the entrance of a tall chamber. It was dark, by the flickering light of my Zippo I failed to see the walls or the ceiling.
"Suck my dick!" I called into the void, hoping to gauge the size of the cavern by the echo. It was a solid three seconds before the returning call of "My dick, my dick!" answered out of the abyss. And with it came a terrible chattering, like a band or maracas strung up on twanging clotheslines.
"What the fuck?" I said out loud, in a whisper. The chattering continued for another second, and then stopped, all at once, echoing eerily. I was getting genuinely creeped out at this point, suppressing a shiver down my spine as I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other.
The floor beneath my feet was all I could see for a long time, the same featureless, gray shale, occasionally dotted with a fossilized sea creature. I thought of my poor little lighter and came to a decision. This was a really long fucking cavern and I can't remember when I filled this thing last. I stopped walking, and closed my eyes, then flicked the only light I had shut.
The chattering started again, and I began to genuinely panic.
"Computer lady? Cortana? Siri?"
"If you had bothered to ask, you would know that my name is Mancala."
"Mancala, I'm sorry, I need your help, please. I'm going to shit myself if I don't get some context to what the fuck is going on."
"The sensors I have access to indicate the life forms that have taken residence in the chamber are eusocial and colonial to some degree, and avoiding you by a wide margin. It's possible they have an aversion to you, as a Human Royal you represent a significant threat. I will activate emergency lights to lead you to primary control access. From there you can initiate a full reboot of the vessel, which will flush the local biosphere and reseed from scratch."
A little red light flicked on in the distance.
"God bless your fucking soul, Mancala. If it was possible, I'd kiss you."
I took off at a full sprint, following the beacon. I didn't feel like much of a significant threat. To my horror, the chattering got louder as I ran.
Just as I was reaching my limit, the light started to get closer. Tears in my eyes, I could see the little light, my savior, my saving grace...
I tripped.
My leg is fucking caught on something! It's got me!
I was launched upward, I don't know how high, I can't see.
I could feel the thing, trying to bite me. It's teeth were blunt, like a person's, and as I pushed it away I felt a fleshy nose and a mass of curly beard. I pulled my knife, my last ditch effort, and I must have got an eye. The bastard screeched and leaped off me, knocking my wind away.
I gasped, rolling to my feet and running for my actual fucking life in the dark.
Oh my God in Heaven hear my prayer, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...
Running to that little light. It was set in a circular stone slab at waist height, I nearly bagged myself on the console.
"Mancala!?!"
The light flicked from red to green and a palm print glowed on the console. I slapped that motherfucker.
"Royal signature accepted. Full system reboot in progress."
A sphere flashed into being, a shield of some kind, we've all played the new Halo. Beyond the field, nuclear fire raged, incinerating the aphotic biosphere that had come into being in the absence of Human maintenance. The monsters, in the light of their destruction, were big fuck-off spiders with hairy faces that were definitely not human. Maybe a little fleshy, but nothing like the melting old man face I'd imagined.
I guess the dark does weird stuff to your head. At least now I don't have to imagine the melting part.
"So, Mancala, how long is the reboot or whatever gonna take?"
"It will take less time if you would stop wasting my processing power on inane questions. I've been running on point-zero-zero-one percent power for six thousand years; you can wait five minutes while I spin up the reactor and burn out some of this gunk. You'll find I clean up quite nicely."
"Cleaning up is what I'm talking about, I'm gonna need a fresh pair of pants. Seems I've pissed myself."
. . .
Dick: My bad, guys. Bladder's on my team, I'm supposed to keep him under control.
Brain: I don't think any of the previous situation was in our control. Valiant effort, boys.
. . .
Mancala wasn't lying, she did clean up nicely. Not just the giant underground cavern part, though that was very nice to look at as well. Seeing a Human for the first time in days was refreshing, especially after what I'd been though. The woman was short, and plain-looking, with brown hair and a heart-shaped face; She kinda looked like a soccer mom. Without breathing or blinking or even moving very much, she explained that the pretty woman who brought me some fresh pants was a robot, controlled by her. The robot-lady spoke in Mancala's voice, leading me through the bunker. "What do you think, Your Grace?"
"It's gourgeous, Mancy. You're gourgeous." Crystalline lamps had sprung to life along the ceiling, illuminating the gigantic space. You could have easily fit a pair of football stadiums end-to-end in this chamber that is supposedy the control room. Big, trundling machines folded out of trapdoors, and seemed to be laying down sod, beginning the process of covering the stone floor. "Why are they doing that?"
"The interior of the vessel is designed to be a perfect, sustainable ecosystem built around Human beings. I have been in standby for a very long time and I would very much like to have some Humans living inside me again. It is my purpose, after all, what point is there in an empty vessel?"
"Hate to disappoint you, toots, but I'm the only one here." I shook my head, daunted by the sheer scale.
"We'll see. In my experience, where there is one Human, more tend to follow. In that vein, I have taken the liberty of awakening the Oracle of Delphi. She will be arriving momentarily."
Another trapdoor opened in the floor, and a box that could only be described as a casket was hoisted up. There's gonna be a fucking dead body in there.
I hate when I'm right.
The casket slid open with a hiss, allowing the smoky smell of dried flesh to escape, and revealing a clearly female mummified corpse. She had been stored wearing a blue dress with gold adornments, there were dried flowers and trinkets with her as well. "Oh, man, she's dead as hell, is this her?"
"Pithia died in the Reckoning, felled by a unicorn soldier as she led civilians to the bunker. Her body was recovered and stored here. The Oracle had not chosen a new host, and decided to remain within me during the Culling. Apparently she foresaw herself serving some sort of purpose here."
I reached out to touch the corpse, on instinct, as if I could glean some knowledge from a touch. Little did I know.
The moment I touched the mummified hand, it jerked with movement, and before I could pull away, it had me, the corpse pulling me close and screeching "LET ME IN!"
It wasn't really a negotiation.
. . .
Celestia didn't need prophetic dreams or magical clairvoyance to sense that John had done it.
The tremors from the mountain shook the castle down to it's base. Waking from a feast-induced coma to the rumbling of a wing of the castle collapsing had put Celestia in a particularly unforgiving mood. It was bad enough that Humanity had resurfaced, and was now on the fast track to once again becoming a potential threat to her species,
But couldn't he at least accomplish it in a timely manner, during business hours?
The Celestial Sisters flapped laboriously together over the cliff side, gliding over the hedge maze, looking for him.
They found him in a clearing nearly a mile from where they had left him, wearing different trousers and a haunted look. He'd made a little campfire and continued to stare into it as they approached, as if searching for answers.
"So, John, how did things go?" She asked him casually, deciding to just let him react how he would and deal with it.
"I shut down the anti-magic field. You should be able to get in, now." He still didn't move.
Celestia turned to go inspect the Vessel, but Luna hesitated. "John, what happened?"
"I learned that this isn't over. Not by a long shot." He stood up and crossed his arms, shadows covering his cheeks. "I wanna go back to Ponyville. I need to talk to Twilight, and I made a promise to a monster." |
Anthrexia: A New Element | And We Get Some Breakfast | The sisters insisted that I stay for dinner, assuring me that they would have me on the first train back to Ponyville. I obliged, my head in a fog.
Pithia of Delphi was moving in.
Ugh, why could you not have been older? I detest young hosts. So many annoying thoughts flying around, so few neat memories to organize.
"I'm not exactly pleased about it, either."
"I'm sorry, John? Did you say something?"
"No, I'm just talking to myself." Thank God, there's coffee.
Stop doing that. You don't believe in God.
I poured myself a cup and ignored the Oracle. The breakfast was buffet-style and surprisingly thorough considering my watch said it was four-thirty in the morning. I piled on eggs and decided to try the hay bacon. Sitting at the long table, I buttered some toast and waited for somebody to say something.
Celestia took a graceful bite of pastry and chewed, surprising me by speaking with her mouth full. "So, John, we're going to need to talk about your continued presence in Equestria. You are certain you wish to go back to Ponyville?"
"Yeah, I've never been a big city type, really. My long-term plan is still to go home to Earth as soon a possible." The sisters looked at each other, and Celestia swallowed awkwardly. Luna's fork squeaked on her plate as she telikinetically cut her waffles.
Celestia phrased the next question gently. "Did you have a plan in mind to accomplish that?"
"The same way Paterex got there. The Earthen Meridian."
The Meridians were apparently a sort of faster-than-light transportation system, used by humans since before they'd arrived on Eden. Pithia had explained it to me, something about forming quantum tunnels using transitive links. Basically, it was like a teleportal, you could move a certain amount of matter a certain distance, so long as you had a station on either end. Unfortunately, the Vessels, the source of the Meridian's energy, had been running on emergency power for several thousand years. Luna spoke, in exclamation as seemed to be her habit. "The Meridian? I thought that it no longer functioned."
This was a bit of a lie of omission. On top of Paterex's promise to shut down all human activity on Eden and never return, the Sister's still attempted to sabotage the Meridian system. They'd failed, but apparently I'd need to move some rubble. As if a slew of handless savages could damage Human engineering with Victorian-era technology.
"Stop being racist," I said out loud. Luna was taken aback, so I changed the subject quickly. "What I mean is, they haven't been damaged as badly as you thought. Sadly, the kind of move I need is going to take a few months to prepare. About eleven."
Three hundred and eighteen Edenic days, a little less than eleven months, but who's counting?
"I'll be counting every minute."
Celestia stifled a belch and I suppressed a laugh, and she gestured at me with her fork. "You have to understand that we can't just let you run amok in our kingdom. There are species on Eden that still worship your kind as gods, you're a diplomatic incident waiting to happen."
"I agree, and I still want to be involved in this planet's crap as little as possible."
"Eat," She said, gesturing again with her fork. I'd piled eggs on my toast but I'd just been staring at the hay bacon as if I could glean it's answers. I yielded and bit into the toast. It was pretty damn good. Celestia, satisfied, levitated a pair of hay bacons and stuffed them in her mouth, speaking with mouth full again. "I will grant your request for political asylum in my country on one condition."
I tried the bacon myself. "And what condition is that?"
The Princess swallowed heavily, her long horse throat squelching audibly as the food slid down it.
"I want you to become my student."
. . .
The hay bacon was shit, it tasted like fucking grass, and I should've expected it. I'd never considered the possibility that I'd died and gone to actual Hell, but now it was a very real and scary possibility. They say that the Lord works in mysterious ways, Satan probably does, too.
You are not in Hell, and people say that because they want to believe in Him. You, however, need to stop wasting precious mental energy on hypothetical contemplation. Your predicament is very real.
So, to explain the Pithia of Delphi situation, it seems that the Oracle has merged herself with my being, fueling her essence with my body's life force in a very parasitic manner. I could feel her rummaging around in my memories with a reckless thirst for information. I could sense her mind somewhat as well, and I now understood why they called her a clairvoyant. The lady (she was indeed a lady, she was a living human once,) was seriously smart, like ten-steps-ahead-of-everybody-in-the-room smart. Wall-street-one-percent-sociopath smart. And with a few thousand years of wisdom to back that up, it had been easy for her to play me like a fiddle.
It seems Earth's savagery has ruined Mankind's solidarity. Our goals are one and the same; you wish to return home, and I wish to guide you there. Since I ascended to noncorporeal form all I have sought is the assimilation of data and distribution of it among my fellow humans, and I can see from your memories that what remains of humanity is in desperate need of knowledge. Our return to Eden was inevitable, just as our return to Earth together is.
"I don't trust parasites."
"I beg your pardon?" Fireheart, the scholarly Earth pony who was quiding me through the Drakery, stopped walking for a second and turned to me, Confused.
"Nothing, sorry. Just thinking out loud."
"Well, as I was saying, there are dozens of dragon species to choose from. The Nesting Consulate provides a few dozen every year for training, and the rest are found abandoned, all are stored in the Drakery until it is time for them to hatch. Her Highness has informed me that you've met Spicheal already, he was quite a fine specimen, was he not? He was the only Jaded Topaz we had at the time, but we were trying to match Miss Sparkle's natural coloring. Obviously we won't be able to do that for you, but I was thinking I would just let you pick one. It's not like we have a shortage."
I didn't really understand what he was trying to say to me, so I continued to ignore him.
Don't worry, I'll pick you a good one. The Oracle directed me to a black and red egg that Fireheart identified as a Charred Ruby. He's wrong, this egg is no dragon at all. This is a wyvern egg, the coloring is a clever mimicry, note the counter-clockwise markings? No, this is a breed that we in the business call a Bloody Mess.
Images of massive, deadly lizards flashed through my head as I touched the egg, feeling dumb, and it started to shake, rattling and exploding like in Harry Potter. I picked shell from my jacket and inspected the steaming, spitting baby creature.
It was two feet long, looking very much like an infant Alduin. She was jet-black with red frills, her eyes were open, and she looked pissed.
"My goodness, where are her front legs?" The Dragonkeeper seemed like he was going to faint.
"She's perfect just the way she is, thanks." I scooped the little creature up into my jacket, and she seemed to like it there, despite still seeming pissed off. Flustered, Fireheart changed the subject, handing me a book on the basics of dragon husbandry and breezing through the important sections. Apparently, baby dragons are capable of taking care of themselves a few hours after hatching, she'll hunt and eat small animals until she's a few weeks old, then her teeth will harden and she'll start craving mineral nourishment. Apparently, that's when she'll start talking.
So, carrying a mind full of ancient knowledge and a fresh, new wyvern under my jacket, I boarded the train back to Ponyville, this time a big cargo hauler that had apparently been deemed sturdy enough to hold my weight. I watched the little wyvern sleep, talking to the voice in my head. I decided to call her Scarlet.
I got off the train and headed to the forest. I had a promise to keep to a monster.
I called to him, "Fluffy, come meet your new sister!"
He had apparently missed me, bounding to my side and licking my hands. He snorted when I showed him Scarlet, and then left for a few minutes, returning with some kind of fat, striped bird in his jaws. Before long, I had it roasting over a fire, and me and my little monster family had a nice, real breakfast with meat, and love, but more importantly, meat. For the first time since I'd arrived in this world, for the first time in a long time, I had hope.
Hope is all well and good, John, but do you know what rhymes with hope?
The Oracle of Delphi, with mental direction, led me down a short but ancient game trail and into a bowled valley, and in her infinite clairvoyance, to a wide field of tall, leafy plants. I smiled, singing softly as I went to work in the early morning light, "La-da-da-da-da..."
Maybe the next eleven months wouldn't be so bad; after all, we get by with a little help from our friends. |
Anthrexia: A New Element | And I Said Yep, What A Concept | Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rarity, and Fluttershy were trekking through the Everfree Forest on their way to their mutual friend John's alleged hiding spot in the woods. Applejack and Rainbow Dash weren't coming because they actually had real jobs. The Human had become somewhat of a local legend in the past month, after returning from Canterlot with a baby dragon and failing to speak to any of them for the following week. After that, he had begun sporadically visiting town and their places of business. He'd commissioned Rarity to make him a few outfits in Human dimensions, paying her up front in Equestrian gold, but had never been in to pick them up, hence Rarity's involvement.
He'd visited the library to pick up a few books, signing up for a library card and giving his street address as, 'The woods on the trail past Fluttershy's house.' He'd been wheeling a cart of mechanical parts, wires and tubing, and apparently had even gone so far as purchasing sound equipment from Vinyl Scratch and baking supplies from Sugarcube Corner, despite the scandal that had happened shortly after he'd arrived. He'd never picked up his actual card, hence Twilight's involvement. Spike was along because he wanted to meet the dragon, and there were bugs and small animals to chase in the woods.
Fluttershy lived down the trail and wasn't going very far for this visit. She wanted to check up on Mr. Manticore and see the baby dragon. She also brought some home-made muffins. Pinkie Pie, despite her sexual assault allegations falling flat, had been seeing a trauma therapist, who had recommended that she face her attacker and reconcile with him. She had brought cookies.
As the group followed the path, they began to hear sweet music echoing through the trees, a mellow bass guitar and a charcoally voice,
Somebody once told me the world was gonna roll me...
They came into John's clearing, greeted by a quaint cabin resting on the hillside, and a glittering pond fed by a small creek. He had been busy in the past month; now, they knew why. He'd been settling in.
I ain't the sharpest tool in the she-ed...
The Human sat, reclined on a lounging chair beside the pond. He wasn't wearing his shirt, and his trousers had been cut off unevenly at the knees, exposing the downy hair on his legs and his misshapen, flat ankles. His dragon was curled up on his belly, and there was a glass tumbler in his hand filled with ice and off-color liquid. A dirty magazine lay over his face, and he seemed to be snoring.
"Uhm, does anyone wanna wake him up?" Twilight asked, trying to ignore the clothed mare on the front of the magazine. Her friends shook their heads, and she sighed, poking the Human in the outstretched leg with a hoof.
"Guh," He awoke, pornography sliding from his face and spilling his drink. The dragonet on his stomach rolled off with a growl, and immediately pounced on Spike, attacking him playfully. Catlike, they streaked off, screeching and chasing each other. John blinked blearily at them for a moment, then seemed to register that he wasn't alone. "Sparkly, Shy, Rares? What are you doing here? Pinky."
They looked at each other, the four of them equally disarmed. He rubbed his face and leaned up, putting a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it with his little spark-box that he used to make fires. He puffed for a moment and Rarity finally found her voice. She levitated the clothes that had been her big project last week from her saddlebags, depositing them in his arms. "Well, It's good to see you, too, John, and how are you at that! I've brought the clothes you ordered. I normally don't do deliveries, but since they were such unique pieces I had to deliver them myself. I hope that the fabrics I chose are to you liking, I tried to keep your lack of fur in mind."
Twilight spoke up, also levitating something at him, a bundle of books with an envelope on top. "I brought the library card that you signed up for last week, and some of those books that you put on layaway. Some of them are in Equestrian, I didn't know you read Equestrian?"
"I didn't sign up for a-," He stopped short and corrected himself, "Oh yeah, I did do that, didn't I? I suppose you could say I took a crash course."
Pinkie picked up the basket that her and Fluttershy had shared, jumping and stacking it on top of the clothes and the books in his arms. Fluttershy was eyeing Mr. Manticore, sleeping in a hut beside the cabin. "Fluttershy made you some muffins, and Mrs. Cake wanted me to bring you these cookies."
"Well, holy crap, thanks, guys. I'm gonna take these inside, anybody want some tea or something?" He stood and walked to the house, throwing the rest of his drink and ice on the grass. They seemed hesitant to follow him. "No, yeah, come on in."
The inside of the cabin was cozy despite being scaled to human size and nearly twice the size of what they were used to. He gave them the dime tour of the two-room-one-bath, apologizing gruffly for the furniture. "I haven't been entertaining much, so I've just been kinda been doing what works for me."
They each pulled up a hewn log to the tiny table while he stoked his woodstove. The inside of the cabin smelled skunky and drying plants hung from the walls and ceiling. He started a pot of tea and got himself a fresh drink from the icebox.
. . .
1: Thou shalt not fuck cartoon horses.
2: Thou shalt not make the cartoon horses cry.
3: Thou shalt acquire undergarments.
4: Thou shalt not ask questions.
5: Thou shalt acquire ALCOHOL!
I really hadn't been expecting company. It's always only after somebody shows up at your house does one realize that they don't have real chairs. I'm feeling that pretty hard right now, all-in-all I was a bit embarrassed about my whole state of affairs, but it's not like they had any kind of standard to judge me on.
I made myself another vodka-and-lime while the tea steeped, putting the clothes and books in my bedroom. I pulled a log-chair up to the table and tried a cookie. They were still warm.
"So how's everybody doing?" I asked, immediately regretting it.
"My therapist says that I've been making progress!"
"That's good to hear, Pinky, I'm proud of you." The gossip around town was that she'd forgotten why she'd started going to therapy in the first place, and I wasn't about to remind her. Just as I'd feared, the exchange was followed by an awkward silence of the most uncomfortable variety.
Twilight cleared her throat. "So, Princess Celestia told me that you're one of her students now, too? What has she sent you to Ponyville to study?"
"Was there supposed to be a specific subject? I thought she was just giving me a dragon so we could keep in touch. Looks better on paper, I imagine, if we're somehow affiliated. Otherwise, I suppose I'm supposed to study human history on this planet."
"Well, have you made any progress?"
"I feel like I've learned everything there is to learn at this point. A lot of it seemed to be laid out pretty plainly." Sparky smiled and shook her head sympathetically, I imagined she'd been there before.
I poured the tea and encouraged the girls to have some of the goodies in the basket. It was early to be swilling vodka, but my hangover had quickly turned into hair-of-the-dog day drinking, and then a powerful nap. I hadn't been sleeping well lately, for the past two and a half weeks I had been setting up a homestead out here in the Everfree Forest, the most normal place on the planet, apparently. The cabin had been the easy part; I was exhausted all the time because my body was pulling double shifts. I would pass out, and the Oracle would hijack my body and go run her own errands, setting up equipment that I didn't know how to use and apparently library cards that I would refuse to use.
If I let you drive all the time, we'd still be sleeping under a tree. I'm trying to be productive and you are being ridiculously obstinate, particularly in assimilation of data. You are Royal, you do not need sleep.
I'd stopped responding to the Oracle verbally, after all, it was my body and I was in charge of it. If she wanted to whine in my head, that was fine.
As much as I hate to admit it, Pithia had been of great help in my transition period. From the beginning, she had diagnosed me as a habitual smoker, and more concerningly, a chronic alcoholic. In the interest of my full functionality, my new brainmate had done me a favor and found a quick way to feed my chemical addiction; the first time I fell asleep with her in my brain, on my fourth night in Equestria, I woke up in a fresh-dug basement next to a well-built distillery. A map to a large field of wild potatoes and numbered instructions on how to work the machinery were nearby.
By the sixth night, a cabin had been finished and furnished, to the point where there was tasteful art on the walls, and soap in the bathrooms. A potbelly stove had been erected in the living room and a comfortable bed beside it, and in the attic there was complex machinery fed by solar panels. Delphi explained that it was sensory and communication equipment, and I had only nodded, numb.
It was rather easy, John. You've been taught all your life to ignore what you are, and I've been spending all of mine using every resource available to me to move forward. Your bones and muscles are twice as dense as a normal Human, you can move four times as fast, and your auric abilities, when honed, have cosmic potential. Yet here you are, subsisting on a diet consisting purely of meat, alcohol, and marijuana, doing nothing but drugs and laying around all day when you could be training, raising an army, hell, you could get a real job and that would be more productive. While you stagnate getting high and drunk and wallowing, I am making steps toward claiming your rightful throne as the King of Humanity. It is my place as the Grand Advisor to make sure that everyone plays their part in Humanity's destiny, including and not limited to wasted, burned out, hick inbred trash Royalty, with all due respect, Your Grace.
I couldn't find any guns. I'd stopped trying to hang myself from the trees around here, none of them were strong enough to support my weight. The local cliff, a sheer hundred-foot drop, had only knocked the wind out of me. I might have twisted my ankle, but it healed right away. When I tried to drown myself, Pithia of Delphi would save me as soon as I lost consciousness. All of the bleach and paint thinners I could find were child-safe, somehow, and I couldn't find anything sharp enough to cut me.
If it's any consolation, you are the worst host I've ever had the displeasure of inhabiting. As amusing as they are, you futile attempts at suicide will only be met with failure. You are as immortal as they come, and you had better get used to it, kiddo.
My current plan was to drink myself to death, which had so far been pleasant, if not successful; I would awaken, hungover, to whatever task I had been given for the day by the Oracle. Instead, I would fuck off, make myself a drink and run off into the woods with my pet manticore, to kill and eat anything that couldn't get away. Usually by the fifth vodka-and-lime, it was pretty easy to pretend that my brain wasn't infested by a body-stealing parasite. Maybe my liver would give out, eventually. Mike would understand.
By all means, continue to use the gifts that I have given you to use responsibly in a manner that counteracts our mutual goal. I will continue to make progress despite you, as I have done for you, and your predecessors in eons past. I am the Oracle, Pithia of Delphi, the Sight of Sight. You are John Christopher Salem, of Onawash, Wisconsin, and you will be the King of Humanity whether you like it or not, damn you, so learn to fucking like it.
I took a long drink, finishing my glass, and tried to focus on what the ponies sitting at my table were talking about. Pinkie was talking, "-I was thinking of bringing Charlie along, who where you bringing along, John?"
"Huh?"
Pinkie turned to Rarity, "Oh, you didn't invite John, yet?"
Rarity finished chewing her bite of cookie before speaking, dabbing her mouth telikinetically with a napkin. "I would have invited you, darling, but I don't know how to get a hold of you all the way out here, you don't have a mailbox out here, do you?"
Twilight shook her head, glancing out the window and saying matter-of-factly, "I don't think you do. If you want to get mail, you've got to go to the post office and apply for a mailbox."
Rarity poured herself and Fluttershy cups of tea, and seemingly unconsciously, started another pot with her magic, helping herself to the leaves. She told me, "You're allowed to bring a plus-one if you'd like."
I blinked, still not understanding. "What?"
Rares shook her head patiently, realizing I hadn't been paying attention. "I was wondering if you'd like to come to my Nightmare Night party on Friday? It would be a great opportunity to socialize, rather than hiding out here in the woods."
"Oh, right. I'd love to come, Rares. Nightmare Night, what is that, like, Halloween? Friday, October 31st? Should I wear a costume? I don't have anything made up, it's kinda short notice."
"Twilight said you might not be familiar with Nightmare Night, so I took the liberty of making you a costume. I'm surprised, do you have a similar tradition on Earth?"
"Yeah, it's called Halloween, or All Hallows Eve if you're a cunt. Kids get free candy, adults get drunk and fuck. Basic holiday stuff," My guests looked at each other and I realized that I might be coming off as slightly rude due to drunkenness. I changed the subject, "What kind of costume did you make?"
"Oh, we'll keep it a surprise, shall we?" She held out her teacup for me to clink, and I did, and the Fluttershy got to talking about her costume, and we all listened politely. We all talked like friends for almost two hours, and as the sun was getting low, the ponies bid their goodbyes, Twilight calling for Spike as they left. I sent them each away with a dime bag of my best "tea," and a bottle of John's Finest, the latest batch that had actually been palatable. Scarlet returned to me, out of breath but happy, and I was feeling a lot of that friendship that they were always talking about on the show.
"Spike, Spike!" She said, parroting, as she had begun to do lately. I Imagine she'll be up to sentences by this time next week. To give her something to do, I decided to pen a quick letter to Celestia. I went to the desk in the corner of my cottage, and using a half-sheet of the same thin, specialty paper that I had been rolling with, and a ballpoint pen from the bank, I scrawled in what I hoped was hard-to-read script:
Most beloved Sunbutt,
I hope that you are well. Despite your numerous warnings, I continue to peddle poison to your people in the form of mind-altering substances, such as quickly-distilled potato vodka and schwaggy ditch weed. My army of dissidents grows every day, and I have a dastardly plan to hit up the party that Rarity has offered in hopes of ever further reaching my clutches into your hypothetical pudding bowl. Also, enclosed is one marijauna cigarette, sent in hopes of you chilling the fuck out.
Your most hated nemesis,
John C. Salem Jr.
I signed it and taped a marijauna cigarette to the bottom, rolling it into a scroll-like tube and taping it. I lit a second cigarette, calling my little wyvern to my side, "Scarlet! Torchy, torchy!"
I tossed the scroll and she ignited it, putting it up in smoke in a fraction of a second. The smoke drifted quickly out the door, and I followed it, intent on a quick bath in the creek. I padded down the hill beside the cabin in my bare feet, coming to a stop by the creek bed. There was something in the water.
The serpent swam to the shore, crawling up on mismatched legs. The lizard-thing that had tried recruiting me for some bullshit the first week I'd arrived. I'd honestly forgotten about him. "What do you want?"
"You've been doing very well blending in, John, but now is the time for action. I have a task for you, should you-"
I Interrupted him, "I'm gonna have to stop you right there, dude. I'm not doing any stupid tasks for any fucking body, I thought I made that clear last time. I don't need your help and I don't need your snakey ass coming around here all the time and bugging me about dumb shit."
He seemed offended, and rightly so, I'd been trying to offend him. "John, I suggest you mind your tone. I have powers beyond your understanding-"
"Well, why don't you go run your own fucking errands, then, dickface, and get off my dick while you're at it!" I had had enough of his shit. Focusing my mind, I called Gravic from inside the house to my hand. Tearing through wood and mortar, the Fallhammer came to me, and I swung it over my head, aiming for the fucking lizard. To my surprise, I found my target, crushing his little snake body into the dirt.
He spat blood, eyes pitiful, "Why, John, why did you kill me?"
I spat on him. "I don't need a reason to kill you."
He smiled. "Good, because I'm not dead, and your rebuke is noted."
He disappeared in a puff of smoke. I shook my head, and for once, the Oracle had nothing to say. I took a bath in the creek and went inside and had a nightcap, reading by the light of my stove. When I fell asleep, my body stood and went about it's nightly rounds under the Oracle's control, but I dreamed of my home, and of my family. As much as it hurt to dwell on the past, it was the only thing keeping me going, now. |
Anthrexia: A New Element | And Only Shooting Stars Break the Mold | Celestia had just finished lowering the Sun, and was settling down to read a report, when a scroll from one of her students appeared from the fireplace. Her expectant smile quickly turned into a frown when she realized it was from John. The frown deepened as she read it. She plucked the cigarette from the page with her magic, going to her desk and getting a quill and parchment.
John,
I'm sure that these sort of shenanigans are hilarious on Earth, but from one ruler to another, I must ask that you stop this. I am a busy mare, if you don't have anything important to tell me concerning the well-being of the country, or a development in your studies of Humanity, do not send me a letter.
Your generous hostess,
Celestia
P.S. Luna said she was invited to Rarity's party, as well! What, was my invitation lost in the mail?
She tossed the letter derisively into the fire, going to the door to dismiss her guards. "Could I get some privacy, please?"
"What's wrong, Your Highness?
The guard's concern was heartwarming, but unneeded. It wasn't a good habit for him to be questioning her. The Princess answered sarcastically, "I just thought I'd have myself a little pee on the rug, and your presence is making it hard to get a stream going. Go get some coffee, colts, and be back in an hour."
Her scathing reply had the effect she intended; Her guards looked at each other, bowed to her, and made a hasty retreat. She went to the window and opened it, putting the cigarette to her lips and lighting it with her magic. Then she went back to reading her reports.
A few minutes later, a reply belched itself from the fireplace.
Dear The Princess,
Yeah, sorry about all the spam, I've just been bored all week. I know that I've failed to mention this, but there's this shady dude that has been bothering me ever since I got here, trying to get me to help him do some shady shit; He wanted me to steal Chaos Crowns from you. I didn't listen to him because I really had better shit to do, but just now, when he was bothering me, I smashed him with my big, black hammer, and he just sat there and took it. Now he knows I'm not on his side. I thought that I could take him on or possibly ignore him, but I'm starting to become concerned that this is out of my field of expertise. I'm gonna draw a picture of him on the back of this.
Let me know what you think,
John
P.S. Would you like to be my plus-one?
Celestia read the letter, her frown deepening until she got to the post-script, then she smiled. She flipped to page over, looking at the drawing, nearly burning a hole in the carpet when her jaw dropped. The she flipped the page over a second time, reading the post-script again and smiling. She grabbed her quill and wrote a second letter.
John,
I wish you would have brought this to my attention sooner; We could have coordinated costumes. As far as Deceit, he is a Draconequus, one of several who have been thorns in my side for thirty thousand years. His elder brother, Discord, was freed from his stone prison last month, we've been dealing with magical fallout ever since. It's likely that he may have freed some or all of his siblings during his time in control of Ponyville. I will have Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony deal with him, should he show his face again. Contact me again with details about the party, but later, I'm trying to get some work done.
Your Princess,
Celestia
She tossed the letter into the fire, forsaking her reports for the moment and going to the window. Luna would return soon from raising the moon, it hung low still in the sky, the night young. She puffed for a while, enjoying the mellow, organic buzz. Perhaps she would go flying, she'd ask her sister if she'd like to come.
She was interrupted in her stargazing by a streak of light cutting across the sky. She frowned again; Luna hadn't scheduled a meteor shower. The shooting star cut in a parabola across the night, flying backward at high speed and impacting hard into the Everfree Forest, catapaulting chunks of eden and arboreal debris for nearly a mile in every direction. Celestia's jaw dropped, her cigarette falling to the floor, and burning a hole in the carpet.
For some reason, her thoughts went to John. No, there's no way... but still...
The Princess of the Day dashed out onto her balcony, leaping over the railing and catching her weight on her wings. She had a bad feeling about this. She had to know for sure.
Then she looped back around and picked the cigarette up, so that her quarters weren't aflame when she returned.
. . .
I was catching some decent Zs in the back of my own mind, while my body sat on a log, watching a screen and taking notes. I felt the Oracle get really excited about something, disturbing me from my sleep and her from her notes. I awoke with a clipboard and pen in my hands and a fading buzz.
"Aww, damn it."
Aww, damn it.
I hate you so much.
"I hate you so much."
For once we're in agreement. I know that you like to take your time fucking around and generally making an obstacle of yourself, but we really need to make preparations for impact.
Yeah, you and your preparations. I went downstairs and made myself a drink, checking my dragon-mail. Scarlet was up, as she was many hours of the day and night, a habit she must have learned from me, but there was a scroll by her little basket-bed. I opened it, reading as I took large sips of my screwdriver and trying to tune out the parasite. I went to my desk, about to write a nonsense reply, when Delphi stopped me. Tell her about the draconequus, Deceit. It is important that she know he's pursuing you. That will just bring the heat down on us. The draconequi are an integral part of this planet's magical ecosystem, it won't do you any good meddling in nonhuman matters. Yeah, fine, I wrote the letter, even drawing a picture on the back. To fuck with her, I invited her to the party on Friday as my plus-one. I called Scarlet, "Scar, baby girl! Daddy needs his torch!"
"Torch! " She called back, running up from the basement. She loved burning stuff, my little pyromaniac, "Burn!"
I tossed her the letter and she incinerated it, then she ran for the door, informing me, "Gotta go! Gotta go!"
I opened the door for her, because she didn't have arms, and she ran for the woods to take a shit. She came back with a scroll in her jaws. I took it, praising her, "Good girl. Did you wipe?"
The look in her little red eyes told me no. "Go wipe."
I read the letter while she ran back to the woods. To my horror, Celestia had accepted my invitation, telling us nothing in the letter that the Oracle apparently hadn't already known. I was surprised that apparently Twilight and her friends were some kind of magical superheroes; It really seemed to me like they didn't get out much. Scarlet returned, clean and full of energy, so I tossed the letter with the others and went back upstairs to check on the Oracle's shit, finally.
You've already wasted far too much time. Our window is closing fast, and you need to move. According to my scanners,
impact will be in ten and a half minutes time. What impact? Why is this so important?
In ten minutes and twenty-eight seconds, a shipping drone full of contraband is going to break ground ten miles northeast of here, we don't have time for your questions, you need to move your ass or you're going to be feeling the 'heat' that you're so worried about. Alright, fine. I looked at Scarlet.
Yes, you can bring the fucking wyvern, but if you drag your ass any more, Equestrian authorities are going to impound my communications equipment and Celestia will blame you for endangering their airspace. Whatever, I can run a half-minute mile. I put on my jacket, calling to my dragon as I left the cabin. "Scarlet, uppy."
"Uppy!" She cried, taking her favorite place on my back, hooking her feet in my belt and her wing claws over my shoulders, looping her neck over my shoulder to watch the path as I ran in the direction the Oracle indicated. It was only about three minutes in did I realize that I'm quite out of shape, this wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. High school track had been a long time ago. I paused a moment to catch my breath when the fucking thing came streaking by overhead, impacting another two miles down the path. Even here, many trees had broken branches, some had been snapped at the roots as I got closer. Still winded, I kept running, reaching the crash site just as my vision was starting to blur. Call Gravic before you pass out, I'll need it.
"Naw, I'm good," I said, calling the Fallhammer to my side as I inspected this 'shipping drone". The crater was rather small for such a large object, the drone itself was hilariously unadorned, shaped like a rounded bullet and dirty gunmetal grey, about the size of a minivan. I stuck Gravic to the side like a fridge magnet, and he seemed to understand my intent, lowering the weight of the capsule to nearly nothing so I could move it out of the still-smoking crater. Just move it out of the crater and into the woods a ways. I shifted the drone into the woods, pulling my hammer from the side and dropping it to the forest floor I was directed to a panel on the side, burning myself on the still-hot metal as I opened it to a switchbox-like set of levers. I hit the one I was told to, and the surface of the drone shimmered, becoming transparent. Some kind of cloaking field.
Now, go get a rock. Any one will do. I did so, finding a decent-sized one in the woods, returning to the crater. Drop it in the crater, there's your meteor. There's no way she's gonna believe that.
I did it, anyway, not really caring either way. I tossed the rock into the center of the crater. Just as I did this, Celestia herself appeared at the edge of the wood, face incredulous. "John?"
I pointed at the rock I had just dropped, trying our luck. "Well, there's your problem."
. . .
Celestia joined John at the lip of the crater, looking in.
"That's it?" she asked, incredulous.
"I think so, I don't know. It seems kinda cold, doesn't it?"
"It doesn't look like any meteor I've ever seen." She picked up the rock in her magic. It was gray and shaped a little like a wide doorstop. She eyed him suspiciously. "Did you have anything to do with this?"
"Well, it wasn't my idea to bring flaming rocks down from the sky," he answered, and it sounded like he was being honest. She inspected the rock again, it was cool and gray, lacking pits or defects, by all appearances it was an ordinary weathered forest stone. She almost tossed it into the trees in frustration. Teleporting it back to her personal chamber instead, she turned to the Human, "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you, I imagine, checking out the crash site. It kinda happened right on my doorstep." He pointed to the smoldering crater, eyeing where the meteorite had been. "You sure teleporting that thing around is safe? It might have, like space radiation on it, or something."
"It might be a living creature, or a message, or an evil, malevolent entity bent on conquering the planet, either way, It's definitely not normal. As if I don't have enough on my plate without mysterious missiles falling from the sky." John must have picked up on her frustration, because when she looked back at him, his eyebrow was elevated, and there was a concerned look on her face. He stuck a cigarette in his mouth from a wooden case, lighting it and asking her,
"You alright?" The lines of his mouth and beard were lit up with soft red-orange glow, and a horrible memory resurfaced; Human faces, twisted in anger, faces lit by buildings burning, her home going up in flame. As quickly as it came, it went, leaving her only with a strong feeling of loss and sadness. Fear. It was all starting over again, and with all the time she had spent preparing, thousands of years of patience and personal sacrifice, here it was, time again to fight her old enemy. Nearly a month ago, Discord had returned, and by himself, had turned her kingdom nearly upside down, literally in some cases. Waves of Chaos magic had rolled from Ponyville like thunderstorms for nearly three days straight, the Guard struggled to contain the worst of the fallout, but even Canterlot and the Palace had been affected. The Princess had taken a big risk entrusting the Elements to Twilight and her friends, but it had been a risk that had paid off tenfold. Luna had been returned to her, the Nightmare Moon spirit exorcised from her with little injury.
The girls had almost been consumed by Discord's power. Returning Twilight's letters had been a last-ditch effort on Celestia's part before intervention, and she shouldn't have let it go that far. How she would have stopped him without the Elements was a mystery to her, she and Luna together had been defeated and nearly killed without their power.
The Elements were designed to overload the target with Harmony magic, essentially killing them with kindness. Discord's punishment was proof of his hazard; The only way to stop him without ending his life outright was to freeze him forever in a stone prison. His return was proof he could escape, and it seemed he had freed his brothers and sisters from Tartarus, now as well. Things just kept going from bad to worse, and they had been for centuries, now.
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," She replied, though she badly wished she was home at the palace, or that Luna was here to comfort her. John might have believed her or might have not, instead changing the subject,
"Do you... want a drink? I could show you my house."
Something about his offer sounded oddly appealing. She was curious about how John had been living these past few weeks. He had been keeping an annoyingly thorough correspondence since they had parted ways, but it was difficult to tell how much had been genuine updates, and how much had been random nonsense generated by the unstable mind of a lone human living in the woods. "I think I do. Lead the way, John."
He nodded tersely, puffing on his cigarette. The path was long, a nearly ten-mile hike back to his house, and Celestia briefly considered how fast he must have run to make it to the crash site before her on foot. Timber wolves circled them just outside their line of sight, but Celestia could hear them and taste their Chaos magic on the wind. They didn't come any closer; An Alicorn and a Royal Human walking together was more than a challenge for common forest predators. When they reached the cabin, she appraised it briefly with a professional eye; good location near the stream, high on the hill for better views, the roof had been panelled well, and despite the hammer-sized hole in the wall, the home appeared newly-built and still well-maintained. It was somewhere that Celestia would have liked to live, if she were not a Princess. "You keep a gorgeous home, John Salem."
"Thanks, toots. I can't take all the credit, though." He opened the door for her while his wyvern streaked from the edge of the woods, following quickly after her. He pulled up a hewn log for the Princess, apologizing softly for the lack of furniture. "I have maybe one actual chair, and it's upstairs."
He made them both transparent drinks in glass tumblers. Wary, she sniffed the glass. It smelled tangy and clearly alcoholic. "John, when you said 'drink,' I thought you perhaps meant water, or tea."
He had gone to the icebox, smoke mixing with condensation as he peered inside. "That's because you don't know me very well, though I could see how you would think that. I'd have to make some tea, otherwise I've got water, juice, milk..."
"Just a glass of water will be fine, thank you." She said, sipping the vodka-and-lime. It was tart, with a lot of sour to mask the starchy flavor. It wasn't bad. "You know, there's been a prohibition on ingestible alcohol in Equestria for nearly three hundred years."
John was looking at her ear, ignoring her words. He pointed, "Were you actually smoking that?"
With her magic, she reached behind her ear and found, to her surprise, the cigarette she'd started earlier, tucked away still. Holding it up, she shrugged and admitted, "You sent it in hopes of it helping me chill the fuck out. Here I am, chilling the fuck out."
They shared a chuckle, her laughing at his silly-sounding Human swearword, him laughing at a Princess cursing. She sipped her vodka, accepting the glass of water graciously as she stuck the cigarette in her mouth again. John pulled out his lighter, sparking it for her. "Lemme get that for you."
He stuck a second joint in his mouth, giving him the appearance of some kind of tusked beast as he smoked each of them from the corners of his maw. He caught her looking and made a funny face, making her giggle again. Then he smiled, for one of the first times she could remember. He began digging in his drawers for something. "I feel like cards. You wanna play some cards? If I can find 'em..."
She cast a Find-It spell, producing a deck of cards from his cupboard with her telikinesis. "How about Poker? There's only two of us, but I'll deal first."
"You read my mind, Princess." He sat at the table, putting on his jacket and sunglasses and grinning around his pair of smokes. He picked up a sack of Equestrian bits laying on the floor, seemingly for Scarlet to play with, setting them on the table, "Can't play poker without chips. I can cover your bets if you didn't bring cash."
"Please, John. I am a Princess, after all." She ashed her joint in the tray on the table as she pulled out her own sack of bits. Dealing each of them three cards, and putting four on the table for a game of Four Chairs, she put up fifty bits in a ten-bit stack.
"Oh, come on, Princess! First time in millennia that you've got a chance to beat a Human, and you're playing like you're gonna lose." The Human counted two ten-stacks of ten-bit coins, sliding them next to the ashtray into the pot. Celestia smirked and took his call, counting out another ten-stack of fives and one of tens. "That's more like it, high stakes for your Highness."
Celestia flipped the four cards on the table and John played a terrible hand, pair of twos, Celestia taking the round with a three pair. She let the pot ride, and John raised to five-hundred bits, shuffling the deck and dealing. She called, flipping the cards on the table and losing, two-pair to straight. John let the pot ride again, and Celestia raised another hundred bits, John calling and losing, flush to straight flush. Celestia took the pot the time, and when John's next bet came in at two-hundred bits, she called and folded, grinning and sipping her drink. This was fun.
John lost the next hand. "I told you you had a chance to beat me for once; I've got a terrible poker face."
Celestia conjured a pair of shades for her face, sliding more bits into the pot and stubbing her roach out in the ashtray. "Raise a hundred. I don't suppose you've got another cigarette to offer a lady, John? My beverage is getting rather low, as well."
John laughed, getting up to fetch one and to freshen her drink. "Always a pleasure... Celly? Tia? You've got one of those names that you can't nick, Princess."
She lost the next round, smiling when he let the pot ride and raised it. "Either of those, but I've always preferred Tia for some reason."
He finished his own drink and one of his darts. "Yeah, 'Cel' or 'Celly' is kinda weird."
They continued like this, playing and talking, mostly about trivial things. John complimented her on the state of her country, how accepting her people had been of him, and this warmed her heart. She often worried for her people , indeed, despite her best efforts, there was still suffering in Equestria; but as he told her this, she realized how odd and backward Earth must be for him tot have turned out this way. Despite this, John gave her an odd sense of hope for herself that she hadn't realized had been gone from her life.
"John?" She asked him, briefly stopping the conversation and taking her glasses off.
"Yeah?" He took his own off, too, but not looking at her, instead focusing on his cards.
"I'm sorry that I killed your ancestors. I'm sure that that makes you uncomfortable to a degree."
He took a long drink from his glass, finishing it and standing to make himself another, then taking a long pull from that. "It's okay, honestly. More than anything, I'm sorry my ancestors killed your parents."
She wondered how he knew that, but decided not to push it. "Thank you for forgiving me, John."
"Hey, what's past is past," he said quietly, and she gratefully allowed him to change the subject.
She had learned from Twilight that John had been orphaned as a young adult, his parents killed very violently and pointlessly, as hers had been, and that he still bore the mental weight of their deaths, as she did. It was clear that he had seen no shortage of heartbreak and conflict, but even now he persevered, finding pleasure in small things. His tenderness with his baby dragon bespoke his true nature; John Salem was a hard, bitter man, riddled with bad habits and demons, but he wasn't a bad one.
As she sat across from him, playing a game of cards, watching him laugh as she took his money, she thought, It wouldn't be so bad, to be friends with him. She had once wielded three of the Elements of Harmony, she knew of friendship and its power, where Chaos seeped and creeped, corrupting, Harmony flooded and exploded, cleansing and renewing. Humanity and Ponydom had been great allies, once, they had given each other gifts that could never be forgotten. It could all be again what it once was, all she had to do was start it, here and now.
These thoughts buzzed in her head, along with a liter of vodka, as she left the cabin almost two hours later, bidding the Human goodbye. She had long ago felt the effects of the alcohol loosening her tongue. "I had a good time , John. A better time than I've had in a long time."
"I'm glad to hear it. I haven't been entertaining much, lately. It's good to know I haven't lost my touch."
"Indeed you haven't. I look forward to spending more time with you. See you Friday?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, the party. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."
"I'm glad to hear it." He opened the door for her, ever the gentleman, and as she sauntered past him, she paused, turning to lean up and kiss him on the forehead. "Bless you, John the Human,"
She leapt out the door and into the sky, swooping drunkenly and giggling like a schoolfilly.
Before beginning the long flight back to Canterlot, she stopped at Rarity's boutique, not really expecting her to answer at the late hour. Hopefully that would give her some time to sober up a bit; she accidentally clipped Mr. Withers awning with a wingtip as she passed Twilight's library. Trying the knocker on the door, she found herself surprised when Rarity could be heard calling from upstairs in sing-song, "Coming~"
Rarity opened the door, wearing a pink, lacy nightgown. She looked surprised to see her. "Princess, Oh my stars, forgive me, I'm in no state for this,"
"No, please, forgive me, it's far too late, but I was in town and I wanted to ask you about something." Entering the boutique, the Princess noticed there were crops and bridles scattered about on the floor. She cleared her throat, trying to ignore them and stick to business. "I heard from John that you made him a costume for your Nightmare Night party. He invited me along as his plus-one, if you don't mind."
"Of course not, Your Majesty, I would have invited you myself, only I thought you were probably very busy." They sat together on the couch. "I'm sure you know how parties can get, invite two friends, and they invite two friends, and they invite two friends, pretty soon you don't know who's invited and who isn't."
"Yes, of course." She didn't, but breezed past the subject, setting the bag of bits she'd won from John on the coffee table. "What I meant to ask you about was John's outfit; I'd like to commission a costume, as well. If it's not too short notice. Matching John's, if possible, as we're going together."
Rarity ogled the hefty sack of cash, glancing at her calendar, "By Friday, yes, I imagine I could fit that in. I'm glad you're coming, Princess, I was worried you might feel left out, after hearing that Princess Luna was attending. She's Twilight's plus-one, in case you didn't know."
"Well, you imagined correctly that my sister and I are very busy mares, but we do have to have fun every once in a while, yes?"
"Yes, of course you do, Princess! I couldn't imagine you doing without," As if to punctuate this, there was a knock on the door. "Coming~"
"Oh, were you expecting company?"
Rarity gave the Princess an apologetic look. "Sweetie's at the Apples tonight, so I'm... entertaining."
She opened the door, revealing a young, grey colt in a red vest. He greeted her, "Hey, Rares, I brought some sparkling wine."
He noticed the giant, white mare on the couch. "I thought role-play night was on Thursdays... Oh my gosh, that's actually the Princess! Is she here for the orgy, too?"
Rarity ushered Celestia out the door, face going pink. "If by 'orgy,' you mean 'book club,' then no, I'm afraid she was just leaving."
Just as she did, a male voice could be heard calling from upstairs, "Rarity? Who are you talking to down there? I'm going soft, and these shackles are starting to chafe."
The Princess bid Rarity a polite goodnight, heading back to the Palace. She hadn't sobered up at all; her iron will only managing to contain her laughter until a bit past the town limits. When she arrived back at the Palace, Luna was in her quarters, inspecting the rock on Tia's bed.
"Tia!" She cried, as her sister stumbled on the edge of the windowframe, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, sister. Just a bit... tired." She flopped on her bed next to the stone.
"Drunk, you mean. Where have you been all night?" Luna scolded, trying to be stern but sounding curious, instead.
"Oh, let me tell you about it, sister," She said, launching into her tale. This was one of the reasons she had missed Luna during her banishment; She was such a great listener, and was truly the only other pony on the planet who understood her pain and humor.
Luna shook her head, eyeing the 'meteorite,'; shooting stars were her specialty. "Well, that stone is definitely not a meteorite. I think John was lying to you, he has something to do with it."
"Oh, I know he's lying to me. He really is terrible at it, I told you I spurred his flanks in poker? I'm going to let him keep lying to me, because he thinks I believed him."
"Why would you do something like that?" Luna asked. Celestia peeked at her sister over her pillow, smiling devilishly.
"I think I fancy him," She answered, squealing like a schoolfilly.
. . .
"See you Friday?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, the party. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."
I considered suicide again as Celestia kissed me on the forehead and flew off, chortling at my expense. There was a big sturdy oak on the cliffside over Fluttershy's I could try hanging myself from. I'd look pretty neat silhouetted against the sunset. Scarlet was a big dragon, now, she could take care of herself. Scarlet is a wyvern, and stop killing trees with your pointless suicide attempts. I finished the rest of my drink, trying to poison the parasite within. Oh cheer up, old buddy, I've got something that will turn that frown upside down.
Apparently, this something required me to hike ten and a half miles back to the crater. At least I didn't have to fucking run this time, two joints and I was there. I'm glad that the forest denizens had learned to avoid me for the most part, after killing the basilisk my first week here, I had quickly replaced it as the apex predator in that section of the forest. The fucking wood wolves were annoying, but I had fire.
The crater still smoldered a bit, but was no longer fresh. I still can't believe she bought that. It doesn't matter if she bought it or not, she's going to spend time figuring it out either way. Deniability causes distraction, distraction buys time.
Delphi directed me to the place where we had hidden the drone, and to the switchboard on the side. Turn the cloak off, it's killing the battery. I did, and began the long, arduous hike back to the cabin, sticking Gravic to the side to lower it's weight again. Good thing I brought a lot of weed. Why did we go through all this trouble for this piece of junk? Where did it come from?
This is an automated shipping drone, hailing from Druidia, a human-controlled planet two parsecs from here. It was on a course for Talkahn, a planet that is under siege by military forces from Druidia. Using the equipment in the attic, I hacked into it's faster-than-light navigation systems and redirected it here, because it is carrying communications equipment that will allow us to contact Earth. Did you say human-controlled? Contact Earth? Yes, that is what I said. The sliver of humanity that exists on Earth is but a fraction of the great empire that once existed all across this quadrant of space-time. They have fallen into disrepair and ruin, infighting as their leadership has broken down over these past millenia. That is one of many reasons that you must become the King of Humanity. We are a powerful, wise race, but we can only reach our true potential when we are united.
Contact Earth? Contact Mike? Yes, John, we can contact your brother, as well. If I am right, and I always am, there will be sects of humanity on Earth that remember our former glory, and our history on Eden. Hell, somebody might remember me, specifically. I will contact them and they will likely be able to get you in touch with your brother, but only after we cannibalize this piece of junk for the quantum-linked isotope inside.
Well, that's definitely awesome and everything, thanks a pant load, but that's not the only thing in here, right? It's awful big for a fancy radio. No, the drone is designed to ship war materiel: weapondry, vehicle parts, communications equipment; enough to outfit an orbital-drop squad for prolonged combat.
So, what is this like, breaking into dad's gun cabinet, or taking firecrackers away from toddlers?
Well, metaphor is a poor way of summing up such a complex situation, but suffice it to say; We need the materiel more, and they're just gonna hurt themselves or someone else with it. The drones are designed to be replaceable, that's why they're not manned. They'll receive a malfunction report, and by the time this one is missed, another will be on it's way. The Druidians will continue to fight their pointless war with the Talkahns until it ends in tragedy,
as all wars do. Firecrackers from toddlers, then. Yeah, John, if that's what you have to tell yourself.
Now, crack this puppy open.
I set the craft down beside the cabin, flipping the switch on the panel that I was told. There was a softpop as the vacuum seal was compromised. Refrigerate after opening, I thought. At the Oracle's direction, I removed the first panel and began going through the contents. The part that Delphi wanted was a black, plastic box about the size of a suitcase, the communications array, containing the precious quantum-linked isotope.
She was right, as always, packed away in plastic cases were small arms to outfit a squadron of human soldiers, five, brushed-aluminum carbines of some sort, and three double-action revolvers of the same material. Oddly, both kinds of weapons took the same bullets: Rounded, ceramic slugs in a caseless firing cap. The carbines loaded from the top and looked like they could hold a lot of rounds. There were a lot of fucking bullets, almost half of the space on the fucking thing was taken up by tub after tub of these goofy-ass caseless bullets for these goofy-ass toy-looking aluminum guns. I could hardly fit my fat sausage fingers through the little trigger holes.
The body armor was too small, I didn't even bother trying it on. Maybe I'd string it together barbarian-style later, but for now I moved on to the last portion of the shipment, and this was the one that really made it all worth it to me. Under plastic covers, were the most beautiful pair I had ever seen in my life; Two, gorgeous, aluminum-block, 8-cylinder V-twins. According the directions, the shell of the drone was meant to be re-purposed into paneling for a small, five-man land vehicle, the finished product in the back of the manual looking very much like a smoothly-armored dune buggy.
What do we say when people get us presents, John?
"Thank you, Delphi." I droned obediently as I got to work.
My God, I had been getting so sick of walking everywhere.
. . .
The Palace break room was quiet, empty but for two of the Guard. Pauldron and Lance had been given an odd respite from their boring guard duty: Twenty minutes into the shift, Celestia had dismissed them both, claiming want for privacy and telling them to be back in and hour, by which time their two-hour guard shift would be half over. Lance sat at the table, eating an egg-salad sandwich, while Pauldron waited for the microwave to finish cooking his pot pie.
Pauldron looked at Lance, eyeing the sandwich. "Since when do you eat egg salad?"
"Since I found this in the fridge."
"Dude, that's probably Hauberk's. She's gonna be pissed when she finds out that you ate her sandwich."
"Well she's not gonna find out it was me, because the only ones who know are me and you, and I'm not going to tell her, and I know you aren't either, because Hauberk is a sour cunt, and I'm pretty sure she's the one who put that old egg in your locker that one time."
"That was her? That was messed up. What's up with that bitch and eggs?"
"I don't know, I think she has chickens or something?"
Pauldron checked his pot pie again. Five minutes to go. He grabbed the other half of the sandwich.
"Hey!" Lance protested.
"Consider it a bribe for keeping my mouth shut."
"Well, can I have some of your pot pie?"
"Look at you, haggling with a sandwich that ain't yours. What, you didn't bring a lunch?"
"Well, I didn't really expect a second break in the middle of my shift, we don't all keep food here, you know."
"That's because you eat it. What do you think was the Princess's deal, anyway?"
"Oh, she was definitely jilling it."
"That's what I thought, but I didn't wanna say so out loud."
"Oh yeah, for sure beating her meat. Now give me some of your fucking pot pie."
"Stop it, it's not done yet! There's gonna be cold spots!" |
Anthrexia: A New Element | And I Get Some Help | Micheal Salem, John's brother, in case you've forgotten, was doing what healthy Humans do; moving on. It had been a month since John had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, seemingly kidnapped by a woman who was not a woman at all, and not a man, either. There had been no fingerprints, no signs of struggle, the only clue a serpent painted in kerosene on the wall.
Mike didn't know who to believe. The police were wringing their hands, having dealt with situations like this before, Chief Rogers kept giving him the same reply when he visited the station: "We're still looking, Mike, and if we find something you'll be the first to know. John was a tough dude, if he's alive, he's doing well, and maybe he doesn't want to be found."
He could tell from the tone of the Chief's voice; she thought he was dead.
Sebastian said that he was 'very confident' that John lived and was doing well, but Mike wasn't inclined to believe Seb without evidence of any kind. Ariel, his wife, put it very politely when she said, "Sweetie, Sebastian is shell-shocked. His best buddy is missing, and I feel like he's the sort who's always going to be chasing ghosts."
It was maddening, though, knowing he was gone. Just like that, without a goodbye or a second glance. All Mike could do was throw himself into his work and his budding family; Ari was two weeks pregnant.
It broke Mike's heart, that his child would never get to see their uncle. He couldn't even remember their last conversation, hell, it could've been a fight, and now, no matter what anybody said, it felt like he'd never talk to or see his brother again.
In a deeper part of him, a part that even he wasn't aware of, he knew that John lived. Despite Sebastian's insistence, Mike knew his brother was in pain.
The day before Halloween, Lana, John's girlfriend, showed up at the home of the Salem's. She knocked timidly, half-hoping no-one would answer. Ariel answered the door, letting her in and offering her tea. Mike listened to her patiently, nursing his mug and feeling numb. He'd never felt that Lana was good for John, and now, he was gone, and she was moving on. She felt they'd been growing apart for months, she was moving back in with her parents. She'd never expected him to just up and disappear. She hoped he was okay.
John had complained of her being unfaithful, but then, he had stayed with her for so long, it was hard for him to say anything. He always said that it's better to stick with the hurt that you know.
Lana left, and Mike regretted not saying anything scathing to her on John's behalf. That was what he would have wanted.
. . .
I puffed weed smoke as I prayed to the machine gods. Then, closing my eyes and clenching my anus, I turned the holy key.
The gentle choir of farts that was the sound of La Etoille-Fille starting and idling was the sweetest music I had ever heard. The car had become my mistress these past few days, I'd been retooling her to run on alcohol; it was a multi-fuel engine, but there had been like, two pints of gas sent with, apparently kerosene meant to be enough to rendesvouz with the supply chain. I'd had to filter a bunch of my vodka and mix it with axle grease from the hardware store to get a viable fuel going.
I'd have to stop there, later, I needed some more parts for my baby, and I needed some mud to fix the hole in my wall. I had spent about twenty thousand gil at the local hardware store in the past month, and I planned on spending more. Money was laughably easy to earn in this country as an alien. It was a heaven of sorts, here in Equestria, nobody ever asked for any kind of registrations or permits, just gold up front, thanks for your time. There was like, one cop in town, and when she saw me carting my home-brewed alcohol and dime-bags of "tea," she'd tip her fucking hat to me, I shit you not. Customers weren't hard to find, we'll leave it at that.
So needless to say, money was no longer an object for me, if it had been in the first place. I was glad to spend some cranking the shit out of my interplanetary cousin's toys. I let the engine run a few minutes, getting out and checking the exhaust. I was glad that the new mix seemed to be burning clean, it had initially been dark blue-black from too much grease. I needed to preserve the parts that I had because it was likely we wouldn't be able to resupply, at least until we got back to Earth. What I had initially taken for a V8 was something more like a V7, I could only count seven cylinders, but it ran at a constant buzz of perfected out-of-the-box efficiency. I had jitneyed a supercharger with a barn fan and chimney piping, but the suck thing about that was it was robbing horsepower. I was hoping they would have something I could rig a turbo out of.
The vehicle was shiny brushed aluminum, the smooth paneling of the shipping drone re-purposed into rounded armor plating. There were bench seats in the front and back, which were some sort of padded plastic, but I planned on reupholstering them with something. The cheapo IKEA buggy that it was, it initially hadn't had interior paneling, but I'd sawed some nice hardwood boards and slipped them over the controls. It felt a bit like a clown car; in the driver seat, which was on the right, my head brushed the ceiling, and in the back seats I had to bend over to sit comfortably.
I checked my watch, it was still early in the morning. I had again failed to get any actual sleep for several days. I was starting to feel like I didn't need it. I needed more coffee, though, my poor machine had been doing overtime. I quickly went inside to jot down a list, calling to my drake and feeding her a note to Twilight asking her if she wanted to grab breakfast or some coffee. I had errands to run in town today, and I tried to get everything done in one trip. I hated Ponyville with an odd, directionless rage that actually concerned me, yet I felt drawn to the town, as if all of the rest of Eden were a vacuous void that I dared not explore. Canterlot had been worse, yet.
"Scar, sweetie, you wanna go in the car?" Scarlet, my little wyvern companion for her entire life, was hard to categorize. Her presence in my house was officially that of a glorified scribe, supposedly she would quickly learn to read and write and be able to send letters directly. In practice so far, it had been more like somebody had dropped a toddler who had been raised by dogs in my lap. She'd been able to run and glide within minutes of her hatching, and had fire-breath that, unlike Spike's, was apparently of both magical and natural origin due to her being both a wyvern and a letterdrake. Which meant that her pyromaniacal tendencies were actually of true threat to me. Despite this, she was my constant companion, mostly out of the fact that if I let her out of my sight, important things would soon become so much ash in the wind.
She leapt into the vehicle, and together, we were off to town.
First stop was Miss Shy. I buzzed down the rough path through the woods, feeling free. Fluttershy was my neighbor, for all intents and purposes; she only lived a few minutes away by flight to her and by car to me. These past few days I'd been hitting her up early in the mornings to wake and bake. The sun was just peeking it's head over the horizon when I knocked on her door, calling in, "Open up, it's the police! Grab your bong!"
She answered the door, wearing a pink nightgown and giggling sleepily, "Tee-hee, bong."
I packed a bowl while she went out to check on her chickens. We had gotten into the habit of wake-and-baking these past few days; that combination of insomnia and early-birdedness that occurs so beautifully in nature. She came back with a basket of eggs in her teeth. I took a long hit to prepare myself for the next question, "How did you pick those up?"
"Just, you know, with my hooves." To demonstrate this, she opened her cupboard and pulled out a pan, setting it on the stove and cracking an egg into it with her hooves. I watched in disgusted awe, and then helped myself to another hit before passing. I started some toast while Fluttershy took a short rip as it rolled, clearing her throat gently.
"So, what're you up to today?" I asked conversationally, trying to change the subject. I took another hit, feeding the cherry and passing back.
Fluttershy answered in the middle of her hit, covering to mouth of the bong and speaking through smoke, "Oh, you know, just gonna hide in my house all day. Avoid Nightmare-Nighters."
"Oh, shit, it's Halloween today! Good thing I'm going to town. Wait, did you say, 'hide in the house all day'?
"Yeah, I don't really care for Nightmare Night. I've got a lot of traumatic memories of ponies pulling pranks on me as a foal, and Rainbow Dash still thinks it's funny."
"Oh, pranks," I said, reminiscing about childhood. I sighed, exhaling smoke and wishing I hadn't left my flask in the car. "I mean, nothing wrong with a little practical joke every once in a while, and Halloween is the time to do it, right?"
She made a face like she didn't wanna get into it. "Rainbow takes it too far, sometimes."
There was a pause in the conversation as she passed the bong back to me, and I hit it. She checked her eggs, flipping them and asking me, "Did you want an egg?"
"Yeah, I mean, if you're makin' em." She gave her plate to me and started two more. The toaster scared the fuck out of me as it spat out two pieces of charred bread, and I remembered I'd been making toast "Would you want some toast?
"Yes, please," she said politely. I started some more, buttering mine and biting into it. An odd thought popped into my head, as they do when I blaze, and I decided to voice it.
"Fluttershy?" I said, swallowing my bite of toast. She turned to me, and before she could respond, I said, "Thanks for being my friend."
She blushed and giggled again, and the sound was like butterflies having an orgy. "You're very welcome, John. Thanks for coming to visit so often. I get a little lonely out here on the edge of the forest."
Glad that part of the conversation was over, I leapt on the new topic. "Why do you live out here?"
"Well, part of it's for my job, I'm the Fog Liaison for Canterlot Weather, I'm supposed to monitor low-atmosphere cloud activity coming from the forest. Most of the time it's pretty quiet, but occasionally something will come up. I've got all my animals, too, and I've found they're better off away from town. Angel gets into shenanigans."
"Well, we all hate shenanigans." I also hated that fucking rabbit. I was hoping to "accidentally" run into him in the woods so I could use him for pie filling. He was just a little guy, though, wouldn't make a very good pie. Maybe he'd be better for a stew. I changed the subject, "Speaking of animals, I've been meaning to ask, could I get some chicks from you? I've been meaning to start a henhouse."
I neglected to mention that I would likely be eating these chicks eventually. She nodded absentmindedly, "I'll put some of these in the incubator later."
I looked at the eggs on my plate. "Wait, so you're telling me these are fertilized? You're just totally fine with eating a potential baby chick?"
She looked at me, and then at the eggs in the pan. "Well, if you're gonna feel bad about that, then you might as well feel bad about all the sperm that everypony wastes, or the flowers and the grass."
"I love how your mind immediately leaps to sperm."
She winked luridly at me, purring, "Mare's gotta eat."
I coughed through my toast, choking on my laughter, "I can't believe you just said that, that's fucking disqusting,"
Flutters was like that, quiet, up until the moment she said something that made the room erupt with laughter. There was an easy companionship to her that even a washed-up, wrecked piece of shit like me could appreciate. She could be friends with a rock, in fact, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if she was. She often joked about sex, as one's aunty or raunchy grandma would.
Unfortunately, this reminded me of another unfortunate detail that was unfortunately sinking in over these past weeks; On a planet where drugs are scarce and virtually unheard of, alcohol is abolished and practiced only in private, there is only the erotic arts to entertain. Despite the abundance of pornography around my cabin, I wasn't attracted to ponies. I had purchased it on principle, and now I mostly read the articles, after failing to find the pictures titilating. For some reason, the ponies in the porn were covered up most of the time anyway.
I regretted leaving my flask in the car. I regretted everything, from the moment I arrived in Equestria, to the moment I entered the Canterlot Vessel. I regretted being born and existing. I just wanted the nightmare to end. "John, I really wish you would see a professional about this," said the voice in my head.
I'm serious. These are unbecoming thoughts of the future ruler of mankind. In addition, I'm extremely sick of hearing your whiny bullshit. This isn't exactly a picnic for me, either, "Uhhh, My name Is John and I'm so sad that I'm stuck in this immortal blonde baby hunk body forever, and on top of it all, I'm possessed by a ghost that forces me to be productive, it's not like she's stuck being a bodyless shadow and having to deal with my whiny baby bullshit, wah, wah."
Yeah, thanks, have fun with nonexistence. I tried to focus on what was in front of me rather than my current existential crisis, as one does. Scarlet returned from the woods, and Fluttershy gasped when she found the baby wyvern had a frog in her throat, literally. "Flugguhshuh, I ghaught a fghog!"
"Spit him out, sweetie." I said sternly, and she did, the amphibian seeming shaken but none the worse for wear. Fluttershy adored Scarlet, obviously, but I tried not to let her eat stuff alive in front of her just out of politeness. I took him outside and tossed him in the pond, telling him, "You're a lucky motherfucker, today."
Scar wanted an egg, too, since I took her frog.
"Don't cook it," she demanded. She was such a perfect little bitchy angel.
"Can you catch?" I asked, and found to my delight that she could; I tossed her a raw egg and she snapped it up, shell and all. She was still growing, but seemed to be slowing down, entering what Fireheart had called the "nymph" stage of draconic development. She would stay about the size of a little dog for a few decades, "Storing magic in her magic fat until she reaches adolescence."
Fucking word-for-word, what he said.
The sun hadn't risen very far when we got ready to leave. I "forgot" a couple ten-bit coins on Flutters' counter for her trouble, and told her I'd come by in a few days with some schwag. "Are you going to Rarity's party?"
"I might make an appearance," she said mysteriously, in a way that meant she'd definitely be there.
I grinned as I started my car and sped away from the cottage. My smile faded as I got further down the trail, remembering that I was headed to Ponyville, a fact that killed my buzz for obvious reasons. Now I have to deal with people.
. . .
Wingnut enjoyed his job at Ponyville Hardware. It was quiet, most of the time, and he wasn't working with food, except animal and dragon food, mostly. There were some candy bars at the front.
The counter was by the door, and ponies had to pass it to come into the store. There wasn't enough traffic that it was ever busy, and customers would often stop to talk to him. That was the most exhausting part of the job. His boss and no relation, Lugnut, would occasionally wheel out of his office in his chair to bark instructions at him. He had only been working there for a week, but it seem there only needed to be two or three workers on shift at a time.
Which made it all the stranger when an odd, ponyless vehicle came buzzing down the street, gently avoiding pedestrians and parking itself in a carriage spot, and an odd, beige creature stepped out on two legs, followed by a paraplegic dragon. Naturally, Lugnut wheeled out on his chair, droning at him, "Wing, this guy's spent twenty thousand bits here in the past month, if he says jump, you better leap, you feel me?"
"Yeah, I feel ya." Wingnut replied, not making eye contact due to staring at the creature. It looked a bit like a minotaur, standing upright on two legs and walking with a swinging gait. It had an odd, flat face, with a snubbed, fleshy nose.
Wingnut watched as the creature loped into the store, pushing the door open with its upper appendage. It had a cigarette in it's mouth, trailing smoke, and it' face was framed by a light hay-colored mane. The dragon darted through it's legs.
"Go pick something out," it said, speaking to the dragon.
"Hello, welcome to Ponyville Hardware!" Wingnut, said, automatically, as he was supposed to. The creature grunted at him, breezing past the counter and grabbing a cart. He headed toward gardening supplies, but soon returned, holding one of their heavy-duty shovels in one paw.
It hefted it, asking, "Is this the biggest shovel you got?"
Despite the creatures alien appearance, it had a strong Marennesota drawl, drawing out it's "o" sounds and shortening consonants. The combination was rather comical, and Wing tried not to laugh, instead smiling and saying, "Sorry, that's the biggest one we have."
The creature grunted again, tossing the shovel in it's cart anyway. It picked up a few more gardening supplies, moving on to Piping, and then into Livestock. Again, he questioned Wing, "Hey, do these chicken coops come all assembled like this?"
"Nah, they come in a box and we put 'em together in the back."
"I'll need one of those, then."
"Sure thing."
The creature grabbed supplies for barn fowl, and stuffed a bag of granulated gemstones underneath his cart, finally moving into Heating and Furnace. He approached the counter with another question, more complicated this time. "So, here's the thing, I'm trying to make a turbocharger, do you know what that is?"
Wingnut shook his head.
"Okay, well, my car out there has an exhaust system, and that system isn't under any pressure right now, because all I have is a supercharger on it. I'm trying to cap something on the end of it that will pull the exhaust through faster, you know, make a seal on there, and pressurize it so it takes the weight off the super." He held up a turbo unit, one of the smaller ones that they used in really long stove and furnace pipes. "I think this is what I need, but I need to take it down to nine millimeters, and I don't see any adapters."
Wingnut knew there was a kit over in piping, so he ran and got it. He had done a lot of furnace units with his dad, and had used it before, though not for this, obviously. "That would be what you need, there's sets for six down up to twelve."
"Thanks, dude." He inspected the kit and threw it in his cart, wheeling up to the counter.
"Yeah, no problem." Wingnut started ringing him up. He had a lot of stuff, the bill climbing up past five hundred bits, and nearing nine hundred after adding the chicken coop and the granulated gemstones. He had gotten sticks for welding, metal piping, and wide plastic tubes. There was paint mixed in, along with rolling brushes and clear coat. There was plant food, rubber hoses, and garden twine as well. Trying to make small talk, Wing asked, "Planning a big project?"
"Trust me, you don't even want to know." The creature set a hefty bag of coins on the counter and began to count platinum fifty-bits. "I should be in the computer, John, J-O-H-N,"
The little dragonet brought a pack of Rocket Shots up to the counter, a dragon treat that was basically a candied firework, and Wing scanned it along with the rest. He was about to make change, but the creature shook it's odd, round head, eyeing Wing's nametag. "Keep it. Are you new here?"
"Yeah, I started last week."
"Oh, that explains it. The creature named John took his receipt, politely bidding farewell, and resolutely going about the business of stuffing his cart and a half's worth of purchases into the trunk of his ponyless carriage. To Wing's surprise, it all seemed to fit, the boxed chicken coop fitting neatly into the backseat.
The odd pair sped away downtown to the rhythmic buzz of the craft's engine. Lugnut wheeled out of his office again, asking curiously, "How much did he get?"
Wingnut looked at the store receipt. "Nine hundred eighty-six bits."
"He must be slowing down, that's his smallest bill, yet."
"Really? What is he?" Wingnut filed the receipt and closed the register.
Lugnut wheeled back into his office, stopping in the doorway. "I think they call him a Human. There was an announcement like a month ago about it, the Princess was involved."
"Huh. Seems like a decent enough guy."
"Yeah, a little weird-looking for sure, but hey, I don't judge."
. . .
"Man, I hate fucking bits. I feel like I'm paying for everything with Chuck E. Cheese tokens." My wyvern and I drove away from the hardware store with our purchased booty. The light vehicle handled differently loaded; I was hoping to finish our errands and unload soon, so I could unwind with a nice Long Island iced tea before I had to go to Rarity's party and deal with people.
Scar stopped licking her firework candy, the sweet fizzling and popping loudly over her question, "What's Chuck E. Cheese?"
"It's like a carnival, I guess, but it's like, in a store. You can have, like, birthday parties and bar mitzvahs there. You play games, get pizza stuff, like that."
"Oh. Well, that sounds pretty cool. Could you light stuff on fire?" Scarlet often told me that her favorite dreams were the ones where the whole world was aflame. She could be a bit one-dimensional at times, but maybe it's my fault for humoring her.
"Depends on what. The staff might frown on certain things going up in flame. You could probably get away with birthday candles."
"Huh," She was about to ask another question, but interrupted herself by belching a tongue of flame and a small note.
"That'd be Twi. Can you read it, or do you need my help?" I was still driving, but she was still learning how to read, so there you go. Having the only car in town was fun because there was very little traffic but the occasional pony-drawn carriage; it was annoying because I constantly had to weave around pedestrians at four miles an hour.
"Naw, I know all these words: She said she's down for tea."
"Cool. Where at?"
"Hay Barn again. That girl is not adventurous."
"No, she is not. Then again, neither am I." I had actually suspected this, and we were halfway there already. I stuck a joint in my lip and leaned over to the passenger side. "Can you light me without setting my beard on fire?"
Apparently not. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of my own burning hair, inhaling and passing.
"Sorry, dude. Still trying to perfect the technique." Scarlet pinched the joint between her wing claws from where she sat with her tail tucked beneath her, puffing on it daintily before passing back. She never coughed: she was a dragon, after all.
By the time we finished the joint, we were at the Hay Barn. I flicked the roach into the bushes, grateful Sparks had chosen this location; I had business here, as well. At night, the Hay Barn became the Bannered Mare, one of John's Finest Ales and Spirits most profitable retail locations. Scotch had conned his brother Cole into turning the nightclub into a speakeasy at my insistence, and their brother Lyp had followed soon after. My fast and easy wealth had come from a simple business practice of creating a market where there was none.
I went into the office and woke up Scotch, passed out on the couch, getting him to fill out order forms the best I could. He blathered blearily at me about lasses and nannies, and once I got what I needed, I left him to his drunken nap. Sometimes I felt bad for taking advantage of him, and by extension his brothers and much of the town for monetary gain, but I spent a shit ton of my profits at the hardware store anyway.
I had all of the equipment we needed to contact Earth. We were just waiting for the quantum isotope to decay. I had been waiting a day and a half already and there were still a few hours left. I was hoping we could get it done before I had to go to Rarity's party.
Twi showed up exactly on time, as usual, dragon in tow. It was a sense of scholarly duty that drove us together; She was trying to learn about Earth. I had just been telling her stories about my life, mundane stuff about society on Earth. I answered her questions the best I could, but I wasn't an expert on anything, by any means.
We sat at a table and I ordered my second breakfast for the day, making small talk with Twi. She gossiped about our mutual friend group often, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were less familiar to me, I had only met them once or twice. They were often busy, which was a shame, because as cool as the girls were, it felt odd to not have any dude friends who weren't also business partners.
It boggled me that Twilight had been given "Friendship" as a subject of study by the Princess. It also boggled me that it was a matter of official government importance that the Princess have personal students that she instruct on lessons in profoundly hypothetical subjects. The juxtaposition of me being assigned with the subject of "Human History," when I was likely more knowledgeable than her in the subject, was asinine to me. It had to be just an excuse for something. Then again, she didn't know about my know-it-all passenger yet.
During a lull in the conversation, I brought up something that was a little difficult to segue into: The state of my decaying mental health. "So, Sparks, I've been meaning to ask you, do you know any good shrinks around here?"
"Shrinks?" She raised an eyebrow, clearly unfamiliar with the term.
"Uh, like a psychiatrists? Head doctor?" I wondered if somehow Equestria had somehow evolved past the need for such things.
"Oh, a psychiatrist! Yeah, Doctor Ball down at Ponyville General is a good friend of mine. That's who I recommended to Pinkie when she was having her, uh... episode."
"Doctor Ball?" I choked back a snicker.
"Yeah, we're in book club together. She had a bit of a strange opinion on Old Mare and the Sea, but she did a good job with Pinkie, and she's always given me good advice." She sipped her tea, dabbing a chunk of her muffin in it and swallowing it.
"Oh, well, thanks." I poured vodka from my flask into my orange juice. It was a bit early still, but it was Halloween, damn it.
"Is everything alright?" She eyed me quizzically.
"Yeah, I've just been... thinking about stuff a lot lately."
"Well, I'm glad that you're getting help. You can always talk to me, too, if you need it." She told me with genuine relief, putting away her notebook and pen. I finished my hash browns and eggs, and Twi finished her muffin. Our infant drakes clawed at each other under the table, whispering secrets.
"Thanks, Twi." She hugged me when I left. I asked if she could take care of Scarlet for an hour or two, and she agreed. I'd pick her up at the library after I went and got my head fixed. Apparently the local hospital not only had a psychiatrist, but one that did walk-ins. Go figure. Explains the mental health of the local populace.
I'm proud of you, John
Like you're not part of the problem, I was beginning to appreciate your silence. I drove alone down to Ponyville General Hospital. The radio in the buggy worked, and picked up local channels, but it turns out that I don't really like pony music. I was still waiting for the verdict from Vinyl on the jack for my phone. She said she could order one, but it might take a few weeks, which was really harshing my buzz, but that's life. I should be thankful that I didn't nee to make one.
When I walked into the lobby, I winced when I saw who was behind the front desk: Nurse Redheart. I hadn't seen her since I had hugged her goodbye at Twilight's almost three weeks ago. I had been doing my best to block the memory out, and here it was, fresh and center stage. She was looking at a chart, and hadn't noticed me, yet. I dreaded every step to the counter.
"Hey, Red," I said, trying to act casual.
She turned at my voice, and to my surprise, she turned back to her chart. "Oh, hey, John. Can I help you?"
I shook it off, not looking a gift horse in the mouth, pun intended. If she wanted to forget about the little incident at the edge of the woods, I would too. "I'm trying to set up a walk-in with Doctor Ball?"
She set the chart down, and checked a clipboard hanging from the wall. "She's on lunch until twelve-thirty."
It was, like, a quarter-after; I could wait. I went outside and smoked a joint, and hey-ho, when I went back inside, Red was on the phone with the good Doctor. "Yes, John the Human. Yes, the Human. Okay, I'll send him up."
She put the phone down on the receiver, smiling cordially at me. "Head upstairs and down the hall on your left, she'll be by Waiting Room A,"
I went upstairs and to the left, stopping beneath the Waiting Room A sign. Picking a seat and picking up a magazine, I waited. I had just barely opened to an article about gluten-free hay when one of the several doors entering into the waiting room opened. A grey pony in pink scrubs held the door open with a hoof. She focused a pair of rose colored eyes on me through golden-rimmed half-moon glasses. Her mane was rolled into tight, purple dreadlocks that were pulled into a ponytail. Her tail was also dreadlocked, but hung free.
"John?" She asked rhetorically, considering I was the only being in the room. I stood and followed her silently though another hallway and into her office. To my surprise, there was no desk. Instead, there were two thick blue mats on the floor. "Would you like to take your jacket off?"
I did, and because it felt appropriate, I took my boots and socks off, too. The room felt very relaxing, there were wide glass windows illuminating the office with gentle, natural light from outside. The walls were a gentle blue, matching the sky. She sat on one of the mats and gestured at the other with a hoof. I sat obediently, crossing my legs. She held out a hoof for me to shake with a natural motion that for once I didn't question, and introduced herself: "I'm Doctor Ball."
"Hi, I'm John Salem."
"So I've heard. I'd just like to say it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
"Oh, well, thanks."
"So, what brings you to my office, today?"
To me, the answer encompassed many subjects, so I was forced to be vague. "I've been under a lot of stress, lately."
She nodded her head, like she understood completely. "Well, why don't you lie down and talk to me about it?"
I laid my body down on the comfy blue mat, and thought about where to start. To my surprise, the cieling of the room was painted with a pretty pointilist mural of a tranquil ocean scene. I supposed the beginning was a good place to start.
"Thirty-seven days ago, I was getting drunk one night in Madison, when a freaky chick who I'm no longer convinced was another human being starting making out with me in the supply closet at the bar. I blacked out after that, and I don't think it was the alcohol. Whoever, or whatever she was, she transported me from my home planet, to here, where everything resembles a children's cartoon, and not even one I particularly enjoyed. I know she did this for a reason, a reason that is probably not a positive one on the whole.
"I hate being wrapped up in nefarious plots, and I hate being stranded on an alien planet even more, but I have to admit, it isn't terrible living here. On Earth I had to struggle to survive among my own kind, never finding sympathy even from fellow humans. Here, it doesn't seem to matter who or what I am, there's enough to go around. I don't have anything to complain about as far as comfort goes." You can tell her about me. Gee, thanks for justifying this visit with your presence. Again, I'm serious. As hilarious as your insults are, I am not a figment of your imagination. You share your skull with another sentient life form. Anyone treating you medically should be aware of this, and I am neither qualified nor willing to treat the acute issue that you have.
"I learned about and subsequently explored an ancient human ruin, which was a little traumatizing in and of itself. When I got to the final chamber, I was possessed by an ancient human ghost, who still talks to me in my head and takes over my body at night. That's kinda important." Doctor Ball seemed to be taking this all in stride, simply nodding and expressing sympathy.
"I'm sorry that happened to you, John. I can imagine how that could be very stressful."
"That's not the worst part, honestly. The voice in my head is annoying, but I'm beginning to acclimate. More than anything, I miss Earth and my family. I didn't want to get mixed up in all of this nonsense, and I'm still not sure if I'll be able to get back. I might be stranded here forever, fighting monsters and living in the woods. It's taken us a month just to be able to send a message to tell them that I'm okay, and that was through what I would call a pretty lucky break. I'm gonna have to get a lot luckier if I'm gonna get home."
"Honestly, John, I believe that we make our own luck. I believe that you've gotten this far because you've worked for it. Correct me if I'm wrong, of course, but you seem like the sort of guy who does what he has to. When you see something you want, you take it, and when you see something you need, you get it. That's why you're in my office." We were both still laying down, not making eye contact, but the way she said it struck me.
She was right. As much as I hated to admit it, that's why I was here. I wanted to make it home, in one piece. I had to take care of myself before I try to go back to save Earth and my people from themselves. I couldn't think of anything else to say about that, so I changed the subject.
"My parents died when I was nineteen. It'll be ten years on my next birthday. I think I'm still fucked up about it."
I heard her sigh. "That sucks. I guess when I think about the people who have passed on in my life, they would have wanted me to try to remember the good times, and to try not to miss them too much. I feel ya, though, that's one of those things that is really hard to quantify, and move on from."
"I got into some nasty shit about that, too. They were murdered by a suicide cult. I was trying to take them down and I ran into an international espionage extraordinaire. " The words were beginning to flow easily, it felt as if a significant burden were being lifted from my spirit. "That got me into some even more nasty shit afterward. To put it in simple terms, my past is filled with a lot of sordid events, not to mention blood and death, more than most people are accustomed to. I've killed a lot of people. I've tried to shelter Mike and Ari from the worst of it, but I'm worried that I didn't do enough, that I'll get back to Earth and they'll both be dead."
"Well, we do what we have to do. We all have the instinct to survive and protect the things we care about, even if we do things we regret in the process." The tone of Doctor Ball's voice didn't change, remaining the same level, calm timbre it had been. Either she had dealt with this sort of thing before, or it was some kind of professional or trained thing, but either way, it was working. "As far and your family, Mike and Ari are a world away from you, now. You said that you can get a message to them, I would focus on that."
Again, very sound advice. I looked at my watch. It had been about thirty-five minutes.
"Getting antsy?" she asked. I looked at her face. Her eyes were closed.
"My dragon's at a friend's house. She like to light stuff on fire, and books are quite flammable"
"That's right, you're one of Princess Celestia's students. I'm guessing your friend is Twilight Sparkle, correct? She has quite a reputation around here, as well."
"Yeah, so I've been learning. I kinda wanted to talk to her about his stuff, but for some reason I felt it was out of her scope."
"Your friends will listen to you complain , John, but they won't be able to solve your problems, because they have their own to deal with. Believe it or not, it's my job to help you with this stuff."
"Honestly, I'm glad I came."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"I have one more thing that I've been having trouble with. It's a little embarassing."
"Shoot."
"I'm not attracted to ponies. A lot of them seem to be attracted to me."
"I'm not attracted to colts. A lot of them seem to be attracted to me. You're a big boy, right? Tell them, "No.""
I was silent for a moment. The hardest thing that I had to admit slithered from my lips like a poisonous slug. "I hate it here. I just want to die, and give up. It's so hard to keep going as things are."
Doctor Ball leaned up slowly to a sit, and I followed suit. Her rose eyes looked into mine. "Think about your parents, and your family, when thoughts like that creep in. Your mind is like a garden, and your thoughts are like plants. When you think a thought, you're watering it. Water the good thoughts, John. Water the thoughts of going home. Water the thoughts of your family, and your life. I think you can make it, John."
I looked out the window, and I couldn't help the watering in my eyes.
I owed it to the people that I cared about, alive and dead, to finish this, whether I started it or not.
"Thanks, Doc."
She held out her hoof for me to shake again. "I hope you come back, John. They can set up an appointment for you at the front desk."
I left the office and did exactly that, having Nurse Redheart sign me up for an appointment next week. On the way to the library, as I weaved through pedestrians, I pondered what Doctor Ball said. Scarlet answered the front door, expecting me, an autumn leaf hot-glued to the point of her snout. "Hey, John, guess what I am?"
"Bat, leaf-nosed." Scarlet giggled at my correct guess, I had only known because I had done a similar costume as a child, real leaf included.Twilight was dressed as some sort of wizard, putting the finishing touches on her outfit, and apparently not expecting to know exactly who she was. I noticed Spike's costume and realized why Scar had changed hers: He was dressed as a purple dragon; she had been planning on going to the festival as a black wyvern.
I told Twi I'd see her at Rarity's later, telling Scar in a whisper, "I like your costume better. It's more elegant."
"What're you talking about? Bats are cool. Going as myself would be kinda dumb."
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying, I feel ya."
Speaking of Rarity, we hit her up before heading back to the cabin. I still needed to pick up my costume. She was dressed in a lacy outfit with foam butterflies sewn to the sash. Supposedly, she was a fairy. She displayed my commissioned costume to me proudly.
"You're going to be attending Rarity's super Sp00ky Nightmare Night Bash as the Monkey King from Journey to the West." She said dramatically, gesturing to the folded costume on the table: A red coat with tails and gold buttons, and a pair of fluffy pantaloons with a fake tail coming out the back. To complete the ensemble, there was a fluffy brown hat with big, fake chimp ears coming out, and a crooked bamboo cane.
"The Monkey King? Isn't that a little racist?" I suppressed a smile, picking it up and trying it on anyway.
Rarity gave me a level look. "I can tell you're joking, but it's not funny how many costumes I've had to re-do today. I had to come up with something that matched, and you're a dead ringer for the King."
"Matched? Who am I matching with?" This was news to me.
Rarity eyed me quizzically. "You're matching the Princess, appropriately. She's your plus-one, right? I thought you knew about that."
"I guess I know, now." Of course. I looked the outfit over, and appreciated the effect. The spark of Halloween spirit that had been smoldering in my chest since last night flared. "I love it, Rares. I think I'll wear it out."
She nodded, ushering me out politely. She had to prepare to host one of the biggest shindigs of the season, of course. "When you return for the party, could you possibly bring some refreshments? You know, your stuff?"
"Weed or booze? Both?"
"Of course, darling. See you at six!" Well, okay. I tossed my jacket, shirt, and pants into the backseat with all of our newly-purchased equipment. My Monkey King costume was not only well-made and gorgeous, it was also extremely comfortable.
We finally left town at about one o'clock, driving past Fluttershy's house back to our cabin in the woods, taking our time in the gentle afternoon breeze. Even in the depth of autumn, the air was still a gentle sixty-eight degrees, and apparently it wouldn't get much colder, even in the winter. Despite this, the leaves were turning autumn colors.
It's induced behavior, John. The days will shorten and the nights will lengthen as Celestia and Luna give the other hemisphere of the planet it's summer as we are given our winter in this one. They are gods for a reason. Every year, every being living on this planet is reminded of a time before the Celestials tamed the weather and the sun. The ultimate goal of this is fear.
How does that work? They're not, like, actually altering the movement of the sun and the moon, are they?
They are. Before Celestia's mother and father arrived in this solar system, it was not what one would call habitable. The planet we now call Eden was a cooling magma ball, devoid of water but rich in minerals, and most importantly, it orbited a pink star that radiated the energy commonly known as magic.
Like cosmic starlings drawn to a stellar flame, Galaxos and Universa decided to make the planet their home, reshaping it to their whim. Universa shrunk the sun and repositioned the planet to optimal life-bringing distance, while her husband Galaxos plucked icy asteroids from the belt and flung them by the thousands to the surface, bringing clouds and weather to the planet. These events would forever bind this solar system with magical rituals that have to be maintained, even to this day.
When Celestia says she is "raising the sun," or Luna says she is "raising the moon," they are literally moving the Eden and its moon with their telekinesis. It's not something that would be easy to do, but it's not something that only they could do, necessarily.
Yeah, yeah, we're back at the cabin. Let's check the isotope. Scarlet darted through my legs, beelining to the woods to hunt. "Don't go too far, sweetie."
I walked with similar fervor up to the attic, taking the steps two at a time, but when I opened the door and looked at the mess of machinery and equipment, I couldn't tell what was what.
What's the matter, John? I thought we were gonna check the isotope?
Yeah, yeah, okay. Is it done decaying or not?
It is. That little green light on the isotope container indicates that vacuum chamber has resealed itself.
If you had been paying attention, you would have realized it was red before. I bit back a mental retort as she guided me to the corner of the room, having me set up a chair at an angle from the screen, like I was going to be recording something. Is there a camera in this mess?There is. It's up on the top of the rack, it's already wired into the system. Just hit the red button.
I regretted not changing back into my jeans and shirt, but I wasn't going to waste any more time. I quickly planned what I was going to say in my head. Before you do anything, pick up that clipboard and read what's on there.I leaned over and hit the button, shaking my head and picking up the clipboard as I sat back down.
"Twenty-four, forty-two, eighty-eight, forty-four, forty-eight, twenty, forty." I read in a monotone. Okay,
you're golden, Ponyboy. Thank you very much. You're welcome, your Majesty. Don't call me that.
"Hey, uh, I've been told that whoever is receiving this message can get it into the hands of my brother, Micheal Salem. He looks like me, but he doesn't have a beard, and he has grey hair and purple eyes. He's hard to miss. Thanks for doing that, I guess.
"Mike, I'm in some deep shit, bro, and I might not be back for a while. I hope you're doing alright. Things are so crazy here, I just wish I was home. I feel like I'm in a war zone. Try not to worry about me too much, though, I'm not in over my head, just yet. I just miss ya, little buddy, and I miss, just being on Earth, man. Anyway, yeah, I hope you're doing alright."
I heard Scarlet tromping around downstairs, calling my name. "John?"
Are you done? Yeah, I think so. Alright, I'm gonna send it now, James Cameron. The quantum physics are a little complicated, but for both our sakes, I'll keep it short: It could take anywhere from an hour to a day to get a response. That is, of course, extremely fast considering the message is travelling several parsecs practically instantaneously. Hey, words hurt, you know, and Titanic was pretty good, even thought it's long as shit. I shut off the camcorder, and went downstairs to tend to my wyvern.
She held a scroll in her wing claw, and another of those striped birds from the woods in her mouth. It was dead and only a little mangled, a gift, apparently. I took the scroll to read and told her to go start some water boiling ,so I could clean it for a late lunch. As usual, she jumped at the opportunity to start a fire, and as usual, I swallowed the dread that one of these days I'd find the woods aflame, and her giggling over the roasted corpses. I pushed these thoughts aside to read the letter.
John,
I hope you haven't forgotten we're attending Rarity's Nightmare Night bash together? Should we meet there? I'm not really sure what the etiquette for this situation would be. Write back with your answer, in coherent Equesh, please?
Celestia
It was almost cute. I penned back a quick response, having Scarlet incinerate it. Then I dug around in the cupboard for the bread crumbs. It was gonna be a good lunch.
Tia,
Don't you worry that pretty little head of yours, baby, I'll take care of everything. I'll meet you at your palace, we can chat before we head out, I've had a pretty interesting time these past few days, you could call it a breakthough in my studies of human culture. J.
I had plenty of time to dread the party. For now, I'm ready for a nice fried bird lunch with my wyvern. As the bird parts cooked, I watched Fluffy chew the bird's guts by the river, being careful not to get bile on his brand new pink collar, courtesy of Ponyville Hardware. Maybe the party wouldn't be so bad. All my friends were going to be there.
Your girlfriend's gonna be there. Shut up, she's not my girlfriend.
If she's not your girlfriend, then why are you going on a date with her?
It's not a date. Shut up. |
Anthrexia: A New Element | And I Finally Break (AKA The Nightmare Before Nightmare Night) | Sebastian stopped by his sanctum for a quick shower, and a bite to eat. He had brought Ragno with him, intending on sharing some of his homemade spaghetti bolognaise with her discerning Italian palate. As much as that sounded like a euphemism, it wasn't
The aging Dutchman was digging around for the tomato sauce in his basement when he heard the soft humming of electronic life from one of the ancient computers screens in the corner. Becoming distracted, as he often did, he pulled the dust cover from the monitor, green text blinking. The machine was set to turn itself on when one of it's internal alerts told it to do so, but there were only a few circumstances that might cause this. He read the text.
UnidentifiedFile.rar located on system, file origin QuantumCommunicator.dev -Timestamp 01:31:47PM
Barely half an hour ago. Sebastian pulled the chair up, sitting in it and typing a command, RunUnidentifiedFile.rar->Decoder.NancyDrew.exe. The decoder ran for a second, several of the backup drives kicking in to speed up the process. A simple video file, a little over a minute long. The resolution wasn't very good. He ran the file through the media player on one of his newer monitors.
The file played, a bit of purple and green electronic static crackling briefly. After a moment, a young man appeared on the screen, sitting on a hewn log chair, in what appeared to be an attic in a log cabin. He had blue eyes, and his fair hair poked out from underneath a brown eared hat, completing an adorable monkey outfit with a bright red coat. Despite his costume, Sebastian recognized him immediately:
John Salem.
His beard had grown, spreading from his goatee to a whiskering about his cheeks, and his hair, which had been growing out when he had last seen him, was now unkemptly long underneath the monkey hat. The man in the monkey suit leaned back from turning the camera on, picking up a clipboard and reading in a monotone, "Twenty-four, forty-two, eighty-eight, forty-four, forty-eight, twenty, forty."
Sebastian didn't understand the code, but picked up a pen and wrote it down on a piece of scrap paper anyway. John leaned forward, setting the clipboard back down and staring at it for a moment, seemingly arguing with himself, or possibly composing his next sentence. Then he looked back at the camera.
"Hey, uh, I've been told that whoever is receiving this message can get it into the hands of my brother, Micheal Salem," he said, awkwardly explaining, "He looks like me, but he doesn't have a beard, and he has grey hair and purple eyes. He's hard to miss. Thanks for doing that, I guess."
Sebastian chuckled internally at John's politeness, and at his rather unhelpful description of Mike. Luckily, they were already acquainted, of course. Ragno clomped down the basement stairs in her thick-heeled boots, calling, "Sebastian? What are you doing down here?"
Sebastian shushed her, listening raptly. Ragno moved to his side, watching as John continued, speaking to Mike, "Mike, I'm in some deep shit, bro, and I might not be back for a while.
"I hope you're doing alright. Things are so crazy here, I just wish I was home. I feel like I'm in a war zone. Try not to worry about me too much, though, I'm not in over my head, just yet. I just miss ya, little buddy, and I miss, just being on Earth, man. You'll be happy to know that I quit smoking, I really need a dart. Anyway, yeah, I hope you're doing alright."
A female voice could be heard behind John, calling his name. He looked behind himself, down the staircase in the background. His head turned hesitantly back to the camera, his brow furrowing; He seemed to be having another internal argument. Then, he turned fully back to the camera and shut it off, the media player cutting to the replay screen.
The most dangerous man on Earth looked at the code on the piece of paper. He recognized it after a moment, it being written down prompting the memory. It was a truly ancient cipher, but one he should have remembered immediately. Must be losing my touch, after all these years. There were only a few people on the Earth who would know what it meant, and he doubted they would have the equipment to intercept it. No, the message was meant for Sebastian, and Sebastian alone.
"Do I even want to know why you're looking at an old video of John in a monkey outfit?" Ragno knew that John was missing, but hadn't been informed of the circumstances. That, he had kept between Donovan, Ebene, Echo, and himself.
"This isn't old. If I had to guess, this was probably recorded about an hour ago."
This information seemed to confuse Ragno more, leaning her petite frame over him in the chair to peek at the thumbnail of the file. "So you've been in contact with John? Is there a reason you haven't told his brother? Why is he dressed as a monkey?"
"I haven't been in contact with him, I just received this a little bit ago, hence my distraction. I believe he's wearing a costume. It is Halloween, after all, that's part of why I think this was recorded today."
"Right, Halloween," Ragno shook her head, leaning back as Sebastian stood up, then watching as he dragged the file onto a flash drive. He ejected the drive, and stuffed it into his pocket, along with the note containing the code, turning to his Italian comrade.
"Right, well, this changes my immediate plans, some." Sebastian said, seemingly to himself. He left the basement, foregoing the tomato sauce, for now, and packing a travel bag, instead. Ragno followed silently, watching and folding her arms as he explained, "We'll have to get lunch to-go, my dear, for it seems we've become short on time."
"Weren't we already?" She actually checked her watch, because it was getting to that point. "I really wanted to get fast food, but no, I've just got to try your spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti is one of those things that is hard to fuck up, no?"
"Shorter and shorter by the minute. The world turns, in more ways than one." Sebastian slung his pack over his shoulder, stuffing his hand into his pocket to make sure the gig stick was still there. Pulling out the not eand looking at it, going over the code in his head; trying to be sure. The dutchman was in doubt. He hadn't expected John to get back to him so soon, but here it was, in his hand: Proof that John Christopher Salem was destined to be the King of the human race.
"God, help us all." Sebastian prayed.
Ragno eyed the paper."What do those numbers mean?"
"It's a code. It translates pretty similar to an SOS, basically, "Send help now,"."
He stuffed the paper back in his pocket, opening the door and heading back out to his car, Ragno following.
"So, where are we going, now? All of this driving around is gonna kill the planet faster than we can save it." Ragno shook her short, dark hair from her eyes, patiently tolerating the extravagant whims of her boss. He dismissed her with a distracted shake of his head.
"I can fix the atmosphere, later; Right now, we need to show Micheal that his brother is alive."
. . .
I finished my second lunch with Scarlet, tossing the bones in the river and doing an ancient Inuit prayer. I thanked the dead stripey bird, and asked it to return soon in another fat, dumb body that I could eat.
Then, I prayed for strength, for myself. For my young drake and I were about to embark on a great and perilous journey, driving to Canterlot to pick up Celestia. I dreaded the big city, and the evening to follow.
I mean, hey, I've been not only allowed, but encouraged to bring booze. It won't be terrible just for that fact alone.
I went back inside, packing a lunch for the ride, and Scarlet's costume had come loose, so I had to fix that. Canterlot was a few hours away by train, but Etoille-Fille was considerably faster than that, I was hoping. I needed to stop by Vinyl's though, I wanted to get Fille's sound system hooked up before that. It would be a long, boring ride without.
I had unloaded my haul of parts from earlier, and even managed to get some of it installed; The rest would have to wait. I kept my second time in Ponyville for the day short, stopping by Vinyl's to get my cords and making my excuses. Her shop was stacked full of merchandise, I had to suck my gut in to get past the stacks of vinyl records to get to the register.
"What's the rush, Fingers?" She asked as I gathered my phone and jack from the counter. "I kinda wanted to listen to a couple of those with you; I don't know what some of those words mean."
"It'll have to wait, Vi, I gotta get to Canterlot. Are you goin' to Rarity's later?"
"I'm the DJ, John. The DJ."
"Right, I guess I'll see you there, then."
Vinyl winked luridly at me, "I don't suppose you have a plus-one?"
"I do, actually." I said matter-of-factly, "I'm on my way to pick her up."
"Dang, guess I missed that train, huh?" She pursed her lips in a pout. "Not for lack of trying."
"Well, it's not really like that." I chuckled nervously, considering this a bad omen. "She just really wanted to go, is all."
"Oh, I see," She looked at me over the rims of her clout goggles. "So, train's still in the station?"
"Sorry, Vi, station's closed, still not interested. I really gotta go, I'll see you at Rarity's."
The driving was almost comforting once we got out of Ponyville. I just used the road next to the train tracks. I'd been sleeping most of the train ride, but 'all roads lead to Rome,' was in full effect. I didn't hit much traffic in the early afternoon, I even tried to race one of the trains, but the engineer just waved merrily at me with a hoof, chugging along at forty miles an hour. I just shook my head, revving Fille's engine and passing him. Scar waved back, though, so I didn't feel bad.
While you are in Canterlot, we should follow our last lead.
We had leads?
Right, I had leads, you have ADD.
Hey, I'm medicated.
I felt the Oracle sigh in my head. Regardless, I suggest you search the Forbidden Maze for Discord, arguably the most powerful of the Draconequi.
Why? Most importantly, I believe that he may have knowledge of his siblings' plot against you, considering that it was likely he who freed them in the first place.
Of Draconequi, I had only seen Deceit, but from the Oracle's Memory, I had knowledge of all his siblings, Cruelty, Melancholy, Greed, and our target, Discord. They all have abilities associated with their names, which makes them easy to categorize. In my opinion, Discord is the most useful; Not only does he have the ability to break bonds of friendship and pit allies against each other, but his nature makes him a loner. His sibling's abilities are useful, but have their detriments, and can be their downfall. Regardless, they are used to working together, while Discord is accustomed to working alone.
"What's their deal?" I said aloud. Scarlet gave me a sidelong look. "Sorry, not you, sweetie."
The Draconequi are the children of Celestia's eldest brother, Umbrus; Spawned from the loins of Mym, a prominent member of the Hellmothers, a sect of ancient dragons who practiced Chaos magic in secret. To my understanding, she crafted them artificially in her womb, binding them with powerful Chaotic rituals. Their courtship was taboo and caused turmoil in the Equestria of the time; Galaxos sentenced her to be turned to stone for courting the heir to the throne without his permission.
Harsh. Perhaps not harsh enough; Umbrus freed her, and rather than eloping with him to raise their children together, she fled into the depths of Tartarus. He died convinced that she loved him, that she was coming back. The royal family tried raising the children Mym had borne the best they could, but the damage had been done. Umbrus refused to court again, and despite his best efforts as a father, it was clear that the Draconequi were a magical weapon: The powerful Chaos magicks that caused their destructive behavior were the very essence of their beings.
So, wait, you're saying that we're going after Celestia's nephew?
Yes, though the Draconequi are considerably older. Does it matter?
Well, it just makes this a lot more personal.
Oh, and how so? She knows that you're being targeted, if anything, it's not personal enough. They're her family, and she's proven time and time again that she can't control them. That's why we're continuing to act without her involvement.
Okay. So, where is this jerk?
According to Equestria Weekly, after his recent escape, he's resumed his sentence in stone in a private section of the Palace's gardens. Due to his individual nature and the resumption of his imprisonment, I believe that with convincing, he can be pursuaded to tell us their plan. That's where you come in.
"Me?" I said, out loud again. Scar didn't even look this time. I got kicked out of the debate club for telling a guy to go fuck himself, how am I gonna convince an ancient shape-shifting dragon demon to betray his siblings to the race that eradicated a good chunk of his extended family?
I'm gonna have you slap him around a bit, and if that doesn't work, you might have to stomp on his nuts, some.
And that's gonna work?
I believe it will, and even if he lies to us, we'll still have more information to go on than we did. Torture is only an effective method of interrogation when one has more information than their subject.
Well, if that's the case, what don't we know?
I lack a critical detail, who killed Feragina? The Celestials vehemenently denied their involvement in the assassination to their dying breath, and yet the Royal children were convinced to theirs that they were responsible. There's a missing detail that I have pondered for all those six thousand years trapped in a decaying body in a hole in the ground, who truly killed her? I have my suspicions that the Draconequi were involved, if not directly responsible. If they were, then that sheds a different light on a significant portion of our history on this planet. The Draconequi were never perceived as a direct threat to the human race, but it's possible that they may have been working against us for much of our time here. If that's the case, then they may have been responsible for your being brought here, as well.
That makes it personal again. Why, though? If they had had it out for us, why bring me here?
We are aliens to this world, powerful and mysterious. Where there is power, there are those who would use it to benefit themselves, and the Draconequi would have a lot to gain from eliminating their progenitors. If that was the case, then they failed; Two of their aunts still live, enforcing the rule of Harmony over the planet, and the only species powerful enough to kill them, driven away in defeat to a backwater dirtball in nowhere space.
I feel ya, so I might be here to finish the job.
That is correct. Humanity in general across the cosmos has a reputation for being godkillers; we are as quick to deify and worship as we are to demonize and purge. Paterex sought to break the cycle here, on Eden, but it seems he met his fate on the path to avoid it.
Yah, mmkay. So, we slap Discy around some, and he spills the beans about his brother's and sister's plot against us?
Boom, bam. Good stuff, I like simple plans. If there's one thing about you, Delphi, it's that you don't fuck around.
I am Pithia of Delphi, actually, and you are right; I have been looking out for humanity's interests longer than recorded human history on Earth.
Oh, num shevah, I worship you, oh sacred Delphi. I looked at Scar, the young dragon who was effectively my daughter, in the passenger seat of the alien buggy that was my effective current transportation. "Scar, you know about the voice in my head, right?"
"Yeah, I like Pithia. She's nice."
"Really? I don't know about her, sometimes,"
"She's very wise, I think you're kind of goofy sometimes, but Pithia always knows."
I thought about that, for a second. "She's a lot older than me,"
"It shows. You're more fun, though."
"Who do you like more?"
"You're more fun," She said, after a moment.
I grinned. "That's what counts."
Scar looked me right in the eye. "You wouldn't have me without her. "
"Yeah?" I wish you wouldn't do that. What, tell her the truth?
No, turn her against me. I hope you're ready to deal with her when we get divorced.
You're just jealous, because she knows I'm smarter.
I hate you, darling. I turned back to my infant dragon, "Well, she's dead, so that doesn't bode very well for her, now does it?"
I'm not dead, that's almost as ignorant as calling her a dragon; you're calling a dolphin a whale.
Kinda like how you're a ghost?
Now you're just being rude; I'm not nearly as petty as a ghost.
The conversation was sparse for the rest of the trip. At Pithia's direction, I pulled into the parking area of the palace gardens, ushering my baby wyvern out. The Oracle directed me past the official entrance, to an abandoned section of wall, where I could use the power of Gravic to scale the barrier into the private sections beyond.
I pulled Gravic from my belt, and I was overcome with an acute sense of gravitational fields. Most people think of gravity as a universal force, pulling constantly in one direction, but it's more like magnetism, opposite fields pulling each other in all directions. I had been practicing, and getting better at using my Orbis Vulgate to use these fields for personal flight. Kinda makes me want to puke, though.
My stomach lurched as I was lifted off the ground into a freefall away from the planet. Rather than screaming and flailing as I had my first few tries, I kicked off the grass and into the blue sky. When I had enough height, I shifted my personal gravity back toward the planet, gently and slowly, as opposed to all at once, slamming myself into the ground, like I did my fifth try.
Moon-jumping in this fashion, the Oracle directed me into the area that Discord was contained, Scarlet following on the wing.
Discord was, course, a statue, in the center of the glade. Head of an ass, body of a drake, winged demon, encased in earthbone. His expression was one of horror, frozen at the moment of his vanquishing. So, uh, how do we do this?
Touch him. Your aura will be enough to negate the spell temporarily. If Celestia was smart, and she is, she will have taken precautions to prevent him from escaping again.
Where?
His face. We want him to talk, nothing else.
You're the boss. I touched Discord's face, a quick swipe across the mouth, not really sure what to expect. The stone crumbled away, revealing the soft fur of a muzzle, the lips of a trickster god. The rest of his scrambled visage remained frozen, while his lips worked slowly.
He breathed gently through his nose for a moment. Then, he spoke. "A Human Being; how interesting. Nice costume."
"Thanks, it was expensive." He's being genuine. He's surprised. Call him on it. "You thought I couldn't smell your stink all over this mess? Monkeys are smarter than you think, rubix cube."
"What brings you to the Forbidden Maze, John?" he said, not answering. It was a bit odd, this mouth was moving, tan muzzle enunciating slyly, but the rest of his face was still frozen in terror.
He knows your name, but that's not surprising, you've made quite a reputation for yourself, already. Bait him.
"You know I wouldn't be here, if you didn't have something I want." Discord was silent, for a moment. I grabbed him by the face, to allow him vocality.
"You're not alone in there, are you, John?" The draconequus asked shrewdly.
You're really terrible at this. My voice was taken by the Oracle, "The fate of my kind lies on this, halfling. You know how petty we are. You will die, Discord, if I am not appeased."
Interrogation was never my strong suit, sue me. Discord chuckled devilishly, "Let me guess, Pithia, right? How was dying, again? They say you never really get used to it. Not that I would know."
As arrogant as he is ignorant; The dying wasn't the worst of it. Put your hand down his throat. Put my hand down his throat? Do I have to paint you a mental picture? Put your hand into his mouth, and shove it as far down his throat as you can get it. Leave it there for a bit, and when he starts to look like he's going to pass out, disengage, and then I will prompt you to ask him a few questions. Interrogation isn't hard, you just have to be creative.
Disgusted but resolute, I interrupted the trickster god's next smarmy remark by putting my hand into his mouth, and shoving it as far down his throat as I could. He gagged and coughed, and I nearly puked, myself; My arm slid all the way past his uvula, and into his long neck. Instinctively, I wiggled my fingers, and he gagged again.
"This isn't an interrogation, anymore; you're thinking of torture." I corrected Delphi over the loud noise of us torturing the chimaera. "Torture is easy. I can do torture."
Trust me, this is gentle compared to some of the things I could have you do to him. I'd rather not know. I stopped, pulling my arm out and allowing him to recover. He coughed for almost two full minutes, and I didn't blame him. When he could speak again, he did so very hoarsely, and again, I didn't blame him. Heh, horsely.
"I seem to have touched a nerve. I think that we understand each other, now." That's what I like to hear. Lead into it if you want, but we need to know why he freed his siblings from Tartarus, whether or not they had a plan, and if they did, what that plan is. I'm interested in why he allowed himself to be captured again, and the meddling of his siblings with Humanity's affairs is concerning to me. When we were banished from this planet, I predicted that the Royal line would survive on Earth, and in time would return to reclaim their throne and power from Eden. The Draconequi are not supposed to factor into it.
"Good. Now that you are aware that we aren't fucking around, spill: Your little brother Deception has been snooping around me, trying to get me to help him with his evil schemes. I know that you let your family out of Tartarus. What are they planning?"
He smacked his lips. "I don't know."
I hesitated with my reply. I couldn't tell if he was lying. Neither could I. Press for details.
"Why did you let them out, then? Don't be afraid to take the conch, here, buddy: It's share time, now." I tickled his nose with the tips of my fingers. This seemed to do the trick.
"Surely, you know about family, John? We do what we can for them, even if we don't always get along. They were imprisoned there, cursed to wander the endless madness of Tartarus for all eternity. Don't get me wrong, the Screaming Hills are gorgeous in the spring, but it starts to get dicey toward the beginning of summer. Needless to say, not very fun for permanent residents."
"So you popped by and left the latch open, just cause family's family. Why wreck Ponyville, though? Why get caught?"
"Would you believe that I thought I'd win? Perhaps I expected a little backup that didn't show, but in the end, what do I lose? Only time, which I've got in surplus. The Elements of Harmony can merely turn me to stone, Celestia could never summon the gall to finish me, herself. Luna possibly, now that she's returned, but Celestia is far too sentimental."
"So they were supposed to help you overthrow the Sisters?"
"They assured me they would jump in if things got dicey with the Elements, and they wonder why I don't trust them. If I were paranoid, which I am, I would say they were trying to get rid of me on purpose. Understanding older brother that I also am, I forgive them for excluding me, because based on our current conversation, that is a decision they will come to regret very soon. I'm regretting it, already."
"I agree. So you don't know their plan exactly, but do you have any theories?"
"Let me get my chalkboard," he paused for a beat, still frozen in carbonite, but for his snoot. "Let's see, as their debut move, they used a tremendous amount of energy to scout and transport you, a Human of Royal lineage from Earth to Eden, where your kind's only real reputation is the destroyers of worlds, killers of gods, et cetera. They tried to recuit you to their cause in a straightforward manner, and when that didn't work, I'm sure they moved on to less direct methods, which were equally successful. Your kind are well-known for being infuriating like that, which is why any plan that involves Humans is bound to be met with failure."
"Get to the good part."
"In simple terms, they probably want you to kill something. Something that they can't."
"What are the Chaos Crowns? What do they have to do with this?"
Discord paused, for a discouragingly long time; his lips pursed as he processed the question, eyes frozen in a surprised expression that seemed suddenly appropriate. He was silent long enough, that I got impatient and grabbed him by the lip to make sure he was still with us.
"Okay, okay!" He yelped, "They're a magical weapon, dark, dark magic! My mother crafted them for us to wield when we overthrew the Alicorns."
I let go of his lip. He coughed once, hocking a loogie and spitting to his right and my left, onto the grass. I probed him again. "Did you?"
"Obviously not." Free again, the Spirit of Disloyalty's mouth curled into pout. "The Crowns were meant to rival the Elements of Harmony, and even surpass them, but we were betrayed. When the Celestials caught wind of the Crown's crafting, they led a crusade into Tartarus and stole them from my mother's treasure trove by force."
I could imagine it. Similar things happen on Earth all the time. Can't let anybody else have the big guns. One last question, the important one.
"All those six thousand years ago, Discord, before my kind were banished from Eden; Who killed the Queen? Who killed Feragina?"
Without hesitation, the trickster god said, "My sister Cruelty killed the Queen, and when the Royal Family came upon the murder, Deception had glamoured it to frame the Celestials: Alicorn feathers and bloody hoofprints led away from the scene. The King hides in grief, Royal kiddos blaze a warpath across the planet, yada yada, I'm sure you've heard the story. You'd think that between the four of them, they'd be able to come up with something different: All these thousands of years later, still trying to bait the apes into eating all of the horses."
I hate it when I'm right. Unless he's lying.
I hate it, too. Unless he's lying. Did we need to know anything else?
No. Hold Gravic up to his face, the excess magic sloughing off of it should repair the rend in the spell.
I did as the Oracle said. Before he was cut off by the stone sealing over his muzzle, Discord said, "John, the spi-"
Huh. Do you think that was important?
I doubt it. If I know Discord, and I do, he's just trying to fuck with us.
'Kay, then, let's get out of this creepy hedge maze.
. . .
The Human Being left Discord alone again.
When John was out of sight, the gobbet of mucus he had spat into the grass during his brief period of oral freedom began to jiggle gently. It reshaped itself, becoming a smaller version of the stone Discord on the pedestal, growing until it was nearly the size of the statue. The freed Spirit of Disloyalty stretched and yawned, flying up and leaning on his lookalike, still frozen in gray shale.
"A damn fine mess we've gotten ourselves into, huh?" He said to himself, shaking his head. The mobile draconequus rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "We can't even do something nice for family without them deciding to bring a one-man apocalypse down on our heads. Just lay low in Tartarus, we said, but no."
He sat for a moment, and nodded. "You're right, we can turn this around, somehow. You stay here and look pretty, and
I'll go deal with the situation on the ground, excuse me, in the ground. Whatever you do, don't tell Celestia where I went."
One of the trickster gods disappeared, the other remained, stoic, and the maze was quiet again.
. . .
"That guy was creepy, but in a sweet way." Scarlet concluded. I was glad she had stayed out of the way during Discord's interrogation.
"What do you mean?"
"Like that donkey we see around Ponyville, the old one with the toupee. He's trying really hard, and that's why you can't trust him."
"That's one way to think about it."
"I liked his beard."
"I did, too. I wonder if he uses any product in it."
I got back to the car as quickly as possible, looping out around the maze and back toward the palace. Traffic wasn't bad, even in uptown Canterlot, the passersby would wave pleasantly at me as I weaved cautiously through them. The palace obviously wasn't hard to find, but I wasn't sure where to park. I wandered around a bit, burning a bit of gas before I eventually ran into Celestia, descending a massive flight of steps from a tall tower, flanked by guards on either side. I pulled up and put her in park, opening the door and getting out, waving and calling her name.
She leaned over the railing of the staircase, seemingly surprised to see me. I had told her I was coming. "John?"
"Well, yeah. It is Halloween, where's your costume? I thought we were going to a party?" I called back up.
She leaped over the railing, falling the thirty feet and catching herself on her wings. One of her guards followed her, doing the same, the other galloped down the steps, rounding the base of the tower and finally coming to a puffing stop beside his partner and his charge. I had a private internal chuckle to myself: He was an Earth pony and had no wings. Celestia ignored this. "When you said you were coming to pick me up, I thought you were joking."
"I never joke."
She shook her head. "I know that was a joke."
I gestured grandly at my vehicle with one arm. "What do you think?"
I was getting better at reading horse faces, and something about hers told me she didn't think too highly of the machine. As far as I could tell, it was mingled disgust and confusion. "John, what is this?"
I was taken aback slightly, I had expected her to be excited, possibly curious. "Uh, it's a car? I think..?"
"Where did it come from?"
I'm gonna tell her. Do whatever you want. "Well, do you remember a couple of days ago when that meteor hit the ground near my house?"
She frowned. "I think I know where this is going."
"That may have been my fault." I finished.
Celestia actually facepalmed, excuse me, facehoofed giving me a dry look. "Would you mind elaborating?"
"The meteor was actually a shipping drone from space, that I kinda stole. I used the equipment in my attic to alter its course to my house, and then I hid it before you showed up."
"Why?" She shook her head, seeming more hurt than anything.
"There was material on board the drone that I needed to contact Earth."
She continued shaking her head. "No, I mean, why did you lie to me?"
"I..." I hesitated. "I thought you'd be mad."
"Well, now I am, " She sat down on her haunches. "I'm not going to lecture you, John, but whatever you were doing would have probably gone a lot smoother and far less dangerously if I had been involved. Now, I have to consider that, left alone in the forest, you've managed to rain hot fire onto my planet without even the courtesy of a warning."
I doubt that. Yeah, me too, but she does have a point, it was still kinda rude. "Look, I'm sorry. I may have overstepped my bounds a little bit. I would have done what I did either way, but I regret not involving you."
"I'm glad you do, because I have ways of making it so. This is my planet, John, and I've cleansed it of Humans once already." She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I don't want to have to do it again."
"Look, I get it, okay? You don't have to keep rubbing it in." Just for that, I don't think I wanna tell her about our little conversation with Discord. I have no obligation to be honest with her.
I agree, and what can she do? What's done is done. Informing Celestia of our movements at this point is a time-wasting pleasantry, one which we have moved far past at this point. She knows our goal, and she knows of the threats to it, and she does nothing, because at the end of the day, she is still a lost orphan girl, alone with her sister on a big world full of fragile, transient playthings. There's monsters in the closets and under the beds, and the gardens overgrown and full of rabbits. She plays with her toys and reminisces about when her mother held her, and she'll take up her father's sword should the need arise, but when the ugly side of her family rears their heads, she'll never do what must be done. As old as she is, as powerful as she is, she's still the same foal I met all those thousands of years ago.
This is starting to sound kind of personal.
She was just a toddler, then, the prettiest little thing you could have seen, pure white and wings twice as long as she was. I never would have expected she could have caused me so much personal misery, but the most terrifying things come in the smallest packages. The host body you saw in the vessel was the last of my descendants, all that was left of my mortal form, and the closest thing to family that I had left; Murdered indirectly by the pony that stands before you. It was one of her soldiers that killed me, a unicorn. I watched the daughter of my daughters bleed to death, and I waited in her corpse for six thousand years to be given the chance to redeem the mistakes our race has made, the mistakes that I have made, and now I'm forced to make nice with my killer in the body of a backwards savage; Who smells, by the way.
Now, you're being rude. I took a bath today.
Swimming in the creek does not count as a bath. You need to use soap and water, John.
Whatever, get out of my body, if you don't like it. I tried to refocus on my plus-one, who had politely stared silently at me while I had my internal argument.
"John, is there something wrong?" Celestia asked, breaking the awkward silence.
"No, everything's fine," I said, changing the subject, "I just figured that we should get some dinner before we go to the party."
Celestia frowned, surprised. "You wanted to take me to dinner?"
"Well, yeah, that's what I said. What, is that weird? Friends can get food together here on Equestria, right?"
"I suppose they can," she laughed; out loud, turning to her guards, "You're dismissed, gentlecolts. I think His Majesty will be enough escort from here on. Inform Peppermint that I'll be adjourning my duties early tonight."
The two guards bowed together and left. I noted that they both walked, despite one having wings, in the same direction of exit. Must be going to hang out.
"So, where should we go for dinner?" The Princess asked.
"Well, it's your town, Princess. You tell me where to go, and La Etoille Fille will take us there."
"Father's wounds, you named it? Star Child?"
"Well, yeah. You speak French?"
"Of course I speak Prench."
"I said, 'French,' with an F."
"We call it Prench, here."
"That's stupid."
"You're lucky I'm not making you go to a Prench restaurant." She picked up Scar with her magic. "Scarlet, how would you like to be teleported?"
"Teleported?" Scar spun in Celestia's telekinetic grip. "That sounds awesome!"
"Wonderful!" Celestia replied, and my baby wyvern disappeared with a flash of magic. She turned to me, apologizing, "Oh, I'm sorry, John, did you mind? I'd prefer a private dinner."
"No, that's fine, fuck , I wish I could do that." I shook my head and asked, "Where'd you send her?"
"She can entertain Fireheart for a few hours. Ever since he saw her hatch he's been smitten with wyverns." She shook her head, too. "Out of all the eggs you could have chosen, you chose the wyvern. They're cuckoos, you know, they hide their eggs in dragon's nests. I thought they had died out, until I saw Scarlet hatch."
"Interesting," I noted, changing the subject again. "So, where are we going, again?"
"Actually, you mentioned I'd have my choice: I'd rather not eat here in Canterlot, at all. I've grown quite sick of the local restaurants. If you wouldn't mind, that is, I'd prefer it if you would cook for me."
"Really?" I was genuinely surprised. I expected Delphi to chime in with some tidbit, but she was uncharacteristically silent. "Why?"
"Call it caution. I enjoy spending time with you, John, but you don't play well with others. I heard what happened the last time you went to a restaraunt."
"Hey, that wasn't my fault." I protested.
"I'm sure," she assured me, "Either way, as I said, I'd prefer a private dinner. Your cabin was a rather relaxing setting."
"Really?" I still wasn't sure if she was kidding. Again, Delphi neglected to offer an opinion.
"Of course, I've always loved the Everfree. I'd like to see how you've been making your way in the old Human heartland." With her telekinesis, she pulled the passenger side handle, opening the door and sitting on her haunches in the seat, folding her fore hooves in her lap, hind legs on the floor.
Heh-heh, she thinks she's people. I had a private chuckle to myself as I got in the driver side, starting the vehicle and heading back the way I came into town, minus a wyvern and plus an Alicorn. As I weaved through pedestrians this time, I noticed that many of the ponies were bowing before they waved, then watching in awe. Celestia gracefully waved back with one hoof. I continued to not wave at anybody, focusing on driving while also trying to keep ethereal mane out of my mouth.
"Damn, bitch, you got some big hair," I spat, shoving it onto her side and rolling down her window. "Get that shit on your side."
"Sorry. This carriage is rather cramped." She stuffed her mane out. "You said it was in that meteorite from the other night?"
"It mostly was the meteorite," I explained. "The structural supports in the drone were re-used for the chassis, same with the plating. It can turn invisible, that's how I hid it."
"It all seems quite sophisticated. Did you actually steal it?"
"'Steal' is such an ugly word for what I did. I prefer 'requisitioned'. I'm the King of Humanity, all wealth flows through me."
"Are they going to miss it? Are they going to come and take it back?"
"No and no. It's just cheap junk, nothing worth keeping." I shook my head. "The only thing that I really needed is back at my cabin, in the attic, and the people I took it from have plenty of them. I needed it more than they'll miss it."
"You really didn't have to go to such lengths, I could have helped you contact Earth," she reminded me, before finishing uncertainly, "Somehow,"
"I thought you weren't going to lecture me?" I turned away from the cobblestone street, looking her in the eye. "You said it yourself, I don't play well with others. I'm not one of your little ponies who grew up in a perfect world, having every issue solved with a letter to Celestia. I'm used to solving my own problems."
The car was silent as we left Canterlot, pulling into the countyside. After a bit, Celestia huffed, "I was going to humor you, but it stinks in here, and it would be much faster if we fly."
I was kinda worried she was gonna say something like that. I stalled, "But what about the car? I don't wanna just leave it here, somebody could hurt themselves."
The Princess rolled her eyes at my petty concerns. "I'll deal with your smelly carriage. You can fly, yes?
"Yeah..." I pulled over to the side of the road, caving. "I can fly,"
"Is something wrong?" She eyed me as I shut the car off, pulling the key out. I didn't make eye contact, looking out the window at the blue sky, dreading. "You sound unsure."
I looked at her, then back out the window. "I'm not really a fan of flying."
"You're not a fan of a lot of things," she deadpanned.
"I am particularly not a fan of flying. It makes me queasy."
"You're a big, tough, demigod. You'll pull through, I'm sure." She pushed the door open with her magic and got out. "Now, come on, I'm becoming peckish."
I sighed and did the same. "That's what I'm saying; Flying's gonna fuck up my appetite."
"I'm sure we'll find a way to make the trip pleasant for you." Celestia looked at me over Fille's hood. "You wouldn't happen to have any rope in this thing?"
"As it happens, I do. What did you have in mind?" I rounded the vehicle and opened the trunk, suddenly regretting not unloading my entire haul from the hardware store. "And don't call her a thing."
"Please excuse me, I'd hate to offend her. You've been practicing with Gravic, yes? Gravity-based flight is a stomach-churner." She pulled the long rope from my hand pulling from the far end with her magic, and it squirmed through the air, forming a looped harness for each of my limbs. The leeward end of the rope, she knotted similarly for herself, stepping into it and gesturing me to do the same. I could see where she was going. When I was all tied up, she pulled the slack from the line, twisting it into tight knots until the long rope had been shortened to about fifteen feet of thick, braided line between us. "Have you ever seen a tugboat, John?"
"Yes, I've seen a tugboat, Celestia."
"Well, think of me as a flying tugboat, and you'll be the boat tugged."
"I think I got the idea. Clever, you can do the flying, then I don't have to worry about shifting my gravity so much." I hefted Gravic into my hand, the chain tightening itself around my wrist like a living thing, as it always did. I'd grown used to the movement, as I had the feeling of the head growing larger and heavier, like I was holding a jug that was filling with liquid.
Celestia levitated Fille into the air, teleporting her away, just as she had Scarlet. "I sent it to your cabin."
Now came the tricky part: With the Oracle in absentia, this would be my first solo run. I felt the strands of gravity tugging my toward the ground, then felt along them toward where they pulled in the opposite direction. Then, I fed energy into the strands, pulling me away.
My feet drifted gently away from the dirt of the road, and the floppy collar of my costume drifted into my face.
"I remember training with Fraterlex as a filly, and we'd do this very thing..." her voice trailed, then she shook her head. Fille began to glow with magical energy, lifting off the ground a bit before disappearing in a flash of light, as Scar had. Then, without warning, the Princess leapt into the sky with a rush of air, the line snapping taut and yanking me along with.
My personal lack of gravity didn't save me from inertia, so when I recovered from the whiplash somewhat, I called to my tugboat over the wind. "A little heads-up would have been nice!"
"I'm sure it would have!" She called back, not looking at me. I noticed that she was beaming, pumping her wings faster and faster. I hadn't seen this side of her before, somehow I felt that few had: She was delighting in her speed and freedom, truly enjoying her gift of flight. In a deep part of me, something I'd been ignoring for a long time, stirred. I envied her, not the flight, but the freedom. This was truly her world, and now, here I was; still trapped.
I saw more than felt when we passed through the sound barrier, looking back and noticing a bubble of blurry air trailing behind us. When we approached the Forest, Celestia began to slow down, the sonic boom creeping forward until it crashed over us, lighting the sky with a rainbow of colors. The light crackled visibly around my skin, magic reacting to my aura.
We landed gracefully by the creek, or should I say, Celestia landed gracefully. My roll wasn't graceful, but I managed not to hurt myself, so one for two ain't bad. I swallowed a dry heave, kneeling by the stream and cupping some fresh water into my mouth. The rush of salty saliva subsided.
"I need a drink," I concluded, feeling less queasy. Despite my nausea, I felt hunger pangs rearing their heads. What to make for lunch...
"I think I do, as well." My company let herself into my home, sitting ever-politely at my roughly-made table in one of my hastily-made chairs. "If you wouldn't mind."
I made us both a brunch time beverage, blending fruit juice, vodka, and ice. I had actually packed up most of my personal alcohol stock to take to Rarity's later, so there wasn't much lying around. With the Oracle's help, I'd accelerated the brewing process of many of my favorite spirits through magical means, cutting weeks, months, and years down to days. I had whiskey, gin, a couple different vodkas, and several kinds of beers I'd been experimenting with. Tequila was next on the list.
I gave Tia her drink, checking my watch. To my surprise, it was only two in the afternoon. Flying back from Canterlot had saved a lot of time, if not necessarily comfort. The party was at six, and I had been planning on showing up fashionably late. I could waste some time making a good-ass dinner.
"So, how come you're not wearing your costume?" I asked, "I kinda feel a little overdressed."
"I didn't want to get it dirty before the party. How come you're wearing yours?"
"It's Halloween, man," I said, as if that completely explained my motives. I usually liked to wear my costume All Hallows Eve, the windblowing and natural dust had only added to my costume's authenticity; I was supposed to be the Monkey King from Journey to the West.
The princess shook her head at my hijinks, changing the subject. She stirred her margarita pointedly, "Were you going to make us lunch, or are we having it now?"
I asked her for one moment, silently, holding up a finger. Then, I dug in my fridge, pulling out a wrapped package. I opened it, revealing four bloody, pork chops. Plopping the chops on the table, I asked, "Would you eat that?"
She eyed the package and smelled the meat. To my surprise, she smiled, "Well, obviously I expect you to cook it first, but if you're asking whether I would try it or not, I would. I'm quite hungry, John."
I snorted, relieved. I grabbed one of my cast-iron pans, dribbling some olive oil into it and stoking the fire. I threw the chops into the pan, quickly applying fresh pepper and just a dash of salt. "It's not really typical for an equine to have a taste for flesh, correct?"
"I've eaten meat before, John."
"How do you pull that off? I've been out in the woods chasing shit around with spears, asking it if it can understand me; It's a bit of a moral dilemma."
She stirred her drink with her telekinesis before taking a small sip. "Do you really want to know?"
"Obviously, I really want to know."
The Princess of the land rolled her eyes ate me. "There is no such thing as a true herbivore, John. Even the most basal deer will take a nibble of a carcass in a time of stress."
I dug in my cutlery chest for my wood spatula, smiling and giving her a scandalous look. "Don't mind me, I'm already a murderer."
"I grew up in wartime with your kind. I couldn't support an army with the supply lines we had. I ordered my troops to feed themselves with what they could find. I needed to lead by example."
I gasped dramatically, "All this time, I've been associating with an anthrophage. I don't know how I'll live it down."
To my surprise, Tia's cheeks flushed. "I'm not proud of it, but as much as I'd love to live on sunlight, even I need to eat to sustain my strength."
I flipped the chop. Golden brown, just right. "And now?"
"In the monster's house, you eat what the monster cooks, and be grateful it's not you." She raised her glass in her telekinetic grip. That got a chuckle out of me as I followed suit.
"Here's to the monster," I raised my glass and drank deeply, then plated the pork. I slid it in front of my guest where she sat at my table, then poked her in the belly. "The monster inside us all."
I got the second chop going as she hesitantly sawed off a hunk. She sniffed it once, then took a nibble. The anticipation was killing me. "It's pretty good, right?"
"It is pretty good."
"I knew it! I'm a monster in the fucking kitchen, is what I am." I flipped the second chop and peppered it.
"What's in it? How does one season flesh?"
"These have been marinating in a nice, fruity balsamic, but other than that it's pure pork juice and black pepper. With a dash of salt," I explained as I plated the second chop, digging in my cooler for those fresh green beans I'd gotten from the farmer's market. I tossed these in the chop juice and threw in a little more olive oil and pepper. Should've maybe started that first, but I got excited about the pork chops, understandably. Finally, I sat down and tucked into my meat while I let the greens sizzle. "Really brings out the suffering in the meat."
"That's not funny," Celestia said, obviously trying to hide a smile.
After a bit of tossing and salting, the green beans were ready, too. Celestia gave me her word that they, too, were pretty good. There was minimal conversation for the rest of the meal, which further stroked my ego of my own cooking skill, but maybe she was just being polite.
I tossed the dishes in my wash tub and brushed my hands down my costume's jacket, leaving a significant smear. "So, when are you going to change into your costume?"
"Just a moment." Her horn flashed, and there it was, a simple dress of a lady monk. I think. I'm not actually all that familiar with Journey to the West.
"Right, magic. Makes a lot of things easier." I checked my watch. "I'm a little jealous, I had to put mine on the hard way."
"If we take our time, we'll be fashionably late by the time we get there. Are you ready to go?"
"I've been ready, I was waiting on you." I adjusted my jacket and lit a joint, breezing out the door and then holding it open for her. We made our way to the party on foot, partly because it wasn't far, and partly because I didn't want to wrap Fille around a tree on the way back. I came to get down. As in, down for the count.
As it was, we were going to be on time, but we were proper royalty, best to be punctual. The sun was just about setting, casting long shadows. I turned to Celestia, pointing at her sun. "So, you're doing this? That ain't supposed to set for like, another hour."
"I like to lower the sun early on Nightmare Night, it is an occasion, after all. Ever since Luna returned, I was hoping to make it a holiday celebrating her health, rather than her sickness."
"That's cool, so it's like a holiday for Luna? On Earth, Halloween is just about getting spooky. Well, I guess it's kind of a cross between a harvest festival and a pagan ritual."
"That's interesting, and it's the same day?"
"Far as I can tell. I don't fucking know, though. At this point, there are a lot of different facts that I'm trying to cope with; The least of which being the fact that you also have Halloween, but it's called something else. That fact contributes to my theory that I am actually a character in a fanfiction about a little girl's TV show."
By the time I finished the last sentence, I had a piercing migraine. Tia said something in reply, but I didn't hear her.
Stop that. You're hurting the story.
Oh, so you are still here.
I'm trying to be polite, you're on a date.
It's not a date, and that's really stupid, because I can feel you back there.
Whatever, your date's staring at you.
"Are you okay, John? You keep drifting off..."
"I'm fine. I don't know if that pork chop agreed with me."
"Before or after you killed it?" Celestia laughed my odd behavior off, and we made our way through town to the Carousel Boutique. The festivities and trick-or-treaters were in full swing, but the boutique was relatively quiet when we arrived. Rarity greeted us with warmth. Her cheeks were already flushed, and she held a margarita with her mind. Our gracious hostess had wasted no time treating herself to the open bar.
The pure white unicorn, was elegant in her mermaid costume, despite her inebriation. She tutted over the recent stains on my costume, "You absolute animal!"
"Hey, it's authentic!"
We mingled a bit, and I waved a pleasant hello to Redheart. To my pleasant surprise, she was talking to a tall, grey stallion. Her cool demeanor would have made me wonder what was going on in her head, until I remember that I didn't care. I followed our host's lead and went to the punch table to make myself a drink. Now that we were actually at the party, I decided to pour my two shots a bit heavy, going for a whiskey-coke.
"You want anything?" I asked Tia.
"A soda water, please. With lime." I set the drink on the table, and she picked it up with her magic. "I'm going to see if I can find Luna. I'll be back."
With that, my plus-one left to mingle. I decided to follow her example, and see if I could find any of my acquaintances. Vinyl was on DJ, so I decided not to bother her. It didn't look like Twilight or Fluttershy was here, yet. I saw Pinkie Pie, wearing a very appropriate chicken costume, but I decided to avoid her on principle.
An orange pony in a scarecrow costume locked eyes with me through the small crowd. She waved me over with a hoof. I took a deep sip and shouldered my way over. She was standing next to a blue pony in a black superhero costume of some sort. The mask and goggles of the costume hung down on her neck, revealing her rainbow mane. I vaguely recognized them both, but I couldn't put faces to names. For some reason, the orange one made me think of Apple Jacks, which was odd.
I think his name is Applejack, and the blue one's name is Rainbow... something. You know, our memory retention would be better if you smoked less.
Oh, right, I forgot where we were. The ridiculous has become reality. Has it occurred to you that perhaps I want to retain as little of this adventure as possible? I took another sip of my drink, the second on my short walk across the room.
Apple Fucking Jack the pony did not say hello to me. Instead she said to me, "John, we're mares."
"What?" I asked in response, doing my best Steve Austin.
"Rainbow Dash and I are mares. I'd just like to make that clear if we're going to be friends."
Rainbow Dash nodded, and agreed, "Yeah, I kind of feel like that mistake puts a block in the whole situation."
"Wait, I thought the mayor of Ponyville had a grey mane, and how can there be two mayors in one town? Or are you mayors of different towns? Also, who are you again?" I said, changing the subject.
"No, you don't get it, I meant that we're female, John." She dodged the dodge. "I'm Applejack? You buy produce from my brother in town, I'm Twilight's friend. Like I said, I just thought I should make that clear."
" I do have a very machismo aura about me, I get it a lot. Considering you're not from around here, I'm not surprised you haven't heard of me." With this cleared up, Rainbow seemed to lose interest; She cupped her drink in one of her wings and sipped it, her magenta eyes wandering over the crowd.
"Look, I'm sorry, Applejack," I apologized, trying not to snicker, and again attempted to change the subject; "I don't remember meeting either of you. Who's your brother?"
"His name's Big Macintosh, he's a tall, red feller. Doesn't talk much?"
"Oh, yeah! Big Mick!" I did know who she was talking about, I liked that guy. I had him try some of my first experiments with hard cider and he seemed to like it. He'd pursed his lips and nodded, and I was inclined to trust his judgement. I decided not to bring this up; instead opting to steer the conversation away from my illegal operations as the local booze runner, and to the safer topic of our mutual friend Twilight. They were nice girls, but I'm sorry to say that, based on our conversation, they bored me.
Roast. Savage, as they say. Stop that.
I took my leave of Rainbow Dash and Applejack , abandoning them to their strange sexual tension. I decided to go looking for the basement of the boutique. I was starting to get a headache, hopefully there would be a deserted couch or something that I could take a quick breather on after all that exhausting social activity.
The basement made me laugh, because it was in every way like a basement; Right down to mismatched, overstuffed couches and a stained coffee table. There were some pony kids sitting on the floor by the table, playing what appeared to be a card game of some sort. One was wearing a pinwheel hat, another had a brown spot around his eye. Their conversation stopped when I came down the stairs.
"Don't mind me, kids." There were three of them, none of whom I recognized, but it looked like they were playing Magic: The Gathering, or something similar. Maybe it was Yu-Gi-Oh, this ain't my planet. I laid myself down on one of the unoccupied couches, and took a short nap. The emphasis was on "short," though; It wasn't more than a minute before the Oracle had my body up and helping me to a coffee, filling my empty glass with espresso, whole cream and ice. This was how I got most of my sleep these days, walking and drinking coffee. Man, fuck you, if you're not going to let me sleep, at least let me deprive myself. I shook myself back to consciousness, quickly adding liquor to my drink.
Fuck yourself, who goes to a party and naps? You're an anomaly, John.
I wandered around for a bit. I would say I mingled, but it seems that many of the Ponyville residents were still aloof of me, and hesitant to strike up conversation. When I made my rounds back to the punch table, I bumped into Twilight, Celestia, and Luna, speaking in a group. Tia noticed me, and waved me over.
I greeted them, "Hey Twi, Lu. Having a good time?"
The peak of adorability, they answered together in the affirmative, interrupting each other, then doing it again by trying to apologize to each other. We all laughed, best of friends, and Tia looked at me, asking, "Do you want to dance?"
I was a little taken aback, but not so much as last time I had been asked to dance, here. I was drunker, now, for one. For two, we were listening to my "Songs that get white people turnt" playlist. "What the hell, why not?"
The Princess of the Land and I headed out onto the dance floor, as the DJ spun late nineties and early two-thousands music. Vinyl apparently had good taste, because it wasn't very long before Mister Brightside came on. It played a bit, and I watched as Celestia's eyes lit up at the sound of the gentle bass guitar.
It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this? It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss,
Celestia leaned in close, and I braced myself. "This is a really good song!"
I grinned in relief; I'd been expecting her to say something else. "Hell, yeah, I love the Killers!"
She frowned. "Is that really the name of the band?"
"Yeah?" I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"It just seems so... violent."
"It's just a name. What's in a name?" I felt clever for the Shakespeare quote, but she simply shook her head, smiling and saying something I couldn't hear. I nodded and kept dancing. This went on for some time, until the Princess and I were both gasping for breath. On a silent agreement, we took a break.
"And this is all Human music?"
"Yeah, kinda nostalgic stuff, I guess. Vi seems to like it."
Celestia and I watched as the Cakes left, hoof-in-hoof, and we both stared at the door for a moment. I was thinking of my parents, who had seemed so in love before they died. Tia turned to me, sighing and shaking her head. "I love them all so much."
I went to the punch table and made myself another drink, shaken by her sudden vulnerability. I was definitely in the barrel at this point, not even looking at the concoction I was assembling before putting it too my lips. Too sweet. "How do you do it?"
She sipped her cup thoughtfully, before gracefully setting it down. "I think of my mother. Things were better when she was alive. I don't know how she managed it, honestly."
A thought occurred to me, one that had first crossed my mind when I was tripping on mushrooms with my dad; "When we get old, we just become new versions of our parents."
Tia gave me a look. "Do you really think that?"
That's actually quite profound. As much as I hated my mother, I'm exactly like her. I thought you were being polite? "Yeah, I do."
She smiled, chuckling. "Then your father must have been a decent man. I'm glad that I didn't exterminate humanity."
"Well, I am, too, if that's what you want me to say." I shook my head, turning away.
The party seemed to be winding down, ponies taking the Cakes leaving as their own cue to leave, only the diehards visibly setting in for the long haul, Twilight and her friends, of course. To everyone else at the party, there was that moment of calm before the storm, after the half-decent folks had gone home. Vinyl was still mixing, but I saw her do a line of fairy dust earlier, so she was probably going to be up all night. There was a scattering of ponies I didn't know staying, so by no means was the party dying, but somehow, I felt I had done all I could at Carousel. I turned to my plus-one. "Do you wanna get out of here?"
"I was thinking the same thing." We snuck out, from the top floor, Tia catching herself gently on her wings and me absorbing the shock on my knees. A few ponies clopped their hooves at our stunt, then turned back to their company. We managed to leave town without causing much of a fuss. The walk back to my cabin passed in a blur, thoughts of my bed occupying my inebriated mind.
The walk to the edge of town, past Fluttershy's, and through the woods felt as if it only took seconds. I percieved it as only flashing images and muted sensations, dulled by alcohol. The Quiet Cottage, Fluttershy's home, silent and barricaded against Nightmare Nighters. I hadn't seen her at the party, but perhaps she had left by now. Who knows?
Celestia giggling beside me, swishing my legs with her tail. The frosty ground crunching beneath my feet. The moon, blindingly bright in the sky, stars brilliant. It could be Earth, if it only wasn't so much.
Man, you're fucked. You need water and bread.
Suddenly, we were in my house, and the lights were on, blinding me. I tripped on my only chair, and nearly fell on my stove. I heard somebody laughing. I blundered my way into the kitchen, chugged a glass of water, and ate half a loaf of bread in three bites. Then I started my coffee maker, and watched it do it's thing for what felt like an hour. My little bubbly buddy, humming away, and making my energy. I heard a voice in the other room, "John? Are you alright?"
"You sure ask me that alot. It's almost like you care." I poured two cups, getting sugar and cream, and even arranging the whole thing nicely on a tray. When I returned to the living room, Celestia gave me an odd look, seeming troubled.
"What's up?"
"How old are you, John?"
I was a little taken aback. "I'm twenty-eight. Why?"
"How old do humans typically get on Earth?"
"Well, our oldest individuals usually don't make it past a hundred."
"So you're still practically a child."
"Well, I wouldn't put it that way. I'm almost thirty."
"John, I'm two hundred and thirty thousand years old, my father was approaching two million. The Humans I was familiar with could live in youth for millennia. You're a foal, a baby." She shook her head, the alcohol making her candid.
"I mean, hey, we don't know how long a year is; As far as you know, a year on Earth is a hundred Equestrian years."
The eldest Princess of Equestria threw her head back and laughed boisterously, and I joined in, not understanding.
Tia regained her composure and explained, "Equestria is the country, John,"
When she laughed this time, I had to join in, understanding the hilarity of my mistake. Celestia leaned in suddenly, cutting off my reply with a short kiss, more of a peck, really. I didn't run this time. I leaned back in my seat, aghast, "What was that?"
"Oh," She leaned back, too, apologetic, "I'm sorry, was that uncalled for?"
I looked her in the eye, leaning forward. No, it wasn't.
I was surprised by how soft her lips were, and how big her tongue was. She put her forehooves over my shoulders in a very intimate way, her neck arcing up and over me. I was a bit clumsy from how drunk I was, but I found myself running my hands over her curves, playing with her tail. Where my hand touched it, it lost its luminescence and became plain white hair. God help me.
She disengaged, for air and to demand, "Take off your jacket."
Her horn flashed, and her dress was off.
There came a point where we found ourselves in my small bedroom. Tia hopped up onto my mattress, (Princess-sized, the largest available, and just barely large enough,) turning her head to face me. Her tail was twitching, the glow casting odd shadows about the log walls. Despite my difficulty with pony faces, I knew the face she was making; She was making that face. What the hell am I doing?
A fleeting thought of my girlfriend back on Earth passed through my mind; There was a quick pinch of guilt, and it was gone. The possibility that I might not even return to Earth was still a very real one. What are the chances this will come back to bite me? I took off my pants.
My little pony was fast asleep.
"I don't think I can do this." I looked up from my sad, soft junk to my date.
She was clearly fuming, but she spoke calmly, "John, if you honestly can't find it in yourself to have sex with me, could you at least hook a girl up? I'm trying to put my desperation into words, but they're failing me."
ಠ_ಠ Oh. OH. Oh.
. . .
Brain: (looks to Mouth) I don't know, can we do that?
Mouth: I don't really see why not.
Dick: (tugging on his collar,) Is it getting hot in here?
. . .
After a few minutes of that, my little soldier was standing at attention. Waddya know, ladies first.
1: Thou shalt not fuck cartoon horses.
2: Thou shalt not make the cartoon horses cry.
3: Thou shalt acquire undergarments.
4: Thou shalt not ask questions.
5: Thou shalt acquire ALCOHOL!
When we were done, I realized that I had not only left my shirt on, but my socks as well. Despite this, I pulled up my fur covers against the night; I'd neglected to light a fire. Tia did the same.
"I needed that." She said.
"I did, too," I said, after a moment.
We sat for what felt like a long time. I checked the clock; Nearly seven, almost time for breakfast. I smiled, remembering the coffee I'd made earlier and neglected.
"That felt good," I said, looking intently at the covers. "But it didn't make me feel better."
"I know what you mean." She replied.
I dug in the nightstand, searching for weed and producing a joint. Sticking it in my mouth and lighting it, I was struck by a chuckling fit. "I guess it isn't that easy, huh?"
The princess joined in my chuckling, "No, I guess not."
I passed the joint to her. She took it in a hoof and hit slowly, closing her eyes and seemingly enjoying herself. I crossed my arms behind my head and looked out the window. The Princess took a second puff and passed back. I took the joint and hit again, pulling hard and holding the smoke in as long as I could. I exhaled, and was suddenly a lot higher.
"Drugs seem to help." I concluded, passing back.
Tia laughed as she took it, chastising me anyway, "That's probably not a healthy attitude to have, John."
"Nothing about my situation is healthy. Speaking of which," I paused, getting cold feet. I took the weed and hit it, to stall. Tia eyed me, suspicious.
"What?"
"Well, now that I've bared my soul to you, and buried my wiener in you, there's something you should probably know," I'm not really sure why I picked this moment for this confession, but it felt right. Either that, or I decided this situation was already so weird it couldn't get worse. I pointed at my temple. "I'm not alone in here."
Tia eyed me still, ever suspicious. "What do you mean?"
"When I delved into the Vessel, there were monsters in there, remnants of ancient security systems, but there was something else. Have you ever heard of the Oracle of Delphi?"
She dropped the joint. I picked it up. "I take it you have?"
"The Oracle. What did she say to you?" Tia's face was intense, and I felt suddenly uncomfortable. I stood and grabbed my cold coffee.
"Man, what didn't she say to me?" I sipped the coffee and grimaced. "Is there any way you could warm these up?"
"Set it down." Her horn flashed and both cups were steamy again. I took another sip, it was the perfect temperature. Tia followed me out of bed and placed a hoof on my chest. Her face was intense, still, but more worried, now. I still wasn't wearing pants. "John, this is serious, deadly serious. I need to know exactly what happened in the Vessel."
"Okay, okay. When I got to the control room to shut the security systems off, there was a body, there. A human body, in some kind of preservation system. That was her, she'd been waiting all these years for a human to show up and let her out. I guess that's where the details get a bit fuzzy, but I touched the body, and Delphi got in. She's still here, inside me."
"Are you in pain?"
"Not really, if you mean physical pain. Emotionally, I'm a wreck, but that's nothing new. Just one more thing on the pile."
Celestia shook her head, still trying to wrap her head around this, I guess. "Wait, so she's alive, not just memories, she's a living conciousness?"
I spoke without thinking, or rather, the Oracle made me speak, "What are we, but our memories, Celestia?"
Tia's eyes went wide. "Was that her?"
"Yeah, she does that. She's not so bad when you get to know her," I reassured her. "My biggest complaint is that it's hard to beat off with somebody in the back of your head, giving you pointers."
Your grip is far too hard, and you focus too much on the shaft. It's like you're trying pull it off at the base. Stop it, it's my meat, and I'll beat it how I want.
"It all makes so much sense, now. The drifting off, the equipment in the attic, the carriage," The Princess was silent for a moment. "Father's wounds, she was there the whole time we were-"
"Yeah, unfortunately."
The conversation dropped off, and there we sat, a King and a Princess, sipping coffee in the afterglow. Eventually, I said, "So, where does that leave us?"
"I don't know, John. I know that I would rather not go that long without having sex again, that's for sure."
"Me, neither. When was your last time?"
"Two hundred years ago. You know, there's some ponies who think that if I ever have an orgasm, the sun will explode." She laughed. "It's probably the other way around."
"Jesus Christ. Well, you got me beat, I'm more like two months ago."
Tia shook her head, laughing out loud again. I decided I liked the sound of that; Her laughter, that is. "Well, I do know one more thing, I'd like to do this again. How would you feel about going with me to my niece's wedding? As a date, this time?"
I hemmed and hawed about that, but secretly, it sounded nice. A bit more sweet-talking, and I agreed.
Weddings are usually pretty safe, right? |
You Brighten My Day | pre | Her stroll to the garden, led Celestia under two tall shade trees. Once she passed them, she arrived at her destination. The garden lay in a fairly large open section of the back yard. The location provided the plants with plenty of sunlight. Turning around, she spied Earth's sun staring down at her. After living in Equestria for so long, she found it rather amazing that the human world didn't need a pony raising and setting the sun each day. Looking away, she turned her eyes to the beautiful flowers sprawling out before her. She walked up to a series of lovely rose bushes. To her delight the bushes were an intriguing assortment of colors. There were of course a few red bushes, but there were also some that were white, orange, and even a few that were a combination of colors, like that of Scentimental. Celestia marveled at how its appearance reminded her of a peppermint wheel. Leaning close to one of its blossoms, she inhaled deeply, inviting the potent but lovely fragrance into her nose. She sighed happily as she exhaled. The scent was truly wondrous.
While she strolled through the flowers of Daniel's garden, Celestia was reminded of the times that she used to spend in the royal gardens. Since she was often cooped up in the castle, it had been one of the things she always relished doing on her own. It also reminded her of the carefree days, before she had to oversee Equestria's well-being. It was back when she actually had time to - stop and smell the flowers.
She remained at the garden for a good while, unaware of how much time had passed. A rumble in her belly suggested it might be nearing lunchtime. So, Celestia made her way back inside. Once again the refreshing chill of the central air welcomed her. She hadn't noticed how increasingly warm and muggy it was becoming outside.
Trotting over to the end table, she removed her elegant shoes and tucked them underneath. Then she made her way to the bathroom. There she once again managed to successfully make use of the facilities, like she had the night before, despite the minor contrast between human and Equestrian bathroom fixtures. Before departing, she made sure to wash her front hooves. Again her stomach growled. Her course took her into the kitchen. Glancing above the sink, she noticed a clock. Since it was nearing noon, she figured she might as well have lunch. Though she would have really enjoyed it if Daniel could have been there to join her. Before the gloomy feeling could take root, she banished it, reminding herself that he would be home in plenty of time for dinner.
She was grateful that he had showed her around the kitchen. Though at first Celestia wasn't sure what she wanted to eat. Turning to the refrigerator, she used her magic to open the door. After perusing the various items inside, she discovered much to her liking, that Daniel had everything she needed to make a hearty salad. Celestia gathered everything she needed and whipped up a decent size salad. Checking the door of his fridge, she discovered a nice assortment of salad dressings. Though the majority of the flavors were similar to ones found on Equestria, such as ranch, she found one that she had never seen before. Picking up the bottle with her magic, she read the label aloud, "Catalina." She shrugged and removed the cap. Carefully she sniffed the bottle. It had a rather pleasing scent. Holding up her right hoof, she let a drop fall on it. She brushed her tongue along her hoof sampling the somewhat sweet and tangy flavor of the dressing. Celestia smacked her lips for a moment. Nodding her head she moved the bottle over to her plate and applied a generous coating. If it was one thing she really enjoyed, it was dressing up a salad. The right dressing could give one an amazing flavor. Upon finishing with the dressing, she put it back in the fridge, and made sure she hadn't left anything else sit out.
She fetched a bottle of water and then floated it and her salad over to the table. She sat at what was becoming her usual place and began eating her lunch. Celestia found the Catalina dressing was even tastier blended across the assorted vegetables of her food. Once she finished her meal, she tossed her empty water bottle in the green recycle bin, that Daniel had so graciously pointed out to her, and set her dirty plate and fork on the counter by the sink. For a moment she considered what she wanted to do next. Sweeping her eyes across the counter, she noticed the volume of dirty dishes was gradually increasing. Studying the area around the kitchen sink, Celestia found drying towels, the sponge Daniel used last night, and a bottle of the soap he had used as well.
Placing a hoof on her chin, Celestia thought for a moment and decided she'd do the dishes. She didn't know where they all went, but given the stack and the size of the draining rack, she figured they should all fit. Then Daniel could simply put them away later. At least this way it would be one less thing he'd have to do. Besides, she wanted to do something nice to repay him for his wonderful hospitality. After all, he wouldn't have had to offer her a place to sleep, or meals for that matter. Using her magic, she turned on the faucet and filled the sink with hot water. After double checking the drain plug, she added some dish soap and once the water was prepared, she filled the sink with the dirty dishes.
To Celestia's surprise it hadn't taken her too long to do the dishes, and even better still they all fit in the draining rack. After she drained the sink, she took one of the dishtowels and used it to wipe up the counter. She ran her hoof over her forehead and nodded approvingly. The dishes almost seemed to shine as they lightly dripped dry in the draining rack.
Checking on the time, she discovered it was nearly two o'clock. Celestia quickly remembered that Daniel said he would be home around 3:20. This meant she only had about an hour and a half till he would be home. The alicorn considered what she could do in the meantime.
*******
Daniel was almost home. He had come to the end of a typical Monday at work. Thankfully the week always seemed to improve once the first day of the week was down. Naturally he was feeling somewhat exhausted, but it came with his line of work. Thankfully the business he worked at wasn't far from his house. It usually took him roughly ten to fifteen minutes to get home.
He pulled his car into the driveway and parked a few feet from the garage door. His thoughts had left work almost before he left the building. Thankfully he had a welcome distraction on his mind. Daniel began wondering how Celestia's day had been. For a fleeting moment he wondered if she would still be there, once he went inside. Gathering his lunch bag, he exited the car and made his way to the walkway. He had just started walking along the cement, when he looked up and saw the front door open. Celestia was standing there behind the screen door. His pace quickened as he made his way to the front door. After usually returning to an empty house, Daniel found he was thrilled to have someone waiting for him.
Celestia opened the screen door and stood aside so he could enter. "Good afternoon Daniel, welcome home!" Celestia chimed happy to see him.
He smiled as he walked past her. "Thank you Celestia. It's good to see you!" he expressed bubbling with delight.
She closed the two doors and followed him inside. "So how did work go?" Celestia asked him.
Daniel let out a faint chuckle. "It was grueling as usual," he replied. Then looking at her, he smiled again. "Though when I realized you were here waiting for me to return," he paused taking a moment to gaze at her fondly. "My day vastly improved."
Celestia smiled and lowered her head in an almost bashful manner. She wasn't entirely sure why she reacted that way. Somehow it just seemed natural. "You flatter me Daniel," she replied modestly. Then she asked, "So where exactly do you work and what do you do there?"
"Oh it's nothing special. I just work in the warehouse department of this fairly large company. There I inventory and store an assortment of items for a variety of customers across the country. It's not my favorite pastime, but at least it pays the bills and offers me a little money for fun," he answered in a round about sort of way.
"That's good, but have you ever wanted to pursue a different career?" she asked, continuing to stand there smiling.
Daniel walked over to the dining room and removed his shoes, sticking them under the same end table as hers. Then he looked back at her. "I've looked into a variety of options. Though I'm still not entirely sure what I want to do. I do have a hobby that I wouldn't mind turning into a career someday. But for now I'm at a bit of standstill," he explained at length. His expression shifted to one full of curiosity. "Why all the questions?"
She felt a slight start from his inquiry, almost like she was caught with a hoof in the cookie jar. "Oh...I'm just trying to understand you better," she answered honestly.
Daniel smiled over at her as he entered the kitchen. He set his cooler on the counter and couldn't help but notice the absence of the dirty dishes, and the filled draining rack. "Celestia," he called to her.
She moved to join him in the kitchen. "Yes Daniel," she responded.
"Did you do the dishes for me?" he asked giving her a somewhat puzzled look.
Celestia closed her eyes and said, "Why yes, I did. After eating lunch, I saw the number of dirty plates was growing, so I hope you don't mind I decided to wash them."
He shook his head. "No, but I hope it wasn't too much trouble," Daniel replied.
"Hardly. I wanted to do something to repay you for your kindness and hospitality," Celestia remarked.
Daniel walked up to and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Celestia, you don't owe me anything," he said sincerely.
She looked him in the eye with an expression of gratitude. "Don't you see? That selfless attitude of yours...it's what made me want to do something nice for you," she remarked hoping he understood her.
"Celestia," Daniel uttered half at a loss for words. She turned her head and a stray lock of her soft mane brushed along his hand. Realizing he still had his hand on her shoulder, Daniel retracted it. As his hand moved back, he noticed her mane seemed different. "Celestia...did you do something to your mane?"
Taking a step back, she fluffed her colorful locks with her hoof. "Not really, I did give it a good brushing this morning...oh and I never recast the spell that makes it swirl," she replied, touched that he noticed.
"It looks very lovely," he said smiling at her.
"Why thank you Daniel," Celestia replied, softly blushing.
After unpacking his cooler, he walked toward the hallway. "I'll be right back Celestia. I just want to get out of these dirty work clothes. Then I'd like to hear about your day," he stated heading back to his room.
Celestia's face lit up. "All right," she called back. He could hear the happiness in her voice.
Daniel arrived in his room, making sure to close the door behind him. As he removed his work garments, he paused. He began wondering why he was so happy to see her, and on top of that he was curious as to why he complimented her mane. Once again he found himself admiring her beauty. Shaking his head, Daniel figured he had just been working too hard. His mind had a bad habit of playing tricks on him when he was tired. As he put on clean casual clothes, he attributed these feelings to his fatigue.
After discovering that Celestia had done the dishes for him, Daniel half wanted to hug her. But would that be too much or simply something out of the question? Freshening up his deodorant, he wasn't sure what to think. Not wanting to be rude and keep her waiting, he emerged from his room and made his way back to the living room. Celestia was sitting on the couch, waiting patiently for him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said sitting beside her.
Celestia smiled at him. "There's no need to apologize," she replied insistently.
He returned her smile. "Now tell me Celestia...how was your day?" Daniel inquired eagerly awaiting her response.
"Not too bad. I spent a good part of the morning reading this book," she replied pointing a hoof at the novel resting on the coffee table.
Daniel looked closely at the book and recognized it. "Oh, you were reading the first part of "The Lord of the Rings"? What did you think of it?" he asked recalling her curiosity toward reading human literature.
"It was very entertaining. Though I must admit, after an hour or so, I found I was becoming more and more distracted," she noted glancing his way.
He looked back at her with growing interest. "Really? How come?"
She smiled again. "You don't really want to know do you?"
Daniel resisted the urge to grin. "I did and I still do...especially now that you're all but dodging my question," he snickered.
Celestia gave Daniel a rather enticing look. For a moment he wasn't even sure what prompted her to look at him in such a manner. Then smiling at him again, she answered, "Well take this for what you will, but I began thinking about you. We only spent a short amount of time together yesterday...following our unique meeting." Celestia realized she was nearly rambling. "Anyway Daniel, I was eager for your return. I really want to learn more about you. That doesn't sound too weird to you, does it."
Daniel began to understand what caused her look. To his astonishment, it stirred a feeling of intrigue within him. He gazed back fondly at her. "No Celestia, it doesn't sound too weird. In fact I have to confess, I found myself thinking of you quite often, while I was at work today," he explained feeling another wave of perplexing emotions swirl within him. "I'd really like to learn more about you too. You're unlike anyone I've ever met before." Celestia didn't reply, but the smile on her face and look in her magenta eyes said more than words could ever convey. His eyes fell upon her gazing almost endlessly, when he caught himself staring. Daniel jerked his head away, unsure why he had done that. It was then that he noticed the shiny gleam of an item laying on the coffee table. Turning his head, Daniel saw Celestia's crown still resting there. He looked back at her and realized she wasn't wearing it or her necklace. "How come you aren't wearing your crown?"
Celestia turned her head and joined him in looking at it. "I've worn that crown for so long as princess. I was happy being in a place where I didn't have to wear it. It doesn't bother you...does it?" she asked him.
Shaking his head, Daniel responded, "No, I was just curious. You look fine with or without it."
To his surprise, Celestia sighed contently as she continued smiling at him. "I'm glad," she replied. "Oh, I trust you'd like to hear more about my day?"
"Of course," he uttered back teeming with enthusiasm.
She giggled softly before replying, "Well, after reading, I took care of my mane. By the way that was sweet of you to notice." Daniel didn't say anything he just continued smiling at her. "I hit a little snag after tending to my mane. That's when I remembered you garden. I spent quite a while out there. You have some very lovely roses. In fact there was one in particular I really enjoyed. Its blossoms looked like big peppermint wheels."
Daniel nodded his head and chuckled quietly. "You must be talking about the Scentimental. It really is a beautiful rose. Did you enjoy the scent?" he inquired eager for her response.
Celestia nodded. "Oh yes. It had a very lovely fragrance," she remarked with a dreamy sigh.
He chuckled at her display and said, "I'm glad someone other than myself was able to enjoy the flowers I planted. So I guess you had lunch at some point?"
"I did. And afterwards, I saw the stack of dishes was starting to grow. So as you know, I decided to wash them. Once I finished cleaning them, I just lounged on the sofa. While I waited for you to return, I just began to wonder more about what you're like. It's silly isn't it?" she replied in a dismissing tone.
Daniel looked at her thoughtfully. "I wouldn't say that," he professed. Stretching his arms, he stifled a yawn as he rose from the couch. "Well, I should go check on the garden. It's not super hot today, and the sun is already starting to lose some of its punch. Besides, it's almost 4:30. I'd like to get them watered before dinner."
"Okay," Celestia replied, then she promptly added, "You wouldn't want some help...would you?"
He smiled at her kind offer. "That would be great if you'd lend a helping hand...err...hoof," Daniel uttered with a friendly chuckle.
Celestia rose and joined him. The two put on their shoes and made their way outside. The sun was still glaring its rays along the back yard, but just as Daniel had mentioned, the giant orb was beginning to lose its punch. He walked over to the hose cart. Reaching for the faucet, he turned the knob summoning the water. Daniel gripped the nozzle, and slowly unwound the hose, dragging it across the grass.
Celestia glanced around and like before there were no signs of anyone else. Smiling, she then focused her eyes on the flowers. He walked up beside her. "So where should we start first?" she asked glancing over at him.
"How about we start with the roses, and then work our way around," he suggested.
"Okay," she beamed back in an almost playful manner.
Daniel began watering the roses, dampening the soil along their roots with a gentle shower from the hose. "They shouldn't need too much water. I did just tend to them yesterday. In fact, you may wonder why I'm not using a watering can today," he stated.
"The thought had crossed my mind," she remarked.
"Well, I used the watering can to feed them. You know there are vitamins and fertilizers you can administer to help make a garden grow strong, right?"
She smiled. "Yes. I used to spend time with the royal gardeners. I'd often ask them about growing things. In fact a few often let me help them. I found I had quite the green hoof, but sadly I never had time to even consider having a garden of my own," Celestia noted regretfully.
"Well, while you're with me, you can put that green hoof to work. Here," he said offering her the hose. "Want to give them some water?"
Celestia's smile grew. "Thank you Daniel," she replied using her magic to take the hose from him. "I'm glad these are like the hoses from my world," she commented slowly squeezing the sprayer. She moved the hose back and forth, watering the other roses.
"Don't forget you can spray a little on the leaves," he reminded her.
Moving the flow of water, she did just that. Celestia giggled at him. "I see you are quite the gardener."
"It's thanks to my parents. I learned a good deal from them. They used to grow flowers and certain vegetables all the time," Daniel recalled fondly.
"Speaking of vegetables, we should check them as well, right?" she said, knowing the answer was pretty obvious. He chuckled thoughtfully at her and nodded.
Daniel and Celestia each took turns watering the various plants in his garden. A short while later, they arrived at the last section. She stopped the sprayer once the last of the plants were taken care of.
"That's all of them," he noted taking a long look across the garden. "Wow, that went fast with both of us teaming up like that."
Celestia smiled at him. "Glad I could be of help," she stated happily. Daniel continued surveying his garden, just as a naughty idea popped into Celestia's head. She glanced at the hose and then over at him. "Oh Daniel," she called in a singsong voice grinning. She pushed the trigger and sprayed his back.
"Huh?" he gasped turning around to see her laughing playfully at him. "Celestia, what did you do that for?" he asked trying not to laugh.
"You looked a little hot, so I thought I'd cool you off. In fact you still look at bit on the warm side!" she declared continuing to giggle. Celestia pointed the hose at him again.
Daniel held his arms up and shouted, "Don't you dare!" Unable to help herself, she squeezed the trigger, and sprayed him again. "Oh, I'll get you," he called out chuckling. He charged up to her and reached for the hose. Celestia held it tightly in the grip of her magic, but he was determined. Daniel managed to wrestle it away form her. "Ha, ha!" he chuckled aiming the hose at her. Squeezing the trigger, he sprayed her back and her sides a few times.
"Ah! Daniel...no fair!" she called out in between laughs.
"Come on, you know turn about is fair play!" he chuckled spraying her again. "Besides you looked warm under all that fur!"
"Oh yeah?!" she squealed.
"Yep! You're all wet!" he bellowed with glee.
"We'll see about that!" Celestia remarked. Her horn lit up with an orange glow. Her attempt to reclaim the hose quickly turned into a tug-o-war for it. As they fought over the hose, the trigger became depressed, causing it to spray a seemingly endless torrent. The two were gradually getting soaked while their struggle ensued. Realizing he wasn't going to give up so easily, Celestia decided to change tactics. Letting out a spirited laugh, she quickly tackled Daniel. The two toppled onto the damp grass. The hose's trigger kicked off, ending its wild spray, and it flopped to rest beside them as they continued laughing.
Daniel looked up through the water drops on his glasses, and saw that he had been pinned under Celestia's front hooves. She gazed down at him smiling and softly giggling. Water dripped form her wet fur and mane, landing gently against his face. "Gotcha," she uttered triumphantly.
"Okay Celestia, okay, I yield," Daniel remarked, seeing that he was out of options. Celestia stared down at him, nearly forgetting herself as she continued smiling. Then she realized the awkward position she had Daniel in. Her cheeks turned red as she prepared to move off of him. He stared back at her, returning her smile, noticing her rosy cheeks. "Celestia...you look really cute when you blush," Daniel remarked with delight. A startled look appeared on his face when he realized what he had just said. "Uh...I...err...um," he stammered unable to form complete words.
Celestia turned her head to the side as her blush deepened, nearly encompassing her entire face. His flattering remark left her momentarily speechless. She sheepishly moved off him. Standing there, she remained silent while the red in her cheeks began to fade. "I hope I didn't get too carried away," she expressed in a coy manner.
Daniel scrambled back to his feet, feeling a warm tingle along his cheeks. Apparently she hadn't been the only one blushing. He chuckled lightheartedly as he said, "No. That was actually fun...a little startling, but I enjoyed it." Daniel stood there for a moment continuing to laugh. "You know, I can't really remember the last time I carried on like that."
Celestia smiled grandly. It made her feel wonderful to have entertained him. Looking at him once again she remarked, "It's been quite a while since I last indulged in such a carefree way too."
Daniel softly chuckled as he noticed they were both still dripping wet. "Uh, we should go in and dry off. Oh, but I should put that wily hose away first," he declared still chuckling a bit.
"You're right," she said with a smile.
He wound the hose back into its cart and then shut off the faucet. The two shared a few laughs on their way back to the house. Once inside, they removed their shoes and left them on the tiled section by the sliding door to dry. Daniel promptly led them to the hallway. There he opened the linen closest and removed two large bath towels. "Here you are Celestia," he spoke handing her a towel. "You can dry off in the bathroom. I'll towel off in my room, besides I need to put on some dry clothes anyway," Daniel laughed.
She went into the bathroom and then he went to his room. Celestia took one more look at him as he disappeared into his room. Once his door had shut, she withdrew into the bathroom and gently closed the door. Holding the towel aloft with her magic, the alicorn vigorously ran it across her wet body. She let out a contented sigh as the towel began drying her. Suddenly she paused, staring at the bathroom wall. Celestia's mind began to wander. She thought about how nice it would have been if they had dried each other. Her eyes widened and she quickly turned to check her reflection in the mirror. Shaking her head she began to wonder what caused her to have such a thought. For that matter, Celestia also wondered what made her act out as she did. Thankfully Daniel enjoyed her little outburst, however he could have reacted much differently. Yet there was a part of her that almost knew he would enjoy her playful gesture, despite the fact that she was still getting to know him. Regardless of these puzzling feelings, Celestia was truly enjoying spending time with Daniel. That alone was what mattered most to her.
Celestia finished toweling off and emerged from the bathroom. Glancing down the short corridor, she searched for Daniel. At first there was no sign of him. Then her ears caught the sound of his bedroom door opening. Turning in that direction, she saw him enter the hall. He was now dressed in dry attire, a pair of navy shorts, and a tan T-shirt. She smiled when she saw the happy expression still clinging to his face. "I placed the towel on the counter. I hope that's all right," she spoke, thinking there must have been something more profound she could have said.
Nodding his head, Daniel replied, "That's fine, I'll take care of it later on when I shower." He chuckled at her. "Had I known you were going to pull a stunt like that, I would have brought out some soap and shampoo. Then I could have taken care of my shower at the same time."
She waved a hoof at him. "Oh Daniel...you're too much," she responded unable to resist smirking at him.
He grinned. "Guilty," he remarked shamelessly. The two made their way into the living room. Daniel spied the clock and saw that it was now after five. "How about some dinner?" he asked.
Celestia closed her eyes and said, "Sure."
Daniel thought about what he could make. Then he snapped his fingers. "Have you ever had spaghetti?" he inquired turning his head toward her.
"Oh yes, it's a dish I've enjoyed on many occasions back in Equestria," she answered.
"That's great. It still amazes me how much our worlds seem to have in common. Oh well, at least it helps simplify things," he remarked with a chuckle. "Now I usually put meat in the sauce...but, since I have such a special guest...I'd be more than happy to skip it."
"That's very thoughtful of you," she replied with a thankful smile.
"Now, what would you say to some garlic toast and a garden salad on the side?" he asked leaning his head toward her.
"Sounds delightful," she beamed happily.
"All right then. I'll go get things started," he declared with a smile.
"Wait...that's an awful lot of work for you to do alone. How about a helping hoof?" she asked eagerly.
"Well...if you insist," Daniel responded graciously.
"I do," she replied firmly, trying not to giggle.
"Then let's get started!" he asserted with enthusiasm as they walked toward the kitchen.
"By the way Daniel...have you tried that Catalina dressing? It's really tasty!" she declared, remembering it fondly.
He chuckled at her and said, "I know. It's one of my favorites." Celestia joined him in happy laughter as they began gathering the ingredients needed to prepare dinner. |
You Brighten My Day | Chapter 4 - "Now That I...See You" | "You Brighten My Day"
Chapter 4 -
"Now That I...See You"
Celestia and Daniel had just finished cleaning up, following a very enjoyable dinner. It was almost 7:30 and the two had retired to the living room. They spent some time talking together. Celestia remarked how wonderful the meal was and thanked Daniel for letting her assist. He was only too happy to have her lend a helping hoof. She went on to tell him that the royal chefs back in Canterlot, never let her help them. Every time she offered to help, they would simply dismiss her, claiming the royal kitchen was no place for their elegant princess. Upon hearing her tale, Daniel told her that she was welcome to help him in the kitchen anytime.
Daniel wanted to offer Celestia a new way to occupy her time, while he was at work, so he showed her his television and DVD player. At first he had to figure out the best way to explain the device to her, plus he had to think which movies or shows her could share with her. Due to the endless onslaught of commercials, Daniel had long since given up on Cable and Satellite TV services. That and the myriad monthly costs affiliated with each were more than he felt like paying. Besides there were always DVDs, and the Internet that delivered plenty of news, videos, and a seemingly infinite array of entertainment, which he felt was vastly superior.
As he talked with Celestia about the movies and shows that he had on discs, she explained that her world also had movies. Unlike Daniel's world, Equestrians could only see movies in theaters. Celestia expressed a strong fondness at being able to enjoy such entertainment in the comfort of one's home. He then let her get a hooves on feel for operating the controls. Her magic certainly made things easier. After all, the remotes and the main controls on the TV and DVD player themselves weren't designed with pony hooves in mind.
The two spent a good hour checking out a few episodes of the sitcom Scrubs and the drama of CSI Miami. It helped her get a good understanding for how the two devices worked. Watching the two different programs led to a conversation regarding the way humans were depicted on the shows. Celestia couldn't help but ask him if that was an accurate portrayal of his kind. Daniel told her that in some ways it was accurate, but that all TV and movies should be taken with a grain of salt.
She also expressed some concerns about crime on his world after watching an episode of CSI Miami. Celestia wanted to know if the stories were based on real crimes that had taken place on Earth. Sadly Daniel admitted that they often times were. This further led to a discussion about crime on both their worlds. Daniel also expressed his sorrow at how humans tend to treat one another. Thankfully he was able to inform her that the neighborhood he lived in, had a very low crime rate.
Daniel then considered some other things to share with Celestia, but he wasn't sure how long it would take to explain things like video games and even more complex, his computer and the Internet. However he relished the idea of showing her video games. It'd been quite while since he had someone who could share their joy with him. True there were online gaming avenues, but they required a monthly or yearly access fee, and then of course you had to deal with hackers, or the users that just seemed to enjoy ruining it for everybody. But the thought of having a real individual in the room with him was quite exciting. It made him reminisce about his high school days, back when he and his friends would play all sorts of video games together.
Oddly enough however, ever after showing her TV and the wide assortment of movies and shows he had, Celestia asked it they could spend the remainder of the night talking again. Though Daniel hardly minded, seeing as their conversations had been quite intriguing. He especially enjoyed hearing about her world, while in turn she enjoyed learning more about Earth.
That night didn't yield too many revelations for them. They discussed colors and which ones they preferred. Daniel told Celestia that he was partial to green, but overall he enjoyed color in general, to which he complimented the colors of her mane. She expressed her fondness for the color orange, but she too admitted to loving a wide range of color as well. There was one thing they discussed that was somewhat surprising to him. Celestia told him that she didn't mind resting on the couch and that he needn't feel rushed to work on the guest room, at least until he had ample time.
They continued their conversation until ten o'clock had sneaked up on them. Rather than risk getting carried away they both decided to call it a night.
*******
The rest of the week went by much like Monday. Daniel prepared breakfast for them each morning. They would converse for a bit, and then he would head off to work. Celestia enjoyed walking him to the door, and waved a hoof good-bye as he drove off.
With the addition of the TV and Daniel's collection of DVDs, Celestia had plenty to occupy her time. Even though the movies and shows were entertaining, she still continued to find her thoughts often wondering to Daniel. Sometimes she'd be in the middle of a crucial scene of a movie or show, and Celestia would just up and stop where she was and go out to the garden, or just lay back on the couch and daydream.
She was often puzzled by a series of perplexing feelings. For the most part Celestia considered Daniel to be a really good friend. Yet for some unfathomable reason, she found herself thinking of him in other ways. For one she enjoyed that he frequently made her laugh. Whenever he was at work, she found she missed him more than she had the previous day. In fact she always felt thrilled when he would return home. This was mainly because one of her new favorite pastimes was to sit and talk with Daniel. As the week pressed on, the two had come to learn quite a bit about each other, but it only left her wanting to know more.
Her feelings didn't stop there. Celestia often found herself staring at Daniel, noticing just how handsome he was becoming to her watchful eyes. Naturally she made sure to look at him only when his focus was diverted elsewhere. She was a little leery of getting caught, especially since part of her still didn't know why she was doing this. After all, Daniel wasn't a stallion.
As she gave the matter more thought, she also took into account the fact that from time to time she discovered Daniel's gaze focused clearly on her. One time she thought that maybe he was looking elsewhere, but the only thing behind her was a plain wall, so he must have been staring at her. In fact the few times she caught him, he would quickly look away in a very sheepish manner. To her delight his eyes were mainly seeking her face. It left her feeling touched, and somewhat alarmed. But she figured that maybe it was just her overactive imagination playing tricks on her. Honestly the very notion of a human and a pony together was clearly preposterous...or was it?
Odd feelings aside, Celestia realized she was the happiest she had been in years. While she greatly enjoyed spending time with her sister, Luna, and her faithful student, Twilight, she found an even greater joy with him. Unlike being in Equestria, on Earth, Celestia didn't have to worry about being prim and proper. She could truly be herself and what made it ever better, was Daniel seemed to prefer her that way.
*******
Friday started much like the rest of the week had. Daniel awoke to the annoying tones of his alarm clock. After dealing with his morning ritual, he prepared breakfast for Celestia and himself.
The best part about it being Friday was that this was Daniel's last day of work for the week. Then he had two wonderful days off. It would allow them even more time to spend, getting to know each other. And he could finally start work on the guest room, and to help keep her entertained, he could introduce to her video games and eventually his computer, not to mention the Internet. Though he did keep in mind that he would need to isolate some files. There were some things on his computer he wouldn't want Celestia snooping around.
"So after today, you won't have to work again until Monday?" Celestia asked filling with delight.
Daniel nodded enthusiastically. "That's right. One more shift and I have 48 hours of freedom! Well there are some chores I'll have to do, but compared to work, they aren't so bad," he expressed with a smile.
"If you don't have to go to work tomorrow...well then maybe we could watch a movie together," she suggested.
"That would be great," he replied, still smiling.
"Oh and how about I help you with dinner again this evening?"
"That won't be necessary," Daniel spoke holding up his left hand.
Celestia's ears drooped and she started lowering her head. "How come?" she asked in a puzzled tone.
Daniel looked at her and tried not to chuckle. "Oh don't worry Celestia. It's not because I don't want your help," he began, doing his best to reassure her. "You see, today is pay day. I get my week's pay from work, and usually I like to do something special on Fridays."
Celestia perked up and resumed smiling. "You had me worried there for a moment. So what do you normally do?" she asked.
"Well I either call for take out, or I go to a restaurant. Though I somehow doubt I could bring you to a restaurant," he admitted. Daniel's expression remained genuine as he focused his brown eyes on her. "To be honest I don't stop at restaurants by myself all that often. It feels weird being at a table all alone. Usually I just order out," he explained.
"What did you have in mind?" she asked.
Placing a finger on his chin and giving the matter some brief thought, he turned and said, "Have you ever had pizza?"
Celestia's face really lit up. "Pizza! Oh yes! It's a very popular item in my world!" she declared rubbing her hooves together.
Daniel chuckled at her. "Okay then, what do you like on your pizza?" he asked.
Not needing any time to think about this, she promptly said, "Well there's always mushrooms and onions, or my personal favorite...extra cheese!" Celestia grinned; shamelessly placing added emphasis on the word "cheese". She then broke out in a bit of a giggle fit.
He couldn't help but laugh with her. "Well extra cheese is always one I've enjoyed. Plus I'm quite fond of mushrooms. And gee, I think onions would be a nice touch. Oh and I usually add ground beef or pepperoni to my pizzas, but for you, I wouldn't mind skipping the meat," he remarked ending in a smile.
Celestia giggled again. "That's sweet of you," she chimed.
"Yes well, I think cutting back on meat will be good for my waistline," Daniel mused, patting his very slight gut. Glancing at the time, he quickly realized it was just about time for him to leave. "Whoa, look at the time. I can call for the pizza around dinnertime, and have it delivered. For now, I'd better head out."
Celestia nodded, and let out a sigh. "You're right," she uttered, a sudden decline in her tone.
Daniel noticed the subtle sadness in her voice. He looked at her, as she followed him over to the door. "Don't be too glum. I'll be home before you know it," he said encouragingly.
Celestia smiled. "You're right of course. But for some reason...I just feel like I'm really going to miss you today," she expressed strongly.
His face softened. "Celestia," Daniel spoke delicately. Then perking up, he added, "I've really been enjoying spending time with you. And remember, once I get home this after, you'll be stuck with me for two whole days." He chuckled, securing his lunch bag.
As he went to open the door, Celestia called out, "Daniel wait!"
He froze in his tracks and turned to face her. "What is it?"
"Well," she began, brushing her hoof against the carpet. "Nah, forget it. It's silly," she said.
Despite the time, she had captured Daniel's attention. "It can't be that silly, if you felt the need to stop me," he said thoughtfully. Setting his lunch bag down, he moved closer to her. "Now tell me, what's on your mind?"
Celestia felt a wave of nervousness wash over her, but she managed to open her mouth and speak. "I was just thinking...would it be okay if we shared a short hug? I think it would help me miss you less," she answered - the sincerest expression was present in her eyes. "It might also help you. You would have something joyful to think about, even if you encounter any major trials at work. Though it still probably sounds silly." Celestia let out a sigh as she slowly lifted her head to meet Daniel's face. To her amazement, he stood there with a smile on his face.
"Celestia, it's not silly. There's nothing wrong with a hug. In fact, I wanted to hug you the other day, to thank you for doing the dishes. But I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate. We know each other better now, so I don't see any harm in sharing a hug? Do you?" He asked calmly, moving closer to her.
Shaking her head, she said, "No, I don't."
He opened his arms. Slowly she moved toward him, bridging the gap between them. She placed her hooves around him and gently hugged him. Celestia felt his arms surround her back and gently pull against her, while her chin came to rest on his left shoulder. Soon a sense of easement began quelling her anxiety, as she felt the calming effect of their hug. A contented sigh escaped her lips, and she heard him sigh in kind.
Daniel stood there, sharing a truly tender moment with Celestia. It felt a little strange at first, but then everything just started feeling so very right. It was a sensation he'd not felt in quite some time. The subtle warmth emanating from her body, the softness of her fur and the gentle squeeze of her hooves, all left him feeling a blissful moment of serenity.
A few moments passed, Daniel hated having to break the gentle silence, but he had no choice. "Well Celestia, I sorry to ruin the moment, but I really need to get going," he spoke reluctantly. Their hug ended and Daniel reclaimed his lunch bag.
Celestia felt a warm caress befall her cheeks as she looked up at him. "Sorry about that. I think I started getting a little carried away," she uttered sounding a little nervous.
He chuckled back at her. "That's okay. I don't think you were the only one," Daniel said with a chuckle. "I'll be back later...count on it," he avowed reaching for the doorknob. Then he paused briefly and said, "Oh and remember, in event I might have to work over a few hours, just keep an ear out for a phone call, or check the answering machine, like I showed you." He stepped outside and walked to his car. Then like so many mornings, he drove away. Celestia stood by the door and waved as he drove down the street.
She closed the door and walked back to the sofa. Celestia let herself flop down slowly onto the couch, sinking into its plus cushions. Even though she was going to miss Daniel, the hug left her something wonderful to think about. And it was her hopes that it would help Daniel, at work just as she had conveyed. Then she popped up on the couch. There was that perplexing emotion again. In fact she finally caught herself. Just why was she going to miss Daniel so much? There had to be some reason. But the seemingly obvious conclusion...just didn't add up. There was no way she could be growing increasingly fond of him...could she? She did come to Earth in search of comfort...but could she really find love and companionship here?
Dismissing the silly notion, she got up and studied the various discs on Daniel's DVD tower. She figured that perhaps watching something would help her clear her mind.
*******
Daniel arrived at his place of employment and backed into his normal parking spot. Exiting his vehicle, he saw the big sign of his employer: Masterson Wholesale. Some days he was proud to work for this large company, and then there were those days that the sign would make him shudder. At least today didn't feel like one of those more harrowing days. He made his way inside the massive edifice and walked to his work area.
Daniel worked in the warehouse section, and also had a desk and cubical in the shipping office, next door. Arriving at his desk, he placed his lunch bag off to the side, and sat down at his computer. His day would usually begin by checking his email and printing out the newest orders that would need pulled for shipping, or printing lists of incoming items to put away. The challenging part was that goods were shipped to the facility from outside vendors, and were also produced and/or packaged within the company. It was fortunate that Daniel was very detail oriented. While a large number of people would hate to do filing or inventorying, Daniel found it rather gratifying...well at least once the hard part was out of the way.
After checking his mail and printing out his lists, he picked up his scanner gun and clipboard. Then he walked to the small sea of tall metal shelves. Overall Masterson Wholesale was quite large, but the section of the warehouse Daniel worked in was isolated from the larger areas. It housed more specialized items, contained within a smaller grouping of shelves. An outlined area in front of each shelf contained new skids of material waiting to be put away. Skids bearing multiple items were already unwrapped and neatly stacked. All he would have to do is take them back the aisles and place them in their proper home.
He compared his order list to his inventory sheet, in order to see what kind of space he would have, after pulling items. Then he could note how much space he'd need for new items, as he began the task of putting them away. Besides, if things would go about like they usually did, the new items would be needed for some of his fulfillment requests.
Gradually he went through the pile of incoming materials, and put everything into their proper places. Now his employer used a computerized system with special scanners, but while Daniel liked computers, he knew their tendency to glitch, and even more annoying the penchant they had for crashing. That's why he always kept a clipboard and paper on hand. As he inventoried each item, he'd make a note of each item's: type, quantity, and bin location. This way he had a hard copy should the system error or go down during his shift. After being in the work world for 12 years, he knew it was crucial to watch his own back, as well as that of his coworkers. Whenever something was amiss, the employees were often prime targets to be used as scapegoats.
With the inventorying complete, Daniel began pulling the items for shipping. Periodically he'd bump into one of his co-workers that would be in search of the odd item or two. He'd say, "Hi!" or even chat for a few minutes with them. One thing that made his job bearable was that Daniel was easygoing and he tended to get along well with his peers. Now he was hardly Mr. Popular, but he was often amazed at who all knew him, even if he was clueless about whom they were.
*******
Throughout the morning, Daniel found his thoughts often wandering away from his work and focusing on Celestia. Even if he couldn't put his finger on it, there was just something about her. The past several days had been amazing. He was eagerly looking forward to the weekend. Daniel relished the idea of teaching Celestia how to play video games. That and he thought she might enjoy seeing the wonders of the computer world via the Internet. But despite the fun activities in mind, he found he was focusing more on her specifically. From the time they'd spent together, he had learned a great deal about her. To his delight they had a great deal in common. For instance, they each enjoyed sunsets, the delicate beauty of flowers, some of the same foods, especially desserts, and gazing up at the night sky. Those were just a few of the things they shared.
While Daniel continued pulling more items from the shelves, he continued thinking about her. At times he thought it didn't even seem like he was with a pony. In many ways Celestia had a very personable quality to her. And there was something incredibly enchanting about her. The pearly white color of her fur, the soft rosy glow that would appear on her cheeks after he'd compliment her...it was all so incredible. Then he found himself thinking about those flowing locks of colorful hair on her head. He longed to know what it would be like to caress her mane, and find out if it would be as silky as it appeared.
That's when it started dawning on him that he was thinking of her as more than a friend. His mind began reminiscing about the hug they shared. It had really felt wonderful to be so close to her, to have her head resting softly on his shoulder. Daniel began to wonder if perhaps she was thinking of him as more than a friend. Giving the matter more thought, he figured she seemed happy to be staying with him. Perhaps over the coming days he could learn if there was something more brewing between them. That's when reality started sinking in. Celestia was a pony, not a human. Even if they did share feelings for each other...could they really act on them? Shaking his head, Daniel figured it wasn't something worth worrying about...at least not while he was at work anyway. Besides if anything were meant to happen, then surely it would come to light in due time. Though for now, he didn't mind thinking about their hug again.
Daniel emerged from the shelves guiding an electric pallet jack. It was holding a skid stacked with the items he pulled for shipping. He arrived at the counter and set the pallet down. Slowly he began setting a few of the items on the counter.
One of his co-workers, a man in his late 40's walked over to greet him. "Hey Daniel! How's it going?" the man asked, a slight rumble in his voice.
Daniel looked up from his work and over to his fellow associate. "Oh hey Greg. I'm just bringing the first of your items for fulfillment out. How about you?" he asked setting another box on the counter.
Greg fetched a form from a tray sitting on an overhead shelf. "Well, I just helped load a shipment heading for Pittsburgh. And now I'm all set to start on these fulfillment requests. So as always...your timing is perfect buddy," he remarked nodding in approval.
Daniel simply chuckled quietly at him. "You know me, just trying to do my part. I have a few more lists to pull yet, but I should have them completed before lunch time," he noted.
"That's great. Hopefully this will keep Brian off our backs. Though I'm sure one of our customers will send a last minute order. You know the way it goes," Greg said with a sigh.
"Yeah," Daniel said trailing off. He continued placing items onto the counter, making sure to include the order printouts they were pulled with. Greg would then place them into an appropriate box, filled with packing material. Then he'd seal the package, print and attach an invoice, weigh it, and finally print a shipping label.
Greg scratched his stubble-covered chin as he noticed how happy Daniel seemed. The two were hardly best friends, but they got along very well in the workplace. Naturally, he enjoyed knowing how his younger friend was doing. "Boy Daniel, you sure seem happy today. I don't think I've seen you smile like that for quite a while," Greg expressed in a positive tone.
Daniel laughed at the true reason, but knew he couldn't share it with his coworker. Still he had a plausible explanation in mind. "Why shouldn't I be happy? It's Friday, and also pay day...the weekend is almost here, and we're already three hours into our shift!" He declared placing the last item from the skid onto the counter. "And that's the first load of items too!"
Greg laughed blatantly at his friend. "You crack me up. But I know you better than that. There's something you aren't telling me. However I know there's no point in badgering you about it," he concluded.
"Nope. Well I'd better start pulling the next load. I'll be back!" he chimed, walking back to the warehouse followed by the whirling pallet jack.
Greg looked at Daniel again and merely shrugged his shoulders. Then he walked over to the freshly placed items. Checking the slips, he began packing each order, after selecting an appropriate box.
*******
The rest of Daniel's day went by pretty well. He did have an irate customer to deal with. They called inquiring about a package they ordered and hadn't received. It turned out that the carrier misplaced the item in the corner of one of their processing facilities. After making a call to the carrier, Daniel was able to set things right.
The whole process took a grueling hour of irritating phone calls. But at last he was able to deliver the good news to the no longer irate customer. After a call to Mr. Harris, Daniel was able to assure him that his package was found and on the way.
Following the call, Daniel made sure to email a copy of the tracking number to the customer. This way he could offer Mr. Harris some added piece of mind.
Checking the time on his computer, he noticed it was 2:30. The day was nearly over! After thinking about his to do list, Daniel realized he was pretty much done for the day. All he'd need to do is check his email one more time, and then make sure everything was properly straightened up. Checking the inbox on his PC, he saw he had a new message. Clicking it he promptly let out an exasperated sigh and facepalmed. "Crap! Another last minute order!" he groused loudly.
"Pipe down over there Daniel! Some of us are trying to play Minesweeper!" shouted Peter.
"Lay off Peter! I just got a large last minute order! And I thought Brian disabled the games!" Daniel barked back in response.
Daniel noticed the sound of footsteps approaching his desk. Peter walked over so they wouldn't have to keep shouting. "Hey you know me man. I found an easy way around that security setting. Besides, the games help me clear my mind," his co-worker remarked with a snicker.
"Yes well at least you have time for games. This list will take almost two hours to complete. I won't get home till almost five now," Daniel groaned.
"Oh please, like you have anyone to go home to! Besides bro, you can always use the money. At least that's what you said last time," Peter rambled patting Daniel on the shoulder.
"Yes well that was then. And I didn't have plans that time either," replied Daniel with a sigh.
"Cheer up bud, maybe Greg will stick around and give you a hand. I would, but once I blow up a few more mines, I'd better head to the office and file all the shipping reports. Sorry I can't help ya bro. Maybe next time," he replied. Then Peter returned to his cubical.
"Yeah," Daniel muttered shaking his head. Then it dawned on him. He'd better call home and let Celestia know he would be late getting back.
*******
After calling home, Daniel broke the news to Celestia. She said she was sorry he had to work over, but would still be looking forward to his return, even if he was going to be delayed. It helped cheer him up a bit. That and he told her once he was almost done, he'd call in an order for their Pizza to Papa John's. Then he could pick it up on the way home. She was fine with that and wished him well, before they hung up. He had a feeling showing her how to use the phone was a good idea. Thankfully she told him that larger cities in Equestria had such devices as well.
Three o'clock had arrived and Daniel had only gotten about a third of the order pulled. Greg walked over and saw him working there. "What's going on Daniel? Shouldn't you be leaving? It's after three?" he remarked.
Setting down a few items, he turned to Greg and said, "Believe me, I'd love to leave. But I have this last minute order to take care of."
Greg looked at the order sheet, then grimaced at Daniel. "Why are you worried about this dinky customer? It won't hurt to leave this till Monday you know," his friend remarked.
Daniel shook his head. "You know I can't do that Greg. This may be a small customer, but they were one of the key clients back when this company was still getting started. We've always done right by them. Plus they recommended us to many of our larger customers. If we shun them now, what kind of message would we be sending?" he asked, not expecting a positive reply from Greg.
"So I take it you're going to stay then?"
"You know I will. Even if I really hate it. Though if you'd help me, maybe it wouldn't take me as long," Daniel remarked looking at him with hopeful eyes.
Greg sighed. "I should have seen that coming. Well I'd like to help you but..." he paused in order to device a seemingly valid excuse.
Daniel just facepalmed again. "Now before you go making up some excuse, don't forget I'd help you, if the tables were turned," he conveyed placing the last of the items on the counter.
His co-worker paused again. Then he thought about what Daniel had said. Greg sighed in a defeated manner and said, "You're right. I remember you stayed to help me the other month. And you were sick as a dog too. Yet you stayed over for almost two hours to help me finish loading all those trucks. Okay...I'll stay."
Daniel offered Greg a smile. "Thanks man! You know I appreciate it!"
Greg chuckled at him. "Why do you think I'm staying?"
The two shared a laugh and go right to work. With both of them teamed up, they completed the order in less than two hours. After making sure they had everything set for the UPS driver, they promptly departed, glad that their workday was finally over.
*******
Shortly before finishing the last of the big order, Daniel had called in his order with Papa John's. He arrived about twenty minutes later at the pizza joint, and went inside. Upon entering, the rush of heat from the massive oven fell upon his face. It was then replaced with the struggling breeze of the air conditioning. There was one customer waiting ahead of him. Daniel stood there, and did his best to wait patiently. His feet were bothering him from the hard day's work. Trying to focus on something positive, he invited the various aromas, of the cooking pizzas and the assorted toppings strewn about behind the counter, into his nose.
Before he knew it, he was next in line. The cashier greeting him with a smile. "How may I help you?"
"Yes, I called in an order. Um...number 23," he answered.
"23?" the cashier asked. Daniel nodded. "Okay, let me go check." The employee walked over to a stack of pizzas sitting above the large oven. Checking the tags, he picked up two large pizzas and brought them over to the counter. After setting them down, he said, "Okay I have one large pizza with extra cheese and one large with mushrooms and onions. Is that right?"
"Yes, that's right?" Daniel replied politely.
"Do you want any extra sauces or some cold sodas?" the young man asked.
"No thank you."
"Okay, that'll be $21.20 please."
"Here you are," Daniel said handing the cashier his debit card.
Before long, Daniel exited the shop and re-entered his car. He carefully set the pizzas down, and favored his fingers. The boxes were still quite hot, which was a good thing. Though if they would be cold till he got them home, he always had his microwave.
*******
Following a short seven-minute drive, Daniel turned his vehicle into the driveway. Placing the car in park, his workday was at last over. Now he could enjoy a fun-filled evening with Celestia. And the best part of all...dinner was already taken care of!
He opened the door and exited the vehicle. Walking over to the passenger side, he opened the other door and retrieved his cooler and dinner. Once his car was secure, he made his way to the sidewalk. Daniel carefully carried the two pizzas with his left hand, while grasping his cooler in the other. The front door came into view and sure enough the inside door had already opened. The familiar sight of Celestia appeared before him. She beamed at him with a bright cheerful smile. Noticing his hands were full, Celestia politely opened the storm door for him. Daniel stepped inside and slowly walked past her.
"Welcome home Daniel!" She declared bubbling with joy.
"It's great to be home Celestia! Oh, and what a day!" he voiced sounding a bit fatigued. He stopped in the doorway. Celestia walked over to him and continued to smile. Her horn lit up with a shimmery orange light. Carefully she took his cooler and the two pizzas from him.
"Here, let me help you with these," she chirped happily.
He chuckled warmly at her. "Thank you."
It was then that Daniel saw the expression on her face. Before he could think to speak, she walked over and gave him a big tender hug. "I missed you Daniel," she declared.
He smiled grandly, placing his arms around her. "I missed you too," he professed sincerely.
Their hug ended and the two walked into the dinning room. There she set down, both pizza boxes and headed for the kitchen, setting his cooler on the counter by the microwave. Celestia walked back to the dinner table and noticed that he had brought two pizzas with him. Meanwhile, he walked to the kitchen to unpack his lunch bag.
"So Daniel, what did you bring? And do we really need two pizzas for both of us?" she called over to him.
Having tended to his lunch bag, Daniel emerged form the kitchen. He glanced over at her and smiled. "Well I enjoy having leftovers. They make for a simple lunch or a snack. Plus you told me about your two favorite toppings. So I brought a pizza with extra cheese and one with onions and mushrooms," he explained.
She continued to smile and nodded. "All right then. I'll get some plates, and what would you like to drink?" Celestia asked.
"Water or soda will be fine," he answered.
"Okay, then allow me to get the table set for dinner. You go and change. Leave everything else in my hooves," she replied sounding extremely chipper.
Daniel looked at her fondly. "Thank you Celestia. You have no idea how good it is to see you," he expressed almost at a loss for words.
She moved closer to him and gently placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Likewise. Now go unwind, we'll talk over dinner, okay?"
He nodded and uttered, "Okay."
Daniel walked back to his room and took care of changing out of his work attire. It had been a truly exhausting day, both mentally and physically. Having someone special like Celestia at home waiting for him really made his day.
While he took care of changing, Celestia gathered some plates, and decided what beverage they should enjoy. Checking the items in his fridge, she saw he had a few cans of grape soda. Nodding her head, she thought the soda would be a nice change of pace. She picked them up with her magic and carried them, along with the plates, over to the table.
The alicorn sighed dreamily, realizing just how good it was to finally have Daniel home again. Suddenly she felt a bit of a start. Her heart had almost seemed to skip a beat or two. She turned her head back toward his bedroom. Even though she still felt a little alarmed, part of her felt exhilarated, realizing that Daniel was becoming more than just a friend to her. At least it finally helped explain why she began to miss him more after he departed for work each day. But even if that was the case...did Daniel feel the same way too, even a little?
She let out sigh, and muttered to herself, "Celestia you're just being silly."
A few moments passed and Daniel returned to join her in the dining room. He saw she had everything taken care of. A smile curled up on his lips as he saw the two cans of grape soda. "Hey, nice choice for our drinks! It's been a while since I last drank some grape soda," he noted with a pleasant chuckle.
Celestia focused her eyes on him and smiled. "I'm glad you approve. So, do you think the pizzas will still be warm?" she asked.
"They should be, but even if they're not, there's always the microwave," he said with a grin.
Daniel moved the pizzas so they were side by side. Slowly he popped both boxes open. Their delightful aroma radiated out into the room. Surprisingly steam was still rolling off them.
The two pies certainly looked delicious, and their smell danced across Celestia's nose, causing her to deeply inhale the wonderful aroma. "Mmm, they smell delightful. But why are there little cups and...light green peppers in the boxes?" she asked curiously.
Daniel snickered. "Oh the cups are filled with garlic butter dipping sauce. You can use it for the crust. It's quite tasty. And I still don't know why they include jalapeno peppers with each pizza. I gather they are mostly a garnish, and some people are quite fond of them," he explained. "Would you like to start with a slice of each?"
She nodded. "Thank you, that would be nice. Oh and I'd like to try the dipping sauce too," she expressed.
"Of course," he replied placing a slice of each pizza on her plate. Daniel removed one of the cups and thoughtfully peeled back the foil covering. "Here you are."
"Thank you Daniel," she replied, remembering to be polite. She carefully took the plate, much to his surprise, in her hooves. Then moving to her normal place, she set the food down and sat down graceful as always.
"You're quite welcome," he answered, loading a slice of each on his plate, completing it with the other cup of dip. Taking his seat, he picked up the slice of extra cheese and took a bite. The taste was a good as ever. Glancing up, he saw Celestia seemed to be enjoying her slices. "So I take it you're enjoying the pizza?"
She nodded as she swallowed a small mouthful. "Yes, this is very good. And so is the garlic butter," she grinned.
Daniel smiled at her and noticed she had some sauce drip onto her chin. He picked up a napkin and held it up to her. "Here Celestia...you got a little sauce," he said pointing at he same spot on his own chin.
She set down her slice with mushrooms and onions and grinned nervously. "Oh," she uttered taking the napkin. Celestia blotted the sauce from her chin.
The two smiled at each other as they continued eating their meal. Daniel and Celestia partook in some casual conversation in between bites, and shared the highlights of their days, both seeming quite happy to see each other again.
*******
The two had finished dinner and put away the leftovers, nearly a whole pizza. Now that it was a little after seven, Daniel and Celestia had retired to the living room to relax.
"So what would you like to do now that your weekend has begun?" she asked.
"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to play some video games," he replied.
Celestia placed a curious hoof to her chin. "Video games? What are those?" she asked with a growing interest.
Daniel chuckled at her. "Well they are sort of similar to DVDs. You use the TV and a device called a console to play the different games. Here, I'll show you," he explained, rising to his feet.
Celestia's eyes followed him as he walked over to the TV. There he opened the doors on the cart the flat screen set sat on. "These are game consoles," he said pointing to four different systems he had concealed behind the doors. "I think we'll start with this one," he said pointing to a large pale gray rectangular box. "This is the classic Nintendo. And I know just the game we can play."
She looked at him feeling a bit puzzled. The names he was rattling off seemed rather foreign to her, but she figured, this was a lot like the TV and DVD explanation - something she would get in time.
As she sat there pondering his words, Daniel had walked to a nearby shelf and removed a game cartridge covered by a simple black dust sleeve. "Here we go," he announced, loading the game into the deck. "This game is called "Super Mario Bros.""
Daniel freed the long controller cord and moved it back to the sofa. There he sat down beside her, just as the game title appeared on the screen. Celestia looked up at it, and the title matched his description. She noticed what looked like a little distorted human standing at the lower left of the screen. "Who is that suppose to be?" she asked.
"Oh that's Mario. He's the hero you play the game as," Daniel explained.
"And why is he the hero?" she asked.
"Perhaps I should explain the story of this game. Mario and his brother Luigi are both plumbers that work in the real world...err Earth. They end up transported to the Mushroom Kingdom, the world this game takes place in. Now it's up to them to beat this evil reptile called King Bowser Koopa, and save the captured Princess Toadstool, who waits in a castle in the end of world 8," Daniel said cluing her in.
She gave him a puzzled yet rather intrigued expression, and replied, "Well let's see how this is then."
Taking the first turn, he showed Celestia how to play the game, and what the various buttons on the controller did. It didn't take her long to catch on to the basic concept of the game and how to play. After about fifteen minutes of pointers, Daniel reset the system so she could have a turn, starting at the beginning.
Using her magic, Celestia took the controller and started Mario on his journey to find Princess Toadstool. Considering this was her fist time playing video games, she did amazingly well. Celestia didn't start running into trouble until she reached world 3-3 and had lost her firepower. Though she did manage to make it through the level without getting her little plumber friend killed. Once she reached world 4-1, she kept getting Mario killed by Lakitu and his spiny friends. Daniel gave her the quick advice of ducking down one of the pipes, which managed to lead her to a super mushroom. But without firepower, he suggested she try her best to make a mad dash through the rest of the level.
For a time, things seemed like they were going to improve, but then Celestia got stuck in world 5, and neither she or Daniel could get past the endless storm of Bullet Bills. Celestia began to grow very irritated with the game.
"Daniel isn't there something else we can play? This game isn't any fun anymore," she groused, feeling rather annoyed.
"You'll get no argument from me. Um, let me think a second. Oh I have an idea," Daniel voiced standing up. He took the NES controller back to the deck and switched it off. "Man, I didn't realize I was so rusty. But I think it's time to switch to my favorite system. The Playstation 2," he announced with delight.
"Playstation 2? Why do these game...consoles, have such odd names?" she asked.
"You got me. I don't name them - I just enjoy playing the incredible selection of games they have. Now this system is a little old, by today's standards. But it's always been my favorite. Anyway, I have just the game in mind," he answered with a smile.
"And what might that be?"
He chuckled softly at her as he walked over to another shelf full of video games. After a short search, Daniel removed a small box from the shelf. "Well you liked the book "Lord of the Rings" and you seemed to enjoy movies and shows based on a similar genre...so I think you may like this," he concluded, placing the game on the coffee table.
Celestia peered over at it and studied the front of the box carefully. "And what's "Lunar - Silver Star Story" about? The cover certainly looks intriguing...as does the title," she declared, looking up at Daniel with a renewed smile.
"Oh this is a great game. The story is epic! It features a grand adventure and a delightful romance," he all but exclaimed to her.
"Okay, then "Lunar" it is!"
Nodding his head, Daniel opened the box. He removed the jewel case and leather bound instruction booklet from within. Opening the case he removed the first disc and placed it in the PS2. A few moments passed and the game's opening sequence began to play. Celestia watched it and listened closely to the lyrics of the accompanying song with great fascination.
"This looks incredible!" she beamed with enthusiasm.
"Just you wait...you are in for one heck of a treat!" Daniel mused excitedly.
The game's main character Alex, and his little friend Nall, had arrived at small clearing along the springs by the village of Burg. There, Celestia saw they met a very lovely girl with long blue hair.
"Daniel who is that?" she asked.
"Just watch, you'll find out," he whispered, trying not to overshadow the dialogue of the characters, during the short cut-scene.
To Celestia's surprise, the girl was called Luna! She thought her eyes were deceiving her at first. But then she saw the name appear again by the girl's head shot in the dialogue window. "Oh wow, she bears the same name as my younger sister," gasped Celestia.
Daniel laughed at her little outburst. "That's right, you told me your sister's name is Luna," he recalled.
"Yes, I did. Now come on Daniel, I want to see more of this game," she urged with even more excitement.
"Okay," he uttered, letting out another chuckle.
The two continued the adventure for a few more hours. Daniel let Celestia take turns controlling the characters, and taking part in the enemy battles. He was delighted at how quickly she took the games battle system, not to mention the incredible strategies she came up with. Those low-level monsters in the White Dragon Cave didn't stand a chance against her tactical mind. And yet, Celestia didn't stop coming off incredibly feminine to him. If anything, he just felt his fondness for her continuing to grow.
They mutually decided to call it a night, after completing the trials in the icy caverns of the Dragon, Quark. Though Celestia did say she was looking forward to continuing the game, seeing as she found it very exciting.
*******
Saturday came and started unlike any other day so far. Daniel awoke to the smell of something very yummy cooking. Only he wasn't doing the cooking. After getting dressed and making his way to the kitchen, he discovered Celestia had prepared breakfast. She made a big pile of pancakes, and found a variety of items to dress them up with, such as chocolate chips and a can of whip topping she discovered in the fridge.
Daniel expressed his delight at her thoughtful act. He greatly enjoyed her cooking and was sure to tell her just how grand a job she had done.
Following their meal, the two began their day, with a trip to his garden. After helping him tend to the plants, they returned inside just as the heat of day began to increase. The temperatures were forecasted to soar up into the 90's, so they were both thankful for the central air.
Daniel took the time before lunch to start work in the guest room. Though Celestia still didn't seem to be in a hurry for him to work on it. As he moved around boxes of miscellaneous items, she checked out some of his other video games. Though she really wanted to play more of "Lunar", she decided to wait till Daniel was done puttering in the other room.
Despite Celestia's lackluster attitude toward the spare room, Daniel continued going through it after lunch, trying to make it as least livable, and less cluttered. Around two o'clock, Celestia offered to lend him a hoof. She expressed her boredom, and a desire to spend some time with him. He gladly accepted her assistance.
Their work in the guest room took them right up to dinner time, but they had straightened up the room, so that it could easily accommodate her. Now she would have a proper bed to sleep in. It might not be on par with her bed in Canterlot, but she could make use of it nonetheless.
*******
Dinner came and went. The two had prepared another enjoyable meal together. Once they finished cleaning up, they went into the living room. Celestia took a seat on the right side of the couch, but Daniel remained standing. He looked at her and smiled. "Now if I remember correctly, you said you wanted to watch a movie together...right?" he asked.
She returned his smile. "Yes, and I still do. Oh, but what should be watch?" she asked curiously.
Daniel placed his hands behind his back and started swaying a bit. "Well, do you enjoy heart-warming love stories, filled with adventure?" he asked.
"Of course. So what did you have in mind then?" she replied with yet another question.
"Oh, just this," he said reaching for a DVD he had sitting on the corner of the TV stand.
Daniel held the case so she could see the cover. Celestia studied it closely. "Hmmm, "Tangled". So this is the movie you were talking about?"
"Yes. So what do you say?"
"Sure, I'm game. The characters on the cover do look interesting," she noted with a grin.
He loaded the disc and picked up the remote. After skipping through the long slew of previews and less than helpful features, he arrived at the main menu. Following a few more standard screens, the movie began to start.
To Daniel's surprise Celestia was sitting closer to him than she usually did, though it was quite all right with him. The opening of the movie continued and before long the story began to unfold right before her eyes. She was quite fond of the numerous references to the sun.
At one point Daniel noticed that the sun symbols looked very similar to her cutie marks. Celestia turned to check her flank and had to agree with him.
As Celestia saw how Rapunzel was basically a prisoner in her tower, it began to remind her of her life in Canterlot as ruler of Equestria. Now she did get out of the castle from time to time, but she almost always was escorted by her royal guards, or was going somewhere on business. Quite often, Celestia felt like a prisoner, trapped in the ivory white towers of the royal palace.
The story continued, and had reached the point where Rapunzel and Flynn began seeing the sights of the kingdom and sharing in the festivities.
As Celestia watch the two, she couldn't help but notice something. "Is it me Daniel, or do those two seem to be falling in love rather quickly?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, I don't know. In some ways I guess it would seem to be the case, but with love, you just can never tell," he said gazing over at her thoughtfully.
She smiled and blushed slightly, wondering if he was referring to what might be brewing between both of them. Celestia felt increasingly happy, and slid just a little closer to Daniel.
Then came the following part, Flynn and Rapunzel had just finished their discussion about dreams and then the scene shifted to inside the castle. Celestia noticed the music had grown rather melancholy, just as the king and queen appeared on the screen together. The alicorn stared intently at them both for a moment. Daniel saw her eyes fixed on both of them. "Is something wrong Celestia?" he asked her.
She turned to look at him. "It's silly, but the king and queen, they remind me of my parents. Even though they passed away so very long ago...I still miss them," she answered as her voice began to sound riddled with sorrow.
He looked her way and said, "I know how you feel. My parents have only been gone a few years, and I still miss them both greatly."
She nodded solemnly as she saw the lone tear trail down the king's face. "Awww, look, he's crying...he misses his daughter," Celestia whimpered as her voice started breaking.
Daniel felt his heart sink as he noticed a pair of tears slowly trailing down her elegant face. Not worrying about the implications, he reached over and placed his arms around her. "Awww...Celestia...it's okay. Come here," he spoke tenderly holding her close. She softly nuzzled her head against his chest, realizing he was holding her. The warmth of his embrace comforted her, and began to ease her sorrow. Then she heard him say, "Celestia...you can't miss this!"
She craned her head up from his side and through her teary eyes, caught sight of thousands of lanterns illuminating across the town. "Oh wow!" she gasped. Celestia realized she was still in his caring embrace. She pulled back just enough so she could look up at him. "Daniel..." she began.
"Yes, Celestia."
"Would it be okay if we stayed like this?" she asked, sounding very much like she wanted to remain in his arms.
He smiled at her and leaned his cheek against the left side of her head. Daniel sighed softly, feeling the silky texture of her mane against his cheek. "Of course, especially if it's okay with you," he replied, savoring the heavenly feeling of being so close to her.
Celestia nuzzled him back affectionately, and he knew she was more than fine with it. Daniel felt her hooves come to rest against his chest, while he held her tighter in his arms. They both let out a contented sigh as they turned to focus on the movie. The pivotal song of the movie, "I See the Light"", began playing.
Celestia really perked up, in Daniel's arms, when she heard Rapunzel sing.
(Pause for song's first verse)
She pulled back again, and took a long look at Daniel. He turned his head so that his eyes met hers. A few moments passed and the song's interlude ended. Then they both paid close attention to Flynn's part:
(Pause for song's second verse)
Daniel and Celestia continued looking deep into each other's eyes. Then as the song continued, they listened to it, but ignored the screen.
(Pause for the last of the song)
The last of the lyrics faded out and the last few seconds of the melody played on. Daniel and Celestia just kept gazing into each other's eyes, only now their mouths began slowly moving closer to each other...until their lips met for the first time. They closed their eyes, and for that short moment, they savored the joyful and pleasant sensation it brought them both.
The kiss ended, right as the tone of the background music shifted to a more haunting one. It didn't bother Daniel or Celestia. They merely smiled at each other and remained close, returning their attention to the screen.
Celestia stayed in Daniel's arms as they watched the remainder of the movie. Then came the happy ending, followed by the song that accompanied the end credits. As the song played, one particular part stuck out to Celestia.
(Pause to listen to that part of the song)
A few minutes later, the credits had concluded and Daniel turned off the DVD player. Celestia took the remote from him, using her magic, and set it back on the coffee table. Surprisingly, she was still in his arms, resting her hooves against his chest.
"Celestia," he began.
"Yes, Daniel?"
"Do you have a new dream?" he asked her resting his head against hers.
She sighed softly. "You know, I think I do. How about you?" Celestia asked in return.
He warmly chuckled, and said, "Yes, and I'm glad we both seemed to enjoy that brief...but memorable kiss."
Daniel felt Celestia fidget slightly. "Oh yeah, about that...I wasn't out of line was I?" she asked.
Never," he whispered in her ear. "I wanted it too. We've only known each other for about a week...and yet in this short time...you've already come to mean a great deal to me."
He heard Celestia sigh dreamily. "I'm glad to hear you say that...because you have come to mean a great deal to me as well. Though I'm..." she said trailing off.
"You're not sure just how strong a feeling this is...and aren't sure if it's wise to act on it...right?" Daniel asked, feeling pretty confident he was correct.
"How did you...no wait...I know. You do feel the same way..."
"Yes," he spoke softly in her ear.
"I wanted to say something sooner, but I was..." she paused again.
"You were afraid? I'm not surprised, I was too," he confessed. "So what should we do?"
"Do we have to make any major decisions right now? Can't we just stay like this for a while? I'm sure time will help show us the way...wouldn't you agree?" Celestia asked him with confidence.
He sighed, and said, "Yes, I do agree. And I'd be happy to stay like this...for as long as you like."
"Daniel," she whispered to him.
"Celestia," he quietly replied, kissing her on the head. She let out another dreamy sigh, and nuzzled against him. Then she enjoyed the gentle heaving of his chest as he breathed, while they remained there in a relaxing embrace. They didn't know what the future held for them, but at least they were going to find out together. |
You Brighten My Day | Chapter 5 - "Her Fondest Desire" | *Caution - This chapter contains explicit sexual content involving a human and a pony.
"You Brighten My Day"
Chapter 5 -
"Her Fondest Desire"
The living room was silent as Celestia and Daniel continued to cuddle on the couch. He couldn't remember the last time he felt more at peace. The subtle movements Celestia made, from lightly adjusting her hooves against him, left Daniel feeling indescribably happy.
She let out a contented sigh, and said, "Your breathing is so soothing."
He chuckled at her warmly, under his breath. "Celestia," he uttered quietly. Daniel ran his fingers softly along her silky mane. "Your mane is even softer than I imagined it would be." Tenderly, he nuzzled his cheek against the velvety fur of her cheek, sighing happily.
"Daniel...I'm glad you like it," she whispered, cuddling him in return. Celestia let out a delicate yawn and lightly smacked her lips.
He looked at a nearby clock. It was almost eleven, and the hour was slowly growing late. "Are you tired?" he asked considerately.
She nodded. "Yes."
"Come on then. I'll walk you to your room," he said, removing his arms from around her.
Celestia gradually rose to her hooves. Standing up, she splayed her wings, giving them and her back a good stretch as she let out another yawn. "Oh my goodness. Excuse me," she said, pardoning herself.
He chuckled at her again. "That's quite all right," Daniel replied, placing an arm around her shoulder.
She rested her head against him as they made their way back the short corridor. Arriving at the door to her room, he politely opened it for her. "Here you are Celestia," he spoke with a smile.
"Thank you, Daniel," she replied.
He removed his arm from around her and continued smiling at her. "Oh, would you like to get up early tomorrow, and watch the sun rise?" Daniel inquired thoughtfully.
She smiled grandly at him. "That would be nice...and just imagine...like everyday since my arrival, I won't have to raise the sun," Celestia said with a giggle.
"That's right," he chimed, still smiling.
The alicorn turned on the light to her room. It sure had changed from before. There were no longer heaps of miscellaneous items strewn about the place. The bed was cleared off and neatly made. The nightstand was set up with a small lamp, a box of tissues, and some of her personal items. Celestia's saddlebags were resting on a small chair, and her shoes were now tucked under her bed, and her necklace and tiara were carefully placed on the small dresser.
He stood there at her side, surveying the room with her. "Wow, I didn't think this room would clean up so nice," he mused with a grin. "Sorry it took so long."
Celestia placed a hoof on his shoulder. "As I've told you Daniel, it's fine. I'm happy it's ready, but I understood you needed time to straighten things up," she said reassuringly.
"Thank you Celestia. Well, I guess I'll leave you to sleep," he said.
She smiled thoughtfully at him. Even though he hadn't said it, she knew there was something else on his mind. Just as he turned to leave, she placed her hoof on his shoulder again. "Daniel, is there anything else?" she asked.
Halting his movement, he turned to face her. His cheeks had turned slightly red, causing him to place a nervous hand behind his head. "Now that you mention it," he began. "There is one thing..."
"And what might that be?" she asked with intrigue, leaning her head toward him.
"Could we...share a good night kiss?" he asked sincerely. His glistening brown eyes gazed deep into her twinkling magenta eyes.
"Yes," she happily replied, before even a moment of silence could pass.
Daniel's smile grew as he wrapped his arms around her elegant swanlike neck. Slowly, he leaned in, until his lips pressed affectionately against hers. Celestia closed her eyes and placed her hooves around his shoulders, pulling him toward her. Daniel's eyes fell shut and he gently ran his fingers through her heavenly soft hair. Celestia moaned softly as she pressed her lips harder against his. He shared her compassionate moan, while he moved to embrace her tighter.
Several moments passed, and their lips broke apart. They stood there for a moment, quietly taking in a few breaths. Daniel resumed smiling at her, slowly removing his arms from around her.
Celestia shared his smile, and withdrew her hooves from him. "Good night, Daniel," she bid to him.
He nodded and replied, "Good night, Celestia." Daniel slowly turned and walked down the hall, toward his own room. He looked back a few times, meeting her glance each time, with a smile. Finally, he disappeared into his room, and silently shut the door.
Celestia turned, and entered her new room. She closed the door, and cast out a heavy sigh. While it was nice to finally have a room and proper bed, she found she didn't really desire them. The true irony was that she didn't want to be alone now. But, while they had expressed having feelings for each other, Celestia didn't want to rush things. Though as she walked over to her bed, a myriad of thoughts began consuming her mind.
Using her magic, she turned down the covers, and gracefully laid down. The soft creak of the bedsprings met her ears as she sprawled across the mattress. She let her head sink into the plush pillow, casting out another sigh. Celestia was very happy, but she was left with a wandering mind.
Laying there in bed, she began thinking intently about Daniel. Just how strong were the feelings he had for her? Could she even hope to think they would ever be anything as powerful as...dare she think it...love? Then she began pondering her own feelings for Daniel. She knew in her heart they were sincere, but how deeply did she feel for him?
As she rested in her room, the answers just seemed to escape her. One thing did pop into her mind. A thought that made her cheeks feel warm and flushed. Even if their feelings were still in bloom, what else could be forming between them? She thought back to the two kisses they shared...especially the good night kiss. It had left her feeling tingly, all over. Celestia began feeling a stirring in her loins, a feeling she hadn't felt in quite a long time.
She turned over, facing the wall side of her bed. The feeling in her marehood made her start to wonder what would it be like to share a deeply intimate moment with Daniel. Would he even be interested in doing something like that with her? All Celestia knew was she hadn't been able to find a truly dependable stallion in quite a long time, and she had an itch she desperately longed to have scratched. But she could only speculate if Daniel could help her find the kind of release, she so badly desired. There was of course the implication surrounding the fact that he wasn't a pony. Yet, the more she continued to think about it, the less she seemed to care.
Letting out another sigh, she left her mind wander for a bit more, until if finally began to tire. Her eyes began to grow heavy, and soon she felt them close. Before she fell under sleep's lure, she managed to darken her room. Then she pulled up her covers and allowed herself to drift off.
* * * *
Meanwhile, Daniel had entered his room. He dressed down to his underclothes, and crawled into bed. After setting his glasses on the nightstand, he laid back and let his head hit the pillow. He propped his head under his hands, allowing his eyes to stare endlessly at the ceiling.
He sighed there in his room, under the gentle glow of his nightstand lamp. Sleep seemed all but impossible for him, seeing as his head was besieged by an endless salvo of thoughts...all involving Celestia. Slowly, he turned onto his side and gazed out across his dimly lit room, halting his eyes at a shelf filled with assorted collectibles. He wasn't focusing on anything in particular. In fact the contents of the shelf seemed a blur as his mind continued to race with thought.
He was thrilled that they both shared their feelings for one another, yet Daniel couldn't help but wonder just how deeply Celestia felt for him. That's when he recalled the two kisses they shared and the close to an hour they spent cuddling on the sofa, after watching Tangled.
Daniel felt a little light-headed as he thought back to their cuddling. It was wonderful having her so close. The tenderness of her touch, the warmth of her body, and the sounds of her thoughtful words and relaxing breath, made him sigh heavenly.
While he continued to lay there, Daniel softly touched his fingers to his lips. His mind began focusing on the good night kiss they shared. While the first kiss during the movie was great, Daniel felt such an intensity and passion from Celestia during the second kiss. It seemed clearer to him that her feelings for him were quite strong.
He rolled on his back again, and noticed how invigorated he felt following their kiss. It'd been several years since he last felt such a sensation. Daniel quickly found himself thinking even more about Celestia. Aside from her charming personality, he began to think about her elegant white fur, the slender curves of her body, the beauty of her wings, and of course the inviting texture of her mane and tail. He felt a warmth pool along his face as he began wondering what it might be like to spend time with her as a lover. Even though she wasn't a human, for some unfathomable reason, he found it bothered him less and less. True there was a part of him that sent up a red flag, yet there was something about Celestia that seemed to call to him, in spite of it.
Daniel adjusted on the bed again, and allowed his train of thought to evolve. Come to think of it, he realized he always had an attraction to creatures of fantasy. Admittedly, elves, fairies, angels or girls with wings, and elemental spirits usually bore human-like appearances...nevertheless there was an enchanting quality to Celestia that reminded him of those fictional beings.
He rose from his bed and stepped over to his bookshelf. Daniel searched it for a specific book, then he carefully un-shelved it. Flipping it open, he turned to a page that featured a beautiful white unicorn mare. Naturally, he always had a fondness for unicorns as well. Yet as he stared at the picture of this majestic creature, it hardly evoked the same response he felt, each time he'd rest his eyes on Celestia. While many works of fiction depict unicorns as having the ability to speak, they appear just as a horse with a horn, nothing more. They may be beautiful in a way, but Daniel felt no romantic attraction toward the picture before him. In fact as he pictured Celestia in his mind, he realized she didn't bare the same physical resemblance to any horse he'd seen on Earth. She only bore a similar appearance.
After promptly closing the book, Daniel placed it back in its home on the shelf. He then returned to his bed and lightly flopped back down. He felt more confident, now that he had allayed the concerns echoing in his mind. He smiled as he thought about their kiss, one more time. A yawn escaped his mouth as he pulled up the covers. Turning on his side, he felt his eyes begin to grow heavy, while his chattering mind finally grew silent. It wasn't long before Daniel turned out his light and drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
Celestia awoke. Glancing around her room, she saw it was still dark out. Reaching a hoof over to her nightstand, she made use of the small clock, Daniel had given her. Pressing the snooze bar, the face lit up showing that it was nearing 6am. She smiled, realizing there was still plenty of time till sunrise.
Eagerly, she used her magic to toss back the covers. Rising to her hooves, she turned on the small lamp. She stepped over to the dresser and looked at her mane in the mirror. Her appearance seemed more than presentable. Giggling softly, she turned and made one last change before stepping out of her room. Her course led her to Daniel's room. Celestia figured she'd wake him. Slowly, she approached the door to his room, preparing to open the door with her magic. Before she could grasp the handle, a faint noise from the dinning room met her ears. She turned and followed the sound, feeling a bit puzzled.
Arriving in the dining room, she discovered Daniel standing alone in the darkness by the sliding glass door, bathed in the captivating glow of the moonlight. "Daniel," she uttered.
Recognizing her melodic voice, he turned and greeted her with a kind smile. "Hello Celestia," he responded.
"Hi," she replied. "I was just going to wake you. Though I suppose there's no need to, now. Couldn't you sleep?" she asked.
Daniel shook his head. "No, I slept fine for the most part," he began. "I woke up about half an hour before my alarm. I was excited about watching the sun rise together, and figured it made more sense to get up. While I waited for you, I thought I'd come and enjoy the night sky."
Celestia smiled grandly at him. "So I see," she said walking next to him. "I'm glad you had a good night's rest," she added, making conversation.
"Thank you," he replied with a polite chuckle. "Did you sleep well?"
She nodded. "I slept just fine," Celestia mused.
Daniel turned and made a pleasant discovery. "Hey, you're wearing your jewelry and your shoes. What's the occasion?" he asked in a lighthearted voice.
Celestia closed her eyes and giggled softly. "What, can't a princess look her best?" she replied.
He smiled grandly at her, and took the gambit, placing his hand on her velvety white shoulder. "Of course," Daniel replied. He continued casting his gaze upon her, causing his smile to grow. "You look so beautiful and enchanting, like something out of a wondrous fantasy." She blushed from his flattering words, and moved even closer to him. He chuckled softly, seeing the red in her cheeks. "Did I ever tell you, how cute you look when you blush?"
Celestia turned her head away as she felt her cheeks feel even more flushed. Feeling a little embarrassed, she quickly thought of something to distract him from her cheeks. Staring up at the night sky, she asked, "What were you looking at?"
"Nothing in particular. The moon is still up, and looks to be approaching its last quarter. Oh, and there are some constellations visible from here," he said pointing at a distinct group of stars.
Celestia looked at them, and could see the formation of what looked like a giant ladle. "Oh yes, I see it," she uttered. A renewed smile formed on the pony's lips. Turning her head to look at him, Celestia said, "It's almost time."
"I know. Come on, if we're going to watch this, we should have a good view," Daniel declared, sliding the glass door open.
"Okay," she replied happily.
The two stepped outside onto the back patio. They were met by the warm caress of the night air. Despite the lingering mugginess and faded warm of the previous day, there was just a hint of a nip in the air.
Celestia felt a brief shiver roll up her spine. "Ooh, hard to believe it's going to be another scorcher today," she noted.
Daniel nodded. "Tell me about it. Come on," he said.
The two walked out across the backyard, passing the two maple trees. They halted their steps just beyond the garden, where there was a beautiful view of the horizon, beyond the surrounding houses and gentle rolling hills.
Daniel looked out and smiled. "Look there Celestia," he said. "You can just make out the faint change in the sky."
She joined him in looking and saw the same sight, after focusing for a few moments. "Oh, there...I see it!" she replied with building enthusiasm. Daniel chuckled contently at her response, while Celestia moved closer to him.
"Celestia," he said.
"Yes?"
"Would it be okay, if I did this?" he asked placing his right arm around her.
She sighed quietly, and leaned her head against him. "It's perfect," she uttered back. Daniel sighed, as he rested his head beside hers. Celestia smiled, turning her eyes to toward the breaking dawn. She pointed a hoof forward and declared, "Look, Daniel! It's starting!"
He moved his eyes to join hers, and just creeping over the horizon came the familiar glow of the sun. A few moments passed, and the majestic orb began slowly rising into the sky. As it rose, the morning sky became ablaze with the hue of a fiery red glow, slowly casting aside the deep blues and dark purples of the night.
As the two stood there, close together, Daniel tightened his arm around Celestia. "Ahhh," he sighed, allowing himself to be enveloped into the quiet serenity of morning.
Celestia gently nuzzled against him, casting out a happy sigh. "The sunrise on Earth...it...it's so beautiful," she spoke, her words teaming with joy.
He chuckled softly at her energetic words, and nuzzled her back. "You're right...but you know something, Celestia?" Daniel inquired thoughtfully.
She adjusted her head, so that her cheek brushed softly along his. "And what's that, Daniel?" she replied, the proximity of her cheek to his allowed Daniel to feel the gentle vibration from her spoken words.
"The sunrise is even more wonderful...having someone special to share it with," he answered fondly, rubbing his cheek against hers.
A dreamy sigh slipped over Celestia's lips, causing her to cuddle him back. She let out a faint giggle, and finally said, "You're right. I've always wanted to share the beauty of a sunrise...with someone special."
"Me too," he uttered. The two stood there, continuing to watch the sun rise up into the sky. Gradually the brilliant blue of day began to spread across the sky as the dawn chased away the ever-fading shroud of night.
Several minutes passed, and the two remained close together, watching the birth of a new day.
"Would you like to go inside and help me fix breakfast...or would you like to stand her for a little longer?" Daniel asked.
"We can go prepare breakfast. But this was really wonderful," she admitted.
"Then we'll have to do it again sometime," Daniel mused, giving her a warming smile.
"Oh, and perhaps we could sit out some night and watch the stars," she proposed.
"That would be wonderful. Though, we will need to check the weather report," he added.
"How come?"
"Oh, that's right. The pegasi tend to the weather on your world. On my world, a red morning sky is often a sign of impending bad weather. It reminds me of the old saying, "Red at morning, sailors take warning." Something my father told me long ago. He was a real weather buff," Daniel mused.
"Well then, we'll be sure to keep an eye on the weather. Oh, but Daniel, what happens if the sky is red at night?" Celestia questioned.
Daniel snickered. "Well the saying for that is, "Red at night, sailors' delight." Maybe I should have said that with the other one," he noted, still chuckling.
Celestia giggled at him. "Perhaps. Now, let's go back inside. I can already feel the heat building. Your air conditioning is going to spoil me," she remarked.
He chuckled at her as they arrived at the patio. Daniel slid open the patio door. "So what would you like for breakfast? I'm thinking eggs would nice," he said.
"Sounds delightful," she replied.
Daniel snickered again. "Say, you wouldn't happen to like your eggs, sunny-side-up? Would you?"
"Actually I do, but I'm more partial to scrambled," she giggled, then adding, "But sunny-side-up would be nice for something different."
"Okay then," he said, letting her enter first, then following close behind her.
* * * *
After enjoying a tasty breakfast, Celestia helped Daniel clean up. Once the kitchen had been tended to, they made their way into the living room. He passed the environmental controls. Checking the thermometer, which displayed the temperature outside the house as well as inside, he noted it was getting warmer already.
"Wow, it's already 82 outside," he noted. "There we go, that should keep us cool," he added.
She smiled at him, as the central air unit kicked on, adding a renewed refreshing chill to the air. "So what would you like to do now, Daniel?" she asked, quickly popping in her room, to drop off her shoes and jewelry.
She promptly returned to the living, waiting for his reply. He placed a hand on his chin and gave the matter some thought. There were a number of things that sprang to mind, but he didn't want to rush things with Celestia, so he opted for an alternative he knew she'd enjoy. He smiled at her, and walked over to the TV. "Would you like to continue where we left off with Lunar?" he asked.
Celestia's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Since starting it Friday night, she had quickly grown to love the story of this particular game. "I'd love to!" she replied excitedly. She eagerly flopped down on the comfy cushions of the sofa, and waited for him to power up the TV and the PS2.
He brought the cordless controller over, sitting closely beside her. Daniel skipped to the "Continue" screen, so he could load their saved game. The title theme continued to play as he turned to face Celestia. "Are you ready?" he asked.
To his surprise, Celestia moved closer to him and drew him into a hug. "Do you mind if we sit close for a bit and enjoy the sweet melody from the title screen?" she asked.
He smiled, placing his arms around her. There was no way he could say no, even if Daniel had wanted to, which he clearly didn't. "Not at all," he replied softly.
Celestia sighed contently as the music played on. A few minutes went by, and then she finally said, "Okay, let's see what awaits Alex, Luna and the rest of their friends."
Daniel sat up, and chuckled at her. "Okay," he replied, remaining close to her. In a few moments, the game loaded and the familiar tune of Burg filled the room.
A good hour went by, and Celestia and Daniel had reached the point in the story where the suave and somewhat arrogant Nash joined Alex and his friends. Though he did come in packing some useful magic, which was a good thing too, seeing as the game's first boss decided to make its slimy entrance, about half an hour later.
"Daniel, what the heck is that thing?" Celestia inquired.
"Oh it's the...umm, oh let me check the strategy guide," Daniel grumbled, annoyed that he forgot the creature's name. He popped up off the sofa and quickly trekked to the shelf housing his player's guides. "Here we go," he said picking it up. Promptly, he returned and flopped beside Celestia. Opening he book, he found the right spot. "Oh that's right, it's called the Saline Slimer. And that nasty thing has close to 1,000 hit points, not to mention it can heal itself for 100 HP every turn."
Celestia gave Daniel a puzzled look. "Hmmm, sounds like a challenge...let me have the controller," she replied.
Daniel grinned as he handed her the controller, "Okay. Let that thing have it!"
She looked at him and winked. "Don't worry, I will," she said with a sinister chuckle.
The battle raged on between Alex's party and the vicious sea monster. Celestia's party was on the ropes, but she wasn't out of tricks yet. "Come on, know when to fall you foul demon!" she bellowed.
"At least it didn't trap Alex in it's, ugh, mucus. Oh and thank goodness Luna used that healing spell when she did," Daniel cheered.
"Yes. But, I think it's time we ended this!" Celestia declared. "Now taste Nash's Thunder Bomb, and another of Alex's Sword Dances." The two attacks were issued and promptly carried out by Nash and Alex. The beast shrugged off yet another hit of Thunder Bomb, but as Alex slashed his blade furiously into the beast, the resulting hit did the trick. The boss vanished like so many monsters before it, followed promptly by the boss battle victory music!
"Celestia, you did it!" he declared excitedly.
She giggled. "Yes, and I couldn't have done it without your tips."
He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. "Happy to be of help," he uttered.
Following the victory against the Saline Slimer, Daniel and Celestia continued playing on. Alex and his friends had boarded a ship, and started their voyage to the harbor city of Meribia. A few minor events had taken place on board the ship, but then the scene arrived where Alex and Nall were searching the deck of Hispaniola for Luna. They found her up in the ship's crow's nest.
Celestia turned to Daniel, and asked, "Why is Luna in the crow's nest?"
"She went up there to think. Now just watch...you don't want to miss this next scene!" he noted excitedly.
A cut-scene began to play, and a truly lovely melody started to play. Celestia sat there with her eyes keyed on the TV screen. Then the game's lead heroine, Luna, began singing a beautiful ballad.
As the scene continued to unfold, Celestia felt the urge to slide closer to Daniel. She looked back up just as Luna released the firefly she was holding, and continued her song.
(pause to listen to the last of the song or watch the linked video of the scene)
The cut-scene came to an end, and Celestia smiled, deeply moved by the song's lyrics. She leaned softly against Daniel, resting her head on his shoulder. He turned and smiled at her, placing his arm around her. She gazed at him with her magenta eyes. "That was a beautiful song," she spoke, taking a deep breath and exhaling into a sigh.
Daniel rested his head along hers. "It is a wonderful song. It's part of the reason I love this game so much," he replied.
The song made Celestia think about a question she had been meaning to ask Daniel. Turning to him again, she said, "Daniel, can we take a break from playing Lunar? I'd like to talk, if you don't mind."
He smiled at her. "Of course not. Their ship is pulling into Meribia anyway, so I'll stop by a statue of Althena, to heal and then save our game," Daniel replied thoughtfully. She smiled as he took care of saving the game. He then stood and turned off the TV and game system.
Daniel set the game controller on top of the PS2. "So what did you want to talk about?" he asked, slowly walking back to rejoin her on the couch.
Celestia sat up and looked over at him. "Well...I've been wanting to ask you. Daniel," she began.
"Yes?"
"Have you ever been in love...or perhaps I should be more specific. Have you been in love lately?" Celestia inquired. There was a slight hesitation in her voice. Daniel turned, focusing his eyes on her, though he didn't say anything. He simply remained silent as she could see a multitude of thought swirl within his eyes. She felt a momentary wave of nervousness, then she said, "Forgive me for being so forward. It's just something we've never discussed before...I was curious." Celestia lowered her head, wondering if it would have been better not to bring this up. Her eyes widened as she felt his hand gently touch her shoulder. She turned to see him smiling.
"It's quite all right, Celestia," Daniel replied. He let out a quiet sigh, before continuing, "It's been oh...at least six years since there was someone special in my life. I don't want to bore you with details. For a time we were deeply in love and I thought it would never end. Then, almost overnight, she began to change. Before I knew it, she wasn't the same person anymore. To this day...I still don't know what happened. She went from being so open and honest to bottling up everything and endlessly picking fights with me. I asked her over and over what I had done wrong, but she never gave me a straight answer."
Celestia looked at him, her eyes flowing with sympathy. "I'm sorry Daniel. I didn't mean to pry," she apologized.
He shook his head. "No, it's fine. In light of the feelings we have for each other, it's only natural that we'd end up talking about this. But...what about you? Have you been in love with anyone, recently?"
Celestia sighed, shaking her head. "Not recently," she answered. After pausing to recall the thoughts of her past, she looked back at Daniel. "It was quite a few centuries ago...he was a wonderful unicorn stallion...as well as a member of my royal guard. He was the first one who ever loved me for who I was...and didn't want to be with me, simply because I was princess and could grant him special status. He was warm, and caring...and even made me laugh. In some ways Daniel, you remind me of him," she explained.
Daniel sat there watching her with silent awe. Then moving closer to her, he asked, "So what happened to him?"
"Well, unicorns don't live as long as alicorns, but back then it didn't matter to me. I was happy to spend as much time as I could with him. Then one day, a fiendish demon attacked Equestria..." Celestia paused as the memories came flooding into her mind, bringing the events of her past to life. Her head and ears dropped as she closed her eyes. "He valiantly saved my life from that horrible monster and succeeded in slaying it, only to become mortally wounded in the process. I held him in my hooves as the life bled out of him. Even in his final moments...he continued professing his undying love for me," she said softly. Celestia craned her head up, and let out a woeful sigh as a solitary tear rolled down her elegant white cheek.
Daniel bit his lower lip, and felt his heart tighten within his chest. It longed to reach out to her. "Celestia...I," but his words were interrupted, seeing as she hadn't finished.
"I wept for weeks after he passed. His presence made it much more bearable for me to watch over Canterlot, during my sister's absence. It's been hard all the centuries that followed, while I continued to rule alone. There haven't been any special ponies in my life...since him. All the others that followed ended up like the rest before him. Only wanting me for their own personal reasons, not because they cared deeply about me," she said, sighing once more, her voice nearly breaking.
Daniel placed his hand on her back and gently rubbed it between her wings, along her velvety fur. "Oh, Celestia," he said, a notable deepening in his own breathing.
"It's not easy ruling alone. True my sister has returned, but I can't burden her with my troubles. Still...everypony always looks to me for advice and guidance, when they are in doubt," Celestia remarked. Then turning her head toward Daniel, she said, "If everyone looks to me for advice...then who do I turn to when I am in doubt? Who..." Celestia's words broke, and her lower lip began to quiver as she unsuccessfully fought back a series of sobs. She began crying and sobbing loudly, as if a dam she had in place finally burst following the timeless trial of holding back the torrent of her emotions.
Daniel moved closer to her and placed his arms securely around her and pulled her close. "Come here, Celestia," he softly uttered, with a distinct quiver present in his own voice. She buried her head against his chest and continued to cry. Daniel held her as closely and as tightly as he could. Reaching up his left hand, he tenderly caressed her silky mane, hoping to bring her some comfort. "It's okay...I'm...h-h-here," he said as his own voice broke, and he felt his face become framed by newly fallen tears, trailing to the base of his neck.
Celestia cried for several minutes, and finally calmed after Daniel gently kissed her head. She began to feel comforted by his presence and caring gestures. He continued to caress her mane, while she slowly lifted her head, and began nuzzling him. Celestia noticed a dampness other than her own tears along her cheek. Pulling back, she looked at Daniel and saw the tear stains along his eyes. "Daniel?" she uttered.
"Yeah," he replied, giving her the best smile he could manage.
"Why are you crying?" she asked.
Daniel adjusted his arms around her and pulled her close. "Because, your story was so sad, and then you started to cry. Whenever a lady cries...it just stirs a...I don't know, a compassion within me. So many times I had to hold my ground, but in light of our feelings, I finally had a chance to offer my support. I couldn't just sit there and let you cry," he said shaking his head.
Celestia smiled, and placed her hooves around him. "Oh, Daniel!" she cried out in joy.
He sighed contently, squeezing her in his arms. Then the two heard her stomach growl. They pulled back and shared a chuckle at her growling belly. Daniel checked the nearby clock. "Wow, it's after twelve already. No wonder your stomach is grumbling. Why don't we go make some lunch?" he suggested.
Celestia leaned against him, then looking up at him she smiled. "That sounds great," she replied.
The two sat there for a moment longer. She was deeply touched by his compassion, and he in turn was delighted that she felt comfortable enough to open up to him.
After a few minutes, the two of them stood up and went out to the kitchen. There, they happily prepared lunch together.
* * * *
Celestia and Daniel finished lunch, since they had just made sandwiches there was no real mess to clean up. He looked over at her. "I was just thinking. We don't really have anything for dessert with dinner tonight. You wouldn't want to help me bake a cake...would you?" he asked.
She smiled over at him. "Sure, I'd love to. Oh, but what type of cake should we bake?" Celestia inquired, placing a hoof to her chin.
"Well, I don't want to brag, but I know how to make a really great chocolate cake with a delicious peanut butter frosting," he answered, giving her a big smile.
"Sounds tasty. I just hope you aren't like the bakers, back at Canterlot. They never seem to put enough peanut butter in the frosting," she noted.
"Then, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," he said, rising from his chair.
Celestia rose to join him, only she walked up closely to him. She placed her hoof on his cheek and kissed him tenderly on the lips. A few seconds passed, and she pulled back. Daniel looked at her half-dumbfounded. She giggled at him. "That was for being so kind, when I was crying," Celestia said, continuing to smile.
She went to retract her hoof, but Daniel gently latched onto it with his hand. He softly caressed it with his other hand. "I could hardly have done otherwise, my heart wouldn't have let me. I really care about you Celestia," he professed, feeling his cheeks turn slightly flushed.
Celestia blushed, as she reclaimed her hoof. "I know. I care deeply about you. Now come on," she said pointing her head toward the kitchen. "That cake isn't going to bake itself." She looked back at him, with what he could almost swear was a "come hither" look. Shaking his head, Daniel figured it might have been his imagination.
Upon entering the kitchen, Daniel went to one of the lower cupboards and removed a large glass mixing bowl. "Now let me see. We'll need the dry and wet measuring cups," he remarked. "Do you know where those are?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I've gotten quite familiar with your kitchen. Each time I did the dishes, I made sure to carefully find where you had everything. That and I started getting a feel for things, every time you let me help you make a meal," she said fondly.
"Okay, why don't you get those for me, please. Oh, and it'd be a good idea if I got out the recipe," he snickered. Daniel walked over by the sink and found the little tin box he stored his recipes in. Opening it, he flipped through, until he found the right one. "Here we go!" He placed the card by the mixing bowl, and saw that Celestia had already brought the large mixing spoon and both types of measuring cups. Daniel smiled at her. "Thank you, Celestia," he uttered, giving her a big smile.
"You're welcome," she replied, sharing his smile. "What do we need first?"
"Let's see..." he began. Daniel showed the recipe to Celestia, and together they began gathering all the ingredients. He removed his electric mixer and added the sugar, butter and vegetable shortening. Then he began creaming them together. As he worked on that step, Celestia beat two eggs in a coffee mug and added a teaspoon of vanilla.
She cheerfully added the eggs and vanilla to the slowly growing batter. Taking a rubber scrapper, Daniel wiped the sides of the bow as he continued mixing. He paused and looked for the milk and the sifter, filled with the flour, cocoa, and leavening agents. Before he had to search long, she pushed the glass measuring cup, filled with milk, over to him, and then used her magic to gently set the sifter and its contents on the other side of the bowl. "Looking for those?" she asked, lightly butting her forehead against his.
Daniel couldn't resist smiling as he gently caressed her cheek. "Yes, thank you, Celestia," he chimed with delight.
"Anytime," she said, standing close to him.
He moved the sifter to join the milk. "Here, would you add some of the dry ingredients...my dear," he said completely forgetting himself. Only a few seconds went by, before he realized what he had said. Daniel placed his hand over his mouth, turning to face her.
Celestia greeted him with an affection look, conveying that she liked what he'd called her. "Of course," she said, using her magic to add some of the dry ingredients.
It wasn't long, before the cake batter was completed. Daniel checked it one more time, making sure all the ingredients had been added. "Okay, it looks like we're ready to put this in the oven," he stated with a nod.
"Good, oh, here's the cake pan, all greased and ready to go," Celestia chirped jubilantly.
"Thank you Celestia. Those chefs back in Canterlot don't know what they're missing, not letting you help them. You're a treat to have in the kitchen," Daniel mused.
"Awww...I'm not really that big of a help," she replied, feeling her cheeks turn red.
"Don't be so modest," he replied slowly scrapping the batter into the cake pan. Once it was ready, he placed it in the pre-heated oven. "I think I'll use the timer on the microwave for this," he concluded. "Now would you like to lick the bowl or perhaps one of the beaters?"
Using her magic, Celestia floated one of the beaters over to her mouth. "I'll just enjoy one of the beaters," she replied.
Daniel began cleaning the other beater, trying not let any of the batter drip onto his shirt. He glanced up to see if she was enjoying the batter. She reached her tongue out and slowly slid it up the dull blades of the beater, catching the drops of runny chocolate, before they could fall. Not wanting to stare, he finished his beater and then started to work on pushing the rubber scrapper along the batter remnants, still clinging to the bowl.
Celestia had finished her beater, and softly set it on the counter beside the other one. Daniel looked up at her, clearing his mouth so he could speak. There was still a bit of clingy batter, hanging along the sides of the bowl. "Are you sure you don't want some? I hardly want to be greedy," he said.
She smiled, walking closer to him. He reached in one of the drawers, and promptly retrieved another scrapper. "Um, here, you can use this one, it's not been licked off," Daniel said thoughtfully.
Celestia smiled sweetly at him, using her magic to take the other one loosely gripped in his hand. "That's okay, I don't mind using this one," she said in a lighthearted voice. Carefully, she scooped up some of the drippy chocolate, bringing it to her waiting mouth. Celestia ran her tongue along the rubber surface, allowing the batter to collect. She swallowed the flavorful confection and smacked her lips. "Mmm, I haven't done something like this in too long. Thank you Daniel, for letting me help you," she said graciously.
"Anytime Celestia, you know I enjoy cooking with you," Daniel replied, affectionately running his hand along her mane. She looked at him with joyful eyes. "Well, we'd best clean up," he added.
She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Okay," she replied. "We'll have what, a little over half an hour till the cake will be ready?"
"Uh...yeah," Daniel said, feeling invigorated form her brief peck on his cheek. She giggled at him, as they began cleaning the kitchen.
* * * *
While they waited on the cake, the two picked up with their game of Lunar. Before long, the microwave beeped, and the cake was ready. Daniel told Celestia it should be ready to frost after dinner. Checking the time they saw there was still a few hours till supper, so he thought this would be a good time to show her his computer, and introduce her to the wonders of the Internet.
Celestia remained standing at his side, following a brief but informative crash course on how to use his computer. He began acquainting her with his web browser, Firefox, and the various websites he would often frequent.
She placed an intrigued hoof to her chin. "The Internet seems quite incredible. It's a vast collection of information, and a place where people can communicate with each other and share a wide variety of things," Celestia noted.
"That's a good way of putting it in a nutshell, but yes. There are even places known as online communities. I have friends on a variety of sites from all over the world. Though, sadly distance prevents us from interacting in person," he said to his dismay. "Anyway, you can use the Internet to learn more about Earth. The possibilities are nearly endless."
Celestia was thrilled that she could use the Web to learn more about his world, but there was suddenly a more pressing thought on her mind. "Daniel, do you have any friends around here? I've been meaning to ask more about it. I remember you said there are some people you hang out with," she noted.
He retracted his hands from the mouse and keyboard and sat back in his computer chair. Daniel let out a lengthy sigh before finally saying, "Not like I used to. I haven't seen many of my friends since I moved here."
"How come?" she asked, resting a caring hoof on his shoulder.
"Well, many of them no longer feel like driving the distance to visit. That and a number of my friends have moved on with their lives. They've settled down and started families. Even my best friend rarely stops by anymore," he explained.
"Not even your best friend?"
Daniel sighed again, shaking his head. "No. In addition to him no longer stopping by that much, all he seemed to want to do when we did hang out...was go to bars and drink. He used to be the truest of all my friends. Now, he's become a drinker...and is slowly ruining his liver. And why, you might wonder? All because he desperately wants to meet a girl," Daniel snidely remarked. "In the past ten years, I've asked out more girls than he has. And while I don't mind having a drink once in a while, I just don't think a bar is the sort of place you can find a girl to have a meaningful relationship with." He shook his head again, realizing just how much his life had changed over the past few years alone. "So, to answer your question...that's what happened to my friends from around the area. We've all gone our separate ways." For a moment he seemed to shift to a glum state. Then he perked up and smiled at Celestia. "Though, I don't feel so lonely anymore...not since I met you. It's been quite a thrill coming home to find you waiting at the door, for me," Daniel beamed.
She leaned down and nuzzled him. "I know what you mean. It's been a long time since I've felt as happy as I am now," Celestia mused.
"Well, go ahead and have a seat," Daniel said, getting up, and pulling back the chair.
"Okay," she replied, sitting her rump against the chair.
Celestia enjoyed checking out a number of sites showing things she wanted to know about Earth, such as its scenic wonders, and how it's seasons were similar to those in Equestria. She also enjoyed chatting with Daniel and learning more about what he knew of his own world.
Once 5PM rolled around, the two stopped for dinner. She happily joined him in the kitchen, and together they prepared another wonderful meal.
* * * *
Following dinner, the two cleaned up, and prepared to make the frosting for the cake. Celestia and Daniel gathered everything they needed, then in a matter of minutes, the icing was just about mixed.
Daniel ran the electric mixer through the sugary confection. He stopped the device, and turned to Celestia. "Uh, I think we may need some more milk," he noted with a grin, lifting the mixer from the bowl. There was a large glob of frosting clinging to one of the beaters.
Celestia chuckled, placing a hoof over her mouth. "Oh my. Let met add a little more," she said. Employing her magic, she gripped the milk jug in an orange glow. Carefully, she poured a little more into the bowl. "Do you think that's enough?"
"Yeah," Daniel answered with a nod. "That should do." He inserted the mixer back into the bowl of gooey frosting. Gradually he sped up the appliance, noticing the frosting taking on a smoother more uniform texture. Daniel mixed for a few more minutes, then he slowed the device, mindfully clearing the beaters, and making sure the icing didn't fly out of the bowl. He set the mixer down, and then like all good chefs, he dipped his finger in the side of the bowl, sampling the frosting. "Mmm, that's perfect!" he asserted, with an approving nod.
"May I try some?" Celestia asked in a very cute manner.
Daniel couldn't help but smile at her. "Sure," he uttered, dipping his other index finger into the frosting. "Tell me what you think," Daniel said, presenting his frosting covered finger.
Celestia stepped closer to him. Carefully, she studied the tasty lump of frosting, clinging to his finger. She slowly opened her mouth, and lightly extended her tongue. Gently she brushed her tongue across his finger, scooping up the incredibly peanut buttery frosting. The taste immediately danced across her taste buds. "Mmm, that is delicious!" she declared, upon swallowing the icing.
"I was hoping you'd like it," he said, giving her an even warmer smile.
She chuckled, then she noticed Daniel was still holding his finger up, and there was just a little frosting still clinging to it. Celestia licked her lips, fancying another little taste of that wonderful confection. She leaned front again and this time, she very slowly licked the frosting from his finger, savoring every flavorful swipe.
Daniel momentarily froze as he watched her clean his finger with her tongue. He couldn't stop his cheeks from blushing, while he continued following her movements. Celestia drew in her tongue, and swallowed the last tiny bits of frosting she managed to snatch from his finger. She smiled contently, and momentarily closed her eyes. Then as she opened them, she looked over at Daniel. She saw him standing there, and quickly recalled how she let herself get a little carried away. Celestia also hadn't realized just how intimate an act that was. She coyly drew back her head, joining him in blushing. "Daniel...I," she stammered.
He walked up to her and placed his un-licked hand along her white velvety cheek. "It's okay Celestia. I just didn't expect you to lick my finger like that," he said sheepishly.
"I think I may have just gotten a little carried away. Though you were right, that was a very yummy frosting. The cooks at Canterlot could learn something from you," she mused, cleverly changing the subject.
"Yeah, well I'd better frost this. Then we can wait till our dinner settles before we have dessert," Daniel mused.
"Okay. Once you're done, we can get back to checking out the Internet," Celestia suggested.
"That'd be great," he replied, coating the cake with the contents of the bowl.
* * * *
It was a little after 7:30. Celestia had continued checking out sites dedicated to the various scenic wonders of Earth. She was completely oblivious that Daniel had stepped out of the room. A gasp leaped from her mouth, as she stumbled onto a website housing a collection of pictures taken from various waterfalls all across the planet. "Daniel, you have to see these! They're beautiful!" she said. There was no reply from him. Turning in the chair, she noticed he wasn't in his room. "Daniel, where are you?" she called.
"I'll be right there, I went to get something!" he called back.
"Okay!" she responded, turning back to stare at the beautiful images of enchanting waterfalls. Celestia heard some quiet clatter, followed by random footsteps. She began to grow a little annoyed waiting for Daniel. Softly, she started tapping her right hoof on the computer desk.
A few minutes passed, and the door slowly started to push open. "Sorry about that," he said.
"Well it's about time you..." Celestia froze in mid sentence as she saw Daniel enter the room. Her mouth fell open, in response to what he was carrying. Daniel was holding a small round serving tray, containing two modest pieces of cake, each accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Too her surprise, one of the pieces had a green and white burning candle, shaped like the number "1". "Daniel," she gasped, "What's all this?"
He smiled as he continued entering the room. "You were busy checking out those websites, so I figured I'd prepare our dessert," Daniel answered.
"But what's the candle for? It's not my birthday," she noted.
Daniel chuckled, and said, "I know, but tonight is still a special night. It's been a little over a week since you got here. This might seem like a bit much, but I wanted to do something nice for you...especially since you were feeling a little blue before lunch."
Suddenly, Celestia lost all interest in waterfalls. She rose from the desk chair and walked over to him. Her magenta eyes glistened in the soft light from a glaze of freshly formed tears. "Awww...Daniel, that's so sweet," she said smiling happily at him.
He smiled back at her. "Here, blow out the candle and make a wish," Daniel said, offering her the plate with her piece of cake and the candle.
Celestia gently wiped her hoof across her eyes. "Okay," she replied. Then, continuing to smile, she moved toward the plate. She licked her lips, and closed her eyes for a moment. After nodding, she blew out the candle. The flame whisked out, replaced by a faint trail of smoke, rising up from the glowing embers on the candle's wick.
"Did you make a wish?" he asked.
Celestia used her magic to set her piece of cake back on the tray. Then she set the tray down on his dresser. She returned her glistening eyes to him. "I didn't need to...it's already coming true," she said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. Daniel felt himself starting to get a little choked up. Seeing the look in his expressive brown eyes, Celestia moved closer and gave him a big hug. "Thank you Daniel," she declared with a voice overflowing with gratitude.
He returned her hug, and softly grunted. "You're very welcome, Celestia," Daniel replied. As they continued to hug, he deeply inhaled, and noticed that heavenly scent, which always seemed to cling to her. "Celestia, I've been meaning to ask you..."
"Yes, Daniel?"
"What is that delightful fragrance you always seem to be wearing?" he asked.
She giggled softly. "That's just my perfume. I have some in my saddlebags. It's made from the nectar and blossoms of the Solaris Rose. They can be found growing in many places across Equestria," Celestia explained.
Daniel smiled. "The scent certainly suits you," he commented, lightly caressing her mane.
"Daniel," she sighed. "I'm glad you like it." She spied their dessert, resting on the dresser. They pulled apart, and she smiled at him. "Come on, we'd better eat our dessert, before the ice cream melts," Celestia mused.
"Yeah," he said gazing deep into her eyes.
They sat together on his bed, holding their plates. Daniel waited eagerly for her to take a bite of the cake. Her neck flexed softly as she swallowed the first spoonful. Celestia smacked her lips, and savored the bold flavor of the frosting, followed by the moist chocolatey taste of the cake. "Mmm!" she expressed. "Daniel, this cake is delicious. You weren't kidding!"
"I was really hoping you'd like it," he replied, gazing at her happily.
They continued enjoying the dessert, and once they had finished, Celestia asked him to join her at the computer. She thrilled in sharing the breath-taking images of the waterfalls. He told her that he really loved waterfalls, and that he always regarded them as a thing of beauty. She told him that her world boasted a number of enchanting ones, she knew he'd enjoy. Then he suggested that some weekend they could travel to some of the nearby waterfalls, that way she could see some in person. Celestia marveled at the idea.
They spent a few more hours together, enjoying the wonderful images of waterfalls and chatting, before calling it a night.
* * * *
Even though Daniel and Celestia were growing closer with each passing day, they were still leery about rushing things too much, so they decided to sleep in their own rooms. As ten o'clock rolled around, neither one found themselves remotely close to slumber. Daniel's mind was consumed with thoughts of her, and Celestia fared no better.
He laid there on his bed, feeling a strong unyielding pull to her. Daniel didn't want to spend another night alone, not when she was only a matter of feet from him. Part of him still felt a little hesitant, but his heart cried out for him to go to her, no matter what the night would yield. The idea alone of being with her offered to quell his unrelenting anxiety.
Finally, after having had enough of mentally debating the matter, Daniel sat up in his bed, turned to the side and placed his bare feet on the soft carpeted floor. He was going to see her!
Then, as Daniel went to stand up, he heard a faint tapping at his door. A familiar orange glow encompassed the knob, turning it as the door slowly opened. Celestia quietly entered his room. "Daniel," she spoke. Looking over at his bed, she saw him gazing back at her.
"Celestia," he said, giving her a delighted smile. Daniel reached over, put on his glasses, and turned on his nightstand lamp. A gentle glow illuminated the room, allowing them to see each other more clearly.
She walked over to his bed, using her magic to shut the door behind her. "Can't you sleep either?" she asked standing before him.
He shook his head. "No, in fact, I was just about to go see you," he replied.
Celestia smiled at him. "You were?"
Daniel rose to his feet and placed his left hand on her slender shoulder. He gazed deeply into her magenta eyes, while she stared back in quiet awe, awaiting his reply. Again, he smiled. "Yes...I can't bear the thought of spending another night without you...especially when you're only a few rooms away," he answered.
Celestia blushed from his touching words, momentarily lowering her head. Then, as she raised it to glimpse his eyes, she smiled. "I'm glad to hear you say that...because I missed you...even though we've spent most of the last two days together...I don't want to be parted from your side, tonight. In fact, that's why I wasn't in a hurry for you to finish cleaning your spare room," she confessed.
"Oh, Celestia," Daniel said, feeling a profound warmth in his heart. He tenderly placed his right hand along her cheek, caressing its velvety texture.
She lightly nuzzled his hand, savoring his caring touch. "Daniel..." she uttered softly. "It's been so long...since someone touched me this affectionately. It's just like the way you stroked my mane last night, during our good night kiss." He kept his eyes focused intently on her beautiful face. Again, Celestia rubbed against his hand. "You don't know how badly I wanted to come to you last night. My mind swirled with nearly a thousand different thoughts, all about you...just like tonight," she admitted, with a sigh.
Daniel continued gingerly stroking her cheek. "I know how you feel. Part of me wanted to go to you last night as well...but I was afraid of rushing things," he revealed, still running his hand along Celestia's cheek.
She smiled at him again, her eyes glistening in the pale lamp light. Celestia leaned against him and said, "Hold me, please."
Daniel couldn't possibly deny her. He tenderly embraced her, and held her close. "I have you, Celestia, I have you," he whispered.
"Don't let me go, Daniel," she pleaded with a sigh.
"Never...I'll never let you go," Daniel replied, sounding a little choked up. He held her tightly, gently squeezing her in his arms, resting his head against hers. "Stay with me tonight...I don't want to leave your side either." He sighed softly, running his fingers deftly through her heavenly mane.
Celestia sighed and whimpered, savoring his gentle caress of her mane. Slowly, she moved and placed her hooves on his chest. Her eyes stared dreamily at him as an endearing smile curled up on her lips. Daniel shared her affectionate look, while his fingers continued to dance through her mane. He moved his hand to rest under her chin. A rosy glow encompassed her cheeks as he leaned in to kiss her. Celestia let out a delicate moan, feeling every ounce of tenderness pour out over his lips as he pressed them firmly against hers.
Her hooves moved from his chest, encircling his neck, drawing him nearer to her, while he held her securely, in his loving embrace. Feeling emboldened by his gesture, she tightened her grip on him and pressed her lips back in kind, hoping he could feel the affection and desire she felt for him. Another moan muffled its way past her lips, adding to her growing pleasure.
Daniel sighed and moaned tenderly, in response to her excitement. He felt an incredible amount of bliss, causing him to move his hand back to her mane, in response to her added affections.
A few more moments passed, and the kiss ended. Daniel and Celestia stood there for a moment, trying to catch their breath. Softly, he stroked her mane again. She placed her hoof along his cheek, and smiled. "That was wonderful," she expressed, looking at him half-eyed
He chuckled softly. "I couldn't resist the lure of your lips any longer, and felt overcome with desire. I long for you, Celestia," Daniel professed.
She sighed, leaning against him. "You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that...because I want you Daniel. I've been wanting you," Celestia confessed.
"I'm glad. Since Friday, I've been yearning to caress your captivating curves, wondering what it would be like to spend a night of passion with you," he spoke in a sincere voice.
Celestia employed her bedroom eyes, smiling seductively at him. "Then, why don't we find out...that is...if you don't mind our being from different worlds," she replied.
He shook his head. "Our bodies may be somewhat different, but why should we deny the growing feelings and desires in our hearts?" Daniel asked in an almost profound voice.
"I can't think of a reason," she replied, with a strong yearning in her voice. Celestia secured her hooves around him, and kissed him deeply on the lips, casting out a gentle moan of pure desire. Daniel, placed his arms around her elegant neck, and returned the intensity of her kiss.
They moved closer to his bed, slowly sitting on the side, still sharing a tender lip embrace. As their desire continued to mount, Celestia wanted the kiss to become even deeper. She opened her mouth and lightly prodded her tongue against his lips. Feeling a rush of intrigue, Daniel happily parted the way, allowing their tongues to join for a spellbinding embrace. They both began to moan softly, in response to the rising levels of passion burning within them.
They relished the kiss for just a few moments more, then parted their mouths. Each panted quietly for air, feeling incredibly invigorated. They held each other by the shoulders, sharing the fondest of glances. "Oh, Daniel," sighed Celestia, feeling her breathing begin to calm.
"Celestia," he whispered, smiling affectionately at her. "You said it's been a long time, since you were with someone special?" She nodded. "Then you must really be in need," he concluded.
She looked at him with hungering eyes and nodded. "Yes, I am...so badly," she said, turning her blushing face to the side.
Daniel placed his hand on her chin, softly coaxing her to look at him. Her gaze met his, and she saw him leering happily at her. He smiled as he started running his hand along the side of her neck, down across her shoulder, where he stopped. "I want to caress every inch of you," he whispered, planting a gently kiss on her neck. Celestia shuddered from the kiss and his words. She hungered for his touch, anywhere...everywhere along her elegant white body. Her desire was beyond anything she could imagine. As she had mentioned, it'd been too long since she was last tended to. Daniel, leaned over to her ear and whispered, "Lay back."
Celestia wanted to respond, but words failed her. She simply let out an anticipatory shudder of delight, while she happily complied, laying back across his bed. Daniel moved close to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. Slowly, he leaned down and rejoined his lips to hers. Celestia let out a faint lusting moan, trying to maintain her elegance as her body cried out for stimulation.
Following the short kiss, Daniel began running his fingers down her shoulders, savoring the velvety feeling of every inch of her body. His hands tenderly caressed, her forelimbs, then he moved them in to glide over the fur of her chest. Feeling the grip of a romantic idea, he moved both his hands along her right forelimb, slowly grasping her hoof. Daniel brought it to his mouth and gingerly kissed it. Celestia sighed and blushed from his chivalrous gesture. Then he started tracing the length of her swanlike neck, slowly returning to her chest, where he ever so tenderly savored the velvety texture of her fur. She could feel her breath deepen with each affectionate motion of his fingers. Celestia couldn't remember the last time she felt so relaxed.
Daniel coaxed her to turn on her side. Happily, Celestia did so, looking at him with a playful smile. He smiled back at her, as he began caressing the fur along her back. He adjusted his position, and placed his hands along her shoulders, tenderly working his fingers along the years of collected tension, still present. A pleasant moan left her mouth, as she whispered his name. Daniel leaned down and lovingly nuzzled his cheek along her incredibly soft mane. Celestia sighed, moving her head to nuzzle him back. He softly kissed her cheek, then moved to her folded wings. Delicately, Daniel slid his fingers along her amazingly soft feathers, causing shivers to roll up her back.
Daniel lowered his hands to her flanks, and gently began massaging her cutie marks. Celestia lightly rolled her head back and forth, in response to the intoxicating feeling his tender touch gave her. She placed her hooves around his waist, pulling him down beside her. Then, placing her hooves on his cheeks, Celestia locked him into a kiss of pure ecstasy. Daniel placed his arms around her, allowing himself to become absorbed in the tender moment.
Celestia urged him to sit up with her, as they moved to the center of the bed. She placed her hoof on his somewhat hairy chest, happily encircling it. Her boldness increased along side her desire. Celestia's hoof slowly trailed over his belly, heading for his groin. She gave him a seductive smile as she arrived at the elastic of his underwear. "Do you mind losing these?" she whispered.
He shook his head. "Not at all," he replied softly, repositioning himself to quickly remove his cumbersome undergarment. Daniel then heedlessly tossed it to the floor. He placed his arms around her shoulders, and smiled at her. "How's that?"
Celestia placed her hooves on his shoulders. "Perfect," she replied, softly kissing him on the lips. She placed her hoof on his belly and lightly brushed it along his bare skin, causing him to shiver with anticipation, before she resumed her course downward. With no obstruction, Celestia was able to gaze upon his excited manhood as her hoof slowly bumped into it. Her eyes took in the welcoming sight of his masculinity, making her smile gleefully. Gently, she began running her hoof along his length. Daniel sighed and softly gasped from her intriguing touch. She looked at him with a sly smile, as she started caressing his smooth underside. He firmed his grip on her shoulders, letting out a very pleasant moan. Celestia leaned over to his ear and whispered, "Do you like that?"
Daniel sighed and quietly uttered, "Yes, it's heavenly."
She giggled softly, and responded, "Good. Now, why don't you touch me?"
He shuddered, and thrilled at the idea of touching her. Celestia repositioned herself slightly, making sure her tail was tucked out of the way. Daniel placed his left hand on her velvety chest, affectionately working his way down across her belly, and beyond. His eyes trailed down, taking in the enticing sight of her beautiful crescent. He placed his fingers along her folds, causing her to lightly shiver. Celestia began to sigh, while he traced the curves of her fruit. She whispered his name, feeling an intense level of pleasure slowly take hold of her. Daniel ran a lone finger along her slit, feeling a noticeable moisture gradually coat it. She lightly whimpered from his touch. "More..." she muttered in between sighs.
Daniel leaned over to her ear and whispered, "Of course, my lady." She shivered from his enthralling words. He pulled back to her face and kissed her very deeply on the lips. Celestia continued to softly whimper as she closed her eyes. The kiss ended and she let out a swift gasp feeling two of his fingers enter her marehood. In a fashion beyond tenderly, Daniel massaged her moist inner walls, allowing her to savor every motion of his touch.
Celestia planted her free hoof firmly on his shoulder, steadying herself. It had been so long since she felt the sensual touch of a compassionate male; she hardly knew how to react. Her eyes snapped open and widened in response to a sensation she'd not felt in years. To Celestia's amazement, her wings began rising on their own, fully extending. She let out a blissful sigh as she closed her eyes and left her head drift back.
Daniel felt momentarily curious about her wings, but before he could think to speak, he felt his own eyes drift shut. Her hoof resumed its vigorous, yet gentle, movement along the underside of his firm shaft. He sighed and softly moaned from her endearing touch. Feeling his fondness for her continue to evolve, Daniel added just a little intensity to the motion of his fingers, causing her to tilt her head back more. Celestia freely cast out a series of moans teaming with ecstasy.
They continued touching each other, filling the room with their delighted moans and pleasant sighs as they savored every passing minute. Then, in an almost instinctive fashion, they paused, gazing deeply into each other's eyes. They drew into a tender hug, sharing another rapturous kiss of pure delight. Celestia ran her hoof along Daniel's hair, while he once again caressed her mane.
A few moments passed, and their lips parted. He stared lovingly into her glistening magenta eyes, while she in turn gazed back into his expressive brown eyes. Celestia gave him a very affectionate look, and said, "I'm ready to move on...if you are."
Daniel smiled at her, and replied, "I am...nothing would make me happier."
Her face overflowed with joy. She placed her hooves on his shoulders and shared another heavenly kiss with him. Then straddling her hind legs over his, Celestia brought her yearning loins closer to his. Their kiss broke, just as her marehood brushed against the tip of his spire. The sensation set shivers up their spines, causing them to share another loving glance with each other. Daniel gently placed his hands on her flanks, slowly pushing upward. The tip of his masculinity slowly parted her delicate flower. Feeling her desire burn even stronger, Celestia pushed down, bidding him entry inside her. He slowly guided her down completely. The feeling from their merger made them both gasp and shudder.
"Daniel," she whimpered, feeling indescribably happy.
He smiled at her, and felt a blush fall across his cheeks. Daniel tenderly caressed her cheek, while he gazed at her. "Celestia, you're so beautiful."
"Aww," she muttered, blushing from his kind words.
The couple drew into an open-mouth kiss, feeling their desire burn on. Celestia started lightly moving her hips on him, resting her hooves on his shoulders. Her wings remained outstretched, while her mane fluttered as she kept softly bucking her hips. Following their kiss, Daniel placed his hands along her sun cutie marks, so he could guide her movements. She looked him in the eye, and continued to smile as she added more speed. Celestia felt a heavenly pleasure began radiating throughout her body. It caused her to lightly part her mouth, while sigh after sigh passed over her lips. As the motion between them continued, she slowly closed her eyes and began to freely moan with sheer delight.
Daniel kept his hands firmly, yet gently, placed on her flanks, continuing to aid her movements. He'd periodically thrust upward in contrast to her bucking hips. Daniel began to feel the overwhelming bliss of their union absorb him into the moment. Never could he recall feeling so much intense pleasure jolting throughout his body. The feelings burning in his heart for Celestia only added to his elation. He shut his eyes and joined her in moaning with blissful pleasure, feeling his breath begin to deepen.
Celestia felt her body form a heavenly rhythm that made her feel deeply intoxicated. Her breath was growing faster, while she let her head roll back and forth as her eyes closed. Her mane began fluttering vigorously as the movement between them continued to escalate.
Daniel opened his eyes in time to see her manage to open hers. They glanced at each before their lips met for another exchange of fiery passion. Their lips broke as Celestia began to sigh and moan more frequently. He could feel her body begin to tremble and quake, from the endless pleasure they were bringing each other.
A powerful tingling and warmth began to spread through Daniel's loins. His breath had become even shallower, as he joined Celestia in a rapturous symphony of sighing and moaning.
Then all at once, Celestia's body seemed to tense up, as her back lightly arched. She cast out a series of heavenly moans, as Daniel noticed a delightfully warm dampness cover his manhood. Then his eyes widened as he felt his own body tremble with pleasure. He let out a pleasured moan as he released his warmth into Celestia. He moved his hands from her hips and threw them around her slender neck, pulling her close as the two continued to experience the ravaging throes of passion. She secured her hooves around his shoulders, holding him tightly. A momentary feeling of weakness gripped them both as they toppled onto the bed. There, they both gasped violently for air. Daniel looked over at Celestia, and reach out for her hoof. He gripped it tightly, smiling at her. She placed her other hoof over his hand, sharing his affectionate expression.
Gradually their breath began returning to normal. Slowly, they moved apart, but remained at each other's side. Daniel ran his hand along her silky mane, continuing to look at her affectionately. She moved closer to him and draped her hind leg over his.
Celestia blushed and smiled at him. "That was incredible," she remarked.
Daniel smiled back. "You were wonderful, Celestia," he said, lightly panting.
"So were you, Daniel," she said, caressing his hand gingerly. "I'd almost forgotten what it's like to be with someone that really cares about me," she mused.
Daniel looked at the corner of her eye and saw a solitary tear roll down toward her cheek. He reached over and caught it in his hand. "For me?" he asked.
"Mm-hmm, yes," she sighed. "Because you're so caring."
"Aww, Celestia...you're such an incredible alicorn," he replied, still tenderly caressing her long silky soft mane.
"Daniel," Celestia sighed, again. "Say, would you mind, scratching my ear?" she asked, while enjoying his touch along her mane.
"Of course not," Daniel replied, continuing to smile at her. He moved his hand over to her left ear. Slowly, he began running his fingers along its velvety fur, ever so gently applying his fingernails. "How's this?"
"Mmm, that's perfect," she sighed. Celestia slid closer to him, and gently planted a caring kiss on his lips. "Thank you...for everything."
Daniel placed his arms around her, gently giving her a squeeze. He returned her tender kiss, and said, "You're very welcome, Celestia. I can't remember the last time I felt so happy, so at peace. Thank you for being here."
She sighed, sliding down to his chest. Celestia left her head come to rest on his bosom. "No problem...it's my pleasure," the pony replied, running her left hoof along his bare chest. Lifting her head partially, Celestia looked at him dreamily, still smiling. "What a wonderful day."
"Yeah," he uttered, running his fingers through her colorful locks.
She felt totally at peace and very relaxed. Celestia let out a quiet yawn, and laid her head back on his chest. "Mmm," she murmured.
"Are you getting sleepy too?" he asked, yawning and stretching his arms.
"Yeah," she mumbled. "I feel so...so very relaxed."
"Come on then, let's get up. I'll turn down the covers and we can get some sleep...together," Daniel said, his very words echoing in his mind, adding to his smile,
The lovers slowly rose from the bed, standing on the carpeted floor. Celestia still felt the emotional high from their deep bond, causing her to playfully bump against him. Daniel chuckled, reaching back and placing his hand along the side of her neck. He then reach out and pulled back the sheets and blankets on his bed, turning them down. "This is only a full-size bed, so it might be just a tad cramped, but it will certainly be cozy," Daniel mused to her.
Celestia wrapped her hooves around him, and nuzzled his cheek. "That sounds lovely...resting closely by your side," she replied, in a dreamy voice.
"I usually sleep on the side by my night stand. You don't mind sleeping on the wall side, do you?" he asked, showing concern for her comfort.
She giggled softly. "As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter," Celestia remarked.
"Then ladies, first," he directed, politely gesturing her toward the bed.
Her cheeks reddened a bit. "Oh my, you're making me blush again," she rambled. Then the regal mare sighed, "But I know you said I'm cute when I do, right?"
He nodded, continuing to smile. "Yes, you certainly do, my lady."
Slowly, Celestia crawled into bed, and beckoned for him to follow. Daniel climbed in beside her, and pulled the covers up over them. While it may still be quite warm outside, the central air left it nice and chilly inside.
Daniel made sure to share one of his extra pillows with her. Celestia let her head come to rest along her pillow, enjoying its firm, yet gentle softness. He joined her in getting comfortable. Slowly, he placed his arms around her, and held her close. "There, I have you in my arms again," he declared with a quiet chuckle.
Celestia giggled, bringing her hooves to rest along his chest. "You sure do...and I'll happily stay by your side...all night," she replied.
He leaned over and nuzzled her cheek softly. "Heaven," he replied. She giggled again, then let out a contented sigh. Daniel felt a slight start at first, as he felt like he almost forgot something. "Oh yeah, should you need to get up for any reason, don't hesitate to wake me, I'll move so you can get out."
Celestia snuggled against him. "Ever the gentlestallion or should I say gentleman," she mused, exhaling onto his neck.
He sighed from the feeling of her gentle breath, grazing his neck. "Yeah," he muttered, letting out another quiet yawn. "I hope work doesn't drag on too long tomorrow."
They cuddled some more and she brushed her cheek against his. "Even if it does...I'll still be here, waiting for you," she avowed.
He half whimpered form her caring response. "Celestia...I...I...oh, I'm so glad you're here," he replied.
"I know Daniel, I know, and so am I," she whispered, feeling so relaxed in his caring embrace. Then as she began to feel sleepier, she said one last thing. "Daniel, would you...um, do you think...do you want to be my very special somepony?"
He smiled as he nuzzled close to her mane. The term was still fairly new to him, but he remembered what she had said about it before. Daniel sighed, and squeezed her one more time. "I'd love to...but only if...you'll be my, very special somepony," he said with a lighthearted chuckle.
"Of course," she replied.
The two shared a short but tender good night kiss, and then laid their heads down again. "Good night, Celestia."
"Good night, Daniel. Till morning," she sighed.
They each let out another yawn, feeling their eyelids grow heavy. Before too long, they had both drifted off, secure in the knowledge that they were at each other's side, and felt so strongly for one another. It might not be love just yet, but the feelings between them were more powerful than ever. |
You Brighten My Day | Chapter 6 - "Growing Even Closer" | *Caution - This chapter contains explicit sexual content involving a human and a pony.
"You Brighten My Day"
Chapter 6 -
"Growing Even Closer"
Written by
JaydexTheShadowKnight
The night reigned on peacefully. Celestia was still nestled at Daniel's side, while his arms remained around her as they slept. The alicorn began to stir, breaking out of her slumber. Her eyes slowly parted as a smile formed on her face. Celestia's dreams had been filled with wonderful feelings and images of her with her new human lover. It made her beyond ecstatic when she awoke, finding him still by her side.
She gazed over at him as he continued to sleep. Daniel's breath fell gently against her neck, sending pleasant chills up her spine. Celestia sighed, enjoying the calm surrender of the moment. It was then that she realized something else had awakened her. Thankfully, in his state of deep sleep, Daniel's embrace had weakened. Carefully, Celestia turned back her portion of the covers, and deftly slipped out and away from him. She knew he said to wake him, if she needed to get out of bed for any reason, but the mare didn't have the heart to disturb him, especially since she knew he had work in the morning.
After making her way out of the bed, Celestia looked over at him and smiled. It was then that the other reason she had awakened became even more apparent. She silently used her magic to open the bedroom door and crept out into the hall. There, she was met by the gentle hum of the central air unit.
Celestia entered the bathroom and quietly shut the door. She made use of the facilities, and then, after relieving herself, the princess walked over to the sink and washed her hooves. As she began drying them with the hand towel, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. A new smile fell across her elegant face. It warmed her heart to know Daniel was waiting for her back in his room. She so looked forward to all the wonderful things they could do together, now that their feelings were continuing to grow stronger.
Celestia spied the shower curtain of the bathtub, from the corner of her eye. She walked over to it, and instead of using her magic, she pulled back the curtain with her hoof. Celestia found great enjoyment, now that she began relying less on her magic and more on her hooves, to manipulate things. It might have seemed less refined, but Daniel seemed even more enchanted with her, when she behaved this way.
As she stood there, studying the shower, she grinned and felt her cheeks redden at the thought of showering together with Daniel. Celestia thought the idea would be very romantic. She sighed as she let herself briefly fantasize about him soaping her wet body and running his hands all over her as the water of the shower would pelt against them. The princess then imagined returning the favor and savoring the joyful task of washing him. A series of chills broke her out of her trance. Celestia giggled softly to herself, realizing her desire for him was still quite strong.
The princess let out a quiet yawn as she made her way out of the bathroom and back to Daniel's room. After entering, she very gently closed the door. The smile remained on her face as she crawled back into bed. Celestia snuggled close beside him, unable to resist the urge to nuzzle her new lover. She made sure not to get too carried away. Before she could embrace him and slide back under the covers, she noticed Daniel had awakened. His eyes opened and he let out a faint groaning yawn.
He blinked at her a few times and muttered, "Celestia. You're awake...is everything okay?"
She moved closer and tenderly nuzzled against him again, placing her left foreleg around him. "Mmm, everything is just fine," she sighed
"Did you need to get up?" he asked, sounding a bit groggy.
Celestia continued rubbing against him, and replied, "I already did. I just had to pee, and I didn't want to disturb you, although it seems I did anyway."
"That's all right. I told you if you needed to get up, just go ahead and wake me," he said, sounding more awake. Daniel noticed her tender advances and sat up. He placed an arm round her and shared her affectionate nuzzles, placing his other hand against her long silky mane, running his fingers along its heavenly texture.
"Daniel," she sighed.
He shared her sigh, gently pulling her down beside him. Daniel's eyes widened for a moment as he turned to check his alarm clock. Glancing at the time, he was relieved to see only a little over two hours had passed since they fell asleep. Turning back to her, he smiled. "It's a little after one. So, it's only been a short while since we dozed off," Daniel uttered happily.
She giggled softly, "That's good. Now, you wouldn't want to cuddle for a little, before we go back to sleep, would you?"
He gave her a loving hug, and nuzzled against her. "I'd love to," he yawned softly, "But I think I need a quick trip to the bathroom. Be right back." Daniel rose from his bed and promptly left the room.
Celestia repositioned herself on the bed, letting her head come to rest along her pillow. She ran her hoof along the soft texture of the sheets, waiting for him to return. A few moments passed, and the door to his room slid open. Daniel slowly lumbered back to the bed. He stretched a little and let out a hearty yawn.
"Welcome back," she uttered in a silky voice.
He greeted her with an endearing smile, while he slowly crawled back into bed with his princess. Words couldn't convey the level of delight and amazement Daniel felt, from having such a majestic creature like her in his bed. He moved close to Celestia, thinking to himself that "creature" was hardly a fitting word for someone as lovely as her.
"I'm so glad you're with me, tonight," he professed in a hushed voice, grazing his fingers along her slender velvety neck.
Celestia shuddered from his tender touch, and took in a deep calming breath. "Mmm, so am I," she uttered softly. The mare turned to gaze at him half-lidded. "I don't know about you, but I'm still feeling so relaxed, from what we shared earlier." She sat up beside him, and placed her hoof along his bare chest.
"Yes, it was amazing," Daniel remarked, taking a moment to stare back into her magenta eyes, which looked a deep purple in the darkness of his room. "I'm glad you seem to be feeling better now."
"I am, thanks to you. Oh, I hope you wouldn't mind if we...have sex again, sometime," Celestia proposed, feeling her face become flushed from being so forward.
She lightly gasped as she felt his hand fall softly against the back of her mane, resuming its affectionate stroking. Daniel looked into her eyes again, and whispered, "Not at all. I'd love to have sex with you again. Hmm, I haven't felt this at peace in years."
Her smile grew as she gently bumped her forehead against his, minding her horn. "Neither have I," she whispered.
Celestia's quiet words and enchanting beauty made Daniel feel emboldened. Tenderly, he wrapped his arms around her neck and slowly leaned forward to kiss her. She moaned quietly as she felt his lips press affectionately against hers. Placing her hooves around his neck, Celestia happily returned his kiss, closing her eyes and savoring the moment. Just as she considered deepening the kiss, she felt his tongue gently prod against her lips. Happily, she parted the way, welcoming his passionate advance, allowing their tongues to join and share a tender embrace of their own.
A few moments passed as they continued to enjoy their kiss. Celestia secured her hooves around him and felt the pleasure spread out across her body, causing her to moan along with him. Daniel felt a multitude of emotions from her - every one of them made him feel calm and at peace as their kiss lingered on, just before it ended.
They parted their mouths and stared happily at one another, while taking in some needed breaths. "I hope I didn't go overboard," he grinned nervously.
"No, it was fine," she replied, then giggling softly, she added, "I was thinking of doing the same thing."
Daniel smiled lovingly at her, resting his eyes on her. He ran the back of his hand along her silky hair. "You're so beautiful, Celestia."
She giggled bashfully, but continued to share his smile. "You're making me blush again."
He chuckled softly as he coaxed her to lay beside him. Celestia wore a delighted expression as she took her place by his side. Daniel replaced the covers over them, making sure she had a fair portion. "Now, why don't we cuddle?" he whispered in a soothing voice.
"Mm-hmm," she nodded, placing her hooves against his chest.
Daniel placed his arms around her and held her close. He shuddered as she moved a little, feeling her lengthy mane spill from her shoulder, and pool near his side. They both sighed contently as they nuzzled their cheeks together. Celestia rewarded his prior boldness by rubbing her back leg against one of his. The pleasant sensation of her downy fur against his body made him squeeze her in his arms, as their cheeks rubbed a little more vigorously.
They cuddled for a few minutes, before they each became more and more relaxed. Daniel cast out a few yawns, feeling the fog of sleep trying to lull him back into its restful embrace.
Celestia yawned with him and muttered, "I guess we should...h-head, back t-to sleep...now."
He nodded at her in the shroud of night, "Yeah, that...that sounds p-pretty good."
She giggled faintly as they shared a brief goodnight kiss. Then, they both returned their tired heads to their pillows and slipped back into the grip of slumber. The room returned to its former state of silence - save only for the calming sound of their breathing.
* * * *
The bracing beep of Daniel's alarm tore him from his sleep. Just as he went to hit the snooze bar and hush its shrill sound, it quieted. Placing his hand along the clock, he noticed it was switched off. A smile quickly formed on his face as he realized who beat him to the punch. He felt Celestia wrap her hooves around him, right as he turned back to face her.
An affectionate smile decorated her face as she greeted him, "Good morning, Daniel."
Placing his arms around her, Daniel softly kissed her lips, and felt her press back right as he went to pull away. He squeezed her tenderly as their lips passionately wrestled together. The kiss broke as a new smile curled up on his face. "Good morning, Celestia," he sighed happily.
"I can see you're still feeling very affectionate this morning," she smiled.
"Of course. How did you sleep?" he asked her.
Celestia rubbed her cheek against his, cooing softly. "I slept great. I really think we needed this," she spoke in earnest.
Daniel grazed his fingers along her lightly mussed mane and shared her tender cheek movements. "Yes, we did," he uttered softly.
"How did you sleep? Well, I hope," she spoke quietly.
"I did, and I remember seeing you in my dreams. The very vision of loveliness," he sighed, savoring the soothing caress of her fur against his face.
"Daniel," she sighed. Her eyes widened as she realized their time this morning was quickly fleeting. "Oh, you'd best get ready for work. Would you like me to start breakfast, while you prepare?"
"I can't ask you to do that," he answered.
Celestia repositioned her hooves around him and smiled, "But I want to. I don't mind."
Daniel returned her happy expression. "All right then, I'd be delighted," he nodded. She closed her eyes and smiled even more jubilantly at him.
* * * *
Daniel dressed, while she made used of the bathroom. Then, Celestia made her way to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast as he finished his morning preparations for work.
Once his lunch was packed in his cooler, Daniel returned to the kitchen. Celestia was standing by the stove. She was humming a familiar tune, with a smile on her face as she continued working on their meal. Daniel placed his arms around her neck, and nuzzled softly against her mane. "So, what are you preparing?" he asked.
Celestia turned back and shared his loving gesture. "Nothing special, I'm just scrambling some eggs, oh, and I have some bread toasting in the toaster," she smiled.
"Sounds great, do you need any help?" he asked.
She shook her head, "No, I've got this. Oh, wait, if you wouldn't mind, could you please set the table?"
"Gladly," he replied, pulling away form her. "By the way, are you humming something from "Lunar"?" he asked recognizing the melody.
Celestia giggled playfully at him, "Why yes, it's that song Luna was singing."
Daniel smiled, and replied, "I knew it sounded familiar. You hum beautifully, it makes me wonder...how you sound singing."
Her face turned red as she focused her eyes back on the frying pan. "Um, well, my humming may sound nice, but I doubt you'd enjoy my singing," she confessed.
"Oh, I don't know," he replied politely. Before she could say anything else, Daniel left to set the table, hoping he hadn't embarrassed her too much.
Once the table was set and Celestia finished preparing breakfast. The two sat down in the dinning room and enjoyed their meal. Daniel savored the first bite of his eggs. "Mmm, these are tasty. You can really cook," he remarked with a grand smile.
"Why thank you, Daniel. I'm glad I've finally had a chance to practice my cooking skills. Even though we had plenty of royal chefs, back when my mother was still alive, she and I used to sneak into the kitchen and cook and bake things for my father and sister, all the time," she explained.
"There are so many amazing things about you, Celestia," Daniel mused. She smiled contently at him as they finished eating their breakfast.
Then once again, the time for him to leave had arrived. Daniel set his lunch bag down by the front door as he turned to say farewell to Celestia.
"Well, it's that time again," he spoke, wishing he didn't have to leave her.
She lowered her head and nodded solemnly. "I know," she uttered quietly. Celestia wrapped her hooves around him, giving him a caring hug. "I'm going to miss you, Daniel."
He placed his arms around her neck, and held her tightly. "I'll miss you too," he sighed uneasily, "Well, thankfully Mondays aren't usually too bad." Daniel looked into her eyes and smiled. Just as he went to turn and leave her embrace, he paused. Without needing to say a word, the two shared a tender kiss. One that left them each know their feelings were only growing stronger by the minute.
Their lips parted as they moved away, Daniel retrieved his lunch bag and opened the front door. A rush of warm morning air met them as he went to open the screen door. Celestia placed a hoof on his shoulder, continuing to smile at him. "I'll see you this afternoon," she chimed.
Daniel nodded, and replied, "Yep, I'll be home around 3:30. Till then." He placed his hand on her hoof and gently caressed it, before finally departing through the front door. Celestia stood there behind the screen door, watching him as he gradually made his way over to the car and slipped inside.
The princess continued watched as he pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road. She remained there until his vehicle was out of sight. Celestia pulled away from the door and shut it behind her. A heavy sigh slipped out of her mouth. She knew he'd be home before too long, but in light of the passionate feelings they shared last night, she really didn't want him to leave. Though, being all too familiar with duty and responsibility, she knew he had to go.
Celestia made her way back to the kitchen and tended to the dishes. Oddly enough, she found a simple contentment in doing what many would consider menial labor. She enjoyed being able to do anything that helped her new special somepony. As she drained the sink, Celestia rested one of her hooves along the side and looked to the ceiling. She sighed dreamily as she took a moment to think about Daniel.
With her task in the kitchen complete, she slowly walked into the living room. There, she considered what she wanted to do next.
* * * *
The remainder of the morning moved on. Daniel was back in one of the aisles in the warehouse, loading items onto a once empty pallet. As he placed the last item onto the skid, he paused for a moment. He'd been at work no more than three hours, and already he found himself missing Celestia greatly. Though, in light of the somberness this brought him, he found cause to smile, thinking back to the memorable events of the weekend. Daniel placed a hand over his heart as he sighed, thinking about the heavenly time he spent with her last night. In his wildest dreams, he never imagined he could share something so special, let alone with someone as amazing as her.
After double checking his list, he saw that everything for this order had been pulled. Clutching the handle of the electric pallet jack, Daniel gradually made his way to the shipping counter. He began humming a tune from "Lunar", the simple but calming tune of Burg. Then as he made his way down the metal racking, something else came to him. A new smile formed on his face as he thought that Celestia might enjoy listening to some of the vast collection of songs on his computer.
Thinking back to her humming at breakfast, he suspected she had an appreciation for music and she seemed very taken by "Luna's Boat Song". He scratched his chest as he continued down the aisle. Then he came to a halt, as another thought dawned on him. This one was of a more romantic nature. Daniel knew he had plenty of love songs on his iTunes playlists, this led him to wonder...what would it be like to dance with Celestia. The idea was truly alluring. After nodding his head, he resumed his path out of the aisles.
* * * *
Noon had come and gone. Celestia didn't have too much trouble occupying her time. Were it not for the blistering heat of midday, she would have enjoyed going out for a flight. Though after her time ruling in Equestria, she found it quite enjoyable having little to worry about. Still, she felt the itch to stretch her wings and a growing curiosity to check out Daniel's world, or at least his small part of it.
Then she had an intriguing thought of her own. What if she was to take Daniel out for a flight? Celestia easily had strength enough to carry him, and she marveled at the idea of soaring with him on her back, sharing the wonder of flying.
She grinned happily as she made her way into his room. The computer was still on, from her use of it earlier that morning. Placing her hooves on the chair, she carefully rolled it back and elegantly parked her flank against its fairly soft cushion. Her horn lit up as she used her magic to control the mouse.
Before taking any actions, Celestia pondered what she wanted to check out. She knew the search engine, Google, could help her find out plenty about Earth. But she soon found herself wondering what kinds of music humans enjoyed. For that matter, what types of music Daniel liked. The two had briefly broached the topic during their conversations last week, but it wasn't anything major.
Sadly, she wasn't sure what program if any would involve music. Though it didn't bother her, Celestia simply figured she could talk to Daniel about it, when he got home later on.
Suddenly, Celestia began losing her interest in computing. She glanced over at the time and saw it was already nearly 2:30. Her eyes then caught sight of Daniel's bed. She smiled as she rose from the chair and stepped over to it. Gently, she let herself drop down onto it. Celestia let out a contented sigh, his bed felt so comfy and inviting. A grin fell over her face as she moved her head to rest along his pillow. It had just the right amount of softness and firmness, much like the pillow Daniel had given her to use, last night.
She laid there wishing he was home and that he could lay by her side. Celestia would happily hold him in her hooves and enjoy snuggling with him again. A rosy glow fell across her cheeks as she recalled the snuggling they did last night and then again this morning. It made her sigh happily, just to think about it.
Celestia left the bed, fearing that if she stayed there any longer, she'd doze off, and risk missing her chance to greet Daniel, upon his arrival. Her desire to surf the Internet hadn't returned, so she left his bedroom, and made her way to the living room. Passing by the TV, she didn't fancy watching anything or playing any games. That was when she passed by the bookshelf. Now, she had already finished reading the first book of "The Lord of the Rings" Friday afternoon, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to start the next one just yet. Celestia perused the shelf and checked out the other titles spreading out before her. That's when another book caught her attention. This one had an aged-style yellow cover and its title or rather a single word within its title jumped out at her - the word "Unicorn". Using her magic, she deftly removed it from the shelf and studied the front cover, which read: "The Last Unicorn" by an author called Peter S. Beagle.
Celestia made her way to the sofa and gracefully sat herself down. She read the back cover and continued to think to herself, what do humans know about unicorns? The summary set the stage for an interesting story, so Celestia opened the novel and started reading.
* * * *
It was just about 3:30 when Daniel pulled into the driveway. As he got out of the car, he grabbed his cooler. He then smiled as he made his way along the sidewalk. His cheerful expression grew as he saw the welcoming sight of his special somepony standing there, waiting for him. Celestia opened the screen door and greeted Daniel with an affectionate smile.
"Welcome home, Daniel!" she expressed joyfully as he entered the house.
"Hi Celestia, it's great to be home!" he chirped happily.
She left the screen door spring shut and softly closed the front door behind her. The brief rush of warm air left, replaced by the cool sensation of the central air. Celestia was so delighted to see Daniel that she quickly drew him close, wrapping her hooves around him. The most affectionate of smiles was on her face, as she leaned in to kiss him deeply on the lips. Daniel sighed softly, letting his lunch bag drop to the floor with a faint thud. His arms surrounded her beautiful swanlike neck, while he began returning her kiss, just as deeply.
Several seconds went by as they savored the feeling of touching their lips together. Then as they moved apart, just a bit, they shared a caring gaze into each other's eyes. "I missed you," Daniel spoke affectionately.
Celestia tightened her hooves around him, and sighed longingly, "I missed you. It's so good to have you home again."
"Celestia," he uttered sweetly. "Let me take care of my cooler and then we can sit on the sofa and talk."
"That sounds great. I'm just looking forward to having the rest of the day to ourselves," Celestia remarked.
She accompanied Daniel into the kitchen, where he set his lunch bag down on the counter. After finishing with his cooler, Daniel put it away and joined her as they made their way to the living room. "Oh, hang on a second, I need to go change out of my work clothes. I'll be right back," he chuckled, almost forgetting he wasn't in his casual attire.
"No problem, I'll wait here for you," she called back, moving to take a seat on the sofa.
A few minutes went by and Daniel returned. He had removed his work clothes and dressed into a more comfortable ensemble, consisting of a tan pocket T-shirt and a pair of green shorts. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he uttered mindfully.
Celestia patted the spot next to her, "That's quite all right. You didn't keep me waiting that long."
"True, but it's still rude to keep a lady waiting," he mused, taking a seat beside her.
She moved very close to him and gently bumped her forehead against his. "Daniel," she sighed, delighted to speak his name.
He reached up and swept his fingers along her silky mane, and said, "There's still some time till dinner, would you like to cuddle?"
Celestia leaned against him and cooed softly, "I'd love to."
As he looked at her, Daniel was unable to resist the urge to kiss her again. Securing his arms around her, he firmly pressed his lips against hers, filling with pleasure as his desire for her burned on. Celestia let out a few quiet moans as she felt the passion pour out from him. It made her heart beat stronger for him, and in moments her hooves gently wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer.
Chills ran up her back as she felt his hand move to continue caressing her hair. The two shared their kiss for a while longer, before parting their mouths. Daniel slid over to the far side of the sofa and laid back, letting his head sink into the throw pillows. Celestia draped herself along him, laying her head on his chest. He returned his loving digits to her mane and gingerly stroked it again. Daniel whimpered faintly, placing his free arm around her.
"How was your day?" she asked, rubbing her right hoof along his side, in a very affectionate manner.
"It wasn't too bad, though I am feeling a little tired. But you know something?" he pondered.
"Oh, what's that?"
Daniel sighed, while he continued twirling his fingers through her colorful hair, "Anytime things started getting hectic...I just thought about you, and how much I was looking forward to seeing you again."
Celestia moaned ever so softly form his touching words, "Oh, Daniel. I'm so glad you're home. I think I missed you even more than I imagined."
He felt a warmth continue to pour out across his heart. Daniel leaned over and softly kissed her forehead. "Just as I missed you, so very much," he spoke softly, almost in a whisper. "So, what should we do tonight? I thought of a few things while I was at work."
She giggled softly. "Really? Because, I thought of something as well," she responded, moving her hoof to softly caress his short brown hair.
"Well then, ladies first," he spoke politely.
Celestia nuzzled her cheek against his chest, and said, "All right. I've been feeling the urge to stretch my wings, so I was wondering...would you like to join me for a short flight this evening?"
Daniel rubbed his other hand along the velvety fur of her back. "That sounds like fun, oh, but we might be seen," he replied a note of caution in his voice.
"Not to worry, I can use my invisibility spell. It will shield us both from any unwanted prying eyes," she explained, closing her eyes and sighing from the pleasant motion of his hand along her back.
"That's good," he replied, "Now, would you like to hear about my idea?"
"Yes," she muttered, losing herself in the gentle touch of his hand.
"Well, I have a nice collection of music on my computer," he began. Celestia's eyes opened and briefly widened. Then Daniel continued, "I was wondering if you'd like to listen to some this evening...and to make things even sweeter, I was also curious...do you like to dance?"
She gasped softly, partially lifting her head. A cheerful expression encompassed her face as she replied, "I'd love to listen to some music, and I do like to dance. Now, you aren't suggesting any slow dancing, too, are you?"
Daniel kissed the side of her head as he kept stroking her mane. "Yes, I am. I'd love to share a slow dance with you," he confessed earnestly.
Celestia let out a heavenly sigh. "That would be wonderful...hmm, I can hardly wait. You know, it's funny, I was curious about what type of music you like. Now, I can find out," she remarked giving him a winsome look.
"Yep," he chuckled. "Oh, we can go for that flight later this evening, after dinner. The sun will start to lose its punch, so it shouldn't be as hot. By the way, it should soon be getting a little cooler after tonight," he explained.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I checked the weather forecast online, before I left work. You remember the red sunrise yesterday morning?" he asked her.
"I do."
"Well, the forecast stated that a cool front is approaching and behind it should be some milder temperatures. So if we wanted to do something special this weekend, we could," he mused.
Celestia adjusted her head along his chest. "That's great news," she chimed. "You had said something about going to see some nearby waterfalls, right?"
"I did, last night. And we could do that, if you like," he beamed contently.
"I would. But for right now, do you mind if we continue to stay like this...till dinnertime?"
Daniel placed both his arms around her and said, "Of course not. I really enjoy spending time with you, especially like this."
His words made her smile even more. Celestia began to realize her fondness for him had grown even stronger over the course of a single day. Another sigh slipped past her lips as she continued to savor snuggling against him. "Mmm, I could just melt into you."
Daniel felt momentarily at a loss for words. He could feel his heart beating contently within his chest. It made him feel as if he too could melt into the serenity of the moment, having someone as amazing as her resting against him.
His delight seemed to be augmented by the feeling of life emanating from her. Daniel moved his left hand from her back to her right side, just below her folded wing. He could feel her side gently move in and out as she breathed. Her exhaled breath graced his arm, sending a series of delightful chills rolling up his back. Daniel didn't think the moment could get any better as he resumed tenderly caressing her lovely mane. Celestia moaned softly under the caring ministrations of his sweeping fingers.
Daniel sighed as he quietly uttered, "I could stay here the rest of the day, stroking your mane and listening to you breathe. It's so relaxing."
"I know what you mean," she cooed softly, "Your breathing is having that affect on me. Oh and that." Celestia rubbed her right hoof over his heart. "I can feel your heart beating...it's very calming."
"You know why?" he asked.
"Hmm, why?" she mumbled.
Daniel's fingers continued to dance through her mane as he answered, "Because it beats for you."
Celestia quietly whimpered, "You're so sweet."
He placed his hand along her left side, close to her chest. "I can feel your heart beating...with mine," he sighed.
"It's beating happily, now that we're together again," she whispered, gingerly brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead.
Daniel felt almost completely absorbed into the moment. Joy didn't even come close to describing how happy he felt. He placed his arms around her and held her close. "I love you, Celestia," he professed, feeling the strongest he ever felt for her.
"Aww," she cried softly. Celestia moved more onto her belly within his embrace. She leaned in and kissed him deeply, moaning ever so gently as she felt a powerful warmth pour out from her heart. Their lips broke and she gazed endearingly at him. Daniel could see her fondness for him reflected in her eyes, which now were filling with tears. He nearly felt his own heart skip a beat as she professed, "I love you, Daniel."
Following her words, the tears began running down her cheeks. Daniel felt the emotion slowly consume him as his own eyes began to fill, clouding his vision. He secured his arms around her, "Oh, Celestia." Daniel whimpered and sobbed softly as she did the same. Pulling back, they smiled at each other and leaned in for another deep and very passionate kiss. He could taste her tears as their kiss deepened. Their mouths opened, allowing their tongues to join and express their ever-growing affections.
Celestia wrapped her hooves around his neck, bringing him as close as possible. She felt additional tears of joy fall from her eyes and paid them no mind, for her heart was teeming with happiness.
The lovers shared a few tender moans, and after savoring the kiss for a few moments more, before their mouths separated. They felt the other's breath pool softly along each other's face, while they remained there, softly gasping.
"Daniel," Celestia sighed, "Just when I thought this day couldn't get any better."
"I know, Celestia, I know," he uttered affectionately, nuzzling her damp cheek.
"I love you," she professed again.
"I love you," he repeated, as they continued nuzzling each other amorously.
Celestia withdrew her hooves and resumed resting her head on his chest. She rubbed her cheek against him and remarked, "I could stay like this forever."
He chuckled at her warmly, moving his fingers from her mane to her ears, lightly scratching them. "So could I. This is so relaxing...what a great way to unwind after a long day at work," he mused, continuing to tend to her ears.
Celestia moaned tenderly from his gentle scratching, and muttered, "That feels so good."
"Anything, for you, Celestia," he whispered affectionately.
"Please tell me this isn't a dream," she pleaded, leery that this all seemed too good to be true.
He kissed her head and whispered into her ear, "It's no dream."
Celestia took in a deep breath and exhaled into a dreamy sigh, "I'm so glad."
Squeezing her tenderly in his arms, Daniel rested his cheek against her mane. "Me too," he replied, with a soft chuckle.
They remained on the couch cuddling for a few hours, and they both actually dozed off for a little, lost in the serenity of the moment. That was, until their grumbling bellies made them realize it was time to prepare dinner.
* * * *
After their dinner settled, Daniel and Celestia made their way out into the backyard. It was a little after seven, and the sun was just beginning to slowly set. She smiled, as he stood close beside her. "Okay Daniel, place your hand on my back," she instructed.
"All right," he replied, setting his right hand on the very soft fur of her back.
Celestia nodded with a gleeful smile. Her horn started sparkling a strong shade of blue, and slowly she surrounded them both with a protective barrier of invisibility. They would still be able to see each other, but would be hidden from anyone else.
"There, now no one can see us," she declared a note of satisfaction in her voice.
"Good, so are you all set then?" he asked.
"I believe so. Now, I just want to do a short warm-up flight. It's been a little while since I last flew. Then, I'll land and get you," she explained.
"Okay, Celestia, a warm up does sound like it would be best," he smiled.
Celestia nodded at him, and opened her wings, giving them both a short series of stretches, prepping them for flight. After slowly flexing them around one more time, she declared, "That should do it!" Daniel smiled her way as she began flapping her wings, quickly rising into the air. Before long she was properly aloft and began circling a few hundred feet above.
She began gliding through the air. Celestia always loved the feeling of freedom that came with flying. After being cooped up for a week, it really felt good to spread her wings and feel the breeze wash against her face. A jubilant smile decorated her lips as she thrilled from that sensation that went will soaring across the skies. Even thought it had been a while since her last flight, she didn't blame Daniel. In honesty, Celestia had really enjoyed having no obligations resting on her mind or shoulders. It was very liberating in its own way.
Glancing down, she spied Daniel, and felt her smile grow. Her feelings for him continued to grow even stronger, while she marveled at the idea of being able to share this wonderful activity with him. Her course took her back to her lover, and soon she glided in making a graceful landing. She trotted over to him. "Ready?" Celestia asked.
Daniel gazed upon her beauty as the light of the setting sun basked her in its colorful glow, accenting her radiance as it made her shoes and jewelry sparkle. He smiled and nodded, "Yes."
"Then, climb aboard, sweetheart," she called, closing her eyes and giving him a very affectionate smile.
Daniel felt a rush of happiness course through him as he walked over to his cherished mare. That was the first time she had used a term of endearment on him, and it felt beyond wonderful. Celestia had folded her wings, and waited as he gently gripped her side and swung his leg up and over her back. Gradually, he pulled himself onto her completely. Daniel smiled as he placed his arms securely around her neck. "Okay, all set," he grinned.
Celestia turned back and nodded. "Then away we go!" she cheered, breaking out into a trot. Her speed increased to a gallop as she opened her wings and began flapping them, slowly lifting them both off the ground.
In mere moments the two were airborne, continuing to gain altitude. Daniel looked down and felt momentarily startled. Things certainly looked different from a few hundred feet up. The view was more than breathtaking and seemed to sprawl out almost forever, into the mostly clear diamond sky. There was a sizable swarm of clouds off in the distance, adding to the welcoming ambiance. Then, Daniel noticed Celestia flap her wings again. He could feel her back muscles contract with each elegant motion of her aerial appendages.
"Daniel, are you okay?" she asked.
He felt the adrenaline continue to flow into his blood, mounting with his growing excitement. "I'm fine! Celestia, this is amazing! I've never flown like this before," he admitted excitedly.
She giggled softly, "That's right, you've told me about the flying machines you call planes and jets that allow humans to fly."
"Uh-huh," he added, feeling the wind blow across his face. "But this is so much more incredible than taking a plane," he mused.
Celestia turned her head back and smiled. "So do you recognize anything from up here?" she asked.
Daniel paused a moment to get his bearings. He was familiar with plenty of maps of he area, though none of them were done in real-life images. As she soared on, he began recognizing nearby shopping centers and places of interest. "Yes, I am starting to notice some familiar sights. I'm just not used to seeing them from the air," he chuckled.
"Then, do you mind giving me a bit of an aerial tour, please?" she asked coupling her words with an adorable smile.
He patted the side of her neck and softly grazed his fingers over her mane, which was fluttering in the breeze she made as she flew onward. "Of course, besides, you did ask politely," he remarked happily.
As the two sailed over the land, Daniel was sure to point out the places he recognized, and anything he thought she might find of interest. Thankfully a number of the various structures were either similar to those in Equestria or had been topics of conversation between them during the past week.
The small metropolis of Willow Grove spread out nearby before them. Daniel told Celestia a little about his hometown and he recalled that he mentioned plenty about it in their prior discussions.
Before the city came too close, she took them back toward the wooded area near Daniel's house. Now things still looked a tad unfamiliar, but he was able to make out his place as they slowly began to descend. "There it is," he pointed.
"Phew," Celestia gasped, "Good thing. My wings are getting tired."
"Then, come on, we're just about there."
"Hold on tight," she expressed, preparing to land.
Daniel secured his arms around her neck. She straightened her wings and began gliding in for a landing. The ground appeared closer and closer, until her hooves finally touched down gently and she started trotting along his backyard. She came to a halt almost in the exact place she took off from.
After Celestia folded back her wings, Daniel slid off her back, returning to his feet. He staggered around for a moment, regaining his balance. Turning, he walked up to her and hugged Celestia tenderly, while she undid her invisibility spell. "Thank you, Celestia! That was incredible," he expressed, enjoying how good it felt to hug her.
She returned his hug, and soft whimpers from her mouth let him know she enjoyed it just as much. "You are very welcome, Daniel! I was more than happy to share this with you!" she smiled warmly at him. "Agh," she groaned briefly.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Ooh, my wings are cramping. I guess I might have overdone it a little," she concluded, wincing lightly from the pain.
A look of concern spread across Daniel's face. He certainly didn't want to bear Celestia any pain. "Your wings probably aren't used to carrying a passenger, and this heat couldn't have helped any."
"Yeah, you might be right," she uttered, a mild strain in her voice.
"Come on, let's get you inside, where it's cool," he replied. Daniel led her back inside, and slid the patio door closed behind them. He guided her back the hallway and toward his room. "Easy, honey," he urged to her, feeling his solicitude for her grow. "Here, Celestia, you can rest on my bed." Daniel helped her remove her shoes and placed them under his nightstand.
"Thank you, Daniel." She laid down on the comfy bed, resting on her belly, and tucking in her hind legs, while leaving her forelegs rest in front of her, near the pillows.
After removing his own shoes, he sat beside her, and very tenderly ran a caring hand along her soft velvety back. His eyes remained glued to her. "Now, I'm no masseuse, but if you'd like, I could try giving you a wing massage. You can let me know where the troubled spots are and I can try to work the kinks out for you," he proposed.
Celestia felt the pain ease slightly, but the discomfort from the cramping and the spasms remained. "That sounds nice, if you don't mind?" she replied, still grunting lightly from her wings.
"Of course not," he whispered, "Anything for you, Celestia."
She looked back at him, and saw the strong look of concern and compassion in his brown eyes. Celestia smiled warmly at him, and sighed, "Daniel."
He reached his hands out and placed them near her left wing, while she slowly unfurled it for him. Daniel gently placed his fingers against her downy soft feathers. Very gently, he began applying pressure from his fingertips. Celestia cooed softly, letting her eyes drift shut from the soothing feeling of his caring caress. It made her glad that her wings were sensitive to touch.
Daniel continued doing his best to ease her tense wing and endeavored to properly comfort her. "How's that feel?" he uttered in a calming voice.
"Mmm," Celestia sighed, "That feels good. Thank goodness they weren't cramping worse. This massage should do the trick."
"I'm glad..." Daniel paused a moment and smiled, "My princess."
He roused a giggle from her, while she felt relaxing waves of pleasure ripple out from her wing. "Oh, my," she muttered. Celestia unfolded her right wing, and added, "You can switch wings, now."
"Okay," she heard him call back. His hands moved to her other wing, where he ever so gingerly repeated the process, happily humming as he continued her wing massage. "Your wings are so lovely," Daniel mused, continuing to kneed his hands along her feathery appendage.
Celestia felt her cheeks become flush, once again he succeeded in making her blush, but it made her feel all too happy. A contented sigh slipped over her lips as she managed to open her eyes. She glanced back at him, and saw a joyful smile cling to his face, while he continued tending to her. Words seemed to fail her as Celestia let her head come to rest against the pillows, namely his.
Her thoughts took her back to last night and the passionate encounter they shared together. She still felt a wonderful sensation in her flank, one she longed to feel again, but it wasn't the only feeling she was enjoying. Their newly declared love for each other continued to burn within her heart. The strong emotion coupled with his loving gesture left her feeling so deeply touched. Celestia could feel tears trying to push their way out form the back of her eyes.
Daniel sighed affectionately, while he eagerly massaged her other wing. Celestia had him feeling quite calm from all the endearing sighs, gentle moans and subtle coos she made. He felt even closer to her as he tended to her wing. It made him overjoyed to know she loved him back. The smile remained on his lips as he continued to hum contently.
"Ahh, that should do it," she called - sounding very relaxed. Daniel let go of her wing and she tucked it back along her side. "That's much better, thank you, Daniel."
He nodded silently and then replied, "You're welcome."
There was an odd hesitation in his words - one that left her feeling a bit puzzled. "You okay?" she asked, showing concern.
"Fine," he uttered. Then all at once, Daniel leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, bringing his cheek against her mane. "Oh, Celestia...I'm so glad you're here with me!" he declared.
"Daniel," Celestia replied, unable to find the words to properly express herself. She whimpered softly, and knew how to respond as she turned slightly and placed her hooves around his neck. Celestia kissed him deeply, taking a few moments to savor his lips. She rolled onto her side and pulled him down beside her, feeling her love for him grow even stronger. Daniel's lips pushed back harder, conveying his affections and desire for her. His right hand stroked her silky hair, while they felt their kiss grow into a stronger one.
The kiss ended, allowing them to take in some deep breaths. They shared a long loving gaze into each other's eyes. "I love you, Celestia," Daniel declared happily.
"I love you, Daniel," Celestia professed, smiling as she ran her hoof across his hair.
The couple began snuggling and caressing each other in a very affectionate manner. Her hooves were all over him, and his hands felt no shame or restraint as they graced nearly every inch of her majestic white body, ultimately returning to her mane to savor her colorful locks.
Celestia kissed his cheeks and then rubbed her nose against his, feeling even more intoxicated by him. As they continued cuddling, Celestia remembered something she wanted to ask him. "Daniel," she began.
"Uh-huh," he mumbled.
"Last night, after I used the bathroom, I was thinking. How would you feel about showering together some time?" she asked.
He planted a loving kiss on her beautiful neck and rubbed his cheek against her mane. "I'd love to. Maybe we could share one tonight. We can always listen to music and dance afterwards," he suggested, his voice mostly breaking into calming moans from their cuddling.
"That would be great. Then I can sleep by your side, just like I did last night," she chimed.
"That sounds wonderful," he sighed.
Their cuddling continued for a few more minutes, before Daniel managed to pull himself from her side, and stagger over to his computer. He felt half-loopy from his emotional high, which was why he all but fell into his desk chair. Shaking his head, while still smiling, he opened his web browser and started clacking on the keyboard.
Celestia followed him and draped herself along his shoulder, peering at the screen. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Well, I saw a group of somewhat menacing clouds out there, during our flight. I thought I would get a weather report," he explained. Following a few more clicks, he brought a small weather map up on the screen. "Here we are. A local radar."
"Radar? What's that?" she asked.
"Well, we have technology that lets us track rain and storms, through a variety of devices," he explained.
She pointed a hoof at the screen, "And what's this green, red and yellow blob on the map?"
"Well, the blob...or rather the radar, shows what type of weather system is heading our way, in this case a storm. The greens are light rain, while the yellows, oranges, and reds show heavier rains as well as storms," he continued.
"Hmm," she muttered, placing a hoof to her chin. Celestia pointed over to the right side of the map. "That's Willow Grove, the city near us, right?"
He nodded affirmatively, "Yes. And the storm is over by Helensdale. So, we have less than three hours till it arrives."
"I've never seen a storm on Earth. I wonder how they differ from the ones in Equestria?" she pondered with intrigue.
"You'll soon find out. Oh, and if you want to shower together, we'd better get it, now," Daniel suggested.
She nuzzled against him and giggled softly, "That's fine with me."
"Then, come on," he said, rising to his feet. "I'd better get some clean underwear, and then everything else we'll need should already be in the bathroom."
"Hmmm, this is going to be romantic," Celestia mused, lightly prancing her right hoof.
Daniel removed his socks and tossed them beside his shoes, over in the corner. He chuckled at her, "I'm sure it will be. Oh, would you like to take off your jewelry? You can leave it on the bed and get it once we're done."
"All right," she replied. Celestia gave him a playful look. "You wouldn't want to help me remove my jewelry, would you?"
He gave her a sly smile as he caught on to her drift. "Why, I'd be delighted," Daniel grinned. He walked over and placed his fingers along her swanlike neck, caressing her tenderly.
Celestia shuddered form his captivating touch. "Oh...your touch...it's so soothing," she moaned quietly.
Her reaction left him feeling very excited for the time they were about to spend together. Daniel placed his hands on the back of her necklace and carefully undid the clasp, taking it from her and setting it gently on the bed. He felt overjoyed that his touch seemed more than to her liking. His eyes fell partially closed as he placed his hands on her cheeks, planting a tender kiss on her lips. She almost seemed to melt from yet another of his caring gestures. Then, he reached up and very deftly removed her crown, placing it by her necklace. Daniel stepped back and marveled at her radiant beauty, which somehow seemed augmented by the absence of her jewelry.
"Celestia," he whispered, exhaling calmly. "Are you ready?"
She nodded and playfully bumped her forehead against his. "I am."
Together, they made their way down the hall and to the bathroom. He let her enter first and followed closely behind her, closing the door. After setting his clean undergarments on the counter, he returned to her side. Celestia looked at him fondly, and said, "Why don't you lose those bothersome clothes."
He nodded with a smile. Then he asked her, "Would you like to help me remove them?"
A dreamy look encompassed her face as her eyes gazed at him half-lidded. "I'd love to," she uttered, a strong yearning in her voice. Celestia's horn lit up, while shimmering its normal yellow-orange color, then it faded. "Wait, you like it better when I don't use my magic." He looked at her with intrigued eyes. An affectionate smile formed on her face as Celestia placed her hooves along his covered chest. She sighed lovingly at him, while he saw the passion burn in her vibrant magenta eyes.
Celestia slowly pushed up his tan shirt, driving it up toward his neck and shoulders, where Daniel helped her remove it by adjusting his arms so he could slip them out the short sleeves. She gripped the shirt in her mouth and gave it a soft pitch over to the counter. It came to rest by his clean underwear. The smile remained on Celestia's face as she took a moment to caress his bare and somewhat hairy chest. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling of his skin and hair as they swept against her hoof. Unable to restrain herself, she leaned in and briefly joined her lips to his. As she went to pull away, Daniel reached out and embraced her, prolonging the kiss. He moaned softly for her, causing Celestia to respond in kind, while her hooves continued resting along his chest.
Following the kiss, she gave him an endearing look as she moved her hooves to the rim of his shorts. Carefully she pulled them down, while making sure to leave his underwear alone and for last. Once his green shorts past his upper thighs, Celestia let them drop softly to his ankles. He stepped out of them and kicked them over by the counter, giving her a devoted smile. She happily returned his loving gaze, moving her hooves to the elastic of his underwear. "And now for these," she giggled playfully.
Daniel sighed quietly, the moment her hooves began driving his underwear down, brushing past his hips. Gradually, she lowered his undergarment, uncovering the last of him. She let his underwear drop to the floor, and with a swift jab of his foot, he sent them to join his shorts. Celestia's eyes took in the inviting sight of his spiring masculinity.
"I seem to have gotten you excited," she mused in a delicate voice.
He stared at her dreamily and quietly replied, "Yes, you have...with your beauty and your caring gestures."
Celestia felt her love for him surge within her heart. The smile remained on her face, while she gazed at him from head to toe. Her desire gripped her once again, causing her to reach out her right hoof. Gingerly, she began caressing the length of his spire. Daniel felt ripples of pleasure flow across his body from her heavenly touch. His eyes shut for a moment as he let out a shuddered sigh. The sound of her voice tenderly speaking his name caused him to open them. Celestia gracefully turned her flank toward him. She flipped her tail to the side, and longingly moaned, "Touch me, please."
"Of course," he whispered. Daniel was more than happy to oblige. He gazed at her enticing curves, tenderly brushing his fingers along her crescent. Celestia gasped softly, letting out a soothing moan.
"Your touch feels as wondrous as it did last night," she sighed, feeling her eyes close briefly.
She stroked him for a few more moments and felt his loving digits trace the contours around her slit. Withdrawing her hoof, she pulled away from him and turned to properly face him. "I guess I got a little carried away. Sorry about that, Daniel," Celestia apologized, a strong blush clinging to her cheeks.
He gave her a gracious smile and softly caressed her cheek with the palm of his hand. "Don't be, I'm not," he uttered. "Ready for that shower?"
Celestia bumped against him and nodded, "Yes. Nothing would make me happier."
"Then come on," he replied. Daniel slid back the shower curtain, and turned on the water. "Do you want the water warm or cool?"
"Just a hair warmer than cool, if you don't mind" she stated, giving him a closed eye smile.
He gave her a nod and adjusted the faucet. Placing his hand under the flowing water, he gauged the temperature. Shaking the water drops from his fingers, he turned and said, "It's ready." Celestia smiled at him. After making sure the towels and other items were set, he pulled the curtain back further. "After you, my dear."
Celestia smiled, and stepped into the tub. He joined her and closed the curtain. Daniel activated the shower and turned to face his mare. The faintly warm and mostly cool water cascaded down from the showerhead, as it began soaking their bodies.
She closed her eyes and turned her head, allowing the water to splash against her. "The water feels great," she remarked, "I'm glad your shower is roomy enough for both of us."
Daniel snickered happily at her, "Yeah, it's one of the features I liked about this house - a roomy tub and shower." He reached for the bath sponge and held it in the flow of the water, making it good and damp. "Shall I start with you, my love?"
A big smile formed on her face. "Awww, you called me, "my love"," she beamed with joy. Celestia placed her hooves around him and nuzzled her wet cheek against his. Then pulling back, she continued smiling, and said, "Yes, I'll go first...my darling"
He shared her loving smile and felt another emotional high, while he squeezed some body wash onto the sponge, working it into a good lather. Daniel started by running the sponge over her left shoulder, working it along her chest, and slowly caressing her left leg as he soaped it for her. He made his way back up and over to her other leg, granting it the same tender care as the other, and returning to finish her chest. His course took him around her elegant neck, which he savored cleansing for a few moments, meeting her happy face with his own. Daniel gently scrubbed her cheeks, and under her chin, thrilling at having her eyes fixed on him the entire time. Celestia almost instinctively closed her eyes as he finished washing her face.
It was then that the sponge bumped into the base of her horn. Since their meeting, he found her horn to be fascinating, but was very leery about touching it. This wasn't because he was put off by it or not curious, but rather he wasn't sure if there would be any implications, and for that matter...the subject of touching her horn had never come up till now.
Celestia noticed Daniel pause his hands, forcing her to ask, "What's wrong?"
"This may sound like a stupid question, but do you want me to scrub your horn? Or rather, is it okay if I touch it?" he replied, confident he sounded like he was rambling.
She giggled at him softly. "Oh, my horn. Yes, you may wash it and touch it. There won't be any harm, just please, be gentle," Celestia cautioned.
"Okay," he uttered. Since his curiosity was finally getting the better of him, Daniel felt compelled to reach up and graze his fingers across her magical spire. Celestia's horn felt hard and rather bony, yet there was a smooth and textured feeling to its surface. He was gripped by intrigue as he continued touching her horn. His digits began forming a tender stroking motion, which must have been quite to Celestia's liking. She started sighing and very softly moaning under her breath, just barely loud enough for Daniel to hear her over the flow of the shower.
This was more than he ever imagined. Touching her horn in a gentle fashion seemed to induce a sense of pleasure within Celestia. Something Daniel wouldn't have guessed without experiencing it first hand, like he was. Shaking his head, he gripped the sponge in his other hand and made sure it was still good and soapy. Then he very gingerly scrubbed her horn and slid the moist rectangle over her spire. His touch once again summoned pleasant sighs and sensual moans from her, which started getting a little louder.
"Oh, Daniel," Celestia moaned gracefully as she placed a hoof on his shoulder and kissed him deeply.
Her gesture was certainly welcome, even if somewhat surprising. He placed his free arm around her neck, and felt his hand rest along her soaked mane, which still felt amazing to the touch. Daniel felt the water fall along their cheeks as their wet lips wrestled softly under the continuous torrent.
She pulled back as the kiss ended. Daniel gazed at her lovingly, having enjoyed her little spontaneous act. "That was wonderful," he said."
"It was. Sorry if I took you by surprise, I haven't had someone else touch my horn like that in...too long," she explained. "Normally, I just give it a quick scrub when I bathe."
"It's all right. I just didn't realize your horn was so sensitive," he noted.
She giggled for a moment, then responded, "Yes, I should have told you. I just didn't think your touch would rouse such a reaction."
Daniel shook his head, "I can't believe you seem to be so starved for the affections of a lover. Surely a pony as amazing at you should have plenty of suitors."
She sighed heavily, "Oh, I do, but sadly as I told you before..."
He placed his hand along her neck, tenderly. "I know...they were more interested in the status you might grant them or seeing if they could curry your favor and get some quick money. They don't know what they were denying themselves," Daniel mused, caressing her drippy neck.
She smiled at him, and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Daniel."
"Sure. Why don't I finish washing you," he suggested. Celestia nodded, continuing to smile fondly at him.
While the tub was big enough to easily accommodate them both, Daniel still had to watch himself as he moved to tend her sides. Celestia leaned toward the wall, as he placed the sponge across her back. He squeezed it, causing a burst of suds to run down her graceful body. Daniel started gently scrubbing her again, working over her back and sides, and then tenderly washed her wing as she opened it for him. His path over her voluptuous torso took him to her right flank and over her cutie mark. After soaping her mark, he very lovingly worked his way down her right hind leg, making sure to clean every inch.
Celestia stepped forward and leaned toward the curtain so he could then clean her left side. Daniel ran the sponge over her other side and repeated the process, finishing with her wing and moving to her left flank. Before reaching her rump, he moved to wash under her belly, making sure he didn't forget it.
Daniel returned to her back, and let the sponge glide back to her tail. Gently he scrubbed her rump, eliciting a satisfied sigh, as he moved to clean her hind cheeks, which he'd been saving for last. He smiled as she shifted her tail to the side, allowing him to once again enjoy the sight of her marehood. Its enticing curves met his leering eyes as he enjoyed a lengthy stare. Daniel placed the sponge along her butt and slowly washed around till he ran the sponge gingerly across her slit. He attentively washed her mound, making sure to probe the sponge inside her a little bit. A few pleasant moans met his ears as he deftly scrubbed her special area.
"That should do it," he said. "Go ahead and rinse off the rest of the way."
"Okay," she replied. Celestia moved so the shower's flow whisked the suds off her. She savored the last of the suds falling form her, just as she had enjoyed Daniel's loving touch all over her body, while the trails of soap ran over her.
She shuddered softly as he helped rinse the lingering suds off of her. Celestia smiled as she moved back allowing him to step under the showerhead. "Hmm, now it's your turn," she giggled playfully.
Daniel looked at her with intrigued eyes. "Here you are," he said, offering her the sponge.
Holding her right hoof upside-down, she took the sponge from him and rinsed it briefly, before adding some fresh body wash gel to it. Celestia lathered it up in her hooves and then looked at him with a smile. "Where should I start?" she wondered. Her smile grew as she decided to follow his lead. Celestia started with his left shoulder and worked her way down his arm and then moved back to his shoulder, where she washed under his neck, causing a trail of suds to creep down across his belly. She moved from his right shoulder and down across his adjacent arm, making sure to do a thorough job. Like his left arm, Daniel had happily held it up, to ease her task, all while smiling at her devotedly.
The smile didn't leave her face as she continued washing him. It was quite a treat washing a human. Being that he was a biped, Celestia found more freedom to decide how and where she would wash him next. Her magenta eyes met his brown eyes with much delight and intrigue. She tenderly scrubbed his chest, watching with glee as the soap ran down his torso. A soft giggle slipped past her lips as she cleaned under his armpits and coaxed him to turn so she could was his back. He gladly did so, and savored her touch, sighing as she cleaned his back. Celestia also decided to clean his rear end, while she had him turned around.
After finishing with his backside, Celestia had her lover turn to face her again. They shared a brief gaze before she washed his belly and moved to clean his legs, saving his groin for last. As she washed along his right leg, she rose back up sliding the sponge along his inner thigh. Daniel felt his body tremble as he lightly shivered form her loving touch. He could feel his loins stir from the tender motion of her loving hooves. He equally enjoyed the sensation as Celestia cleaned his other leg and rose up along his other inner thigh.
Her captivating touch flared his arousal, causing his manhood to stiffen. Celestia saw the delight in his eyes and couldn't help but giggle at him. "I did it to you again, didn't I?"
"Oh, Celestia, it's fine," he muttered.
She sighed as she began cleaning his masculinity, running the sponge ever so gently over him. Celestia could feel her own heart rate increase, just like it did when he washed her marehood. It was an intriguing sensation that left her wanting him even more. But she wanted to wait till they could make use of his bed, before she allowed herself to lose control.
Celestia checked him over and remembered she still needed to wash his face. She rinsed the sponge and added just a little more soap. Then she cleaned his smiling face. "That should do it," she uttered.
"All right," he replied, as she helped him rinse the suds from his body. Daniel gazed back upon her and smiled again. "So shall we do each other's hair to finish?" he asked.
"Mmm, yes," she replied, casting out a strong sigh.
He grabbed the shampoo and met her happy face. Opening the cap, he squeezed some on her hoof and then a bit for his hand, seeing as her mane was quite long. She lathered his hair, while he worked the soap into her colorful locks. Once they finished, he had her turn so he could tend to her tail. Then together, they finished up by rinsing the shampoo out of their hair.
They discovered themselves standing very close as the last of the suds slipped down the drain. Daniel began running his hands along her neck and shoulders, while she caressed his back and chest, feeling her intoxication grow. Their eyes met under the falling water and their mouths sought each other out, needing to share another exchange of passion. He caressed her cheek as they both shared a series of pleasant moans. There was no hesitation between them as their mouths parted, deepening the kiss even more. Something about the water striking against their bodies seemed to fuel their desire, making them savor the kiss even more.
After several seconds passed, their lips parted, leaving them to faintly paint in the shower. They shared another loving glance, before Daniel said, "Why don't we get out and towel off?"
"Of course," she replied, while he turned the water off.
Celestia slid the curtain open, and together they stepped out onto the carefully placed dry towels. |
You Brighten My Day | Chapter 7 - "The Promise" | "You Brighten My Day"
Chapter 7 -
"The Promise"
Written by
JaydexTheShadowKnight
Daniel stood there on the large towels with Celestia. Water dripped from their wet bodies as he reached for one of the drying cloths. Securing it in his hands, he smiled and began to run it across her wet fur. She shared his smile and let out soothing sigh, enjoying the motions of the towel along her side. It began reminding her of past week, and when they got into that playful fight over the garden hose.
"Daniel?"
"Yes?"
"Do you remember when we were carrying on with the garden hose last week?" She blinked her magenta eyes at him and continued to smile.
He chuckled and gave her an affirmative nod. "Of course I do. That was so much fun."
"You know something?" She gave him a curious look as her eyes remained on him.
"And what's that, Celestia?" Daniel glanced at her, then continued drying her back and carefully started on both her wings.
"When we went to towel off, I actually thought it would have been nice if we could have dried each other. But sadly, it didn't seem appropriate at the time." She turned her head away briefly, then looked at him and to her delight, Daniel still had a thoughtful look on his face.
After drying her lovely neck, he moved to her front legs. "You probably made the best choice...but hey, we're getting to dry each other now." He looked up and gave her cheerful glance.
Celestia giggled in return and placed her hoof on his arm. "You're right, we are."
Daniel chuckled again, resting his hand along her hoof, before moving back to dry her flank. "Can I tell you something?"
"Oh, what's that?" Celestia glanced back at him, and sighed from the gentle motions of the towel along her wet tail.
"After that playful fight with the hose...I think that's when I started feeling attracted to you. The way you playfully tackled me was the most fun I've had in years. Then, you gave me that adorable smile as you blushed. Though, I have to admit, I wasn't entirely sure what I was feeling." Daniel laughed a bit as he finished with her hind legs and dried along her cutie marks. "You know, it's not everyday I develop a crush on an alicorn princess."
Celestia giggled playfully and nodded in agreement. "I never thought about it that way." She gave herself a quick looking over. "Well, I think I'm just about...oh! Oh my." Before she could finish her thought, Celestia felt Daniel run the towel along her folds, there he delicately dried her most sensitive area. She let her eyes fall shut for a few seconds, reveling in the attention her marehood was receiving. "That feels heavenly."
"Good, I was hoping you'd like that." He smiled as he rose from her backside and returned to face her. "You're all dry. Oh, but let me go over your mane one more time." Celestia briefly opened her eyes, and let out a happy sigh. Daniel ran the towel over her lengthy and colorful tresses, and then gave a satisfactory nod. "There you are, honey."
Celestia's smile grew. She was really beginning to love it when Daniel would use terms of endearment on her. She clutched the other towel in her hooves and stared affectionately at him. He saw her captivating glance and moved to set the used towel on the counter. Daniel wasn't quite paying full attention and ended up dropping it on the floor instead of setting it by the sink.
She began drying him and kept smiling as she started with his hair. "This is just as delightful as I imagined." Celestia finished Daniel's hair, then went on to his back and shoulders.
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. Oh, which reminds me."
"Yes?"
"Once we're done in here, I'll fire up some of that music I promised to share with you."
"That sounds great. Just out of curiosity, you wouldn't happen to be planning to play any love songs, would you?" She gave him another look that drew him right into her captivating eyes.
Shaking his head in an attempt to regain his focus, Daniel simply smiled at her. "Most of the songs I was going to play are love songs or similar relaxing songs. That's not a problem, I hope."
Celestia rested her hooves on his shoulders and let the towel drape along his front. "Of course not. I was hoping for something romantic." She pressed her lips to his and moaned faintly, before she resumed drying him. After finishing with his torso, she moved on to his legs, then finally, she dried between his legs and gently dried his sensitive area. Daniel sighed as Celestia noticed a major change to his masculinity. She smiled as she spent a few extra moments drying his length.
Daniel let out a soothing breath, relishing her loving motions with the towel. "That's nice...mmm."
She couldn't help but giggle, it made her happy to bring him any pleasure she could. After so many years had passed, Celestia was just so overjoyed to have someone this special in her life.
A big smile bloomed on her face as Celestia set the towel on the counter and used her magic to pick up the one he accidentally dropped. "There, Daniel. You're all set."
"Thank you, Celestia." He reached out and touched a lock of her mane. "Hmmm, you're mane is a little mussed, but it's still so beautiful."
She continued to smile and nuzzled her cheek against his. "That's sweet of you to say, but I should really brush it."
Daniel continued to caress her hair, when suddenly, he had an intriguing thought come to mind, though at first he felt a little reluctant to ask. "Celestia?"
She was checking her mane in the mirror, then turned to answer him. "Yes, Daniel?"
"Would you...mind...if I brushed your hair for you? I mean if you don't think it sounds weird or anything." He felt his cheeks become a little flushed knowing that to some women this was a touchy subject, and he had no idea how an alicorn would react to such a question for that matter.
Before Daniel had to wait, Celestia affectionately bumped her forehead along his, making sure to mind her horn. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, and it doesn't sound weird at all."
He smiled back at her, bubbling with silent glee. "Great. Oh, you have a brush with you, right?"
"I sure do. Why don't I run to my room and get it. In the meantime, you can get the music ready." A new jubilant expression formed on Celestia's face as she prepared to leave the bathroom.
"All right. I'll prepare the music, heck, we can even start listening to it while I brush you." He smiled, sharing her enthusiasm as he finished dressing and hung the wet towels up to dry.
"That sounds lovely. I'll be back in a few minutes." Celestia gave him a kiss on the cheek, then trotted out of the room.
Daniel stared briefly as he watched her leave the bathroom. Then he strolled to his room and sat on his computer chair. He opened iTunes and brought up a special playlist he had been working on during the past week. A grin formed on his face as he saw the list he named "Songs for Celestia". Since their meeting, he'd been finding songs that made him think of her, and Daniel didn't think he could find better music to share with the mare he loved.
A couple minutes had passed and Daniel heard the delicate patter of her hooves along the carpet. The heavenly fragrance of her floral perfume wafted into his nose as he took in a deep breath, exhaling contently.
Daniel rose to greet her, beaming her a loving smile. "There you are."
Celestia stood in front of him, and happily shared his smile. "I'm here."
They shared a loving hug and Daniel really caught a delightful whiff of the floral scent she was wearing. "Mmm, you smell so nice. I just love your perfume."
She giggled, sharing an affectionate nuzzle with him. "That's why I thought you'd like it if I put on a little."
"Yeah, I do." He sighed, taking in a soothing breath. "Oh, did you bring your brush?"
"I sure did. Is the music ready to play?" She batted her eyes at him and continued to smile.
He nodded happily. "All set. So, where's the brush?"
She snickered softly, turning to her side. "It's right here." Celestia moved her head back toward him and presented him the brush with it gripped in her mouth.
Daniel saw the sight of her holding it and thought she looked adorable. "Awww, Celestia, you always look so cute when you do that."
Celestia blushed deeply from his thoughtful words as she held the brush up to him. Daniel took hold of it, just as she let go. "I know you enjoy it when I use my mouth or hooves to hold things."
He softly patted her furry back. "I really do. Come on, let me start the music, then we can relax on the bed."
Celestia followed Daniel over to the computer. There, she tapped her hoof on his shoulder. "Daniel, wait a moment."
He glanced back at her. "What is it?"
"Could we wait and listen to the music after you brush my hair? I was just thinking it'd be nice to sit together and talk. This way you won't be interrupted, just in case we fell the urge to dance to any of the music.
Daniel smiled at her, having greatly enjoyed her suggestion. "Of course we can wait." He walked away from the computer and sat down on his bed, sliding to the middle. "Now, why don't you come and join me, Celestia?" Daniel patted the spot beside him and gave her a loving glance from his brown eyes.
Celestia gazed back at him with her captivating magenta eyes as she elegantly crawled onto the bed, tucking her lovely wings at her side. A joyous smile blossomed on her face as she moved closer to him. "Of course, Daniel," she spoke in a silky voice.
He parted his legs, forming a wide 'V'. She moved a little closer and laid in front of him, resting her hooves on his left leg. "How's this?"
"Perfect, my love." He took a portion of her gorgeous mane and brought the brush to its end. Taking a moment, Daniel enjoyed feasting his eyes on the lovely color combination of light cerulean blue, light turquoise, dark lavender and dark pink that blended so harmoniously in her hair. Slowly he ran the brush along her mane, gradually working his way up, and from what he had learned about hair brushing from his mother and his hair stylist, Daniel knew to be gentle and use great care in working out the knots and kinks that tend to form. There was an added bonus as her hair was still a little damp from their shower, which made the knots easier to deal with.
As the brush tugged along her tresses, Celestia let out a relaxed sigh. She closed her eyes and laid her head along her forelegs. Daniel heard her moan faintly and smiled as he continued his joyful task. He sat there marveling at the length and body of her hair, losing himself in the calm of the moment, brushing away.
Little by little, Celestia's mane began to regain its beauty. Periodically, Daniel would stop his brushing to savor the softness of her silky threads, appreciating how lovely it was becoming.
He worked on contently, sweeping the brush along Celestia's mane, when something humorous dawned on him. Daniel laughed briefly before speaking, "It's ironic, honey."
"Hmmm?" Celestia murmured, sounding like she was half-asleep. Realizing Daniel had said something, she opened her eyes and raised her head to look at him. "What's ironic, sweetheart?"
Daniel simply gave her a loving smile before he resumed brushing her mane. "Well, I was just thinking, after all the time we spent organizing the spare bedroom, you're probably not going to be needing it now," he chuckled, following his response.
Celestia enjoyed laughing with him. "Oh my, I hadn't really thought about it, but you're right."
"Neither did I." Daniel sighed happily, moving the brush to another section of her gorgeous hair. "I just want you to know, you're welcome to share my bed anytime you want, as long as you don't mind that it's a little cramped." He grinned a little sheepishly, knowing its limitations.
Celestia sat up partially and placed her left hoof on his chest. "It's fine, Daniel. I think it's actually pretty cozy, snuggling close as we sleep. I'm really looking forward to doing it again, tonight."
He nodded, continuing to smile. "That sounds wonderful, but I do have some savings. I could always look into getting a larger bed."
She gave him an endearing look, circling her hoof across the fabric of his shirt-covered chest. "Thank you, Daniel, but for now, I'm more than happy with the way things are."
"You know...so am I," he spoke softly. "Oh, but should you ever need some space, you can always feel free to use the spare room...I mean if you want to."
Celestia reached over and pushed his hand, brush and all, down. Daniel looked at her with intrigued eyes. A sincere and loving smile formed on her lips as she leaned in to kiss him. "Mmm..." Celestia moaned softly, pressing her lips firmly against his. His kindness and thoughtfulness had once again touched her.
Daniel placed his free hand along her swanlike neck, more than happy to return her kiss. They both moaned quietly while savoring the expression of their love.
Pulling back slightly, Celestia gazed at him half-lidded, placing her hoof along his cheek. "Daniel...you've been so wonderful...almost like the sweetest dream. Yet here you are, just as real as me." She chuckled nervously, realizing she must have been half rambling. Glancing back, she didn't see the slightest sign of contempt or anything else but Daniel's devoted stare, which made Celestia smile even more.
Daniel softly stroked her mane, adoring the renewed silky texture his brushing had given it. "In all my life...I never dreamed I'd meet anyone as amazing as you, Celestia." A soft chuckle rolled off his lips. "Oh, there I go getting carried away with the romance. Sorry about that."
Celestia offered him an endearing expression, continuing to look at him with partially closed eyes. "It's more than okay. I don't mind at all."
He smiled, securing his grip on the brush. "Here, let me finish your mane, then I'll take care of your tail."
"All right." Celestia laid back down, her forelegs still resting on his left leg. The smile on her face was even more jubilant than before. As Daniel continued brushing her, she began humming softly.
His smile grew as he recognized the tune. Celestia was humming the melody of "Luna's Boat Song" from Lunar. It still tickled him that she enjoyed one of his favorite role-playing games. Daniel cast out a soothing sigh as he finished with her mane.
"There, you're mane's done. Now for your tail." He grinned at her.
Celestia sat up again and opening her eyes, she gave him a rather seductive look. "Oh, okay. Let me just get situated here." She giggled rather playfully. After turning around and partially presenting her rump, Celestia flipped her tail over the exposed part of his leg, with a small portion resting on the cuff of his shorts. "How's that?"
Daniel snagged a portion of her tail and gave her a nod. "This will do nicely." He chuckled briefly, then gingerly secured the locks of her tail in his free hand. Taking the brush, he began at the end and softly worked along the tangles. He took a deep breath, feeling Celestia adjust and slightly push her rump against his leg. Having her flank so close to his crotch made Daniel feel a little distracted. The teasing the two had been doing to each other, since just before their shower, left him wondering if they'd make it through this brushing session and the music, before their desires got the best of them.
As he steadily worked the brush up her tail, Daniel recalled that Celestia said she was looking forward to having sex with him again. Of course to Daniel it would be so much more than simply sex alone, rather he would regard it as making love to someone as special as her. The idea of bonding deeply with Celestia, both physically and emotionally, left him feeling the same giddy feeling he experienced the night before.
Focusing more on his task, he began to think of the music they were soon to share and figured, for her, he'd work through the distractions. After all, Celestia was continuing to mean more to him with each passing minute. Oddly enough, it almost seemed like time slowed down whenever he was with her, and he couldn't be happier because of it.
"How's that feeling? I'm not being too rough, am I?" Daniel paused his brushing as he waited for her reply.
"No, it's fine...just like you." She giggled and then let out a dreamy sigh.
Daniel gave her tail a few more strokes, then offered her a smile. "All right. That should do it." He leaned over and lightly pitched the brush onto his nightstand and then pulling back, he ran his fingers along her tail. "Nice and silky. What do you think?"
Celestia curled her tail over and gave it a quick inspection. She closed her eyes and smiled gleefully. "It's perfect! Thank you." Celestia turned toward him and threw her hooves around him, half tackling Daniel in the process. They plopped onto the bed, just missing the pillows.
He looked up at her and pushed up his glasses. Daniel realized he was all but pinned by her. "Gee, I'm feeling dejà vu," he snickered, caressing her cheek.
Celestia looked down at him and blushed. "So am I." Then she smiled brightly. "Only this time...I can do this." She closed her eyes and locked her lips to his. Daniel threw his arms around her neck as they shared another sensuous kiss.
A few moments of tenderness passed and they lightly pulled back. Daniel rubbed his hand along her cheek again. "I don't think I'll ever tire of kissing you." She smiled, while he chuckled at her. "You ready to check out that music?"
She nodded. "Mm-hmm." Celestia released Daniel and moved off of him, a distinct blush clinging to her cheeks.
Daniel stood up and smiled back at her. "I still love it when you blush. You look so beautiful when you do. Which makes this first song very appropriate."
Celestia felt her cheeks tingle as they turned a little redder, but she hardly minded. Casting her gaze his way, she kept smiling. "So, what is this first song?"
He laughed briefly. "It's called "Beautiful". Now, there are some parts that don't quite fit, like the parts about a club. Still, a good deal of this song made me think about you anyway."
Daniel jiggled the mouse and highlighted the appropriate track and double clicked it. Turning back, he said, "Okay, here we go." He returned to the bed, and took a seat beside her, just as the music began to play.
Celestia lounged on her side and Daniel nestled against her. He nimbly slipped his arms around her and shared her ceaseless smile. So far, she seemed to be enjoying the song's melody.
Daniel gave her a sheepish look following the line about being her baby's father. "That would be one of the parts that doesn't fit."
Celestia giggled at him. "That's okay."
Then came the other unfitting line, which made him give her a troubled glance. "That would be the club part, that doesn't quite fit either." Daniel grinned, feeling a little nervous, hoping she would be able to enjoy most of the song anyway.
Celestia just smiled and patted her left hoof along his chest. Then the song's chorus began to play and it became clear to her why this song was appropriate.
Celestia cooed softly following the second verse. The repetition of the word "beautiful" and the mentioning of how like the sun she brightened his day made her lean closer to Daniel and begin nuzzling him - it was even clearer why this song caused him to think of her. Celestia felt touched again and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips and whispered his name.
He sighed contently giving her a loving squeeze. Daniel responded, softly speaking her name and affectionately kissed her lips in kind, as they continued listening.
Celestia began feeling impassioned, Daniel's intentions for playing this song were quite clear and the song's lyrics seemed to match his growing feelings for her. It gave her such an elevating sensation, she could only think of one way to properly express her happiness. The princess gave him another vigorous nuzzle and then to her surprise, Daniel beat her to the punch and kissed her very deeply, causing her to close her eyes in response to the passion she felt pouring out from him.
The emotions began making Celestia feel half intoxicated, leaving her wanting even more. She opened her mouth and tapped her tongue on his lips. Daniel was more than delighted to indulge her. He parted his mouth and joined his tongue to hers, sharing an alluring oral embrace. They both moaned passionately, while he pulled her closer in his arms and she in turn secured her hooves around him.
A few moments passed and just as the song was finishing, their kiss concluded, while they lost themselves in each others' eyes and softly gasped for air.
Daniel gingerly ran the back of his left hand along her furry cheek. "My love, that was wonderful."
She leaned against his hand, happily smiling at him. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, sweetheart. Seems we were thinking the same thing."
He nodded sharing her loving smile. "Yeah, we certainly were." Daniel clasped her right hoof delicately and gave her a sincere look. "The next song is about to start. Would you care to dance?"
Her eyes seemed to glisten at his request. Celestia placed her other hoof over his hand and smiled with a nod. "Of course, I'd be delighted."
The couple rose from the bed and moved to the empty floor along the center of his room. Celestia stood partially on her hind legs and let her hooves rest on his shoulders. Daniel placed his arms around her just above her folded wings. She gazed deep into his eyes and saw him gazing back.
It was then, that the following song began to play. Celestia listened closely to the expressive melody. "Ooh, what song is this? Is this one of the love songs you told me about?"
Daniel let out a loving sigh. "Yes. This song is called "My Heart Will Go On" and is sung by one of my favorite artists, Celine Dion. I think you'll really like this." He moved his right hand to tenderly stroke her mane.
"I like the title." Celestia sighed near his ear and ran her hoof across his short brown hair.
After moving a little closer, Daniel gradually led them in a clockwise motion, while they began slowly swaying back and forth to the music.
(Pause for the first verse)
Celestia sighed dreamily as she leaned her head on Daniel's shoulder. "Mmm, this is a really beautiful song."
Daniel smiled and rested his head against hers. "Hmm...guess I was right then, you do like it."
"Mm-hmm." Celestia mumbled back.
(Pause for the second verse)
They continued swaying gently across the floor, losing themselves in the song's endearing lyrics and calming melody.
(Pause for the chorus)
Daniel felt adventurous and slid his hands over her folder wings, stopping them just above her cutie marks. Celestia giggled softly and ran her hoof along his back, letting him know she enjoyed his gesture. She raised her head and smiled at him, while she looked into his eyes.
Their dancing continued to take them in a gradual orbit of the center of Daniel's bedroom. He moved his right hand and resumed stroking her silky mane, while Celestia sighed happily.
(Pause for the first two lines of the third verse)
Celestia's eyes began to tear up as she suspected why this song was so special to Daniel.
(Pause for the last of the song)
He stood there, looking into her beautiful jewels just as the last of Celine Dion's words faded out. Celestia's mouth partially dropped when she saw a lone tear trailing down the right side of Daniel's face. She pulled him closer and joined her lips to his, just as a tear of her own rolled down her cheek. Daniel moved his arms to better embrace her and kissed her back as deeply as he could, moaning affectionately for her. He heard a loving moan muffle over her lips, while he swept his hand along her heavenly mane.
The lovers remained embraced following their kiss. Smiles still brightly painted their faces as they briefly lost themselves in the other's eyes, again.
"Thank you, Daniel. I haven't enjoyed a dance like that in...well, too long to count." Celestia giggled nervously. "You never mean to let so much time go by, but..."
Daniel placed his left hand under her divinely sculpted chin. "I think I understand. While my life has been vastly shorter than yours, I still know how time can get away from you." He softly rubbed his thumb across the fur of her chin. "You know, you danced beautifully. I really hope we can do this again."
She placed a hoof along his cheek. "Anytime you'd like." Celestia sighed happily, giving him an unending smile. "Both of those songs were great and I loved the dance, but, would you mind if we cuddled on the bed again?"
He shook his head. "Not at all. Oh, Celestia, do you like instrumental music?"
"Oh yes, it's one of my favorite kinds of music."
Daniel closed his eyes and briefly grinned. "Great, just let me start the right track." Fortunately, their dance ended very near the computer. He reached over and moved the mouse, double clicking another song, one that was lower on the list, and then he walked his companion back over to the bed. The two returned to the center and sat closely as the next song began to play.
The melody started off with a piano, its soothing tones quickly permeating the room, making Celestia sigh as she rested her head beside Daniel's. "What is this lovely piece called?"
Daniel nuzzled against Celestia, wrapping his arms around her. "Mmm...it's called "The Promise.""
"Beautiful..." Celestia's voice trailed off as she let the music flow into her lightly twitching ears. "Daniel?"
"Hmm?" He muttered, rubbing his hand along the velvety fur along her barrel.
Celestia placed her hoof along his shoulder, softly running it along the sleeve of his shirt. For a moment, she contemplated asking him if they should promise each other something, anything, but she thought it might seem silly. After all, they'd just declared their love for each other. There would still be time for promises, Celestia felt almost certain of that.
She moved her hoof to softly pat his chest. "This is a really wonderful song."
"I know...that's why I wanted to play it for you. It's calm and soothing...it reminds me of you. You know, you make me feel peaceful." Daniel looked up at her, his eyes glistening in the delicate glow of his nightstand light.
"Aww...Daniel." She smiled at him, her chest lightly heaving as the strings of a violin added to the emotion of the song. Celestia leaned her head against him harder and snuggled closer to him. A faint coo left her mouth as she embraced him in her hooves.
"Celestia." Daniel spoke in a hushed voice. He began nuzzling her with both cheeks, first the left and then the right, moving his head back and forth as he trailed along her neck.
Celestia enjoyed his loving gesture, whimpering softly under her breath. She gasped quietly as she felt his lips brush against her neck. Daniel then began decorating her with short tender kisses, but she knew they weren't the products of lust, rather, they were filled with a sincere passion, and stemmed from the love for her he was nurturing in his heart.
Her forelimbs drew him closer as she kissed his forehead, nuzzling him back just as affectionately, feeling her own heart beating close to his as they continued to cuddle. Again it was clear to her, like it had been earlier that same evening.
"I love you, Daniel."
His gaze met hers and he placed his hand along her cheek. "I love you, Celestia."
The two remained embraced as they continued to snuggle, enjoying the last few songs on Daniel's playlist, that he later told her was made especially for her.
* * * * *
The last song had just completed and the computer's speakers grew silent. Celestia turned to Daniel and softly kissed his cheek. "Was that the last one?"
He nodded. "Yes, and I didn't set the list to repeat. Oh, and I just realized, we never actually dance, danced."
"That's more than all right, there will be other nights." Celestia sighed contently. "I really enjoyed sitting her and listening to those songs with you, and those few slow dances we shared were wonderful."
"Yeah, they definitely were, and I'm glad you enjoyed the music." He chuckled rubbing his cheek against her mane.
"I certainly did." She giggled briefly, enjoying the brush of his cheek along her hair. "Now, I hope this won't spoil the mood, but before we do anything else, I should go freshen up in the bathroom, that way we can do whatever we want and then just drift off to sleep. Oh, and you can do the same, if you want."
Daniel nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. I should take care of my teeth and "freshen up" as you said. Then..." He gave her affectionate eyes. "We can, yeah, make love together, like we did last night." He smiled at her half-eyed as he held a lock of her mane is his hand, stroking it gingerly with his thumb.
Celestia felt titillated from his words and happily shared his smile. "Yes, making love again would be wonderful."
"In that case, my dear, ladies first."
She giggled at him as they moved apart and left the bed. "All right, my darling. Hmm, I won't be long, then you can have the bathroom."
"Take your time, honey. I'll shut down the computer in the meantime."
"Okay." Celestia gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Then departed his room, partially closing the door behind her.
Daniel stared at the door for a few seconds, still wearing a joyful smile on his face. He turned and walked toward his bedroom window. Parting the curtains, he took a look outside. There was no sign of the moon or any stars. It was then that he noticed a purple flash, off in the distance. He shook his head and took another look. Several seconds passed and he noticed another distant flash.
Placing his hand to his chin, Daniel nodded. He remembered the threatening clouds he saw during his flight with Celestia. Sitting back at his computer, he also remembered the storms that were heading their way, when he last checked the weather map.
He opened the web browser and returned to the weather site to check on the radar. Daniel studied the map closely. The storms were still out there, but from the motion of the radar it appeared that the worst was going to stay to their north. There was a small cluster of green blobs, each one dotted with specs of yellow, orange and red. However, they seemed to be staying to the south, and at this time of night, the chances of them building to anything major was remote. At best they might get a few flashes of far-off lighting.
Daniel scoffed, when he realized they probably wouldn't even get a single rumble of thunder out of this. Though, the disappointment quickly faded. After all, this would allow him to share a peaceful night with Celestia. That was something he looked forward to more than any storms.
Having turned off the computer, Daniel stood by the bed as he pulled back the covers. He looked over and spied Celestia's crown, which was sitting next to her large necklace on top of the dresser. Making his way to the dresser, Daniel deftly picked it up. He stared at the large magenta jewel fixed to the center and noticed his face reflected in the polished gold.
Before his mind could wander, he heard the sounds of the bathroom door open from out in the hall. Daniel set her crown back on the dresser, just as she returned from the bathroom.
Celestia greeted him with a loving smile. "The bathroom is all yours."
He smiled back and gave her a nod. "All right. I'll be back."
This time, Celestia watched him as he left the bedroom, only Daniel didn't bother to shut the door. He didn't really see the need since he would be back.
Daniel stepped into the bathroom, and closed the door behind him. He took in a deep breath and could immediately tell she had been there. Celestia left a very pleasant scent in her wake. It smelled like she did as they made love the night before, and was combined with a hint of her perfume and the fading smell of mint toothpaste. Daniel wasn't entirely sure what all made up her scent, all he knew was that he definitely enjoyed it.
He stood at the sink, staring blankly into the mirror for a moment, continuing to relish the scent she left behind. Daniel tended to his teeth, flossing and brushing them. Then, he finished off with some cleansing mouthwash. After sloshing it around for a bit, he spit the minty liquid into the sink.
Returning his gaze to the mirror, his thoughts remained focused on Celestia. He smiled, feeling the elevating sensation that came from loving her. Daniel could hardly wait to see how things would progress now that they were in love. Then something dawned on him. He thought back to her crown, and realized she was still a princess, and not just any princess. Daniel remembered that Celestia oversaw an entire nation, which meant she'd have to go back eventually.
This made him feel a brief rush of panic. What if that did happen and she had to leave - he'd lose her.
Looking in the mirror, Daniel could see his face begin to fall. He then decided to hasten his routine and finish up quickly. He didn't want to waste another second in there, when he could be spending them with her. Despite all the time they'd spent together, he suddenly felt compelled to see her again.
* * * * * *
Meanwhile, Celestia remained in Daniel's room, waiting for him to finish in the bathroom. She looked around his room and spied her crown resting on the dresser. Celestia walked over to it and ran her hoof along its top edge. Her horn lit up with a golden orange glow as she lifted it up.
Then, just as quickly as she raised it, Celestia set it back down. She walked away hanging her head. Even though part of her had been trying to forget about her royal lineage, Celestia couldn't repress it altogether. She knew this was just a vacation, which meant it couldn't last forever.
After all those years alone, Celestia had finally found someone she felt she could be herself with again. Then it dawned on her, when it would finally be time for her to leave - she could only wonder if Daniel would be willing to go back to Equestria with her. She whimpered at the though of going back without him.
Celestia swallowed thickly, this was a most alarming sensation, and she was suddenly possessed with a need to see him, foolish as it may seem.
She grinned uneasily, seeing that he hadn't returned yet. Then, she gave a firm nod. Regardless of the implications, she would simply go and see him while he was still in the bathroom.
Before she could start for the door, she heard the bathroom door open and in moments, saw him turn and enter the bedroom.
Daniel saw her standing there and quickly rushed over to her. He felt a little childish, but sometimes the heart can be very irrational. To his delight, Celestia trotted to join him. They drew each other into a loving embrace and without a word shared a tender kiss.
They stood there, looking into each other's glassy eyes. Daniel swept his fingers along her silky locks, while she placed a hoof along his left cheek. "Daniel," she all but cried. "I just had a frightful thought."
He kept looking at her, caressing her mane. "So did I. I realized...gulp...you won't be here forever."
Celestia nodded solemnly. "Yes, that's just what I was thinking. Only, Daniel...what will..." She became silent, her feelings had started getting the better of her, making her pause in deference to maintain her composure. Nevertheless, her eyes were filling with tears. "What will...happen to us, when I finally have to leave?" A few tears spilled form her right eye and started rolling down her cheek.
Daniel reached out and caught them on his index finger. "Celestia." Even though he managed to catch some of her tears, he couldn't restrain his own. A lone tear led the charge down his face as he felt his heart ache from the sight of his beloved mare in tears. He cleared his throat sharply, endeavoring to maintain his fortitude. "I was j-just...wondering that myself. I'm not really sure," he responded, shaking his head.
She sniffed quietly, feeling the warm caress of more falling tears. Celestia sobbed, "Why do I have to be a princess?"
Even as more tears continued to mount, Daniel managed a smile for her. He moved his hand to cup her chin, a strong but sincere look was present in his teary eyes. "Celestia, please don't cry, it'll be all right. You can't help the role you were given. Besides...even if I'm not sure what will happen...I am sure of one thing."
She closed her eyes, flushing out a few more tears. "And what's that?"
He waited till she opened her eyes again. Then, Daniel leaned to plant a loving kiss on her lips. "I love you...and call me crazy, but I don't believe anything will ever change that."
Through her unintended sorrow, Celestia found a way to smile from his kind words. "I feel the same way...I know I love you, Daniel. It's just...I wish we could always be together. I feel so happy when I'm with you."
Daniel gingerly rubbed his fingers along her cheek. "Well, you don't have to leave for some time, right?"
She nodded. "That's right. I should be able to stay for a good while yet. Luna and I never really said how long I should take off."
He returned his hand to her mane and continued to smile. "Then that's something, and...yeah, how about this?"
Celestia blinked at him. "How about what?"
Daniel drew her into a warm and affectionate hug, running his hand along her back. "I'll stay with you Celestia...as long as I can and more...I promise."
"Oh...Daniel." She sobbed, squeezing him tightly in her hooves. "And I promise to stay with you, as long as I can...and whenever I can."
He chuckled happily as he patted her furry back. Then, they pulled back staying close together. Daniel reached up and gently wiped some of the lingering tears from her eyes. "Come on, dry your eyes, my love. We're still together."
"You're right. I'm just so glad I found you." Celestia gave him another affectionate squeeze and nuzzled her cheek to his. Then, she looked him in the eye, offering him a warming smile.
"I know how you feel." Daniel deftly raked his fingers along her colorful locks, sharing her delightful expression. His arms encircled her neck as he proceeded to kiss her. Celestia quickly enfolded her forelegs around him as she happily reciprocated.
They moved to the bed and carefully sat down, continuing their warmhearted kiss. He happily shared a few ginger moans with her, trailing his hand along her barrel, past her lovely wing, where it came to rest along her cutie mark. There, Daniel softly kneaded his fingers along her, savoring the gentle wrestling of their lips.
They let themselves topple back, resting their heads along the pillows, continuing to kiss for a few more moments.
Celestia ran her hoof along his cheek, and joined him in panting quietly for breath. Her gaze fell upon his welcoming face adding to her smile. "Oh Daniel...I."
He nodded silently. "I know, Celestia. I feel it too." Daniel reached for her left hoof and brought it to his lips. Gently, he kissed it and returned her loving glance. He released her hoof and indulged in a savoring glance of her beautiful face, stroking her velvety cheek. "Why don't I lose these clothes?" Daniel looked at her half-lidded.
Celestia sighed, cuddling against his hand, keeping her hooves around him. "Just stay in my hooves, please." A passionate and somewhat seductive smile formed on her lips. "I'll help you with your clothes."
His fingertips resumed grazing her white cheek. "You wouldn't have to do that."
"I know, but I want to." Celestia drew him close and cuddled him amorously.
Daniel was more than happy to return the favor as he snuggled with her. "How did I know you were going to say that?" He snickered at her, then a sly smile formed on his face. "So then...where did you want to start?"
Celestia happily employed her bedroom eyes and pawed at his chest with her left hoof. Her horn lit up with its golden orange glow as her magic encompassed his shirt. "Well," she giggled, bringing her lips to his ear, "I thought I'd start at the top and work...my way...down."
Her whispered words sent shivers up Daniel's spine, adding to his growing anticipation. He untucked his shirttail and gave her an encouraging nod.
Celestia's smile morphed into a more seductive one as she began tugging his shirt with her magic, gradually lifting it up and uncovering his chest. As she drove the shirt up toward his neck, Celestia placed her hooves on his belly and slid them up to caress his chest.
The motion of her hooves along his chest felt wondrous and caused Daniel to sigh. Even though it was rather distracting, he still managed to pull both his arms in through the sleeves. Now that the shirt was completely off of Daniel, Celestia let it float over to the dresser. She was about to set it down when she felt his lips graze her neck. The shirt fell short of its intended destination and dropped to the floor.
Celestia turned to Daniel and pulled her hooves back, while she rubbed her cheek just below his neck. Then, she proceeded to kiss his chest, very gently, sending more delightful chills up his back, causing him to shudder briefly.
He placed his thumbs into the elastic liner of his shorts. Then he prepared to lower them, when a familiar magical presence joined him in driving them down. Daniel smiled at the gentle glow, which now enveloped his bottom wear. Once the garment cleared his underwear, he let Celestia pull them down to his ankles. She gave them a glance then returned her loving eyes to him. Daniel grinned and silently nodded as he flung his shorts off his feet and onto the floor.
The seductive look remained on Celestia's face, now that Daniel was in nothing but his underwear. She stared at him, placing her hoof against the white cottony fabric of his undergarment. Celestia rubbed the tip of her limb against his covered crotch, while she continued to give him a rather unnerving stare.
"Hmm...I can see another reason why you humans wear clothing. Even though they can get in the way...removing them one piece at a time can be very..." Celestia paused to giggle, "Delightful."
Daniel ran his fingertips along her mane, sharing her alluring smile. "I have to agree with you there." He snickered, looking at her flank. "But, even though you don't wear clothes, I think your tail more than makes up for it."
"Oh, does it now?" Celestia chuckled at him, then resumed rubbing her hoof along his crotch. Daniel moaned under his breath, relishing her soothing touch for a few more moments. The pleasant look in his eyes made her sigh contently. "Now then, where were we?" Celestia laid her head on his belly and gave him a spirited smile. "Ah, that's right..." She grinned using her magic to briefly snap the elastic of his briefs.
Daniel laughed as he scratched behind her ears. "Did you know you're extremely cute when you look at me like that?"
Celestia's cheeks turned red, the blush adding the perfect highlight to her lovely white fur. She tittered while she sat up partially and smiled back at him. The slyness returned to her eyes as her horn lit up. Celestia began tugging his underwear down in a teasing fashion, until she uncovered his manhood, which stood proudly at attention. She then hastened her task lowering his underclothes to his feet. Then, he gave her a similar nod and like his shorts, Daniel sent his underwear to join his other clothing on the floor.
He drew her into a loving embrace, running his hand along her flawlessly lovely mane. They continued laying on their sides as they shared a lengthy kiss. Daniel decided to pick up where he left off, placing his hand back on Celestia's cutie mark. His fingers began tracing the rays along her sunny symbol. She closed her eyes and let out an audible shudder of delight.
Celestia decorated his neck and chest with little kisses, while she placed her left hoof below his belly and slowly trailed it down toward his nether region. She halted her movements when she felt Daniel's hand move from her flank and brush against her rump. He began nudging her tail away, when he noticed her help him by shifting it to the side, clearing his path. Celestia also adjusted her hind legs and parted them as best she could. Daniel offered her a gracious nod as he glanced down and marveled at the alluring curves of her crescent.
He walked his fingers to her mound and began brushing his fingertips across her warm skin. Celestia let out a passionate sigh just as Daniel parted the delicate petals of her marehood and caressed her moistening flesh. She moaned into his ear, enraptured from his touch and hungry for more. "Mmm, Daniel...that feels wonderful."
He smiled as he continued touching her, delighted that his caress was so pleasing to her. Just as he considered moving things along, he felt her hoof bump against the tip of his spire. Shivers of pleasure raced up his back, and then, looking into her eyes, he briefly kissed her. Daniel moaned quietly and sighed as he felt her hoof start tickling the smooth underside of his firm spire.
Celestia chuckled at his reaction, but her laughter was quickly replaced by shivering moans as she felt Daniel delicately push two fingers into her and began massaging the wet inner walls of her longing marehood. She daintily moaned, absorbing every blissful motion of his loving digits, and added a little speed to her stroking hoof, pushing against his member.
The lovers exchanged a series or pleasant and lustful moans as their petting escalated. Daniel felt an enchanting tingling in his masculinity, which was strengthened from the affection present in her loving caress. From the adorable whimpers and moans Celestia was making, he knew she must be feeling good, but he wanted to make her feel even better. Daniel recalled something from their shower and raised his free hand to her lengthy horn. He tenderly started brushing his fingers along it making sure to convey his deepest affections for her. Celestia immediately noticed the stimulation along her magical spire. Her eyes opened and she smiled, while gazing at the loving expression on Daniel's face.
The pleasure began driving Celestia wild, she couldn't remember the last time she felt this exhilarated. She let her tongue loll out of her mouth as she panted for air. Celestia sensed every ounce of his love and desire in his touch. It made her heart beat rapidly causing her to feel feverishly hot. She knew there must be something she could do to add to Daniel's pleasure, but she could barely think. Her brain was awash in an endless sea of ecstasy. Still, despite it all, one thought came to her.
Daniel continued sighing and softly moaning from her captivating touch. He was only too happy to reciprocate, overjoyed that he could please her. Then, Daniel felt an added jolt of pleasure as he noticed Celestia began touching him with her other hoof, but she wasn't caressing him just anywhere. Her other hoof was very gently stroking the fleshy sack below his manhood. The tandem of her hooves left him melting as he felt a nearly endless assault of pleasure.
"Oh...Celestia, mmm, that's good." Daniel shivered with delight as he felt the pressure grow in his loins. His breath was growing shallow and he felt his heart pounding in his chest.
A few more minutes passed. "Daniel," she whimpered, still panting for air. "A-are you ready...t-to move on?"
He slowed his hands and looked upon her, feeling her hooves do the same. "Yes. I am if...you are."
"Uh-huh." Celestia smiled at him and patted his right shoulder. There was a slight pause as they rested for a moment and caught their breath. She batted her magenta eyes at him and gave him a sincere look. "My love, I have a request."
Daniel began running his hand along her hair, sharing her loving eyes. "Name it."
"Would you please lay on top of me this time? I hope I don't sound silly, but it's been so long since I felt the weight of a stal...err... a lover on me. So if you don't..."
He cut her off, placing his hand gingerly over her mouth. "Of course, my darling. I'd be happy to do it, and you don't sound silly, uh-uh." Daniel kissed both of her cheeks, then smooched her lips tenderly.
She brought her mouth to his ear and whispered, "Thank you, Daniel."
Bringing his lips beside her ear, he softly replied, "Anytime, Celestia. Now, lay on you back."
Celestia giggled, happy to do as he directed. She took a deep breath as she laid back on the bed, letting her head sink along the plush pillows. She looked up with devoted eyes as Daniel positioned himself above her. He smiled down at her, placing his hand on her right hind leg. His hand slid along her velvety white fur as he rubbed her leg, noticing her muscles lightly twitch under his caring touch.
Daniel felt the grip of a very amorous idea, seeing his beloved laying there like that. He brought his lips to her crescent and very gently kissed it. Then, he began kissing his way up from between her legs, across her belly, to her chest, and finally arrived at her sumptuous lips. Beaming her an affectionate smile, he locked her into a deep and passionate kiss.
Celestia felt her body tingle all over from his romantic gesture. Her wings began twitching and she could no longer fight it. Arching her back slightly, Celestia let her wings stretch out freely. She shivered with delight feeling very invigorated and decided to deepen their kiss even more.
Daniel quickly received the message and together they joined their tongues for an extension of their intimacy. Elegant moans filled the room as they savored their kiss, trying to breathe through their noses, before they had to part and take in addition gasps of air.
She looked up at him, and swirled her right hoof along his chest and softly whispered, "Daniel."
He gave her an endearing smile, placing his right hand along her chest. Daniel swept his hand along her velvety fur, just above her beating heart. She clutched his hand with her left hoof, while he ran the back of his left hand along her silky mane and quietly replied, "Celestia."
Daniel placed his hands on her slender shoulders and straddled his legs around her hind legs, delighted when his skin came in contact with her fur. Celestia giggled with anticipation, staring intensely at him. He moved closer to her and grinning at her, Daniel brushed the head of his manhood along her slit, gingerly rubbing against her for just a few moments. Then, the truest of looks formed on his face, making Celestia's smile continue to grow. Daniel pushed against her marehood, slowly entering her and causing them both to shudder from the delightful sensation.
Celestia let her head drift back as she felt his length slide inside her. She gave his manhood a welcoming squeeze of her inner walls, eliciting a pleasant moan from him. Then, he eased himself down on top of her. Celestia felt the force of his weight and happily wrapped her hooves around him. She rubbed her cheek along his and cooed contently.
Keeping his firm but gently grip on her shoulders, Daniel began moving on her, forming a wondrous motion between them. Celestia removed her right hoof from around him and ran it across the upper part of his chest, while her eyes teemed with devotion. He shared her loving glance, adding more speed to his movement. Gradually, they both began filling the room with new blissful moans of fiery passion.
Celestia felt the fervent sensation resume building up within her, only this time it was even more intense. She placed her hooves on his cheeks and drew him into a heated kiss, moaning lustfully for him. Daniel returned her kiss, feeling his desire grow for her as he continued thrusting against her. The mounting pressure returned to his loins, causing him to move his hands closer to her wings. Celestia whimpered as she felt his hands squeeze along the base of her wings. She'd nearly forgotten how good it could feel to have that area stimulated during sex.
She gave him a very seductive glance moaning and panting as he maintained his rhythmic movements. Celestia whimpered again and let out a string of pleasant moans, noticing her breath deepening with each second, right along with Daniel's.
Her body trembled as her moans and sighs became more frequent. Just like last night, Celestia felt wonderful. Daniel's love for her was present in each careful thrust and every loving squeeze of his hands. As he looked down at her, she could tell he felt every ounce of her growing love as she continued to squeeze around him and embrace him in her hooves.
Daniel felt his mind growing fuzzy from the rapturous ecstasy of their union. He felt his heart pound in his chest as sweat started dripping from his body. Staring down at her, Daniel leaned in and gave her a brief kiss.
Their breathing continued to intensify as Daniel and Celestia's bodies were ravaged by their unbridled desire for each other. A symphony of loving moans and joyous sighs saturated the air, driving them closer and closer to the edge.
As the minutes passed, Celestia consumed every moment of joy she shared with Daniel. Her mind was a jumble, but she didn't care, all that mattered was having him so close to her. She squeezed her hooves and her inner walls around Daniel adding to the heat of the moment.
He thrust into her a few more times and felt her body tremble heavily. Celestia began moaning repeatedly as her back lightly arched. She cast out a wonderfully elated moan and Daniel felt a warm fluid spurt along his manhood. The delightful wailing of his mare shattered the last bit of his restraint. He grunted softly and then let out a pleasant moan as he burst several times inside of her, feeling his deepening love and desire for her. His arms moved to surround her and he joined her in gasping rapidly for breath.
Several moments passed and Daniel and Celestia began to breathe more peacefully. He looked down at her and saw her loving eyes staring at him. Softly, she caressed his cheek. "That was perfect, my love. Just like last night."
Daniel reached down and gingerly stroked her mane. "It was incredible...wondrous, my sweet Celestia."
She whimpered, while keeping her hoof along his cheek. Celestia could tell from the quiver in his voice that the passion of the moment had gotten to him. A new loving smile formed on her face as she brushed her hoof against his brown hair. "You're so sweet." She saw the glistening in his eyes and felt her own eyes become misty. "Oh, Daniel."
"My princess," he whispered. Then, Daniel noticed she was still partially panting for air. "Should I move off you?"
She shook her head. "Not yet. I want to savor your weight on me, for just a few more moments." Then her smile grew. "Are you worried about me...not being able to get enough air?"
"Um, well...I never want to do anything to hurt you."
Celestia giggled happily at him. "Oh, you're fine, sweetheart. But, if you'd like to move off me now, we can cuddle."
He nodded. "Of course."
Daniel moved off of her and propped himself up on his knees. Celestia pulled in her wings and turned on her side. She brushed her hoof along his shoulder and then motioned for him to join her. He smiled back and laid by her side. Daniel sighed contently, placing his arms around her.
Celestia wrapped her hooves around him and cuddled close to him. She placed her left hind leg against his leg and gave him a winsome look. "Another magical day, together."
"Yeah. Oh, and just wait till the weekend." He chuckled, once again stroking her lengthy mane.
"That's right, the trip we're going on to see those waterfalls you told me about." Celestia took a deep soothing breath as she imagined what it would be like to stand with him at such a tranquil setting. "Mmm, I can hardly wait."
"Same here. But just think, we still have the rest of the week to spend together...well, aside from the time I'll be at work."
"We certainly do. Though, right now, I'm just glad I can stay with you, all night long." Celestia gently bumped her forehead against his, still mindful of her horn.
"Yeah...all night long. Just you and me." Daniel nuzzled against her and let out a staggered yawn.
Celestia chuckled as she spied his alarm clock. "Where did the evening go? It's almost eleven." Then, she joined him, letting out a quiet yawn of her own. "Oh my, I guess we should get some rest. I know you'll want to be ready for work in the morning."
He nodded firmly. "Yeah, but right now, I just want to think about you, till I fall asleep."
She snuggled closer to him and hugged Daniel tightly. "Aww..." Celestia smiled and shared a lengthy good night kiss with him.
He chuckled, feeling exceptionally giddy. "Good night, my love." Daniel reached over and turned out his nightstand lamp, then pulled the covers up over them.
"Good night, my darling one." Celestia withdrew her hooves from around him and placed them along his chest, nestling against him.
Daniel kept his loving arms around her and stayed close to her. They closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep. The room grew quiet, except for the occasional hum of the central air.
* * * * *
The bedroom was all but quiet. Only the combined sound of Daniel and Celestia's breathing could be heard. The two had been resting peacefully for nearly two hours.
It was getting a little warm and stuffy, now that the air-conditioning had reached temperature and was off for a time. Celestia murmured faintly from within her slumber. She adjusted her hooves on Daniel's chest, then grew silent again.
A minor rumble of thunder caused her ears to twitch for a moment. A few minutes went by and another, slightly louder, clap of thunder broke the tranquillity of the bedroom. Celestia moaned briefly, and tugged the covers up closer to her cheek.
Barely a minute passed and a third crash of thunder filled the room. She gasped awake, in time to see a vibrant strobe of lightning flicker at the bedroom window, momentarily illuminating the area in an eerie purple light. It was followed moments later by a booming rumble of thunder. Celestia whimpered as she cuddled closer to Daniel.
He began stirring from his slumber and felt he gentle movements. Daniel repositioned his arms around her and held her close. He took a deep breath and adjusted his head along the pillow. It was then that Daniel heard an echoing rumble of thunder and noticed Celestia was trembling within his embrace. Opening his eyes, he glanced around. Everything seemed all right, until he witnessed a bright flash of lighting. He heard her whimper again during the accompanying thunder.
"Celestia, honey, are you okay?"
"Hmm?" she mumbled somewhere between awake and asleep. Celestia opened her eyes and realized Daniel was awake. "Daniel." More thunder echoed in the bedroom. "Where'd these storms come from?"
"I think the storms I saw on the radar, didn't track as far north as I expected. That, or the little specs I saw to the south found a way to intensify." Celestia cringed following another flicker, bracing for the incoming roar of thunder. Daniel cradled her in his arms. "Hey, what's wrong? You're still shaking."
"Oh, it's silly."
Daniel kept his left arm around her and began running his fingers along her satiny mane. "Tell me, please. I want to help, if I can."
Celestia gave him a thoughtful look. It warmed her heart that he was trying to be so helpful. She placed her hoof along his chest. "It's the thunder. I've never really liked it. The sound hurts my ears and is just generally disruptive."
Daniel gave her a sympathetic nod. "Well, I can certainly understand why. When I was younger, I used to be afraid of storms like these, but now, I don't mind them so much. But they can be noisy."
Celestia giggled, rubbing her hoof along his bare chest. "Exactly. Oh, and you remember me telling you about the weather patrol, right?"
Daniel nodded affirmatively. "Yeah, they control the weather and work off a pre-determined schedule."
"That's right. Since I'm a busy ruler, I don't permit the weather team to schedule any thunderstorms in Canterlot. I don't mind normal rainstorms, windstorms or even snowstorms, I just don't want any thunder and lightning." Celestia removed her hoof and laid her head against his chest.
He continued stroking her mane, resting his chin along her crown. "I can't say I blame you." Daniel couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't more to this than she was telling him. Nevertheless, he figured rather than pry, he'd simply be there for her.
Celestia continued to enjoy his gentle caress along her mane. Thunder continued to rumble as the rain began falling. She trembled in response to the additional booms, but felt better as she nuzzled along Daniel's chest. She sat there in thought for a moment. Part of her wanted to tell him the real reason she detested thunderstorms, but she just couldn't bring herself to reveal the truth.
"Daniel?"
"Yes, my love?" He held her close, beaming her a loving smile, which she could see in the flickering lightning.
"Hold me tighter, and don't let me go." Celestia wrapped her hooves around him and continued to snuggle against him.
He let out a deep sigh and held her tightly, and then continued to affectionately comb his fingers through her hair. "Hmm, I've got you...and I won't let you go."
The two snuggled down under the covers and remained close. Celestia replaced her hooves along his chest and smiled as she felt his arms remain around her.
She gave a long listen, and noticed the thunder was growing quieter. The sound of the falling rain striking the side of the house seemed to prevail. "Is it me, or are the storms..."
"Yeah." Daniel joined her in taking a lengthy listen. "Looks like the worst has past us. Just some lingering rumbles of thunder now and some rain." He stroked her cheek and gave her a loving kiss.
She smiled at him and gave him a passionate kiss, softly running her hoof along his hair. "Thank you, Daniel."
He returned her joyful expression. "Anytime, Celestia. I love you."
"And I love you." Celestia kissed his forehead, then snuggled close to him.
Gradually they began to fall back to sleep and the sounds of the storms grew softer and more distant. The rain continued its soothing march, just before the central air kicked on, offering its refreshing breeze to the once stuffy room. In moments, the two were soundly asleep. |
You Brighten My Day | Chapter 8 - "Being in Love" | The night was calm, now that the storms had passed. Daniel and Celestia were enjoying a mostly restful sleep. Their collective breathing was periodically accompanied by the hum of the central air unit, which kept Daniel's house from getting too hot and stuffy.
Daniel stirred briefly, adjusting his arms around his beloved Celestia. She twitched faintly, keeping her hooves pressed affectionately against his chest.
The princess murmured and softly moaned from within her slumber. "L-Luna."
Celestia started to toss and turn within Daniel's embrace. Her groans and whimpers became louder and more frequent. "N-no. Sister...no..."
A few more minutes passed as Celestia's fitful sleep continued. Daniel awoke to the distressed sounds of his mare. He saw her figure beside him tossing about and sounding more and more agitated, until finally, Celestia opened her eyes and partially sat up. She gasped heavily and then felt Daniel's loving arms grip her tenderly.
"Celestia? Are you all right?" He reached back and turned on the nightstand light. Its gentle glow partially illuminated the once darkened room.
Turning his way, she saw the look of concern on Daniel's face. Celestia gave him a kind smile as she began to feel relieved. "I'm okay. I was just having a nightmare."
Daniel pulled her back down beside him, and held her as close as he could. "Awww, it's all right now."
Celestia nuzzled against him and placed her hooves around him. "I know. It just seemed so real."
Daniel could feel her lightly tremble within his embrace. He reached up and caressed her silky mane. "What was it about, if you don't mind telling me?"
The alicorn remained quiet for a moment, before she was ready to speak. "No, I don't mind. In fact it goes back to our talk earlier during the storms. I should have told you then."
Daniel glanced at her curiously. "Told me what?"
Celestia brushed her hoof along his cheek and smiled at him. "It's about the storms. The ones that passed over us tonight, they were very similar to the ones in Equestria during the time my sister fell from grace and became Nightmare Moon." She sighed woefully and shook her head. "It's stupid, I know, a princess like me bothered by thunderstorms. But anytime I hear thunder and see lighting...it takes me back to that horrible night. The night I had to fight my own little sister, and then..." Celestia choked up. "Banished her to the moon where she remained imprisoned for 1,000 years."
Daniel couldn't help but notice how broken up Celestia was. He spied tears in the corners of her eyes and that's when it dawned on him. "Your nightmare...it was about Luna, wasn't it?" She looked at him, her tears continued to mount. Celestia didn't speak, but nodded twice. "I thought so. You told me the story of your sister before, and how much it hurt." Daniel pulled her closer and began running his hand along her velvety back. He felt her continue to tremble as quiet sobs met his ears, while his feelings for her surged in his heart. "Celestia...you really are something. You still get so broken up about your sister...all these years later." He held her even tighter and felt warm tears of his own bubble up in his eyes. "I'm really glad you're here with me."
Celestia pulled back and looked Daniel in the eye. Her vision was partially blurred by her tears, so she raised a hoof and wiped a few of them away. "Thank you, Daniel. I'm glad you're here with me, too."
He resumed stroking her mane with tender sweeps of his loving fingers. "And just so you know, it's not stupid that you're bothered by the storms. It shows that you're an amazing and caring mare, and that you really love Luna."
A smile bloomed on Celestia's face while she wrapped her hooves around Daniel, drawing him close to her in a loving hug. She squeezed him tightly and a whimper of joy escaped her mouth as she relished being with someone that seemed to truly understand her. "I love you, Daniel."
He shared her endearing smile. "I love you, Celestia." Daniel cupped her chin with his hand and slowly leaned closer to her. Their lips met for a needed exchange of affection as they renewed their embrace. The lovers moaned softly, conveying their deep passions for each other, savoring the gentle wrestling of their lips for just a few moments more.
They pulled back and Celestia reveled as Daniel combed his fingers along her mane. She let out a loving sigh and promptly gave him an affectionate nuzzle. The two laid back down, and Daniel made sure they each were evenly covered.
Celestia looked over at his alarm clock. "Oh, Daniel, I'm so sorry. My restlessness has kept you from enjoying an uninterrupted sleep. There are only a few hours till you have to get up for work."
Daniel shook his head and looked to her with glassy eyes. "Don't worry about it, my love." He kissed her forehead, making sure to mind her long elegant horn. Then, he gave her a deeply loving look. "It doesn't bother me that you had trouble sleeping. You know, I would enjoy staying up all night, just to talk to you."
Celestia drew him close again and sighed happily, keeping her forelegs wrapped around him. "Daniel..."
Daniel kept his arms around her and nuzzled his cheek against her heavenly soft mane. "Celestia..."
She whimpered quietly, enjoying the loving motion of his cheek along her silky hair. "Daniel? Are you sure this isn't a dream?"
He kept nuzzling her, before pulling back to look into her endlessly expressive eyes. "No, my sweet Tia. This is really happening."
Celestia sighed and ran her right hoof across his bare chest. "Mmm, Tia...I like the way you say that." She smiled, while gazing at him half-lidded.
Daniel returned her smile, cupping his hand under her chin. "So you don't mind?"
"What? You calling me "Tia"?" Daniel nodded, then she shook her head. "No, not at all."
Daniel reached over and turned off the lamp, re-blanketing the room in darkness. He quickly wrapped his arms back around her and nuzzled against her lovely neck, kissing her velvety fur with his passionate lips. "I'm glad," he sighed.
Moving his head back to his pillow, Daniel continuing holding Celestia. She looked over at him in the darkness, just as happy as before to be with him and felt his breath pool near her face, while she let her own breath drift over him.
The two cuddled close from under the covers, and shared a relaxing sigh as they both let out a quiet yawn. Gradually, they drifted back to sleep, refilling the room with a calming silence and the dual sound of their breathing.
* * * * *
Daniel startled awake to the horrible piecing beep of his alarm clock. At first he wasn't even sure what that unholy sound was blaring at him. Then, it dawned on him as he reached over and slapped the snooze button.
He rubbed his forehead and then gently did the same to his eyes. It felt like someone had kicked him in the forehead for a few moments as he struggled to free himself from slumber's drowsy grip. Then, he noticed a familiar warmth pressed against him as he rolled over. Celestia had awakened and was basking her magenta eyes on him, a warm smile decorating her lips.
"Good morning, darling. Hmmm, did you sleep well?"
Daniel groaned briefly and stretched his arms before letting them fall gently around her, drawing her into a loving embrace. "It may have been brief, but I slept great. It'd be even nicer if I didn't have to go to work today, so I could sleep some more, but..." He grew quiet and stroked her velvety cheek. "Waking up with you...mmm, I wouldn't want to miss spending time with you."
Celestia continued smiling, before she leaned in and gave him a series of pony kisses, rubbing her nose against his. "Oh, Daniel." She giggled like a filly. "You're always so sweet."
Daniel's eyes widened. "Hold that thought." He quickly turned to his nightstand and switched off his infernal alarm clock, before it could sound again. Then, he smiled as he turned back to his lady. "Sorry, but I don't think we wanted to hear my alarm go off again."
She nodded. "Yeah. Oh, and speaking of the time, I should start breakfast, while you get ready for work. I wouldn't want you to be late."
He chuckled as he kept her in his loving grip. "No, we wouldn't. But there's still some time. Time...for this..." Daniel gave her romantic eyes as he leaned in closer to her. Celestia cheeks became rosy as she leaned forward to meet him for a loving kiss.
Celestia brushed her right hoof across his brown hair, while she rested her left on his chest. Elated sighs muffled past Daniel's mouth as he had one arm around her back and ran the other along her vibrant mane.
A few moments passed, before they parted their lips, gazing blissfully at each other. Then without a word, the two separated and got on with their morning routine.
* * * * *
After getting dressed and packing his lunch, Daniel joined Celestia in the dining room for one of her hearty breakfasts. He was enjoying his eggs and a bite of toast, when he noticed Celestia giving him a rather involved look. After clearing his mouth, Daniel returned her look. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He blinked his eyes in a fit of puzzlement filling with wonder.
Celestia let out a faint sigh and gave him a thoughtful smile. "It might sound silly at first, but Daniel...I've been wondering, why have you stopped eating meat?"
He gave her an even more confused expression. "I would think it obvious, or isn't it?" Daniel scratched his head, wondering if his being half-asleep was causing his befuddlement.
Celestia placed a hoof over her mouth and giggled at him. "I gathered you stopped eating meat as a courtesy to me, to make me feel comfortable. But, I know about your species and saw the meat that's slowly aging in your fridge. Are you just going to let it go bad?"
Daniel took a sip of his orange juice and stared down at his plate for a moment, before glancing back to her. "Well, after our meeting, I wanted to do my best to make you feel at home. I wasn't sure how you'd react to my eating meat, and I didn't want to offend you, so I figured I'd just stop for the time being." Daniel reached over and clutched her velvety hoof. "I never thought I'd end up falling in love with you, so, I guess I'm getting used to not eating meat now that we've grown so close."
She smiled at him and tenderly rubbed her other hoof across his hand. "That's very sweet of you, Daniel. But meat is a very important part of a human's diet. I've made use of your computer and read up more about your species while you were at work yesterday."
Daniel shared her smile. "I know meat is important, but there are alternatives and you do want me to go back to Equestria with you, right?" Celestia nodded. "Well, then I doubt I'll find an ample supply of meat in your world."
"That's true. But I'm sure we could work something out." She continued smiling and staring at him with loving eyes.
"That's another reason why I'm getting used to cutting meat from my diet. It'll make things easier when the time comes for us to go to your world." Daniel gripped her hoof securely and ran his thumb across her soft fur.
Celestia couldn't help but blush, he was once again being so sweet. "You're going to spoil me at this rate, Daniel."
He chuckled as he let go of her. "Well, if I do, it's because I don't usually have someone special to spoil. Now, come on, we'd better finish eating. I've only got a little over twenty minutes till I have to leave."
She nodded solemnly. "You're right, but I just wanted to mention that."
Daniel drank some more juice, then he responded. "That's all right. I just hope you understand why I'm not overly worried if I don't eat meat anymore. I'll admit some bacon or sausage would really clean up with breakfast, but I can learn to adapt. Besides, I'm really happy being with you."
The rosy glow remained on Celestia's face as she finished off a slice of toast. Then gave Daniel a jubilant nod. "I understand. It's something you're willing to sacrifice."
"Yes," Daniel nodded, before digging into more of his eggs and hash browns.
Then after finishing their meal, the time had come for Daniel to leave. He stood at the front door, holding his lunch cooler. Turning back, he gave Celestia a long affectionate look. "Well, it's that time. I may be a little later today, I'm going to stop at the store for a couple of things."
Celestia smiled sweetly at him, resting her right hoof on his shoulder. "That's fine. I just know I'll miss you, like I always do." She giggled briefly.
He smiled as they shared a passionate farewell kiss. As they pulled back, Daniel sighed dreamily leaving his gaze fall lazily on her. "I'll miss you too, my sweet Tia."
Her smile grew as she watched him step down onto the walkway. She kept her eyes glued to him as he made his way to the car. Then as he backed out of the driveway, she waved her hoof to him, feeling the wondrous sensation that came from being in love with him.
Celestia watched as Daniel drove off, down the road. She greatly hoped the day wouldn't drag on, so she could see him again. It was also her wish that the next few days would go by quickly, seeing as she was still so looking forward to their trip to the waterfalls. The idea seemed wondrous, a chance to get away to someplace isolated where she and Daniel could spent sometime outside. Though, she didn't want to admit it, she really was enjoying the cooling effect of his central air.
Now that she was on her own, Celestia thought about how she wanted to spend her day. She felt like getting out and stretching her legs. The sun was starting to come up, so she figured that after she cleaned up in the kitchen, she could water Daniel's garden for him.
It was just a little after seven when Celestia stepped outside the house. The outside air that brushed against her white fur didn't feel nearly as hot and oppressive as it had yesterday and the week of her arrival. Daniel was right, and the storms did cool things off. Though, it was still quite warm, as the sun shined its rays through a partly cloudy sky, while slowly making its way above the horizon.
Celestia took a deep breath and exhaled as she walked over to the garden hose. She took a moment to glance in the direction Daniel had driven. She knew his workday was just getting started. She cast out a wistful sigh, placing a hoof over her heart. It's been so long since I've been in love. I nearly forgot how wonderful a feeling it can be. Not to mention the heartache that goes with missing someone. Though, I know the time will go swiftly enough...and Daniel will be home before I know it. Celestia smiled from her thoughts and after turning on the water, used her magic to pull the hose over to the first flowerbed. Then, squeezing the trigger on the nozzle, she began giving a refreshing drink to the lovely blossoming plants, smiling contently as she swished the hose back and forth.
* * * * *
The morning passed quicker than Celestia expected. After finishing with Daniel's garden, she decided to do some more research on his world. It certainly helped that she was able to use his computer. Celestia found it made looking things up very quick and easy.
After lunch, she flittered away the afternoon checking out more of the music Daniel had on his iTunes playlist. She enjoyed the various songs and instrumental pieces he had put on the list dedicated to her. It was clear from the melodies and lyrics just how much she came to mean to him in the time they'd been together. More than a few of the songs brought some tears to her eyes, making her want him home even more. Though with each new track, and considering she played a few more than once, the time continued to truck along.
As she sampled even more of the list, she found the beat to several songs make her feel the urge to get up and dance. She hadn't left herself cut loose and be so free in well, longer than she could remember. The look of joy sparkled across her elegant face as she was up on all fours, tapping her hooves and swaying along the floor and even lightly marching in place. Celestia was just glad she was alone, she wasn't very confident in her dancing abilities, other than slow dancing and maybe ballroom dancing.
As she continued to enjoy the music, three o'clock had come and gone, and Celestia hadn't even noticed, she was marveling at not having a care in the world while she listened to the well-thought playlist of her beloved's making.
She hadn't even noticed that Daniel had arrived home from work. He was a bit late getting home. As he had told Celestia, he stopped at the grocery store for some provisions. Daniel smiled as he turned off the car and opened the door - it was great to be home. After exiting the vehicle, he looked at the front door only to see no sign of Celestia. In fact, the front door was closed. His brow furrowed in puzzlement as he tried to figure out why she wasn't there waiting for him like she normally did.
In an effort to figure out where she'd gone, Daniel grabbed his cooler and the couple grocery bags from the back seat and made his way to the front door. He was trying not to give in to that sinking feeling that was suddenly trying to push its way in from the back of his mind. He wasn't sure where she could be. There was no way Celestia had left. Daniel opened the front door and felt a little relieved when he found it was unlocked.
He stepped into the living room and the rush of cool central air swept over him. Surveying the room as he slowly made his way to the kitchen; Daniel saw no sign of Celestia. Then, as he set his bags and cooler on the extended part of the kitchen counter, he noticed music coming from his bedroom. After quickly putting the cold items into the fridge and freezer, he left the dining area and walked back into the living room, heading for the hallway. He recognized the song that was playing. "Untouched" by the Veronicas was just starting as he started back the hall.
The song was clearly coming from his bedroom. He noticed the door was only partially closed. Slowly, Daniel pushed the door open. His eyes widened and his mouth fell partially opened as he beheld the sight within - Celestia was dancing. Not just any dance. Her eyes were closed as she was trotting around, stepping and tapping her bare hooves on the carpet, all while wiggling and swaying her hips and flank around in a very provocative manner.
Celestia turned around and opened her eyes. She saw Daniel standing there with a perplexed and half stunned look on his face. His mouth was still partially agape. She giggled and felt her cheeks become warm as she blushed, but instead of giving in to that momentary sense of embarrassment, Celestia danced her way over to Daniel.
She draped her hooves over his shoulders and gave him a very loving look. "Welcome home, darling." Celestia kissed him deeply on the lips; before she moved away form him and continued dancing. She turned around, and glancing over her shoulder giving him a very sultry "come hither" look as she began grinding her hips and waving her rump in his direction, shamelessly flipping her tail around, allowing him glances at her curvaceous marehood.
The smile grew on Celestia's face as she backed right up to Daniel and continued waving her tail. Only this time, she ran her tail across his chin and over his lips, just shy of his nose, lightly tickling his face. Daniel shivered with ripples of delight and braced himself against the door, inadvertently shutting it. He felt his heart begin racing with excitement as he shook his head and began enjoying Celestia's performance.
A titillated smile morphed onto his face as Daniel made his way over to his mare. Celestia moved closer to him and playfully bumped against him, making him fall back onto the bed. Then, as Celestia drew close, Daniel wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down beside him.
She looked at him with intrigue glistening in her eyes. "Did you enjoy my dancing?"
Daniel smiled passionately as he swept his hand along her silky mane. "I loved it," he whispered. "You were amazing."
Celestia blushed and chuckled faintly, continuing to smile at her sweetheart. "Thank you, Daniel. I've never done anything like that before...especially for a special somepony."
Daniel sighed dreamily as the song continued to play, nearing its end. He ran his hand along Celestia's silky mane staring deeply into her eyes. "Mmm...I'm so glad to see you."
She smiled again, still blushing considerably. Celestia placed a hoof on his chest and lightly caressed him. "I'm glad to see you too."
He chuckled as he continued, "You gave me a momentary freight."
"I did?"
"Yeah. When I didn't see you at the front door, I wasn't sure what to think. But it seems you just got carried away listening to music." Daniel sighed calmly and more at ease.
Celestia giggled and gave him a sheepish glance. "Yes, I didn't mean to get carried away, but some of the songs on your play list are fun to dance to. Like this one. I hope I didn't worry you."
He shook his head. "Nah, well, just a tad." Daniel held up his hand and placed his index finger near his thumb, leaving a very small gap. "See, about that much."
She stretched her neck and moved to lightly kiss his hand. Daniel smiled even more at her as he wrapped his arms around her and drew her into a deeply loving kiss.
They savored the kiss as the next song on the playlist began - Enya's song "Hope Has a Place". It's calming melody began to fill the room as Daniel continued to savor his kiss with Celestia for just a few more seconds.
Their kiss ended and they remained there exchanging deeply loving gazes. Daniel ran his hand tenderly along Celestia's velvety cheek. "I know I'm a little dirty from work, but, would you care to share a dance, my love?"
Her eyes overflowed with even more joy and seemed to sparkle as she nodded. "Sweetheart, I'd love to." Then, Celestia giggled playfully at him. "And you don't look that dirty."
Daniel just smiled back as the two rose from the bed and stood on the plush carpet. Celestia stood partially on her hind legs, placing her front hooves on his shoulders. He in turn put his arms around her waist and smiled as she held up her lovely wings.
(Pause till verse 1 ends)
As the song's second verse began to play, Daniel and Celestia began slowly swaying back and forth along the carpeted floor of his room, losing themselves in each other's eyes and the soothing lyrics of Enya's song.
(Pause till verse 2 ends)
The lovers continued their dance as the third verse of the song played. Daniel smiled feeling such blissful joy, he almost wished the moment wouldn't end. Celestia sighed and cooed as she nuzzled him expressing her happiness, clearly she didn't want the moment to end either.
(Pause till the song ends)
Just as the song reached its end, Celestia used her magic to stop the playlist. Returning her eyes to Daniel, she once again smiled running her right hoof along his cheek. "That was perfect."
"I thought you'd enjoy a dance. I know I loved it...every moment." He sighed while softly caressing the fur of her lower back. Daniel removed his arms from around her and stretched briefly. "Well, Celestia. I should get out of these somewhat dirty clothes and I'd like to get a shower. I ran my butt off at work today and worked up quite a sweat." He grinned as he gathered some clean clothing.
Celestia closed her eyes and smiled. "All right. Just don't be too long," she said, walking up behind him and giving him a big hug.
Daniel placed his left hand on her right hoof, squeezing it softly. "Of course not. I want to enjoy another wonderful evening with you."
The joy continued radiating from Celestia's face as she finally let go of him and returned to all fours.
Daniel kicked off his shoes, placing them out of the way, near his dresser. He picked up his clean clothes and exchanged another loving glance as he walked past Celestia.
Leaving his room, he made the short trip up the hall to the bathroom. Inside, he set his fresh garments on the counter near the sink. After sweeping his hand across his cheeks and chin, Daniel nodded as he turned on the faucet and placed the stopper into the sink.
As the sink began filling with water, he shed the short-sleeved shirt he was wearing and placed it in the hamper, and took a moment to remove his socks and toss them in as well. Returning to the sink, he opened the medicine cabinet and retrieved his razor and shaving gel. Checking the water level, Daniel turned off the faucet, happy with how full the sink was.
He placed his left hand into the tepid water and splashed his face, before putting some gel in his right. Daniel worked it into a nice lather and began spreading it across his face. That was when he heard a gentle tapping at the bathroom door. Furrowing his brow, he wondered what Celestia could want. He told her he wouldn't be too long.
Walking over to the door, he called to her, "Celestia?"
"Yes. Are you decent?" She replied.
Daniel snickered as he opened the door. "Honey, I don't think we really need to worry about that."
He saw her standing on the other side of the door, lightly blushing as her eyes met his. "I know, darling, but I didn't want to intrude if you were...you know."
Daniel's eyes widened and a slight blush rolled across his face. "Oh...oh, yeah. For some reason that slipped my mind. Thank you for being so thoughtful...Tia."
She giggled at him. "You're welcome. And I love the way you call me "Tia." I don't know exactly, but it just sounds really cute. It's been so long since anyone close to me, other than my sister, has called me that."
"Then I'm even happier you love it." He then just smiled at her as he realized he still had foamed shaving gel in his hand and on his face. Daniel looked back at Celestia. "What did you want or need?"
"Oh, it's nothing." She muttered, then she noticed his face. "Daniel, what are you doing and what's that on your face?"
"This?" He questioned pointing at the coating of foamy shaving gel. She nodded. "This is just shaving cream, well technically it's a gel. I'm shaving my face. It's getting to that point again."
Celestia nodded. "Oh, that's right. You told me about that before. Wait. Is your facial hair the reason why nuzzling your cheeks is getting...well, kind of prickly?"
Daniel couldn't help but laugh. "Heh, heh, heh. Yep, that's why it's time I shaved. I can really enjoy nuzzling your velvety fur when my cheeks are shaved."
Celestia didn't say anything she just stood there staring at him. Then, she finally asked, "Do you mind if I keep you company while you shave?"
He gave her an enthused nod. "Of course not." She followed him as he walked back to the sink; a joyful smile accompanied her cheerful face. Daniel grabbed his razor and removed the plastic cover. Then as he went to take his first stroke, he stopped and turned her way. "Say, you never did tell me what you originally wanted?"
"Oh, that's right."
"All you said was that it's nothing. Somehow I doubt that." Daniel gave her a thoughtful smile, as best he could through the shaving gel, well, his lips were still mostly visible.
Celestia kept smiling as her cheeks blushed softly. "I really enjoyed it when we showered together, yesterday. It may sound silly, but I thought it would be nice if I were to join you again. Though if you..."
Before Celestia could finish, Daniel had turned, gazing at her with sincere eyes. "Yes, I'd love it if you'd join me." He chuckled sheepishly. "It's funny, I was actually thinking about asking you to join me anyway. So, it's perfect." Turning back to the sink, Daniel secured his grip on the razor. "Let me take care of my face, then we can hop in the shower."
The smile on Celestia's face grew and the rosy glow on her cheeks spread across her muzzle, adding to her beauty. Daniel saw her reflection as she walked up beside him. "You look so lovely when you blush."
Celestia whimpered softly and rested her head on his shoulder, sighing contently. "My sweet Daniel."
He shared her happy and contented sigh as he ran the razor down his cheek, clearing some of his facial hair.
Celestia closed her eyes and hummed softly as he continued shaving his face. Daniel reached over his right hand and gently stroked her cheek. "I'm really looking forward to this weekend and our trip to the falls."
Her eyes remained closed, but Celestia was listening to him as her ears lightly twitched. "So am I. I wonder if the waterfalls of Earth are as lovely in person as those of Equestria."
"In a little over three days, you'll get to find out." Daniel finished with his first cheek and moved on to the other. "Either way, I'm going to enjoy spending another weekend with you."
Celestia leaned against Daniel, sighing affectionately. "My love. I know I've probably said this before...but I can't remember the last time I felt this happy."
Daniel ran the razor over his chin down to just shy of his neck. "You did, but I'm glad to hear you say it again. I know I feel the same way."
Celestia resumed humming, and it didn't take Daniel long to realize what melody she was humming as he continued shaving and cleared away the last of the shaving gel.
After finishing, he drained the sink and rinsed his razor in warm water. Then, he turned to her. "You hum "Althena's Song" beautifully."
She stopped her humming and giggled playfully. "Thank you."
"You really enjoy the time we spend playing "Lunar", don't you?" He asked, enjoying a warm chuckle.
"I do. It's a sweet story and has some wonderful music." Celestia sighed happily, staying close to Daniel.
Daniel put his razor away, and used a nearby towel to wipe his face. "There, I'm done shaving. Ready for that shower?" He smiled, staring at their reflections.
"Mm-hmm." Celestia removed her head from his shoulder and kissed Daniel's freshly shaved cheek. He turned slightly, taking a lengthy look into her glistening magenta eyes, an overwhelming emotion building within his heart. Daniel wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her very deeply. He had suddenly become riddled with hunger for her lips.
Celestia placed a hoof on his bare chest, caressing him as she returned his kiss, just as passionately. Daniel deftly ran his fingers through her silky locks, moaning yearningly for her. She shared his moan and let out a muffled sigh as they kissed for a few moments more.
Their lips parted and Celestia's face had the same rosy glow as before. She smiled, joined by glassy eyes that beamed with happiness. Daniel looked up at her, staring dreamily and being nearly carried aloft with his love for her.
"Daniel...hmmm." Celestia was all but at a loss for words. However, it didn't matter to Daniel. The joy shining in her eyes and the smile on her lips told him more than words ever could.
"Um...shall we?" He spoke softly, a quiver of exhilaration in his voice as he reached out to caress her cheek.
Celestia nodded. "Yes."
Daniel placed his arms around her again and gave her a big hug. Celestia wrapped her right forehoof around him, and shared his loving gesture. Then, all smiles, the two lovers walked breezily to the very large tub.
He drew back the curtain, returning his gaze to his mare, running his fingers gingerly along her neck. "Did you want me to set the water like last time?"
Shaking her head, Celestia replied, "No. You might want to keep it a little cooler this time." Then she playfully winked at him.
A naughty grin formed on his face as he turned the knobs. The water ran into the tub, funneling down the drain as Daniel dangled his digits along its flow. He adjusted the knobs and gave the water a moment to change. A renewed smile formed on his face as he looked back to Celestia. "That should do it. After you."
Celestia giggled and gave a nod, gracefully entering the tub. She reached out her right foreleg and placed it on Daniel's shoulder. "Gotcha...now get over here."
"Of course, my princess. Just give me one sec." He chuckled, slipping off his pants and underwear. He removed his glasses and set them on the counter, before stepping carefully into the tub. He tugged the shower curtain closed, then switched on the diverter. Water flowed from the showerhead and began cascading onto them.
Daniel moved toward the back wall, allowing Celestia a chance to douse herself in the cool water. She closed her eyes and tilted her head. "Mmmm...that feels nice. It was starting to feel warm in here."
He joined her in the path of the shower, soaking his body. "Are you sure it was the room that was getting hot?" Daniel snickered deviously.
"Daniel!" she snapped playfully.
"What? How are you going to know I love you, if I don't tease you once in a while?" He smiled lovingly and ran his hand along her wet cheek.
Celestia nuzzled his hand, smiling all the while. "I know, it's just been so long since I've had someone to tease me like this."
Sincerity returned to his eyes, while he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Tia."
She smiled, rubbing her right hoof along the wet and matted hair of Daniel's chest, giving him a longing stare. Then, she giggled softly. "Now, why don't I wash you first, this time?"
Daniel considered insisting she be first, but then as he gazed into her loving eyes, while the water dripped from her heavenly form, he knew there was no way he could deny her request. He sighed happily and nodded. "Of course you can, my darling."
Her horn illuminated softly with its golden orange glow as Celestia picked up the bath sponge and moved it into the path of the falling water. Once it was properly soaked, she turned to get the container of body wash, only to discover it clutched in Daniel's hand. "Looking for this?" he asked playfully.
She chuckled and nodded. "Uh-huh." Celestia gripped the bottle in her magic and claimed the sponge in her right hoof. She poured some soap gel onto the sponge, then set the container back along side the tub. The same loving smile remained on her lips as she began washing Daniel. She placed the sponge against his chest and very slowly ran it across his skin, keeping her eyes focused on him. Daniel sighed and reveled as she cleaned him, happy that the mare he loved was tending to him.
He closed his eyes and sighed as she ran the sponge over his shoulders, then down each of his arms, coating them with soapsuds. Daniel felt the sponge travel across his nose, cheeks and forehead. Over the sound of the running shower, Daniel noticed Celestia started humming again. His eyes peeled open and he saw her beautiful eyes, still focused on him as she ran the sponge across his belly.
"Turn around, my love. I want to wash your back, before I finish your front."
"Okay." Daniel smiled and turned, giving Celestia easy access to his back.
She smiled even more and moved her lips to his ear. "Thank you." Her whispered words made Daniel shiver with delight.
Celestia placed the soapy sponge along his left shoulder and started scrubbing his shoulder blades. Daniel sighed as she continued her loving task, all the while anticipating when it would be his turn to clean her.
He looked back at her, love still radiating from his eyes. Celestia let out a joyful sigh, then moved on to his lower back, swirling and lightly scrubbing with the sponge.
Daniel felt a slight start, he was expecting to feel the sponge along his butt, but instead, he felt a damp hoof softly kneed against him. Her touch was continuing to grow on him, even more than before. After a few more caresses, Daniel felt the sponge return to its task, brushing over his rear.
Celestia gestured for him to turn around again and face her. Daniel did so happily, still beaming her a loving smile. She closed her eyes for a moment, sharing his endearing expression, before she moved to wash his legs. The princess began with his left leg, working the sponge all around his limb. Daniel heard her coo and felt her wet cheek press against his right leg, just before she wrapped her free hoof around the back of his thigh.
Her gesture left him feeling incredibly moved. Daniel placed his hand on the back of her head and ran his hand along her wet mane. "Celestia." He felt it too. Just like the day before, he once again felt overcome with his love for her.
She let go of him and began washing his right leg. Celestia sniffed and craned her head up to look at him. "I'm sorry, Daniel. It's just been so long since I've had someone like you. Having you so near...is...I." Celestia took a deep breath. "Wonderful."
"You don't need to apologize. Now you know why I hugged you, right after we kissed." Daniel continued stroking her mane.
Celestia kept smiling as she began soaping his right leg. "I do."
Once she finished with his other leg, Celestia slid the sponge up his inner thigh and brushed it along the base of his sack. A combination of anticipation and his growing desire for her became quite apparent as his princess saw his manhood standing at attention. Her eyes trailed up to his face and saw the rosy glow on his cheeks. She giggled as she continued washing his nether region very gently. Daniel sighed blissfully as she ran the sponge over his firm spire and the surrounding areas. "I did it to you again, didn't I?"
Daniel nodded. "Yeah, but I love your touch...it's so soothing."
"I'm glad..." she sighed, finishing with his manhood. "There, you can rinse off, my darling."
Daniel nodded as he moved further under the shower's torrent, rinsing the suds from his body. Once he was finished, he moved over to her. "Now, it's your turn, sweetheart."
Celestia moved closer to him and planted a tender kiss on his lips, then offered him the sponge. Daniel took it and reached for the body wash. After rinsing it, he added some fresh soap. Once the sponge was lathered, he studied Celestia's enchanting figure, deciding where to start first. A smile blossomed across his lips as he started with her left shoulder.
Daniel cleaned across, moving to her other shoulder, then worked around her rough, before making his way down her elegant forelegs. He gave her front legs special attention making sure to gently scrub down to and including her hooves. Then, a delightful expression formed on his face. Celestia shared his loving gaze as she felt him sweep the sponge across her swanlike neck. His ginger motions were very soothing and caused her to sigh while she closed her eyes. "That feels nice. Mmm..."
He chuckled happily, working the sponge around the back of Celestia's neck, then Daniel moved so he could wash her barrel. Carefully, he took even strokes savoring every motion he made. Reaching lower, Daniel tended to her chest and belly, before coaxing her to move away from the wall, just a little, so he could wash the other side of her torso.
She outstretched her wings, allowing Daniel the chance to properly wash each of them. He made sure to be extra careful, as he knew her wingers were quite sensitive. Even in their soaked state, Daniel marveled at the softness of her feathers. He exhaled a joyful sigh, resting his gaze on his mare, his princess. "Celestia...I really do know how you felt just a little bit ago, when you were washing my legs."
Celestia glanced back at him and smiled. "It sneaks up on you, doesn't it?"
"It does," he admitted, tending to her lovely wings. Once he finished, he moved on and started cleaning her hind legs. Daniel began at the hoof and moved up, making circular passes around her cutie mark. "How is this feeling, by the way?"
"Delightful." Celestia reached back her left forehoof and placed it on his shoulder.
Daniel renewed the smile on his face as he moved to wash the other side of her flank. Then, he worked down her other hind leg. Looking up, he noticed that she had already moved her tail to the side. He fought the urge to blush. After all, he was alone with her, so there really wasn't a need to be bashful, let alone embarrassed or anything. Even so, Daniel felt that familiar warmth return to his cheeks as he finished her right hind leg.
Celestia craned her head back and noticed the red color on his cheeks. "Still a little shy, are you, Daniel?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Not so much shy...rather." His words trailed off as he began scrubbing her rump.
She nodded her head and giggled quietly. "I see," she sighed, "It seems like you're being bashful, but you're just being respectful."
Daniel continued guiding the sponge over her hind cheeks, once again, savoring each pass. "Yeah, I think that's a better reason."
A soft moan escaped her mouth as she felt chills roll up her back. "Ohh...that explains why I really enjoy your touch. Though, you can always feel free to touch me, when we're alone. I won't mind." Celestia gasped as she felt the sponge run across her feminine curves, while Daniel ran the sponge along her slit. "Hmm...that feels heavenly."
He continued washing her marehood, being very gentle as he cleaned around and just inside it. "It makes me happy to know you've grown comfortable around me. I just don't want you to think I'd ever take someone as special as you for granted." Daniel finished tending to her crescent and moved to properly face her. The shower continued pelting them with its unending flow, suds slowly trailing down Celestia's sides as she moved to share an endearing gaze with him.
Celestia patted her hoof near his heart and smiled. "I know, Daniel. You're always so sweet, which is why I don't think I'll have to worry about you taking me for granted."
Daniel lowered his head briefly as his smile grew. Then, looking back up at her, he placed his hand on her cheek. "I just realized I didn't wash your face...or your horn. Here, let me just..." He held the sponge back into the water, rising it off, before he added some fresh gel, lathering it back up. Celestia smiled at him, while he began scrubbing her cheeks. She closed her eyes as he washed across her muzzle, working his way up to her forehead. Daniel parted her wet bangs, which normally formed a single point. Then, he began cleaning her long elegant horn. He slowed his hand, remembering that her horn was also sensitive to touch. A calming sigh met Daniel's ears as he tenderly moved the sponge up her magical spire.
He continued his loving task, being gentle as he ran the sponge up every inch of her horn. The sponge's motion brought a series of delightful chills that made Celestia shiver as he finished the last part of her body.
Daniel looked at her fondly, before rinsing the sponge. "That should do it. You can finish rinsing off. Then all we need to do is shampoo yet."
Celestia nodded as she moved back into the path of the showerhead. The water bombarded her body, making the soapsuds trail down her legs and into the tub where they quickly flowed to the drain. Once she had finished rinsing, she turned to her lover. "Where's the shampoo?"
"Right here." He grinned, handing it to her.
Daniel joined her under the raining water as they made sure their hair was properly wet. Then, they chuckled playfully as they worked their heads into a nice lather, filling the air with the pleasant scent of the shampoo. Daniel made sure Celestia's mane and tail received a good scrubbing and were nice and sudsy, before Celestia did the same, making sure Daniel's hair had been properly tended to.
He looked at her, giddiness in his eyes. "Shall we?"
Celestia giggled. "Yes."
They stood close under the showerhead and Daniel began running his hands along Celestia's mane helping rinse the suds from her locks. She in turn worked her hoof across his head aiding the water as it cleared the shampoo from his head. A mixture of water and suds splattered to the bottom of the tub as they happily finished washing off.
After rinsing off, Daniel and Celestia stood there for a moment, under the falling water. They were staring blissfully into each other's eyes. Daniel reached out and ran the back of his hand along her cheek. Celestia placed her hoof on his arm, giving him a longing look.
"Daniel is there something..."
He stroked her cheek with his thumb and shook his head. "No, Celestia," Daniel moved in close, placing his arms around her. "It's just the way you look...with your mane all wet."
"Yes?" Celestia muttered as her lips drew nearer to his.
"I...just...this..." Daniel pressed his lips firmly to Celestia's, feeling her immediately push back. He secured his arms around her and moved his left hand to caress her wet mane.
Celestia moaned affectionately, wrapping her right foreleg around Daniel, drawing him a little closer, while they shared a gentle sigh. As his desire grew, Daniel tapped his tongue against her lips, eager to deepen their kiss. There wasn't a moment's hesitation as Celestia parted her mouth and moved her tongue to join his in a passionate dance. Their moans intensified as they savored this moment of oral bliss, holding each other close and tenderly under the shower's gentle deluge.
A few moments passed and their mouths parted, allowing them a chance to take in a few gulps of breath. Celestia stood their lightly panting, her eyes still fixed on Daniel, while he gazed right back at her, a loving smile curled onto his lips.
"I'm glad you seem to be in a loving mood as well, Daniel." Celestia returned the favor and ran her hoof along his freshly shaved cheek.
"The way you looked...no, the way you always seem to look. I just had to kiss you again. Every time I look into your eyes, I see the wonderful mare that you are, and I realized how happy I feel, now that we're together, despite the odds." Daniel sighed, feeling a strong sensation in his chest.
"I know, Daniel. I feel it too...and even though we made love the past two nights...I." Celestia grew silent, and her face became a little red.
"What is it, my love? Say whatever is in your heart. Please." Daniel placed his hand softly along her cheek, his eyes still beaming with affection.
Her ears dropped and her face fell, for a moment, before perking right back up. She smiled, and the rosy glow still clung to her cheeks. "I guess it's just a little embarrassing to still admit...I'm yearning for you just as much as I did two nights ago...no, actually, I think I want you even more." Celestia turned her head back, as water from the running shower dripped from her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Daniel. A princess shouldn't..." But she was cut off.
Daniel placed his fingers over her lips. "It's all right, Celestia. There's nothing wrong with a princess feeling desire. You told me that there hasn't been anyone special in your life for so long."
She nodded. "That's true."
"Well then, it's no wonder you're full of desire. You have someone that loves you and alicorn, princess...those titles don't matter. You're still a pony...a mare, Celestia. You have needs. And from what I've seen since we met, they've gone unmet for far too long." He looked at her, his eyes glistening with emotion. "Just know I'm here for you. And you should know..." Daniel leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "I want you, even more than the other night too."
Celestia gasped and thrilled from his endearing words. "Then, let's get out of here and..."
"No." Daniel gave her an enticing look. "Why not here, right now? I'm all yours, my princess." He placed his hand under her chin and lean in to kiss her muzzle.
The blush renewed on Celestia's face, redder than before. "Yes, right here. Daniel, I need you." She gave him a "come hither" look.
"Then have me." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again. Pulling back, Daniel moved to her flank. She craned her head back, anticipation brewing in her eyes. Celestia glanced down and could tell his desire for her must be growing already as she reach back her right hoof and grazed it across his firm member.
Daniel gasped from the pleasant and startling sensation of her hoof against his flesh. She pressed against the tip of his spire, before paying some attention to the sensitive underside. "Ahh...mmm, Celestia, that feels great."
His shuddered moan and pleasured sigh was music to her ears. Then, she noticed her tail being pushed further to the side and a familiar touch caress her mound, sweeping against her feminine curves. Celestia shivered as Daniel began tracing her crescent. "Daniel...huh...ohh...that feels so nice...more."
"Of course," he whispered. Daniel ran his fingers along her slit, teasing her entrance and noticing her delightful moisture begin seeping out, coating the tips of his loving digits.
Daniel's loins tingled with invigorating delight as he noticed Celestia's hoof continue tickling his flesh. He slid two fingers into her hungering marehood, driven by his own growing desire as she kept touching him. Daniel focused more on her and began massaging her.
Celestia's hoof stopped, and she placed her hooves against the front wall of the shower, bracing herself. Daniel's touch was weakening her stance a bit and she loved every motion of his fingers. A slightly louder moan slipped out as tremors of bliss quaked across her body. "Daniel...I-I don't know if I ever said, but your fingers...hmmm...amazing." Celestia gasped as she let her wings unfold, rising up completely.
Daniel chuckled to himself as he continued massaging her, adding just a little speed to his fingers. Celestia's eyes had fallen shut and her head was swaying back and forth from the rapturous bliss he brought her.
"D-Daniel?" Celestia called from within her pleasure haze.
"Yes, Celestia?"
"Why don't we move on?" She glanced back at him, still resting her hooves on the wall, while panting lightly.
Daniel moved directly behind her and noticed she parted her hind legs and even lowered herself partially to accommodate him. Celestia sighed, her breathing a bit calmer. Her face was still red as she fixed her gaze on him. He leaned over and softly rubbed her cheek with his right hand. "Are you all right, my love?"
Celestia nodded. "Yes, just still feeling a little embarrassed?"
"Why? We're alone here. Just like before, when we made love, you don't need to worry about being anyone but yourself." He caressed her cheek a little more than leaned in to kiss her lips.
She nodded as he pulled back. "You're right. I guess, old habits die hard." Celestia giggled a bit, before composing herself. "I'm ready."
"All right, now just relax, honey." Daniel steadied himself as he moved closer to Celestia's waiting fruit. Instead of plowing right in, he decided to be true to himself. Daniel took a moment and rubbed his staff along the hungering folds of her crescent. The sensation was wondrous, it made his manhood tingle and stoked his mounting desire for her. Celestia's rump twitched a little from the heavily sensation, making her cast out elated sighs.
He looked Celestia in the eye, then placed his left hand on his manhood and slowly parted her petals, as he gradually slid inside her. She moaned blissfully and hugged his manhood with her moist inner walls, welcoming him. Daniel finished entering and rested against her rump, placing his hands along her cutie marks.
He was prepared to start moving, when he noticed her walls started giving him a rather pleasant massage. "Celestia...what are you doing?"
"Do you like that?"
"Oh my goodness - yes. It's so heavenly. Mmm." Daniel gripped her flanks, bracing himself from this welcoming gesture of pure pleasure. It sent waves rippling from his manhood clear up his back. "You've never done this before."
"I'm feeling even closer to you than before, and I wanted to show my appreciation for everything you've said and done." She gave him a seductive smile, bathing him in the stare of her bedroom eyes.
Gazing back at her enticing magenta eyes, left him feeling even more elated than before. Daniel leaned forward and moved to kiss her beautiful neck. Then he softly spoke, "Let me return the favor."
Celestia giggled, and nodded. Daniel pulled back and planted his feet firmly. Keeping his hands along her beautiful suns, he began moving on her, thrusting in and out, slowly and tenderly as he began building a rhythm and speed.
As he continued moving against her, Celestia moaned gingerly from the pleasure he was bringing her. Waves of delight began rolling across her as she let her eyes drift shut. Her breathing deepened with each passing minute. Celestia felt an added joy when she noticed Daniel begin sighing and moaning with her as he moved a little faster.
Daniel reveled, as he knew each motion brought Celestia nearly endless bliss. He wanted to show her that there was someone she could depend on to tend to her needs, someone that loved her dearly and was happy anytime they were together.
He moved his arms till he was basically hugging her as he continued his heavenly motion against her, feeling a strong stirring within his loins as he grew closer to the point of no return. Daniel's chest heaved as his breath began to increase. He joined her in creating another harmonious chorus of blissful sighs and passionate moans.
Celestia managed to open her eyes as she saw him there, somehow making the same sweet love to her that he had twice before. The love shinned in his brown eyes when she happened to capture his gaze. She felt a joyful ache in her heart as the ecstasy their union was bringing them made her own pleasure rise to nearly the bursting point.
A few more moments passed and Celestia noticed her body tremble and twitch. Daniel heard her whimper and moan several times, before she cast out a long and blissful moan. A few seconds passed and he was unable to hold back, joining her with a pleasured moan of his own. While she gasped and moaned, he felt something spurt from her as he peaked, bursting his warm gift into her. Then to Daniel's surprise, Celestia's walls hugged around him and deftly squeezed with each of his bursts, followed by a few more loving clasps as he joined her in a nearly overwhelming storm of passion.
The two lovers fought to stand their ground as they gasped heavily for air. Daniel kept his arms around her barrel, holding Celestia tightly. Gradually, their breathing began to calm as they dropped to the floor of the tub, shower water still cascading down upon their exhausted bodies.
A few minutes passed. Celestia looked up as Daniel reached past her and finally turned off the water. The shower ceased and the last of the water dripped from their bodies, and flowed down the drain with a slight gurgle.
Daniel's eyes fell upon Celestia's face. She was smiling in between pants, now that her breathing had calmed along with his. He smiled back at her and shared a loving kiss with her. "Come on, let's towel off."
"Of course." She smiled grandly at him, rubbing her right hoof under his chin. "That was simply wonderful, Daniel."
His eyes glistened as he gazed into her magenta jewels. "Yes, it really was." Daniel rose to his feet, and Celestia followed him shortly, standing up on her hooves.
Daniel pulled back the shower curtain and exited the tub. He turned back and reached for her hoof. Celestia smiled, offering it to him as he guided her out and onto the bathroom floor.
He grabbed some towels and spread one out on the floor for them to stand on. Then he handed one to her, which Celestia gripped in her magic. The two dried each other off, before Daniel dressed in his clean clothing and put his glasses back on.
"Come on, darling, let's go rest on the bed for a moment." Daniel huffed, still just slightly out of breath.
Celestia nodded. "That sounds great. I love cuddling with you." She placed her left wing around Daniel as they departed the bathroom, and made a left outside and down to the end of the short hallway to his bedroom.
After entering the bedroom, the lovers made their way to the bed. Daniel let Celestia lay down first and then he joined her, letting himself drop down beside her. He turned to face her and moved closer to his beloved. The princess wasted no time wrapping her hooves around him, while Daniel eagerly embraced her in his arms. Their heads sank into the pillows as they laid there, staring affectionately at each other. Daniel sighed, nuzzling his cheek to hers. Celestia rubbed back, cooing and ending with a sigh. "I love you, Daniel."
He squeezed her tighter and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Celestia."
The two continued lounging on the bed, listening to each other breath and feeling the other's warm breath pool along their faces.
Celestia sighed as she started into his eyes, caressing his chest with her left hoof. "I'm so glad you're home."
Daniel chuckled, running his fingers through her silky mane. "Same here." He giggled a little, as he rubbed his cheek against hers. "That was quite a homecoming."
Celestia kissed his cheek. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed all of it."
"I did. Your naughty dancing was really hot. Then cuddling and dancing together. Followed by showering...and making love." Daniel sighed happily. "And now I'm just looking forward to a quiet evening, just you and me."
She shared his relaxing sigh. "That sounds wonderful." Celestia ran her hoof through his brown hair and giggled.
"I love it when you laugh or giggle. It makes me happy."
Celestia blushed and resumed running her hoof across his chest. "You're always so sweet." She sighed again. "I hope I get to spend a long time with you."
Daniel stroked the fur along her barrel, enjoying its velvety texture. "It's my hope as well."
She gave him a squeeze with her forelegs and nuzzled him amorously. Daniel happily reciprocated enjoying each heavenly moment, especially since he had just recently shaved.
Daniel took a deep breath as he stayed beside Celestia. He ran his fingers along her left foreleg. "Hey, I was just thinking about something you had said last week."
She looked at him thoughtfully. "Oh?"
"Yeah. You asked if I had any interests or careers in mind, besides my current job."
"I did. But go on."
He glanced up at the ceiling before returning his eyes to her. "Well, I have an interest, but it's something I'll probably never be able to make a career out of."
"What is it?" Celestia asked filling with intrigue.
"It's nothing special, but, why don't I show you." Daniel went to move, but still had a loving pair of forelegs wrapped around him. "Um, could you let me go for a moment, my love."
Celestia chuckled sheepishly. "Oh, of course." She removed her hooves, allowing him to get out of bed.
Daniel walked a little shakily, gaining his footing. Then, he walked over to a shelf near his computer. He removed a curious object from it. Celestia couldn't get a good look at it at first.
He returned to her and sat down on the edge of the bed. Daniel showed her the item.
She gasped. "That's an...ocarina."
"Yes. I got this from a site that made working replicas based off Alex's ocarina from "Lunar". I'm not really good and only know a few songs, mostly from "Lunar", but still, I could play for you, if you'd like."
Celestia sat up, and moved closer to Daniel. Her eyes bubbled with excitement as she smiled at him. "Oh yes, I'd love that. And don't worry, I'm sure you're playing will be just fine."
Daniel smiled. "I hope so."
Celestia ran a hoof along his left arm. "So, what are you going to play for me?"
He chuckled at her enthusiasm, gripping his musical instrument. "A song from "Lunar" called "Dragon - Someday". I know it's juvenile of me, but I really like this song, because it lets me space out and wonder if someone like me could actually be a hero." Daniel bit his lower lip and sighed. "Like I said, it's juvenile."
As he turned to look at her, Daniel didn't see an ounce of contempt on Celestia's face. Rather, her eyes just glistened with hope as she smiled. "I don't believe that. Now, would you play for me...please?"
Daniel nodded while he laughed, she just never ceased to amaze him. Daniel focused and took in a deep breath, then brought the ocarina to his mouth. He began playing the song.
Celestia laid there as the melody began filling the room and danced into her ears, which twitched lightly as he played. Daniel's playing was very impressive to Celestia, there were some notes he didn't hit perfectly, but regardless there was harmony in the notes he played.
The princess leaned close and laid her head on Daniel's lap. She looked up at him and caught his glance. Celestia gave him eyes teeming with gratitude. Daniel kept playing and closed his eyes, but as she glance his way again, Celestia noticed a tear roll down his cheek.
(Pause till song ends)
Daniel reached the end of the song, which had lasted a little over a minute. He removed the ocarina from his mouth and sniffled. Celestia threw her hooves around him, pulling him close. He looked her way and smiled.
"That was beautiful, but..." she brushed a hoof along his cheek. "Why are you crying?"
He exhaled quietly. "It was a combination of things. But, I was mostly just feeling lost in the moment, while playing for you."
She smiled. "I thought as much. But, Daniel...what you told me before you played, it's not juvenile. Everyone has the right to dream."
Daniel smiled at her. "Yeah. You're right. It's just probably a silly dream to most."
Celestia patted his cheek, her magenta eyes still gleaming with hope. "It's not silly to you. Dreams are what help guide us, so don't be too quick to belittle yourself."
He chuckled, because he knew she was right. "That's one of the many things I love about you, Celestia. You make me feel hopeful."
The two shared another hug, and Celestia sighed. "I'm just returning the favor."
"Thank you."
"Of course. Now, why don't we go make something for dinner? I don't know about you, but I've worked up a pretty big appetite."
Daniel laughed as they rose from the bed. "You know what? So have I. Come on." He placed the instrument back on the shelf in its place of honor, then rejoined his mare. "What are you in the mood for this evening? I did get some things at the store."
"Well, let's just see what you brought and go from there." She smiled at him and Daniel nodded cheerfully. Celestia playfully bumped against him as they left his bedroom and made their way to the kitchen. |
You Brighten My Day | Chapter 9 - "A Dream Worth Keeping" | The remainder of the week had come and gone, and much to Daniel and Celestia's delight the weekend was just around the corner.
It was a calm Friday night. The two lovers were laying together in Daniel's bed after having enjoyed a passionate session of lovemaking. Daniel was on his back, still huffing a bit for breath. "Whoa." He lightly gasped. "I think it keeps getting better every time we do this, Celestia."
"Yes." Celestia chuckled softly as she rested there beside him, breathing deeply. "I think you're right. Mmm...and it seems after waiting a few nights, this last time was even...more wondrous." She smiled over at him in the soft light of his room.
Daniel pushed up his glasses and nodded. "Definitely. And it wasn't exactly by choice either." He laughed sheepishly.
"I know, you forgot one of your coworkers was going on vacation and you suddenly had to stay late the past few nights because of it." Celestia sighed as she ran her bare hoof over his cheek. "But thankfully, you didn't have to stay as late tonight, and we got to enjoy dinner and then this wonderful time together."
He ran his right hand along the white fur of her slender barrel. "Yeah, and since today was my last day this week, I found the drive I was lacking the past two nights." Daniel kissed Celestia's lips softly and swept his fingers along her gorgeous mane. Then, he stared into her shimmering magenta eyes. "I'm so glad you weren't upset. I just know I came home beat the past few evenings."
"Of course I understood. Seeing how you looked when you came home, all disheveled." Celestia giggled. "It reminded me of those long days in court and taking care of all my other royal duties. Like you, I remember plenty of days where I just wanted to come home, get a cool shower and then flop into my bed and pass out for a while." Celestia placed a hoof to her mouth as she laughed. "Not a very fitting image for a princess."
Daniel continued stroking her hair, while sharing her laughter. "Maybe not to some, but it just shows that princesses are people too. Or in your case, a pony." He grinned.
She smiled and rubbed her nose against his, while lightly sighing. Daniel hugged her briefly, before running his hand along her velvety belly. He heard a faint gurgle just as Celestia belched softly.
Her cheeks turned red as she sat up and covered her mouth. "Excuse me."
Daniel snickered. "Did you just burp?"
She nodded. "Yes, and it's so unladylike. I'm really forgetting myself, since I've been staying with you." Celestia shook her head. "I'm becoming a terrible princess."
Daniel ran his hand along her shoulder. "Ah, you're fine. It's no big deal. We're alone, and I think it's just a sign that you're comfortable and relaxed around me."
Celestia smiled. "You're right. I guess old habits die hard. I'm just so used to having to present myself in a proper manner."
"And you do that just fine. I'm sure you'll be the perfect princess once you get back to ruling over your subjects."
"Thank you, Daniel." He shared her smile, while Celestia lightly licked her chops. "Mmm, I'm still tasting dinner. That vegetable lo mein was delicious."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. And Peking Garden was on the way home from work, so it seemed like a good idea for dinner."
"It really was." Celestia sighed letting herself drop back down beside Daniel.
"Do they have Chinese food or something like it in Equestria?" Daniel began twirling a small lock of her mane, while he waited for her response.
Celestia took a deep breath, while enjoying his ginger touch. "They do, only it's named a little different. Dishes like the ones we had for dinner are a lot like the food they enjoy in Hoofina. Equestria has plenty of Hoofinese restaurants. You really get a spiced up taste of the Orient when you eat at one."
"Hoofinese food." Daniel nodded. "From what I've heard so far, I'm loving the subtle but similar nuances of your world." He ran the back of his hand along her silky mane, staring at her with fond eyes.
Celestia ran her hoof along his shoulder and forearm, sharing his loving gaze. "I'm glad you do."
Daniel smiled. "So, where would I find the best Hoofinese food?"
The princess thought for a moment. "Well, the Neighjing Palace in Canterlot has really good noodles, a very tasty dumpling soup and quite a few other dishes, but, if you want to enjoy the truly best Hoofinese food, you'd want to go to Manehattan."
Daniel chuckled for a bit. "Another similarity. Here in the United States, New York City or Manhattan is known for having some of the best Chinese food."
Celestia wrapped her hooves around him and pulled him close. "Well then, if you really enjoy Chinese food in your world, we'll need to take a trip to Manehattan when you join me in Equestria."
Daniel placed his arms around her and held her back. "That'd be nice. You've got me curious how Hoofinese food would compare to Chinese food. But, we wouldn't need to hit Manehattan right away. I'd be happy to check out the Neighjing Palace. I suspect there will be a lot to see in Canterlot." He began rubbing his cheek along hers, enjoying her fur's velvety softness.
"Mmm, yes, there is plenty to see there." Celestia sighed. "And it will be so nice to have someone like you to share the sights of Equestria with, Daniel."
"Celestia." He whispered softly, still stroking her mane. "Oh, and while it may not be part of your world. Tomorrow, we'll be able to enjoy one of the sights of my world, together."
"Yes, the waterfalls." Celestia closed her eyes and smiled as she nuzzled him. "Then, why don't we get some rest."
Daniel nodded, before letting out a partially stifled yawn. "Yeah, sleep sounds nice. Then after a light breakfast, we can gather some things and leave for our trip. It should be a beautiful day."
"Hmm, I can hardly wait." Celestia giggled as she used her magic to pull the covers over them.
Daniel removed his glasses and set them on the nightstand, before turning off the lamp. Darkness filled the room as the lovers shared a lengthy goodnight kiss.
"Till morning."
Daniel yawned again. "T-till morning, my love."
The two laid their weary heads down, cuddled close and in mere moments had fallen asleep.
* * * * * *
After enjoying a good night's sleep, Daniel and Celestia awoke to a gorgeous sunny day. Like they planned, the two shared a light breakfast and had begun preparing for their trip to the falls.
Celestia took a deep breath and sighed. "Mmm, nothing like a good morning stretch." She snickered softly as she donned her regalia, making sure her crown and necklace were even. Checking her reflection in the vanity mirror, she gave a nod, before turning her head back toward Daniel.
Daniel let out a short, late morning, yawn as he put on his shoes. "Yeah, I know I love a good stretch." He finished tying both shoes, and rose from his bed energetically. "Okay. Now, I just need to double-check the things I packed for our lunch. Uh, you sure you want to fly us and carry things in your saddlebags?" He gave her an inquisitive look.
Celestia closed her eyes and smiled. "Of course. I don't mind. Besides, I'd love a chance to spread my wings again. Our flight the other day was wonderful."
Daniel tilted his head back and recalled their last flight. He stared half dreamily toward the vanity recalling the exhilaration of riding on Celestia's back as she carried them high into the sky.
"Yeah...you're right." He chuckled. "It would be perfect."
"That's why I don't mind." Celestia's horn lit up as she picked up her pale yellow saddlebags, which bore her sun cutie mark and set them softly on her back. "I'm sure I could get these myself, but, Daniel, would you mind lending me a hoof...err...a hand." She smiled playfully, closing her eyes.
Daniel chuckled again as he walked over to her. "I'd be delighted." He stooped down beside her and reached under her belly. Carefully grabbing the bottom straps, he secured her saddlebags, making sure not to pull them too tight.
Celestia sighed contently as she enjoyed the brush of his hands along the fur of her belly. Ever since their first kiss and cuddle, she's never been able to get enough of his loving touch.
Daniel rose to his feet and softly patted Celestia's back. "There you are, Celestia, my love." He chuckled warmly, while briefly closing his eyes.
She walked over to the mirror and turned to the side, so she could examine her bags. The alicorn swayed and lightly flexed her hips as she gave another nod. "Yep, that will do nicely." Celestia stepped over to Daniel and planted a loving kiss on his lips. "Mwa. Thank you."
"Anytime." He smiled, sweeping his hand along the top portion of her bangs, near her crown. "Let's make sure we have everything before we go. Why don't you get the things from here and I'll go double check that all the food and drinks are securely packed for our trip."
"All right. I'll be out as soon as I've finished in here."
Daniel nodded, then exited his room. He made his way down the short hallway and into the living room. There, he passed the sofa and paused for a bit, before running his hand along the back of it. Daniel stood there for a moment and recalled the first night Celestia had stayed with him. He remembered checking on her while she slept on the couch. His hand moved further down and bumped into the draped blanket, the same one he had covered her with.
As he stood there, it seemed so much had happened since Celestia's arrival. Huh. Hard to imagine that two weeks ago I was alone. It's been really nice having Celestia here. Daniel stayed in thought for a few more moments, before he shook his head. Well, I'd better make sure everything is ready. He laughed to himself. Wouldn't want to keep my princess waiting.
He made his way to the kitchen. Then, he proceeded to check on the items he packed for the picnic, which they were planning to enjoy once they arrived at the waterfalls. Daniel doubled checked everything, just as he heard Celestia call.
"I'm done in the bedroom. How are things going out there?"
He turned toward the hallway, just as Celestia emerged. "Everything's ready here, we just need to load it into your saddlebags."
She joined Daniel at the kitchen counter. He proceeded to load the carefully packaged food and beverage items into her bags. The drinks had been packed in a small vinyl cooler and were being chilled with ice packs, just as the food items were packed in a similar container, while the other items, like the bread, snacks and condiments were in more of a loosely bagged manner.
"There, that's everything." Daniel pulled the flaps over her saddlebags and secured their straps.
"Good, I haven't been relaxing too much, the extra weight I'll be carrying won't be a problem. I was afraid I might be losing some of my strength." She grinned.
"With the way you keep busy around the house? Besides, it's only been a few weeks since you arrived here." Daniel smiled, patting her back.
"Yes, so then why does it feel like I've been here longer than that?" She placed a curious hoof to her chin, while giving wonder.
"Hard to say. Time can be funny like that. Well, are you ready?"
Celestia nodded. "I am. Come on."
The two left out the back door, and Daniel locked it behind them. Then he followed her to the area just beyond his garden. Celestia let him hop onto her back.
He leaned against the back of her head briefly. "All right, I'm all set, Celestia."
She giggled warmly and gave a firm nod. "Okay, Daniel. Hold tight."
Celestia took off at a strong trot and worked her way into a full gallop. Now that she was racing along the grassy ground, she spread her feathery white wings in a majestic fashion and began flapping them vigorously. Daniel glanced down and saw that they were lifting off the ground, and had quickly begun gaining altitude.
He held on tight to Celestia as she continued climbing into the air. In a matter of minutes the couple was airborne. Shaking his head, Daniel started looking around. His mouth nearly fell open as he beheld the vista unfurling before him. They weren't flying too high, but even from Celestia's altitude, everything seemed so picturesque. The roads, the grassy fields, the various houses and even the city off in the distance. All of it seemed so wondrous.
Celestia glanced back at Daniel. "How are you doing back there? My take off wasn't too rough, I hope."
Daniel shook his head. "No. It was fine. I just can't get over this view." He leaned close and lightly nuzzled Celestia's flowing mane, which whipped lightly against him. "You must feel so lucky that you have the ability to fly."
Celestia giggled. "There are many times having wings is extremely handy. But, Daniel."
"Yeah."
She smiled, while giving him loving eyes. "Not until our first flight, have I found even more joy in being able to fly."
"Awww," Daniel placed his left hand over his heart. "That means a lot, Celestia." He secured his arms around her neck and leaned against her affectionately.
Celestia sighed softly and savored his hug, while she continued flapping her beautiful wings in smooth even strokes.
Daniel eased his grip around her and sat up on her back. Returning his gaze to the ground, he began searching for landmarks.
"Do you know how much farther we'll have to go? Does anything look familiar?"
He continued looked around. It was then that he sighed. The sensation of the wind breezing across his face and rustling through his hair made him close his eyes.
"Daniel?" She glanced back.
"Sorry. It's just a wonderful feeling when the wind blows around me like this. Standing in front of a fan seems bland by comparison." Daniel gave another look and patted Celestia's back. "Yeah. I think we're getting close. There are very few houses in the area and the trees are getting thicker. It's just a little different from up here."
Celestia chuckled. "The ground certainly does look different when you're flying."
"I'll say. It's like looking at an actual real-life map. Wait?!"
"Yes?" She turned back again, giving him an inquisitive blink.
He leaned around the left side of her head, making sure to continue holding on tightly. "Over there." Daniel pointed. "I can't be sure, but that looks like the place. I'm just not used to seeing it from above."
Celestia placed a hoof just above her eyes and stared closely. "You mean right there, by that small rocky area near the water?"
Daniel nodded. "Yeah. That looks like it. At least I think so, anyway."
She smiled. "Only one way to find out."
Daniel snickered. "You're right."
"Hold on. We're going in for a landing." Celestia smiled confidently as she began banking and started her descent.
In minutes, they came in for a smooth landing. Celestia touched down elegantly and trotted on the flat grassy area just outside the tree line where she came to rest.
She huffed a little and folded her wings. "Well, we're down. But is this the place?"
Daniel pulled his left leg over and turned. Celestia lowered herself as he hopped down. His shoes came in contact with the soft grass as he attempted to get his footing. Daniel staggered for a moment. "Whoa. We weren't up there that long, yet, I feel a little disoriented."
Celestia placed a hoof over her mouth and giggled. "You still aren't used to flying on an alicorn. I know some ponies that have had similar problems when they ride on one of Canterlot's Pegasus chariots. The feeling should pass." She smiled and walked over to him.
Daniel looked at her and smiled as he gave her a hug. "Celestia."
She patted his back, then noticed him looking around. "Daniel?"
"I think all we need to do is go that way through this small stretch of woods and we'll be there." He chuckled. "The sound of the falls and the smell of the surrounding dampness will also give us a clue."
"All right then. Lead on."
The two of them left their landing spot and trudged onward into the flock of trees. Their thick leafy branches blotted out a good deal of the sun, casting a series of shadows on them. Daniel glanced up and saw rays of sunlight poke through the small holes in the forest canopy. It made for a lovely setting as he strolled closer to Celestia.
"I almost forgot how beautiful this forest can be."
Celestia joined him in admiring the ambience. "It really is lovely. Made even better with someone special to share it with."
He nodded. "Exactly." Daniel sniffed a bit and noticed the air around them seemed to be growing just a bit stickier. "I think we're getting close. There's definitely something damp nearby."
Celestia chuckled under her breath. While she didn't let her mind wonder into the gutter too often, she couldn't help but think just how right Daniel was. Only it wasn't a waterfall that was making anything damp. She just closed her eyes briefly and shook her head, deciding it better to maintain her elegance as a princess. Though, part of her suspected Daniel wouldn't have minded.
Celestia startled slightly as she felt Daniel's hand on her shoulder. "Huh? What is it?"
"We're here." Daniel reached out his left arm with his hand opened in a presenting fashion.
Celestia stepped forward and exited the trees. She emerged into a small field and her eyes met a large glistening pond. It wasn't quite as large as a lake, but it was equally lovely.
Celestia continued looking around half in awe. The water swirled with gentle waves that funneled into a small creek along the southeast corner of the pond. Her ears twitched as she caught the sound of falling water. She sniffed and caught the scent of fresh water as she continued walking along the shallow bank of the tiny lake. Looking up, she saw Daniel's waterfall. Two small contributors joined the large central flow in making up the falls.
It was truly beautiful, but as Celestia looked around, she couldn't help but think something was missing. This hardly seemed as grand as Daniel promised. Unless, this was the most impressive waterfall he'd ever seen in person. She looked back, glancing at him curiously. "Daniel?"
He walked up beside her, all smiles as he placed a hand around the back of her neck. "It's been a while, but I never grow tired of seeing it." Daniel turned to Celestia. "So, what do you think of it?"
Celestia tried to conceal her disappointment. While it was beautiful in its own respect, it just paled compared to her expectations. "It's lovely. Only, somehow I expected something a bit more...I don't know. Larger or more divine."
Daniel's face fell. "Oh, you don't like it?" He nodded and sighed. "What was I thinking. You're from another world. And you can fly. The falls you've seen on your world are probably far grander than this."
She smiled and placed a foreleg around him. "Now, now, my love, I didn't mean to imply this is a bad thing. It's just." Celestia's ears twitched. "Given how much noise this falls is making, I thought it'd be a little more..." Celestia cast her eyes up to the top of the falls, which wasn't really all that high. It fell no more than twenty feet to the large pool at its foamy base. "Hmm, have you ever been up there?" She pointed to the top of the falls.
Daniel followed her hoof and studied the rocky face of the cliff. "No." He shook his head. "I've come here for years, but never really thought about climbing up there. Well, not without needing the proper equipment."
Celestia rubbed her gilded hoof over her chin, then smiled at Daniel. "How would you like to see what's up there?"
He looked up there and smiled. "Of course! But, do you have enough room to fly us up there?"
Her smile grew. "We don't need to fly. Don't forget, I have magic."
Daniel nodded. "Right, I know. But..."
"Have you ever wanted to teleport?" Celestia's eyes brimmed with excitement.
His mouth slowly dropped open and his eyes sparkled just like hers. "That'd be incredible."
She moved closer to him. "Then place your hand on my back."
Daniel placed his right hand against her soft fur. "All right."
"Here we go." She chuckled softly as her horn began to glow.
In seconds they whisked away in a shimmer of golden light and rematerialized at the top of the cliff.
Daniel took a deep breath as the glow faded away. "Wow. That was like going down a hill really fast." He snickered. "It tickled my stomach."
"That's one of the things I enjoy about teleporting. Along with how quick a way it can be to travel."
Daniel looked himself over and noticed that he didn't feel funny. "Huh. I've read plenty of books and seen a number of TV shows that suggest teleporting is often painful or extremely disorienting."
Celestia shook her head. "Not that I've ever experienced."
She turned and walked away from Daniel, just as he followed her. Celestia soaked in the sight that sprawled before them. "Oh my...Daniel."
He stopped right beside her and placed his arm around her. "Wow...Celestia...I never dreamed." Daniel gasped.
At the top of the cliff, the two discovered the source of the extra noise they thought the falls below had been making. Here, they saw an even larger pond, fed from four breathtaking waterfalls. Each one splashing down across rocks and in some cases stepping down from the side of the large rocky cliffs above.
They stood there, some forty feet from the bank of the large plunge pool. The area was made even more amazing thanks to the beautiful oak and maple tress that grew in the grassy floor around the falls. There was at least a dozen trees spaced out before the cascading water. And if that didn't make the area amazing enough, a series of three small creeks flowed around the trees and merged where they joined the falls below, where Daniel and Celestia had just been.
Celestia continued taking in the gorgeous sight. "Oh my. This is worthy of some of the falls I've seen in Equestria."
"All these years, I never imagined something like this was up here." Daniel shook his head. "And to think, it was just out of reach. I searched for a way up, but as you saw from below." He sighed.
"Yes, there wasn't any way up." She giggled. "Well, not without a little magical assistance."
The princess took a deep breath and exhaled contently. The sun basked its golden rays on her white back. "The sun is adding to this wonderful setting. Ooh, but it feels a little warm today. Don't you think so, Daniel?"
Daniel ran his hand through his short brown locks. The back of his head was indeed warm under the sun's glow. "Yeah. It's warmer than I expected it'd be."
Celestia smiled. "Then let's go over to one of those trees, near the waterfalls."
"I'm way ahead of you." He laughed as they walked over to one of the leafy oak trees. "This one looks perfect."
She examined the tree and nodded. "It does indeed. Here, mind help me with these straps."
Daniel smiled happily as he knelt down and loosened the straps on her saddlebags. "There you are, my princess." He sighed.
She closed her eyes. "Thank you." Celestia used her magic to carefully lift the bags off her back and set them gently along the base of the tree. "There. Now, it's still a little early for lunch. What do you say we give the falls a closer look? Maybe see how cool and refreshing the water might feel?" Celestia smiled as she slipped off all four of her elegant hoof guards.
"I'd love to." Daniel leaned against the trunk of the oak and removed each of his shoes and then proceeded to take off his socks. After placing his footwear out of the way, the two left the tree.
Celestia trotted over to the bank of the large pool, and turned back, smiling at Daniel. He took a long glance around and smiled, seeing as Celestia standing there made this area seem like something out of a wonderful dream.
He walked over to her as they stood in awe of the little slice of paradise. Celestia turned and looked deep into Daniel's eyes. She moved close and rested her head along his chest, while he reached under her chin and gingerly stroked her velvety cheek. Daniel sighed dreamily, while resting his chin on top of her head, right between her horn and crown.
He turned to hold her close, savoring another moment with his beloved. They moved apart and made their way to the edge of the pool. Daniel sat down along the bank and trailed his toes along the cool mirrored surface of the water, before plunging his left foot into the pool.
Celestia smiled as she sat down and ran her right forehoof in the refreshing water, making small circles. She looked up and saw Daniel standing, ankle deep, in the pond. He motioned for her to join him. Celestia smiled as she rose and stepped in after him.
They wadded around the shallows smiling and continuing to enjoy the tranquility of the falls. Then for a moment, Daniel stood idle. A fleeting sense of isolation struck him, until Celestia lightly nudged him, bringing yet another cheerful smile to his face.
Daniel took another long stare at the falling water, then heard Celestia call out, "Hey, Daniel."
He turned her way. "Yeah?"
She sunk her hoof into the water and flicked it up at him, splashing him in the face. "Gotcha!"
Daniel laughed as he bent down, plunging his left hand into the pond. "Oh, Celestia!" He grinned returning the favor.
"Wha?!" He splashed her back, right in the face.
She splashed him again, and then, instead of splashing her, Daniel promptly rushed over, playfully tackling her. They toppled into the cool water, and sat there for a moment, before breaking into a fit of laughter as they helped each other up.
Celestia grinned as she moved closer to Daniel and turned the tables, tackling him. This quickly led to a watery tussle between them as they splashed and frolicked near the shore.
Daniel lay on his back as Celestia stood over him, resting her right hoof on his chest. "All right, all right. Uncle...ha, ha, ha." He laughed holding up his hands in defeat. "I yield. You got me."
She chuckled as she let him go. But as Celestia went to retract her foreleg, she discovered that Daniel had snagged it in his hands. "Hey, let go." Celestia gave him an annoyed look, but quickly broke out into a smile.
"Ha, ha, got you."
Celestia leaned down closer to Daniel, just as he let go of her hoof. Water still trailed and dripped from her face as he smiled, looking up at her between the watery streaks on his glasses. She closed her eyes as her lips drew closer to his until they met for a loving kiss. Daniel reached up and placed his arms around her neck and pulled her closer. Their lips wrestled amorously as their kiss deepened. They both moaned softly, keeping their lips locked a while longer. Celestia pulled back as their kiss ended. Then, she helped Daniel get back onto his feet. He stood with his arm around her and she rested her head along his shoulder.
A few seconds passed and Daniel tapped her shoulder. "Celestia, look at this." She turned his way and followed his pointing hand. Celestia's face lit up as she discovered that a partial rainbow had formed from the way the sunlight was hitting the falls. It added even more wonderment to this small slice of heaven.
Celestia sighed, before they made their way out of the water and back onto the grassy shore. Daniel removed his glasses and noticed that his clothes were drenched. He snickered. "Gee, maybe I shouldn't have tackled you."
She blinked at him. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, we're both soaked. I didn't think to bring a change of clothes or a towel for that matter." Daniel held up his glasses. "And I should have left these by the tree."
Celestia giggled again. "Perhaps, but there's no need to worry. I think I can help. Watch this."
"Huh?" Daniel looked at her funny.
Her horn lit up with its golden orange glow and the water dripping from them both began to fade in almost an instant. Daniel felt a brief rush of heat roll over him, then as he patted himself, he noticed his clothing was dry, glancing over at his glasses, he noticed they were free of water as well.
Daniel turned to Celestia. "That's was awesome!"
Celestia smiled. "Yes well, when you've lived as long as I have, you learn more than a few useful spells."
He nodded. "I'll say. Come on." He put his glasses back on. "Let's head back to the tree."
"All right." She bumped against him as they made their way back to the oak tree.
Celestia laid down under the tree's shady branches and Daniel sat down beside her. "That was fun." He chuckled. "It reminded me of the fight we had over the water hose shortly after you arrived."
"I remember." Celestia smiled, while she ran her bare hoof under his chin. "I hope we do something like that again. I'd love for it to end in a heated kiss." She sighed. "Like we just did."
Daniel chuckled softly, as he ran his fingers along her colorful mane. "Yeah, or maybe even more than a kiss."
Celestia blushed as she shared a brief nuzzle with him. "That would be wonderful."
He glanced over at the saddlebags. "Still think it's too early for lunch?"
She shook her head. "Not anymore."
Daniel opened the saddlebags and reached in for the cooler with their drinks and the other container that had their food.
He placed all the items onto a small picnic blanket Celestia had set up while he rummaged. Daniel chuckled a little as he eyed the things they brought. "I know it may be simple and even a little cliche, but I hope peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will be all right for lunch." He grinned.
Celestia leaned over and softly kissed his cheek. "You know they're fine. It's refreshing to eat something simple." She closed her eyes and nodded. "Did I ever tell you about my typical lunches and dinners back in Canterlot?"
Daniel shook his head as he prepped two paper plates and set two slices of bread onto each. "No. Actually you didn't." He reached for the jar of peanut butter and began unscrewing the lid.
Celestia gazed out over the falls and sighed in a rather frustrated manner. "Well, each meal was like eating at a fancy restaurant or a banquet. It was never anything simple. Usually one of the chef's specialty dish or dishes, which would be served with numerous sides, soups, salads and even assorted breads. It was always more than I had room for. I'd tell the chefs not to prepare so much, but they wouldn't hear it."
"Wow, so it was like a big feast for every meal then?" Daniel looked at her in amazement, while spreading a generous coating of peanut butter on the first slice of each sandwich.
"Yes. Thankfully, they did honor my wishes and shared the leftovers with my guards and servants in the castle. I told them after the first meal's leftovers they threw out, that I was never again to hear of them wasting such valuable food." Celestia hung her head. "Don't get me wrong. It's nice to have such variety, but I think I relished the meals I ate alone in my room when paperwork kept me busy and isolated. Those were always smaller and much simpler."
Daniel reached for the jelly. "Did you want grape or strawberry jelly?"
"Grape will be fine."
Daniel smiled as he popped the top on the squeeze bottle. "It sounds to me that you really needed this vacation. Seems you are all but a prisoner in an ivory tower."
"That's one way of putting it." She took a deep breath and looked over at him. "I must admit, there have been days that ruling over a kingdom was almost too much to bear. That's why it's great having my sister back. But, this is my first real chance at some time off in..." Celestia placed a hoof to her chin. "I can't remember." Her eyes widened. "It may even have been a few centuries since my last vacation. Maybe even more."
"Too long it seems." Daniel shook his head as he completed their sandwiches. "Well, right now you're here with me, and away from your royal duties."
Celestia chuckled and smiled. "You're right." She sighed as she stared fondly at him. "Here with you, I can finally get a chance to relax - even if only for a little while."
Daniel ran his hand along her mane. "Yes. And, I hope you're hungry. Because lunch is ready."
Celestia smiled and nodded. "I sure am." She eyed up the simple sandwich resting on the plate Daniel presented to her. Carefully, she took the plate in her hooves and set it on the blanket. Then, opting for her magic, she lifted the sandwich off her plate. Opening her mouth, she took a modest bite and began chewing it. There was the immediate robust flavor of the thick hearty peanut butter, then the sweet tang of the grape jelly surrounded by the soft and chewy bread. The morsel danced across her taste buds causing Celestia to close her eyes, while she savored the taste. "Bis is gud," she said with her mouth still partially full. She swallowed thickly and gasped, placing both her hooves over her mouth. "Oh no, I did it again."
Daniel chucked at her. "Don't worry."
Celestia blinked. "Worry? I'm the ruler of Equestria. And a princess should never talk with her mouth full."
He just continued to smile. "Yes well, the princess has a little jelly on her lips, right..." Daniel leaned in and licked it off her lip. "Here."
Celestia quickly forgot what she was worried about. Her eyes fell partially shut as she saw Daniel move in to kiss her. "Mmmm..." She moaned softly, ignoring the voice in her head that said kissing someone while eating is so unladylike. Instead, she wrapped her hooves around Daniel and just enjoyed the love she felt from him, as their lips remained joined.
Their lips broke, while Daniel smiled at her. "I couldn't resist, and the kiss..."
Celestia sighed contently. "The kiss was great. And thank you for helping me see I was overreacting again."
He nodded slowly. "Of course. I know there is a lot of demand on you as a princess, but remember, when you're with me, don't feel so pressured to be perfect." Daniel caressed her silky locks. "I know I don't expect you to be perfect...all though, hmm, I wouldn't change a thing about you." He chuckled. "Now me on the other hand. I'm so not perfect. That's why you can be yourself with me."
Celestia brushed her hoof through his hair and let it come to rest on his shoulder. She shook her head. "No, Daniel...you're incredible. I've never really thought about it before, well not too much anyway."
"Thought about what?"
"Just being myself. While I ruled Equestria for that long 1,000 years, I always had to represent both Canterlot and the crown everywhere I went. I was always expected to be prim, proper and elegant. Many of which are the qualities a ruler must always employ when handling the mantle of leadership." Celestia sighed and looked back at Daniel. "I've had to be a princess and a ruler for so long, that there have been more than a few times I've nearly forgotten who I really am. I mean..." She paused.
Daniel put his plate down and moved closer to her. He looked deep into her eyes, then placed his arm around her. "Go on."
"The warmth I give to my subjects and the love and care I have for each of them, that's not just for show. That is part of who I am. It's just there are times, like the ones I've spent with you, where I'd enjoy eating a simply meal like this, have fun sleeping in late or taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon. And doing things that we've done, like wrestle over a garden hose or even like now, enjoying a trip to someplace remote with no responsibilities."
He nuzzled her cheek. "Well, at least for now, you can enjoy all of that. But, after you return to Equestria, you should really think about taking vacation a lot more often. Don't wait until it's been centuries again."
Celestia nodded and let out a sigh. "You're right. I should consider my own needs as well as those of my subjects."
"There you go. And Luna can help you rule, right?"
"Yes, she can. Thank you, Daniel. Now, shall we finish lunch?"
"Of course." Daniel nodded, grabbing another item from the food bag. "Here." He opened a bag of chips. "I know these aren't really healthy, but they always go good with a sandwich."
Celestia's eyes brightened. "Ah, potato chips. I haven't had any of those in quite a while. They are usually something I get to enjoy at parties and cookouts in small towns like Ponyville."
Daniel smiled and said, "Then here." He held the bag up for her. "Help yourself, my love."
She smiled. "Awww, thank you, sweetheart." Celestia used her magic and plucked at few chips from the bag. She crunched down on one and enjoyed the solid texture and crispiness of the chip, followed by its salty potato flavor that traveled along her tongue courtesy of the flavor savoring oil the snack had been fried in. "Mmm. These are good."
"I'm glad you like them."
Celestia raised her sandwich. "This is delightful as well." Then, she proceeded to take another bite. Daniel smiled as he picked up his plate and joined her as they finished their lunch.
After their meal, Daniel cleaned things up and got them each a bottle of cold spring water to enjoy. The noon sun had warmed things up considerable, which made the couple even happier to be under the cool shadow of a tall oak tree.
Celestia stretched her wings, then tucked them back as she laid partially on her side. Her long colorful mane draped along her left side as she smiled, taking in a deep breath through her nose and sighing out through her mouth. Celestia's smile grew as she felt Daniel brush against her side, sitting close to her. "This has been a wonderful day."
"That it has." Daniel looked over and saw Celestia had her eyes closed. He smiled as he held his ocarina up to his lips and began to play a song he knew she'd recognize.
Celestia's ears began to twitch as she heard the sweet tune of "Althena's Song" fill the air. Daniel kept playing, and then he paused as he heard Celestia start vocalizing the tune in a series of "la's", just as the character Luna had done in the story. He smiled, even though her vocalizations were simple, Celestia's voice was beautiful beyond anything he could have imagined. Then, Daniel joined her and continued playing on his ocarina. He enjoyed the enchanting moment with the one he loved. Relishing every moment, until Celestia stopped singing.
Daniel played for a short while longer. After reaching the end of the song, he set his ocarina down and smiled at her. "Your singing was beautiful. Even lovelier than when you hummed this while I was shaving yesterday."
Celestia blushed and turned her head to look at him. "Thank you, Daniel. I remembered that song from the game. So, I thought I'd join in while you played."
Daniel leaned against her and stared at her affectionately. "I'm glad you did."
She placed her right foreleg around him and pulled Daniel close. "Ahhh, my sweet, Daniel." Celestia chuckled softly resting her head next to his.
He placed his arms around her and nuzzled her. "My beautiful, Celestia." Daniel continued rubbing his cheek against her white fur, and then reached out and caressed her colorful mane. He sighed contently, while gazing up at her.
Celestia glanced down and smiled at him, before resting her chin on his head. A few minutes passed, then she craned her head up and took a long survey of the area. "Daniel?"
He pulled himself up, so he wasn't laying, but rather sitting more upright. "Yeah?"
"I couldn't help but notice there are quite a number of groves and forests around here. Each one filled with an assortment of beautiful trees." She waved a hoof out at several of the nearby wooded areas.
"Some parts of the country are known for having lots of trees. This area has quite a few as well."
She nodded happily. "I'll bet fall in your world must be amazing then. You do have autumn here on Earth, don't you?" Celestia looked back at him.
"We sure do. Fall is a really special time. The leaves on the trees change into so many different colors. And as they fall, it can really be something to see." Daniel sat up more and looked out at the nearby savanna.
"When does fall begin on Earth?"
"Around mid to late September. The trees can start to change sooner though." He placed a hand over his chin. "Hmm. You've been here about two weeks. Yeah, it's mid August right now. So it'll be at least three or four weeks till the trees really start to change."
Celestia cast out a troubled sigh. "That's a shame. Fall is one of my favorite seasons. But, I fear I'll have to return to Equestria, before I'll have a chance to see the trees turn here."
Daniel placed a hand on her side and sat up a bit more. "Oh, right. I guess you can't afford to stay that long." He chuckled.
She shook her head. "No." Celestia turned her head and smiled. "But, I can still stay for a little while longer."
Daniel reached up and placed his arms around her neck. "Good."
Celestia cooed. "But it's so great to know you're willing to go back with me."
"I know. It'll be exciting to see another world." Daniel laid down beside her and cuddled close. "But right now, I'm just happy to be here with you."
She closed her eyes and touched her forehead to Daniel's. Celestia giggled softly. "I'm glad to be with you as well."
A refreshing breeze began to blow. It rustled through the grass and the leaves on the tree. Celestia's mane fluttered against Daniel's face, before he deftly swept it away and ran his right cheek against it. Celestia turned onto her right side and lightly adjust her fore and hind legs. "There." She chuckled. "That's better."
Daniel enjoyed a good stretch and moved to lay against her. He rested between her neck and folded left wing. "Your fur is so soft. Even outside in the warm air."
Celestia giggled. "And it's nice, feeling your weight against me." She sighed.
A smile formed on Daniel's face as he reached up his left hand and ran his fingers along Celestia's neck. She lightly twinged and let out a calming sigh. Then, he pulled back slightly and ran his right hand along the feathers of her left wing, moving his digits back and forth.
"Mmm, that feels nice." Celestia let out a soft moan and reached back her left hoof and rubbed it along Daniel's left shoulder.
"Celestia." He whispered her name and let his right hand trail on to her flank. There, Daniel simply ran his hand over her cutie mark, lightly kneading his fingers, while he resumed nuzzling his cheek against her heavenly mane.
Celestia closed her eyes and let the serenity of the moment take her. She sighed, attempting to recall the last time she felt so relaxed and at peace. The princess drew in a breath through her mouth, then released it through her nose. She turned her head and began rubbing her cheek against Daniel's.
He shared her affections even more, and moved his right hand to her tail. There, he combed his fingers through its silky tresses, delighted from the softness. After a few more sweeps, Daniel returned his hand to her cutie mark. He looked over and saw her hind legs were stretched out behind her. A loving and somewhat devilish smile morphed onto his face. Daniel began brushing his hand along the length of her lovely leg, savoring each motion down and back. Celestia twitched against his hand, Daniel knew she was enjoying herself, but he suspected she could be enjoying herself even more.
Celestia gasped and lightly shivered, before stifling a moan. "Ohh...Daniel."
He chuckled as he started tracing the curves of her crescent. As Daniel touched her lovely folds, he lightly pushed against her flesh. Celestia whimpered with each press of his fingers. Their path led them along her slit, which Daniel noticed was starting to dampen with her growing arousal. Not wanting to disappoint her, he slid two fingers inside and began rubbing her wet walls. "Ahhh, mmm...D...Daniel..." Celestia's speech slurred as waves of pleasure both soothed and excited her.
She took a deep breath, then began lightly flailing her left foreleg, until she bumped into Daniel's chest. Celestia adjusted herself and gave Daniel an amorous gaze as her hoof continued to swirl across his chest and belly. He smiled, sharing her loving look, then resumed massaging her marehood. Celestia's foreleg paused for a moment, before feverishly moving down to the waistline of his shorts. She pushed into his skin and used her magic to help her lower his shorts and underwear in the front. She kept her eyes fixed on his crotch as she saw his manhood spring free, standing firmly.
Celestia reached down and grazed her bare hoof along his length. Daniel's fingers stopped and he took in a staggered breath. His love of Celestia's touch had not changed, and she still could take him by surprise, every time she touched his member. "Hmmm...Tia."
She giggled, delighted at how quickly he had succumbed to her touch. Celestia rubbed her hoof along his sensitive tip, eliciting a series of quiet sighs from him. They added to her own bliss as she noticed he began rubbing his fingers inside her. Celestia moaned, letting her head drift back for a moment, before she turned to caress the smooth underside of his length - moving her hoof in a very gradual motion.
Daniel savored her touch, and the blissful chills made his shoulders tingle with warmth. Part of him wanted to continue this wonderful foreplay, but his mounting desire would not allow it. Daniel removed his hand and turned to embrace Celestia. He locked her into a heated kiss, pressing his lips firmly against hers. His left hand brushed her mane, while he moaned lustfully for her. Celestia shared his moan and moved to deepen the kiss. She swept her tongue across his lips and noticed the instance he opened his mouth. Her tongue met his for a passionate tussle as their desires continued to grow.
Celestia turned so she could wrap her forelegs around Daniel. She moaned and sighed in a soothing fashion as her wings slowly unfurled. Her grip around Daniel strengthened and she continued savoring their kiss, feeling his exhaled breath puff out from his nose and sweep across her face. She blew her breath back at him and felt his arms tighten in response.
Their lips parted and they both gasped deeply, panting in front of each other. Daniel looked deep into Celestia's magenta eyes. She stared back into his, and he could tell from the look on her face what was next. Daniel coaxed her to lay on her back. She did so with gusto and beamed him a come-hither look, placing her hooves on his shoulders. He positioned himself above her, his masculinity still at the ready. Daniel smiled at her, then drew her into a tender kiss, before he started rubbing himself along her wet slit. Celestia gasped and moaned from his passionate ministrations. Then, as the longing grew in her eyes, he tenderly pushed his way into her.
Celestia's eyes widened with joy as she welcomed him inside with a loving squeeze of her hungry walls. Daniel placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her another brief kiss, before he began moving on her. He thrust his hips, gradually building a rhythm. Celestia let her head fall back again, while she let out a pleasant moan. Daniel smiled down at her and sighed amorously, adding speed to his movement. Then, as it had since their first time, the physical connection seemed to grow. Daniel's heart began to overflow with emotion as he looked down into her eyes. The love she beamed back made each thrust seem to charge with nearly immeasurable pleasure.
He gasped as he felt her squeeze him with each inward thrust. Then, to his surprise, she locked her hind legs around and attempted to pull him closer with each loving motion. Daniel grinned, he worked her affectionate tugs to his advantage and started an even more fluid motion, one that made her cast out even more blissful moans. A few moments passed and even Daniel had to close his eyes, in response to the incredible level of ecstasy. He was elated beyond his wildest dreams. And every time his eyes met hers, the chills up his back seemed to double.
Daniel would have been more than happy to continue this as long as his princess desired, but his eyes widened as he felt her legs release from around him. He glanced down at her curiously. A sly smile formed on her face as Celestia turned things on him and rolled them so she was now on top. Daniel blinked at her. The playful smile was still on her face as she leaned in and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Celestia pulled her hind legs in against his legs. And just as their kiss ended, he gasped, feeling her give his manhood a loving squeeze. "Daniel." She whispered.
"Celestia," he replied softly.
She placed her hooves on his shoulders and began flexing her hips. Daniel craned his head back as Celestia's movement began to increase. He felt the flames of their passion make his entire body begin to burn. He gasped, then let out an invigorating moan as she added more speed to her bucking hips. The pleasure of the moment began to get to Celestia. Her eyes fell partially shut and she began sighing and moaning pleasantly. She moaned a little louder when she felt Daniel's hands grip her cutie marks as he guided her motions.
Then, Daniel began to thrust upward as Celestia's hips fell down around him, as he hoped to add even more bliss to the moment. It was clearly working as he could see the approval in her eyes.
Celestia's body began to quiver as she added just a little more speed to her movements. Daniel let his head drop down as he kept his eyes on her, in between waves of pleasure. Celestia did the same, and finally, she toppled over the edge. She let out a loud pleasured moan and let out another as Daniel joined her. He cast his warmth into her and felt a surge of her dampness push against him.
He pulled her close and felt her hooves grip him tightly as they both gave themselves to the storm of pleasure that ripped through their bodies. Daniel kept her close wanting to enjoy every blissful moment with her. It only meant what it did because he was with her. She felt his arms around her and let herself fall completely against him, elated from having him so close as her mind went white with ecstasy. She moaned out his name. Daniel eagerly returned the favor and moaned out hers as they finally started coming down from their emotional high. The fog seemed to subside, leaving them both panting heavily for breath, until their breathing calmed.
Daniel looked up at Celestia. He ran his fingers through her mane and smiled. She smiled back and gave his staff one last squeeze before letting him go. Celestia nuzzled him and sighed. "That was wonderful."
He continued to smile, running the back of his hand along her hair. "It truly was."
Celestia giggled. "You know, you took me a little by surprise."
"Yes well. You did tell me I could touch you, anytime we're alone." He chuckled; then he sighed moving his hand to caress her cheek.
Celestia rubbed her cheek against his hand and sighed contently. "I did. And this was a wonderful way to enjoy our trip here." She turned her head toward the falls and smiled, then looked back at him.
He continued stroking her cheek. "Well, I guess we should take a little nap. You'll need to restore your strength for the flight home."
She chuckled and shook her head. "No, we won't."
Daniel blinked. "Oh, did you want to sleep out under the stars then?"
"Uh-uh." Celestia shook her head again. "We can enjoy a nap back at home, before dinner."
"So you're strong enough to fly then?" He looked at her curiously.
"Don't have to. Remember my teleport magic."
His face lit up. "Oh, yeah."
"With it, I can teleport anywhere I've been...and back again." She rubbed her nose against his. "Since I've been to your place, I can easily teleport us home."
Celestia moved off Daniel and sat up, he rose up beside her and enjoyed another look at the waterfall with her. "Then, I guess all we need to do is make sure we've got everything."
"Yes. Then we can head home." Celestia smiled, and rested her head on his shoulder.
Daniel sighed, placing his arm around her. "But, why don't we sit here for a few more minutes, and enjoy the falls for just a little longer."
Celestia chuckled, then she sighed. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
* * * * * *
Daniel's slumber became restless. While it had been a wonderful day and just as enjoyable an evening, for whatever reason, his dreams had become anything but pleasant. They started out well enough. Daniel and Celestia had arrived in her world in the magical land of Equestria, but her return to Canterlot wasn't everything the two of them imagined. Oh there were plenty of ponies happy to see their princess had returned, and many were equally amazed at the prospect of meeting a human, but that's when things went south.
The dream quickly grew into a nightmare. More ponies had arrived to welcome their princess home, only they were none too happy that she had brought a strange creature with her. More over, the close proximity she kept to it bothered them even more.
Daniel felt panicked, despite being so close to his beloved mare. He searched for somewhere to run or hide from the disapproving mob of equines, but alas he didn't know the lay of the land and had even less idea how to navigate the vast halls of the castle. Finally, Daniel ended up in a corner and the angry mob closed in on him.
He turned over in his sleep and twitched until his eyes flew open. Darkness greeted him as Daniel took a few cleansing breaths. He reached over and pressed the snooze button on his alarm clock. The aqua light revealed that it was a little after 2AM. He reached for his glasses and placed them on his face.
Daniel turned back and heard Celestia faintly mumble in her sleep, then from the sound of her breathing, he knew she was still asleep.
He carefully turned back the covers, making sure not to disturb her. Then, Daniel placed his feet on the carpeted floor and rose from the bed. Glancing back, there was still no major movement out of Celestia. He made his way to the door and quietly exited his room.
Daniel walked to the bathroom and took care of relieving himself. He washed up at the sink and looked up in the mirror at his darkened reflection as it was illuminated from the faint glow of the bathroom nightlight. He closed his eyes and shook his head. The images of his dream returned, and left him feeling quite unsettled. At first he hoped it wasn't a nightmare that had tore him from his slumber, and nothing more than a malcontent bladder, but the images played on in his mind.
Daniel left the washroom and turned toward his room. That's when he noticed his stomach growl. Turning again, he started for the kitchen. Maybe a snack was all he needed.
He stopped in front of the fridge and opened the door. Daniel considered what he wanted to munch on. That's when he noticed that he was really hungry for something he could sink his teeth into, something meaty. While he was more than happy to abstain from eating meat, Daniel couldn't deny that he's still had cravings for it. In fact, he really was in the mood for a nice cut of steak or a juicy burger with just a suggestion of pink in the middle. Daniel's mouth watered at the mere though of such culinary delights.
Shaking his head, Daniel focused on his fridge. Celestia had been right, he did have meat in his refrigerator that was slowly going bad, but Daniel made sure to clear out the old and while he wasn't really planning on it, he did purchase some other meat, just in case. Besides, he didn't mind taking cold cut sandwiches to work, since he figured Celestia wasn't there to offend.
After checking the fridge, Daniel realized that most of the meat he had was frozen in the freezer, but there was still a pack of sliced ham in the top drawer, where he kept all his cold cuts. He removed the pack of ham and let it rest on the counter. Unzipping it, he removed a few slices and quickly tore into them. The smoky flavor was delightful, and the moist marbled texture of the ham with its salty taste was more than to Daniel's liking as he chewed and swallowed the first few bites.
"Man, that's good." He finished the ham, which as he recalled was still fairly fresh. He had only purchased it earlier that week.
Daniel pulled at the wax paper within the plastic bag and considered devouring another slice or two, but he stopped. He smacked his lips and noted the time on the microwave clock. Daniel felt full enough, so he folded the paper around the meat, closed the pack and put it away. Then, he shut the fridge and shuffled quietly into the dining room. He walked over to the sliding glass door and cast his gaze into the night sky.
He stared at the stars, which glistened like jewels in the dark blue nightscape. Daniel rested his right arm above his head, upon the cool glass. As he stood there, he could only wonder. Will going back to Equestria with Celestia really be such a good idea? Hmmm... Daniel blinked. Nah, I'm just being silly. It's only a stupid nightmare. I'll just go back to bed and crawl under the covers with Tia. Then, everything will be fine. Even so, there was still a part of him that could only wonder if that would really be the case. |
I See You. | pre | The princess slowly blinked, her head down as she slowly followed Star Swirl outside.
"Such a beautiful day!" he exclaimed, smiling at Celestia as she silently regretted her decision. Seeing him like this... It reminded the alicorn of... her.
The days when they would sneak off into the forest and play.
The forest, where she...
Nothing. Nothing even happened. All they did there was have fun. That was all.
"Sit,"
"Don't you know this forest has timber wolves? It's almost infested."
"Excuses, excuses. This early in the morn'? Nothing will do anything."
"Why are we... out here?"
"Do you remember the Lane of Memories? I want to bring it back to you," he smiled.
"The Lane of... Memories. Mmm." she nodded, rolling her eyes a bit.
Her eyes. They were red and sore from tears. And her head was still aching.
Push it all down. You're fine.
She was Luna free for a good thirty minutes, maybe she should just try to relax...
"You could see the memories of every pony, from best to worst. You could even relive them. Maybe we could try that again."
"I dunno. I have nothing I want to relive."
"Are you sure?" he rose an eyebrow.
"Positive."
Star Swirl looked in her eyes, frowning. "Alright, then I have something new to show you."
The white aura seeped out of the unicorns horn, nearly blinding the princess.
Whatever was next... Celestia wasn't ready. |
I See You. | Five | What was the meaning of the world? Why did it exist, and how? Because at the end of the day, everycreature poured out their hearts and souls to achieve one single thing- death. Blood, sweat, and tears, just to demise, the same as any other who had never tried. No meaning, no greater achievement.
An explosion of blinding light and glitter spun around the sky, as a distance force sucked her into someplace- some area, but what was the reason? Because at the end of the day, no matter how long Celestia lived, she would die. The promise of "a hundred times the life of a commoner" was pleasing at thought- but the age increase did her no good. No longer would she get wiser.
It was all just a shield. That was what she learned, finally. The reason alicorns could preserve life for so long- (rumored to be eternity, though that was clearly not the case)- was because the power from all three tribes colliding into one created a force. This force prevented many means of harm- but definitely not all. It preserved them from dying easily (falling off buildings, lack of air, cuts and wounds, etc.) but it could also be broken. By what? Magic, of course. Only the magic from an alicorn could break the shield of another. Maybe that's why Luna passed that day, and why Celestia didn't.
The sky swirled around her, but her eyes were jammed shut. Her lungs were pressed down, and she found it hard to breathe at all. Cold waves of air passed around her.
"The more you panic, the longer it'll take." a soothing, raspy voice called out.
Celestia could hear, yet she couldn't breathe. It would be okay, one- two- three- four... Her forearms, which were flaling miserably, drooped to their place.
Waiting for something to happen?
The thought flashed in her mind as her eyes clapped shut. The world dimmed by a considerable amount as she gasped, her lungs bursting for the sweet air around her. Panting and lifting her eyelids, she realized she was surrounded in darkness now. No- not darkness. She knew darkness from her nightmares. This was... dimness, not too much light, but a bit of it, at least. The navy-blue sky sparkled in the distance.
"And I thought you were going to fade away!" Star Swirl exclaimed, handing a shaky hoof to the princess.
She accepted it hastily, pulling herself up. "Where in heavens are we?" the alicorn demanded, angry he saw that weak part of her. "And what just happened?"
Tiny orbs flashed around her, but she didn't dare gaze in. Celestia pushed them away.
"Welcome," he smiled, "to the dreamworld."
The princess fluffed her wings, drawing in a sharp breath. The dream world? What now?
"What?"
"I told you, we're in the dream world. This is a place where you can see everypony's dreams, and nightmares. Even from the past. I was... supposed to bring her here, and show her this place... But it was too late."
Celestia almost glared at him, in confusion. How were they here? Everything was such a blur. He was supposed to bring Luna here? She didn't understand.
She didn't want to understand.
Star Swirl cleared his throat, sitting down. "You can relax. Just take a seat. I've been here many times, there's nothing dangerous!"
He stared at her as she just stood there, in slight shock. The alicorn blinked slowly, trying to process everything. What had just pulled her in...? Why was Luna supposed to be here? And how did...
Star Swirl looked around, grasping little orb-like stars, bringing them near his face.
"Looks like all dreams are wonderful today. There's not many... Only the few ponies who nap in the morning. But that's why I brought you now, because it'd be too overwhelming at night."
"Why did you want me to... see this place?"
"Because I wanted to show you this. Someone needs to keep care of the dream world, right?"
The white mare pushed her ears down instinctively, and almost yelled at Star Swirl. Did the old man not understand how overworked she already was? She had to work for the whole of Equestria, raise the sun and moon, order everypony around, decide on everything, all while she was haunted by some sadist ghost. Now she was expected to care for this? But she was quiet.
"The truth... I'm sure you wonder..." he paused, twirling the tip of his beard slightly. "Look, I can access any dream from here, ever. And I almost come every night, though I need to defend Equestria alongside the Pillars. And... I've seen your nightmare."
Now the alicorn settled in anxiety, her mouth twitching before she formed a full sentence. "No... no... you couldn't have seen?..."
"Relax, dear. It's completely normal to be having... dreams of guilt... after everything that took place. Boy, you are such a brave one- defeating your own sister and banishing her to the moon for 1000 years. You had that much hope and dedication for the land of Equestria. But it's no mistake that you'd have guilt for it. But you need to learn to let go. You see, you'll be able to see Luna once more, and she'll be back to normal. She'll forgive you, and once more you can rule in harmony.
"A thousand years may seem like eternity now, but you're an alicorn. A hundred times the life of a normal pony. You'll see her again... When she's unleashed from the moon. And I know her. She'll be proud." No.
This is exactly why she didn't want to talk to anyone, this is exactly why she couldn't even face her old mentor.
Even he didn't understand. Nopony ever would. They all thought she was some hero, putting the people first, and protecting them through her fear. If anypony understood, it would've been Star Swirl.
But she wasn't a hero.
She was the exact opposite and nobody would ever see that.
But...
What would happen if they did? What if one day, the princess they loved and trusted came out as a murderer? What would she do? Celestia had nothing left to live for. She couldn't live like that. She could live in torture. She could live in everlasting self-hate and pain.
But she couldn't live if she was unloved, if she was wanted dead. If she was hated by everypony, if nobody looked at her and thought she at least deserved to breathe- if...
Celestia KNEW she didn't deserve a second chance. Celestia knew that she deserved to be ostracized, killed, burned... And part of her wanted to be. She wanted to let go of the worries of life and just die. She wanted to kill herself and just end the guilt. Maybe the ponies would care for a bit, before they found someone to replace her, someone worthy. What did they do to deserve a queen like this?
"Celestia? Celestia-!"
Celestia wanted to forget about all her problems. Celestia wanted to forget about everything that existed.
She wanted to die.
She wanted to die.
"Princess, can you hear me? Please, just listen, you're hurting yourself-"
Celestia was tired of just waiting. Celestia didn't want to live in guilt. Celestia wanted to feel every ounce of pain her sister felt that day. Celestia couldn't live in a world where everyone... hated her. Where everypony wanted her dead. Celestia...
Celestia felt weak. Celestia felt helpless. Celestia felt like she was paralyzed and couldn't move. Celestia didn't want responsibilities. She couldn't take it.
She couldn't take it.
She. couldn't. take. it.
She hated herself more than anypony could.
She wanted to die.
She wanted to rip her arms off and bleed and bleed until she couldn't feel.
"Celestia, please, whatever you're thinking isn't real... I'm right here, don't do this!"
The world spiraled into darkness once more. This time some part of her held conciousness. Celestia wasn't dying.
"Please stay awake! It's not safe..." the sentence was drowned out.
Celestia could breathe.
Celestia could feel. Nothing, at the moment, but she felt it.
Celestia could see. Nothing, at the moment, but she saw it.
Celestia didn't know, but it was alright that way.
It was so much finer than continuing in a world where she would have to act like a hero for the rest of her life. A part of her knew she would not stay here forever. The rest of her was okay pretending she would be. The princess smelled salt, or... rather, believed she did. She couldn't smell it herself, but knew she did, somehow.
She also knew she was surrounded. By water, maybe an ocean. It was deep. The water flowed into her eyes. It burned, but she didn't feel it too well, she just was aware it was there. She could breathe. It was alright here, even if she knew nothing. Even if she was too confused to think about it clearly. Maybe she didn't want to.
Her ears perked up, and finally she could hear. She heard a little song. It was lovely, unlike any melody she had heard before. It filled her with a little hope. A hope she didn't know her body could create, she didn't want her body to create. Celestia couldn't focus on the lyrics, but it was a blessing to her ears. Some feeling she couldn't explain. She wanted to cry and laugh and rejoice at the same time. She was at peace.
But... she wasn't. Who was she in a world where she didn't know what was happening? Who was she in a world where nothing happened, and nothing was felt? What good was she if she just ran away from her problems?
Why couldn't... she just stay here for some time? In this wonderful, filling world of hers?
Celestia could... see. She saw a glow in the distance. Her eyes were glued shut. Then she opened them. Maybe something in her told her not to, but curiosity drove over. Hmm, maybe it was sheer fate. Or, something else. Someone else.
The room was empty. There was no ocean, there was no entity singing her a song. It was... A black room. With a little light seeping through. There was nobody. There was nothing. Her head, likewise, was empty as well- yet to process what was happening, let alone where she was.
And soon, Celestia was floating. She didn't question it. She didn't even think of moving, but she was. Launching towards the light, the alicorns wings fluttered a bit. But she didn't fear. There was nothing to fear. There was nothing to love. There was nothing to live for, here in this empty world, which had just seemed oh so utopian.
And for a second, she wondered if it was better inside the world of Equestria. Equestria, where she suffered. The land which she ruled over, which she would rule over, until her sanity would completely slip away. The land which took her sister. The land which took everything from her. No.
Not... everything. Deep in her heart, Celestia knew she had something. Was she willing to escape this darkness-filled dream would to find it? If it even existed?
Celestia didn't really want to stay here forever, with nothing to do, nothing to live for.
Celestia didn't want all her suffering to be for nothing.
Celestia only had an inch of hope that whatever was in the real world would make her smile once more. Maybe it was her people. Her loving, loyal people. Maybe they would bring her somewhere she wanted to be. Maybe they would support her and once more give her a will to live.
So yes. She was ninety-nine percent sure nothing would ever make her feel loved again. Make her feel worthy again. Half of her still remembered the suicidal and tortuous mindset she had been in... minutes, hours? ago. But the one percent... that miniscule percent... drove her on. Wherever she was... She wanted to go back.
She was launching towards the light. She could hear the music again, now.
Focus on the lyrics, focus on the beat. Focus, focus.
Celestia gasped, air filling her lungs. Someone stood besides her. Where was she? Star Swirl. It was Star Swirl besides her. Everything rushed back to her. Did she... black out in the dream world? Was she driven into a... coma? A nightmare? Why was Star Swirl besides her, unresponsive? Why was the world so blurry?
She realized, then. She hadn't escaped. She was still in a dream. Maybe not in her nightmare, but... somebody's dream. Celestia saw a crowd, yelling and screaming. Her eyebrows furrowed. The moon was down. They were in front of... goodness, it was so blurry, and the color was rushing in and out of her eyes...
Castle.
Castle.
The castle. Her castle. That castle. They were...
It was a replaying of a memory, or something, wasn't it? But... wasn't it a dream? Maybe Star Swirl was showing it to her. Sick. Sick. That was sick. Why would he show her this? It was a memory of one of her worshippers on the night of the Summer Sun Celebration.
The pony was looking up at a tall, elegant mare. As her eyesight normalized, she realized how... drained she looked. That was her, in her shining dress, that probably outshined herself. She looked... horrible, didn't she? Well, she didn't know if she really looked that bad, or if it was the dream thwarting herself. She knew she looked older, but now... That wasn't her. She still looked elegant, not like the hallucination she saw of herself.
The other Celestia rushed out, running inside. Everypony gasped, rumors lurking in the air. She heard... every one.
"Is she mad?"
"What's wrong? Our princess..."
"I've told you all, ever since that Luna's been banished, she's lost it."
"She can't even face us?"
"God, what happened to her?"
"She's turned into a ghost of herself!"
"She's almost like a monster!"
Stop, stop. Celestia heard enough.
She took it back. She wanted to go back nowhere. These people didn't get it, they never would. She didn't blame them. How could she? Maybe what they said was true. But it wasn't that.
They didn't believe in her.
They already hated her, already thought she was a monster. And they didn't know the truth. They didn't know half of it. She had nothing to rely on.
Why couldn't she go back to her nice little dream? The world where she would need no acceptance, would have no worries? Everything... would fail her. She had failed everything.
She sharply looked to her side, fuming that Star Swirl would show her such a moment. But Celestia recoiled in surprise, realizing it wasn't really him, but a greyed-figure of him. Still. Very still.
"Star... Swirl?" hastily, she waved her long hoof in front of his frozen face, almost statue-like. Even if he could respond, she doubted she would hear it over the crowd. She wanted to drown it out... forget it all...
But why was Star Swirl not there? And if he wasn't controlling the dream, memory, whatever, then who was? She closed her eyes once more, hoping the blackness would reappear-
"Celestia, please, I'm waiting," a sob cried out. In rung again and again in her ears, until she had the strength to pull her eyelids open. She could feel. Oh.
She could feel.
She was back exactly where they started. The cool grass was against her back, and she was once more on the ground. Her senses all rushed back to her at once- it was rather overwhelming. Celestia nervously drifted her eyes as much as she could, wiping a cold sweat off her forehead. Finally, she heard the cries of the pony on her side. The grey unicorn was nearly in tears, his horn on her side.
"Star...?" That was all she could say, but Star Swirl somehow understood what she was asking.
"My Celestia... Don't worry, everything's okay. No, I'll explain, I'll explain!" he paused. "I tried to- I was trying to help you but... You fell into something in the dream world. Something... unnatural? Something filled with dark emotions. You basically passed out, and you fell into a nightmare dream in the dream world. That... Is nearly one of the most dangerous things one can do. I didn't know if I could get you out. Especially since the negative emotions would create a permanent dream reality. You would've never escaped.
"I attempted to show you a fond memory from sometime to bring you back, out of your nightmare. And somehow, it pulled you in, but something of yours pushed me out. Maybe it was the negative emotions. The dream was thwarted and I fell back into the real world, hurrying to get you here too." He breathed, barely stopping.
"It's a lot... I know. But you're safe now. You're safe. I know it might have been a mistake bringing you in. But... Maybe in a few days, we can meet again, and just do something safe. Something familiar. Come, let's get back to the castle..."
Celestia did not understand anything he said until she was slowly getting up to her feet. Surprise surprise, that was a bad idea, because she fell right back down. But with further assistance, she was able to trudge herself back into the castle. The guards took hold of her fragile body immediately, escorting her. Star Swirl trotted in the back.
She exhaled, opening the doors to her room with her magic. She wearily helped herself onto her bed. She would not sleep for a good two days. Maybe it would take a while for her to understand. Maybe Luna would explain it to her, when everypony was gone. Maybe Luna would yell at her. No, Luna would yell at her. It was decided.
She didn't want that. She really didn't...
"Celestia... I'm so sorry. Rest now, for today. Tomorrow will be better, I promise. I'll come see you then, maybe, okay?"
"...Where?" she whispered, pulling her sheets to her face.
"I'm going... to talk to an old friend." Star Swirl smiled. "I'll be back. But... Please don't dream, for a while."
And at that, he exited, without another word.
Luna flashed back. Celestia didn't want to see her at all. But Luna really didn't care. Whatever Celestia said, she would never go away. She would never stop speaking.
"Look what the cat dragged in. God, what's happened to you? Just kidding, I know what you've seen. I know, I was there!" she cackled.
"Please..."
"What're you begging for, lucky dog? Little didya know, I'm here to make an offer withya! I know how much the people already judge you. Imagine now, how they'll be when I tell em the truth! Just imagine how horrifying that'd be! How much they'd hate you. Maybe they'd even raid and kill you! Maybe they'd ostracize you. Well, remember, I have to tell them. Only four days left. But you know... I've got a deal."
Celestia genuinely forgot about the reason Luna was here. Listening to her words made her sick.
"If you're that desperate, I'll give you this; I'll never tell a soul the truth. No, I'll have to rip my plan of solidifying myself to become a real pony that people can see and hear for this! But, there's a catch. I won't tell a soul, but I'll never leave either. You'll have to live with me forever. I won't disappear after the fifth day. So what is it, sisterrrr?"
Celestia wanted to throw up. God. Why? Why was she here?
She felt tired again... She... Hated herself, hated everything so much.
They probably would hate her ten times more than this.
They would strip her of every little thing she had left. Her castle, her praise... But they'd leave her living. Living and tortured. None of them could kill her. None of them would save her.
She could never be saved. No matter...
"I..."
"What is it? Do you accept?"
"I..."
Celestia had nothing. She would have even less if she didn't accept. Maybe she should just do so.
Maybe she could have something in life, even if Luna never went away. Even if she was living in pain. Because Luna was here. That was Celestia's wish, wasn't it? She never wished, at first at least, to be saved. She wanted Luna to be saved, Luna to come back. Here she was. And here she would be, even if she was breaking every last part of her big sister as each second passed. And she could maybe live a normal life again.
Celestia would be tortured either way. But she wanted to make it up. She wanted to make Luna live the life she wanted.
"I accept." |
I See You. | Six | Time was a ticking machine. It was cruel, no mercy whatsoever. No matter your situation, no matter your urgency, it would go on. If one was left behind? Then be it, time would say, it's handles endlessly turning. The world would continue revolving, regardless of the lives left behind.
Sometimes Celestia wished she could crack the little hands, and block out the alarms. She wished it would just stop for once, and just give her a second to inhale properly before the world would hurl another dilemma her way. Wishes like that never get answered, even for all powerful alicorns.
Think of the others.
If everything just stopped for a few damn minutes... If everyone would just look at her, and see she was trying, wouldn't the world be better?
"Noooot really," Luna chimed in, pulling the mare back into reality. How long had she been wondering so sentimentally?
"A good minute, probably. Jeez, the rest of your life I'll be forced to hear this crap?" she snorted. "I wish I'd been assigned someone who thought something useful, let alone did."
Wait- assigned? What the actual hell? Were deceased souls given ponies to haunt, or ponies to teach? But, by who?
"Geh! Shut the hell up," the ghost spat. "I'm not answering any crappy question of yours! Go on with your worthless theories, as if I could give a hoot! As if she would let me, anyways."
Celestia went silent. It had been this way for long, and it would be this way until she had taken her last breath. Yesterday, the queen had written away her rights to the ghost in exchange for her secret kept underground.
She didn't want to hide it. But she knew exactly what would happen if the people knew. She was scared. Miserably scared.
Inhale.
The whole week had been extremely draining- even more than usual. She'd been longing for a little pony contact, but now, she wanted to lay in bed all year. Decade.
Exhale.
One thing Celestia had realized after the vow was created was that Luna was becoming harder to see. On most occasions, the princess didn't want to see her. It's not like she did now, but when she closed her eyes and searched around the room... She only saw an outline of the once vivid demonic filly.
"Lookin for something?" Luna chuckled. "Maybe open those windows of yours. It's almost 6:00, ya know?"
Another observation was that the harsher Luna's words were, the more mature her voice would get. The more relaxed her sentences, the softer and more childish it would become. It was quite rare for the ghost's voice to be kind.
"I'm serious, moron. You know what? Screw it. You're a lost cause."
Sighing, the alicorn twisted her head to the bedside clock. 5:59, crap! There would not be enough time to transfer her magical energy and "raise" the sun.
"Maybe you should LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE!" Luna suddenly roared.
Celestia shook her head, trying to get the ringing voice out of her ears. It didn't work, so she just began to light her horn with magic.
Deep breath...
She extracted the aura from her horn. Senses of pain shot down sharply throughout her body, ridding her of any relaxiation that was left. She slowly pushed the magic towards her head, forcing it through her flesh. It felt like she was forcing a knife into her skull, pushing it only harder and harder. This time, the magic left a numbing sensation- similar to what she felt during sleep paralysis.
Celestia tried to keep quiet, but her body was fatigued already. Focus on the magic, it's late already! The sun has to rise.
She heard some creaking and movements, but she was sure it was just Luna. Wow. She'd accepted it fully now? That Luna was there? That she just wasn't an old, hallucinating hag?
Focus... There's no time...
The magic tore through her skin, viciously trying to reach her organs and provide her body some energy. She cried out, tears forming in her ducts. After a few minutes, it was funny transferred. She nearly collapsed near her bed, but the princess somehow held herself up. Gasping for breath, she merely looked to her side-
"Princ-"
Standing there, mouth unable to form words from pure surprise, was the yellow-maned guard. He had seen everything- the transfer of magic, her near collapse, and... every ounce of pain that she had just went through.
If he didn't assume she was crazy before, he definitely did now. Crap. Crap. Crap.
"Blueblood... I..." Celestia mumbled.
"What the hell, Princess? What- what in the... what did you just do to yourself?" he gasped, voice shaking.
His crystal eyes were tired and weary, though struck with pure horror. His helmet was noticeably damaged, and his remaining front foreleg was bruised. Something had happened.
"I- can..." the princess was completely caught by surprise. She had never in extremity expected that someone would uncover this part of her secret.
Nopony was supposed to know she got no sleep, that she was up all night- nobody would understand, would they? Nobody was supposed to know the pain she went through just to get her body to function. They'd think she was just some mad old princess, if they already didn't. So she had never planned a thing for if it actually happened. She had nothing to say, the one time she needed to explain everything.
But how could she?
And in turn, Knight Blueblood was shocked. Beyond words. Every part of his body was sore, and aching- Celestia knew for a fact he worked harder than any other subject under her. The knight knew the Princess was going through a rough patch- but he had faith that she would pull through. Celestia always had the determination and love for her citizens- that would come back. Just because she screwed up one time publicly... That one little error would not ruin the godly image of her that he carressed and knew.
But now?
Now, what the hell was this? What was she doing to herself? Had she completely lost her sanity? Was he wrong? Why, why why?
Why in...
Why in hell was this happening to him...?
His Celestia, the only one who was there for him, through thick and thin... Why her? Anyone else. Anyone else. Anyone else.
Blueblood had this... secret. Even as a foal, he wanted to be important to somepont. Maybe not even important. He just wanted to be loved. That's all. But with such a rough exterior, who would ever warm up to him enough? His parents never really had time for him. If he messed up, however, they were quick to blame and get frustrated- even hit sometimes. They wanted him to become something big, something that they could be proud of.
So he tried, extremely hard. It never was enough, not even for a measly hour of just... talking to him. That's all he wanted. He just wanted someone to stay with him. But he needed to try harder. As he grew into a teenager, he soon realized everything he tried was never enough. Maybe they didn't care at all.
It wasn't any use. So all he wanted to do was run away- the furthest he could get from his parents, only the bleak reminder of their unexistant love remaining in their stern eyes. He was just a kid... And he wanted to leave. He wanted to make a change on the Earth, and do something important. Maybe he could prove them wrong.
He ran away.
He joined Royal knight training. It was a stupid choice, and he knew nopony from his family would support the decision; "You should've become a doctor, a lawyer! Now your life is at risk!"
But he was tired of fearing his family, following their guidelines. He trained his hardest, motivated by the others, as well as the history he had learned as a colt. He loved the stories of Celestia and Luna, and how they protected Equestria and brought forth night and day. Blueblood wanted to protect them aswell, and be of service to his land.
However, because of his young age, he wasn't permitted to become a knight quickly. His classmates were regularly picked but, but he had no family to run back to. So he often slept outside the cold, freezing castle- until he was found and brought inside by Princess Luna. Blueblood was so young, so scared, being led by the princess into the main room to be examined. He even feared for his life.
The colt lost his breath when he saw the sun princess. Beautiful, elegant- she was even more enchanting than the stories portrayed. And more than all, she was merciful. He expected sharp orders to come out from her mouth, like the insults that poured from his mothers mouth, but- she... heard him out. He explained his situation, about his family and how he joined the Knight training. Celestia pitied him, and took him in. Blueblood was sure he was dreaming- him? Somepony as worthless as him, to be taken in by such a magnificent queen?
But each night, after his immense training, he would be called back to the castle. He was given a nice room to sleep, and good food to eat; Celestia called for him every time, and they would talk for a bit. At first, the colt was hesitant, but when realizing how much Celestia cared, he opened up. After a year or so, he even picked up calling her "auntie". It delighted him, but he wondered why his parents didn't even look for him. No matter the love from others... No matter how much he resented them... No mater how much he was reminded of their cruelty from every little bruise... That thought never faded from his mind.
They really didn't care. But Celestia did.
Every night was the same, until he was of age to genuinely join the knight service. The stallion began to sorrow a bit, realizing he would spend less and less time with his "aunt", whom he loved dearly. He was one of the best in the army, passionate and swift on his hooves. Celestia's care for him only strengthened his reasons to fight. Soon, Blueblood became an inspiration to many, becoming a general and fighting bravely.
Whenever he was home, and when he was off duty, he would try to spend some time with Celestia. Though both were insanely busy, their bond never broke. The princess cared for him, and loved him for who he was. That was why he struggled to save her life, to get to her when Nightmare Moon destroyed the castle. That's why he kept living even when he lost a limb. Why he kept going even though she was never the same since Luna was banished.
So... why her?
"Blueblood, please... just hear me out. I didn't get any sleep last night. I didn't get any energy. I was working on... confidential... I needed to get the energy or I would literally just pass out while raising the sun and moon, and this was the only wa-"
"Celestia. We both know that is a lie. We both know... nothing has been the same since she was banished. This isn't a one time thing, isn't it? Have you been getting literally no sleep? Is that why you look like a zombie of yourself? Is that why you cry out, why you..." his voice staggered, though it was stern.
A stern yell Celestia hadn't heard in so long.
"What? I look like... you can..."
"EVERYPONY can tell, Celestia. Nopony knows whats going on with you. They all think you're nuts, they all think you're crazy, that you're no good! And here you are, literally torturing yourself, and... heaven knows what else you've done but... What is this? Why? What's going on? Just talk to me, I'm worried. Everyone is worried."
"I'm not torturing myself. I..." she laughed a little, a tear rolling past her cheek. "I'm... so sorry, Blueblood. I know what everypony thinks, is that why you're bruised up? Were they protesting? Oh Lord, what do I do..."
"Why... Aun- your Highness, why did you run out on the Summer Sun Celebration? What happened? Please." Blueblood's voice reeked with concern.
"Blueblood, I... I panicked. I haven't been in front of a crowd since... Luna was banished. I did that to her. I hurt her. It was my fault she turned this way. And I... Should not have run away from them. But they will not understand, they never will. I won't transfer energy like that again, I promise it was a one time thing. I've just been working so hard indoors, its never been expressed outdoors." she spat, her ducts watering up, knowing nearly every word she spoke was a lie.
The knight sighed. "You're backtracked on your work. Look, I know how much her banishment has phased you. But she's coming back, no matter how long a thousand years may feel. And I know you probably feel guilty... but... you did your best. She knows you love her. Promise me now you won't do it again. I'm... It's getting hard, you know?" he paused.
"I love you like a real aunt, like a mother, even. But it's hard supporting you sometimes. It's really impacted you. But I will continue supporting you. I broke up the protest, just... try to express yourself outward more. Also, its 6:10..."
Celestia looked at him, pain reflecting in her eyes. Wouldn't it all just be a lie? Why did he care so much? Why did he trust her so much?
"I promise."
He looked at her one more time, putting on a worried gaze. He nodded and trotted out.
"Lies, lies, lies. He cares about you so much, it's really a shame, it is."
"Stop it." Celestia muttered. "I will not focus on you."
Closing her eyes, the princess wrapped her magic around the moon, pulling it from all sides. Her grip tightened, and her forehead was wrinkling a bit. She thrusted in downwards, as forcefully as she could, but it wasn't gone entirely.
"Ugh, you make it look so hard. It's not that big of a deal, just try to swiftly pull!"
Celestia tugged harder now, until it finally dropped. Her job was not over yet, though. The shining sun now made her eyes weary, she no longer wanted to gaze into its depths. She shut her eyes tighter this time, and pulled forward. Foward. Foward. Forward... For....ward.
"Finally, goodness gracious! You act like you're giving birth every time."
Celestia drew in a sharp breath, sweat streaming down her face. Her chest burned. She wanted to lay there forever. But she had work, citizens to care for. She looked towards her pile of work which had tripled over the past days- and sighed, forcing herself over to start and finish it.
Eyes heavy, she was like a machine. Her hooves moved without order, her brain too tired to think it through. Her answers came by nature, not thinking hard. Unable to think hard. Hours of work were completed, and hours of work were to go. Finally, Celestia saw a letter she had to focus on.
It was covered in gold and pearls, royally packaged. Her eyes lazily skimmed the title: "Regarding the Treaty of Equestria". Wait now, treaty of Equestria? When had she agreed to this? She rapidly ripped open the envelope.
Dearest Celestia,
It has been long since I have written you a letter, or likewise. I hope you and your people have been keeping well; I wish I could say the same for Hippogriffia. However, Mount Aris has been attacked by a vicious monster, which we are unable to beat with the armies we have. He calls himself the "Storm King". We are forced to find an alternative and escape- our land has been invaded and we do not have the power to take it back.
I remember- maybe a decade back- we had made an agreement to start a formal treaty. I'm sure you were bound by your work, but neither of us formally agreed on it. Now that my country is of need, I ask of you to agree to it. We are unsure of whether we can evacuate in time- our home is being destroyed. Please, Celestia- you know our strengths, and that we will gladly help you in times of need.
Thank you.
Queen Novo
Another piece of paper was stuffed in the package: the treaty letter.
"A war, hm?" Celestia mumbled. It had been long since she had dealt with something this... serious. Queen Novo never really had good relations with the princess- eh, maybe even bad. They had agreed to make a treaty, but shortly afterwards, all export from Equestria to Hippogriffia was banned. She had no idea why, but it had impacted the economy.
And... now Novo was in need. No, multiple Hippogriffs were in need. This was real, extremely real. She needed to ask someone advice- someone wiser than her, someone who would know what to do.
"If everything went normally, if you were normal... then you would know what to do. Exactly what to do. It's tragic, actually. You could've done so much." The ghost muttered.
"Star Swirl. He's the only one... Who will know," Celestia whispered. "Exactly... What to do."
"But he'll press you to do things you don't want to. Remember last time?" Luna giggled as Celestia winced from the raw memories. "It'll only be worse this time, so... Maybe figure it out yourself. Also, he's-"
"You know I can't do it on my own. I'll mess up. It'll all be my fault. Not only my citizens, but- but hers, as well."
"As if you already hadn't..."
Luna was right, though. If Celestia were to approach Star Swirl, he'd make her do something crazy and out of her very tight comfort zone. And he obviously wouldn't give her a straightforward answer. But again, it was... Her comfort zone, or the safety of thousands of creatures.
"What will it be, 'Sister'? Will you be selfish, or will you be a big girl and do something responsible for once?"
"I'm not-"
"You know you are. I knew it. You're horrible, why did I even have hope? You're too scared to ask Star Swirl. You're too lazy to think about what to do yourself. So ignore the letter, ignore it all, just like you ignored me. Maybe that'll kill off some more important people and you'll learn your lesson then."
"... Please, Luna, I just-"
"It's pathetic." she spat. "Pathetic. I'm dead, Celestia. I am dead. You know why. You know what happened. Is history going to repeat itself, this time with a thousand more lives at stake?"
Silence.
"No. No... I'll... I'll do whatever to make the right decision." Celestia said, fear lurking in her voice.
Her soul- unready, unknowing; Something inside of her knew she wouldn't be back for a long time.
She opened the door. |
Fairlight | pre | The Chief of the Watch sank back into his old manticore hide chair. It let out a protesting creak as he leaned back in it and swung his back legs up onto his desk. "Get me one of those will you ?".
I walked over to a small wooden pot on the shelf and levitated out a long cigar. Placing the end in a cutter, I pushed down on the small plunger snipping the end off neatly. I inhaled the pungent aroma of the tobacco and felt the familiar pang of longing for a smoke of those marvellous creations. Creations that I knew all too well that Meadow would fillet me for smoking.
The chief took the cigar from me and placed it in his mouth, inhaling deeply as I magicked a flame to the end. "Thank you Captain, you've done well. Very well. If we pull this off tonight, I think we could be looking at a promotion for you. Oh, and a nice pay rise for you 'two'. Maybe.....three ?", he chuckled, peering down his muzzle at me.
"Not yet sir, not for lack of trying either", I told him a little dejected.
Mitre thumped the desk and blew out a puff of cigar smoke, shaking his silver flecked black mane, "Hah ! That's the best part ! don't be in such a rush my young friend. Slow and steady, you know the rest". "Yes sir", I managed.
Shelly entered the room with a tray of mugs and oat biscuits, trailing behind her were three watch officers who halted at the door looking apprehensive. I quickly realised why....
"What the buck are you doing with that thing in you mouth you old goat ?!" The mare screamed at him, "Do you know what those things will do to your lungs ? You're half
ready for the knackers now and you're still on them ? I thought you'd promised........."
Shelly's berating continued amid the Chiefs desperate attempts to placate his wife as I closed the office door behind me.
"Captain Fairlight ?" one of the younger officers asked as I turned to look at them. "Should we...you know ?", he gestured towards the office. "Er, no. No lieutenant, I think we'll just leave them to, say, thrash it out." I think I knew what sort of 'thrashing' was coming the Chiefs way. I sighed, I would have to ask about Apple Pop another day. Right now, duty called.
"Gentlemen."
"Sir", the officers said smartly, saluting as one.
"Lets get moving everyone. We've a lot to do."
So much for the coffee and biscuits I lamented, trotting down the stairs. |
Fairlight | Chapter Seven - Hours before dawn | CHAPTER SEVEN
Hours before Dawn
The night was clear, if a little windy. Rain I could stand, but wind ? You try standing out in the dark with cold air blasting through your ears for hours ! I'd taken up station in a musty abandoned tool shack, now used as a dump for damaged and unwanted dockers equipment. I had to watch my footing, nearly crying out in fright when a coil of rope slithered from its hook up in the rafters and brushed against my flank on its way down. An image of a deadly Everfree forest snake, fangs dripping venom, materialised briefly in my imagination. I stamped my hoof down hard on the thing, subconsciously 'killing' the snake and re-focussing on the task at hoof.
Sweet Luna, I was bored. We'd been here for hours and nothing, not an iota of movement from the single warehouse on the wharf. Could my contact have had the wrong day ? the wrong time ? I began to question whether I had read the note correctly, oh Goddesses ! Had I blown months of investigative work through carelessness ? "No", I whispered to myself under my breath, it was not the time to start doubting myself. It was the right day and the right time, though something, something I couldn't quite put my hoof on, was ringing alarm bells in the back of my head. I pushed the thought away and gave a snort, we were all on edge, I just had to keep focussed and push any intrusive thoughts away. The plan would work.
The teams were assembled in packets across the wharf area, signals would be given by magical flare and the Watches trans-etheral devices, or 'TED's as we called them. These were handy little magical articles which slipped over ones head and ear, another concoction of Speak Easy's ingenious department. Once tuned to the crystals in the other devices, we could hear and speak to one another surprisingly easily. It sure beat the old days of whistles, shouts or screaming at the top of your lungs to one
another. If I ever found out which of Speak Easy's ponies had invented these, I'd kiss them. Metaphorically of course.
I rubbed my forelegs together for warmth, never taking my eyes away from the window. It was dusty but I daren't try to rub it clean in case some pony noticed the movement. This night, or rather morning as it was rapidly becoming, had to go without with a hitch.
Moving my hind legs to keep cramp at bay, the minutes ticked by and I resisted the urge to call up the other officers of the watch for reports on any movement. They were good, trained by Mitre himself, I knew these ponies would do their part. We trusted one another with our lives, and we had, on occasion. That was back even when the majority of Manehatten's reported crimes were nothing more exciting than stolen flowers, apples or Celestia forbid, fashion designs !
A crackle from the TED caught my attention and I pressed a hoof to it, "Fairlight" I whispered. The voice that came back sounded tense, "We've got movement. From the river, looks like a barge. No lights, I count four, maybe five on deck. Hard to see in this light Cap'". Crumble Top was an experienced watch mare, a lieutenant of several years in the Manehatten watch alone. Her violet eyes never missed a trick and the ponies who knew her, had quickly learnt never to try and sneak things past her vigilant gaze. I had always known her as a pony to rely on, her icy calm was infectious with the ponies around her and they trusted her implicitly. Tonight, the strain in her voice was testament to the pressure we were all under. "They've got at least one unicorn with them, I can see the glow from here. They're pulling in to the dock side now. Crumble out."
The TED went quiet, a few moments went by and the gruff voice of Cloud Spiral crackled, "Affirmative on the movement, counting five ponies here heading towards the main warehouse. Unicorn up front with a lantern, four ponies, possibly earth type. Unknown if armed."
Another voice, Dawn Rush this time, "No pegasi detected, maintaining perimeter sweep".
Silence. I had asked for minimal TED communications in case the targets had unicorns who could detect it. "Highly unlikely", I had been told by the court procurator, "but still, a possibility. As their use is new, unicorns wont necessarily know to look out for their magical wavelength". I was a little unsure of these new devices, their efficiency however had proved to be exceptional. Still, I wanted to take as few chances as possible. I extended this to the flying squad, Dawn was keeping her squad hidden set up in the cranes and buoys out in the bay. Any flight ran the chance of being detected even against the stars by an eagle eyed pony. If they had pegasi of their own, they would more than likely be using them as scouts to check the wharf before docking. These guys knew what they were doing and to catch them, we had to be one step ahead. Tonight, was that step.
The ticking of my pocket watch felt deafeningly loud as I plucked it out of my pocket. Later than planned, but still, pre-dawn. I could feel the seconds inexorably dragging by, clunking one after the other after the other. A slight shuffle behind me caught my attention. Looking round I saw watch sergeant Heather rubbing the sleep from her eyes, then giving me a nod. She looked as tired as I felt but the fiery blaze of determination in her eyes removed any shred of doubt about her resolve.
I turned back to the window.
Through the gloom, I could make out the windows of the warehouse by the glint of moonlight off the glass. The building was in darkness, not, I suspected, for much longer. Sure enough, the warm yellow glow of a lantern appeared, almost imperceptibly, through the dirty windows nearest the large waterside doors. The light disappeared, reappearing a moment later at another window as the lanterns holder made their way through the cavernous buildings interior.
I activated the TED, "Stand by. Stand by". I slipped out my truncheon from a coat pocket. The cherry wood heirloom was dented and scratched from years of service, old, but effective. Nicknamed 'donkey wallopers' by the watch, I wondered whether my trusty sidearm would have a chance to thump some 'donkeys' tonight. I couldn't help but smile to myself. Behind me, the silken sound of Heather drawing her truncheon was re-assuring, good to know some pony had by back. Meadow would kill me if I came back with more injuries for her to heal. Tonight, I silently prayed to the Goddesses, would go without a hitch. Surprise them and they'd give up without a fight, we'd done it before and everything was in place to ensure it happened again. Of course, things never 'quite' went to plan, but improvisation was a skill encouraged within the watch. Mitre knew his ponies well.
I could almost sense the tension building in my officers, the watch ponies with them would be preparing to make their move on the officers command. This was it, finally !
And there...there it was. The now unmistakable silvery blue swirling light, radiating from the windows like a beacon from the beyond. It still filled me with wonder and awe every time I saw it. Catching one still in operation was the trick, and hopefully tonight would be the night. I hit the transmit button on the TED. "This is it ponies ! Officers take charge of your teams. Stick to the plan everyone, comms open, weapons out. We go on three. Three....two....one.....move !"
As one, the well practiced and co-ordinated ponies of the Manehatten Watch moved into action. Even now, after all these years, the sound of dozens of ponies moving almost silently in to engage an opponent was a huge adrenalin rush. Most ponies probably had no idea what was going on right under their noses, and that was the way we liked it. The days of finding lost kittens and birds was over, we had all had to adapt to a new Equestria. One I was determined to keep as safe for every pony as I could.
Our black watch barding whispered as we closed on the building, every member of my squad barely visible in the moonlight but for the occasional glint on a eye or teeth gripping a sidearm.
We stopped by the side entrance to the warehouse, a rusty old steel door scouted earlier by the 'dock workers' who we'd sent in to help with 'maintenance'. The locks had been checked, oiled and working keys found for any locks. Planning for the operation had been meticulous, all we'd had to do was wait for the mouse to walk happily into the trap.
I looked to my watch sergeant, she held the padlock from the door in her teeth and placed it quietly on the ground. "Ready ?" I mouthed silently. She nodded back in response.
I whispered into the TED, "All teams report status."
"Raven team in position."
"Eagle team in position,"
"Condor team in position"
"Sparrow team in position"
"Budgie team ready to run interference"
Oh Goddesses, there was always one wasn't there ? "Y'know", Dawn had told me, "Ya might think ah'm a bein' flippant. But y'all remember the name though don'tcha ?". I remembered the name, Dawn would remember her role. Right now, all pegasi would be preparing to leave their positions and circle the target area keeping lookout for any unknown threats to emerge and to help with co-ordination should it become necessary.
"On three everyone, three...two...one....lets move !"
Yule, the big ex-boxing mare, bucked the steel door open. The oiled hinges swinging open as another pony rolled in a flash bug. The casing split open a moment later. The furious green creature inside, incensed by its sudden rude jolting, defended itself the way all flash bugs do in their time honoured fashion; It blasted out a blinding white light as bright as a thousand suns. As if this wouldn't be enough to deter a would be attacker, the bug had another defense which it used in combination. Releasing a rapid pulse of flammable gas from glands on its body, the light would ignite it creating a satisfyingly loud 'pop'.
Multiply this by four and you have what, we hoped, would be a sufficient distraction to any pony in the warehouse giving us enough time to take them down without anyone being harmed.
We charged in. Shouting in unison, all four team poured into the warehouse converging on the now visible group of cloaked figures standing together in a huddle. Staring out at their attackers, they all lowered their forelegs and heads in a fighting stance. This wouldn't take long, we outnumbered them four to one, a quick tap on the noggin and it would be goodnight Maisie.
Something was off. I didn't know what the hell it was, but this was...wrong. The other officers of the watch, steeped in the experience years in the watch brings, slowed their rush too. The teams, sensing their leaders change, also slowed but still kept position and alertness. I had a bad feeling about this. I held up a foreleg, halting the watch.
"This is the equestrian watch, you will lay down your arms and surrender. All of you are under arrest. You will be read your rights as dictated by the laws of Princess Celestia."
Nothing.
Yule took a step forward, lowering her head and snarling at the cloaked ponies. "You heard the captain, take off those cloaks and lower your weapons. Do it ! Or I'll crack your heads open". She had a way with words, bless her hooves.
Frustrated with the lack of movement from the group, Yule gripped the corner of one of the ponies cloaks and pulled hard.
With a flurry, the cloak fluttered into the air, revealing a black stallion with a white mane, tail and intense blue eyes. The imposing size of the pony would have been enough to balk any pony, with the exception of Yule of course, if it hadn't also been for the strange contraption strapped to the earth ponies back and head.
The ethereal light from the swirling magic of the trans-dimensional mirror portal behind him, glinted off the black metal the pony wore. He nodded to his companions and together, they each removed their cloaks revealing more of the devices. Nopony moved, I stood there like a foal, perplexed at what I was seeing. Shaking myself, I took a step forward and opened my mouth to speak. Just as I did so, the light in the mirror flared and a hoof emerged, followed by a tall white pony. When I say tall, I mean huge ! This, yes, a mare...just checking, looked at least double my height. As she stepped gracefully though the mirror, she ducked to allow her horn to pass under the mirrors frame. Celestia, she was amazing, so......tall !
Mentally slapping myself, I took in all I saw. I wasn't the only one either, every eye in the warehouse was focussed on the spectacle before us. This was going to be some report when I got back to the watch house.
The metal clad ponies spread out, forming a barrier between us and the white mare. Her yellow mane and tail flowed out behind her like a river of flowing gold, a white silk dress covering her cutie mark and flank. Almost regally, she calmly surveyed the scene.
"What is this ?" She asked, or more accurately 'announced' to the assembled ponies.
"I'm sorry ma'am" I spoke out in my most polite but authoritative voice, "I must place you all under arrest until enquiries can be completed. If you are innocent of charges, you will be free to go."
She held up a foreleg and wave her hoof nonchalantly, "Arrest ?". She let out a girlish chuckle, endearing in any other circumstance. In this one, I felt my blood run cold and I took a stronger grip on the truncheon.
The mare smiled, "I don't think so, mister...... ?"
"Fairlight, Captain of the Equestrian Watch, Manehatten division".
"I see....'Captain'.....", She looked down her sleek, smooth muzzle at me with those azure eyes. "I'm afraid my....employers....will not take kindly to any 'watch' interference in our activities. I regret, my dear captain, that we must end our discourse." She shook her mane. Not a hair out place either, ohhhhhh Celestia !
The mare backed up to the mirror and closed her eyes, raising her head.
"Oh hell...Stop them !" I shouted, but it was too late. A large purple bubble popped into existence around the five. Yule's bucks proving completely ineffectual against the glowing shield.
"Damn it !" I cursed, nodding to our magic users to prepare a counter spell. We would still take these ponies down, but now, it would just take a little bit longer, that was all. Nothing to worry abou..........
What was the strange noise ? A weird metallic whining sound had started up inside the purple magic bubble. As I peered in, I saw a rotating set of tubes, strapped to the back of one of the ponies, begin to lower. The stallion pointed the open end of the now rapidly spinning tubes at the assembled watch, who stood there perplexed at what they were seeing.
The white mare looked at me with a sad look on her face, "Its been a pleasure meeting you captain.... 'Fairlight' wasn't it ? But sadly, all good things must come to an end. I hope you will forgive me."
A panicked voice, Dawns, screamed over my TED, the other watch officers heard it too, looking at each other in alarm...."Get out of there ! Get out now !"
The white mares previously seductive look had been replaced with one as dark as the night sky. "Goodbye Captain Fairlight of the Equestrian Watch" |
Fairlight | Chapter Eight - New ideas | CHAPTER EIGHT
New ideas
"Shields !" I shouted, the watches magic wielders moving forward and bringing up energy shields of their own with practiced speed, "Bolters forward". The watch ponies moved up, covered by the unicorn's shields and levelled their crossbows.
Fire belched and spewed from the surrounded ponies accompanied by a horrible symphony of ear splitting noise the likes of which I had never heard. The scene before me held me in a freezing iron grip of shocked immobility. Whatever the spinning tubes were, flames erupted from the ends, spraying shards of death straight through the shields, though the watch ponies, as if they were nothing more substantial than air itself.
Mares and Stallions, ponies I had called my colleagues, my friends, ponies I had worked with for years, were turned into chunks of flying meat, organs and bone. Most stood stock still in shock, unsure of what to do. This was no magic, this was like nothing any of us had ever seen before. I took stock of the situation and gave my
commands, my heart hammering in my chest, "Retreat, officer get your ponies out of here, now. Bolters lay covering shots".
Pointless.
The screams of the wounded and dying spread a fear through the watch as effectively as the fire wielded by the white mare's group. Viscera and crimson flying gore mingled with the shocking white of shattered bone rained down around me.
"SIR !", a foreleg grabbed my barding and pulled me face to face with watch sergeant Heather, "We need to get out of here !". The panic was unmistakable in her voice. Order had broken down utterly and ponies were running for the doors, slipping on the gore of their fallen comrades. Wounded friends were kicked and trampled in the headlong rush to get away from the scything death sweeping through the warehouse behind them.
"Get everyone out ! Get them out !" I yelled running for the door. The door that was blocked with panicked watch ponies, all trying to jam themselves though at the same time. I roughly kicked one of the ponies aside, a young stallion, not much more than a colt. He stared at me with eyes wide in terror, "Get a grip of yourself watch pony.", I pointed a hoof at the rest now looking at me rather than the door. They were all breathing hard, some with dark spots down their sides oozing blood.
"Watch sergeant."
"Sir", Heather snapped a salute.
"Get them out. Take them to the assembly area and contact the militia, we're going to need every pony we can down here."
"Yes sir".
Pulling and prodding the ponies into a more orderly evacuation, the experienced sergeant of the Manehatten Watch, filed the ponies through and out into the night. I didn't doubt that once outside they would run for all they were worth. It didn't matter though, so long as they were safe.
I turned back and picked up a loaded cross bow that had been dropped in the panicked scramble to escape. I hadn't used one since basic, but I was still a reasonable shot. Magicking up a bundle of bolts from a quiver, I ran for the cover of some crates. I kept low, I'd quickly seen how little protection these afforded to the weapons wielded in this building tonight, but I had to do something, anything, to take their attention away from my ponies.
Using the stacks of boxes and crates to hide my movement, I snuck around to draw a line of sight on the five ponies. Keeping slightly behind the large mirror, I hoped the shimmer from its eerie surface would help keep me from being spotted. The group was still covered with the mares magical shield, the glow brightest to the front covering her comrades from any retaliation, there hadn't been many but I could still see the odd spark of a bolt ricocheting off its surface. I could only pray that the shield was weaker at the rear and my bolt may have some hope of penetrating. "Luna, guide me", I thought to myself as I took aim and squeezed the release lever.
My heart sank as the bolt skipped harmlessly off the shields surface. "Fuck you then", I muttered as I pulled the quiver open to take another bolt. Maybe I should have thanked Luna that the ponies under the shield hadn't notice the bolt strike and turned their weapons on me.
All their attention instead, was focussed on cutting down the fleeing watch ponies, sickening grins on their faces whilst they did their grisly work. The bastards were enjoying this, drool dripped from the tube wielding black ponies muzzle, eyes wild with excitement.
Held in my magics grip, I emptied the bolts onto the floor looking for what I prayed would be there. It was. I re-cocked the crossbow and place the faintly glowing green tipped bolt into position and rested it on a box to help steady my aim. These bolts had been developed by our magical research team to combat shields, following previous run-ins with underworld unicorns. Good old Speak Easy, next rounds on me buddy.
I levelled the crossbow at the big bastard, bringing my eye to the sights and trying to control my breathing. I aimed for the bulk of his body, hoping that even some deviation in my aim would hit him and if not kill or incapacitate, at least divert his attention from those still trying to get out. I slowly exhaled and squeezed the release lever. The crossbow bucked as the heavy bolt left on its journey.
The flight of the projectile seemed to take an age to travel towards the shield, all the while I gritted my teeth willing it to strike true. A flare of bright green light appeared for an instant on the shield and disappeared as fast. Abruptly, the roaring, whining noise stopped as, with a cry, the large buck fell to the ground. One of his colleagues moved to aid him whilst the others, the white mare included, turned to face their attacker. Oh crap...that was me !
"There !", she shouted levelling a foreleg in my direction. "Oh bollocks, time to move !", I said out loud and ran for the metal gantry steps I'd noticed earlier as I'd move into position.
Metallic 'pings' and thuds resounded around me as I ran, splinters flew from the crates stinging my sides and flank. I was glad of my watch training that night. Leaping up the stairs several at a time, I took the corner along the gantry like sombre himself was after me. My rubberised hoof covers gave me exceptional grip on the gantry as well as covering the noise I made. This high up, it was virtually pitch black and the fiery blasts from the weapons the ponies were using was blinding them, helping me avoid a swift and bloody end.
I recalled the floor plan of the warehouse in my mind. There should be an office up here, the door open, ready for....
I tripped on something at the end of the metal gantry, catching myself from heading muzzle first over the railing to the floor below. Looking over my shoulder I found myself looking into the glassy eyes of one of the snipers assigned to provide the rest of us with cover. A neat hole in his forehead had ended his life. No time to mourn him now I thought and pushed at the steel door to the office. Locked. Locked from the
inside ! What the fuck ! There were three snipers assigned to this area, the door was to have been unlocked, what the hell had happened ?
I would worry about that later, if there was a later for me. It was looking decidedly unlikely I would ever get out alive, holes were being blasted through the gantry floor by the wildly firing ponies below, their anger now focussed solely on yours truly. I backed towards the railing and reloaded another infused bolt into the crossbow. Shooting blindly towards the flames, I was rewarded with a shriek from below. "Kill him ! Kill him now you fools, what the hell are we paying you for ?". She had a nice voice for a homicidal maniac.
The beautiful white mare dropped the shield. Her magic yanked the saddle pack and tube-thing from the big guy, now no longer moving I noticed, and hoisted the whole lot into the air. The open end of the tubes swinging up and towards me as that terrible whine began again. "Oh fuck me fucking sideways !", I cursed as I fumbled for another bolt.
It was too late. The whining roar lanced fire toward the gantry and cut through it like a hot knife through butter. The steel groaned and I felt it move slightly, giving me a sickening feeling of imminent gravitational pull. Looking frantically around in the flashing orange light, I saw a line of holes in the side of the office wall, the side of the office wall window that was. I shot the last bolt towards the mare and flung the heavy crossbow at the window, shattering it. Fear and adrenalin pumping through me, I ran and leapt, eyes closed tight and crashed though the broken glass into the office beyond.
I didn't have to wonder what had happened to the snipers any more. The body of one cushioned my fall as I rolled off, shaking the glass from my barding. I was bleeding
from multiple lacerations but that was of little importance when faced with getting back to my team alive.
A lantern sat on the floor, still lit, reflecting a low glint from the padlock on the...inside ? of the office door. In surprise, I looked back at the sniper ponies. Each had a hole in the back of their heads, a corresponding one on the front. Poor bastards, they hadn't stood a chance, I'd doubt they'd even seen their killer. No sign of any bolts by the wounds, it must have been one of the magical fire weapons. Which meant, my mind racing, that there must be at least one more of these fuckers here somewhere.
A loud rattle reverberated through the room from the far doorway. The frame illuminated by an orange light which flashed in time to the noise beyond.
I sidled up to the door. I sure hoped that the recon-team had oiled the hinges on this one properly. Thankfully, opening it proved to be an easier task than the last one. Whoever had taken out the snipers hadn't expected anyone to come in through here and had been so pre-occupied making their own cacophony, they hadn't noticed the crash of my unceremonious arrival.
On the outer balcony, a black cloaked earth pony panned fiery death into the sky, a staggered line of piercing light reflecting from the surrounding structures. I flinched
as a bolt suddenly embedded itself in the door I held open with a loud 'thunk'. 'Fantastic', I thought to myself sarcastically, 'escape magical murdering ponies to be shot by my own bloody team !'. Pushing the thought aside I drew my combat knife with a silken smooth movement that even my old instructor would have been impressed with.
Hooking my foreleg under her neck I pulled her head back, drawing the blade sharply in and across her throat. She let out a startled cry, a huff of air and her eyes went wide. I couldn't look at her. There were parts of this job I hated and hurting other ponies was top of the list for me, but taking the life of another ? "I'm sorry" I whispered, feeling her body become heavy and limp. I let her slip to the floor and stepped up to the railing before a voice crackled over my TED, "Cap ? Captain Fairlight is that you ?"
Blaze's voice blasted through my ear so loud I thought my eardrum was bleeding, "Blaze ? I'm on the outer gantry, west side. Tell your team to stop shooting dammit, its me !".
"Stand by one", came the reply. Blaze was Dawn's second in command of the flying squad.
I went to head down the metal steps and paused. A metallic clinking sound called my attention. I turned to look at the still figure of the mare, her throat open to the night air, steam lifting from the wound. Her eyes stared up to the stars with the same glassy stare I'd seen in the sniper ponies. She didn't deserve my compassion, I thought callously, her and her damned compatriots had murdered my friends, left them bleeding and dying in a cold, dark, warehouse on an all but forgotten dock side. They didn't deserve that. Something inside me though....damn it, it was still wrong.
I pulled my gaze away to the device on her back. It was hard to make out but I would have a better look later. Three buckles cinched the pack to her back and I hauled it up and off, taking the connecting cable and bit with it. "Come on Cap, you're a the last one we gotta haul flank !".
"Celestia fuck me sideways Blaze", I yelped in surprise as the light grey pegasus seemed to materialise in front of me, "I nearly shat myself !".
"All a part of the service sir. Come on now, lets get the flock outta here. Jingo, take the capn's toys and get back to the station lickety split. Tingles, you grab that side......"
"Whoa hey !" I exclaimed as the two Pegasi grabbed me and hauled me into the air. Oh Celestia, bloody vertigo, I'd have to have words when I got back. Back. Back to....what ? Oh goddesses, no.
"All teams have been pulled out Cap, army boy's are on scene. They'll take care-a things."
"Blaze", I asked "Where's Dawn ?". There was a long pause. I wondered if Blaze hadn't heard me, then I noticed the glint of starlight in her tear filled eyes. "She didn't make it Cap."
I didn't reply. My mind was a blank, I kept hearing the screams of pain and fear in my mind, kept seeing the flashes from those terrible devices. Ponies I had shaken hooves with only this morning, I would never see again. Except to bury them. I had to get back to the Watch house, had to get back and find out how every pony was, make sure every pony who needed medical help had it, make sure we knew.....knew who we had...lost. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth, flapping wings blowing icy wind onto my sides.
Some pony was responsible for the horror of this night. Some pony had to pay for this, and I would make sure to collect.....in full. "I don't know who you are yet" I whispered to the night sky as we sailed out over the rooftops heading for the city light of Manehatten, "But I promise you, I will find you...", we began our descent to the watch house, "And I will kill you". |
Fairlight | Chapter Nine - Stumbling in the dark | CHAPTER NINE
Stumbling in the dark
Gas lamps gave the outside of the old building a serene, if rather macabre look at times, the warm light bathing its architecture added shadows and played on your imagination. On any other night, it was my home from home, the light beckoning me with the promise of safety and familiar companionship within. Tonight however, was not one of those nights.
As I walked in through the door, Blaze and her pegasi took off back to the wharf to help find stragglers and assist the army in whatever way they could. I let them go, maybe I shouldn't have, but right now, all I cared about was finding out who had made it back and to see about restoring some semblance of order. The ancient oak door gave its familiar squeak as I pushed it open. Inside, stricken ponies lay everywhere, on benches, makeshift beds, not a piece of furniture or floor space had failed to be turned into a sanctuary for a wounded pony. Gangways had been left for the myriad of medical staff who must have been pulled in from all across Manehatten to help.
As we had arrived, an ambulance had taken off, ferrying some of the more seriously wounded to the medical facilities elsewhere in the city. There simply hadn't been enough ambulances available for this many casualties in so short a time. Even in a city the size of Manehatten, medical emergencies were few and far between, no pony had expected something like this to happen. Could they ? Goddesses, maybe we, no...I, should have planned for such an event. But how the hell was I to know something like this could happen or for that matter, what actually had......
"Fairlight !"
For the umpteenth time that night, I was snapped out of my wandering thoughts and turned my head to see Meadow, her eyes wide in surprise and fear, looking at me from across a hastily constructed bed. The pony lying on the makeshift litter was
moaning softly, a blood soaked bandage across her middle. Meadow put down the pitcher of water she was carrying and hurried around the bed to eye me from nose to tail.
"Thank Celestia you're alive, I thought...when you didn't come back with the rest...Oh, I don't know what I thought ! I....", tears began welling in her big yellow eyes.
"Its all right love, I'm here, I'm ok. Look, I need to find out what's happened tonight and get the officers together for a debrief, make sure everyone's accounted for and taken care of. Something happened tonight, something.... Whoa, shit!" I stretched out my foreleg to steady myself as the room spun away from me.
"Dr. Spindle ! Quill ! Help me, for Celestia's sake, quickly !", Meadows voice drifted off to nothing as I sank to my knees, consciousness quickly fading into darkness.
The funny thing about being unconscious, I had found on the odd occasion I had been, was that I didn't dream. Lights on, lights off, quite literally, it was that fast. This time however, the lights took quite a time to come back on. Shades of grey, shapes in the muggy light mingled with indistinct sound. Nausea pulled at my insides and I emptied my stomach into a bucket strategically placed at the side of the bed. I hated being sick, it made my head spin and it hurt like crazy. But, here I was, alive and....well....alive. Lets just leave it at that for now.
"Doctor, he's coming to", said a young mares voice.
"Call Nurse Meadow over if you please, she'll want to see her husband".
"Yes Doctor"
I could hear hoof steps approaching the bed. Weakly, I tried to lift my head up to see who it was. I felt like my head was submerged underwater and another wave of nausea passed over me. Luna have mercy, I didn't want to see Meadow like this.
"I'm here love, don't worry now, its okay. Its okay.....shhhhh", a comforting hoof gently stroked my mane and forehead. I barely registered Meadows ministrations as my attention was drawn to a peculiar feeling of 'pulling' coming from my side. Lifting my head to look down at what was causing it, the nausea hit me again and I coughed bile into the hastily produced bucket.
"Keep him still for Celestia's sake !", snapped an irritated voice.
Meadow pushed me down firmly, wiping the sweat from my face with a damp cloth. The cool water was soothing. I wanted to get up, get out of there, I had to see to things in the watch house, what the hell was going on here ?
"Stay still love, please. For me, okay ?". Losing myself in those beautiful eyes was a wonderful distraction from the yanking and pulling sensation that continued in earnest further down. Meadow turned to look at whatever it was that was going on, then
turned back to face me. "They're nearly finished now, it won't be long. You're being really brave my big strong watch pony."
Such a lovely smile, I couldn't help but smile back weakly in response. By Luna, I was so tired, I could just go to sleep.
"Got it !", the triumphant cry accompanied a metallic clink. "Just need to sew him up and get some antibiotics into him. He's going to be okay, Meadow."
Meadow nodded to the Doctor smiling, then turned back to me, relief flooding her features as tears welled up anew. She pushed her muzzle into my neck and breathed in deeply. "Fairlight, I never want to smell blood on you again. Never, never, never.......", mumbling into my coat, I reached a foreleg round to her. "I'm sorry
love" I whispered into her ear, "forgive me". She didn't answer, only staying where she was while I drifted off into sleeps dark embrace. |
Fairlight | Chapter Ten - The end of the road | CHAPTER TEN
The end of the road
Even with the best that Equestrian magical healing could provide, weeks had passed before I had been fit enough to return to the watch house. I had my old rain coat, fedora and sported a snappy goatee beard, a new addition that Meadow had approved of. Eventually !
The familiar building felt oddly unwelcoming to me that morning when I trotted up the steps. Probably my imagination, I wondered, so, putting that line of thought aside, I pushed open the double doors to the foyer. The floor had been scrubbed clean, thank Celestia. Unfortunately for me, the side effect of the strong smelling bleach and pine floor cleaner was an assault on my nose making me sneeze violently.
The ponies at the desks ceased their various tasks and turned to look at the sneezing pony in the doorway. Some new faces in there I noticed, some familiar ones too. The most telling feature was how few of the desks were occupied now, so many of us had been.....lost. Several ponies rushed to up to greet me, their shouts of joy helped lift my heart from the grief of our lost comrades that threatened to overwhelm me.
"Hey every pony the Capn's back !" Shouted a huge uniformed mare as she grabbed me in her expansive embrace, "Whoops ! Sorry, better watch the wounded warriors ouchies eh ?". Yule pushed me back with her forelegs and looked me up and down, "Yup, still ugly !".
"Hey ! You cheeky sod, next time you're shot I'll remember that !", I laughed as more ponies arrived to pat me on the back or shake hooves, happily expressing their relief I was alive and well. The revelry was interrupted by a uniformed mare pushing through the throng and pushing a cup of hot tea into my hooves. "Good to see you back hon'", Shelly smiled briefly, "Better go see the Chief, he's waiting in his...." She never got to finish her sentence as a voice boomed down from the balcony, "Captain Fairlight ? My office if you please."
Shelly gave me an apologetic look as I knocked back the tea in a single gulp turning for the stairs. Trotting up the steps I reached the landing and looked through the chiefs door to see him slowly working at his typewriter. The old bugger had never bothered to employ a secretary to write his reports, instead he insisted on trying to type them himself. It was a painful experience to witness his ham-hoofed attempts and even worse to try to decipher the end product. I suspected Shelly was behind the 'no secretary' policy more than her other half. Very protective and jealous mare, Shelly.
I knocked and entered without waiting, the Chief continuing to type....slowly, eventually spinning in his chair to face me. "Good to see you back boy.", he said in his typical gruff manner. "Chief", I replied.
Chief Mitre turned in his chair to face the window, parting the blinds with an outstretched hoof. Moments dragged past as he stared out the window, "What happened out there", he muttered.
"Chief ?" I asked, not quite able to make out his words, it had sounded more like a statement than a question. He spun to face me, reared up and slammed his hooves on the desk. With a hard eyed glare Mitre shouted the next words at me in a way I had never heard from him before, "I said 'What happened out there' !? Where the hell are my ponies Captain, why did you hesitate, why didn't you get out when you had the chance ?"
"Sir, I" I began but was cut off, "You fucked up Captain, you fucked up and ponies were killed. My ponies, your brothers and sisters in the watch, because YOU didn't keep your shit together !". I backed up a step under the onslaught, I'd never heard the chief so angry, no, check that...furious.
"I did what I could Chief, you don't know what it was like in there. I was the pony responsible and I made the call. No pony could have predicted what we would be up against.", I took a step forward.
"You're damn right you're responsible Captain, ponies died, DIED ! on your watch. Do you know how many didn't come home that night ? Do you have any idea how many of these damned letters I've had to write to their families ?", He waved a hoof towards the typewriter, "how many times do I have to write how sorry I am that their loved ones will never come home again. Goddesses, Fairlight, I'm too old for this shit. Too fucking old by far."
He looked down at the desk and closed his eyes. I walked up to him and calmed my racing heart, "Chief. Chief, I'm...." He cut me off with a raised hoof, "Your badge." "I'm sorry, I...Chief ?" I stammered, not quite grasping what the big blue buck had said. "Your badge Fairlight. Please."
The world of Fairlight the Watch Captain, began to unravel at that very moment. My heart sank and I couldn't help but hang my head, why was this happening, I'd done everything I could have done hadn't I ? I kept replaying the nights events in my mind over and over again, but hindsight, as my mother had always told me, was a wonderful thing indeed. I levitated out my battered leather wallet with the Manehatten Watch badge inside. I opened it up and looked at the name underneath engraved on a little silver strip, 'Captain Fairlight'. I was so proud of that. My mother and father had been ecstatic when they first saw it. Of course, that was years ago when I was simply 'Watch pony Fairlight'. I felt like a lead weight was in my gut as I placed it reverently on the Chiefs desk.
He sighed and nodded his head solemnly. "Look Fairlight, I take no pride in this. The commissioner wants some pony to take responsibility for this. I've tendered my resignation but she won't accept it. Tells me I'm 'Too important to the safety of the citizenry of Manehatten', apparently. She's read your report and dismissed it as a flight of fancy, an 'attempt to excuse your incompetence', she said." He cleared his throat, "By the Commissioner's orders, I will have to officially suspend you pending a full investigation by the Equestrian military police".
"What !" I shouted, indignation raging in my voice, "The Equestrian military police ? Are you bloody well kidding me ? They couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery Chief, and you know it."
Chief Mitre gave me an inscrutable gaze and I took a breath to calm my flaring nerves. "Never the less Fairlight, as of today, you are off the watch". He took my badge and slid it into a desk drawer. "I'm sorry Fairlight, give my regards to Meadow". And there it was, the thump of the desk drawer closing, sounding the end of my proud career in the watch. It was all over, my world, my career....all gone. It didn't seem....real. I didn't even notice I'd walked down the stairs until Shelly put a foreleg round me, "I'm sorry honey. Mitre told me about the commissioner, he tried his best for you, he really did...". "Shelly, can you come up to my office please ?" The chiefs voice called down interrupting her.
Shelly gave me a small apologetic smile and trotted off to her husbands office.
I stood there dumbfounded, the office carrying on around my as if nothing had happened. For that matter, what actually had just happened ? My career, just like that, was over, because some motherbucking 'commissioner' had wanted to publicly execute some pony for the debacle at the wharf. That was it, I was the stooge, the scapegoat for it all. What in Equestria was I going to do now ?
I took a step towards the exit, wondering just how I was going to break the news to Meadow when a voice stopped me in my tracks, "Watch Captain Fairlight ?". The voice emanated from a large orange pony in a knee length black coat and black glasses. A smart black trilby hat completed the ensemble. My eyes must have been like saucers as I took in the sight, "Er, yes ?" was all I could manage. "Come with me please", he said and without waiting to see if I would follow, turned and headed for the rear entrance to the watch building.
Still somewhat numb from my meeting with the Chief, I blindly followed the odd stallion who stopped abruptly in front of a dark blue, fully enclosed chariot pulled by two more ponies, pegasi, dressed identically to him. 'Must be the in fashion', I wondered, 'mysterious chic'. At least I still had my sense of humour, much bloody good that was going to do me.
The black clad pony opened the door and waved me inside. Closing it smartly behind himself, he sat down on the bench seat opposite me and I felt the chariot lift off the ground. There were windows in the chariot but there was no way in Equestria I was looking out of them, I'm sure the black coated stallion wouldn't want to be spending the rest of the morning cleaning puke out of his nice clothes. I waited for him to speak first. I had a long wait too, the implacable creature just sat there until, eventually, I felt the chariot begin to descend.
Another of the black coated clones opened the door and I was motioned outside onto a wide expanse of flat, white carved stone. The sky was a bright blue, contrasting starkly with my newly acquired goon squad. We were somewhere in the mountains. The rock outcropping we were on was clearly a landing area for chariots, several parked up near to us sporting more of the black coated ponies. My nearest one
held out a foreleg, pointing towards a tunnel entrance leading into the side of the very mountain itself. Silently we all walked together, two of them flanking me on either side. Not sure exactly what they expected me to do, but inquisitiveness was overriding any sense of danger I may have had under normal circumstances. Today, normal didn't seem to mean too much though.
The huge corridor stretched off into the distance, small horseless buggies hummed past me with their passengers of, you guessed it, the generic black coated ponies. I was beginning to long for someone to wear something at least a little different, maybe even just a colourful hanky in their coat pocket. Couldn't hurt right ?
"In here", the lead pony said, halting our party and motioning to a white door in the tunnel wall. I reached out to push it open and was surprised as it slid to one side with a snake like hiss. Hesitantly I walked inside, looking around me at the total lack of decoration. Some pony really had a sense of the dramatic here.
A rear door opened and a cerulean blue mare trotted in wearing a lab coat and sporting a wide smile on her face. The slightly comical appearance was accentuated by a huge pair of glasses as thick as bottle bottoms, perched on her nose. Finally, someone not in black ! And smiling too ! Come to think of it, I wasn't so sure whether that was reassuring or terrifying.
"Ah, Captain Fairlight." The pony reached out, grabbing my foreleg and shaking my hoof vigorously, "So good to meet you, so good indeed !" The over enthusiastic mare released my hoof as she pulled a sheet off a table at the far end of the room, motioning me to follow her.
"Amazing isn't it ? Truly remarkable. Deadly yes, but remarkable none the less".
The lab-pony adjusted her glasses, all the while peering at a large black arrangement on the table in front of her. Walking over, I recognised that damned thing immediately. How could I forget ? This was the device I'd recovered from the pony on the balcony, the pony I had....had.....Celestia, not now.... I shook my head and looked at the mare, opening my mouth to speak just as another of the black coated ponies entered the room.
"I see you've met the Doctor already ?". The mares lilting voice was almost musical in its tone. "Oh, how silly of me !", the Doctor said in surprise, turning a wide grin on me and bowing dramatically, "Doctor Bunsen at the your service Watch Captain".
"Fairlight," I replied, "I'm no longer in the watch, Doctor. Look, I think you two may have the wrong pony here, I don't have any authority to speak on the watches behalf".
Ignoring my words, the new arrival to the room removed her glasses and shook her mane out. She was a pink mare with a white and red striped mane, cut fairly short but stylish. Her blue eyes contrasted attractively with the rest of her and she gave me a look that seemed to penetrate my very soul.
"You are here 'ex'-Captain Fairlight, as the mistress has commanded it be so."
Oooh ! Mistress eh ? I was starting to see some domination traits, what with all the sinister black outfits, the white decor and now a 'mistress'. I was half expecting a pony to appear in a rubber mask.
I waited for her to continue, either that or produce a whip and hoof cuffs.
"What do you know of this thing ex-Captain ?", she asked.
I looked at the device, recalling how the cursed thing had cut down my friends like so much wheat beneath the farmers scythe. My mood instantly soured.
"It kills ponies", I told her and turned to meet her gaze.
"Yes ?" She replied sounding slightly irritated.
"Its all in my report ma'am" I replied smartly. She looked at me for a moment longer then walked over to the Doctor who was continuing to prod and measure the device. The Doctor steadfastly ignored the other ponies around her, all the while muttering to herself incoherently, lost in her thoughts.
"I know what's in your report ex-Captain" the pink mare smiled dangerously, "I want to hear what you saw in your own words. Here and now."
I drew a breath and told her the full story, not leaving out any details, no matter how small. Hours passed as I talked in that sterile white room. Throughout my recollection, she simply stood there, eyes boring into me with that expressionless gaze of hers, taking in every nuance, every tiny detail.
When I had finally finished, she nodded, holding a hoof up to her ear, nodding again. A TED I presumed, inner ear type, a bit more discreet than the cumbersome things the Watch had on offer.
"Thank you, 'ex'-Captain," she said with a smile. I was becoming mightily fed up of her calling me that, "you've been of great help to us. More than you could know. The mistress thanks you."
She held up a small black cube with silver sparkles on it and replaced her dark glasses. "Here", she said smiling, "Open it, a gift for you for all you've done". A feeling of cold dread came over me, but I did as I was instructed. The small box popped open and there was a blinding white flash. The world vanished. |
Fairlight | Chapter Eleven - Shadows on the water | CHAPTER ELEVEN
Shadows on the water
A long piercing shriek pierced my ear drums and brought me to my senses in a terrifying shock of water and darkness. Helplessly, I flailed around, desperately trying to gain a purchase in the sand and keep my head above the water. Silver fronds, like thin snakes twisted over and around me, pulling me deeper in. I struggled and bit at the things binding me, noticing to my horror that they weren't just 'around' me, the vile things were actually running through me, the tips of one wriggling this way and that, horribly alive.
Goddesses, this was beyond anything I had ever experienced in my life. Or death even for that matter, I had to get away. I pushed hard with all four legs for all I was worth, the shrieking noise louder and more insistent this time, a mournful cry of a creature the likes of which I had never heard before. And probably never would again If I didn't get myself out of this. I bit and kicked again and again, feeling the fronds loosen their grip ever so slightly. Encouraged, I drew a deep breath and heaved for all I was worth, by Luna's good grace, I was doing it !
Euphoria was violently torn away by a fresh batch of silver tendrils shooting out from the black river and renewing their grip on my hind legs. "Get the fuck off me you..." I snarled as I bit at them. They, it, whatever it bloody well was, was not going to take me without a fight. I still had a job to do, a need to complete my duty and nothing was going to keep me from it. I would take revenge for what those scum had done to my beloved and no thing, no pony, would keep me from my destiny, "NO PONY !" I screamed out. My cry resounded with a desperate animal call from within, of anger, fear and hate, all rolled into one. The cry became me and I became it, strength boiling throughout my body, a chill wind swirling around me, freezing the tendrils to ice. I struggled to escape, to get free, the silver lengths shattering around me like fragile glass under my onslaught.
Coming to my hooves, I backed away from the horrible broken mass which was now quickly retreating back into the inky river water. I took several deep breaths, coughing out the last of the water and sand just as the high pitched cry I had heard before assailed me. I turned towards its source and saw, further along the shore, another pony writhing in a mass of the damnable things. I wasn't going to let this happen, not again, no more deaths, not on my watch. Every pony goes home, even here.
I raced forward, sending a plume of water spraying up into the air from my hooves, solidifying it into ice. The rapidly spreading ice rushed out across the surface of the river, catching up to the writhing mass and its struggling victim suspended above. The
white of the ice stood out in stark relief against the blackness around it, freezing the tendrils holding the pony in its crushing embrace.
For a hideous moment, I thought the stricken pony had frozen too, but a rapid struggle followed by a crash of broken tendrils, sent the pony tumbling downward to land on the ice. It wasted no time and ran towards me at a gallop just as more of the silver snake like things broached the unfrozen water in pursuit. "No you DON'T !" I snarled, rearing on my hind legs and slamming for forelegs down again, sending a fresh wave of sparkling white death into the oncoming mass. The pony, now a blur of legs and steaming coat, rushed past me in a blur. I continued to back away, wary of any pursuit from the churning water. Sure enough....It came.
The surface of the river bulged upwards, black water sloughing off as....some 'thing' rose up from its depths. From the burning pits of Tartarus itself, an opaque white snarling mass of teeth and tendrils crashed down onto the ice. Horribly, its putrid surface split open, revealing two watery, pale pink eyes which glared at me with what I could only describe as unadulterated hate. Sickeningly, it slithered forward, using its writhing appendages sprouting from its body to drag the gelatinous mass along the ice. The creature was clearly having trouble though, the ice freezing and breaking off tendrils as fast as new ones could appear. Even so, it came onward, howling and hissing its murderous intent.
I laughed. I laughed at the pathetic nature of the creature, how it could only hunt by stealth, fearful of its prey. A coward. A coward that attacks those weaker than itself, taking away their precious lives in a watery flurry of fear and pain. It didn't deserve to live.
Without thinking, I drew in a deep breath, feeling the air chilling within my lungs. Drawing on the ethereal power within me, I exhaled. From my muzzle was released a terrible, drawn out blast of blue and white swirling mist, roiling out towards the oncoming creature. A bone chilling cry mingled with the clouds, becoming one with it, eager, feeding it, "Diiiieeee...........". It was hungry.
Too late, the creature appeared to realise the threat and halted its forward momentum to try to keep out of the fog. The things tendrils caught in the ice, impeding its attempts at escape.
Glittering in the darkness, the blue-white fog billowed around the creature and where it touched, froze the flesh of its body solid. The thing screamed out, gnashing its long teeth in fury and pain, flailing its silver tentacles at the thick cloud in a vain attempt at fighting back. Each frond cracked and shattered the moment it hit the ice, causing the creature to scream all the more.
From deep within me came another, deeper, rumbling laugh and cry, rolling out across the river. The creature stopped its struggling and looked at me with its hideous eyes, it knew now....it was certain. Death itself had come to make its claim.
A moment later, the river creature was an unmoving, solid frozen mass. The sound of water cracking as it froze, faded away and silence fell once more over the featureless
landscape. Featureless, except for the glittering ice feature now resting upon the surface of the black river. I felt jubilant but drained, hanging my head for a moment to try and take stock of what had just happened. My mind turned to take stock of these details just in time to be jolted by a flash of purple lightning searing across my vision.
The icy corpse of the river monster exploded in a billion shining fragments, that splashed back into the water and showered down around me. I whirled to face down the new threat, to find a black pony shaped figure, head lowered in a fighting stance, glowering at the shattered remains in the river. Its nostrils blowing out jets of white vapour, whether in reaction to the bitter cold of the frozen scene before it or part of its own physiology, I couldn't tell.
The pony like creature raised it head to the sky and let out a long piercing shriek, a noise I recalled from when I first came to at the edge of the water. The pony I had rescued from the river monster stood before me, only....only it wasn't a pony at all. At any rate, not what you could really 'call' a pony. The thing was equine shaped certainly, but black coated and thin. Really thin. I could see every bone of its skeleton, and for a moment, I thought this to actually be an animated skeleton, a frightening reminder of the nature of this land.
The creature had horns too, short pointed ones that extended behind its head like sharpened ears. It regarded me with glowing red eyes, flicking its midnight black tail side to side before shaking its wet, bedraggled mane. The thing let out a whuff of steam from its nostrils and turned to face me. Slowly, tentatively, the pony like being walked towards me, letting out the occasional blast of white steam.
I stood transfixed while the distance closed. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the thing was in front of me, head lowered. It moved its head towards my neck, eyes closed and....sniffed. Stepping back, it pranced sideways on its hooves seemingly unsure as to what to do next. Unsure myself, I stood there and let the creature continue. It didn't seem to be any threat to me, however I kept the icy feeling of barely controlled rage within me, ready to release at any sign of aggression.
The skeletal pony moved forward and sniffed me again, more confident in its approach. On instinct, I leaned forward emulating its behaviour and sniffed its neck. The creature jumped back in alarm, snapping out huge bat like wings in a display intended, I presumed, to make itself appear bigger than it actually was. I lowered my head and whuffed at the air as I had seen it do when the creature first appeared.
Whatever my emulated display meant to the thing, it seemed to work as it folded its wings and walked towards me, eyes blazing like red coals. Letting out a small whinny, the black coated being nuzzled my neck and pushed itself into me. I wondered at the bony thing and smiled, feeling the coldness inside me begin to lessen, slowly draining until it faded away.
Backing away for a moment and watching me with its quizzical glowing eyes, the pony like 'being', I'd have to think of a name for it I guessed, spread its wings open and lunged into the sky. It flew out over the river, banking low and then swooped over my head gliding on those great leathery wings, crying out a loud low howl.
"What the bloody hell was that all about I" I wondered aloud.
"That's a Thestral, love. Looks like you made a new friend."
What's with all the sneaking up on ponies around here ? If I wasn't dead already, I'd probably have died of a heart attack by now.
On instinct, born of repetition most likely, I span to face......
"Meadow". |
Fairlight | Chapter Twelve - Regret | CHAPTER TWELVE
Regret
"Hello love, I've missed you, you know. Really, I...", I flung my forelegs around her and squeezed her tight. "Oh Goddesses Meadow, you're alive, thank Celestia, thank Luna. You're alive !"
Meadow hugged me back then pushed away suddenly. I stood stock still, unsure as to what this meant, what was going on here ?
"Meadow" I began and took a step towards her. She held up a hoof stopping me.
"No. Fairlight, look love I'm sorry to seem cold but I don't have much time here. The keepers are already pushing things to allow me this much."
"I don't understand love, please, I...", I stammered. Meadow grabbed me and kissed me deeply on the mouth, her warm breath filling me with a heat I had not felt in an age. Breaking away she looked at me with sorrowful eyes and shook her mane. Stomping a hoof down, the trademark Meadow determination was back.
"Fairlight, you're not meant to be here. We are, but you, you've not passed over fully. The herd cant take you as they say you're, carrying....carrying....'something'." She shook her head in exasperation, "I don't know what it is, but look. You need to get out of here. Here, take this." She levitated a small crystal on a tiny golden chain over my head. I looked down and saw a faint white glow emanating from it. She reached out and lifted my head so she could look straight into my eyes, "Follow the crystals light when it is strongest. It will show you the way."
"The way to what ? Meadow, I want to be with you, I don't want to go back !"
Meadow stomped her hoof again.
"You cant ! Its not your time, please Fairlight, they're calling me back".
I must have seemed pathetic to her right then, my resolve fragmenting in the flood of emotions I had thought all but dead and gone, "Oh goddesses Meadow, I cant lose you again !".
"We'll be together again love, all of us, one day. Just not now.", Meadow kissed me again briefly and I nuzzled her neck. "Wait.....you said we ? All of us ?" I looked quizzically at her and she gave me a shy smile. Looking down by her side, she spoke softly, "Come on little one, come and meet you daddy".
I didn't know what to say, words left me and I just stood staring as a tiny head appeared from behind Meadow, peering up at me with huge round yellow eyes. The tiny grey coated pegasus foal, cautiously stepped around her and looked up at me, pressing into Meadows side for safety.
"Say hello to your daddy, Sparrow.", Meadow said, nudging the little foal with her head towards me. She stumbled on unsure legs and looked up at me with her big shining eyes, "Daddy ?".
Tears flowed down my cheeks, unchecked, "Daddy, are you sad ?" came the little voice.
"No, little one", I told her, "Daddies not sad, daddies happy. Really, really happy".
I turned to Meadow who gave me a heart melting smile, "How is this....Meadow. Were you...?"
She looked sad for a moment, tears welling in her eyes too, before nodding. "I was a few months, I hadn't really known for certain. There weren't many mares I felt I could trust enough to talk to about it. Since Mum died and we'd been trying for so long, I just thought it couldn't happen and then.....", she cleared her throat. "I've called her Sparrow Song. They were singing in the tree I first met you under, do you remember ?"
"Of course I do love, I couldn't ever forget that."
Meadow smiled when Sparrow bumped into my leg and plopped back on her haunches. "Are you coming home with Mummy and me ?" She asked.
I was barely holding myself together right now, I had to keep it together, for them. It was so much to take in, so, so much.
Meadow looked behind her and quickly faced me, fright in her eyes, "Fairlight, we've got to go, they're calling us. Listen, they will be coming for you soon. They don't like loose ends, I said I'd try to persuade you to surrender, but its not right. If they take you, they'll strip your memories, your mind. Don't let them."
Meadow nudged Sparrow back behind her. "Follow the crystal my love, we'll be together again some day. We'll wait for you !".
Meadows voice became increasingly distant as her image began to shimmer and fade.
"I love you Meadow, I love you too Sparrow. Daddy will see you again soon !" I called to them. The image of Meadow wavered like a heat haze. The last I saw of her were those beautiful yellow eyes looking at me with a longing that gripped my heart. She held up Sparrow who waved at me with her little forelegs, "Bye Daddy ! Come home soon !". They winked out of existence without even a sound.
I sat down on my rump and gasped in the air, my eyes tight shut against the tears. A shudder ran through me, the tears turning to icy droplets, rolling down my face. Why Goddesses, why couldn't I be with my family now ?
"Damn this place !" I shouted out, "Haven't I been through enough !".
I wished with all my heart that whoever, whatever was keeping me anchored to this place would simply pull the metaphorical plug and let me go. I had a daughter, the daughter Meadow and I had wanted so much and those scum had killed her, taking her tiny life before she had even a chance to draw a breath. The cold ball of anger welled up inside my chest.
I would find those fuckers and rip their living guts out with my bare teeth. I'd watch them squirm and bleed to death, begging me to end it for them and then, when they thought I would send them to the beyond, I would answer......"No".
Blue mist curled up from my muzzle and snow began to fall around me. This new found power, whatever in Equestria it was, would serve me well. I lifted the tiny crystal, turning around in a circle until it shone the brightest. "I guess this is the way then." I said to myself, shaking the snow from my mane. I looked back slightly over my shoulder, "You coming then ?".
A rolling growl and shrill hoot answered me as the Thestral trotted up along side me nudging me with its head.
I nodded to it and headed off in the direction the light was indicating. I spoke aloud to the world in general, "Time for some payback." |
Fairlight | Chapter Thirteen - The gift | CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The gift
I yawned expansively, jaw muscles stretching just until the point of discomfort.
"Forelegs next I think", I murmured to myself as these too were summarily strained out to each side. Pushing out with my hind legs, each suitably limbered, I pulled myself away from the makeshift pillow. Shades was not as uncomfortable as he, or she...it ? would appear. His appearance was quite terrifying really, but like most situations I had found myself in over the years, it was suprising what you could get used to. Maybe even those razor sharp teeth of his, well....perhaps not.
Some time into my early career in the watch, I had visited a young mares home and been assailed by the stench of animal. The bloody things had infested the whole house top to bottom, there were mice in the walls, rabbits under the bed, you name it. The
place was surprisingly clean considering the sheer volume of turds the poor girl had to clean up. I'd noticed the midden as soon I had begun to walk up the path to her front door.
She was stunningly beautiful too, for a tree-hugging pegasus and I could have happily spent the day with her, losing myself in those huge shining eyes of hers. And her voice ? So calm, so peaceful and feminine, I felt as if I could simply float away into blissful happiness. I may have let myself too, if that bloody stinking animal hadn't ruined everything. If there's one thing I cant stand, it's the smell of a wet dog warming up by the fire. There were literally clouds of steam pouring from the reeking things carcase, choking my lungs and sending me flying for the door in a desperate quest for fresh air.
"Oh....my, was it something I said ?", the yellow mare said, a worried look on her face.
"No miss, I was just a little....claustrophobic that's all. You have a wonderful home here but I don't think you need to worry about burglary." I heaved the sweet, sweet air deep into my lungs whilst the worried young pegasus flapped air over me.
"You don't think any nasty, scary burglars will try to steal my babies do you ?" She asked, sincerity showing in her large eyes.
I shook my head, "No miss, I think you're quite safe. You've got natural burglar deterrents anyway". I motioned towards the dog, almost invisible in the cloud of noxious vapour beginning to fill the room.
She giggled, "Poor old Henrietta, she's not as active as she used to be. Her coats been losing some of its lustre recently."
"Has it ?!" I squeaked, then caught my breath, "Has it ?". I coughed, clearing my throat. "Oh dear".
"Yes, she's seen a few years I think. I try to make her as comfortable as possible."
By gassing out any visitors with the mangy old things stinking hide I suspected. The horrible creature probably knew what effect it was having on people. An effect, I noted, that the home owner simply didn't notice. Years of living with hoards of excreting assorted animals, pest and vermin had doubtless numbed her sense of smell. "Or murdered it", I thought to myself as I caught another whiff.
I had made my excuses and left, dashing back to the road side to rinse my face in the stream. She had stood in the doorway watching me, curious, but blissfully unaware of the olfactory sledge hammering she had dealt a member of the watch. I wondered if I could draw a gasmask for stores in case of future visits ?
Shades by comparison had a peculiar floral smell, sweet but with a fleeting gentle quality that had me wondering at first if I had really smelt it at all. His hide showed every bone, each taught muscle connecting them, the details of each joint horrifyingly vivid. His light frame made flying or walking a fairly simple matter, however I found that standing up on sand was an art in itself and one I was rather pleased I had slowly gotten the hang of. With a shake, the loose sand fell off me to join its fellows and I poked Shades with a hind hoof, "Oi you lazy bugger, come on. We need to haul flank."
Shades opened one eye, its burning red inner light had ceased to disturb me long ago. How long had we been walking together now ? I had no way of knowing and I'd long given up trying to keep track. I missed my old pocket watch with a vengeance, its reassuring ticking was almost like a heartbeat of its own. A reminder that mine was, apparently, still tick tocking along with it somewhere. Wistfully, I turned back to my bony companion.
"Hey ! Come on now, I've got places to be, people to meet.". He blinked, fixing me with a particularly hard stare then sniffed the air. I should have remembered to keep well out of the way when Shades got to his hooves. It was almost mechanical, and absolutely fascinating, to see his muscles pulling, the joints turning, wings adjusting and then ultimately, with a huge lurching movement, hauling his bony frame upwards. He staggered sideways for a moment before shaking the sand from his body.
I ducked as a bat like wing snapped out to shake the last of the sand away. A quick groom later, the sleepy Thestral nuzzled a good morning. I laughed, "And a good morning to you too, you old smoothie." I put my hoof on Shades' head and gave him a little rub. He gave a rumble and whuffed a blast of steam in happiness.
He was a strange creature, I couldn't quite work out whether he was intelligent or akin to a kind of clever dog. A clever dog that had teeth like rapiers and could blow things up with its magical lightning type stuff. I didn't want to think of him in that way, but he was so perplexing - a pony, yet not a pony. "Quite the enigma eh ?". Shades whinnied and bobbed his head. The glow from the crystal pendant showed the way forward and the two of us set off once again into the expansive unknown emptiness of the Withers.
Days, weeks, months, passed in this manner. Every so often, Shades would fly off without any warning and a while later, return. I had no idea where he was disappearing off to and half wondered if one day, there would just be me, walking on and on into eternity. I mentally slapped myself, I didn't like that train of thought. There would be an end to this journey sooner or later and, for as long as it lasted, I would take comfort in the presence of the Thestral. Thestral.....hmmm, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember anything about them from school. I'll bet there was a whole section on them in the Ponyville library, the very same one I never bothered to visit when I was stationed there. I sighed, a bit bloody late now.
Lifting up the glowing crystal, I checked my bearing. To keep some sense of direction, I thought of the little white light as pointing 'North', helping me retain focus. Not to mention a reminder that somewhere there actually was a North. And a South. Other directions too ! Fancy that. Goddesses, I needed to get out of here, while there was some part of me left to escape, preferably with my faculties all intact.
A crunching thump behind me announced the midday arrival of Shades. He whinnied and stomped his hooves as I carried on walking. He'd catch up, he always did. I let out a sigh, watching the crystal's glow, did it seem to be a little brighter than usual ? Probably not, I'd thought that before and given up on pursuing the idea. Bloody imagination.
A louder whinny from Shades, gave me pause, what in Equestria was he doing now ? I look behind me just as a large gelatinous blob of...something hideously foul was deposited on my back. "Agh ! Shades ! What the fuck, get if off me !", I bucked furiously, sending the translucent thing hurtling into the air. The bony Thestral jumped straight up, catching the thing in his sharp, dragon like teeth. He trotted over, pleased with himself and dropped the trophy at my feet before letting out a joyful shriek.
"What ? Yes, well done buddy. You've brought me a lovely gift....um, whatever it is."
I went to walk away but Shades ran in front of me blocking my path, the thing dangling from his mouth once more. He pushed the white blob at my muzzle before dropping it in front of my forelegs. He bobbed his head several times, letting out a blast of steam.
"You...you want me to what, eat....that ?" I asked incredulously. The Thestral nodded again, giving what I could only presume was an encouraging display by the excited wing flapping. Oh great ! Just what I always wanted....
I looked down and sniffed at the thing, "Ewwww !". Shades opened and shut his mouth several times in emphasis. "Okay, okay !" I closed my eyes, opening them again, slowly refocusing on the blob. Oh bollocks, it was still there. I wasn't dreaming after all. Well, I hadn't eaten since coming to this place, I'd survived having tentacles driven through me, drowning and, ah yes, did I mention being dead ? Fan-bloody-tastic.
Compared to that, eating a sand covered, jelly...'thing', was probably a breeze. Right ?
I picked it up in my teeth and flicked it up, snapping the thing into my mouth for a quick swallow. I stopped, was this thing dead ? Oh goddesses. I stared at Shades who looked on intently. He let out a blast of steam and I shut my eyes tightly, it didn't look like I was going to get out of this one that easily. Shit, lets get this over with then.
I swallowed.
I nearly choked on the sand which covered the horrible creature, grating the inside of my throat and yet it was still slimy on its way down. Goddesses knew what was going to happen when it got to my stomach, I could barely remember the taste of food, or even water. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten for that matter but one thing was for certain though, it didn't taste anything like this.
I bobbed my head to my Thestral companion, "Thanks for that my friend", I croaked, "delicious". I fought the urge to throw the contents of my stomach straight back up.
If Thestrals could smile, this one was doing just that. He let out a joyous scream and flew straight up into the air, spiralling up and up until I could barely see him. Then, with a boom of air, he rocketed downward towards me, making me leap back to avoid a collision. I gasped in surprise as he arrested his descent mere feet from the ground with a great flap of his massive wings. Shades trotted up to me and pushed his forehead into mine, releasing a slight blast of steam.
'Friend'
"Wha....", I looked around, expecting something to have materialised out of my sight. I had to be honest, this seemed to have been happening a lot to me recently. Well, relatively recently. I think.
'Fairlight pony. Friend ?'
Okay, this was now officially off the weird chart. The Withers was getting to me more than I had thought and now, now some bizarre echoing, hissing voice was in my head. "Bollocking bloody Celestias damned......"
'Home ?'
Shades nudged me with his muzzle and everything suddenly clicked into place, "Its you ! You can, speak ? Sort of ?".
The Thestral bobbed his head, "Light, home ?' the hissing voice said. How does he do that !? "Yes. I'm trying to get home Shades, the crystal will show me the way'.
He walked away a few steps away from me and turned back with his head on one side, a quizzical look on his bony face. 'Shades ?'. I grimaced, well I had to call him something didn't I ? I thought about calling him 'Shriek' for a while because pretty much, that was all he said. That or 'Argh'.
"Yes. Shades is the name I gave you. I don't know your real name, you can tell me if you like ?".
"Name ?" He looked confused for a minute then threw back his head and screamed. Planting his hooves forward in the sand for emphasis, the Thestral looked intently at me.
"Look, cant I just call you Shades ? It's a lot easier for me you know. I cant speak Thestral". Or scream it either.
Shades shook his mane and let out a snort of air. Pawing the ground for a moment, he winnied, "Shades". |
Fairlight | Chapter Fourteen - Explanations from another world | CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Explanations from another world
My companion knelt to take a long drink from the pool we had stumbled across as we trudged ever onward. I didn't feel thirsty at all myself, and even if I had, the water looked more like quill ink than something you'd find in Equestria. Unless you were in a stationers shop that is. On our journey to, wherever the crystals light was taking us, I'd tried marking time by counting Shade's bones. I don't think he much cared either way, the Thestral was a free spirit and would probably grow bored sooner or later, leaving to go his own way.
Speaking of Shades, I wondered where all the other Thestral's were ? I hadn't seen anything in this land for weeks, unless you counted that vile creature in the river. He didn't speak much and when he did it was more often one-word replies. He knew my name and called me friend, that was enough for me.
"Shades..", the Thestral looked up from his drink, the black liquid dripping from his wickedly sharp teeth,..."Do you know what lies beyond those hills ?"
I motioned towards the black shapes in the distance. The same ones that looked exactly the same size and distance as when I had first arrived here. He stared off at them for a moment before returning to his drinking.
"Beyond"
I had never quite gotten used to Shades' way of communicating. The words weren't spoken, they were more 'thought' at you, appearing centre stage in your head. He'd have made a killing as a ventriloquist back in Manehatten, I chuckled to myself.
Shades looked up quizzically, "Fairlight ?".
"Just ignore me shades, I'm just having one of my moments. Anyway, we were talking about the place beyond the hills ?".
"Beyond", he hissed, nodding his head in affirmation.
Well that certainly helped clear things up didn't it ? Letting out a long sigh, I stretched my legs and examined the pendant. The light it gave was bright and clear, a welcome purity in this drab land. The Withers wasn't on any pony's holiday destination plans, that was for certain. The chain it was on was of intricate, fine gold links. Quite beautiful in its own way and my only physical link to Meadow, from what seemed like a lifetime ago. In some ways, I suppose it quite literally was.
Shades and I had been walking in silence for some time now, when he stopped and stared intently into the far distance. He let out a low rumbling growl, his wings flexing. "What is it ?", I asked warily.
Without looking round, the Thestral's eyes flared like tiny suns, throwing his thoughts at me.
"Run"
I didn't hesitate this time. Muscles flexing, adrenalin kicking into high gear, I took off into a gallop. Likewise, Shades leapt, leathery wings hammering the still air as he gained height.
"Follow !", he shrieked into my head and disappeared ahead of me until he was a faint speck in the distance.
"Not so fast !", I puffed back. Bloody hell fire, what had him so riled up ? I trusted his instincts, after all he was a native of this place, but still, it was difficult to fathom what was going through the creatures head sometimes and this was most definitely one of them. The sand billowed up around my hooves as I galloped on, a spear whistling past my ear, nicking it on the way past before embedding itself in the ground. "Oh shit !" I shouted to myself, increasing speed as another thudded into the sand a few feet away. All I could do was keep running and hope I'd outpace whatever, or whoever was throwing those damned things at me.
The chase didn't last long. I couldn't help but admire the cunning of my hunters, when the rope hidden in the black sand shot up and I ploughed into it full tilt. Sand exploded into the air as I crashed and skidded to a halt, some of the damned stuff had got in my eyes partially blinding me too. I was royally screwed this time.
"Hold knave, in the name of the Queen, I command thee to hold !". The commanding voice boomed out with a most peculiar effect; my legs buckled. For all I tried, I just couldn't get the damned things to work. Whatever the voice's origin, it had done its work well. Helplessly, I tried to focus on where it was coming from, only to be met with an array of spear points inches from my muzzle.
Crunching sand announced the arrival of a blindingly white pony in golden armour, burnished until it shone like Celestia's sun. He was a magnificent image of the knights from my old school history books, his sea green eyes boring into me as I lay helpless at his hooves.
"You are Fairlight of Equestria ?", It was more an announcement than a question.
"Yes." I replied.
"You will follow us." His tone brooked no dissent. Turning away with his two fellows, virtually clones of the one in charge, they were several paces away before realising I hadn't moved.
"You WILL follow us !", He bellowed pointing a foreleg at me. I couldn't help but feel compelled to move as he commanded, even though every part of me was screaming out to do the opposite. Meadows warning replayed in my mind, "they'll be coming for you. They don't like loose ends, I said I'd try to persuade you to surrender, but its not right. If they take you, they'll strip your memories, your mind. Don't let them !". Strip my memories ? "To hell with that and to hell with you !" I snarled, holding the crystal to my chest. I would be with Meadow again some day and no pony, or whatever this lot where supposed to be, would stand in my way.
"Art thou a fool mortal pony ? Thy mind must be befuddled to try to think such a way !". One of the glowing ponies companions sidled up to him, speaking in a low voice. What he said, the head of the not-so-merry band backed away, waving his compatriot towards me.
"Thalio is unused to speaking to ponies from the equestrian plane, mortal. I have agreed to speak in his stead.", despite the different tone of voice, the unmistakable expectation of obedience was still there.
"I expect you have a name ? I do, it's Fairlight, not 'Mortal'. I think 'Thalio' mentioned it ?".
A look of surprise and anger flashed across the ponies face. "I am Helios, I collect souls and return them to the herd. You should have been collected long ago..", he snorted and shook his golden mane, "..you have been hard to track."
"Yeah well, considering the situation, I'm glad I have been. Normally try to kebab 'mortal ponies' with spears rather than speak with them first, Helios ?" I jibed. Helios bobbed his head in irritation, ears flicking as he looked towards his fellows then back to me."
"We, that is, the Eternal Herd, cannot have tainted souls wandering the Withers. It is wrong, you are wrong. Don't you understand, Fairlight, we are trying to help you".
"You threw a bloody spear at me ! Two of them !" I shouted back, stomping a hoof. This pony was really starting to get my back up.
"The spears were to slow you down, they would not have 'killed' you". I didn't like the way he emphasised the word "Killed". He continued, "You are harbouring a dangerous entity Fairlight, we must exorcise it from your spirit so that you can move on. Surely you must see how this is the only choice you have, the right choice."
I wasn't convinced. "And just how do you plan on exorcising this 'entity' from me eh ?".
Helios shifted uncomfortably. "You will have your essence cleansed, made pure and clean, flushing out the taint from your soul. You will be reborn and ready to join us, be one with your brothers and sisters in the herd."
"By wiping my memories away ?" I asked.
"That is one of the effects I fear. The entity taints your being, your memories, who you are and everything about you. To purge it from you, the only way is to cleanse your soul. Your memories are part of who you are, therefore, they are linked with your soul itself. Naturally, cleansing your essence, your soul, will unfortunately wipe your memories clean."
"Will they return ?" I asked.
Helios paused, giving me a pained look, "No. At least, it is highly unlikely. Your case, Fairlight is rare, very rare indeed. I cannot say what will happen, but we cannot leave you like this, the Queen herself has commanded we collect you."
The Queen ? "And if I refuse to follow you ?"
"You do not refuse a request from Her Highness, Fairlight. May as well refuse sunlight itself".
I stomped my hoof, lowering myself into the classic watch fighting stance, "Then I will live on in the night", I growled.
"You cursed stubborn fool !" Helios shouted at me in fury, "No pony denies the Queen, No pony denies the herd. You are coming with us, NOW !".
"Go buck yourself", I smiled, narrowing my eyes. For the briefest moment, Helios looked disconcerted and that was all the opening I needed. I charged him, hooking a foreleg around his neck and pulling the long knife from his scabbard. The blade glowed blue with crackles of lightning along the fuller. I had never seen such a thing, but now was not the time for marvelling at its design. In any case, I had the ponies full attention now.
"We are going to take this nice and slow boys", I said in my deepest authoritative voice, "drop your weapons. All of you if you please." I couldn't resist a suitably menacing grin.
Briefly, I wondered if the ponies would charge me regardless of the peril their comrade was in. They glared angrily at me but thankfully and soundlessly complied, dropping their spears and swords onto the sand before them.
"Now, nice and easy, fuck off the lot of you."
"You do not command the Eternal Herd !" The one I knew as Thalio bellowed at me in indignation.
"Yeah ? Well your friend here is going to gain some extra ventilation unless you two clear off and leave me be."
It was a bluff, and a poor one at that. I hoped that the shock of being denied, something these ponies had obviously never expected, would be enough to gain some time for me to make my escape. The flaw with the plan was that as soon as my captive, Helios, was released, there was nothing to stop them returning and finishing what they had started. The next time would no doubt involve a lot more spears and that, I thought to myself with a grimace, would certainly not end well.
What came next surprised not only myself, but all the ponies assembled.
In the struggle with Helios, the crystal pendant had dropped down across his neck. His eyes focussed on the glowing object and he cried out, waving a foreleg frantically, "Hold ! For the Goddesses sake, hold ! Thalio, this one bears Starswirls Beacon !"
There was a long pause whilst every pony stared at the little white crystal. "The what ?" I asked in surprise, looking down at the little white crystal, "You'd better start making some sense here friend."
"How didst thou come by this mortal ?" Thalio rumbled stepping forward, all concern for his comrade forgotten in his fascination with my pendant.
"None of you concern friend", I said in as neutral a tone as I could muster.
"Fairlight. This changes things, please, let my brother go. You have my word I, we, will not harm you." The third pony walked forward, Thalio bowing to him as he did so. Ah ! So this was the head pony here, I was beginning to wonder.
"Artemis, Captain of the fifth cohort of the second legion, Wither world detachment."
There was no arrogance or expectation of obedience in this one. I almost took a liking to the pony.
"Fairlight, Captain of the Royal Equestrian Watch, Manehatten", I replied in a no-nonsense voice which seemed to unsettle poor Thalio. "Forgive me Captain Artemis, I think you will appreciate that were the situation reversed, you would be unwilling to release your hostage until our negotiations are complete. You do outnumber me three to one you know, not good odds.". Artemis smiled and gave a short nod.
"I understand Captain Fairlight.", he looked towards Helios, "Keep still brother. This one appears to be a pony of his word and a kindred officer of ponies. We will discuss this like stallions of honour".
'Oooh, fine words !' I thought to myself. I felt a little self conscious after that, holding a hostage was not what an officer of the watch should be doing. Right now however, needs must when the Thestral drives.
"Fairlight, my brother has already explained to you who we are and what we do. We have little choice as, by royal decree, we must bring you in to the herd.". I shook my head but Artemis went on, "You know yourself that here, in the withers, there is no beginning and no end. You cannot live here, there is no life for ponies, only death. We want to bring you home. Please Captain, many of your ponies are here from the watch, they are waiting for you."
I stood transfixed. What the hell could I say to that ? I dropped the blade and my arms flopped to my sides. My friends in the watch, my ponies who died on that terrible night, here ? waiting to be with me ? By Luna's radiant moon I wanted to be with them, see them once again. Beg their forgiveness for my failure to protect them. I hardly felt Helios scooch away from me. Artemis however, a pony of his word, stayed where he was.
"Your brothers will welcome you home Fairlight, I beg you, don't let this terrible place take you.". The captain was virtually pleading now.
"What about Meadow ?"
"Who ?", he asked, suddenly looking disconcerted.
"My Wife" I told him, a tear trickling down my cheek. "If I go with you, you will take my memories of her from me ?"
"Yes."
It felt like I had swallowed a leaden weight as the Captain continued, " I cannot say whether you will eventually recall her or not once the exorcism has been completed Fairlight, I would, truthfully, tell you if I knew." Artemis looked down at his hooves, not wanting to meet my eyes, "I'm sorry, there's no other way."
"Then the answer Captain Artemis, is no". I gave him the only reply I could. Meadow was all that kept me sane in this dire land of black sand. Whatever it took, I would find my way back, following her crystals light.
Rubbing his neck, Helios stood up and shook his mane, pushing a few loose hairs back into place. "We've tried reasoning with you Fairlight but you just don't seem to want to listen to reason." Says the spear throwing pony, "Should you stay here, as you are determined to do, you will fade away until there will be nothing for us to save. It will be too late for you. Nothing can live in Wither world".
"Thestrals" I said, wondering where the elusive creature had vanished to.
"What about them ?", Helios asked.
"You said 'nothing can live in the Wither world'. They do. So your assertion that I cannot survive here is wrong."
Artemis huffed, "Thestrals are not truly alive as you know it Captain. They are creatures that live 'between'. They were once ponies like you and me. Some of them...once.", His eyes took on a distant look as silence fell.
"What of this pendant then ?" I queried, holding up the glowing crystal, "You said it was 'Starswirls Beacon' ?"
"Don't.....", Helios began, but Artemis stopped him with a hoof on his shoulder, "No brother, I can tell him." He looked me square in the eyes.
"You know who Starswirl the Bearded is of course ?", he asked me. I nodded.
"When he still lived, he would travel the planes between life and death, a walker of dreams and a seeker of the deeper knowledge."
"And he developed this crystal as a way to find his way home ?", I ventured, marvelling at the tiny creation.
"No.", Artemis shook his head. "The crystal was a gift. Starswirl found a way to enter the plane of the Eternal Herd, something no living mortal pony had ever accomplished before." He scratched his ear with a fore hoof and sighed.
"The gift was from a member of the..."
"For the goddesses sake brother, hold thy tongue !", Thalio shouted. "Thy head will roll !".
Artemis lowered his head and sighed, "You're right brother, it is not my place to tell. Forgive me Captain Fairlight. I would tell you if I could. Suffice to say that the crystal you wear around your neck lights the way to the veil."
"The veil ?" I asked, intrigued. At last I had a name for my destination.
"Yes. The place where the divisions between the Wither world, the mortal and the immortal realms are at their thinnest. Though know this, the veil can only be crossed by one with enormous magical power. A power both from the mortal world and of this world, raw magic."
My heart sank. Goddesses, I couldn't sink into despair now. Racking my mind a question came to the fore, "That being the case Artemis, how did Starswirl manage to cross in both directions ? He was a mortal pony !".
"Yes....yes he was. But Starswirl had tapped into magics unheard of. Primal power which few save the King and Queen had ever known. Do you have that power Fairlight ? That knowledge ?", Artemis fixed me with a searching look. I think he actually expected me to say "Yes".
"No. No, I don't.", I said dejectedly.
"Then come with us brother. I will take you to Meadow. Even if your memories are gone, you can start afresh and with her love, begin again as you were meant to be."
My heart ached. I threw my head back and took in a deep breath fighting back the tears, damn you Artemis ! You know just where to strike a pony. Shaking my mane, I held my resolve. I would end this. End it the way Meadow wanted me to.
"Forgive me Captain, as you have your mission, I have mine. Be it a fools errand to which no good will come of it or not. I will follow my orders."
Artemis looked impressed and smiled appreciatively, "Your Wife's orders ?" he chuckled.
"My Wife's orders", I said with a broad grin. The two of us broke out in laughter and I felt my heart lift, re-invigorating me with new energy.
Helios unbuckled the baldric for the knife I had recently taken from it and tossed it to land at my hooves with a nod.
"Captain Fairlight of the Equestrian Watch. My brother stallion." Artemis announced, standing straight and tall, "I commend you sir for your integrity and honesty. Gentlemen.....". Helios and Thalio walked back to stand either side of him.
"Goddess speed you on your journey sir. I pray you complete your mission and return to us one day, victorious." The three snapped off an impressive salute, which I returned smartly.
"Keep the blade Captain, may it serve you well", Helios said with a wry smile. "I'm just glad you didn't try it out on me !". I blushed, scratching my ear with a hoof in embarrassment.
"Farewell, Captain." Called Artemis as a white glow of almost blinding white light appeared behind them. As one, they turned and walked away until they were enveloped in the light. The three figures grew smaller and more distant as the glow began to fade, a faint voice calling back barely audible now, "See you again soon, my brother."
Soundless darkness re-asserted its dominance and I blinked my eyes to re-adjust. I had a renewed sense of purpose, a cool looking knife from the Eternal Herd, an ancient relic from an equestrian hero and a sturdy set of hooves. What more could a pony ask ? With a loud neigh and swish of my tale, I span to aim myself in the direction the crystals glow indicated. "Starswirl you old bugger, I could kiss you." I laughed aloud to the silent land surrounding me, I settled for a peck on the crystal instead. I wanted to shout a war cry, defiant and challenging, full of mystique and portent. "BOLLOCKS !", I bellowed with a wild laugh and galloped off as fast my pony legs could take me. |
Fairlight | Chapter Fifteen - Family Ties | CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Family ties
I galloped until my hooves felt like they would drop off. Although I had a great deal of endurance here in the Withers, it was certainly not without limits and I had all but reached mine for the day.
Carefully, I reached towards the unnaturally cold ball of power within me and released a little, just the barest of caresses. I had been experimenting with my peculiar abilities since I had 'arrived' here and discovered, to my relief, that some were almost controllable. Actually, 'controllable' might not be the most accurate way to describe this. It was little like wrestling with a cobra, bare hoofed and trying to bend it to your will, all the while hoping to avoid the thing sinking its fangs into you.
I drew in a deep breath, the warm air mingling with the ice cold from deep inside my chest. With a long exhale that far exceeded my actual lung capacity, I breathed out a thick swirling blue fog that hung in the air. I turned full circle, surrounding myself with the deadly miasma. It was really quite beautiful, glittering and sparkling like that, I could have taken a job on the stage with this as a special effects pony.
I had used this the first time, by accident during my sleep shortly after meeting Shades. Thank the Goddess that the friendly creature had not been affected by the lethal fog. Upon waking up that 'morning', I'd found the frozen remains of 'things' which had wandered into its deadly grasp. Things I certainly wouldn't have wanted finding me defenceless when I was asleep, far too many tentacles and teeth for my liking.
I settled down, shifting my weight to even out the sand beneath me to something approaching a bed. Luna ! What I wouldn't give for a bed right now.....
Meadow had taken the news of my suspension well. Surprisingly well considering our plans to have a foal had just come to a crashing halt. My wages were still being paid for now, but the outcome of the investigation was still in doubt. Meadow was confident I would be exonerated, but the way the Chief had torn a strip off me in his office that day, I just didn't know. The strain began to tell on our relationship as I found the boredom of being out of work intolerable. My grandfather used to tell me, "Idle hooves are discords playground", he wasn't wrong.
"Morning love", Meadow called to me as she prepared breakfast. I mumbled a reply whilst concentrating on the Manehatten Enquirer vacancies page. Meadow popped her head round the door, "Morning love" she said again.
"Morning" I replied, far too loudly. She clicked her tongue at me and vanished back into the kitchen.
Meadow re-appeared a few minutes later with a light breakfast of orange juice and mixed veg. A bowl of toasted oats added a tasty crunch to the ensemble which I ate in silence, reading through the jobs on offer.
"Anything ?", She asked.
"Nothing" I said irritably, scrunching up the paper, "Not a fucking thing".
"Don't swear Fairlight, you know I don't like that".
"Whats it matter ? I'm a failure anyway, I may as well act like one."
"You're not a failure and you know it", she looked up at me from her glass of orange, "You're only suspended remember, not sacked".
"I may as well be !", I shouted, throwing the paper across the room. "'I 'screwed up' remember ? I killed my friends, left them to die ! Goddess Meadow, I should have died there with them. I shouldn't be here now, its wrong, all of its wrong....."
Meadow reached over to me and put her hoof on mine, "Stop this Fairlight, please ! You're torturing yourself with what happened. You did what you could, I know you, I know you did your best !".
Cruelly, I smacked her hoof away, "My best ? My best wasn't good enough ! I'm a disgrace to the watch, my father would be spinning in his grave."
Meadow hugged the hoof I'd knocked away, wincing, "Your father wouldn't have wallowed in self pity Fairlight. This isn't you, this isn't the Fairlight I married. You need help, look, I've had a word with Dr Spindle, he wants to help you love."
"You've done what !?" I yelled, jumping to my hooves.
"Please, Fairlight, you need help, look at yourself. You're not you anymore".
My chest was heaving, I was furious, with the damned commissioner, the watch, Equestria, but most of all....myself. I had shouted and yelled at the only pony who I had ever loved, the one who gave me support unconditionally and, Celestia forgive me, I had hurt her.
I looked at her eyes welling with tears, a determined look despite the despair and anguish she was feeling.
"I'm going out", I announced, grabbing my coat and hat. For a moment the coat caught on the stand and I pulled at it in fury, ripping the sleeve slightly and sending the stand crashing down the hallway. I kicked it petulantly, slamming the door behind me as I left. Meadow let me go.
A strong wind was blowing and the endless Manehatten rain was driving down in earnest. Celestia, don't they pay for weather ponies here ? I'd sack the damned lot of them, useless fucking idiots. I stopped at the paper stall. Shut, fucking god damned typical ! Everything was turning to shit around me, a tangible reflection of my hopeless situation. I kicked the paper stands shutter and walked on until I reached the 'don't walk' sign. Red, stop. Luna, what a fucking mess.....
The carriage door opened and a trench coated blue stallion hoofed me a cigarette, "I think you need this.", the Chief said in his usual gruff voice, "Get in". Inside, he leaned forward and slid the drivers hatch open, "Fumbles, lets roll.". The carriage lurched forward and we sped off down the dank Manehatten streets. "Theres some pony I want you to meet", he said.
I sat in silence, taking a deep draw on the sweet tobacco. I'd given these things up years ago, but today, today I needed this. I'm sorry, Meadow.
"Shelly says these'll kill me some day." Chief Mitre said as I lit his cigar for him, "You gotta go of something, I say. You never know whats around the corner".
I hadn't known what had been around the corner. My team had paid the price for that failure. A hoof smacked me across the jaw, "And you can pack that in right now Captain. I'm not in the mood for bullshit today and I need my officer back. Clear ?"
I nursed my jaw with a hoof, the old bugger had nearly taken it off !, "Yes sir", I said. No trip to the dentist required thank Celestia.
"Let me ask you something Fairlight,", the Chiefs eyes bored into me, "Doesn't anything strike you as odd about that night in the warehouse ?"
"Chief, I'm suspended, I'm not supposed to be talking with any of the watch until the investigation is .....", A heavy blue foreleg smashed past my ear into the carriages wall, sending splinters flying.
"I don't give a fuck about any 'investigation' Captain, now, are you going to give me my officer back or am I going to throw you out into the street to wallow in you own self pity ?"
The drivers hatch opened and a voice came back, "Everything all right back there boss ?". "Aye", the Chief replied, "Having a little language difficulty that's all. I think we're understanding each other now though.", he looked me right in the eyes, "Aren't we ?".
"Yes sir !" I said smartly, feeling to my surprise, a little of the 'old' me returning.
There was a chuckle from the driver as he slid the hatch closed.
"Now then Captain, I've read your report. Several times actually. Some of it simply doesn't add up though. I need your help to connect the dots and fill in the gaps."
"Sir", I replied.
Mitre produced a notebook and pen.
"You deployed the flash bugs ?". I nodded, "They worked as planned".
"Their effect on the targets ?"
I paused, my mind racing back to that terrible night.
"Captain ?", Mitre asked, putting his pad down to look at me.
"None"
"Any idea why not ?"
"Sorry Chief, I don't. I've replayed that nights events over and over a thousand times in my head. I can only suspect that....", "They had anticipated it ?", the Chief cut in.
"Yes, sir".
Mitre reached into a brown case, taking out an evidence envelope, "Here, what do you make of these ?".
Inside was a concave, oval glass dish, incredibly thin, but with a surprising flexibility. I held it up to the window of the cab with my magic and watched in amazement as it darkened. When I moved it back, the glass became clear once more.
"Is this magical ? I haven't seen anything like it. Whats it for ?". As the words left my lips, I realised what it was. Chief Mitre nodded.
"Goddesses, I understand now. Its not Equestrian is it ?"
"No Captain", Mitre solemnly replied, "Look at the other item".
The next object to emerge was a hard cased black box with wires protruding from it. By the general shape, it was obvious it went in a ponies ear, a curving strap holding it in place. A long bendable rod with a sponge like textured end, followed the contours of the wearers mouth.
"This is from the same place. Like our TED's but a different type of magic. If magic at all ?" I pondered.
Mitre took the items back, placing them back into the folder. "Not Equestrian and not magic, at least, not as you and I know it."
Mitre made a note in his pad and looked out the window before continuing. "Whats your take on the snipers ?".
I sighed, I'd been dreading this. The dead staring eyes of the ponies were burned into my memory and kept me awake long into the night. Maybe talking about it would help.
"They were dead when I got there Chief. Single shot to the back of the head. No sign of any weapon nearby.".
"Location of the bodies ?" He asked.
"One on the balcony, two in the office."
"The door ?"
"Padlocked from the inside."
The chief flipped a page in his note pad. "The pre-action report from the recon team specifically notes that the padlock on the office door was missing when they arrived. They were the last to leave the warehouse before your teams arrived. So far as we know."
"The padlock was there chief"
"I know Captain, It was still there when the forensic ponies arrived. After the army had trampled over all the evidence that is.", Mitre let out a puff of smoke from his cigar, twirling it in his hoof, "Assessment ?"
"Some pony knew we were coming. They were too well prepared. Those light reactive eye covers and TED could have been coincidental, brought as a precautionary measure, but the snipers ? Some pony took them out, quietly from behind with one of those other-world weapons and locked the door from the inside. My guess is the fucker on the landing outside."
"We recovered her body before the Army arrived", Mitre explained blowing a smoke ring. He wound the window down to let some of the thick grey cloud out. "We can thank Blaze for that".
"Sir ? About Dawn, Dawn Rush. She tried to warn us, just before all hell broke loose. I haven't had a chance to speak to any of her flight, Blaze told me she......she hadn't made it."
The Chief reached across and put a comforting hoof on my foreleg. "She didn't suffer Captain, but yes, her flight was ambushed. That tube like contraption you mentioned in your report ? There was another on the barge, concealed."
"Celestia !", I exclaimed, "We recovered it though ?" We had to have had some break in this case, the barge could have held a treasure trove of clues.
"No. The agency cleared it out."
"What !", I nearly shouted, "the whole barge ?".
"Aye". The big blue stallion tapped his note pad. "The agency goon squad seized the lot. Everything except what you've seen in the file here."
"Luna fuck me, Chief what the hell is going on here ? The agency suits grabbed me after I left your office. After you...."
Mitre sighed and tapped the ash from his cigar out the window of the speeding carriage, "I know. They came and took the weapon you recovered too. What they don't know is that we've been tinkering with some toys of our own. Here..."
He passed me another folder from his case. Photographs. A number of colour plates gave detailed pictures, dimensions and operating instructions for one of the devices, including recommendations on adaptations and improvement. I was impressed, the forensic ponies must have worked quickly to get these before the thing was taken.
"This may interest you too. The mare on the gantry ?", I nodded, " We had Speak Easy's boys look her over."
The mental image of Speak Easy pawing over the body of the mare I'd killed was not one I'd like to dwell on. But here was the report, autopsy pictures and all.
I suppressed my emotions and read the detailed description of the dissection of a once living creature. I turned to the last page and read the coroners conclusions, circled in red by, I suspected, the Chief.
Conclusion
Name : Unknown
Age : Indeterminate
Gender : Female
Race : Non Equestrian
Type : Earth Pony Appearance
'Non Equestrian', was hi-lited and underlined several times. I flicked back through the descriptions of organs, blood type, colouring, even the condition of her teeth.
"Goddesses, Chief", I breathed, "Who....what....was she ?".
Chief Mitre fixed me with a level stare, "None of this leaves this carriage Fairlight, do you understand ?".
"Yes Sir", I stated.
"Don't worry about Fumbles, he's one of us.", the Chief waved a hoof towards the drivers hatch, "This goes deep Fairlight. Really deep. The portals we've found so far have been inactive when we've managed to grab one. The magic responds to various factors we haven't been able to fathom yet but we've got our best ponies on the job."
He took a draw on his cigar.
"There's a smuggling operation bringing items in from non-equestrian sources, we've known that for some time. Your teams have shut down a good number of them, but this takes the game to a whole new level. These.... 'things',", he tapped a hoof on the photo of the strange weaponry, "ups the ante. Whoever is behind this has been bringing in off-world weapons that were never designed for pony use."
Hang on a minute, I thought, 'off world ?'. Surely they could have been made by other races here in our world, such as, say Griffins, but the more I thought about it, the more fantastical it became. I didn't want to start thinking about little green ponies in space suits as well. "But the ones I saw were used by ponies Chief, all too effectively." I entered.
Chief Mitre nodded, "Initially some had been brought here ready converted, we suspected they were a sort of 'test batch'. Since then they've been coming in, in greater numbers, re-engineered after they arrived in Equestria to fit our anatomy. So, yes, they can be used by ponies."
I leaned back in my seat, this was so much to take in my mind felt like it was going to explode. He'd seen some before ?
"Fairlight ? The commissioner wanted you off the case, suspended, pending an 'investigation'. The whole thing was going to be buried and forgotten. I was instructed to throw the book at you, so you'd take the fall. Listen, there's a reason I let
fly at you the way I did that day. You probably aren't aware of it, but my office has been bugged."
"WHAT !?" I shouted in surprise.
"I had Speak Easy run an MET on it and guess where it ended up ?". A Magical Energy Trace was a method employed by unicorns highly skilled in covert ops to match magical energy signatures to their owners. A sort of unique magic hoof print finder.
"The commissioners office", I said flatly.
"Good boy", Mitre smiled. "I think she has something to do with this and is trying to bury the evidence. How the agency fit in I don't know...yet. This 'non-equestrian' mare is another piece of the puzzle".
I felt the carriage beginning to slow, "But sir, I'm off the force now, so what good is telling me all this ? And, if the commissioner is gunning for me, I don't stand a chance."
He smiled knowingly and hoofed me an umbrella, "That's were you're wrong Captain. Ah,...We're here." The carriage stopped with a slight lurch and Fumbles opened the door, rain blowing into the interior. "Come on my young friend", Mitre patted my knee, "Lets give our comrades a good send off, eh ?".
I stepped out of the carriage, magicking the umbrella open. The rows of open graves, coffins and grieving families beckoned. The Equestrian watch's flag flapped wetly in the downpour. This was my final duty to them as their officer, as their captain. It was time to say goodbye to my friends. |
Fairlight | Chapter Sixteen - The porcelain porch | CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The porcelain porch
That evening I staggered home after far too many wheat beers. I didn't drink normally, or smoke for that matter, but the send off for our comrades had been a grand affair and I had indulged myself fully. The watch had really pushed the boat out on this, and well it should have. Equestrians mourn their dead at the funeral, but celebrate their lives afterwards, turning tears into smiles. At least, that was the theory. I was so inebriated I didn't much care one way or the other. In a fuse of drunken logic, I had turned down the offer of a taxi and tried to find my own way home, which, thank Luna, I actually managed to achieve.
Falling headlong into the porch, I fumbled for my key. Damn it, the Celestia cursed thing was here somewhere. I could feel it in my pocket but for some bizarre reason my alcohol soaked brain couldn't seem to co-ordinate my hooves to get the bloody thing it out. My magic only made matters worse and I ended up with my coat stuck half over my head.
My pitiful cries for help were answered by a mare opening the door and announcing in a flat tone, "You're home".
"Oh thank Luna, i'm stuck. Meadow, help me get my coat off love". There was no reply. Hell, she was still mad at me. I'd have to make it up to her in the morning, right now I'd have ......
I coughed, "Oh Goddess, I think...I think I'm going to be...Meadow...I...". I belched loudly, following rapidly up with the contents of my stomach, "Eurgh ! Help ! Meadow...I...cant breath in here. Oh Luna, some went up my nose. Urrrgh......". My stomach retched over and over, vomit filled my mouth, nose and eyes. I was trapped in a cloth and puke prison, my hind legs sliding helpless on the tiled porch floor. "Meadow ! I....", she shoved me back out with both forelegs and with a bang, the front door slammed shut. I heard the bolts slide into place and the click of the light.
"MEADOW !" I shouted, coughing on my sick. Was that carrot in there ? Shit, oh bollocks, "Urrrrggh.....". I was burning hot, covered in sick and the world was spinning around me. There was a horrible feeling of falling and a heavy crack as my head hit the inner porch wall on the way down. Considering how I must have looked and smelt, I was glad unconsciousness followed.
Birds sang a beautiful melody outside the bedroom window, the bloody noisy things. Everything hurt, my head, my eyes, my ears. Oh Goddesses, was I aching. I turned over to find Meadow wasn't there, the space she normally occupied, cold. Groaning, I rolled out of the soft, comfy bed and headed for the shower, my poor legs nearly giving way as the room lurched slightly. At least I didn't feel sick any more, thank Celestia.
The warm water felt fantastic on my coat, freshening me up and bringing new life to my tired bones. Some pony, Meadow obviously, must have cleaned me up last night before putting me to bed. Hadn't she ? I thought I'd been locked in the porch ! Bollocks, I was in so much trouble. Where in Equestria had she gotten to ?
I finished the shower and towelled off, dry out the old ears, a quick flank floss and I was good to go. My rain coat and hat were missing from the stand, no surprise there I supposed. I'd probably have to buy new ones after last night's escapade. A damned shame too, they'd been my constant companions on many a shift in the watch, but nothing lasts forever. Especially when plastered with your stomach contents. Bugger it all....
I searched the house but of Meadow, there was no sign. Her nurses uniform was still hanging in the wardrobe but her hat and scarf were gone. Perhaps she'd gone shopping and left a note for me ? I checked the fridge door and the coffee table, the usual places for any household missives, but no sign of any note. I sat down, nursing my poor battered head in my hooves, damn you alcohol ! My behaviour in the porch started to come back to me bit by bit. Worse, my behaviour towards Meadow recently began replaying though my mind adding to the agony of the hangover.
Oh Luna, Celestia, what had I done ?
I took my old watch coat out of the cloakroom, knocked back a couple of candied pain killers and headed out the door to find my wife.
Manehatten General Hospital was a huge white complex of buildings, each wing capable of housing hundreds of ponies. Everything from sore fetlocks to mane loss was treated here; quite common knowledge of course. What a lot of the city ponies didn't know though, was that a lot of watch ponies had been treated here recently too and for reasons a lot more serious than they would ever know. Some would never be able to return to work due their injuries, others, had not returned home at all. I hung my head at the memory of my lost comrades and with heavy hooves, climbed the steps to reception.
A yellow earth pony nurse with a feather cutie mark and white nurses cap trotted up to me. "Hi Fairlight ! How ya doing ? No Meadow ?", Quill looked past me to the door obviously expecting Meadow to be there.
"No Quill, I don't know where she is, I thought she might be here." I said solemnly.
"Ah. You two had a fight ?"
"Yeah, something like that.", I replied.
Quill nodded, eyes closed, a knowing smile on her face, "Drinking was it ? Came home plastered and she was angry, right ? Woke up and she's disappeared. Am I in the right ball park ?"
"How did you.... !?", I exclaimed as Quill laughed and clopped her fore hooves together, "Oh I knew it !", she squealed, "My tail was twitching when you plodded in and I just knew !".
"Plodded.... in ?" I muttered.
"Oh yes ! Twitchy tail, itchy nose, you know, they tell me when something's going to happen ! Or, in your case, has happened !".
Celestia, my head..... I didn't have time for this. Quills energy was making my headache worse, if that was even possible.
"Quill...." I began, "Hmmmm ?", she replied, "I think you ought to see a doctor." |
Fairlight | Chapter Seventeen - An eternity in stone | CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
An eternity in stone
The ground was still damp from the previous nights rain as I approached the Manehatten municipal graveyard. Even when it wasn't raining, the place had a dark and oppressive feel to it. My heart felt leaden in my chest and I was uncertain as to what I would find in this place, "Other than dead ponies", I sighed quietly under my breath. The stone stairs from this side of the site were large and shallow, designed to help ponies who were young, old or perhaps infirm, reach the level ground at the summit. A healthy climb later, and I was there.
The flag had been taken down, but the clearly new graves and colourful flowers stood out in stark relief from the rest of the drab stone. The ponies of the watch had clubbed together to top up the funeral fund for a little something more than the usual square slab which indicated the final resting place of the fallen. I walked slowly past each one, noting the name and examining the faces of each pony. Luna, there were so many......
I'd seen them put beneath the earth only the day before, but in the shock of the Chiefs revelations and the incessant freezing rain, it had all seem unreal somehow. Now, here was reality before me. No more games, no more laughter, this was it for them. They were gone. I gently stroked a hoof along the top of each grave stone, looking for the one I knew would be there...Dawn Rush.
Her grave stone itself was no different from the rest. She wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Her picture however, rather than the standard ID types of the rest, was a cheeky smiling Dawn, winking at the camera. I couldn't help but smile, a light chuckle in my throat escaping, "Dawn.......", I whispered closing my eyes. After a deep breath, I read the inscription,
Watch Lieutenant Dawn Rush
Beloved daughter of Lilly and Carrot
Hero of the Manehatten Watch Flying Squad
Fly proud, Fly True
"Hero of the Manehatten Watch", I read aloud, "You were that and more Lieutenant.". I sat back on my haunches, wiping a rogue tear away. "No tears for you eh ? You'd buck me into next week !". I looked up into the sky, breathing a big sigh. She'd tried to save us that night, save all of us. A hero of the watch indeed. "You better be taking good care of her up there y'here ?" I called up to the heavens, "or I'll kick your arses into next Thursday !". I laughed and stood, brushing the muck off my coat.
I had barely registered the crunching of hoof steps on the gravel path beside me.
"Capn' ? That you ?", that voice brought back memories.
"Blaze.", I said turning to look at the sleek pegasus mare standing there in a smart blue watch cloak. The grey pony shook her rust coloured mane and looked towards the grave marker. "Thanks for coming to see her sir. She'd have wanted you to, you know."
I was lost for words. Blaze and Dawn were, well, there was no other way to say it.... lovers. It was supposed to be a secret, a badly kept one that everyone knew about of course, but the watch regulations....."No fraternisation between watch ponies". But, we took that as an advisory rather than actual 'rules'. They were two of the most liked
ponies in the watch and their little flirtations between each other would bring good natured lectures from the Chief if he ever caught them. We all knew them and we all loved them, our sisters in the watch.
"I couldn't protect her, Blaze.", I said to her, hardly able to meet the gaze of her big silver eyes. "She tried to save us............I'm sorry.". I hung my head, unsure as to what to say. What could I say ?
Blaze said nothing for a few moments, just standing there, staring at me. I could feel her eyes boring into me, searching my soul, what for, I didn't know. Answers to what happened ? Why her lover had been taken from her ? I half expected her to buck me, I wouldn't have blamed her if she had, so I stood, waiting for the blow.
"Do you know how she died ?", Blaze said turning back to the grave.
I looked up blinking, ".....No.", I took a deep breath before continuing, "The Chief told me she didn't suffer though. Blaze, its not a good idea to......". She interrupted me suddenly, "...She flew in front of me. My Dawn flew in front of those bloody damned fire bug things and....and...", she choked back a sob. "...She... took a full blast in the chest. I caught her as she fell but there was nothing I could do. Blaze was already gone, the bastards damned near cut her in half. I cant get the sight of her blood out of my mind Cap, it was....do you know what that's like ? Those bastards took the one reason I had for living and destroyed it. They stole my Dawn and....."
I went to put a foreleg around Blaze but she back away shaking her head, "Capn' I.....I didn't get a chance to say goodbye !". Tears were falling from her eyes like rain as she stared right at me, "They took her from me !".
I closed my eyes for a moment before speaking, "Blaze, Dawn loved you. We all knew she did, that's why she did what she did. If the roles had been reversed, you'd have done the same. Please, don't beat yourself up over it."
Blaze reared up and slammed her fore hooves down into the gravel, "That's just it ! Those things were meant for me ! It should be me under that Equestria damned muck, not her...not her....". Blaze collapsed to her knees, tears flooding down her muzzle into the freshly dug earth. I watched helplessly as my fellow watch pony poured out
her grief, hugging the mounded soil that blanketed the final resting place of her beloved Dawn.
I moved to put a hoof round her, but it was clear from her body language she wanted to be left alone. Turning away, I solemnly walked away down the row of graves, unable to comfort a friend. In time, when she was ready, she'd share her grief with us all, talk about the good times, the bad times, the happy, the sad, and we'd be there waiting for her. Watch ponies looked after their own.
My legs followed their own course, letting the Fairlight mind wander into places it probably shouldn't. The Chiefs words rang through my head. Goddesses, whatever was going on, it wasn't going to end well for Equestria. Just what were we going to do ? Who could we trust ? Being off the watch was bad enough, but the way this was
heading, would there even be a watch to go back to ? I mentally slapped myself, this wasn't the time to be melodramatic.
Rounding the next row of graves, a green pony in a large straw hat came into view, lying on all fours, her muzzle resting on her outstretched forelegs. I could hear her sobs as I approached, despair etched on her face. She didn't look up when I knelt beside her. A fresh bunch of marigolds had been placed on the grave before her. It was a neat simple plot, tidy, well kept and with a simple marker,
Chief Officer Apple Pop
Manehatten Watch
"Dad"
I lay there in quiet contemplation next to my wife. I didn't deserve her and I knew it, a terrible part of me wondered how long it would be until she had simply had enough of her lot in life, of being the wife of a watch pony. The pit opened in front of me and my soul marched blindly on towards the precipice.
"He would have been so proud of you, you know". Meadows voice was barely a whisper, "Dad was the strength in our family, the one we felt would be there to protect us. Be there, with us, forever."
I kept silent, Meadow went on. "When I was in high school, Dad was already Watch Chief. We were so proud of him, I think the other fillies and colts were jealous of us because of that and used to tease us. My brother Silver, would stand up to the bullies and face them down. Just like Dad would have."
She smiled through the tears and reached out to nudge the flowers into a neater pattern.
"He was on a shout to a school fire in the fourth precinct. Arson. Who or why, no pony ever knew. So...pointless. It was late at night and the school should have been empty, the fire department was already there and Dad had gone in with Captain Mitre to have a look around before the forensic team arrived."
It was hard to imagine the big blue pony as the same rank as myself, and younger too. He looked the sort who'd looked middle aged when he was still a foal. I listened intently though, Meadow had never told me what had happened to her father.
"He and Mitre entered the school library and found.....", she paused struggling with some inner conflict, "...found a foal. He'd been...he'd had his....". She took a deep breath, but began to shake. I removed my thick worn watch coat and placed it over her.
"He'd had his tummy cut open.", Meadow let out a cry of distress, covering her muzzle with a foreleg.
"Meadow...", I whispered but she waved me off.
"He'd had his organs removed and they were strung up, like streamers, around the bookshelves. Dad and Mitre couldn't do anything for him, he was....gone."
My eyes stung, waves of emotion rolled off Meadow and the mental imagery I was receiving had me on the verge of tears myself.
"Mitre thought he heard a noise and went to investigate, Dad went with him. There were no lights in there, only what they could see with their lanterns. In the darkness of the library alcove, they heard a foal crying.....".
I held my breath involuntarily.
"She wasn't alone. There was another with her, a tall crimson male. Dad didn't get a good look at him. He was....doing things to the little foal, Dad.....never said what and Mitre wouldn't talk about it at all."
"There was a fight, the big pony shot Mitre with a hoof held crossbow. Dad only had his truncheon on him, he pulled the foal off the table but the other pony....", Meadow let out a breath, shaking her mane before looking across at me. "He stabbed him. Just like that, in the back as he held the foal. It was like his life meant nothing, nothing at all...just a piece of meat."
"He was my Dad, Fairlight ! That dirty animal, he stabbed my Dad, he..."
She was coming apart fast. I put a foreleg around her and pulled her in to me while gently resting my head across her neck. She resisted momentarily before she continued.
"When they failed to return to the team in the school yard, the Lieutenant sent in another team to look for them. They found Dad and Mitre, alive but in critical condition. Dad was lying there, still sheltering the foal in his forelegs. The other pony was long gone."
"Mum woke me and Silver to look for Dad when he didn't come home. We took a cab to the watch house, they told us about the fire but no pony knew where he was, Mum was hysterical."
"I ran out into the night and headed for the school. I ran and ran and ran...."
I nuzzled Meadows neck to try and reassure her that I was there for her. I willed my strength to help her through this.
"The ponies at the school told me Dad was at the hospital. They wouldn't tell me what had happened. The look of their faces....Fairlight, I...I'll never forget the look on the faces !", She pushed me away suddenly and hauled herself to her hooves to look down at me.
"I ran all the way to the hospital. The watch ponies offered me a ride there, but I just ran. My mind was a blank, all I could think of was finding Dad, making sure he was okay." Meadow began to shake again, whether with the cold or her distressed state, I wasn't certain.
"He was......", she began. "Oh Fairlight ! He...". "
I gave Meadow a reassuring smile, "Its alright love, take your time. I'm with you, I'm not going anywhere."
"Dad was just....lying there. His eyes were open but they were so distant, they'd always been so bright and alive. There were tubes and magical monitors and......they were sticking into Dad and.....", Meadow stopped to steady her breathing.
"I tried to hold, to tell him it was going to be okay, but the nurse stopped me from hugging him. He just looked across at me and smiled, Fairlight. Smiled ! After what that monster had done, my Dad smiled at me."
"The machines made a bleeping noise and the nurse called the doctor, he ran into the room and I pushed to one side. Dad had...stopped breathing. I didn't know what was happening at the time and tried to stop them from 'hurting' my Dad. The nurse went to push me out the room just as Mum crashed through the doors. I'd never seen a look like that on a ponies face before Fairlight, and to be on my own Mothers.....", Tears started anew.
"The Doctor tried Fairlight, he tried so hard to save Dad, but there was too much damage. I remember the way he looked at Mum, I couldn't quite hear the words but I could see his lips moving....'I'm sorry'. That was it....'I'm sorry'. Dad was gone. Mum's screams where deafening, I can still hear her sometimes in my dreams you know ? Crying and screaming out at the world that took her beloved husband. My Dad."
My heart was aching for her. My Meadow, was this what she thought could happen to me, every time I went out to work ? Goddesses, I never realised. In my narrow minded view on life, I simply saw the watch as a means to an end, a way to help the everyday lives of common ponies and make some money for my family. The strain it put her under.....Luna forgive me....
Meadow wiped her eyes and pushed her muzzle into my neck, breathing in my scent. "She never recovered. Mum was like a ghost after that, Silver and I spent most of our time with family relatives or with Mitre and Shelly. She simply......faded away. Doctors said she died of a broken heart. I...didn't even think that was possible."
The beautiful green mare walked several steps away before turning back to me with a determined look in her big yellow eyes, "I don't want to fade away Fairlight. I don't want to find you hooked up to hospital monitors and tubes.... dying before my eyes. I wont have it, damn you Captain ! Damn the bloody watch and damn Celestia !"
"Meadow !" I exclaimed at her words, I'd never heard her swear before. It was a taboo in our home and I was careful, usually, to respect her aversion to it.
"I don't care Fairlight ! You're mine and I will be damned if I let any pony take you from me !", she shouted, lowering her front into a fighting stance. I was shocked and, I hate to admit, slightly aroused by her aggressive stance. This was a Meadow I had never seen, a facet of her which, I found oddly exciting.
She advanced on me, a strange look in her eye. Her muzzle nuzzled into my neck before she retreated a step, eyes closed, to inhale the smell of my cloak. "It smells of you.", she said quietly, "You were wearing this when we met remember ?". "I remember" I replied, "You were wearing that hat too". Meadow pushed her hat up on her head and walked away down the gravel path, a slight glance over her shoulder beckoning me to follow her.
As I trotted to catch up to her, she began to canter away. I increased my pace but she broke into a gallop and turned off into the woods. What the hell was she doing !? I galloped after her but she was pulling ahead, damn she was fast. Minutes later I'd lost sight of her and slowed to a trot, then a walk, catching my breath. I was blowing hard. I was built for strength, not speed, Celestia damn it all. What was Meadow playing at ? I leaned against a tree, sweat steaming off my flanks as I tried to slow my racing heart rate.
Something large and blue crashed out of the bushes to my right, bowling me over onto my back in a blur of legs and....wool ? "Too slow my dear" Meadow grinned down at me, my cloak still wrapped around her. "Wha....?", I began but she pushed me roughly to the ground with her fore hooves. She looked me over with her lantern yellow eyes, searching mine, her pupils wide, steam rising from her body. She huffed a deep breath and pushed her muzzle deep into my chest.
"I don't want to lose you Fairlight, please. I cant lose you..." Meadow said breathlessly. I licked my lips, the gallop had dried my mouth out, "You wont love. I'll quit the watch if I have to, I don't want to see you cry again. Ever". She lifted her head and suddenly clamped her mouth over mine, her hot breath filling mine, her tongue hungry and desperate.
My forelegs pulled her into the kiss and we lost ourselves in each other for what felt like an age. Finally, she pulled away from me. "No love. I don't want you to leave the
watch, I don't want to lose who you are. Just....promise me you'll be careful. Please ?"
I nodded.
"Mmmmm...." She moaned and she began rubbing her haunches back and forth along my stomach. All the while she looked deep into my eyes. "My Fairlight....." She sighed and gave me a smile, the smile she gave only to me. She was the one in charge this day, I was her stallion, she was my mare.
Meadows movements increased and she began panting, he muzzle inches from mine, the yellow eyes never leaving my face. With a shudder, she went limp and rested her forehead on mine, all I could see in my field of vision was her eyes. It was like our
very souls were merging in those deep reflective pools, becoming one. Her pants deepened, and I felt her hoof brushing my stomach, reaching down. I gasped.
Meadow smiled, wriggling herself over me until I felt a warmth that left no doubt as to what she desired. "Fairlight....", she purred, "My Captain." My beautiful mare kissed me deeply once more before transfixing me with her gaze. "I want you.....".
I smiled up at her as she lowered herself onto me with a gasp, closing her eyes as she did so. She grabbed me around the chest and squeezed, that soft light green mane lying sensuously across my face.
"I love you Captain Fairlight." She whispered to me as I gripped her hind legs with a gentle, yet firm embrace. "I love you too, nurse Meadow". Birds rose from the canopy as her cries resounded throughout the forest. |
Fairlight | Chapter Eighteen - Gentle realisations | CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Gentle realisations
A warm, soft wetness lapped around my face as I awoke. "Mmmm....Meadow...", I murmured, gently reaching out and giving her a little squeeze. She hugged me back and nibbled my ear, oh Celestia ! I'd just woken up and the horny little filly was teasing me already. I'd play along, until the investigation was concluded, I had all the time in the world to spend with my loving little filly.
The warm tongue explored my muzzle, them my ears. This was new, and quite erotic in a way I hadn't expected. "That's nice....let me...", I opened one eye slowly and stared straight into a glowing red Thestral's. "SHIT !" I yelled, pushing the thing off me and jumping to my hooves, "Shades ? What the hell are you doing ?!". The creatures pointed ears drooped and he let out a sad sounding chirrup.
"Look buddy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell, but...I don't, you know, I don't swing that way. I'm really, really sorry." Come to think of it, why was I sorry ? I didn't ask for this kind of attention, maybe he was just being friendly in his own way. In any case, I felt shaken and....sad, somehow. Shades was the only Thestral I'd seen here, there must be more, but where ? Was he alone, like me ? Perhaps he was simply lonely and hoping for some physical comfort from a friend ? I felt like I'd kicked a puppy.
I trotted over to him as he slunk away with his head down. The miserable looking thing looked dejected. "Look Shades, I'm sorry okay ? You startled me and I snapped at you. You're my friend and...I respect you. I do....really."
Shades squawked, shaking his mane. Head bowed, he stretched out his wings and advanced on me, forcing me to back up.
"Swing that way ?", the thought pounded into my head making me wince.
"That's right, I don't, you know. I'm not into dudes. Goddesses Shades, not so loud !"
"Dudes ?"
"Guys, Males, Stallions. I'm not gay, look, I like girls, mares, females, you understand ?"
Shades flapped his wings hard, causing huge gusts of wind to buffet me, I shut my eyes against the sand.
When I opened them, Shades was nose to nose with me, eyes blazing red hot.
"Give me", he said in a tone that brooked no nonsense. "What ?", I asked him. I didn't like the way this was going. With an exasperated shriek, the Thestral side stepped until he was virtually side on to me. A bony foreleg shot out and grabbed my hoof.
"Give me", he said again, gently this time and I closed my eyes as he passed my hoof under his belly. Oh Goddesses, I was starting to freak out, adrenalin was pumping through me unbidden as I thought about escaping this insane creature.
To my horror, the Thestral gently rubbed my hoof between his haunches, letting out a low rumbling sound. Did he look... embarrassed ? "Shades ?", I asked swallowing, "I don't understand what you're trying to.......Oh!". Poor Shades, imagine having an idiot like me for a companion.
My skeletal partner in the Wither world released my hoof and turned to face me with an expectant look. Finally, dullard that I am, I understood. Shades, the Wither world Thestral....was a girl.
"Oh, bollocks", I muttered to myself. Shades let out a rattling cry and trotted off ahead of me without a backward glace to see if I was following. |
Fairlight | Chapter Nineteen - In laws | CHAPTER NINETEEN
In laws
Another week of incessant trudging brought us to the banks of a large black lake. A more apt description would probably be 'sea' but in the Withers, all I could see was inky black water stretching out to 'somewhere' and the obligatory hills beyond, naturally.
Shades was starting to act strangely too, she would dance nervously, looking around us and at the sky. She'd stopped flying the last few days too. She was a Thestral of few words, or more than one for that matter, and now even our little wellspring of conversation was dry. What was bothering her, I had no idea. Other than my little gender faux pas of course....whoops.
At first, I wondered if it was another of those globular tentacle-y things that lived in the river, but there was no sign of them here. Bat like birds, shockingly transparent, fluttered across the surface of the water, darting this way and that. I had never seen anything like them before and no idea what they were, although, as I found when Shades jumped in the air and snapped one into her jaws, they were apparently delicious.
She tried tempting me with a still flapping morsel and I politely declined. My stomach may not need filling particularly, but I certainly didn't want to empty it either.
Shades and I were lying together by the gently lapping waters edge when she lifted her head in alarm. Staring off intently across the lake to something I couldn't see, she crouched low and pushed into me, "Oof !, Shades, whats going on ? Whats got you so spooked ?", she didn't reply.
My eyes had become accustomed to the half-light in the Withers but even so, my ability to pick out details at distance was nothing compared to Shades'. Whatever was out there had her worried, so much so she was hiding between my legs. It wasn't going to provide much cover when the only cover was black sand and sure enough, a shrieking cry and chittering hit my ears like nails down a chalk board.
Thestrals.
Shades whimpered and pushed harder into me, shaking in fear. "No, No you don't, come up now. Be strong, I'm here with you, I will protect you from whatever's out there". I stood, facing the direction of the cries, nudging my companion to my side, "We face this together". She chirruped and nudged me with her head, giving a quick snort. "Good girl", I said and stood ready to accept whatever came our way.
I could see them now, three...no...four of the creatures, soaring, diving and looping their way towards us from the lake. Minutes passed and I was beginning to wonder if the strange party were actually heading our way after all. But sure enough, one of them gave a long high pitched cry and dove at us. I readied myself, feeling the now
familiar grip on the cold rage preparing to be unleashed. I didn't know whether these were friend or foe, though Shades' behaviour spoke volumes. It didn't hurt to be alert and prepared.
A loud thud announced a Thestral landing several yards away from us, quickly followed by the other three, huddling to one side of the larger one. "The boss cometh, eh ?", I wondered aloud. Shades rattled out a menacing growl.
This thing looked like a creature from a nightmare night special. All bones, leathery wings and teeth. The wickedly sharp incisors glinted menacingly atop the midnight black colouring of the Thestral. The other three, smaller and rather 'shades' like in appearance, kept back, snapping their jaws and making the odd growling noise.
I could guess without any problem this time, that the biggest of them was a male. The huge ugly thing emanated testosterone like an open furnace. It tried to walk round me to face Shades, but I turned, matching him step for step. He didn't like that at all. The Thestral male swung his head towards me and lowered into a fighting stance with a long low hiss. I imitated his stance, "Why don't you just ssssssssod offffff".
The Thestral stood up, cocking his head to one side before turning to his menagerie, clicking and shrieking to each other in some language I couldn't even begin to decipher. This display of jerking neck and wing movements together with various
cries and screams, culminated in the male all but kicking one of the smaller ones towards me. She came forward reluctantly, making a quiet chirruping noise towards Shades who replied in kind. I regarded the creature warily, "I hope you're not expecting me to speak Thestral, miss. I find all the screaming and clicking murder on my larynx".
She cocked her head to one side, fiery eyes glowing a deep red-orange before she shook her mane. Words flashed into my mind like a fog horns blast,
"Far Sight demands you return his daughter."
My eyes must have been like saucers, I'd never heard Shades speak like this. Had she been holding out on me all this time ? Confusion reigned supreme. The Thestral shook her mane once more, "You are to hoof over Far Sights daughter immediately or we will take her by force." The hissing blast of noise roared through my head, Goddesses I wish these creatures came with a volume control.
Very carefully, I spoke to the eloquent female Thestral, "She is not going anywhere with you, not until I know who you are and what your intentions are. Would you hoof over one of your sisters to a stranger without first knowing she would be safe ?". The female blinked and her eyes flared brightly for a moment before turning to the male. More clicking, cries and screams culminated in the male lumbering into the air followed by two of the females trailing him out across the lake. I watched them slowly disappear from sight, before checking on Shades. She was hissing menacingly at the departing male. No love lost there it seemed.
Silence fell around me with the slight whisper of the water brushing the sandy shore and the breathing of the two Thestrals as they eyed each other warily. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Shades rushed forward with a happy sounding shriek and embraced the other female. The two howled and cried out in, what I presume was joy, while rolling around in the sand. Soon, the energetic pony like creatures, sand sloughing off their backs and wings, stood once again and nuzzled each other, before turning to face me.
"You are Shadow's....friend ?", the female asked me. "Who ? oh, you mean Shades ?". The newcomer regarded me quizzically and clicked at me, "She is Shadow". I face hoofed, I'd never even asked Shades...Shadow...her name. I'd just sort of, 'told' her who she was. I was hopeless with females, I couldn't imagine how Meadow had put up with me for so long.
Shadow gave me a sad sidelong glance and pushed into me before speaking with the other Thestral in that nerve grating language of theirs. "Shadow says you are bonded now. This is wrong, she cannot take a mate without her fathers approval. Far Sight will not accept this."
"Wait a minute !", I said loudly holding up a hoof. "Rewind that a moment, Miss Thestral, what do you mean 'bonded' ?"
"She is your mate...", there was that word again. I looked across at Shadow who had an expectant look on her face, "I'm a married stallion, I cant just take a 'mate' as you put it."
The odd creature gave me a look you might expect her to give a foal. Or dinner. Possibly both, it was hard to tell with these enigmatic beings. She walked towards me and sniffed my coat, the sensation was peculiar to say the least, the Thestrals nostrils flared as she worked. She'd make a wonderful dust remover, I pondered to myself. I think she must have been able to read minds too as she shot me a glare that could have killed me stone dead. Just as well I already was then....kind of.
"There is no other females scent upon you.....'Pony'", her words rattled through my head but the derision in them was loud and clear. "I have a name 'madam'.." I said in my most neutral voice, "..I am Fairlight. May I have the pleasure of yours ?". The Thestral female dipped her head and let out a jet of steam, "I am called Ember."
"Thank you Ember", I said neutrally before sitting on my haunches. I waved the other two towards me, Ember looking warily at me then to Shadow before following my lead.
"Now that we're sitting comfortably ladies..", I gave them both my trademark smile, "...perhaps the good lady Ember could explain what is going on ?"
Ember squawked and chattered at Shadow before resignedly starting her story.
"Shadow, is my sister. Her father, Far Sight, wants her to come home. She is...incomplete. You are bonded now and so she is your mate. Far Sight will be angry with you."
"You keep saying we're bonded and she's my mate. I don't understand, how can this be ?", I asked her. Ember chattered with Shadow before replying, "Did she not share the Cetean egg with you ?".
I squeezed my eyes shut as the memory of that vile rubbery thing that Shades, or rather Shadow now, had me share with her. Celestia, that's what is was......
I nodded to her solemnly, "I didn't know what it was, or more specifically, what it represented.". Hopefully she would understand and override Shadow's behaviour in some way as a prank, a mistake, something that would annul this.....
"Then you are bonded.", Ember said with finality and nodded her head as if affirming the words.
"WAIT !", I shouted at her, "I'm already married, this is a mistake !". Ember tutted at me, asking, "Then where is she 'Fairlight' ? I cannot smell her on you. Where is this 'other' mate of yours ?"
I shook my mane, it hurt to think of it even now. "She's dead. Crossed over to the Eternal Herd." I told her sadly. My heart skipped a beat in surprise when Embers hoof
planted itself on mine. "I understand you. Now you must understand my words. She has gone, you remain. Shadow has joined herself to you as your mate. This cannot be undone."
I sat there dumbfounded, words impossible to find. "Shadow will stay with you, I will inform father. He will be angry, but what is done is done." She stood, brushing the sand from her legs.
"Ember, please, wait a moment." I pleaded.
She paused mid groom and re-settled her wings waiting for me to continue, "Shadow cannot stay with me, I'm on a journey to return home, to Equestria, the mortal world. Shadow is a creature of this world, she cant even communicate properly with me ! Please, there must be something you can do."
Ember slammed a hoof down in front of her for emphasis. "And yet YOU are here in this world, pony of Equestria. Are you mortal ? The smell of a mortal is not upon you, nor the scent of another mate. Shadow will become more like you as you will become like her, it is the way of Thestrals, it is the way of the Cetean. You and she are the beginning and the end of the cycle. Make your own fate Equestrian, together."
What the blue blazes was that all about ? I scratched my head in frustration trying make sense of the otherworldly creatures 'logic'. A blast of wind hit me in the face as she took to the air and headed off across the lake, returning to her family. Leaving me with....."Shadow ?", she looked up at me, a bashful flush on her cheeks. Quite a cute
sight if you could see past the battery of lethal teeth. She reached up and licked my muzzle with her long blue tongue. Despite my current state of shock and denial, the
feeling was not unpleasant. I sighed and closed my eyes in sudden resignation. This wasn't going to go away was it ?
Shadow nuzzled into me with a chirrup and began purring like some gigantic cat. In my mind, I imagined Meadows face, 'Forgive me love.' I thought silently to her, 'This is some seriously weird shit I'm facing right now. And sorry about the swearing.' I wondered what she'd really think. I rolled over onto my side and closed my eyes, I'd think more about this later. Right now, it was all too much to take in. Shadow snuggled into me and laid her head upon my neck. I reached out and without thinking, placed a protective foreleg across her as I drifted off into fitful sleep. |
Fairlight | Chapter Twenty - Irremovable stains | CHAPTER TWENTY
Irremovable stains
The dry cleaners was open late that evening. Bingo, the chirpy owner of the store hoofed me my uniform, freshly pressed and smelling great. He did a good job here and was the choice for watch ponies for cleaning their uniforms. Reasonably priced too.
"Oh, Mister Fairlight sir ?", Bingo asked me when I put my hoof on the door to leave, "Your coat and hat are here too". A little foal appeared through the bead curtain with a huge smile on her face, "Here you go !" she piped up at me.
I took the parcel and mussed her mane with my hoof, she giggled and ran back through the curtain laughing. "She looks just like you, Bingo. You're one lucky buck".
The stallion smiled and fidgeted with his orange mane, "Thank you sir, my wife thinks so too. Please, don't worry about the hat and coat, your wife has already paid for it."
Goddesses bless her. "My wife says the repair your wife made to the coat is excellent sir."
That gave me pause. A memory I'd rather forget surfaced briefly, but with a quick shake of the old Fairlight mane, I pushed it away. Works every time ! I waved to Bingo and his daughter, now stood up on his back, waving happily. "Maybe one day......", I wondered sadly to myself. Meanwhile, life went on.
My pocket began to vibrate with a low hum, thank Luna there were no ponies around this morning to see that. 'Discreet', Easy had assured me. I wished I'd tested the blasted thing first. The alleyway behind the grocers was as handy a place to duck into as any and I nipped round, pulling my collar up. The small device looked like a brass stone with three small crystals embedded in its surface. It was vibrating, loudly, with an insistence that got my back up immediately. I pressed the thing to my ear and hissed into it while looking around me in case some pony was looking, "What ?! For Luna's sake, no pony is supposed to use this during daylight".
Just in case, for example, the owner was out in the high street collecting their dry-cleaning.
"Fairlight ?", the Chiefs voice crackled back over the device. Oh bugger it all, the boss.
"Where are you now ?"
"Near Bingo's Chief.", I told him, one eye on the end of the alley.
"Stay there, for Celestia's sake. I'm sending a carriage round for you now. Meadows safe, she's with us."
"Chief ? What do you mean Meadows with 'us' ? Whats going on ? Chief !?"
The damned thing was silent and shaking did nothing to bring it back to life. My mind was reeling from what Mitre had said, something was going on and it sounded bad. I took comfort in the fact he had told me Meadow was with him, so whatever else was going on, that was of secondary importance.
I leaned against the brickwork, my heart thundering like a steam train. "Deep breaths Fairlight", I thought to myself, "deep cleansing breaths." A moment later I was face down in alley mud, spitting blood from where my teeth had broken through my lip with the impact.
Training kicked in and I rolled, tucking my legs under me before springing up and away from the cream earth pony swinging the bat. His eyes narrowed, I took a fighting stance taught in the watch, senses alert for danger from the front and.....aw, shite...there was another one. Too far to be an immediate threat but they'd be on me any second, I'd have to move fast.
The cream pony swung low. My hind legs propelling me up and over the ponies head, I landed behind him, bringing my hooves up for a skull cracking buck to his jaw. Something shiny flashed passed my eye, but in an instant, I'd pulled up my attacker with my hooves around his neck. There was a dull thud and I felt him shudder, then go slack. Blood and air sprayed out of his nose and mouth, spattering my face and foreleg.
Dropping the unmoving body, I charged at the other pony, magicking out the dagger from his comrades side at the same time. The young magenta mares eyes went wide as her own dagger flew towards her. She was fast, youthful reflexes deflecting the blade with a metal shod foreleg. Another blade whirled into her mouth as I crashed into her. She may have been younger than me, but I was heavier and had the experience advantage. Grappling with her for the knife, the blade bit into my foreleg painfully. A quick knee to her stomach drove the air from her lungs and the knife splashed into the mud.
She managed a kick right into the most sensitive part of any stallion. I cried out in pain, loosening my grip just enough for her to jump away and draw yet another dagger. Pulling myself to my hooves, I looked around for something, anything, to use as a weapon. Luna must have been smiling on me. Spotting the fallen dagger, I levitated it out and close to my side. Magic wasn't really my speciality unfortunately, but it would be effective enough for close in work.
The mare, barely more than a filly, hesitated when she saw the purple glow of my magic.
"Put the knife down kid", I growled at her, hoping my intimidating posturing would make her realise her mistake in attacking me. She backed up a step, huffing around the knifes hilt. Celestia, she was still going to do this wasn't she ? I was right, the young mares leg muscles flexed as she charged at me. I barely had time to dodge her first attack when she fell, sliding several feet on her side along the slick muddy ground . "What the.....?", I looked back to the alleys entrance to see a large cloaked shape blocking out the light. Oh Luna fuck me, look at the size of him !
The shadowy figure transformed into Chief Mitre as he stepped into the alleyway, "Looks like I got her just in time Captain." He announced, looking at the fallen earth pony. I noticed the unloaded crossbow he held in his hooves.
Behind me I heard the faint sound of more approaching hoof steps. Goddesses, not another one ! Staring into the shaded space...."Bingo ?". The orange dry-cleaning shop owner wore a black coat now, but his bright fur was unmistakable. So was the crossbow he drew from its depths.
My legs tensed, but Mitre put a hoof on my shoulder stopping me. Bingo lowered the crossbow, squeezing the release, its bolt slamming into the head of the cream earth pony at his feet. It twitched, legs kicking several times before going still. I thought I was going to throw up.
"Bingo, take care of the rest.", the chief said in a low voice, "Sanitise".
The orange pony nodded and began dragging the corpses down the alley as Chief Mitre turned to watch the street.
Moments later a carriage arrived, pulled by none other than the Chiefs own driver. Mitre didn't wait, opening the door himself and we quickly climbed in. "Fumbles, get us out of here. Don't spare the horses.", Mitre said in a voice a lot calmer than I thought the situation deserved. Fumbles knew his job, the carriage shot forward and I was all but flung across the cab. Mitre shoved me back into my seat, "Get a grip of yourself Captain ! What in the name of the Goddess is wrong with you ? Going soft ?".
"No sir !" I said gathering my composure.
"Good. Listen, I know this must be confusing right now", What ? Really ?!, "But you are in danger Fairlight. You and Meadow.". He had my full attention now, flippancy aside, Meadow needed me.
"Situation, Chief ?" I asked.
Mitre gave an approving nod, this felt like one of our many briefings in the watch house. The Chief Officer of the Manehatten Watch, took a deep breath before explaining.
"Firstly, Meadow is in a safe house under guard. She's unharmed, don't worry."
Thanks be to the Goddesses for that.
Mitre continued, "We had a tip off that your 'investigation' was never going to make it to court. You have too many friends willing to testify In your favour Fairlight, the judge is also very well connected. Connected, I may add, with certain friends of ours."
"Ours, sir ?"
He waved a foreleg at me, dismissing my question, "The situation is fluid Captain. We don't know who our enemies are or who our friends are right now. I need you to be calm and rational while we sort this blasted mess out."
Mitre rubbed his head with a fore hoof, his eyes tightly closed, "Princess H Celestia, Fairlight. I've been doing this job too long, ponies fighting other ponies, whats Equestria coming to ? Sometimes.....sometimes I really miss Pop's guidance."
He stared off through the window lost in thought. The last few days events had been a rollercoaster from hell I'd wanted to get off. Meadow, my only respite in the chaos was in danger. In danger because of her ties to me, I couldn't let her down now. I would protect her and we'd move away from Manehatten, somewhere safe where we could raise a foal together. The memory of Bingo's daughter laughing and waving to me brought a smile to my face, she was so cute ! If I had a daughter like that, I'd give her everything I had, spend all the time I could find, to raise her as a fine Equestrian lady. Meadow may have some input, sure, but I would be her Dad and this was my fantasy, thank you very much.
Bingo. The orange pony from the dry cleaners, coolly killing a downed pony. The sound of the bolt smashing through his skull. More unwanted memories I'd have to carry with me along with the night at the wharf. I was going to need some serious counselling at some point, either that, or a nice long holiday with my green mare. Hell, why not have both ? A thought came to mind, intruding on my more pleasant ones....Bingo. Who the hell was he ? He wasn't a watch pony that I'd ever seen but the Chief knew him.
"Chief ?"
"Hmmm....?", he stirred from his revelry and focussed those world weary eyes on me.
I took a breath, 'in for bit Fairlight', I thought, "Chief, just who is Bingo ?".
Mitre just stared at me, like he was focussed on something on the carriage wall behind my skull, "Bingo. Bingo is......ah ! We're here....". The carriage pulled to a halt and the communication hatch slid open.
Fumbles' purple eyes appeared for a moment then disappeared. "Fumbles, are we here ? Give me a hoof here, the bloody doors stuck." There was no reply. Mitre stared at me for the shortest of moments, the look conveying more meaning that I wanted right then.
Alarm bells were sounding in the back of my head as the chief pulled out a pair of short-swords and a multi-shot crossbow each from the luggage rack. Suddenly, a pair of cylinders dropped into the compartment through the hatch which snapped shut with a finality that made my heart skip a beat.
"Flash Bugs ! Cover !", I shouted in warning as the little creatures did what came naturally. I covered my eyes against the flare, but it was still like staring directly into the sun. The blast which followed blew out my ear drums along with both of the carriage doors. Mitre charged out, his crossbow releasing bolt after bolt at....some pony or some thing. My head felt like I'd been hit with a sledgehammer. Pulling myself out of the carriage door, I flicked off the safety and dived out, rolling.
Thank the Goddess for basic training. A bolt clipped my ear and smashed through the open doors glass pane missing me completely. I brought up the crossbow and shot a bolt into the chest of the pony in the tree line who was frantically reloading. These were no watch trained ponies, but they were a threat none the less. I ran for the cover of the trees, leaping over another dead pony, a bolt sticking out of his eye. Mitre's work.
A hot burning pain bloomed from my side and I felt something tear as I reached the tree line. The cool of the shade and hard cover the trees would offer, gave me a moment to catch my breath and take stock. I was hit, a bolt buried in my flank. I tried to pull the bloodied thing out with my teeth, but it was wedged in there. Fuck it ! Where was the Chief ?
"Little pigs, little pigs, come out come out wherever you are". A maniacal voice rang through the woods. I waited, putting down the crossbow and took a hard grip on the bolt with my magic.
"Don't you want to come and play piggies ?", the voice called, followed by another cackling laugh.
I groaned and huffed, putted all my strength into my horn. With a twist and sharp pull, the damned thing started to come loose. I was panting, but I had to get the bolt free or I'd be no use to any pony.
The bushes parted with a crash and a tan male unicorn appeared, rearing up on his hind legs, "Here you are ! Here you are !". The insane shouts of the pony attracted another who appeared beside him a moment later, his pupils so widely dilated they were like black holes in his face. "Time to play ?" he shrieked and began pulling a wickedly long knife from his belt.
The tan one wouldn't be playing with any pony. With a shout of rage and pain, the bolt came free from my flank, gritting my teeth I span it round looking him in the eye, "I think you forgot something, you piece of SHIT !". I rammed the bolt under his jaw, I felt bone crack and split as it plunged up into his brain. Like a boned fish, he dropped stone dead at his colleagues hooves.
The other pony stared at his fallen companion but...laughed. What in Equestria was it with these guys ? I reached for my crossbow as his blade cleared the scabbard. He was still giggling as the dark blue foreleg snapped his head back and the sword point burst from his throat. Mitre let the pony drop, pulling his weapon free of the downed creature.
"Enemy numbers ?", he panted.
"Unknown. I took out one in front of the tree line, theres the two here and another dead by the carriage. Four neutralised."
Mitre nodded, reloading his crossbow, "What are you like for bolts ?"
"I've three bolts loaded, plus the four from our friend here." I gestured down at the pony whose life I'd just ended. Mitre made a quick search of the bodies, uncovering two transparent parcels of white powder. He cut one open with the point of his sword and tasted it with his tongue. "Damn.", he sighed, "Ryetalin, they're jacked up on Fizz".
"Sir ?" I queried.
Mitre motioned me to follow him and quietly began moving through the undergrowth. "Been seeing a lot of cases lately. Brought in by those smugglers using the portals, goes by the name of Fizz on the streets. Comes in initially as packs with the name 'Ryetalin' on them. It's not Equestrian, Captain. Its effects, you're seeing now first hoof."
A pony crashed through the undergrowth a few yards in front of us and I put a bolt through its lungs before he had time to scream.
"Come on !" Mitre whispered and we made off uphill through the brush.
A while later we stopped to catch our breath. The Chief and I leaning against a big ash tree, hides steaming with sweat. "Did you see Fumbles ?" he asked me, nostrils flaring with each intake of the cool air.
"No Chief, no sign of him."
He just nodded, "Got your TED still ?". I rummaged in my pocket and took the small brass communications device out. Mitre pressed it to his ear, "Blaze....Blaze are you there ?"
"Chief !", Blazes voice was strained, "The Watch house has been attacked, its those fuckers with the fire weapons. We've got ponies down but we've held. Agency ponies are here now giving supporting."
Mitre spat, muttering to himself, "Fucking Agency ponies". He held the comms device up, "Lieutenant, listen carefully. We're up near the safehouse. Captain Fairlight and myself have been attacked, looks like an inside job. We need backup, now."
"Chief, is the Captains wife safe ?", Blaze asked. I detected a worried note to her voice.
"We're on our way there now Blaze. Just get your Ponies out here quick !"
There was a muffled noise on the comms device and a different voice emerged. One I remembered all too well. "Chief Mitre ? This is Agent Sweetie, Celestian Bureau of Investigation. Your command has been passed to me, you are to stand down Watch Chief. I repeat, stand down."
Mitre's eyes were full of fury and snarled with a wolf like quality I'd never heard, "Do what you damned well please Agent Sweetie, but I....we have to secure the safe house and the Captains wife."
Agent Sweetie's voice was its usual monotone self, "Captain Fairlight is to be placed under arrest, Chief Mitre. Agents will be with you shortly to take him into custody. We will remedy the situation with his....wife."
"There's no time Sweetie, we need to move NOW !", he shouted in exasperation.
"Chief Mitre, in the name of Princess Celestia, I order you to stand down !".
"Agent Sweetie.,,,,?", Mitres voice was soft and gentle.
"Yes ?"
"Go fuck yourself."
An unintelligible blast of outrage was cut short by the sound of a scuffle, Blazes voice shouted at us, "We're heading out Chief, units are diverting, hang on there for the Goddesses sake. ETA thirty minutes !"
A high pitched scream cut through the forest. "Oh Luna ! Meadow !" I shouted and grabbed my crossbow.
Mitre spoke quickly, into the comms unit, the strain telling in his voice, "We don't have time, Meadows in trouble. Blaze, get your ponies here, we have to move now !".
There was another scuffle and Blazes voice crackled, "Hang on Chief.....helps coming, just hang on....", the device went dead.
Brush, brambles and branches ripped and snagged at my coat as I willed myself on. Celestia give me strength, I wasn't a fast runner but today I felt like the very wind was fighting me. Foam sprayed from my muzzle, my muscles burned, another scream, plaintive on the breeze, but nearer. "I'm coming, Meadow", I prayed in my mind, "Please, Luna, Celestia, don't let anything happen to her....."
The sunlight grew brighter as I drew closer to the edge of the forest, a small log cabin just visible through the undergrowth. I flung myself against a tree, panting, winded...but here. It was torture to not crash straight out into the open and up to the cabin, but if I had, I'd make a lovely target for any pony watching. As it was, I was sure they'd have heard my head long charge through the undergrowth.
I cocked the crossbow and loaded another bolt into place. Watch training kicked in, all other thought now superfluous background noise. Four shots, close range only. Distance to the house, approximately fifty yards. Hostile units.....
Mitre slid up beside me, crossbow at the ready. The big blue buck tapped his hoof to his eyes, 'how many ?'. I tapped my hoof and circled my knee, 'six'. Silently, I
continued to observe and sign the tactical information, 'Two on the roof. One either side of the door. Two patrolling. At least one inside'. I could tell straight away these weren't watch ponies, what had happened to the assigned guards wouldn't bear thinking about right now. Now, I had to focus.
Chief Mitre nodded and signed back to me, the message was clear. He would take position and we would move in.
There was a loud crash of pottery breaking from inside the cabin accompanying the sounds of a scuffle. A cry of pain made the hairs on my back stand up, but I couldn't stop to let the thought of what they were doing to her intrude now. It was time to go to work. |
Fairlight | Chapter Twenty One - A cabin in the woods | CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
A cabin in the woods
A small flash of sunlight from the Chiefs Heliograph, signalled he was in position. I flicked off the safety and took aim. Another signal and the two ponies on the roof fell, choking out their last breaths in this world. Racking the crossbows mechanism, I clicked another bolt into position. The patrolling pony turned at the sound of the one on the roof falling into the bushes behind the cabin. He lifted his crossbow and stopped in his tracks, a bolt through his chest. Damn it, the crossbow was at maximum effective range already and this guys hide must be tougher than most.
I broke cover, the short sword held low, point forward. He turned just as I reached him, my swords point splitting his hide, sliding through muscle and sinew before finally piercing his heart.
I sidestepped neatly, allowing gravity to pull his still warm corpse from my slick blade. A quick flick and the blood cleared the deadly steel. I moved as silently as a cloud across the sky, low and smooth. I could feel my muscles working beneath my skin, tensing, ready to strike.
A whistle from the side of the house caught the attention of the sentry and I sprung forward, slitting the throat of the guard before he could react. I caught his crossbow before it hit the porch floor but the bolt slid and clattered onto the planking below. The other guard span to face the new threat, pausing in shock as he took in the sight of his comrade falling to the floor, blood fountaining from his throat, his gore dripping from my sword.
It was the last thing he would ever see. His arms twitched as the huge blue earth pony's forelegs twisted his neck with a sharp snap, silencing him forever. Watching Mitre in action was certainly an education.
The cabins interior was in total darkness, the curtains closed and the lamps extinguished. This wasn't going to be easy. I'd searched the ponies outside for flash bugs, not finding even one. Mitre signed a tactical move and, reloading the crossbows,
we entered. Once in the darkened hallway, the Chief used his heliograph to see inside the first room before swinging in. Nothing. Next room.
A Fizz'd up Pony, foam flying from his nostrils, charged at us from the darkness screaming like a harpy. I put two bolts into him before he went down.
The third room, nothing. The fourth and last.....
The Chief signed. 'On three', I nodded my understanding. We kicked the door open, crossbows sweeping the room. Damn....empty.
There were signs of a violent struggle, broken glass, plates and smaller items were spilled liberally across the floor. I moved over to the upended chair and, in the sliver of light from between the curtains, I could see a dark wet patch glistening. I ran my hoof through it. Blood...blood and green hair. I looked closer, it could have been from any green pony but, goddesses no.... I lifted a long pale green hair, long enough to be from a mane or tail.
"Fairlight ?", the Chiefs voice from behind me brought me back to my senses. He gestured towards the window, blood and green hair smeared across the bottom of the frame told their own story.
A stifled cry from the front of the house resounded through the cabin. As one, we ran back down the hallway, covering each other as we made the front door. Outside....Meadow, lying on her side at the hooves of a violet pony, sporting a short buzz cut white mane. He seemed familiar but those eyes, purple eyes I'd seen recently....
"Fumbles." The Chief spat, raising his crossbow, "What the fuck are you doing pony ?"
The violet unicorn grinned at us and sighed out an exaggerated breath. "Whats it look like Chief ? I'm here for my tip", he laughed and violently kicked Meadow who let out a moan of pain.
"You bastard ! I'll fucking kill you !", I screamed at him in fury, my mind a haze of red anger. "Down boy !", the traitorous unicorn laughed as a bolt slammed into my hind leg, sending me to the ground.
"Keep your dog on a leash Mitre, eh ?" He sneered.
Mitre lowered his crossbow, raising a hoof. "Okay Fumbles, steady now, you've got our attention. Let the filly go and we'll talk."
"That's better !", Fumbles said in a jovial voice. "But not quite good enough...". Another bolt shot out and struck Mitre in the chest. He fell, the ground shaking as his bulk slammed into it.
"Look....Fumbles....you don't have to do this...", the Chief managed, a look of pain crossing his face.
The violet unicorn looked up at the sky and scratched his chin in thought, "You know, I did wonder about that ? But then I thought, nah, you've caused me a lot of trouble Chief. My employers are not happy ponies, not happy at all. You've caused delays in shipments, cost them, me, money."
"Is that what this is about ? Money ?!", I shouted at him. Fumbles rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. Another bolt slammed into my flank, making me scream aloud as the white hot agony flared through my body.
"For Celestia's sake Fumbles, you're a Watch Pony, we're your brothers. Don't do this."
He shook his head, "My employers are not patient ponies Chief, oh, wait, here they are now."
A sky carriage pulled by two cloaked unicorns landed gracefully near by. Fumbles kept his crossbow trained on us and two ponies, both covered with the same type of cloak as the carriages drivers, walked up to the violet one. I couldn't hear what they were saying but it didn't look good for any of us by the sidelong glances we were getting. I looked to Meadow, she was breathing but unconscious.
"Chief...", I whispered, "..how you keeping up ?".
He looked at me weakly, the bolt was deeply embedded, probably pressing on his heart by its position. If he didn't get help soon, it'd be too late.
"Fairlight.....", he croaked, "....save Meadow....", his face contorted in pain, "Listen...I don't think I'm.... going to make it, boy.... Get her out of here, tell Shelly I'm sorry. Can you....can you do that for me ?".
"Chief for Luna's sake, hold on the team's on its way, helps coming", I told my Chief, trying to sound encouraging. He nodded, closing his eyes with a smile. He didn't believe me, I could tell.
Fumbles was having a conversation with another occupant of the sky carriage, finally bowing low as the door closed. With a flurry of wings, the carriage took to the air and out over the trees. The violet stallion walked over to Meadow sneering down at her before leaning down and running his tongue slowly up her neck while watching my reaction. "Such a pretty little thing isn't she ?", he oozed in that sickly voice of his, "I'll bet you've ploughed this one plenty."
I snarled at the damnable creature, "Leave her alone you bastard, you've done enough."
"Done enough !?" he cried aloud waving his forelegs in the air in a theatrical display of mockery, "Oh no, Mister Watch pony, I haven't done nearly enough. You see, we need a.....yes...an example. Ponies are timid creatures by nature, the strong ones rising to the top to lead the rest. Good followers you see ?". He waved an expansive gesture with a foreleg, "Fear can be used as a tool to keep the others in line, allow our operation here to continue without.....'interference'."
"You....traitorous dog", Mitre said, "The watch will find you and...."
Fumbles clopped his hooves together and jigged about with a look of glee, "Oh ! Of course ! Silly me, how could I forget. Must be my age, but then you'd know all about that wouldn't you Mitre ?". He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, round golden coloured device. My heart sank.
"So trusting.....", he said softly.
Standing on his hind legs as if to an imaginative audience, Fumbles shouted out, his voice echoing across the forest clearing,
"Oh ponies of the Watch, where fore art thou ? Come hither to the rescue of these three, thy distressed brothers and sister." He spoke to the device, mimicking the Chiefs voice, "Whats that ? You're there and the place is empty ? A bomb you say ? Everyone blown to matchwood you say ? Oh my goodness !"
Fumbles shook his mane and fixed us with a look of absolute contempt, "Yes, I'm afraid, dearest Chief Mitre and supporting act....", he gestured towards me dismissively, "your flying squad will be slightly delayed. Rather than arriving here in, what was it now....'thirty minutes ?', there will be a slight change to the scheduled destination.....".
He stood on his hind legs again, forelegs raised up and head back, "....The Afterlife !" he screamed out hysterically.
"You first, cunt....", Mitre gasped out as he emptied the entire magazine of the crossbow into Fumbles' chest. The vile creature staggered back, scrabbling at the shafts protruding from him, blood already beginning to trickle down from the wounds. He fell backwards, dead.
I looked to Mitre. The Chiefs eyes were glassy and lifeless, my old boss and mentor, had left to join the Eternal Herd. I magicked up my crossbow and rolled to see the cloaked ponies rushing me. I loosed a shot off at the first and he yelped as the bolt clipped his ear. I tried to cycle the next bolt but the cursed thing was jammed solid. Using it like a cudgel, I swung it at the biggest one of the two, bouncing off him harmlessly.
As their distance closed, I drew my sword. The large pony stopped and produced a long black tube from the depths of his cloak. I'd seen these before, this was one of those scum from the warehouse and now he was going to finish the job. I was staring death in the face when my world exploded in fire and pain. I fell into darkness, the world crumbling in around me. From what sounded like they came from a distant world, I heard the fading voices of the two ponies,
"Celestias tits, Mel, looks like you damn near blew his head off ! Is he still alive ?"
"Still breathing, but not for long I reckon. Come on we've got a job to do.".
"We've still got time to have some fun with this cute little filly first, right ?"
"Yeah. By the time we're done with these two, no pony will ever fuck with the boss ever again."
Their laughter was the last thing I hear before the darkness swallowed me whole. |
Fairlight | Chapter Twenty Two - Possessions | CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Possessions
I had to get out of here. This damnable place was starting to pull me back and forth like a foals yoyo, the blasted crystal was shining brighter than ever but the hills it seemed to point me towards looked just as far away as ever. The best part of all of this was that they were on the other side of the lake and there was no way to cross in a straight line. Other than swimming of course, and there wasn't a chance I was going to even contemplate doing that, not with those tentacle-y round blob things about, I could only hope I could walk around it.
I shuddered at the intrusive memory of the slimy white tentacle creatures touch, not to mention the feeling of them actually worming their way though my body absorbing my very essence. Right, that was it ! I was definitely going to find a way out of here....
'How' of course, was the real issue here. Shadow snorted at me, facing toward the hills in the distance, "beyond". "I know love", I replied solemnly, "but I've no idea how to get there. I don't have wings like you." She bobbed her head and preened her wings before nuzzling my neck. She was an affectionate little creature, I had quite taken to her. Not that there was anything actually 'little about her of course, it just sounded, right somehow....'endearing'. I wasn't into all this, 'bonding' and 'mate' thing though, especially as the conniving little Thestral had bamboozled me into it, but as a companion, she fit the bill perfectly.
We followed the shore line for hours before a sudden thought occurred to me. I turned to Shadow, "Shadow, do you know a way to cross this lake ?". She cocked her head to one side, "Cross ?" she asked. "Yes, a bridge, a boat. Starswirl found a way across and he was a unicorn.", at least I think he was, falling asleep in classes really helped me when I needed it !
"No. Fairlight....fly ?"
"I cant love, I'm not a Thestral, no wings see ?" I pointed to my flank. Wait a minute...."Oh my goddesses !" I cried out, "wheres my.....". I scrabbled frantically with my hooves, rolling over to check the other side, it had been there that long that I'd stopped noticing it. I'd been here for so long....when had it....., "Its gone !". I ran in circles, huffing and snorting, losing myself in my distress. Shadow slammed me to the ground with her forelegs and I sprawled in a heap gasping up at her, "I'm a bloody.....'blank flank !'. Shit, shit, SHIT ! Whats this fucking place going to throw at me next ? Are my frigging ear going to drop off or something ? Luna fuck me fucking sideways !"
I ranted for a good while before shadow finally grew bored of my foalish tantrum and walked away. Moping done, I clambered to my hooves and headed out after her, keeping a good distance out of embarrassment. How do I explain cutie marks and blank-flanks to a Thestral ? I'd been teased mercilessly at school, being the last in our
class to get mine; A spyglass. I thought it was pretty cool but the other foals joked that I'd only gotten that because I'd been looking for a talent for so long, my cutie mark special talent WAS looking for one. My head hurt just thinking about, I wasn't the brightest foal in the class, but I was a hard worker and eventually, I'd risen to the rank of Captain in the Watch. Bloody foals.....
My revelry ended when I unceremoniously bumped head first into Shadow's rump. She didn't even flinch, she was so pre-occupied staring out across the water at something. I followed her gaze but couldn't see anything at all.
"What it is Shadow ?" I asked her quietly.
"Father", she replied.
Sure enough a few seconds later a rumbling cry echoed across the water and Far Sight, my new father in law, ugh !, dived down from the sky, swooping right over our heads and causing a spray of water to hit us in the down draft. He pulled up steeply, flaring his massive wings to arrest his descent, twisting until he hovered there facing us. His wings beat rhythmically while he landed vertically, all four legs bending slightly to absorb the impact. It was all very impressive. I glanced at Shadow, heartened that she was stood there straight and proud, unabashed, her red eyes glowing with a fierce fiery glow. Alluring if you liked them thin and terrifying. Oh, and teeth, don't forget the teeth !
"Looks like Dad's back", I said.
Shadows sisters landed behind him, well behind him I noticed. His red eyes glowed like suns in the darkness of the Withers and he raised his head back like a snake ready to strike before snapping it forward, jaws wide. A screaming roar hit me with the force of a hurricane. Shadows wing snapped out and covered me from the worst of it. I'd have to thank her later.
Her intervention did not impress her father, he snapped at her with his sharp teeth, nowhere near to actually connect but enough of a display to impress on her his anger. His daughter snapped right back at him. 'Oh crap, Shadow, you're not helping here !', I thought to myself. I was going to have to do something to get us own of this situation. I pushed Shadow behind me protectively and faced Far Sight, keeping well out of range of those bloody great teeth.
Ember trotted forward to stand by her fathers side. She clicked and cawed and Shadow replied in kind. 'These Thestrals should come with subtitles', I wondered sarcastically.
"My Father, Lord Far Sight of the Land Beyond, commands you to return his daughter, Fairlight, Pony of Equestria."
This was all sounding terribly formal.
"No." I replied calmly. Ember spoke in the ear splitting language to her father before turning back to me, "My father demands that you return his daughter. The bonding is annulled."
I turned to Shadow who looked intently into my eyes, "What do you want to do love ? This is your home, its not mine. We've had a good time of it you and I. I wont stop you if you want to go back with your family."
She looked at me for a long time, her eyebrows crinkling slightly and, there, from the corner of her eye, a tiny yellow drop, a flame, trickled down her cheek to drop on the ground. Well done Fairlight, you've managed to make a girl from another species cry now. What a bloody hero....
"No". Shadows response slammed into my head with the subtlety of a brick.
"Speak !" Called Ember.
"She said 'No'".
"What !? She cannot ! Her father is the Lord of the Land Beyond !".
I stood tall and looked at Far Sight as I replied to Embers words, "Regardless of that, she has given you her reply. I don't know about your world, but in mine, No means No."
The big Thestral pushed Ember aside and screamed a blast of hot air at me. My eyes burned and I could feel the rage inside me screaming in kind, screaming for release. I knew, without doubt, that I could destroy this creature without breaking a sweat, freeze the flesh from his bones and rip him limb from bloodied limb. My anger swirled up and threatened to overwhelm my self control with its power. I felt myself fall into a fighting stance, my throat vibrating with a rising guttural sound.
My vision was suddenly filled with....Shadows rump ! Her midnight black tail swishing back and forth angrily as she stood right in front of my muzzle, looking up at her father. Rearing on two legs she slammed her forelegs down into the sand, Goddesses ! I could see the glare from her red eyes from here. Shadow took a deep breath and screamed an animal cry that lifted the sand in a ripple which made even her father step back.
"MINE !"
Far Sight roared back at her but there was something in his body language, a quiver of uncertainty...it could have been my imagination of course but....
"MINE !", Shadow screamed again, louder and with such force my head was pounding. She stomped a hoof, baring her teeth to emphasise her determination.
Even from this angle, I could see her chest heaving, she was breathing hard, but she stood her ground. If her father attacked, she wouldn't stand a chance, he was nearly twice her size and with teeth like swords. Time seemed to grind to a silent halt. Far Sight simply stood there, unmoving, Ember and her two sisters nickered nervously and squawked, Shadow quietly waited, steam curling up from her nostrils.
The seconds dragged on until Ember stepped forward, breaking the stalemate. She spoke at length with her father before walking over to us, head low, "Father says that he will hear from you, Equestrian".
Luna, what was I going to say to this creature ? Shadows father loomed over me as I approach him. I wished I'd taken that course on negotiations offered by the Watch now. Why the hell hadn't I gone on it ? Ah....yes... I remember now. It was Brittles retirement do and I'd had too much to drink, so, I'd called in sick. I hoped to the good Goddesses I wasn't going to regret this.......
I bowed respectfully. "Lord Far Sight", I began, "I am not native to your lands nor the Wither world, this is true. I am honoured to be travelling with your daughter on my journey and thankful for your concern for her safety. I am no warrior, but I pledge to you with all my heart and soul, that I will defend her with my life. I will not allow harm to befall her so long as I draw breath."
Far Sight looked on. I noted that Ember had stopped translating for some reason too. Damn it, here goes.....
"Great Lord Far Sight of the Thestrals, you honour me with your presence and I offer you my greatest respects. I humbly request that my mate and I be allowed to travel your lands to the Beyond so that we may complete our journey."
The huge Thestral opened his jaws and steam rolled out from between his battery of teeth. A deep thunderous voice rumbled through my brain, making my whole body shiver and knees begin to quake. I breathed in deeply to calm my racing heart and held my ground at the mental onslaught.
"You flatter me Equestrian. You show me respect and respect my daughter. I tell you now, truly, I do not like.....'ponies'...." That explained a lot. "...you do not belong here. Ember tells me that you saved Shadow from a river demon, does she speak true ?"
I nodded.
"Against my wishes, Shadow has pledged herself to you. You have eaten together of the Cetean Egg ?"
Again I nodded.
"What will you do when you reach the Beyond, Equestrian ?", Far Sights question boomed at me.
"My gracious Lord Far Sight, It is my intent to return to world of mortals", I replied.
He considered me for a moment and shook his mane, looking intently at Shadow. Somehow, he radiated the feeling of....sadness, of loss. Shadow sensed it too, her head held low. The huge male turned his attention back to me.
"What of my daughter Equestrian ? Will you abandon her when you attain your goal ?"
I looked at Shadow. Despite her bony appearance which would send most ponies heading for the hills in terror, she....there was something about her, something I couldn't quite put my hoof on. She noticed me looking and gazed up at me with those burning red eyes. Nobility, a strength inside her that I hadnt thought about until now. But there it was, a proud spirit, unbroken and true. She reminded me of......
"My Lord, your daughter is a proud Thestral, of that I know. She has a strength of heart and courage that will weather any storm. If the goddesses will it, if it can be done, I would take her to the mortal world with me. Truly, your daughter will make the choice herself when the times comes. She has her own will, her own destiny. No pony, No Thestral can command the daughter of Far Sight. My mate commands her own life."
Silence fell between us, you could have heard the proverbial pin drop.
Far sight blinked at me. Turning full circle, he snapped his wings out full stretch before rearing up on his hind legs. I held my breath, unsure as to what would happen next. What did happen was the last thing I expected, the Thestral Lord began to laugh. His chest heaved as his booming laughter shook the sky, the sound making the sand leap around us and send ripples out across the lake. He laughed until he was hoarse, his daughters and I standing there dumbfounded.
"It seems I have found a son at last !" He cried out, stomping his hooves in the sand. His daughters seemed somewhat less than impressed.
"My Lord honours me", I bowed to the Thestral.
"Yes !...yes, I do Equestrian. Fairlight...yes ?", he rumbled happily.
I nodded. Far Sight, settled his wings and settled himself into the sand, "Now, Fairlight of Equestria, I will hear your tale. In full.". The Thestrals daughters and I formed a circle, reminiscent of camping in the hills around Ponyville. I had a feeling this was going to be a long night... |
Fairlight | Chapter Twenty Three - A short way down | CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
A short way down
I yawned, the big male Thestral had pulled every grain of memory he could from me, examined it and went back for more. I wondered if he were a friendlier version of the memory eating river monster, at least with that I had been able to fight it off. Far Sight was utterly merciless.
Ember and her sisters were curled up next to each other sound asleep. Apparently my story telling was as riveting as ever, I'd need to brush up on that when I put Sparrow to bed at night. Meadow would........I closed my eyes and clicked my tongue, not now damn it.
Far Sight nodded, thinking his great Thestral thoughts. A quick preen of those huge wings and a snort brought back my attention.
"Fairlight of Equestria, whether my daughter has chosen well or not remains to be seen. Your character pleases me, I am confident that you will protect her with your life if there is the need. It is the Thestral way, and now, it is also your way."
He stretched out in the sand, adjusting his legs, "I am however, disturbed by this 'power' you used to defeat the river demon. How came you by such a destructive force ?"
I answered as honestly as I could, "Truthfully, I have no idea. It just seemed to appear after I arrived in the Withers. Whatever it is, I cant enter the Eternal Herd until its gone."
"And you still want to enter this... 'Eternal Herd' ?", Far Sight asked.
"I.....". Did I ? I wanted with all my heart to be with Meadow, with my daughter. Why was I trying to get back to the mortal world after all ? To take revenge on the ponies who murdered me, my wife and unborn foal ? Shouldn't I be trying to purge myself of this...thing...inside me ? What about Shadow ? She was bonded to me now and as much as I wanted it to be otherwise I....I wasn't sure any more. If some pony had asked me earlier if I saw the Thestral as nothing more than an otherworldly travelling companion, I would have answered yes, but now....
I looked across at the black coated creature with the fiery eyes who was busy cleaning her coat with light nibbles from those wicked teeth. She noticed my gaze and looked
up at me silently. She'd stayed awake throughout my recollection and drank in every word. Her eyes hot red glow warming my soul in this cold land.
"I don't know", was all I could manage. Pathetic, Fairlight...bloody pathetic.
Far sight looked from me, to his daughter and then back to me, nodding slowly. "You will know when the time comes. Do not be in such a rush to join them, my Equestrian friend. Your time will come....in time."
"Lord Far Sight ?", he waved a hoof for me to continue, "Do you remember a pony called Starswirl the Bearded ?". I described his appearance and the Thestral turned his head to stare out across the water, apparently in thought.
"Yes. I remember. He was an Equestrian, like you. A traveller of worlds, a pony of great power. He was a friend to my father."
"Do you know how he crossed the lake ? Is there some way Shadow and I can cross it safely ?"
Far Sight bit at his foreleg for a moment before answering me.
"I do not know how he crossed the great lake Equestrian. You, will fly".
Oh bollocks, not again. I had a horrible feeling this was coming. I hung my head, even the memory of vertigo made my stomach turn somersaults. But if this was the only way, or at least the quickest, it had to be done. We'd come too far to turn back now. To Tartarus with it, lets do this !
I stood, shaking the sand from my coat, mane and tail. "Very well, Lord Far Sight, I thank you for your wisdom".
"And so you should Equestrian", he laughed as he too rose to his hooves. His daughters, woken by his movement, similarly stood up and shook off the sand.
I walked over to Shadow and she nuzzled me softly. I noticed some sand caught in a fold on her wing and blew it free. She gave a little shudder and a small chirrup escaped her lips. "Are you ready love ?", I asked, helping her to her hooves. "Yes", the little Thestral said pushing into me, "Love". Oh Celestia ! I heard a deafening neigh from behind me and tentatively turned to find myself muzzle to muzzle with Far Sight. "Wha..!", I started back but he moved forward with me. "You are my daughters mate...Fairlight...it is only to be expected. However...", his eyes flared a blinding crimson, "...there are young Thestrals here. Please, keep your displays for when you are....alone."
I felt my cheeks burning and covered my face with a foreleg. I peeked out to see Shadows sisters giving us side long glances and giggling in that odd clicking, squawking way of their kind. Shadow looked away, a reddish hue to her cheeks. Damn, blast and buggeration ! This was all I needed right now and even worse, I was
starting to feel hot inside, really hot. I had to keep my focus on something else....that was it ! Flying ! Oh...bollocks..... |
Fairlight | Chapter Twenty Four - Sacrifices | CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Sacrifices
For one gut wrenching moment, I had the alarming thought that I'd have to ride on Far Sights back. The big buck was probably more than capable of carrying me, but instead, the job fell to his daughters. One of them returned later that day with a bundle of ropes, what looked like ropes anyway. Long, white slimy, gooey, Oh Goddesses !, it was one of those water dwelling things wasn't it ?! I closed my eyes when they passed the 'ropes' under me, each sister taking a mouthful of the vile things.
Firmly grasping the ends, they flew into the air in a beating mass of wings with their payload, me, suspended underneath. The feeling of the slimy things against my coat and nethers was indescribable, not to mention the sliding, slipping feeling I had as we lifted off the ground. I closed my eyes and tried to think of something...anything else. This was going to be a long trip.
I was pleasantly surprised when I found that the combination of the cool breeze from the Thestrals wings and the rhythmic bobbing of my makeshift sling, was actually quite therapeutic. I even ventured so far as to open my eyes to look down, barely opening them to begin with, I'll admit, but soon I was able to take in the sheer expanse of the black lake below me. The peculiar half-light in the Withers gave an ethereal beauty to the scenery around me. I marvelled at the co-ordination of the Thestrals and looked into the distance at Far Sight, circling us. "Recon", I thought aloud. A muffled chirrup caught my attention and I saw Shadow looking back at me, eyes aglow.
I settled back and looked around at the water. We weren't as high as I'd thought, the Thestrals were struggling a little with their unusual load. I silently thanked them and smiled.
Watching the water below, the ripples on the surface kept catching the light making them sparkle. I followed them out with my eyes....funny, they almost seemed to be following us. It must have a reaction to the downdraught from the Thestrals wings....Only, these ripples were growing larger, growing...and speeding up.
"Far Sight !" I shouted, "Theres something in the water !", "Shadow !".
Sensing danger, the Thestrals strained to gain height with Far Sight diving in and around us. I stared down but the ripples had vanished, thank Luna, looks like it was just my overactive imagination. Far Sight continued to circle, urging his daughters to gain height. The strain was almost palpable, if only there was something I could do to
help them, something, anything, no matter how insignificant, but I was helpless, hanging there suspended beneath these incredible creatures.
I looked ahead to see that the light appeared to be, different, in some fashion. I tried to make my eyes focus, straining to make it out and then, there it was. There was no
doubt.....it was...Land ! Sweet, sweet land ! I felt a huge relief wash through me just as the water exploded upwards in a whirling fountain of water, spikes and teeth.
In the blink of an eye one of the Thestrals was gone. In a bone crunching, sickening blur of teeth, sticky warm blood sprayed over me mixing with the chill black water. Slamming back into the lake below, the strangled cry of fear and pain echoing in my ears heralded the horrifying death of one of Shadow's sisters. Screeching and clicking, they flew for all they were worth. Though I hung on with my hooves and forelegs as best I could, it was clear I couldn't last long, they couldn't last long. I glanced down to see the water getting nearer with every exhausted wing beat. I was dragging them down to their deaths.
Far Light cried out for the loss of a daughter. Rage, hate and loss howled out across the water. The creature beneath broached the surface again, flicking the dismembered Thestral's remains high into the air before she disappeared down its foul maw. As it slipped back beneath the waves, I caught a glimpse of a translucent white eye, heartless and uncaring....hungry. It would be back, and soon.
I was starting to lose my grip. Shadow looked down at me, "Near Beyond" she thought. Goddesses, the look on her face; fear, anger and determination warred with one another. And fatigue. I looked at her two sisters, they were all reaching the end of their endurance. I offered a prayer to Luna and hung on for dear life.
The monstrous lake creature burst up again, arrowing straight for one of the Thestrals.... Ember. She hadn't seen it. I heaved on the ropes connecting me to her, making Ember lurch to one side with a squawk of surprise as the white serpent howled past. Far Sight almost barrelled into us, raking the thing with a burst of fire from his mouth. My mouth by comparison, hung open in surprise. I'd seen steam rising from Thestrals nostrils and even their mouths, but fire ? Ah hell, why not. Nothing surprised me here now. Well, maybe a little...
We were dangerously low to the water now and the Thestrals were all but spent. It wasn't far to the shore but at our rate of decent, we weren't going to make it. Far Sight pulled along side, encouraging his daughters and made a grab for the dangling rope. I saw the danger before they did, the white haze below the waters surface was rapidly approaching from behind, waves beginning to spread out, closing the distance. With a horrible certainty, I knew that any moment now, one of us would be taken. I recalled a pony saying once, "Your words will come back to haunt you". I remembered mine, "I pledge to you with all my heart and soul, that I will defend her with my life. I will not allow harm to befall her so long as I draw breath."
I smiled up at Shadow, her tired eyes going wide in realisation. "Forgive me love" I mouthed and let go of the rope.
The water was as frigid as it could be without being actual ice and it took my breath away. The impact with the surface was bone shaking but thankfully, as I hadn't fallen that far, I was only under for a second before broaching the surface spluttering. The first thing I saw when I could finally pull myself together, were the serpent's eyes
several feet away above the water line. Those terrible dead orbs had locked onto their next meal.
I spat out water, desperately clawing for the small ball of anger within me, but in my panic for breath in the freezing lake, I couldn't find any focus. I wasn't the best swimmer in Equestria to begin with, but try doing it in near freezing water and you improve fast. For all the effort I was putting in, I was only going to die tired when the thing reached me. A moment later, it dived, then almost instantly, shot upwards once more and angled itself for a tasty meal of Fairlight. I'd stared death in the face before and this time was no different, it just had more teeth.
"You don't scare me you great toothy turd !" I shouted waving my forelegs at it, "I hope you fucking choke !".
The serpent hissed out a damp shrieking noise as it dove down on me. Well, this was it. Death number two coming up, for Luna's sake give me a break.....
I'd reckoned without the fire making abilities of Far Sight however, as a jet of his concentrated fire hit the serpent right in its open maw. There was a horrible noise of crackling flesh and the smell of burnt rubber as the thing writhed, plunging beneath the surface once more. Two of the Thestral sisters gained height but one of them flapped downwards, hovering just above me, a rope held in her mouth. "Fairlight !" shadow thought at me in panic.
What was the stupid mare doing !? "For the Goddesses sake Shadow, get out of here ! Get yours sisters and fly ! Leave me and go !"
"No !". The thought hammered into my head with all the subtlety of a flying brick. In frustration I gripped the rope and she pulled. Even as I kicked with all my might towards the far shore, it was immediately apparent this wasn't going to work, but.... it may buy me some time to find that ball of power within me. I could sense it, just out of reach. A slippery bar of soap in the bathtub of my being.
Embers cry's of warning caught my attention as Shadow heaved again on the rope. In helpless horror, I watched as snapping teeth and spiked fins burst from the water beside me, ripping a thick chunk of flesh from her side. Shadows blood fell on my upturned face like warm rain.
With a heart rending scream, the Thestral fell from the sky and down into the inky waters of the lake. I struck out for the floundering mare, grabbing her around the neck to keep her afloat. She was terrified, blood gushing from her wound, mixing with the water around us. Shadow looked into my eyes with a far away look, "Fairlight ?". There was no mistaking the weakness in her voice, I was losing her. Goddesses, it was happening again. Again ! I felt a dark pit open in my heart and I stared into it, jumped into it, willing myself deeper. A voice, my own, echoed through my entire being. By
all that was good in this world, to all that was evil, the powers of the day and the night, the light and the dark, give me the strength to throw down my enemy and save this mare. I prayed to whatever gods would listen, to anything that would heed my call. I offered them my life, my very soul.
They answered........
The small hard ball of ice cold anger had never left. I'd just, misplaced it. It welcomed me, filled me, burned my veins and froze my soul. A cascade of power flooded through me....it was me. I howled in agony and moaned in ecstasy as wings as white as snow burst from my back, my coat turning from its dark grey to the same brilliant white as my newly grown wings.
My mind was a tempest of emotions and animalistic instinct. Several feet away, the creature leapt up at Far Sight to be met with another blast of scorching fire. I took the distraction to grab Shadow and with a strong beat of wings, effortlessly pulled her free from the sucking black liquid. I breathed deeply, drawing in the smells and sounds of battle, mixing it with the burning ice in my heart until it was called forth. It demanded its release and I obeyed. Blue-white fog plumed from my maw, passing over dagger like teeth and down onto the waters surface, freezing it instantly. The ice spread out at an incredible rate, hungrily devouring the black water as it broiled along in every direction.
I landed on the thick white mass and gently lowered the panting Thestral onto its ethereal solidity. I let out a cry of anger and magic, the fog coalescing into a wall surrounding shadows body, protecting her. I watched as it froze solid, the blue-white shimmer, sparkling like silver stars. It pleased me. Now....now I was hungry and my hunger demanded it be sated. I turned my eyes towards my meal and smiled, howling a warning out across the water. It was time for vengeance, it was time....to feed. |
Fairlight | Chapter Twenty Five - Unexpected changes | CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Unexpected changes
The serpent saw me screaming towards it and dove to avoid my attack. My horn glowed with a deep blue light and an incandescent beam of purest energy lanced down into the water, instantly boiling it to steam. Clouds of scalding vapour rose into the air and I banked steeply to make another pass as the thing thrashed to the surface, letting out a hideously loud cry. With a flap of my wings, I passed over the serpent again and again, the intense beam bringing the ink black lake to a bubbling heat the creature desperately tried to escape from. I laughed aloud at its hopeless struggles to get away, my horn blasting the water into scalding death, corralling it into the oncoming white fog.
The collision was delectable, I felt as much as saw the serpent trying to pull itself onto the ice to escape the boiling water, then realising, too late...it was trapped. The fog surrounded the creature, slowing it movements, turning its innards to solid ice.
I alighted upon the frozen mass, slowly advancing on the vile thing, my head held high, my wings spread wide. A display of power and dominance over my fallen foe. I had mastered it and it knew, I could see it in those pitiless eyes, the realisation that its end had come.
A fierce need for sustenance flared up from inside me and I growled low and hungrily at the serpent. Its eyes followed me as I circled it, thick white mist dripping from between my teeth. I inhaled. A warm sensation filled me, sweet and fulfilling. I closed my eyes and breathed in again, warmer this time, full of energy, full of life. It was...delicious. A taste I had never known before, so....so wonderful ! How had I never experienced this before ?! I breathed in, again and again until I was sated. Shaking my mane as the ecstasy subsided, I opened my eyes and looked at the now empty husk of the lake serpent before me. Its lifeless eyes, dead, in the truest sense of the word.
Part of me was horrified at the sight, at what I had done to another living creature. The other revelled in the destruction of what I had wrought. The damnable beast had wounded my mate, killed one of her sisters. It had dared to attacked me....it deserved death, and I was happy to oblige. I paused, a memory of a glowing pair of red eyes... "My....mate.....".
An impact on the ice behind me signalled Far Sights arrival, "Equestrian ! Where is my daughter ?!".
"Follow !" I cried, launching into the air, skimming over the ice until I reached the wall I'd created to protect her. Ember and her sister were already there with Shadow, clicking and whinnying in agitation. I gently reached out and gathered her up in my
forelegs and with a blast of air from my wings, propelled us toward the shore of the Beyond. |
Fairlight | Chapter Twenty Six - Innocence | CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Innocence
Shadows wounds were severe. Broken bone and torn sinew, muscle...so much blood. Her sisters stood over her, their tears dripping burning red droplets onto her injuries. I had been surprised at first, and alarmed, but Far Sight had stopped me from interfering.
"You are not familiar with our ways, Equestrian. My daughters tears can heal wounds, revive the sick and the weak. You must wait, be strong and believe in her".
It was easier said than done. I was confused, angry and afraid. I didn't want to lose Shadow. I couldn't, not now....
Ember trotted over to her father and spoke to him quietly. There was a sad resignation in the whistles and click that made my heart skip a beat. The large Thestral gave her a brief nuzzle then walked slowly over to me, his head down.
"Equestrian. Fairlight... My daughter says that she and her sister have done all they can. Theres is a poison in her body, something in the serpents bite, which is preventing her wounds from healing. My son, your mate, Shadow, is near death."
He nudged me with his nose towards the prone figure of Shadow. "Be with her now Fairlight, she will want you by her side when her end comes."
In a shocked daze, I rose to my hooves. I walked slowly over to my precious companion, my only true friend in this cursed land. The one who had risked everything to rescue me from my own stupid attempt at heroics. Now, she was dying. The little Thestral, bonded to me, mated to me, was losing her fight for life. I should have done more to protect her. I should have been more. I knelt before her and cradled her head in my forelegs as I had done once before, with another beloved mare. It felt like it was so long ago now, yet here I was again, losing some pony else that I...that I....
"Fairlight ?"
She opened her eyes and nuzzled me weakly. "Shadow.....I....", I began,
"Love ?"
Oh goddesses, why ? Why was this happening again ? I cried out, howled and screamed my pain into that endless damned sky, that unending panorama of hopelessness that trapped me...us...in this hell.
I held her and felt my tears begin to fall. I heard a little gasp from one of the Thestrals nearby but I paid it no heed. I rocked my Shadow, my precious Thestral, as snow silently fell around us, covering her in a soft white shroud for her passing.
I choked back the pain but the tears kept falling, turning to tiny crystals as they dropped onto Shadows mouth and vanished. With each one, she twitched slightly, a tiny movement but one which gave me pause. I looked back at her terrible wound and saw little wisps of steam rising from it, saw bone fusing back together, re-growing, muscle knitting to muscle. Slowly, ever so slowly...yes...there it was...my Goddesses....
I wonder....I groped inside for the feeling of power, of primal fulfilment I had experienced earlier. It was there, waiting for me. Carefully, I teased some of it free, a tiny trickle of sparkling silver light dripping from my maw to hers. Shadows tongue licked at the light and her eyes flickered. It wasn't enough, she needed more.
Lifting her head, I placed my mouth over hers, filling her with the silvery light. Slowly, her eyes opened and I felt her tongue push into my mouth, brushing against mine, exploring, tasting, hungering.
The steam rising from her wounds increased and I saw from the corner of my eye, the last of her hide stitching itself seamless back together. Her chest rose and fell as her breathing steadied, her strength returning. I relaxed my grip but as I did, her forelegs grabbed me in that bony embrace and she pushed her mouth onto mine, letting out a light rumbling noise from her throat. The sensation was....intense. Heat, and a sweet spicy taste, flooded into my mouth, her moist tongue wrapping itself around mine. I could feel Shadows heart pounding in her chest as she pushed into me.
A loud shrieking and clicking behind us made us jump apart. Shadow looked away, abashed, hiding her face with her hooves.
Ember and her sister pranced around each other, looking on like school foals who'd stumbled across something they shouldn't have. Far Sight however, was not impressed.
"I have asked you before, Equestrian, to keep your mortal hooves off my daughter when my family can see you !", he shouted at me so loudly I had to cover my ears with my forelegs. It didn't help in the slightest. "Perhaps there is something wrong with your hearing ?" He bellowed even louder.
"No sir...", I managed as nothing more than a squeak.
"WHAT ?", I didn't think it possible for his voice to get any louder, but goddesses, was I wrong.
"NO SIR !" I flung back at him as loud as I could.
I nearly yelped in surprise when the huge creature lumbered forward and scooped me up into a hug with those long bony forelegs. A moment later, I was released and he placed a hoof on my shoulder, "Thank you".
I was taken aback, unsure as to what to say. Plopping back on my haunches I stared into space, while Far Sight headed back to his daughters. Whatever had happened here today, It didn't matter, Shadow was alive and safe. A pair of slender, if rather knobbly forelegs passed around my neck as a warm muzzle slid up to mine from behind. A sultry red eye, an inch from my own, peered into my soul while her voice entered my heart, "Mine". |
Fairlight | Chapter Twenty Seven - Into the beyond | CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Into the Beyond
We had been camped together for several days near the foothills of what the Thestrals had called 'the Beyond'. Far Sight had explained to me that the area Shadow and I were seeking was still some ways to the north. How he knew which way was north was a mystery to me, this place looked the same whichever direction I went in. The big Thestral had tried to explain but most of it was in some sort of inscrutable logic that I suspected only another Thestral could comprehend. I smiled and thanked him for his explanation.
That evening, (it was by Embers explanation although I'd have to take her word for that too), my clicking and shrieking pony-esq hosts gathered in a circle. Ember trotted over to me and nudged my rump with her nose, "Come Fairlight of Equestria, we are ready now." Without further explanation she trotted back to the others and resumed her place.
Shadow nudged me into a roughly equidistant position to the others and closed her eyes. I waited, for what I had no idea, whatever it was though, I had been accepted by these enigmatic creatures and I would play my part.
"Fairlight. My son."
I looked into Far Sights eyes and waited for his words respectfully.
"This day, we mourn our lost daughter, our lost sister. You did not know her as we know her. Wind Sheer was a child of my tribe and a friend to you, a sister to your mate.", I listened carefully as he continued, "This day, you are of our family, a Thestral, proud and true, strong and fearless. This day I ask you to mourn the passing of our daughter and see her soul to the next world by remembering her life in this. Will you join with us, brother Thestral ?"
"I will", I said, keeping eye contact with him. He nodded and silence fell upon the five of us.
A low humming emanated from Far sight, rising like a deep tide, powerful and strong. It rolled out across the foothills, echoing its call. Ember lifted her head and let out a long call of her own, tinged with sorrow, mournful in its sombre tone.
Short Stride, the smaller of the Thestral sisters, added a thrumming cry to the other two. The sound pulsed, high and low, drawing up a sense of life, death and simple existence.
Finally, Shadow raised her voice to join her families. High and pure, flowing with joy and happiness, her simple elegant note mingled with the others producing a chorus like no other.
I marvelled at the richness of the sound, there was nothing like this in the whole of Equestria, I felt like I was being lifted up, higher than the tallest mountain, up to the heavens beyond the clouds. Tears filled my eyes and I wept with the sadness of our lost sister, I mourned the passing of my fathers daughter. I laughed at the exuberance of her youth, marvelled in her enjoyment of life. Memories, not my own, flashed through my mind; Far Sight playing with Wind Sheer as a tiny Thestral foal, an older Thestral carrying her on her back teaching her to fly, Shadow rolling with her in the white grass of her home land. The scenes brought sights, sounds and smells I never believed possible.
Emotion crashed through me and felt a surge of warmth spreading from my muzzle to my tail. Today I was the son of the Lord of the Beyond, the mate to his daughter. This day, I was a Thestral of the Wither World. I would honour her family and remember her sister. I threw back my head and cried out the lament of my soul into the whirling song of the Thestrals.
Around us, soft white snow began to fall.....
Far Sight yawned expansively, giving a long purring rumble of pleasure while Ember rubbed his shoulders. "You should have Shadow do this for you Fairlight, it loosens the muscles and feels excellent !"
I smiled at Far Sight, glancing over my shoulder at Shadow who was talking with Short Stride.
"I can but ask her, Mr Lord....", I said. He laughed out loud, making Ember click her tongue in annoyance as she readjusted her fore hooves on his joints.
It was very difficult to tell Thestrals apart, or more accurately I should say, 'had been'. At first, they all looked the same to me, all bony leathery wings and, well....bones I suppose. The pointy ears and fiery red eyes varied a lot as did the size, teeth and so forth. Little differences added up to being able, at a glance to tell them apart :
Far Sight, huge, massive teeth, long pointy ears like a dragons horns, looks like he could tear a pony apart in seconds. His hide, almost black with battle scars here and there marked out as thin darker lines.
Short Stride, smallest of the Thestrals, sleek blue-black coat and short pointed ears. Her eyes were quite large compared with the others, her teeth short and neatly aligned.
Ember, slightly larger than Short Stride, eldest of the sisters. Same blue-black coat as Short Stride with neat pointed ears. Her eyes had a yellow tinge to them, her teeth longer than Short strides, with a long pair of incisors protruding over her bottom lip.
Finally of course was Shadow. She was roughly somewhere in the middle height wise between her sisters but with an inky black coat like her fathers. There was a slight sheen to her colouration that made her body look almost silken. Her ears were pointed like the others, not curved but straight back in line with her head. Her teeth were short and sharp, like Short Strides though with the addition of several longer ones on either side, visible mostly when she yawned. Her mane and tail where the colour of midnight, a blue so dark it bordered on black. Her eyes shone bright red and lively, vibrant with life, reminding me of the campfires in the mountains when I was a foal.
A truly remarkable race, I'd love to the see the reaction in the watch house if Far Sight walked in one day ! Ah, the watch house, so many memories there. One day, soon, I would return. What reception I received was a concern for another time. Here and now, my concerns felt like a distant memory.
All the Thestrals turned as one, looking to the hills with an expectant air about them. My senses straining I picked out movement coming our way, another Thestral. This one a dark purple colour, slender with short horns, a female. She landed by Far Sight and bowed low, clicking a message to him in Thestral before she turn and flew off the way she came. Far Sight approached me with a concerned look on his face, "Can you fly ?". I looked back at my bare flank, it was still a difficult concept to grasp, despite having found the ability to 'change' a lot easier now. My power, whatever it actually was, responded to emotion predominantly...need, anger, pain, fear. I'd discovered I could sort of, 'trick', it into releasing to the point where, like now, I could let the energy flow through me.
It was not an altogether uncomfortable experience, the wings breaking out hurt briefly but a wash of exhilaration dulled it almost immediately. The worst part of all of this was keeping my 'self' in charge. Always below the thin veneer of my altered consciousness, was a tempest of uncontrollable rage, pain and Celestia knew what else, waiting for me to release its chains. It was terrifying really, but simultaneously thrilling. What the Thestrals made of it, they were keeping to themselves, my new 'father' had expressed some anxiety about it but after having his daughter rescued with its help, his concerns were put to rest.
Shadow rubbed her head along my neck, despite Far Sight's clicks and whistle of irritation. I gave him an apologetic shrug and he gave a rumbling chuckle in his throat before launching into the sky with Ember and Short Stride. Nice to have in-laws who liked you ! Especially when the alternative was probably being eaten by them. I smiled, not so easy with these choppers. A quick glace at my mate and we took flight together, timing our wing beats with one another, neither one of us ahead of the other as we closed the distance with the rest of the family.
Several hours later I could see, ever so faintly, a line of light on the horizon. It was like a split in the world, a crack in the curtain letting in the morning sunlight. I felt an urge to speed up towards it, to revel in its light giving warmth, Goddesses light at last !
We were high above the hills now, hills that were more like sand dunes in truth. The unending black sand which had slowly, but surely, sapped my will from me as I'd trudged through it, day after meaningless day.
Despite my racing heart and increasing excitement, I kept pace with the Thestrals. They knew this land, they were masters of it and I was still, I supposed, a guest here. As such I would need to follow their customs and laws until I left upon the next step of my journey. A journey I would make with my little Thestral, Shadow. A rush of warmth and calm rippled through my chest and, Meadow forgive me, my nethers. I hoped we could land soon, the cold up here and the wind from the wings down draught was having a decidedly odd effect on me.
We flew on, the white line soon transformed into white hills, white plains and silver, no, crystalline, trees. The light I had seen was not from the sun, but from the very earth itself, shining like the surface of the moon, reflecting on the hooves of the Thestrals as we banked, following the course of a wide black river. It was a mystical and imposing sight, quite beautiful....
We dipped low behind a high series of hills, their sides filled with the light giving crystal forests, every colour in the rainbow sparkling through their branches as we flew by. It was all I could do to concentrate on keeping formation while my sight was constantly being pulled away by the other worldly beauty of the Beyond.
Excitement grew amongst the Thestrals, showing in their increased speed and hooting to one another. Far Sight shrieked out a blasting trumpeting call followed by a gout of flame, the heat of which washed over me despite the distance between us. Mentally I reminded myself to keep in the Thestral Lords good books. Shadow called to her sisters and they hooted back to her in reply. "Home !", she happily called to me. I suddenly felt a sinking feeling in my heart. Damn it, what the hell was wrong with me ? A quick mane shake dispelled any dark thoughts that my imagination was conjuring up. This was her home, she was born here, raised here, she belonged here. I began to realise a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time....jealousy.
Large domes of crystals were arrayed neatly on the plain below us and we skimmed low enough to notice their inhabitants rushing out to look at us passing overhead. Hoots and shrieks filled the air as Far Sight gave another trumpeting blast of sound and fire, announcing his return home. We looped a circuit around the Thestral 'town' and came in for a landing on the white...grass ? I was about to give it a careful taste until Shadow nudged me with her shoulder, clicking in admonishment. Sorry dear !
A hoard of the skeletal creatures surged up to surround us in a dark tide. They stood out in stark constrast amongst the crystal trees and brilliant white grass. I guessed the colouring was more for camouflage in the black sand of the Withers rather than the Beyond, 'Says the guy from the land of multi-coloured ponies', I thought to myself sarcastically. Equestrians were more likely to blend into a foals birthday party than here, probably just as well. I think I was beginning to see walking nightmares as normal. Worse, I think I was beginning to lose my heart to one. Oh Fairlight, you silly colt...
The hubbub was deafening. The Thestrals kept a respectful distance but still created a solid wall of pushing, heaving teeth and glowing eyes. I wish I'd had a camera, it would be a talking point in the canteen all right.
A hushing sound spread out from the far side of the crowd, near a rise which lead to a large crystalline dome. The creatures nearest to it pushed each other out of the way as they moved back, forming a corridor towards the structure. No pony, No Thestral, moved. I didn't have to wait long to find out what we were waiting for as a group of large Thestrals, covered in wicked spikes, trotted out to take station along the newly created passage. Far sight nickered and moved forward, head held high as he walked, the very picture of nobility.
Ember and Short Stride followed a respectful distance behind him, next, Shadow and myself. I glanced at one of the guards as I walked past him. His eyes bored into mine, white hot orbs, glinting off his....armour ? My Goddesses, it was ! These Thestrals had fashioned armour, from what looked like bones fused with crystals. Strapping of a white, leather material cinched the overlapping plates together. Whatever they were made of though, the effect was impressive. I didn't notice any weapons among them, that said, I expect when you can incinerate your enemies, a sword just does quite cut it any more. Quite literally.
Each time we passed a pair of the guards, they fell in silently behind us, the creaking of the harness and armour more than a little disconcerting. I didn't like being cornered and I didn't like this situation one little bit, it was like being lead to the executioners block. None of this seemed to bother Shadow however, she was most likely used to this, being royalty of sorts. 'Aim high Fairlight', I thought insincerely.
A repetitive whisper came from the crowd I noticed. Thestral was a hard language to fathom and one I doubt I had the anatomy to be able to replicate, however certain things could be discerned by listening closely to the pitch, tone, screams and shrieks. What I picked up on had a note which, if I had to put my hoof on my heart, sounded like....anger ? The sound was similar to Far Sights when he had first met me, derisive, threatening. I hadn't put much thought to it until now as at the time I saw him more as a threat than as anything else. But now, this...this worried me. Fortunately, I didn't have to worry long at all as silence fell suddenly amongst the Thestrals and we came to a halt.
From the large crystal dome atop the rise, a magnificent deep green Thestral female emerged. Easily as large as Far Sight, with long straight horns either side of her head. Her teeth glistened in the light from the crystal trees lining the rise and I noticed long fangs either side of her mouth, just like another Thestral I knew. I swallowed the lump in my throat....I was about to meet the rest of the in-laws.
The assembled Thestrals, including the guards, went to one knee. Bloody awkward when you're not used to it I can tell you, but still, I did my best. One of the guards behind me huffed a jet of steam at my back, jabbing me for good measure with an armoured hoof before I realised he wanted me to bow lower.
Hoots, screams and clicks echoed around the assembled Thestrals until a emerald green foreleg stood before me. "Stand", a regal voice commanded me, "I would look upon this.....creature." I didn't know what to think. I'd been referring to Thestrals as 'creature's' myself, but here as I was, referred to in the same manner. I hadn't meant anything derogatory by it but now it was used to describe me ? I didn't like it at all.
With little choice in the matter, I raised my head and looked straight ahead. The tall green crea'......'Thestral'...put a fore hoof under my chin and tilted my head this way and that, eyeing me with her glowing eyes. Rather than red, hers burned a brilliant white. I felt my heart leap into my throat. She spoke rapidly to the guards who barged forward, grabbing my forelegs roughly. I didn't struggle, I'd most likely impale myself on their spikes if I did.
Far Sight clicked and squawked at the female I guessed was his mate, making it quite clear from his gesturing that he protested the rough treatment of his guest. I hoped so anyway, Goddesses knew I could have been the next one for the pot for all I knew of their customs. Fancy an Equestrian tonight dear ? Fairlight a la mode, a delicious accompaniment to any Thestrals banquet hall.
Shadow rushed forward, pointing at the guard and shrieking her protests at, I would guess, was her mother. For her trouble, the green female knocked Shadow flying with a vicious kick. I saw a small spray of blood from her mouth as the blow connected, the young Thestral landing in a heap whimpering. I shoved my guards aside and tried to get to Shadows aid but the armoured thugs were on me before I made even a quarter of the distance. "Get the fuck off me you bastards !", I yelled, fury building in me.
A Thestral in a white flowing gown hurried to Shadows side, lifting her to her hooves and passing her a clear bottle of red liquid. Thank goodness some pony here had half a heart. The green mare glowered down at me with her pitiless white eyes and I began to feel the chain loosen within me. The guards slammed my head to the ground and I could feel a blade of some sort pushing into my flesh. My anger began to boil out of control and unbidden, a trickle of it began to run through me. I let out a low growl, the ground vibrating beneath me as I looked up at the guards shocked face.
"I said, get the fuck off me !", I snarled. The blade never left my neck however. This would be a test between how fast I could throw the guard off me and how quick his reflexes would be to slit my throat open. I readied a rush of the power to overcome my enemy, grab Shadow and get the hell out there.
"NO ! Fairlight, Please ! NO !", Shadows voice pounding into my mind was like being doused with cold water. My anger blinked out in an instant, my breathing returning to normal. I glowered into the guards eyes, he was visibly shaken but keeping his composure enough to steady the blade on my throat.
Pandemonium erupted around me and I was hauled to my hooves, surrounded by guards armed with crystal axes and swords. I hadn't spotted these earlier characters, the other guards were probably more ceremonial. Their armour looked used, business like, but still constructed from the same materials as their flashier bretheren.
"Fairlight, I ask that you go with the guards for now. I must speak with my Wife about this matter." Far Sight asked, his tone sounding serious.
"I have a choice ?" I replied flippantly.
"No.", He stated with absolute finality. The Lord of the Beyond turned away to walk up to the crystal hall as I was dragged off to my guest accommodation. |
Fairlight | Chapter Twenty Eight - Visiting hours | CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
Visiting hours
It was all I ever could have asked for. A roof, four walls, a window and a door. Of course I couldn't see out of the window as it was so high up and small, I couldn't reach it without flying up there. Some enterprising fellow had thought of that too as vicious looking spikes were arrayed in the ceiling. The door was, naturally, solid crystal and locked on the outside. One way in and one way out. I was beginning to sympathise with the villains and drunks we threw into the Watch house cells. Most of them tended to be short term lock ups, our busiest period being the nightmare night celebrations. Apple Family brand cider and dandelion wine being the worst culprits for that carry on. The outcome of this situation for me though, was unlikely to be a simple fine of a few bits.
I curled up on the dust covered hard floor, and awaited 'judgement' from Far Sights wife. I'd made a, hopefully not, fatal error in judgement by allowing myself to be brought here with Shadow. News of our antics and my rebuttal of Shadows fathers request to send her home, was bound to have had some impact back here regardless of how he now saw me. I foolishly believed that any problems with the Thestrals in this village would have been the responsibility of Far Sight, not his other half. It was all too clear now, too late, just who wore the shoes in this place.
A scratching at the door caught my attention. I sidled over, "Hello ? Is some pony there ?" I whispered. The door creaked open and a guard stood before me, weapon ready and eyes glowing menacingly. He cawed and clicked a message which I took, along with his gesturing, as an order to move to the back of the cell. I complied and he nodded to someone standing just out of sight from where I stood. The guard sidestepped to allow a cloaked figure to enter the cell with me, the heavy door slammed shut behind him with a deafening finality.
My visitor pulled back his hood to reveal a green-red mottled Thestral with a greying mane and beard who lowered himself gingerly, down on his haunches. Without speaking, he produced a long thin crystal pipe from a white satchel around his neck and deftly began packing it with a dark stringy material I presumed was tobacco. After he'd finished he began rummaging for, what I also presumed, was a light of some description.
"Here, let me get that for you." I said politely, magicking a flame to hover over the bowl. He inhaled several times, his flickering yellow eyes never leaving my face. I felt quite awkward in the silence but politely waited until he was able to take a few good puffs, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips.
"Thank you Equestrian", he said, rubbing his back with a hoof. "That's a handy trick you have there."
"You're welcome....", I blinked in surprise, "Hang on ! You ARE a Thestral aren't you ?".
He chuckled, blowing a pungent smoke ring up to the ceiling. "You noticed then ? What gave it away ? The teeth ? glowing eyes ? It's the smell of sulphur isn't ? Blast, I knew I should have changed my cologne."
I stared at him, the weirdo-meter had just gone off the charts. I took a deep breath to settle myself down before I started screaming hysterically. With the mere semblance of calm, I sat back on my haunches across from the old buck before I began, "You can speak my language without sending words directly into my head and you've obviously not come to lead me off for execution. Yet. I would suggest you've come here for a reason and, as I've not got any other plans for today, I would welcome any questions you may have for me. So, over to you." I held out a foreleg for him to continue.
He clopped his fore hooves together in delight, an expansive smile revealing a row of long yellow teeth holding his pipe in place. "Oh you are fun !" he cried, "I can see why the Lady Shadow has claimed you. I think we are going to have a good long chat you and I."
The old Thestral reached into his bag and produced another pipe. "I don't mind smoking alone as a rule, my young friend, but I do find company is far more conducive to comfortable discourse, don't you ?"
He passed me the pipe and after a short amount of work with the tobacco, I had it lit and took in a good mouthful of the curling blue smoke. It was....delightful.
He watched me like a hawk watches a mouse while I relaxed, taking in the thick fragrance from the unusual tobacco.
"Now, friend Equestrian. May I call you Fairlight ?"
"You may", I said nodding".
"Good....good. My name, is Star Beard. I am a...priest...of sorts, to our people. I would invite you to my chambers for a more comfortable chat, however the Duchess is a little.....'upset'...with you at present. This will have to do, I'm afraid. When I leave I shall arrange some more comfortable items to be transferred to your....'room'"
He did seem to pause a lot, carefully choosing his words no doubt. It wasn't hard to work out what he was really wanting to say either. I read in 'Furious' and 'Cell' into his last few sentences alone.
"Star Beard, please, don't mince your words with me. I'm not the smartest pony in the watch but I'm no fool either. I would appreciate you being frank and candid with me. As you can see, my situation is not an advantageous one."
Star Beard smiled and took a deep draw on his pipe, blowing the smoke out the side of his mouth with a hiss.
"Very well, Fairlight. Firstly, I will hear your story, so I ask that you speak candidly with me and I will do what I can to settle matters between you, the Lady Shadow and the Duchess."
And so, for the second time in what seemed as many days, I told my story. From beginning to end, from when I had first entered the Withers, to my arrival in the Beyond.
By the time we finished, Star Beard was tapping out the ash from his pipe on his hoof. There was a knock on the door and it opened, the guard glancing at us before allowing in another black cloaked Thestral. Star Beard clopped his hooves together, "Ah ! My assistant, excellent ! Time for refreshments !". His 'assistant' brought a hamper out from under their cloak, removing a bottle of some sort of drink and parcels of food. I watched quietly as they were arranged on a woven mat that had been unrolled in front of us.
"Thank you for your story Captain." Star Beard smiled at me, "I am, frankly, delighted to meet a fellow officer."
"A fellow officer ?" I asked in surprise. Star Beard chuckled, "So surprising my dear boy ? I may be getting on in years, but the flow of time here in the Withers is very different from your world. I think you already said you'd experienced that, yes ?"
I nodded.
"I, like you, was an officer of ponies once, and....others. A long time ago....", he trailed off staring past my shoulder. I cleared my throat, "Oh ! Sorry Fairlight, I quite forgot myself for a moment there. Forgive an old goat his memories would you ?"
"Theres nothing to forgive sir, please, continue.." I asked. Star Beard smiled and scratched his nose before continuing.
"Did you notice the banners hanging from the Grand Hall before you were so rudely brought to this cell ?". I nodded. I had actually, the black banner, purple edged, with a white helmet design hung from poles either side of the entry Far Sight and the 'Duchess' walked through before I was unceremoniously deposited in here.
"We, that is the older members of our tribe, were once soldiers in the Legions in Equestria. Poor Far Sights father was killed in the final battle and we, well...lets just say we didn't pick the winning side, yes ?"
I was beginning to wonder just how long ago this war was which he spoke of. I'd leave that for another day. I wasn't in the mood for war stories right now, but I couldn't help but be intrigued by the enigmatic Thestral.
"Sir, may I ask your rank ?". I asked politely. Star Beard began rummaging for more tobacco before his assistant, clicking to him gently, produced the pouch he'd somehow managed to sit on during our conversation.
"Hmmm ? What rank was I ? Yes....I was...a 'Storm Colonel'. I was head of over a thousand Thestral assault troops with pony ground support. You should have seen them Captain, they were...magnificent. Truly magnificent."
"What you see here is but a remnant, a reminder of days long gone. Our numbers are much fewer now than they once were and our people do not...'reproduce,' as quickly as other races. Not as fast as ponies at any rate I'll wager !". I smiled, nodding.
"Not all Thestrals are born here. Some are though, its hard to describe, 'created' ?... when ponies from your world, that is, the mortal world, die and have some sort of regret or trauma that anchors them between the worlds of the living and the next world. You have heard of the Eternal Herd of course ? I think you met one of their more arrogant officials ?"
I nodded.
"The Wither World has a strange ability to, extract, the regrets, the negative emotions, from the deceased and sometimes, they take on a life of their own."
"As Thestrals" I said quietly.
"As Thestrals", he nodded sagely, eyes half closed. "Good !" he said suddenly, slapping his leg with a laugh. He leaned across to his assistant speaking conspiratorially but still looking at me with that smile of his, "I like him ! He's sharp. Not as sharp as me I'll bet, but you have a brain on you, Watch Captain."
"Colonel, what can you tell me about the situation with the Lady Shadow and her mother ? I believe this to be at the heart of my current troubles here."
Star Beard re-adjusted his hind legs, his bones cracking loudly as he did so, "Bugger !" He exclaimed and I couldn't help but laugh at his exclamation. "Nothing to laugh about Captain, you'll be old one day too you know."
"I'm not so sure Colonel, my chances don't look so good right now."
"Now stop that right now !", he commanded in a more authoritative tone. "I wont have defeatism, I wont accept it from a Thestral, nor will I from an Equestrian. That sort of thinking can destroy your chances of victory in battle Captain. You would do well to remember that.". Star Beard relaxed slightly, "Very well, you want to know about the 'not quite' royal family of the tribe of the Beyond ? Then, my dear fellow, I will tell you."
I stretched my back and the Colonel continued, "The Duchess had four daughters, you have met them already. They were all destined to be married to nobility across the Withers. We, the tribe of the Beyond, are but one of many. Once we were united, but our humbling at the hooves of.....ponies, created a rift which has endured to this day."
I listened intently, fascinated by the old bucks tale. This wasn't in any Equestrian history book I had ever read. Well, okay maybe it was but history just wasn't that interesting at school back then.
"The Lady Shadow was to be married to the Earl of Purple Sands, a small warring fiefdom east of the Beyond. One daughter has, I hear, passed from our world to the next. A shame...so much potential...lost...", Star Beard was wandering off again. His assistant refilled his bowl of crystalline fruit, making him jump.
"What ! Oh, mmmm. Right, yes, the daughters."
I smiled at the Colonel while he gathered his thoughts. "Ember and...the other one...what's-her-name, are betrothed to other tribes who I wont bore you with the details of. Suffice to say that this has been the way of things since the return."
I presumed 'The return' was when the Thestral army 'returned' to the Wither World with its tail between its legs after defeat in Equestria.
"Shadows fiance", he explained, "is a 'leader' of good standing although not of good character I hear. Previous wives have met with, lets say, 'unfortunate accidents'. As a result of which, Lady Shadow decided to leave the Beyond and seek her fortune elsewhere."
We both knew where that ended up. I cut in, "But if the Earl is the sort of leader you say he is, why would the Duke and Duchess allow such a betrothal ? From what I have seen of Lord Far Sight, he is very protective of his daughters and would die defending them if he had to."
"True", Star Beard went on, "But you have seen yourself who is the true power here. The Duchess is not as, attached, to her daughters as her husband. The power, prestige and land the union would bring, is of primary concern to her. The tribe must survive you see..."
I did see. I hated it, but I could see why the Duchess had made the betrothal. It was a system used in ancient Equestria, these guys just hadnt moved on and were stuck in some tribal warring fief age.
"Colonel Star Beard, may I ask a....difficult question of you ?".
He popped a berry in his mouth and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well of course my dear Fairlight, but that depends on the question. I cant remember as much as I once could you know !"
"I understand sir. Please, I have been told that I am now bonded to Lady Shadow, that we are now mated. Lord Far Sight also said that she was, 'incomplete'. Can you help me understand what this all means ?"
Star Beard paused, watching me intently. He opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut a moment later apparently thinking better of it. A minute or two passed as he
thought about my question, then, suddenly shook his head vigorously, "No. I know I said I would answer your questions Captain, but this.... No, I cannot, it is not for me to speak of such things. I'm..."
A slender leg emerged from under the assistants cloak and tenderly picked up the old bucks hoof. A few words in Thestral later, he nodded to the cloaked figure and sighed. "Very well, if that's what you want". The assistant nodded, the leg disappearing back under the black fabric.
"Recall what I told you of the origins of Thestrals. Lady Shadow is a true Thestral, born of this world at a time of great magical imbalance here in the Beyond. The imbalance was brought here by a pony of your world, an Equestrian of great power, who befriended our tribe and saved us from extinction."
"He could travel across time and planes of existence, a truly amazing feat of magic. Far Sights father, before the poor soul died in battle, befriended this pony and requested his aid in saving his tribe."
"The tribe was in trouble before the war ?" I asked.
"Yes", the old Thestral replied, "Far Sights father could see how things would end, even before they were manifest. His son, was named after his fathers remarkable ability."
I nodded. Some of this was over my head but I was managing to grasp some of it.
"When Lady Shadow was born, part of her...'soul'... if you like, was left blank, waiting to be filled. Why and how this occurred is unknown and the pony traveller crossed over to the Eternal Herd long ago. I have tried to speak with him since, however that bloody Clerk Aethel, the horses cock, wont speak with 'sub-species'." He spat on the floor, his yellow eyes blazing.
"I...see", I said quietly. "Colonel, some Thestrals can speak my language. Not like you, but as a sort of telepathy, straight into my mind. Shadow rarely speaks and then, only usually one or two words, is this as a result of the 'imbalance' ?"
Star Beard rolled one of the fruit in his hoof, "Have you asked her ?". "No" I answered. "Well, perhaps you should next time you see her. Have you ever considered she may simply be shy and not a chatterbox, Captain ?"
I looked down at my hooves in embarrassment and felt a blush coming to my cheeks.
"Captain, I must ask you a personal question now, as one officer to another, stallion to stallion...", Star Beard sounded agitated. The assistant chattered at him urgently but he waved their concern off irritably, determined to continue. "Captain, now you know of Shadows nature, I would ask you to be truthful with me also."
"Of course Colonel, please...", I held out a foreleg for him to continue.
"Would you still take her with you, back to your world, or leave her here with her people ?"
I was taken aback. I still hadn't resolved my emotional conflict between Meadow and my growing feelings for Shadow. I loved Meadow with all my heart but she was with the Herd now. I would see her again some day but Shadow was here, she was in some ways so like her too, I couldn't understand how I felt. The wounds felt so fresh, I had a daughter in the Eternal Herd I couldn't see or hold until my life was spent and I had somehow purged myself of this power within me. It wasn't fair to bring the innocent Shadow into my tumultuous life, but there...there was the selfish Fairlight, the lonely Fairlight, the one who cried out for companionship and warmth. 'Goddesses, help me', I begged silently, 'I need your guidance'.
"Captain ?" Star Beard asked looking concerned.
"Yes. Yes I would Colonel. As I told Lord Far Sight, she is bonded to me as my mate and I would take her to my world should I find a way and should she wish it."
The old Storm Colonel closed his eyes and smiled, nodding. "Thank you my dear fellow, that means more than you could know." He reached forward and shook my hoof in both of his, letting out a deep throated laugh. |
Fairlight | Chapter Twenty Nine - Forbidden fruit | CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Forbidden fruit
The Colonel may have been old in years but was a remarkable story teller. He told me of battles with dragons, manticores and, somewhat troubling for an Equestrian, alicorns. I Smiled at his explanations of divisional manoeuvres and combat tactics, wondering if I could ever use them in the watch. I doubted it though, usually we preferred out targets alive to stand trial. The Colonels foes usually ended up fit for pie filling.
He finally seemed to tire of stories and gave a huge yawn, not bothering to cover his mouth, treating me to a view of his huge teeth. I smiled at him and went to ask my next question but the old soldier beat me to it, "May I trouble you for a light please ?
Thank you. Wondrous thing unicorn magic you know, nothing like the full battle magic of alicorns of course, but an amazing thing in itself."
"Colonel, please. Can you help me ?", I blurted out , "I need to know whats going on so I can get out of here with Lady Shadow."
Star Beard waved a hoof at me and tutted. "Getting a bit ahead of ourselves there my boy. Slow and steady eh ? Don't want me to pull rank on you, do you ?"
"No Colonel."
"No Colonel", he mimicked chuckling to himself again. Suddenly the old man act dropped like a stone and an army officer was staring right back at me. My back went rigid.
"Right then Captain, let us discuss the situation.......and our strategy."
By the time we had finished discussing matters, the old Colonel had smoked several more pipe fulls of the peculiar tobacco. It was quite smooth and earthy, although one bowl was definitely enough for this pony. It wasn't a habit encouraged in Equestria, with most of the harvest coming from Saddle Arabia as much as anywhere. 'Dromedary' was my brand of choice but Meadow had put a stop to that pungent little pastime and my pipes had been cleaned and put away in the trophy cabinet. A victory for the little green mare.
The cloak wearing assistant, sensing that her mentor's visit was drawing to a close helped pack some items back into the satchel. My guest held a hoof out when it came to the berries, "I think I'll leave these for you my boy.", the officers voice had disappeared and the ancient Thestral, Star Beard was back in play, "I think you'll find them, lets say...'beneficial'."
"But Colonel....as I explained, I don't think I actually need to eat. I've barely had anything at all since coming here." I pointed out.
Star Beard rose to his hooves and stretched, joints creaking as he did so. He rustled his wings and scratched at something on his coat with a hoof.
"You did eat though, didn't you ?", He stated, smiling at his assistant before turning back to me, "The lake demon ?"
"What ? I....", what had I done ? I remembered the feeling of warmth entering me, the joyful, almost ecstatic feeling of being re-energised, of being filled, with....life.
Watching my reaction with those flaring yellow Thestral eyes, Star Beard spoke, "I believe you when you say you don't understand the changes you have undergone since coming here Fairlight. Please, believe me when I say that I know very little myself and would have told you if I could."
He reached out and petted the cloaked pony on the head, uttering a low clacking noise to which the figure nodded.
He continued, "I have met others. Like you. A long time ago, even by my standards ! Yes, they existed, allies of ours in our war with the Equestrians. There weren't many of them I have to say, but their strength in battle was a legend amongst our people. Ice and Fire, a true wonder to behold Fairlight. I suspect you have never seen magical combat before of that scale ?"
"I have seen death in battle before Colonel", I replied grimly, "Not of the sort that should be present in the mortal world either."
Star Beard looked at me, his head on one side quizzically, "Really ? Interesting. Should we be able to speak again, I would like to hear more of this. No matter..no matter. Anyway, I'm wandering off topic again.", he shrugged his shoulder which cracked ominously but seemed to give him some relief, "Your power is fed by absorbing the life energy present in your defeated foes. Dependant upon the amount of energy you take in, it can last you quite a long time."
He stuck his hoof in his ear and waggled it around, "I'd say that its best thought of as more of a, 'magical energy reserve' that you need to top up when it gets low. In the mortal world, you would still need to eat normal food to keep your physical body working of course. The ponies I knew certainly did....I think they did anyway....". Star Beard removed his hoof and stared at whatever it was he had extracted from his ear.
"WHAT !" I cried, rearing up momentarily, "You're saying I'm a....a vampire pony ? You cant be serious !"
Star Beard tutted at me, adjusting his satchel, "I never said you were a 'vampire' did I ? Look Fairlight, I haven't got an infallible memory and I would rather not tell you
something that I'm not certain about, rather than make wild guesses. As a Captain in the Watch, I expect you understand what I'm saying yes ?"
"Yes. Yes, I understand". I replied.
"Good. My boy, things happen which no Thestral, or in your case, no pony, can make mane nor tail of. Your power is not something you should fear, no matter how you came by it, it's a part of you. I know that 'Clerk' Aethel, ", he emphasised the word 'clerk' in way I didn't think possible, "..said you could not cross over because of it, but I think that its more a case of their fear of what you are, rather than 'physically' being unable to enter their realm."
"The best advice I can give you is to learn to master it Captain Fairlight. Remember your training and train yourself again,", he thumped his chest, " become the master of your own emotions. That, that is what gives you your strength."
"Colonel", I asked, my heart racing as his words hit home, "what ....am I ?".
He paused and rubbed his bony chin in thought.
"Why my dear Captain, didn't you already guess ?"
"No sir."
He chuckled and patted a hoof on my shoulder, "Why...you're a Wendigo of course !"
He grinned expansively and turned knocking on the cell door. The guard opened it in his now customary manner and I saw what looked like...money ?...being surreptitiously put in the guards hoof and vanishing into a tunic pocket. In my dazed state, I barely noticed the assistant was still in the room as the door began to close, "Star Beard ! Your....", I began but the Thestrals face popped back in to the room with a toothy grin, did he...did he just 'wink' at me !? My goddesses he did ! "Enjoy the berries Watch Captain Fairlight.", he laughed, and the door slammed shut.
His croaking laughter echoed down the corridor and out of earshot. I was...I didn't know. I couldn't be what he said, what...a Wendigo ? A bloody ancient, thing, a monster from Equestrian legend, from the time of the wars of the three kingdoms ? Bollocks, the silly old foal must have bats in his belfry. It suddenly hit me with crystal clarity. Wendigo must be the name for a group of magic users from the time of, whatever war it was, that he was involved in. Rather like the name 'Equestrian Watch', or those blasted 'Agency' spooks. I'd have to learn more about these when I got back home. Home....I wasn't even sure if that's where I wanted to go any more. What was there to go back to ? I was dead to everyone there wasn't I ? What was going to happen when I tried to go back, my body was a mass of dust now surely ? Goddesses, I was so confused. I felt my emotions roaring through me in a turmoil of
worry and despair...."Oh Meadow, what am I going to do ?", I groaned covering my head with my hooves, "Shadow.......".
A foreleg reached out and placed a delicate hoof on my hind leg to comfort me. Unbidden, tears rolled down my face and plopped into the dust on the floor. I must have looked a state, so much for 'mastering my emotions eh ?', shit.
The cloaked figure scooched over and pressed into me without a word, the occupants head leaning against my shoulder. A light chirrup emanated from the hoods depths, soothing and calm. A chirrup I recognised.
I turned to face the figure and stretched out both my forelegs, gently lowering the hood to reveal a black coated Thestral.
"Shadow !" I exclaimed, "What in Luna's name are you doing in here ? Why...", she pushed a hoof to my mouth and motioned towards the door. I understood her gesture, the guard was likely outside, paid off by Star Beard or not, he would still be close by.
Quietly, she leaned into me and made a light rattling purr, rather like an enormous household cat, but distinctly Thestral, exquisitely feminine. I leaned down to nuzzle
her gently. Luna knows what was going to happen when the door next opened. For now though, nothing else mattered but her.
Shadow and I stayed snuggled together for how long, I couldn't say. I wondered if she were asleep and I watched her chest rise and fall. I gently stroked her cheek, pleased to see no sign of the blow the Duchess had delivered her. Shadow pushed into me more, a small moaning sound escaping from her lips.
Warmth spread throughout my body from ear tip to tail making me shudder, was it wrong to feel this...happy ? Yes, I suppose it was, but feeling the little Thestral warm against my body, I just didn't care. A red eye slowly half opened and looked up into my face, the heat in her gaze was intoxicating. Shadow slid her head up my chest and brought her muzzle close to mine. The smell of warm spice from her breath made my heart begin to race. I remembered our first...
A warm tongue snaked out and gave my muzzle a tentative lick. Softly, sensually, her tongue followed the line of my lips before disappearing back into her mouth. I half expected the guard to burst in wondering what the noise was, my heart was hammering so loudly. Whisps of steam wreathed Shadows nose as she rubbed her face along the side of mine. Her teeth felt strange against my face but the unusual sensation was having an effect on me I would never have expected.
Shadow however, did, and she had plans for that evening.
A quick blur of slick black legs and she was facing me, both of us upright on our haunches. It was a position I was used to, but not so....close, to another pony. Here, rather than a pony, sat a Thestral, a being of nightmares, a creature from the darkest recesses of a foals nightmares. Eyes burning like the pits of Tartarus, smoke curling from wicked flesh rending teeth. A beautiful midnight blue mane flowing over a slim
bony frame. In the world of ponies, bony, terrifying and beautiful did not work. It simply couldn't.
Shadow watched me carefully, taking in every inch like she was committing my entire being to memory. For a moment I wondered if this was because it would be the last time I would see her, perhaps tomorrow, would be my last day in this life. Whatever it was going to be, I would share my time with her now. I owed her so much, I wanted to be with her, my heart ached to be with her.
The Thestral leaned forward, her fore hooves resting on her hind legs while leaning forward, her mouth barely a hairs breadth from mine. Her eyes half closed, I felt mine close involuntarily as her long tongue licked my lips, probing softly. I let her in. Slowly, she moved her mouth against mine, her tongue sliding along my own, moist and gentle yet with a barely restrained excited feel which resonated with my entire body.
She broke the kiss before I lost control and plucked a crystal berry from the bowl with a hoof, carefully placing it between her lips. Her eyes closed and I moved forward to meet her. Carefully, I took the berry with my lips and tongue, squashing it against the roof of my mouth. The cool sugary sweet juice flowed out, a taste I had never experienced before. Shadows mouth closed over mine, her tongue roving freely, lapping at the juice and sharing the flavour with me. Mingling her spicy breath with my own and the sweetness of the fruit.
It was all too much, I could sense a roaring deep inside me, a feeling of uncontrollable lust ready to break free of its bonds and...Goddesses, I wanted it to.
The Thestral unclipped her cloak letting it drop to the floor, her chest heaving and eyes glowing with an intense light which seemed to brighten the room, reflecting a myriad of colours from the crystal walls.
I reached out and threw my forelegs around her, pulling her into another kiss. Long and deep, I tasted her breath, ran my tongue along her teeth, feeling their sharp points and almost longed to feel their bite.
My hooves ran up and down her spine, following its pronounced contours. Shadows folded wings shivered and she pushed away from me, her eyes flaring a deep crimson. Steam rolled out of her mouth and she huffed a blast up into the air from her nostrils before lunging forward, carrying me to the ground.
"Shadow...." I moaned, looking up into her eyes. I was hers now, her bonded mate. She could do what she wanted with me and by the searching hungry look in her eyes, she knew. Her fore hoof ran up and down my chest as she climbed astride me. I moved my legs to accommodate her and she purred in anticipation as her haunches pushed into me, sliding forward and back, looking for something she knew was there.
Stopping suddenly, Shadow lifted her hauches slightly and ran a hoof down my chest to my crotch and found her prize. With a little clicking moan, she briefly lifted off me and pushed herself back and down, slowly, inch by exquisite inch. Her eyes flew open
then she shut them tightly a stifled cry escaping her lips mingled with the now billowing steam. With a final push, Shadows chest heaved and she fell forward,
clamping her mouth over mine, kissing me with an insatiable hunger that I answered with my own.
I grabbed her hips and began to move with her, slowly to begin with, her whimpers driving my excitement to new levels. My heart was soaring in a torrent of joy, pleasure and desire, all mixing into an inexorable flood of primal need.
I let out a guttural cry, white smoke pouring from my mouth, mixing and blending with the steam from my Thestrals. Reflected in the crystal walls, the blazing blue of my eyes with the flare of red from my mates, became a kaleidoscope of glittering colours. My white coat in stark relief against her silken black one, her soft mane hanging down on my chest, our tails swished back and forth, tickling and teasing each other, adding to the mounting crescendo of passion.
Any thoughts of discretion thrown to the winds, Shadow pushed herself down, increasing in tempo, her gasps and moans filling the room. The two of us now encased in the fog, her eyes burning fires in an ethereal ghostly form upon me, feeding, drawing my life into her body. I gave her everything I had, let her take my all
and thrilled in her joy. Shining silver motes of energy lifted from my muzzle, flowing between my sharp teeth and into the hungry mouth of my beloved Thestral mare.
She moved into a kiss as her passion rose to the edge, thrusting her tongue deep into my mouth, taking in the silvery life energy to her body, sharing herself in kind. We were one being, one entity, the world was us and we were the world, the Withers, the Mortal world, even the Heavens themselves. We could take it all.
My whole body was burning, my coat, a white hot coal of radiance as fog and colour rolled and ebbed with our movements. We were flying, rising in animal screams and cries to the white crest on the wave of our love.
Shadows breathing took on a desperate urgency and grabbed me with her fore hooves and thighs as she took a long deep inhalation. Her voice blasted into my mind with a force of utter ecstatic release, "FAIRLIGHT !...", the crystal walls resounding with her screaming roar mingling with my own cry. The world around me swirled away in a fog of sparkling white fog and intense blue fire. |
Fairlight | Chapter Thirty - Judgement | CHAPTER THIRTY
Judgement
I had been dragged from my cosy cell by two hulking armoured Thestrals, my fore legs chained with crystalline hobbles. It was insanely difficult to walk and I stumbled several times only to be roughly dragged to my hooves by a none too gentle guard.
Crowds lined the path to the great hall, howling and screeching at me in a manner which left me in no doubt as to my overall status as a 'guest' of the Beyond.
Approaching the hall, several of the banners had been placed to delineate the entrance, probably to impress upon any who entered here that they were in seriously deep manure. As I entered, I looked up at an inscription on the archway, written in a language I couldn't even begin to understand.
"Hey buddy !", I tried to get the guards attention, "What does that say above the door ?" He simply ignored me. "Probably 'shriek, click...click, scream', eh ?". A vicious blow from the haft of another guard knocked me to my knees, "Silence Equestrian vermin !". I looked up shaking my mane, "I think that's 'honoured guest', friend", I smiled back at him. His glare said it all. I muttered under my breath, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here....".
Inside was a lot less impressive than I had expected. Limited building materials had meant that most of the walls, ceiling and seating was all variations on the theme of crystal. Beautiful in its own way, but it began to make me wish I'd been able to bring sunglasses.
The local dignitaries were arrayed at the end of a long midnight blue carpet edged in silver. A massive banner with a large white helmet motif was suspended from the roof behind the four thrones. The two largest held Far Sight and his wife, the 'Lady Maelstrom', apparently. The other two held, Ember and Shadow. Short Stride, the youngest, sat on a large cushion next to Ember.
Guards, colourfully robed Thestrals and invited guests, many armed I noticed, were liberally sprinkled between the doors and the dais. I was pushed forward by my thoughtful guards into a kneeling position.
The general murmur was drowned out by a small female in a long white gown, banging a long metal staff on the ground. Whatever it signified in their culture, it had the desired effect as silence fell like a lead tombstone.
Clopping hooves announced the arrival of a bulky red-black male in a purple robe with the same white helmet motif. An air of self-perceived superiority surrounded him and he looked derisively down his muzzle at me. I really didn't like this fellow ! He clicked and screamed at me, but all I could do was stand and wait dumbly. Whether
this was deliberate to try and undermine any slight standing or credibility I might have, I didn't know, but whatever he said caused some commotion amongst the Thestrals.
"Wait ! Your Ladyship, I beg your indulgence!...buggeration, where did I put the bloody thing...", Star Beards chirpy voice calling from the back of the hall made the Thestrals turn in consternation. Pushing his way through he trotted over to me, pulling a brass and gemstone helmet from his satchel. He bowed to the Duchess who glared at him, but allowed him to continue.
"Captain, please wear this. It's Equestrian so it should work for you, whether its still fully functional after all this time...well, I guess we'll see ! A little something from my army days....". He plonked the thing on my head and pressed a combination of the crystals and my hearing popped alarmingly.
The furious Thestral in the purple robe glowered at Star Beard as he trotted away, waving a hoof back at me, a smile on his face.
"May we begin now ?" , he asked.
"Sure thing pal, its your show." I replied with a cheeky smirk. He wasn't impressed and harrumphed his displeasure before turning to the Duchess. She rose from her chair and stepped forward to tower down over me, hobbled as I was, held down and unable to rise. On the plus side, I could now understand what the Thestrals were saying without my brain trying to expand outside my skull.
"Equestrian, you are an intruder in our lands and a citizen of our ancient enemy. You have stolen my daughter and done your best to ruin an invaluable alliance with the people of The Purple Sands. One of my daughters is also dead, lost to our people forever, killed...because of YOU !"
"Your majesty....", I began but was beaten across the head with the guards axe haft.
"SILENCE EQUESTRIAN !", the purple robed Thestral shouted at me before bowing to the Duchess once more.
"You unmannered...HORSE !", she screamed at me, now that wasn't very nice !, "You brazenly appear in my kingdom and display your false betrothal to my daughter like a trophy taken in battle ! This is my kingdom and my laws are those of the Goddess herself !"
Far Sight rose and spoke in a low urgent voice with his wife, pointing to the hobbles on my forelegs and stomping a hoof. The Duchess waved him off and took a step forward as her husband snorted his annoyance behind her.
"I am aware that you 'saved' my errant daughter from a river demon, however I cannot ignore the fact that my beloved Wind Sheer would still be with us if you had not kidnapped the Lady Shadow.
Far Sight neighed behind her to be stopped by Ember who shook her head at him.
"The Duke speaks highly of you, he tells me of your fight to save the Lady Shadow from the lake serpent and how you defeated the creature. A feat, I will say, that is laughably improbable for a slab toothed pony !"
There was a general ripple of laughter from the assembly. The white robed pony banged the metal rod into the floor, bringing all attention back to the Duchess.
"Your culpability in the loss of my daughter and the kidnapping of another is irrefutable. I further understand that not only do you belong to our eternal enemy, but you are an officer in their army !"
Shouts of anger and insults filled the hall, and I noticed, to my dismay, that Duchess Maelstrom had a sly grin on her face. The bitch was enjoying this, and my seconds on this plane looked to be rapidly running out.
The Duchess nodded to the Thestral in purple who reared on his hind legs, addressing the assembly, "Noble Thestrals of the Beyond, your Duchess has spoken and the charges have been laid. Do any of you wish to speak before sentence is passed ?"
I closed my eyes, this was it. I felt numb to it all. I wondered what would happen next ? Could I die twice ? Would I simply end up back in the Withers, trudging black sand for the rest of my days. The thought was terrifying. Worse, what was going to
happen to Shadow ? I tried looking up to see her, but was pushed down by the burly guards and my view was now severely restricted to the Duchesses hooves and that bloody fancy carpet.
General shouts and cries of "Horse !", "Murderer !" and general other niceties where thrown at me. The matter of my guilt had been decided before I'd even said a word in my defence.
A light in my darkness came from Far Sight. He stormed forward and stood facing an incensed Duchess, I managed to glance up as the guards stood back in their surprise. "Wife ! I understand your grief, no one loves their daughters more than you, and I shared the pain of the loss of Wind Sheer. But she died trying to save this pony, she believed in him and honoured his battle to save our Shadow from the river demon. I saw him fight with my own eyes ! He is not what you think, he is a friend, not an enemy."
"Nonsense ! What is this ?" Maelstrom snapped back at him, "An ally ? Defeated a river demon ? Look at him ! He's a horse with no teeth ! What did he do, chew the beast to death ?"
"He has magic !", Far Sight shouted at her angrily, "He saved our daughter from death and you thank him like....like this ?! He is a brother to the Thestrals and a Son to us !".
In a blind fury, The Duchess snatched a spear from a guard and swung it at her husband, smashing him across the jaw. He staggered back, Ember and Shadow rushing to his side to aid him.
"Shut UP !", the Duchess shrieked, smoke pouring from her mouth. Droplets of saliva leaked from her maw sending burning rivulets of it onto the purple rug. The smell of burning carpet material was eye watering.
"You DARE to question me ? I am the ruler, husband, my rule is law !"
She advanced on me shaking her mane and snapping her wings out in a display of outright aggression, "See the discord you have sown within my land and my own home !".
I knew what was coming next, I could have written the script myself, "GUARDS ! Kill him ! Here...now !". Shadow screamed but was held down by the white robed female. I hoped she would see my smile and know that I would go to whatever end, with her love for me in my heart.
I was surrounded by armoured Thestrals, positively dripping aggression and pent up anger. "All that creaking leather and spikes...', I said sarcastically, "probably whooping it up every night in the guard house eh ?". The guards eyes blazed in abject fury, "Damned Equestrian ! I'll make this slow for you !", he growled at me.
I managed a side long smile, "Not as slow as I took it with your wife.....". The axe blade rose, light glinting off its honed crystal edge. My powers wouldn't help me now, besides, any battle here would likely injure or kill members of Shadows family. As reprehensible as some of them were, I wouldn't want her to see that.
Far Sight shouted out in protest, his words lost in the shouts of anger from the crowded Thestrals in the hall.
I could just see the axe reaching its zenith, the guards holding me down, the cylinder rolling towards me, splitting open, the outraged squeak from within...... |
Fairlight | Chapter Thirty One - Remnants of another time | CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Remnants of another time
Star Beard, Shadow and a number of other Thestrals, most in armour, part carried, pulled and pushed me, out a side door of the hall. I couldn't hear a damned thing and my sight was mostly blue spots thanks to the flash bug.
We were hurtling down corridors at break neck speeds, turning one way then the other. The hall was not that big and by the angle of the downward slope, I calculated that we must be well under the hill behind the village. The air was damp and earthy, a surprise in this place, quite reminiscent of the Manehatten waterfront.
The clatter and creak of armour coupled with the drumming of speeding hooves made me feel like I was like one of those boardwalk celebrities when they were mobbed by fans. In this case, the fans were heavily armed and likely to kill me brutally rather than ask for an autograph. Thank Luna those bloody hobbles were off though.
"In Here !" shouted Star Beard as he threw open a heavy wooden door and we all piled in. Standing near the sharply armoured Thestrals was a danger in itself and I moved quickly away only to be bear hugged by Shadow. I nuzzled her but was then grappled by Star Beard, "Hold you eyes open boy ! Here." He spoke with an urgent authority which I responded to immediately. He held a hoof under my chin, angling my head up and plopped two large drops of soothing cool liquid into my eyes. Almost instantly my vision began to return to normal and I was able to take stock of my surroundings. And companions.
Star Beards friends were an unlikely group of, by the looks of them, ancient war relics. Their armour bore testimony to numerous battles if the dents and scratches were anything to go by. Old warriors they may be, but in a fight, I didn't fancy their chances. The armoured guards I had seen were young, strong and fit. Age may have the experience, but youth had the reaction speed, and it was likely things could get
brutal. One thing I'd found out about Thestral culture, was that they don't tend to go in for diplomacy in a big way.
Star Beard rushed about his room upending chests and pulling out books. The room looked nothing like anything I'd seen in the Wither world since I had arrived, in fact it was decidedly....Equestrian.
In his frantic searching, the old Thestral knocked over a mannequin that was propped in the corner near an astrolabe. "Pick that up for me would you Fairlight, theres a good chap", he called back over his shoulder. I picked up the mannequin and straightened the embroidered cloak, putting the huge floppy hat back on its head, the embroidered bells tinkling merrily.
I trotted over to a yellowing map of Equestria hanging on the wall. I barely recognised any of the places inscribed on it, Manehatten apparently hadnt even existed when this
was made. Lines and notes were scrawled everywhere like miniature travel plans. Behind me, Shadow trotted around the room in agitation, while the other Thestrals stood by the door like they were expecting an axe to come through at any moment.
"Star Beard !" I said, but he cut me off in his usual manner, "Quiet Captain, I said I'd pull rank on you and so I am. You are now under my command and will follow my orders at all times, and to the letter. Are we clear ?"
"Yes Sir".
He smiled, patting my shoulder, "Good lad. Ah ! Look, it was here all the time. Knew I put it somewhere safe." Trotting over to a large sconce, the old Thestral took down a small crystal on a chain which had been hanging from it. Hey ! That was mine ! I patted my chest and sure enough, the precious beacon in this forsaken land was gone. Celestia, I had never even noticed it had gone.
"Here boy", Star Beard said, tossing the crystal to me which I caught deftly. Shadow trotted over to me, taking it in her hooves and slipped it over my head with a little smile. I gave her a wink and she blushed stepping back. "How did you manage that trick then Colonel ?"
Star Beard grinned expansively, his yellow eyes flaring momentarily, "Used to be quite the magician in my day. A Thestral among Thestrals !". The others laughed and the uncomfortable tension in the air lessened noticeably.
"No need to stand by the door everyone, there's an enchantment on it. That'll fox them until we can spirit our loving couple here away.", he chuckled and went back to rummaging through the now ransacked room.
Before long and with no apparent order at all, we were laden with saddlebags, armour and weapons. My crystal was safely around my neck and both Shadow and I sported light armoured barding not unlike my special operations barding in the Watch. Smelled funny though, a bit...fishy. Ah, right...should have guessed. To keep me occupied, I had with me a short sword, cudgel and small selection of flash bugs. "Kept a few from my days in Equestria.", Star Beard had said, "handy critters, probably believed you ponies thought of them first did you ? Ha ! There's nothing new under Luna's moon !".
When all was ready, Star Beard spoke to me.
"Did you eat the berries Captain ?", I nodded. "Good, how many ?" he said. "Just the one."
"Just the one ! I left you the whole bowl !" he said face hoofing.
"I know its just, I...that is we were..."
"Well yes, they can enhance... 'things'... allegedly.", he glanced at Shadow and sighed. "Right, get these down you then" and hoofed me another bowl of the things. I peered at the berries and dived in. "Good. That's that settled."
"What are they ?" I grimaced, the taste of that many was overpowering. Star Beard tutted at the interruption, "Spirit berries. Gives your inner Wendigo a bit of 'pep'. You're going to need it. There's a bunch more in Shadows saddle bags".
I was quite fond of Star Beard, I decided. He's cynical and sarcastic, my kind of pony. Thestral rather.
"Now, Captain Fairlight, you will follow Storm Major Thorn and his troopers, they know the way. Stick together no matter what happens, however, If for some reason you get separated, follow the crystal, it will show you the way to the rendezvous."
"Why, Star Beard ? Why help me like this ? I cant understand why any Thestral would risk themselves for a pony they don't even know, defying their own Duchess. I mean who are you, really ?".
"Why, why why ?", he mocked nodding his head in rhythm to the words.
"Fairlight, I don't have time, nor you, to explain everything. What I told you in the cell was the truth. The veteran warriors are here because they remember the old warriors code, you are a fellow officer and officers watch out for each other."
"But the Duchess !" I said, "You know what she's like, she'll probably find out who helped us escape and execute you all !".
A grey Thestral in battered armour walked up to me and grinned, showing teeth nearly as long as my forelegs. He leaned down and in an exaggerated conspiratorial whisper, half looking at Star Beard, said "I don't think we have to worry too much about the Duchess, Equestrian. Daddy can still spank her if she gets too out hoof."
My mouth hung open and Star Beard kicked his armoured colleague playfully as he walked back to his fellows, all of them falling about laughing. I turned to Shadow, "You have some strange relatives love. Oh goddesses, they're my in laws now too ! I think we may need to be a bit selective who we invite over for celebrations".
Shadow barged me with her shoulder nickering, treating me to a playful smile. Time to go I think. Star Beard pulled a book on the shelf and a slab of crystal slid silently to one side revealing a dark passage heading down, even further into the hill. We each took a lantern, securing them to the special poles on our packs. The big Thestral taking point, Thorn, called over his shoulder in a commanding tone. "Thestrals of the Goddesses Legion, Lets move out". The door whispered shut behind us and we set off into the darkness. |
Fairlight | Chapter Thirty Two - New Friends | CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
New friends
Light. Sweet, sweet light. It wasn't the sun, but by Luna's good grace, we reached the end of the tunnel and, as I had suspected, emerged on the other side of the hill to the town. My companions stowed their lanterns and re-adjusted gear before heading off silently into the forest. I followed, Shadow close behind me. There was a sensation of pulling on my tail which made me reach round to adjust whatever it was. What I didn't expect was to see Shadow gripping my tail in her mouth, it was agonisingly adorable and she smiled shyly, a faint rose colour on her cheeks. I gave her the trademark Fairlight wink and turned back with a foalish grin that must have reached from ear to ear. Her blush was so cute !
A shoulder nudged me from one side, the Thestral female it originated from whispered, "Names Glimmer, Equestrian.", "Fairlight", I replied with a nod. She pushed up against me, red eyes a little close for my liking, "Can I give you a piece of advice ?". I gave a quick nod for her to go on, "Ears".
"Ears ?" I whispered back. She gave me a knowing little smile and explained, "Nibble her ears, it feels amazing. Seriously.". "Wha !", I squeaked and looked back at Shadow who held her head to one side, a questioning look on her face. It was my turn to blush now. Glimmer moved away shaking with laughter before squeaking herself as the Thestral bringing up the rear, gave her a nip on the behind.
The Thestral shrugged and winked at me before resuming her position in the formation. Some time had passed and I noticed that the trees were beginning to thin out. Thorn had noticed it too and raised a hoof, halting the party. He made some gestures with his hooves and the soldiers began removing large white cloaks from their packs which covered our bodies completely, even our tails. Shadow looked unhappy to release her prize and I looked back to the soggy, chewed and crinkled mass that had once been my beloved tail. It was going to take hours to brush that out, I groaned inwardly.
The cloaks made us look like ghosts among the crystal trees and white grass. I didn't see any path, but the Thestral commander appeared to know the way. I hadn't seen Star Beard for some time either and guessed the ancient 'priest' would be at the rear,
"With the gear", I muttered to myself, the old watch joke coming to mind. Come to think of it, this expedition was reminiscent of some operations I had been on with the watch. I opened my mind and observed every movement, every sound and smell. These Thestrals were good, very good, but it didn't hurt to have an extra set of alert senses within your group. I was damned if I'd just be baggage.
We'd been trudging on through the forest for several hours by my reckoning. Despite their age, my Thestral companions didn't seem to be showing any sign of tiredness or fatigue. In fact, they appeared as fresh and as dauntless as when we first set off. It may have been a strange effect of this plane on its inhabitants and for the most part I hadn't felt any tiredness since coming here until relatively recently. Sure, I'd slept occasionally, but sleep just wasn't the same, I didn't wake with that drowsy sensation you'd have when you'd like a few more hours, or even the expectation of a new day ahead. Here, things simply went on, they happened, in a strange way it was almost like time had stood still and no pony even noticed.
Thorn spread us out among the trees, ostensibly to avoid aerial detection by our pursuers. What struck me as peculiar, was that there was no sign of any pursuit. None at all. Thestrals may not be the most graceful creatures who ever flew, but they could have sent out scouts to track us down long ago. Surely we would have seen at least one, Goddess forbid, but something about this situation was ringing alarm bells with me.
Right on cue, Thorn slid down next to me with barely a sound. "Whats wrong ?" I asked him quietly, not wanting to worry Shadow who had taken to holding onto my tail again. "You can feel it too Equestrian. Cant you." It wasn't a question. The old Thestral warrior looked skyward and spoke in a low serious voice, "I've avoided pursuit in the past, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Always, there was some sign of our enemy. Dust rising, wings against the sky, sounds carried on the breeze...something."
The cloak was beginning to make my mane stick to my neck with sweat and I shook myself for a little relief, "Whats your assessment Storm Major ?". Thorn pulled his cloak hood back a little and looked me in the eyes, "They're either letting us go, or we're heading into a trap of some sort." I nodded my agreement, it was all far too easy. Under some possible scenario's I'd run through in my mind as we'd set off from Star Beards sanctuary, I'd imagined the Duchess letting us go simply to be rid of us, others, that we'd cleverly evaded capture, some that they were simply badly disorganised and hadn't begun looking further than the tunnels yet.
After a process of elimination, the hatred radiating from the Duchess and her desire to see me dead, left me with only one conclusion. She would never allow me to leave the Beyond alive, let alone take her daughter with me. For her to lose face amongst her people was unimaginable. Her forces would doubtless be rallied to pursue me...us...to the gates of hell and beyond if necessary. In short, it was the same conclusion as Thorn's. We were heading straight into a trap.
"Thoughts Equestrian ?" He asked me. I felt honoured he would consider my opinions and I prayed I wouldn't disappoint him. "Send forward scouts on hoof to avoid aerial detection. Flankers out within ear shot, rear guard to protect from attack from the rear. I would have crossbows to the centre to protect from strafing runs."
Thorn nodded, "Interesting, you would centralise your defensive strength ?" He looked back to Shadow and nodded. "She is our most valuable cargo on this mission Equestrian. Do you agree ?".
"Yes, Storm Major. I do". He clopped me on the shoulder and smiled, a large scar showing white across his muzzle, "Despite what you may have heard from some of my brothers and sisters, not all ponies ran when the Equestrians Goddess brought the suns light down upon us. Many stayed and fought, died, by our side. These truths are forgotten with time as the old ones leave for the next world. Only the bitterness, the anger and hurt remain. The Thestrals pride has never recovered and with the Duchess leading our people, I doubt it ever will.", Thorn lowered his head and closed his eyes in thought. Gathering himself to his hooves he stood and signalled to the others with a few light clops of his hooves. "You're a good pony, Equestrian. You give me hope for my family. Take good care of our Lady Shadow, protect her as a warrior should".
I nodded and looked him square in the eyes, hoping my determination to see this through would be clear. He smiled and took up his position once more in the formation. I felt a light nudge to my rump and knew Shadow was ready to move on. Little tugs reminded me that I'd really have to get that tail looked at when I got home, a good shampoo and comb through. With any luck, I could convince her to help me groom myself thoroughly. An inappropriate thought popped into my mind and I filed it for later perusal, first off though, we'd have to get out of here in one piece. Ear nibbling would have to come later.
We followed the valleys, avoiding the hills in case we were silhouetted against the skyline, before reaching a small stream of fast flowing black water. The Thestrals stopped to drink and fill water skins. I was so glad I didn't get the urge to drink that stuff and especially from the white leather skins. I felt embarrassed, ashamed even, at being so prudish about it, but every time I saw the pale material I had flash backs to the shrivelled mass of the lake monster. The monster I had drained of life, at least, I had according to Star Beard. Maybe he was wrong.....Goddesses, I wished he was.
More hours of marching followed and I could feel Shadow starting to flag, if the tugs on my tail were any indication. It looked like the Storm Major had read my mind when he lifted a foreleg and brought us to a halt. One of the lead armoured Thestrals lifted his head, throwing his cloaks hood back, ears twitching. I still couldn't quite get used to those pointed ear / horn protrusions, they gave the Thestrals an otherworldly look, something I'd seen only in books on the Underworld. Considering my attraction
to Shadow though, I may have been a little hypocritical in that regard, but then, she was special wasn't she ?
I followed the Thestrals gaze and strained my ears to pick up any sound. There it was, a whistle, faint to my poorer pony audible capabilities, but apparently clear to the lead
scout of our group. Thorn signalled to him who then, in turn, saluted and trotted off in the direction of the sound.
Every pony stood their ground, tense and expectant. Despite the white cloaks, I had an image of the Thestrals as coiled springs, ready to react with lethal and deadly force at a moments notice. I had seen Far Sight in battle and that was impressive enough without the armour and crystal weapons adding to the imagery.
The runner returned, speaking quickly with his commander who issued his orders. The Thestral lifted a small silver whistle and gave several blasts, oddly, not as loud as I would have expected.
The female Thestral, Glimmer, snuck up beside me, leaning her muzzle close to my ear, "The bridge is near. Beyond that is the old encampment, the boundary of our homeland. Tell me, my pony friend....do you fear ghosts ?"
I swallowed and blinked at her, noting her sly smirk under the hood.
"My lady Glimmer..", that got a shocked snort of steam, "...you're talking to one."
Glimmer nickered and pranced away in surprise, turning her head to look at Shadow who nodded to her, affirming what I had said. She backed away from me and kept a wary distance looking decidedly shaken. I grinned and winked back at Shadow who gave a foalish giggle under her breath. "Nibble the ears", I muttered.
Thorn spoke at length with one of the other officers and signalled us to move on. Shortly, we halted by the edge of a clearing, that sloped down to the only other structure I had seen outside of the village. A magnificent crystal bridge, arched gracefully over the black river. It was imposing yet with a ethereal quality for something so practical. It seemed strange to compare such engineering skill and design to the tent like domed huts of the tribes town.
Our scout was waiting for us at the edge of the clearing, Thorn called me up to him along with another officer. "You know my mind Gentlecolts, our first destination is before us. I would know your minds." He addressed us all. This was new to me, no officer in the Equestrian Watch would have a discussion like this before going in to possible action. It was quite enlightening and I listened with anticipation.
"Sir", the scout said, "I would like to take a recon section and scout the edges of the woods down to the riverside, away from the bridge. We cannot see the other side well enough to check if it's clear of the enemy".
Enemy ? These Thestrals were treating our escape as a military operation, any opposition now being viewed as hostile. I hoped that an encounter with their own people would not result in a fight if it could be avoided. Sadly, it felt like mine was a forlorn hope.
Discussions continued with each officer giving their recommendation to Thorn. He thanked each and gave his decision, "We will scout the bank first. The centre will hold here, perimeter guards will maintain distance and level of alert.". He turned to the scout, "Sergeant, remind you team that there is to be no engagement with enemy forces unless attacked first. Stealth and concealment is paramount. Note any positions and report back. Dismissed."
The Sergeant clapped a hoof to his chest in salute and collected his Thestrals for their own briefing. I was impressed by the organisation and fluidity of the Thestral command, they had a very militaristic and ordered way to their life in general, apparent from the way their town was arranged, to the adherence to orders and rank. Whether this applied to all the Thestrals, young and old, remained to be seen. If I had a chance to speak to Star Beard again, I would happily listen to his stories and record them if possible. Ponies should know of these people.
I watched the scouts disperse and lay next to Thorn as he surveyed the bridge and far bank. He produced a long brass tube from his saddle bag, which he extended out, lifting it to his eye. I had seen telescopes before but only in observatories and on the top of the library in Ponyville. This was a smaller version and by the looks of it, very old. The watch had binoculars nowadays and it was fascinating to see such old time technology still in use.
"Damn it all !", Thorn hissed, "I cant see properly from this distance and my Goddess cursed eyes aren't what the once were. Here Captain, what do your Pony eyes see ?"
I took the proffered telescope and adjusted it to my vision. Closing one eye I was able to scan the near bank and bridge approach, there was no sign of life at all. The only visible movement was from the water washing around the bridge supports and the slight fluttering of the remains of cloth banners hanging from skeletal poles on its wing walls. If anything at all, the most remarkable thing was the sign of natural forces at work; the wind, the rushing water. These were first real link to home I had seen since arriving in the Withers.
Black metal sconces lined the parapet of the bridge indicating that this must have been a well used structure at some time in its life, now it was silent testimony of the Thestrals in their heyday. I was about to hoof the telescope back, when a small movement caught my eye, it could be nothing, but I'd better check. Yes, there, just on the other side of the bridge was...something. I rubbed my eye and look again, it was like a black tree, its foliage waving slightly, almost like a mane, in the slight breeze.
"Dear sweet Goddess.....". Thorn snatched the telescope from me and strained to see, asking, "What ? What is it Equestrian, what do you see ? Fuck my old eyes !".
"Sir, I....", I fought to find the words, Thorn looking increasingly concerned. "On the other side of the bridge....".
I didn't get to finish as the Recon Sergeant rushed up in a lather, steam pouring from his coat in the exertion of galloping up the hill. "SIR !", he near shouted, "Its Nimbus sir, those bastards.....they've....Goddess...". Thorn put a hoof on the Sergeants shoulder and looked at me, a look, not of fear but of...anger on his features.
"Take a breath Sergeant, then give me your report.....".
"Yes, Sir", the veteran took several deep breaths, snorted out a gout of steam and saluted his commanding officer.
"Sir, the near banks are clear of enemy units, no patrols or activity spotted."
Thorn nodded.
"The far bank shows signs of recent ground movement, some activity is visible, actively attempting to avoid detection. Estimate around thirty to forty enemy units."
He paused, gathering himself. I closed my eyes, I could see a pit in front of us and we had no choice but to walk onward to its deadly conclusion.
"Sir....your son, Nimbus, they've taken him prisoner. The enemy have...crucified him.".
Thorn sat there, unmoving. All I could hear was the beating of my heart and the distant rush of the water.
"Thank you Sergeant.", Thorn said, returning the scouts salute.
"Storm Major, I....", I began but the Thestral commander cut in, "This changes nothing Captain. Fear is a tool of war and collateral damage is expected. Casualties will be taken, we have known this since we were foals. Go to your mate, now. Be with her until I summon you. We will begin planning our next move within the hour."
I saluted the old Thestral officer and walked slowly back to Shadow who smiled expectantly. Her expression changed when she saw my face, her eyes dimming giving me a questioning look. "Fairlight ?" she asked. I took her in my forelegs and held her, saying nothing. What in Equestria could I say to her ?
We stayed together, side by side, taking simple comfort from each others company while the Thestral commanders discussed their strategy. My pride felt wounded that I had been left out of the discussions, but I knew from Thorns body language that he
wanted me to spend as much time as I could with Shadow, give her what comfort I could, until it was time to fight. And fight we would, of that I was horrible certain.
Glimmer glided over to me and nudged me with her muzzle, "Come on then, 'ghost pony', the boss wants us. Its time."
Orders were issued and Thestrals moved out into position. I approached Thorn, "Storm Major.", I saluted. "Captain Fairlight." He replied levelly.
I came straight out with it, "I request permission to join one of the wing teams." His eyes blazed brightly, "Denied".
"Sir !..."
"I said Denied Captain ! Are you questioning my orders ?"
"No Sir !"
Thorn looked away in silence, his mane bristling.
"I'm not here as a witness Storm Major." I said to him quietly, "Thestrals are risking their lives for Shadow and for me. I'm not a Thestral warrior, but I have my honour as a Captain of the Watch as well. How can I return to my ponies as a coward who wouldn't fight to defend his mate ?"
Silence fell, I could just make out slight movements between the trees as the white cloaked Thestral assault teams moved silently down the slope either side of the clearing.
Then, standing, the old Thestral stood up and reach out with a hoof. I looked at it in surprise before taking his offer and allowing him to help me up.
Thorns eyes had a distant look, his voice sounding as if he were remembering a time long ago, "There was a pony, a lot like you, who I served with. He was a junior lieutenant in the pony ground forces. He was tasked with defending the Goddesses banner with a colour party of six others."
"All our forces had been committed to the attack and the colours were safe, we thought, behind the front lines."
He paused, rubbing his eyes with a fore hoof.
"The Equestrians Goddess rallied her forces and burned us with the fire of a thousand suns. Many of my brothers and sister were reduced to ash before my very eyes. They didn't even have time to cry out......"
Our pony forces panicked and fled, the beam of light flashing out again and again, cutting down our Thestrals, dragons and ponies alike, turning rivers to steam and trees to charcoal, it......"
The Storm Major swallowed and shook his mane,
"Our forces routed. The ponies fled, pursued by the Equestrians in a full frontal counter attack. Many died, some where taken prisoner, but not many. In their blood rage, the Equestrians cut down any in their path."
Above us our Goddess fought, but with the Equestrian Goddess' revitalised forces, she was overwhelmed. I lost sight of her, we all did. You cant imagine what it was like Captain, my friends, my own father......"
I stood with my brothers and fought as our troops ran and flew past us, discarding their weapons in their blind rush to escape the oncoming tide of Equestrian anger. I...saw the young pony stand. He...stood there, holding the banner as you would stand against a gale. His comrades threw down their arms and fled, yet there he stood, proud and defiant, the Goddesses banner in his hooves, flying in the wind, holed by bolts and burned by dragon fire.
He was struck by arrows and bolts again and again. He fell to his knees but never let her banner drop."
"I tried to reach him as the earth pony knight charged him, but it was all I could do to keep my self alive. He had no weapon, only the banner, he just...just, climbed back to his hooves and stood, holding that precious banner.
"I escaped my attackers and flew to his aid but I was too late. The knight ran him through from chest to tail with a spear, taking our Goddesses banner and galloping back to their lines."
"When I reached him, he was already dead. I closed his eyes with my own hooves Captain, but one thing I remember so clearly even today, was the smile on his face. He had served his Goddess with honour, served his people and all for what ? I never even knew his name. His body was left on the battlefield and what happened to it, no Thestral knows.
After that last great battle, those of us who had not been killed or fled to the far corners of the world, were captured and banished to the Wither world."
I stood in silence, looking at the Thestral commander who was now looking out through his telescope.
"You have a part to play Captain and it is not yet that time. I wont have you throwing your life away in some vain attempt at heroics. Your honour is here with your mate, to protect her, to lay down your life for her if you must. That, is a stallions greatest honour."
"You know your role in all of this and I have promised Storm Colonel Star Beard I will keep you alive long enough for you to do what he has instructed."
I stared at the churned up grass at his hooves, not able to look him in the face.
"Request denied, Captain."
"Yes, Sir". |
Fairlight | Chapter Thirty Three - Nimbus | CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
Nimbus
Across the river, the Thestrals went to work, every member of their assault teams using their cloaks to maximum effect. The plan had been to cross the river, using the waters black sheen to cover their approach. Once in the trees on the opposite bank, the cloaks would be deployed once more as they approached their targets.
I watched from cover with Thorn while Shadow dozed behind me. Our Thestral comrades stationed around us watched our flanks and rear, crossbows ready to meet any attack from land or sky.
The focus for me however, was on the activities on the other side of the bridge. A series of loud pop's and flashes from several small crystal huts, were followed by shout and screams which drifted across the river. Shouting from the buildings further inland, were followed by a rush of Thestral re-enforcements heading for the huts under attack.
The enemy had shown themselves but for them, their planned ambush had backfired, and badly. It was hard to see any specific direction or leadership in them, in fact rather than our disciplined and organised Thestral warriors, these appeared to be acting more like a mass of individuals. Regardless of their lack of cohesion however, their numbers were greater than ours and threatened to overwhelm the assault teams should this turn into a pitched battle.
At this distance, it was hard to see specific detail, except I thought that.....I did ! There ! Cloaked and all but invisible against the white foliage, several Thestrals rushed from the first buildings and melted back into the surrounding trees. The generally black appearance of our foe against the snowy landscape made them hard to miss as they poured into the buildings until the ones outside neighed and fumed, unable to see what was going on inside.
Thorn stared intently and whispered, "....now....". As if on cue, an enormous green ball of fire erupted from inside the building, flames gouting from the windows and door, licking under the eves. The intense light was mixed with an eerie otherworldly 'darkness', in a mind reeling display of raw magical energy, the likes Equestria had probably not seen since the last war. And thank Celestia for that! As the second explosion went off from the other hut targeted by our teams, the scream from the Thestrals caught by the merciless fires as they had stood outside was a horrific memory I will never forget. Of those who had been inside, there was no sign.
The remaining Thestrals ran in apparent confusion, blowing hard, unsure as what to do next. With lethal accuracy, bolts flew from their invisible attackers in the trees, putting them down . One of the creatures charged the tree line raising a spear. I could hear his battle cry even from my vantage point, I saw the glint of a weapon being swung, his body crashing lifeless to the ground, a moment before his decapitated head landed next to him. The pressure of fore legs gripping me, made me crane my neck
round to see a dark muzzle pushing hard into my neck, a whimper of terror and loss filling my ears and heart. I nuzzled Shadow, it was all I could do for her for now, she was shaking uncontrollably. I whispered into her ear, "Its alright love, it'll all be over soon.", I wasn't sure I believed my own words. Shadow didn't answer.
A whistle from the ruins brought Thorn to his hooves. He gave orders to Glimmer who rushed off to pass the word along. We were moving. Thorn brushed himself off and hefted his war axe, "Captain, are you ready ?".
I took up my crossbow and checked the safety. The huge old thing wasn't designed for ponies but would serve me well, solid and reliable. Judging by the black wood and steel of its construction, it most likely heralded from the war. My sword, a home grown Thestral creation was made from the same material as their weapons, crystal I had thought until Thorn corrected me; Diamond.
We swept down the wooded slope keeping to the tree line, keeping our cloaks on even now. No sense in taking chances at this stage. I picked our route as best we could but there was a feeling of urgency from Thorn, a sense that despite his outer calm, his son could not wait any longer. Thorn had told me his son would be dead, his body nailed to a cross as a message to him from the Duchess...she was coming and he would be next along with his comrades. This, Glimmer had explained while I had sat with Shadow under the trees, was an ancient tactic of intimidation. It apparently showed a willingness to make an enemy suffer incredible torment, a threat, a promise, that should they be opposed, this would be the fate of their enemy.
Whether this had any effect on the Thestrals, it didn't show. Not until now. At the bottom of the slope, Thorn rushed headlong for the wing wall of the bridge. He
slowed and then stopped, staring at the water, snorting his impatience, waiting. As I neared the Storm Major wondering what had brought him up short, a Thestral, water cascading from his hide, emerged from the black water like some mythological beast. Red eyes blazing she shook her coat and saluted the Storm Major, "Bridge is clear sir".
Thorn nodded and charged across the bridge, weapon drawn, heading straight for his son who was now flanked by several of his troops. He slowed to a trot, then a walk as he approached, looking up at his sons face. Why hadn't they cut him down ? They were just standing there like statues, where they in shock or was there something else I hadn't seen or understood yet.
My mouth hung open in shock at the sight before me. The young Thestral hung on a crystalline post, suspended by his forelegs by large nails driven through his flesh. His hind legs had been tied behind the terrible object of his pain and humiliation. I noticed in my rising horror, they had been broken first, before being pulled back into their unnatural position. His hide showed signs of a dreadful struggle too, slash wounds, burns and teeth marks. Whatever they had done to him, he hadn't taken it lying down and had fought his attackers hoof and fang. I nodded to him and whispered a prayer to Luna, may she guide his soul to the next world, this brave warrior of the Beyond.
Thorn slowly walked up to the devastated body of his son, looking into his face...expressionless. He held up a foreleg to touch him, faltered, then put it back down. If any pony else saw the slight quiver as he did so, they didn't say, the respect and bond they shared with their commander was a deep one.
One of the assault team Thestrals trotted over respectfully nodding, "Sir, its as we feared. They've...."
"Father......". Nimbus' eye opened a fraction, the green fire in them barely a flicker. "Father....".
"Water !", Thorn shouted and I thrust my water skin into his outstretched hoof. He reached forward to sate his sons thirst.
Nimbus groaned piteously but managed to croak a few words to his father, "No...keep away....magm....", he tried to wet his lips with a dry tongue but choked and I spotted green tears trickle down his cheeks to fall upon the bloodstained grass.
"Sir !". The Thestral who had tried to report to Thorn a moment ago, stepped up to put a restraining foreleg against his chest, firm but respectful. "It's a magmine, they've rigged him with one, if you touch him, its all over. Please, sir !"
Thorn pushed forward against the pressure momentarily before backing away, a look of agony in his face. He pushed the water skin back at me and nodded gravely, "You are a unicorn are you not Captain ? Have you any experience with such devices ?"
"No Sir. I've never heard of them, I assume they are a booby trap of some kind ?"
Thorn nodded, his eyes looking into his sons whose chest rose and fell in short pants.
"Yes. A magical mine...'Magmine'...A cowards weapon. I thought they'd all been destroyed years ago. Apparently not."
Thorn removed his cloak and unbuckled a crossbow from his harness. "My son, you know what I must do."
Nimbus attempted a weak nod as the Thestrals near him backed away. Dawning realisation hit me, "Thorn, you cant mean to...for the Goddesses sake...he's your son !".
He motioned to Glimmer who stepped between us, physically pushing me back. "Fairlight, this is something he must do. Don't make it any harder for him than it is already."
This flew in the face of everything I had ever been taught, to respect, honour and protect lives. To sacrifice mine if need be to save others, the code of the Watch pony. I had never come across anything like this and hoped, somehow, that I had the wrong end of the proverbial stick, that some pony was going to be able to magic up some solution to it.
I cursed myself for not having a better grasp of magic, but with no idea what this thing was or what it could do, I'd be like a foal playing with a box of matches.
Shadow put a hoof on my shoulder and shook her head. Damn it all, she was as bad as the rest of them ! I couldn't believe they'd just give up on him so quickly, was this some weird Thestral thing of theirs ?
Thorn spoke to his son, "How many did you slay my son ?" he asked. "Four...father...". The old Thestral nodded and a smile, edged in pain, crossed his lips as he announced to all present, "My son has fallen in battle. He has slain four of his foes single hoofed ! From this day, songs will be sung of his fearsome strength, his deeds of valour, his bravery in death. Remember !"
The Thestrals as one slammed their hooves to their chests, the sound echoing dully around the old encampment. "Remember !" they shouted as one, the cry echoing out across the clearing. Oh Luna...Celestia...cant you do something to help this soul ? Where are you both ? We need you and we're all alone, here in the darkness....
I watched in stunned silence at the heavy crossbow being levelled by Nimbus's father, light glinting off its cruelly sharp tip. The wood creaked almost imperceptibly as the safety catch was released. I couldn't bear to watch yet, when I looked over my shoulder, I saw that Shadow was stood with us, staring intently at the stricken young Thestral. They all were. Nimbus shouted out to his gathered troops, "Behold ! The warrior returns to the halls of his ancestors !"
We all looked up at Nimbus who raised his maw to the sky and howled with the last of his strength. Around me the others cried out, a single note mixing with his, calling to his ancestors warning them he was coming. The sound began to die away and as it did, I saw something I would not have dreamt possible from the grizzled war veteran; a single silvery tear rolled from Thorns eye, disappearing almost as soon as it had appeared.
"Goodbye, my son.", the final note echoed away into the eternal sky. Thorn's bolt left his crossbow with a loud 'thwack', transfixing Nimbus' upturned head to the crystal pole. Almost instantly, he was engulfed in a violent green magical fire which doubtless would have incinerated any pony stood nearby when it was activated. Instead, it was a funeral pyre to send a young soul on his final journey. I'd never met Nimbus and although this gave me a strange sort of detachment from what was happening here, it didn't mean that it didn't wound some inner part of me as I bore witness to the stallion's final moments. I fear that if not for me, he would most likely still be alive, a weight I would have to carry with me for the rest of my days.
The Thestral race was enigmatic, so alien to everything I had ever been brought up with in Equestria, that I sometimes felt frighteningly alone. Other times, by contrast, it was almost as if I'd been born here, a Thestral in the body of a pony. Perhaps I was losing myself in this place, becoming one with the people, my own now nothing more than a distant memory, a dream that had happened to another Fairlight. Right now, right here, seeing the green flames crackle and the heat haze shimmering in the strange white light of this land, all I could see was a brave young life, brutally cut short.
We re-filled our water skins and set out towards the final destination for our group, the Veil was not far now. My pendant glowed brightly when I peeked down into my barding, keeping its glow covered to avoid detection. The white cloaks continued to be worn even now. I was increasingly worried about Shadow, she appeared to be retreating more and more into herself lately. She rarely spoke at the best of times, why, I'd never properly understood and had never seemed to find the time, or conviction, to ask her. Maybe I was being cowardly, I don't know. Its easy to look upon these matters in hindsight and say what I should have done, what I could have done. Right then, I just wanted to comfort her and not burden her with my needless questions.
I would look over my shoulder and smile at her from time to time. She would smile back sadly and when she thought I wasn't looking, would occasionally hang her head
and drag her hooves. She looked tired, worn and world weary, not like the mare I had first met. The death of Nimbus seemed to have hit home with her more than any pony else, maybe even more than Thorn. Of the commander, he continued on as he had since I first met him, stoic, unyielding. Hooves smartly and purposefully clopping along, he was an elderly Thestral, true, but he was a bold warrior and a soldier you'd proud to fight beside. I hoped that I could be even half the pony he was. Metaphorically speaking, naturally.
Movement in the trees up ahead gave us reason to halt, a runner from the forward scout detachment rushing back to speak to his commander. Words were exchanged and a ripple of excitement ran through our party. Thorn looked back at me, a broad smile on his weathered face. He seemed to have aged a great deal since the tragic events at the bridge, yet now he was bright, re-invigorated and alive with fresh purpose. "We're here Captain", was all he said before beckoning me to follow him.
Ahead of us was a sight which would have made any Equestrian historian wet themselves in excitement. A vast, bowl shaped depression in the land, hollowed out of the white landscape itself spread out before us almost to the horizon. The geography in itself was impressive compared to the endless seas of black sand, hills and white crystal forests I had encountered before. However, what filled the bowl was the true jewel of this land. A city of crystal, sparking and glinting in the moonlight, a fairytale picture of palaces, spires, sweeping sky bridges and elegant buildings of every description. Even from this distance, the road network was incredibly clearly defined, laid out like some giant spiders web. It's lines radiated out from a large central area which, from what I could tell, was a large round flat 'rise' of brilliant white crystal.
The city as a whole was simply breathtaking, truly beautiful to behold in all its majesty. I had never seen it's like before, even in the pictures I'd seen of Canterlot, this was on another level all together. In fact if some pony had told me that this was Canterlot, I wouldn't have questioned them at all. This was a place that one would naturally find royalty, even deities. I realised that my eyes had been staring and my jaw hanging slack when Glimmer knocked my head good naturedly with a hoof. "Wake up you big foals blouse, we have a ways to go yet you know". She was right, the city was still a decent few hours walk away from us across open ground and no matter which way we approached it, we would have to cross. There was no choice now, the prize we sought was right before us, waiting. Whether with open arms or with drawn swords, remained to be seen.
We kept to the formation, keeping low and remaining vigilant in the white grass, our weapons ready. We would be exposed, but an advantage was that we could also see clearly around us and would be able to break for the apparent safety of the cities outer suburbs if need be.
The white grass of the open plain began to become sparse the closer we came to the lip of the cities perimeter. The black sand had returned just when I had begun to think of it as a thing of the past. The good old Fairlight wishful thinking kicking back in again !
The white cloaks we wore, were now useless for camouflage and so we stowed them back in our panniers, securing weapons and tightening gear in case we needed to move quickly. The black sand crunched with familiarity beneath my hooves and we broke into a trot, Thorn wanting to spend as little time in the open as possible.
We were making good progress towards the city when one of our lead scouts let out three blasts on his whistle. Thorn paused, standing on his hind legs, lifting a hoof and then making a pumping motion. Glimmer raced past Shadow and I, shouting "Looks like trouble, lets move flank pony !". She didn't have to tell me twice, and we raced after her and the other Thestrals, kicking up little puffs of black sand in our wake. As we picked up pace I saw Thorn look skyward and shout back to us, "Don't stop till we get to the city rendezvous point ! Whatever happens, run like the bitch herself was behind you !". He took off at a full gallop, damn... he was fast.
I was glad in some ways to have a chance to really open out into a full gallop, my blood pumping hot through my veins, the breeze drying off my sweaty coat. It was a relief to be free of that white cloak too, as much as a necessity as it had been, the sticky thing had become unbearably hot when worn for long periods. I'd been happily surprised to find the Beyond had some form of weather pattern, even if it was only a slight breeze. Unfortunately, it didn't do much to cool you down when carrying armour, weapons and saddle packs.
Finally, I could run, I may have even shouted in relief if only it hadn't been for the sudden rush of fear I felt mixing with the adrenalin. Something had spooked Thorn into a full charge, straight for the cover of the city. He'd said something about a city rendezvous...Bollocks ! I didn't even know where that was ! I was completely dependant upon following these guys.
As we galloped, a faint noise overhead intruded on my hearing and I risked a glance upwards to see what it was. I wished I hadn't, large sizzling balls of green magical fire, were arcing through the dark sky in our direction. If it was possible to gain any extra acceleration out of the poor old legs, this was the time to do it.
The first one screamed in with a noise like the damned of hell trying to escape into the world of the living. 'Taking any pony back with them if that thing catches us', I thought to myself as I locked onto the first buildings which hove into view. The explosion of the green fire was almost an anticlimax, more a 'wumpf', than a 'boom' as I'd half expected. The flames spewed and splattered in all directions, the heat was so intense where the fire landed, that it melted the black sand to glass at its centre.
More of them came in, almost blotting out the sky until all I could see was a bright green haze all around me. The thumps of the fire balls bursting near me flashed me with waves of searing heat and frighteningly, I could smell burned hair. I saw Glimmer coming up next to me, blowing like an Equestrian steam engine, "Keep running Fairlight,", she called between pants, "we're nearly there, keep going.".
There were burn marks on her armour from the fire, and smoke trailing from her hide where it had caught her. Glimmer's stoic face showed nothing but grim determination and I drew deep for a little extra speed. More thumps, some close, some far away. I thought I could hear screams carried on the gusts whipped up by the explosions but kept my head down and willed myself on. If those things hit me, I would be an instant pile of ash, my body becoming indivisible from the black sand around it. Oh Goddesses ! Why was I thinking of that now !?
Glimmer and I almost simultaneously leapt the retaining wall of the first structure we saw and turned quickly down a side alley. I had no idea where the rendezvous point was but an educated guess would be the central platform of the city. Any enemy we faced in here would most likely be there already waiting for us and we would have little choice but to meet them. Glimmer galloped around a corner and we were met with a hissing blizzard of arrows seemingly from out of nowhere. "In here !", she shouted, heading off down another alley, I was hot on her hooves. The clatter of our
passage echoed off the empty buildings, their open windows and doors like the bones of dead creatures staring out at the living one's running past them. A sudden thought broke through my adrenalin soaked brain, "SHADOW !", I shouted at Glimmer, "She's not behind us ! I have to go back, you go on ahead I'll catch you up."
Glimmer screamed back at me, "Don't be a fucking idiot ! She'll be with the others, we need to get you to the target area."
"You don't know she's with the others, she could be back in the open field, hurt ! For Luna's sake, Glimmer, I have to go !"
Glimmer lunged for my barding, grabbing it in her teeth and, flaring her wings, she flung both of us through the open doorway of a small building.
She threw me to the ground and kicked me roughly in the chest, "Shut the fuck up pony, just shut the fuck right up ! Do you hear me !".
I was taken aback by her attack but rose to my hooves, taking to a fighting stance by instinct. "She's my mate and your Duchesses daughter. I promised her father I would protect her with my life and that's what I intend to do ! So get out of my way Glimmer, I'm going back for her with or without you."
Glimmer stomped her hoof, "We don't have time for this bullshit Equestrian ! Your mate has her orders and she knows this place like the back of her hoof, we all do. Its you we need to worry about, since you're obviously not the Duchesses 'precious' daughter. The good Lady Shadow is far less likely to come to harm than her pony kidnapper, wouldn't you agree ?".
"I..."
"Good. Now we've got that settled, get your Goddess cursed arse out of here before those fuckers come in here for us."
We charged back out into the street, taking side alleys more than the main roads. It was clear to me that Glimmer knew this area surprisingly well, even though no pony had lived here in a very long time by the generally abandoned feel to the city. She never slowed, never faltered, the dust whipped up by her thundering hooves catching in my nose. We turned yet another corner as a volley of bolts crashed into us with a sound of hail hitting glass. Glimmer cried out and smashed into the ground at full gallop, sliding to a halt as I twisted to arrest myself from colliding with her. Grasping her barding as she had done with mine, I pulled her with all the strength I could muster into the nearest open door. I took out my crossbow, flicked off the safety and covered the door entrance while I looked over her body. Several crossbow bolts had
hit her flank chest and neck. Glimmers laboured breathing and coughing evidenced at least one of them had penetrated her lungs. Blood foamed from her muzzle and seeped from the terrible wounds on her body. She held her eyes tight closed and let out a low whimper of pain.
Goddesses, what could I do ? I tipped out my pack onto the dusty floor, searching for medical supplies but finding only bandages. I remembered that the team had a medic with them and Luna knew where they were now...there was only one thing for it.
"Glimmer, you're hurt, look...stay here and don't move. I'll draw them away from you and come back with help." I went to put my cloak over her to keep her warm.
She glanced up at me with a half open eye, wincing with pain as she opened her mouth to speak, "No....just....get out of here, I'm.....not going...to make it."
"Glimmer look, please just try and hold on", I started to undo the strapping on her gear, "Here, I'll loosen your armour so you can breath and I'll get help for you."
She reached out and hooked my barding with a foreleg, panting for breath, "Don't be a.....", she let out a gasp and coughed droplets of blood onto the dust covered floor, "....bloody hero....I can feel my ancestors calling my....soul to them now. Get to the centre of the city, remember...remember....what Star Beard told you....my young equestrian....pony."
More racking coughs hit her and I put my hoof on her chest for her to hold, chancing a peek out the doorway just in time to duck back as a bolt pinged off the frame. I levitated my crossbow up and shot back, quickly reloading as Glimmer pulled me back to her.
"Make me one promise, cute flanks..." she croaked. The fire in her eyes was starting to flicker, with heart breaking certainty, I knew she wouldn't be able to last much longer. I nodded, "Of course Glimmer." She smiled, "Sing to my ancestors for me. Let them know....let them...know I'm... coming home". I could feel tears stinging my eyes and glanced out the door, there was some movement but hard to pinpoint. Glimmer shook violently and gave a stifled cry, "Damn it, come here !", She pulled on my barding and kissed me full on the mouth, her blood and hot breath taking my breath away.
Weakly, she moved back and snorted blood and steam onto the floor. "I always thought, you had a....cute arse...pony boy. What I wouldn't do to....you. If that little filly hadn't stolen....stolen your heart eh ?"
"Glimmer....", tears rolled down my face. How many mares were going to die in my forelegs ? Goddesses, was I cursed to bring so much pain and death to those around me ?
Her hoof reached out and brushed away the tears, "Go now....run, go save your mate....go...". I took Glimmers head and kissed her, giving her a nuzzle before I drew back, brushing the soft mane from her eyes, "I'll never forget you Glimmer, we'll remember you. Goddess be with you."
She waved a hoof at the door, "Go !". I turned to leave, loosing off a bolt towards some movement at the end of the alley, grimly satisfied by the answering scream of pain. I took one last look back into the dark room, "Goodbye Glimmer...." I said and galloped off into the eerie streets of the dead city. |
Fairlight | Chapter Thirty Four - The empty city | CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
The empty city
Arrows and bolts flew past me as I turned corners at break leg speed, thanking Luna that I was able to get a grip on the gritty street surface. A broken leg here would mean death, rather than a few weeks in a Manehatten hospital being waited on by nurses and, on occasion, Meadow. When was the last time I'd thought of her, her and Sparrow Song ? Now was not the time, damn it, I had to....Shit !
Stepping out of what looked like an old shop frontage, an armoured Thestral appeared in heavy red striped armour. Definitely not one of ours, he saw me and drew a long hafted weapon from his back. With a loud 'click', a long scythe blade flicked out and locked into place, white light glinting along its edge. He swung, the blade whooshing by as it sliced the air inches from the top of my head. Thank be to Luna, that I'd flattened my ears when I did, or they'd have parted company from the rest of me. I didn't fancy losing any body parts in this world like I did in the last. I was rather attached to them and I intended to keep them that way !
My own blade, designed for close in work thrust up and under his swing, straight between the armour plates and into his heart. He barely let out a sound as his still warm corpse slammed into the dusty ground. I took a chance and stole a glance at his armour before moving on. It was red and black painted crystalline armour with a purple bulls head motif where a cutie mark would normally be on a pony. Something niggled at my memory regarding that but I didn't have time to be thinking about it right now, I had to get moving. Hopefully the others would have better luck and had already reached the centre of the city with Shadow, waiting for me to catch up.
I could see the platform now, long, impossibly wide steps stretching up to its pristine sides. Following the road down, the dread sounds of battle carried to me on the breeze, echoing off the buildings sounding like the ghosts of battles from long ago, doomed to repeat them for all eternity. And there, at the bottom of the steps, a seething mass of black bodies, ducking, jumping, hacking, biting, slashing. Blasts of flame lanced out here and there in the melee as diamond bladed weapons mercilessly sliced through flesh, muscle and bone.
Ear splitting screams, shouts, neighs and snorts grew louder in my ears as I charged in, sword ready and eager. My anger surged forth. My friends needed me, Shadow needed me, their cries and the memory of Glimmers last moments spurred me on to a need for battle, a desperate want for blood, which normally would have terrified me. Now, it excited me and filled me with euphoria. It was all I could do to restrain the cold rage of the Wendigo within me as it howled for release.
I gutted the first Thestral, sliding under him and slashing with my short-sword, his entrails, hot and steaming, spilled onto the ground like rope. He screamed, trying to hold onto his innards with his hooves as I rammed my sword up and into his brain. Another armoured Thestral swung one of those scythe blades at me. I ducked and
took both his legs out in one swing, slashing his throat open as my blade twisted and was brought up into the yielding flesh.
I couldn't see who was fighting for the tide of red and black armoured Thestrals at the foot of the stairs. Whoever they were fighting was being pushed up towards the summit, my destination. Grimly, I swung, hacked and slashed with the short sword, carving my way towards them, the dead and dying marking my passage.
The steps were becoming treacherous for hooves, the blood soaked slabs slippery with gore. I had to use what purchase I could, to lose my balance would me death. I narrowly avoided being decapitated by the simple fortune of slipping on a Thestral's entrails allowing a bolt to whistle past where my head had been a split second earlier. I returned the favour, loosing a bolt straight into his open mouth, the shaft not stopping as it exited the back of his head carrying skull fragments and brain matter out over the back of his armour.
My eyes were wide, taking in every scintillating moment of the gruesome spectacle. It was...delicious.
My sword and I became as one being, merging into a whirling, snarling, killing machine. Blood misted in the air and I could taste its rich iron on my tongue, I laughed as I slew my enemy upon the steps, always on the verge of releasing the
power, always but a mere breath away. It was bliss and torture combined. I sated my thirst in the blood of my enemies.
The Thestrals had backed away from me. Unable to reach me for the bodies of their dead and dying comrades, their eyes showed uncertainty and some, tinged with fear. Behind them came a bellow of something huge, huge....and angry. The Thestrals that couldn't get out of the way in time were knocked flying by a hulking great beast from the pit. Half bull, half something else, the dark blue creature shook its huge horned head, flexing its claws, staring down at its intended victim. Its beady eyes watched me with a hatred born of insanity as the creature lowered its head and bellowed a great blast of noise at me.
I lowered my sword and hung my head, laughing to myself. With a deep breath I looked up from under by brow, "You're one ugly mother fucker, bully boy. Time for you to meet the butchers block."
The creature took a half step back, cocking its head in confusion at my words, before grabbing the severed head from a fallen Thestral and throwing it at me. The throw was wild and missed me by a yard, the intention probably being to distract me from the huge axe it now produced from its back, the blade swiftly swinging downwards.
I dodged the blow, jumping up and slicing my blade along the haft and removing several of the minotaurs fingers. The thing howled in rage and pain, charging me with its horns.
There was no way I could dodge in time. Levitating a Thestrals corpse, I slammed it into the things legs, taking them out from under it. The monstrous creature fell and
slid at full tilt towards me. I leapt vertically, landing on its back and span round while grabbing one of the packages from my saddle bag. The minotaur, dazed and winded, started to push itself to its feet. Seizing the moment, I enveloped its head in my magic and slammed its skull against the stone steps again and again. It wasn't dead, just stunned, but it had been slowed enough for what I did next.
Grabbing the creatures muzzle in my hooves, I wrenched its head back and plunged the pack of flashbug tubes into its steaming mouth and down to its throat. Releasing the minotaurs head, I sent a small spark of flame down to the packaging material setting it alight.
The monstrous creature choked, clawing at its mouth and throat, trying to pull out the burning parcel. I turned my back and walked off up the stairs as the flash bugs went to work. The resultant explosion rained pieces of skull, brain and flesh like a thunderstorm from hell. Reaching down and picking up a fragment of the minotaur's bloodied skull which still had the horns attached, I turned and tossed it back down the stairs at the hooves of the stunned Thestrals. Slowly, I licked the blade of my sword and smiled at them, "Come my friends, death is waiting for you, will you keep him waiting ?"
One of the Thestrals whinnied and retreated a few paces, the creatures fear was tangible. "Demon !" one of them cried and barged his way down the steps past the
others who, one by one, began to back away. I stood on my hind legs sheathing my sword and picking up a particularly ornate scythe, giving it a test swing. I smiled at the sound it made whistling through the air and swung it up and back, resting it on my shoulders as I turned to the Thestrals below. "COME !" I screamed and moved toward them menacingly.... it was all they needed. They turned and bolted, discarding their weapons as they went. I clicked my tongue, "Looks like I'd better find some new playmates", I chuckled. I shook my mane and snorted, looking up to the armoured warriors staring at me from the top of the stairs.
Thorn was sat on his haunches trying to stem the flow of blood from a shoulder wound while several other officers surrounded him, bloodied, burnt and utterly spent. Before them, a group of black and red armoured Thestrals had turned to face me. All had stopped fighting to stare wide eyed at the newcomer. I didn't care, it was time to play and these would make fine playmates for my blade this day. Shouts and screams of fear tantalised me as I cut them down with my scythe, just as a farmer cuts the fields of straw. I sang a wordless, meaningless song of joy and death while my blade did its thirsty work. Most fell, some tried to run, some lay dying, all knew that to oppose me was death. It was as it should be.
"CAPTAIN FAIRLIGHT !", a voice shouted pausing me as kicked a Thestral from my sword, the creatures blood shining seductively on the blade....
"Captain Fairlight, As your commanding officer, I order you to stand down. NOW !".
I stood, shaking and gasping for breath in the cold air, my muzzle foaming, eyes staring at the wounded officer. In a daze, I looked down at my hooves. They were
black, black with blood. The scythe blade, dripping with my victims gore, flesh and fur mixed with blood on the haft. My armour, gouged and dented was covered in grey brain matter and blood. How much was mine I had no idea, and yet, I felt....nothing.
"My Goddess Equestrian, I would thank you for our rescue, but, I...I have never seen the like." Stammered the soldier I recognised as the reconnaissance squad sergeant.
"I have". Thorn stood, his attendant fussing over him, applying bandages and attempting to put a poultice to his wounds. "Battle fever, blood rage, we had many names for it. Warriors lusted for it but few achieved it. Thestral warriors could enter a blood rage but it was mostly common in Equestrians. Ponies."
"What ! Ponies ?" The Sergeant spluttered in surprise.
"Yes", Thorn sounded thrilled yet also a little...envious, "Have you not seen it this day with your very own eyes sergeant? You may not believe my words but see ! The proof lies before you, at our pony comrades hooves."
The Sergeant observed the carnage and looked at me with a look of wariness and even a tinge of fear. With a shake of his mane he sheathed his sword, "I don't mind saying Equestrian, you scare the shit out of me, let alone the enemy. I'm bloody glad you're on our side."
Thorn gave a mirthless laugh, wincing as his shoulder shook. The Thestral medic tutted at him and reset the bandages. "Glimmer ?" The commander asked. I shook my head, "She was still alive when I left her, but not....", I drew a ragged breath, "She died saving me. She was a true warrior Storm Major, I promised her we would honour her when this is all over."
"We will Captain....we will. She was...a good friend. Tell me Captain Fairlight of the Manehatten Watch....", Thorn gave me an intent look, leaning his foreleg on his thigh, "A Thestral warrior likes to leave a memory, a piece of advice for future generations, that will be passed down from mother to daughter, father to son. Did Glimmer tell you anything that you will be able to pass on to your foals ?"
I nodded.
"Yes ?", he asked me.
"Ears", I mumbled.
"Sorry Captain, I cant hear you very well. Can you say that again ?"
"Ears."
"Ears ? What about them ?"
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Nibbling the ears 'apparently' drives mares crazy".
I blushed and shuffled my hooves in the heat of embarrassment. There was a long, silent pause as the warriors before me absorbed the words, looking at each other in wonder. Like a bubble bursting, the moment was over, the Storm Major, injury forgotten, threw back his head and roared with laughter, his comrades joining him. The joyful sound echoing across the cityscape spread out around us and I couldn't help buy raise a smile, Glimmers ancestors didn't know what was going to hit them. |
Fairlight | Chapter Thirty Five - Unwelcome guests | CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
Unwelcome guests
We climbed cautiously to the top of the platform, Thorn walking slowly with the aid of one of his troops. There wasn't one of them who hadn't been wounded but they'd insisted on reaching the top before pausing for anything other than life saving medical aid. The poultices they had applied to the more serious of their wounds was a pungent blend of what appeared to be mushrooms or fungi of some kind. It stank to the high
heavens but worked amazingly well, stemming blood loss quickly and covering the wound in a rubbery seal preventing any dirt ingress. I'd dipped a hoof in some when the medic offered a little to me in case I'd been hurt and I'd gladly dabbed some onto the patchwork of cuts and burns I never realised I'd had until now.
It was amazing, an instant relief from pain and a cooling sensation that had me marvelling at some of the creations here in the Withers. Considering how barren the whole land seemed to be, there must be resources here which could be farmed. Like those handy white blob things that they made leather straps from, I wondered. My coat shivered at the thought !
"Commander ?", I asked politely as we climbed the stairs, "Is Shadow nearby or is she with another party ?".
The old Thestral gauged me with one of his fiery eyes and spoke levelly, "No Captain, I fear the Lady Shadow is not with us. We lost sight of a lot of our people in the city." He rubbed his eyes with a foreleg, "It would appear we have been betrayed, my friend. Our route here, our plans, were known only to a select few and we had precious little time to concoct them. All of our preparations were drawn up quickly in case of need, although there was always the chance that the Duchess would have allowed you to leave."
I doubted that, the old bitch was power crazed. I'd seen it in the way she attacked any pony, even her own family, to assert her dominance. I'd thought at the time that maybe that was the 'Thestral Way', and that really, I shouldn't be judging them. After all, I was the outsider here whichever way you looked at it. 'When in Roam' and all that shtick. At least, that was until she struck Shadow, so maybe....nah, she was just a bitch, I decided. Personally, I'd love to return the sentiments to her before I left. Once I'd found my Shadow of course, and I could only pray to the Goddesses that she was nearby waiting for me and would appear once she heard the sound of battle die away.
I gritted my teeth and climbed, I had to have faith we would find her and we'd leave together.
Painfully slowly, we broached the top of the plateau. It stretched out before us sparkling white, pure, unbroken and radiating the feeling of a sleeping, hidden power, faint but alluring. This place was incredible, there were no signs of flagstones as I'd expected, nor seams of any kind. It was a structure wrought of magic, immensely powerful magic, the type written about in books that foals would read and marvel at.
The light from its surface reflected off our coats and we had to allow our eyes a moment to adjust to its glare. Looking up I saw...the moon, the equestrian moon, shining like a massive light house in the dark seas of the sky. A thought popped into my head and I took out my pendant. To my shock its bright light was now almost blinding, and it lifted out of my hoof to float towards the celestial orb. The little golden chain, thankfully, anchored the crystal to my neck and I went to place it back into my barding.
"Great Goddess......" came a voice thick with wonder next to me. It was the recon sergeant, "...What is that ?".
I held out the crystal for him to see, his eyes burning just as brightly as the others moved toward me in wonder. "It's a beacon, a guide of sorts I suppose, It's guided me all the way here. With your help, all of you. I nodded to them. In all the time I'd been with these people, they had never questioned why they were doing what they were doing. The enormity of it was staggering, they had betrayed their ruler, fought and killed their own people....their own...
Thorn spoke to the Sergeant, "I saw it in Star Beards quarters, it glows when held in a certain direction. To here apparently. Useful, if this is your only destination."
The Sergeant gazed at the crystal for a moment longer then walked away to sit on his haunches for a scratch. 'Very pony like', I thought. I could even overlook the teeth now.
"Sir, who are the ones who attacked us, they don't look like they're from your tribe. The purple mark on the armour, the minotaur...?"
Thorn sighed and nodded. "They're the Earls soldiers".
"My Goddesses," I suddenly realised what had been nagging at me since my first encounter with the one in the city below, "the Earl of the Purple Sands. Shadows betrothed".
One of our party stood up, gazing up at the moon intently. "You're going to be meeting him sooner than you think Equestrian. To arms warriors of the Beyond, we've got company !"
Shading my eyes against the moons brightness, I could just make out the flapping shapes approaching. There must have been hundreds of them and they were getting closer. I felt a hoof on my shoulder and Thorn appeared, "Listen Captain, you are the one they want but we are now equally hated in the eyes of our Duchess. I don't know if any of us will leave here alive now. I sincerely wish I could have brought you both here safely and I feel I have failed you."
"No Thorn, you are the bravest and most noble warrior I have ever met, Pony or Thestral. You and your team have sacrificed your lives for a Pony you'd never met before, you've done what no other could have done to get us to this point. Whatever happens next, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
I took his hoof in mine and gave a single shake, "Thank you Storm Major Thorn, it has been an honour serving with you."
The scarred commander of the Thestrals looked surprised and smiled a toothy grin, his white scar showing vivid against his skin, "And I thank you Watch Captain Fairlight, for this final chance at glory for my kin."
He rose on his hind legs and the Thestral warriors fanned out, weapons ready. "Brothers and Sisters, we may die this day but our spirits will go to the land of our ancestors who will welcome us all as true warriors of the Goddess. Honour to you all, Warriors of the Beyond !". He let out a howling roar, followed by the others; a fanfare of defiance to the approaching mass. My little pony voice had nowhere near the strength and power of my comrades but I added it to theirs. This Equestrian would fight by their side and stain his blade with the blood his enemies. I thanked Luna that Shadow wasn't here to witness what would be surely coming, but prayed that she was safe. I missed her terribly but I knew too, that whether in this world or the next, I would see her again. Soon, I would be with my family, one way or another and all of us would be as one. I would have a lot of explaining to do to Meadow, oh Goddesses I was in for it !
The sergeant clopped me on the rump, laughing and raising his axe, "You smile Equestrian, good ! You are a true Thestral warrior now, happy are those who fight by their brothers side."
"....And their sisters !" called another voice from further back in the formation. I laughed aloud, I had never felt comradeship, friendship, like this since....home. Friendship truly was magic.
With a blast of wind and the shudder of hooves landing on the plateau, a good distance from us, the Earls troops readied themselves for battle. Arrayed in ranks
several deep, Blood red banners emblazoned with the purple bulls head flapping lazily over the heads of standard bearers, they stood in silenced, waiting.
I adjusted my barding, scythe glittering in the moonlight, my brothers and sisters with me by my side. We too waited for what was to come. With the crack of a whip, a Thestral driven sky chariot swooped low over the plateau and above our heads giving me a clear view of the being within. As it passed by a pair of yellow eyes in a huge bulls face stared down with undisguised hatred. Dressed in what looked like furs, the minotaur cried out a hideous bellow which was echoed by his troops who began banging their spears on the ground in unison. It was quite impressive, if a little theatrical, but I had the impression it was more to psych themselves up for battle rather than to intimidate us. If that had been their intention however, it had failed hopelessly judging by the smirk on Thorn's face.
The sky chariot swept over us and banked, landing in a clatter of hooves and creaking wood. The chariot itself looked like it had originated from Equestria judging by its design, with modifications to accommodate the bulk of the gargantuan thing inside; the Earl I guessed. He pulled himself out of his conveyance which quickly took to the air, landing far back behind his massed troops, well out of crossbow bolt range. Perish the thought we'd damage the upholstery...
The Earl's cloak caught the wind and flew out, revealing the massive musculature of the minotaur beneath. His horns, polished to a near mirror finish, shone brightly, their lethal points could doubtless disembowel a pony effortlessly. By the looks of his cloak, he'd managed to do that more than once already. The macabre thing was an assemblage of Thestral and pony hides, sewn into a grotesque robe of his defeated enemies. Cutie marks, faded and old were still quite visible. I felt a pang of hunger in my chest, pain for my fellow ponies, but something more....a desire for vengeance.
The Early lifted his cloak and inhaled of the hides deeply, eyes closed in pleasure, a gratuitous display of intimidation which failed to have the slightest noticeable effect on Thorns team. A voice rang out, "Time for some more of your bullshit your Earlship ?", sniggers and laughter rang out from the Thestrals. I noticed even some of the Earls troops chuckle.
The great beast bared its teeth, scanning the line of Thestrals one by one until its eyes caught mine. With a snort from those giant nostrils of his, the Earl howled his words at me. "YOU !", he pointed a brown clawed digit at me, "Where is my betrothed you cursed thief pony ?"
I took a step forward and looked him in the eye, "Don't you know Earl ? My, my, you really are careless aren't you ?!". I don't know when I'd started delighting in antagonising my opponents, especially one's with hooves that could crack a ponies head like an egg, but it had the desired effect. My comrades sniggered and the Earls face turned scarlet. "WHERE IS SHE ? I WILL NOT ASK AGAIN PONY", the words were like a sonic attack on my ears. I thought I'd become immune to the denizens of the Withers and their ability to speak deafeningly into my poor old brain.
The translation thing in my ear had done sterling service, but I half expected it to explode with this hairy clowns deafening racket.
I opened my mouth to speak, my grip on the scythe tightening. This beast was coiling like a spring ready to release and I knew with deadly certainty, if I didn't meet his charge, my hide would end up as patches on that Goddess damned cloak.
Before I had a chance to speak, there was a loud commotion from behind the Earls warriors, drawing every pony's attention. Momentarily forgotten, the Earl turned his back to me and I had to refrain from seizing the opportunity to attack. Maybe, somehow...we could all just walk away from this. 'Some hope', I thought to myself sarcastically as the huge form of a deep green Thestral mare rose over the plateau followed by the familiar shape of Far sight and, bringing up the rear, an enclosed sky carriage that landed next to them. All very dramatic, I pondered, but even so an icy chill tingled down my spine. Events were reaching their zenith but I was damned if I
was going to be carried along helplessly like a leaf on the river. For now though, I waited for the Duchess to speak.
"Hold, my most gracious Earl, please, I beg you stay your hoof !" She shouted breathlessly. The Earl stood where he was and rumbled his reply, "The thief is here Duchess, he has stolen my betrothed. Where is she ?"
The Duchess gave a startled snort, "Yes...but before that my lord Earl, there is the matter of the treaty..."
The Earls face darkened "THERE WILL BE NO TREATY , FEMALE, UNLESS YOU FULFILL YOUR SIDE OF THE AGREEMENT !". Goddesses ! That noise !
The Duchess recoiled from his bellowed words but quickly regained her composure. "But my Lord Earl, I have fulfilled our agreement. Here.....", she held out a hoof to the carriage door which a cloaked Thestral opened. My heart skipped a beat and I felt a wave of cold realisation flush through me. A slender black leg emerged from the carriage. Muzzled, and wings bound, hobbled to prevent escape, Shadow followed, stumbling onto the white flat stone of the plateau.
I felt a huge pulling sensation deep inside my chest, all the while choking back my desire to call her name. I didn't want her to see this.
"...here is your gift from the people of the Beyond !". The Duchess smiled expansively and spoke once more to the Minotaur who continued to glower at the new arrival, "Now my Lord Earl, the treaty...?". The minotaur leaned down, sniffing at Shadow and growled low, "She stinks of the....pony. She has been tainted and is useless to me now. There will be no trade agreement."
"WHAT !!" She screamed, grabbing at Shadow roughly and pulling her muzzle towards her, she stared into her eyes. Shadow looked back, unmoving. Her mother released her and with a gasp of shock shouted her rage in a gout of steam,
"You...filthy little whore!...you've lain with that stinking, filthy....HORSE !". There was that word again, by Luna, I didn't like this mare and I didn't like where this was leading either. She was a vicious Thestral who even her husband had little sway with.
Maelstrom turned to me, grabbing her daughter around the throat. Far Sight rumbled low, steam pouring from his muzzle as he advanced towards his wife. "She's ruined now...you...you filth ! All those years of planning, grooming....ruined....damn you to the deepest circles of hell !"
The Duchess was incandescent with rage, all reason and sanity disappearing like the steam whisping from her maw. She smiled, shaking as the insanity took her,
"Well....well my dear sweet one...sweet, sweet shadow....I hope we meet again in 'pleasanter' times. You can go to be with your sister now.....". A flash of sparkling diamond filled my vision as the Duchess took a dagger to Shadows throat. I screamed in fury and charged at the same time my vision turned white, a jet of flame like a surgeons scalpel, burning across the Duchesses chest and foreleg. The knife clattered to the ground and was kicked away by Far Sight, flames and smoke licking up the side of his muzzle. "You go too far wife !", he said in barely controlled fury.
Shadow was quickly collected by two cloaked ponies and had her bonds removed, she was shaking in fright and, knowing Shadow, a healthy dose of anger.
"PITIFUL". The Early turned his back to the scene behind him, the Duchess crying In outrage and shame while her husband put a protective wing around her. He looked over to me and nodded slowly. Shadow broke free of her assistant looking about her frantically before she saw me. Her nostrils flared and she prepared to come full gallop just as another cloaked pony stepped before her and she stopped suddenly. The two spoke and Shadows face looked towards me in desperation before nodding and walking slowly, head down, back to the sky carriage.
"NOW....PONY. WE WILL FINISH THIS CHARADE. YOU HUMILIATE ME AND I ANNIHILATE YOU !" The Earls furious words made the dust dance around him.
"Oh dear", I smiled, "I don't think so." Thorn shouted to me, "Now Captain ! Your moment is hear, seize your glory !". If a pony had shouted that to me at any other time, I would probably have cringed in embarrassment, but, as my old mentor once told me, it was all about timing. Timing and context. I breathed in several times, calming my heart, gently sensing for the cold anger inside. Like a frightened cat it backed away into the dark and for an instant, I feared I wouldn't be able to achieve my goal. I
breathed slowly, all the while easing the storm inside, holding out an invisible hoof to it, teasing it, promising it all it wanted to fulfil its needs. 'Come', I thought, 'a banquet await us, will you let me feast alone ?'
I felt a movement, virtually imperceptible, but I could feel the restraints I'd put on it relinquish their grasp. Slowly, the tiny icy feeling sent questing tendrils out to my consciousness, 'Come', I said to it in the darkness, 'let us be one again, we are halves of one whole are we not ? Join me in the symphony now and bring our foe to the feast of death.'
A bare whisper, 'yes'. Again a moment later, stronger, '...yes'. The cold wall burst free of its restraints and flooded through me sending a rush of ice and fire through my body that made me gasp out loud...."YES !".
I cried out, my heart soaring on a wave of euphoria and anger. Cold, black vengeance, retribution for the fallen, it was all waiting for me. My rattling cry of pain and despair howled out across the plateau, my wings bursting forth from my back and snapping out to show their magnificent, terrible beauty to the world. I growled low and loud, the thick white mist beginning to pour like liquid cloud from my teeth. My vision became tinged in blue, vision becoming impossibly clear. Every detail of my surroundings, every smell, every sound, the tiniest of movements, were as an open book to my senses. My hooves were the bringers of thunder, my teeth would rend, my fire would burn. There was time to kill......
The minotaur dragged a giant axe from its back as it yelled a terrible battle cry and charged me, horns down. With a single beat of my wings I flew up into the dark sky, my white coat and blue mane shining brightly in the moonlight. I hissed my defiance and swept down, plumes of white cloud shrouding my flanks making me appear like a comet from the heavens howling down to earth. The Minotaur swung his mighty axe but I was too quick for his lumbering frame and I released a blast of blue fire from my horn straight for his chest. Surprisingly fast for such a monster, he twisted and my attack glanced across his chest flensing his flesh and drawing a shout of pain.
"COWARD !", he bellowed, stopping and lowering his axe to the ground. "YOU FLY WITH YOUR MAGIC. YOU HAVE NO HONOUR." I came to a halt, my wings beating steadily. He was wrong. I was no coward, I was a pony of Equestria, a captain in the service of their royal highnesses. I would kill this animal, claim my mate and return home. We all would return home. Except.....him.
I called to the Earl with my Wendigo voice, cold and otherworldly, "Very well.......".
"By the Goddesses arse, Fairlight, dont do it !, its what he wants. Take the bastard out with you power." Thorn shouted up at me from below. I understood, victory was victory no matter how you achieved it. I flew down to him and recovered my scythe, turning to my commander as he regarded me with wide eyes. "The ends justify the means eh, sir ?" I hissed, feeling the weight of the scythe in my magical grip. He looked at me, tears and a far away look in his old eyes, I could almost see the images of the Pony Lieutenant, banner in hoof, his son, nailed to pieces of crystalline wood.
"No Captain. Not always......". I nodded and turned my face to the minotaur, my blue eyes reflected in the blade of his axe. The creature laughed expansively, "FOOL ! You cannot defeat me ! I have been in over a hundred battles !". "Oh don't worry
bully", I retorted, "you cant lose all the time". He screamed in a red haze of fury and ran at me full tilt, swinging the axe like it weighed no more than a feather. I deflected it with the scythe and span, cutting up and round, slicing through the vile creatures thigh and side. His axe swept down, cleaving through my flank, a trail of silvery blood pouring down my leg.
We circled each other, everything and every pony else forgotten, our sole focus on cutting down the other. I felt the exhilaration of combat sizzling through me, almost but never quite overwhelming my conscious mind. I was floating in a sea of calm, dead calm, the waters around me surging and boiling, white wind flowing and crying out for release. Inside the eye of the storm, I controlled it all, worked the flow of power and anger, the conductor of an orchestra of destruction, I was the bringer of woe, maker of windows and the harbinger of death. I cried out into the storm and the wind flew free.
The Minotaur lifted his axe above his head and brought it down with a bone splitting strike that would have cleaved me in two. Whirling around him, my scythe flashed and struck, blood blossoming where it drew back to strike once more. Unstoppable, the Earl snarled and tried to grab my mane, screaming in pain as his fingers froze when they barely brushed my body. Incensed with pain and fury, he lowered his head and charged, horns glinting with deadly purpose. I barely dodged his attack, his horns grazing my foreleg, drawing forth more shining blood. Even as his horn froze in shining blue ice, he swept the great axe at me and I pulled out all my speed to block the heavy weapon away from me. The blade nicked a piece of flesh from my rump and I gritted my teeth against the pain, dropping the scythe and pulling the short-sword from its sheath. The hulking creature, blood streaming from its many wounds threw his ruined weapon on the ground and ran at me, bloodied clawed arms outstretched, screaming his hate and bloodlust as he came.
I stood my ground, waiting for the right moment. He was almost on me as I arrowed the sword straight into his throat. Staggering off target he reached up and yanked the sword free, tossing it like a toy across the white ground towards the watching Thestrals.
He gagged, choking on his own blood and turned to glare at me with his cold hard bullish eyes. I took up my scythe, power seething through me in a cascade. It was beyond ecstasy, the end was near now, so near I could taste it. And I would, I would drink deep this day,
"Oh Earl...." I hissed, the cold of the north winds in my voice, mist dripping, steaming onto the plateau's solid ground, "...No more running...no more games....time to play."
I took my fighting stance as he came at me, a final rush that would leave one of lifeless at the dead centre of the city of ghosts.
Time slowed and I took in every movement of his muscles, the steam blasting from his nostrils, the blood seeping from his wounds. The claws, several broken away by the frozen touch of my body, reached for me. His mind was gone, any thought of the
injuries he would receive in grappling me meant nothing to him now, only my death at his claws. I waited, reaching out with my magic, bringing the scythe to my hooves.
With an animalistic cry, time snapped back on track and the Earl of Purple Sands stumbled to a halt. A line of blood spilled from his neck to his waist. The life sparked in his eyes then went out, the two halves of his body slipping wetly to the now blood slicked ground. I dropped the scythe from my hooves and stood over the defeated enemy. My breath slowed, I closed my eyes and opened my mist dripping maw, breathing in the delectable aroma.... it was time to feed.
Silence fell across the city like a shroud. I sat back on my haunches, my hunger satisfied. After what felt like hours, I opened my eyes and looked upon the shrivelled ruin of the Earl of Purple Sands. Lifting the scythe, I cut the thong holding the cloak to his remains and brought it up so I could take a closer look at it. I was right, cutie marks, old and worn. Dark red, purple, black and green tinged Thestral hides
contributed to this abomination before me. I rolled it up and held it in the air with my magic before incinerating it with a pulse of blue fire. The cloak burned filling the air with the stink of hair and skin, sending black smoke up into the sky, covering the face of the moon.
I lifted my head to look to the symbol of the Goddess, "Luna, princess of the night, goddess of our dreams, hear my prayer.....your children are coming home." Tears stung my eyes and blue fire rolled down my face. A light nuzzle against my neck brought me back, to look into my lovers eyes. Shadow smiled shyly and licked my nose. I leaned into her and spread a wing across her back, feeling her warmth against my hide.
A familiar voice echoed out across the vastness of the plateau from behind the Duchess who was still weeping into her husbands chest as he cradled her. A broken doll she may be at present, but I had no doubt that the stern Thestral inside would return some day. Hopefully, her children and husband would help her to become more, to be a better ruler.
"This is nice isn't it ? Everyone here then I take it ?", a cloaked Thestral emerged from the covered sky carriage and trotted over with Ember who kept several steps behind him and her head down. I looked at Star Beard and smiled, "Impeccable timing my friend."
"Well..hmmmm...not really, I was quite tired galloping about after everyone you know and, well, I may have had a little snooze in the carriage....um."
Thorn trotted over with his Thestrals, the Earls troops may have been invisible for all the attention they paid them. "You old donkey fart !, I thought you'd finally been done in. Thank the Goddess you're alive."
Star Beard clopped hooves with the Storm Major and pulled him into an embrace. "I missed you too my son.". Bloody hell, just how old was Star Beard ?! I remembered
him explaining how time was different between here and the mortal world, but somewhere between fighting wars, he'd fathered Storm Major Thorn and, quite a bit later judging by the age difference, the Duchess. I wondered just how many of the tribe the randy old sod had spawned. Wait a minute, that means.....If Shadow is my mate, then she's the daughter of the Duchess which makes him....
"Well hello grandson...", Star Beard said nudging me with his nose. "Long time no see ! Hope you've been taking good care of my Granddaughter". Okay make that Grandfather-in-law then.
"Star Beard...." I began, but he stopped me with a raised hoof and spoke to both the commander and myself, "We have guests, fillies and gentlecolts, and we must attend. It would be rude not to now wouldn't it ?".
Star Beard nudged Shadow and myself into following him out in front of the confused looking soldiers from Purple Sands. Their commander dead before them, they looked
to have lost their will to fight as well as any idea as to what to do now. With a flourish, the old Thestral unclipped his cloak, revealing another underneath. I recognised it from the secret room beneath the hill. It was a floor length dark blue cloak, a little mouldy looking but serviceable. Silver crescents and stars were sewn into it and, oddly, brass bells, which tinkled as he straightened himself out. He fussed a moment longer, pulling out a huge blue hat in the same style as the cloak, complete with bells, from the depths of his saddle bag and plopped it on his head. Ember fussed with his garments until she was satisfied. He smiled and nodded to her and she backed away coyly.
Clearing his throat, Star Beard addressed the massed warriors "Thestrals of the Purple Sands, who speaks for you now that your Earl has been defeated in honourable combat ?"
A tall Thestral in black and red striped armour and several white stripes on his helmet stepped forward, "I do. I am Captain Light Step of the tribe of the Purple Sands."
"Do you speak for all your people Captain ?" Star Beard asked.
"I can. The Earl is dead and his only heir is also slain.". I nodded as the Thestral dipped his head in my direction.
"Captain, the ancient agreements of our peoples still bind us. By the laws of the Goddess, your tribe now belongs to this warrior.", I nearly fell over backwards when Star Beard pointed his hoof at me.
"But....Elder", he stuttered, "He is not a Thestral, nor even a pony....I...do not know what he is. How can he lead us...such a.....demon ?".
"A demon ?!", Star Bear laughed and clopped the Captain on the shoulder, "Oh come on now my dear fellow, don't you know a Wendigo when you see one ?"
Thestrals broke out in shocked mutterings and nervous movements all around me. Goddesses, I hated being the centre of attention and I could feel myself blushing slightly. How that looked on a white 'demonic' being with a blue mane and tail, not to mention leaking white fog everywhere, was any ponies guess.
I certainly had an effect on the Thestrals here though.
"They are extinct ! How can you say this one is a warrior of the Goddess when none of them have been seen since the Return ? My people...."
"...Your people will know when they see a Wendigo Captain, as you did when he slew your despicable Earl. Where were you looking when the blue fire burned the sky, when the breath of the princess of the night caressed the ground. You have heard the war cry of our ancestors here today and you still say they are...extinct !?"
"I...Elder...I'm sorry, its all...."
Star Beard put a hoof on the stricken Captain, "I know my boy, in truth I couldn't believe it myself at first, but here he is before you. Speak with him now...go."
The Captain nervously stepped up to me, eyes full of uncertainty, fear and a touch of pride. "My Lord..." he began.
I stomped a hoof, making him wince, "I am not your Lord, Captain", my voice flowed from my maw like wind gusting across a glacier, "You are a Thestral, proud and strong, a warrior of the Goddess. Hold your head high my brother.", The Captain stared up at me, his eyes wide, "I have fulfilled the terms of the agreement with the tribe of the Beyond. From this day, I decree that both tribes will be as one, whole as they once were and shall be again. Be as one under the moon of the Goddess."
Silence.
"I am leaving this land my brothers and sisters, I cannot say if I can return or not, but know this. All of you share a bond with me now, forged in the heat of battle, we fought and bled upon the land of the ancestors."
"LORD FAR SIGHT !" I called and the great Thestral landed beside me shaking his large mane. "Your warriors await your orders, my father. Now, I must beg your leave." Far sight stared at me intently for a moment before smiling and giving me a sly wink with those big red eyes of his. With a sweep of his great wings, he turn to speak to the Captain, Thorn walking over to join him. I walked away with Shadow
and Star Beard, leaving the old soldiers to discuss the future of the two tribes. Whether things would last, whether they would be able to put centuries of division
aside and forge a new future together, was in their hooves. I quietly prayed to Luna it would be so.
We followed Star Beard past the milling Thestrals, old rivalries forgotten, weapons left on the ground to talk to new friends. We passed the huddled form of the Duchess and headed down the steps behind her. She gave a terrified cry and scuttled away from us, from me, with a foreleg over her face, "...Demon !..." she hissed, "...to think my daughter....with you....demon !....back to the pit with you...demon....".
Star Beard craned his head round sadly and spoke to me, "Don't worry about her my young friend, I will see she is tended to. Its all been a little too much for the poor girl."
I glanced back to the Duchess who squeaked when she noticed me looking at her and covered her face with a wing. I hoped Star Beard knew what he was doing, the Duchess looked like she needed a little more than simply "tending to".
We were lead into a large building with a crescent moon carved on the door lintel. No pony had been in here for a long time, our hoof prints were the only ones visible in the dust on the solid floor. The building itself was built, like the rest of the city, in that solid white crystal giving the feeling of being inside a cube of ice, but without the chill. I'd noticed on my breakneck journey through the empty streets, a distinct lack of doors or glass for the windows, in fact furniture of any kind. Almost as if the city was a blueprint, a plan for something that never truly happened. There was certainly no sign of decay, wear or life of any description. There was one pony who I knew held the key to this mystery and he was a few feet in front of me wearing a relic from equestrian history.
"Star Beard", I asked, "or should I call you Starswirl the Bearded ?", you knew what was going to happen today didn't you ?".
He stopped in his tracks. Without turning he spoke, "My dear boy, I'm not a pony you know, I'd have thought you'd know that by now. The glowing eyes and teeth are a bit of a give away.". His voice was level and had an almost dangerous note to it compared to his usual manner of speaking.
I pressed on regardless, "The cloak, the hat, the secret room full of Equestrian artefacts in a world like this ? How old are you, what, like a thousand years or more ?" I wanted answers before I left this place, probably forever.
"You have a right to ask questions Fairlight, Equestrians have always been...'inquisitive', but I cannot answer them all. I have my....reasons, why I can't. A promise to a friend, from long ago." He slowly turned to face me, "But you my pony friend, will have to bear in mind that no pony, not even the Goddesses can know everything. That friend of mine I mentioned, he tried, spent the best part of his life searching for answers to magic, to life, even to death, finding some but not all that he
desired to know. His passion for knowledge slowly consumed him until one day, he simply stopped. He realised that sometimes, the answers are not always ones we should, or want to, hear. And so, he came to us here in the Wither world. He spent many years helping our people, teaching them, helping them to become more than the brutish, warlike animals we were. There is still a lot to do but I am old, Fairlight, as you said, very old."
"The cloak and hat belonged to your 'friend' ?"
Star Beard nodded. "Yes Fairlight, they belonged to him. Oh, I dare say that he had more than one set of clothes, but now, sadly, he is no longer with us, so it falls to his....protege to follow in his hoof steps. My adopted name is in homage to him, to help us remember what he did for us.".
"But you're not a unicorn !" I blurted, regretting my thoughtless words the moment they left my mouth.
Star Beard looked past me into a memory only he could see, "No, I'm a Thestral, like the rest of my people. However, we all have a magic within us Fairlight, be you a unicorn, Pegasus, earth pony, Thestral or even, yes, a minotaur. Aren't you taught that any more in your world ?"
"I'd....forgotten.", I hung my head in shame, "I'm sorry Star Beard, I shouldn't have pushed you for answers and now, I've made you remember painful memories."
Star Beard shook his mane and looked puzzled, "Painful ? Goodness me no ! If my mentor hadn't have come here, I'd never have had the chance to wear such an amazing cloak and hat !" He suddenly pranced around the empty room making the bells jingle and tinkle, striking ludicrous poses. Shadow laughed, I looked into her face as she held her hoof to her mouth, eyes sparkling with mirth. I couldn't help but burst out laughing with her at the old Thestrals antics. Star Beard was a little strange and secretive, but I knew in my heart that he was the best chance we had of getting out of here and I would put my trust in him completely. |
Fairlight | Chapter Thirty Six - Land of the eternal herd | CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
Land of the Eternal Herd
We sat together by a small black stone font set in the centre of one of the empty buildings rooms. It was a place with a peculiar sense of calm. Niggling at the back of my mind, I sensed a subtle background thrum of magic, similar to that on the plateau, but here it was more...personal somehow.
Ember, the most eloquent of Shadow's sisters was so quiet I had almost forgotten she was with us. She silently passed around a woven basket full of the plump crystal berries. What caused me some consternation, however, was that the once talkative Thestral female now avoided eye contact with me, turning her head away if I even glanced in her direction. "Eat", said Star Beard to Shadow and I, taking a particularly juicy one for himself. I'd already 'eaten' earlier of course, but I could still feel the warm tingle of magic from the berries lifting my reserves.
A sudden worry popped into my mind, "Star Beard, Thorn told me he believed we'd been betrayed. The ambush had certainly been well prepared long before we got here. We're fortunate to be alive..", I put a hoof on Shadows and smiled at her, "..all of us."
Star Beard smiled at us both and nodded in his usual knowing manner, "Sometimes, ties of family can make us do the strangest things, make the worst of choices.", I saw him looking at Ember who turned her head away in embarrassment, or was it shame ? "Love, even if unrequited, is a powerful force."
Shadow nuzzled her sister's neck and they spoke in low voices to each other for a moment before Ember gingerly moved closer to snuggle into shadows side.
Star Beard watched them quietly and smiled, "She loves you, you know." I watched them for a while before answering, "I know".
We sat in silenced for a while longer before Star Beard stood and walked to the font. He began to mumble words in a language I had never heard before, standing on his hind legs and holding his hooves out across its surface. A silver fog gradually began to rise from it as he lifted his fore legs high as if in prayer. Even with my magical translation device, I couldn't understand his words. Listening to them, they were
something different to what I would even describe as 'language', this was more like magic, raw magic....given voice. My horn tingled and itched, a sure sign of a large magic field building up nearby. The font suddenly threw out a beam of red light, blue and yellow spirals of energy travelling up the outside of it, illuminating the room.
Star Beard spoke into the light and nodded. He continued to do this for several minutes before bowing to the light as it winked out of existence in complete silence. Shadow and Ember were fast asleep, oblivious of the peculiar spectacle before them.
The mysterious old Thestral sat back down before me and smiled a sad smile.
"Colonel ?" I asked quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping mares.
He fiddled with his satchel for moment before speaking, "The preparations are complete my boy. You leave here tonight."
I sat up on my haunches, eyes wide. So, this was it, I was to say finally say goodbye to this world, to leave for my own. Back to the land of mortals, Equestria. I was suddenly filled with excitement and fear in equal measure.
"What of Shadow ?"
"She will meet you there.", he replied simply, looking down at the floor contemplatively.
"We aren't going together ?" I asked.
My question unanswered, the old Thestral clambered to his hooves while fidgeting with his hat. "Come Fairlight, There's some pony here who's waiting to speak to you." Without another word, he walked out of the room in a tinkle of little bells. I felt a strange resistance as I stood up, like something was anchoring me to the floor, but a good push and I was trotting after Star Beard.
"In here my boy", he gestured to a side chamber which glowed with a slight golden warm glow, it was....inviting. I felt a hot need to enter the light, it was so....warm. In a moment's hesitation, I opened my mouth to speak but Star Beard, had already gone back to the room with the font. Shaking my mane and gathering myself, I entered cautiously. Inside....By the Goddess ! I looked around myself in complete astonishment, this couldn't be real, I'd have to have been eating something. Agh ! Those damned berries, the old goat had probably sent me on some tribal drug induced 'spirit journey' like those zebra shamen I'd heard of. But by Celestia, this was so real ! The tall field of wheat, heavy and ready for harvest, trees laden with lush red apples. I was in heaven, this was it, the Eternal Herd, only..... When I looked back, there in the dark room was Star Beard, Shadow and Ember, lying by the font as I expected yet also with them, a very....'Fairlight' looking body.
My heart felt like it was in my throat. I'd moved on, at last I was here where I'd been so desperate to reach, but I could still feel a...bond, a faint tugging, pulling my gaze towards....Shadow. The beautiful ethereal creature, the Thestral who had stayed by
my side throughout my trials in the Withers, did I really want to leave her ? Did I even have a choice ? Goddesses I was so confused.
"She really is quite beautiful isn't she ? Once you get past the initial impulse to run away screaming in terror."
I knew that voice, soft and delicate, strong yet feminine. "Meadow !" I cried and flung my forelegs around my beloved wife, "Oh Goddesses I've missed you so much, but I'm here now. Its all okay ! We're with the Eternal Herd and no pony will ever tear us apart. You, me, Sparrow, it going to be...." She planted a hoof in my mouth with her
slender green fore leg. "Love, please, we haven't got a great deal of time. The Goddess has intervened on your behalf to allow us to be here, together, before you....", she choked back a sob and pulled her face into mine, kissing me deeply on the mouth.
It ended all too quickly. "Its alright love, I don't want to go back, I'm meant to be with you, I always was."
She shook her head sadly, "You don't understand Fairlight, my darling stallion." She stroked my chest slowly, "Your life is still tied to the mortal world, even now, it calls you back. You cannot resist its call, it is....the way of world. We will see each other again, but you must fulfil your destiny first."
"To Hades with destiny, I want to be with you. I've already been through death and the hell of the Wither World, I've fulfilled my bloody destiny."
Meadow shook her head and spoke quietly, "Wait here, there's something I must do."
She trotted off into the next room and up to Shadow. I watched spellbound as, incredibly, another Shadow, rose from her body, blinking and looking around her in as much shock as I was in. The two spoke briefly and the Thestral mare nodded in agreement then, together, trotted into the corn field to face me. "Oh bollocks....." I muttered.
"Fairlight ! You promised me about that swearing !", Meadow laughed and nudged Shadow playfully. "Sorry love..." I answered.
"She doesn't speak much does she ?" Meadow said to me while eyeing Shadow. "Meadow, whose being rude now ?" I said in mock indignation. Meadow clicked her tongue, "Oh shush you. Shadow and I are going for a chat now. You stay here and no eaves dropping either."
I sat in the wheat and plucked a stalk, holding the thing in my mouth the way I'd seen farm ponies do in Ponyville. I couldn't see the appeal. A childish giggle made me turn round, no pony there ? "You look funny !", I looked down to see where the little voice was coming from and saw a tiny grey Pegasus foal smiling up at me, "Hello Daddy. Are you coming home with us today ?". Damn it, I was tearing up again. I picked her up in my hooves and swept her into the air, "Maybe if I had wings and could....FLY !" I shouted and Sparrow squealed in delight as she flapped her tiny wings, "I can fly daddy ! Wheeee !". She shrieked, giggled and whooped as she 'flew' atop the wheat. I laughed with her and gave a cuddle before putting her down.
"Whose that scary lady with mummy ? She looks like a skellington". Sparrow stood on her back legs, her front hooves either side of her mouth with an intent stare adding to the spectacle, "Look at me, I'm a big scary black monster thing, look at my big pointy teeth.....arrrrrrrr".
I couldn't help but laugh out loud and Sparrow, encouraged by my reaction, continued to stomp around me making growling sounds. "Sparrow ! come now, you're being rude, Shadow isn't a pony, she's a Thestral".
"Fes..trul", she attempted.
"No...Thes....trull...Thhhhhh".
"Ffffff....", the look of exaggerated concentration was adorable.
"Oh forget it !", I laughed and lay down on my back amongst the golden stalks of wheat. Sparrow laughed and jumped about me, her tiny wings buzzing like a bee's on a summers day. Finally, jumping on my chest, she snuggled down into my fur, "You are coming home though daddy ?"
"Yes love", I said mussing her mane, "I wont be too long. Will you be a good girl until I see you next ?" She just stuck her tongue out and I tapped her on the head with my hoof, "Naughty !". We both giggled and waited for the chatting mares to come back.
I must have been dozing for a while because when I opened my eyes, two pairs of eyes filled my vision. "Wha...!", I squeaked and nearly choked on the stalk in my mouth.
Meadow smiled and turned to Shadow, "He's so cute when he's surprised. You'll have to try it some time." I lay there unsure as to just what was happening, "Sparrow !" I said suddenly. "....is back with my parents playing house. You on the other hoof are going to stay there mister and listen to us girls for a minute."
I sighed as she put a hoof on my chest pushing me back down with a broad smile.
"Yes miss", I sighed.
"Good boy !" Meadow said playfully, chuckling.
"Shadow and I have been talking, she does become quite chatty when she gets going you know. And, she's told me all about your 'adventures' together...", Oh Goddesses, "...and what adventures they were !". I cringed. "Well, who can blame you for losing control in that cell when you thought you were going to be executed ? Tut,Tut, Fairlight !".
I could feel my face burning, "Meadow, I'm sorry, oh Goddesses....I'm so...so...". "Pity I wasn't there with you two....", she pondered, her eyes searching mine, "could have made things a little more....'interesting'. I liked the part with the berries too, maybe we can try that out some time."
"Meadow, please, I don't know what's going on", I blurted, "...I'm dreaming or having a nightmare, oh Goddesses !" I was in a panic and struggled to get away but shadow held me down on one side and Meadow on the other. "The Goddess knows what you've been up to Fairlight and now, I do too. We both do." The mares nodded to each other in perfect harmony. "I want you to show me...." Meadow purred seductively and deftly produced a red berry from the wicker basket that they'd pilfered from the other room. Straddling me, the green mare placed it in her mouth
and moved toward mine, her lantern yellow eyes left me in no doubt as to what this pony expected from me. As a dutiful sort of fellow, I was more than happy to oblige. |
Fairlight | Chapter Thirty Seven - The bottle | CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
The bottle
I awoke happy but tired, a warm fuggy feeling running through me. The room was in darkness, other than for two oil lanterns near the peacefully dozing Thestrals. A light pressure across my chest proved to be Shadow, who was snuggled in tightly against me, her warmth pleasant and comforting.
I looked up to see Star Beard leaning with his back against the wall, eyeing me curiously. "Back with us my boy ?", he murmured quietly, so as not to disturb the others. "Mmmm, I must have nodded off....", I said yawning widely. I ran my hoof gently down Shadows foreleg, for all her leathery black appearance, she was surprisingly soft. She let out a throaty rumble of contentment and snuggled into me a little more.
"Nodded off ? I supposed you were dreaming then ?" He continued.
I managed a glance at the door I'd passed through into the beautiful golden wheat fields to be with Meadow, Sparrow and Shadow. I could still feel the warmth of the sun on my muzzle, the smell of Meadow on my hide, the taste of the berries, and a background spiciness, lingering in my mouth. On a tide of sated need, I felt like I was blissfully floating along and without a care in the world, was it was wrong to feel this happy ? Goddesses, let all dreams be like this. I didn't know how to respond to the old fellow so simply nodded.
"For a dream, you certainly seemed to take your time in the other room. I was surprised with all the noise you three were making, that you didn't wake poor Ember. I didn't know where to put myself !"
I nearly jumped in shock at his words, though concerned about disturbing Shadow, I caught myself and tried to settle my racing heart. "How....?"
He sniggered and pulled his satchel over to begin rummaging through the contents, "This place, this city, is where the gap between realms is, as I think you already know, at its thinnest. It makes for easier transition from one to the other, if one knows how to do it and certain...'conditions'...are met, naturally."
"Condition's ?" I asked.
"Well, you wouldn't want to be trotting along one day, say, for a dinner date with a lovely lady and then suddenly, 'poof !' you've blundered into the Wither World. That could really spoil the mood !". Sometimes that old Thestral...
Star Beards face darkened and his voice took on a sombre tone, "This place, this...city, was built here for that reason. It was once a staging post for armies, the
large platform up there, was constructed to be that size for a reason. The city was a plan which was never realised....and maybe...maybe its just as well."
His eyes took on that now familiar far away look. Shaking himself suddenly, he turned to me, then took a deep breath and stood. "Come on Fairlight, my Pony friend, lets get going."
I went to wake Shadow but Star Beard stopped me, "No. Let the girl rest, you've quite taken it out of her you know. This is something only for you."
I slowly pulled myself away from the young Thestral, placing her foreleg back down by her side and leaned in to gently kiss her cheek. Letting out a soft moan, she wriggled in her sleep before settling back down once more. I walked slowly after the cloaked Star Beard and out into a courtyard lit only by the light of the moon. In the centre was a small circular dais made of the same white crystal like material as the platform. The old Thestral silently passed me a small bottle of silvery liquid in a nondescript glass bottle. I was surprised at first as there was a distinct lack of materials here in the Withers, so I assumed it to be another leftover from his mentor.
"Right then, come on, get that down you there's a good fellow", he encouraged when he saw me examining the contents.
Uncorking the bottle I drank it down in one gulp. There wasn't a lot in it really and it didn't taste of much of anything either. Probably a Thestral 'pick me up' of some kind. I had a disturbing thought all of a sudden, "Star Beard, what are we doing here ?", but as I spoke, I felt a pulling sensation, soft at first but quite noticeable. "What the... ?"
"Quick Fairlight ! Up on the top now, we don't have much time.", Star Beard pushed me up the short flight of steps to the top and bid me lay down. The pulling feeling came again, more insistent this time, the cold feeling of fear shocked me and I looked up at the old Thestral, my eyes going wide, "What have you done ?"
"I'm sorry Fairlight, but this really is the only way. You cannot survive in both worlds, so for one to live, the other must....die. You must be one. Do you understand ?"
I understood but Goddesses, the cold....Pain racked through me in a howling torrent of agony that made me cry out. In the distance I could hear the cries of Thestrals joining mine. Star Beard held my head and looked into my eyes, small flaming tears rolling down his cheeks, "I'm sorry my boy, please, forgive me. If only I could have sent you via the portal, but it simply doesn't work that way...."
I was panting for breath now, burning fear and pain mingled with that great pull from...elsewhere... like a deafening heart beat, strong and demanding. I cried out as another tide of pain flowed from my head to my tail, surging and relentless.
"Your brothers and sisters are singing you to the next world, Fairlight. Shadow will join you soon. Be strong my boy..."
He held my head in his hooves and rocked me as I had done with Meadow....so long ago....it was like I could still feel her in my forelegs, smell her sweet feminine scent. The burning smell of the wood, crash of broken glass....heat, fire and the sensation of floating. I had to let go...it was so easy and yet at the same time, the hardest thing I
could ever imagine doing. It was all so alien, I was terrified and wanted to run....to escape. But where to ? The pulling sensation caught me again and there was a loud cracking sound, like a rubber band snapping and I was instantly flying, rushing through images and sounds of...my life ?
Meadow, Chief Mitre, Dawn, Glimmer, their faces talking to me, smiling, encouraging, whirling around in a blur of colour. And then, everything stopped. The brief roller coaster ride of Fairlight's life had come to the end of the track. All around was total silence in the black emptiness. I was alone, lost and afraid with only my conscious thoughts to keep me company.
I could hear my mother, my father, meadow....
"Fairlight"
I opened my eyes and looked about me...nothing. Goddesses help me.....
"Love, listen to your heart, you have to let go."
"No...." I said, "No....."
"You have to, to be together again, all of us....you have to let go...."
"I'm afraid...I'm so scared...I want to go home..."
"I know love, it's all right to be afraid, I was at first. We'll all be waiting for you, but you need to go back for now, Shadow is waiting for you. We'll be together again soon, waiting in the golden wheat fields, the sun on your back and blue skies up above, its all there for when you come back to us. Go to Shadow now, she's waiting for you."
"Meadow......I love you so much..."
"I know, I love you too my brave Fairlight. Sparrow and I will be here waiting for you, but some pony else needs you now. Ponies shouldn't be alone my love, go to her now...."
"....Shadow..." My Thestral mare, I had to go to her, she needed me. I couldn't leave her alone in the mortal world, how could she survive not knowing anything about it ?
She'd be like I was in the Withers when I arrived there, scared and afraid...I had to reach her...I had to try...
There was deep booming sound that shook my very core, and a voice, a different one this time. It was distant, but somehow sounded incredibly close, like some pony was talking though cotton wool into my ear, "Captain Fairlight ? Come to us now, come home..."
Another voice, "Mistress, its useless. Please, you're taxing yourself too much, we cant put you at risk for just one pony."
The first voice, strained with effort, "The strength of all is lessened by the loss of one. If there is even the slightest spark left, we must try to fan the flames of life."
"But Mistress, I'm begging you, you've been trying to revive this one for days. Its hopeless, just let him go, please just let him go."
"NO !", the first voice shouted angrily, "We will not abandon a pony to the herd without trying our all first. Do you forget so easily how you came to be here ? If we had left you, when the slightest spark was dying out, you would have crossed over. Would you have gladly left than stand at our side, as you do now ?"
"No Mistress, I'm sorry...I spoke out of line. Its not my place..."
"My child, you have a mind, a life and a soul of a kind pony. We would know your thoughts as we would know your heart. Keeping everything hidden inside is the way to allowing darkness to enter. This one, this single pony, has something inside him that could help us bring balance back to our land. Help us, to bring him....home."
"Mistress.....", the voice was sobbing now, "I fear for your safety...you know how I...that I...."
The first voice was gentler, understanding, "Shhhhh, quiet now little one, we know, we have seen your dreams."
I floated there listening, I couldn't help but feel that I was intruding on something that was, well, special. There was a warmth here with these two and I was drawn towards them.
"Mistress, did you see ?!", a third voice said on the other side of me, excitedly.
"Yes. We see. We have done all we can, the rest is up to our good Captain." The first voice sounded pleased, satisfied but weary. The voice gave a sudden gasp.
"Mistress ? Quickly, catch her !", there was a soft thump and a commotion of hoof steps and furniture being dragged around. "Take her to her rooms, she's at the end of her endurance. Take some food and drink for her as well, for when she awakes."
Several other voices spoke in agreement and there was the sound of a door opening and more ponies helping the owner of the first voice from, wherever, I was.
With each moment, I was becoming more aware of myself, but still felt strangely 'distant'. There was a bone weary tiredness and aching running through me, sensations I hadn't experienced since before I'd arrived in the Wither world. My eyes were heavy and the light blinding as I tried to open them. I clawed my way back to
consciousness but it was so hard, I felt I just wanted to sleep. The waves of fatigue eventually took me and I drifted away into a blissful haze of rest. Next to me a voice spoke quietly, "You'd better be worth all this 'Watch Captain'. If anything happens to the Mistress, I'll send you back to the underworld myself and this time....this time
you won't be returning." I vaguely heard the hoof steps retreating and thought sarcastically to myself, "Its good to be home".
END OF BOOK ONE |
Her Bitter Half | pre | I slipped off the sink and hit the floor. Hard. I had a jawbone that ached where it'd conked the tile, and a tongue that recoiled when I bit it on impact. Both were proof this body was not made of putty. Neither were the flailing hooves and wild, swimming eyes that gawked up at Starlight.
"You know?" I choked out.
That was impossible. I was Pinkie's most treasured secret. Or her most shameful, depending on which one of us you asked. And not the kiddie type of secret either. Not like Cadance being pregnant or Marble being scared of snakes. No, I was the type of bombshell that would get a pony stuffed into a straightjacket. Or blasted by the Elements of Harmony. Or whatever merciless magic cure the Kirin used to get rid of their Niriks.
"How," I mewled. "How do you know...?"
Starlight had no detective hat to take off or magnifying glass to put away. But she did bend down and reach out. Not to clamp a pair of shackles on me, but to lay a gentle hoof on top of mine. What made everything seem even more unreal, she didn't look triumphant or smug. In fact, she looked almost embarrassed.
"I um..." Starlight was chewing on her lower lip. "I know you weren't there for any of this. To be honest, I wasn't either. I only have Twilight and Spike's story that filled me in. But back when I... when I tried to stop the Rainboom that gave you and your friends all your Cutie Marks, at least one of the bad futures had you in it. With no cutie mark. And no curly mane either."
I was sitting up now, like a puppet suspended by tight strings of understanding. My ears were hot as I shook my head.
"Unbelievable," I sighed. "You figured me out just from being told about that?"
Starlight shifted from one hoof to another. "I mean... for a pony paying attention, the puzzle pieces aren't exactly hard to put together."
She smiled playfully, which is what made me spring to my hooves in a full-on rage.
"Is that all Pinkie Pie is to you?!" I barked. "A pile of toy puzzle pieces to put together?!"
Starlight smile was gone in an instant, and she took a terrified step back.
"How dare you crack jokes about your friend being gone!!" I was snorting steam, rattling the mop closet's walls even more than the rain pounding down from above. Starlight took several more steps back, tripping over an empty bucket and sprawling onto the floor. I towered over her, ranting and furious.
"That Rainboom was Pinkie's birth, you hear me?? That blast of bliss and wonder was the moment I stopped being me, and started being somepony who actually mattered! How can you know all of that - how can you know me and how awful I am - and laugh about it behind Pinkie's back?" I put my hooves on Starlight and pulled her wide-eyed face to mine, mashing our noses. Mine was bleeding again.
"I want to stop existing, Starlight! I want Pinkie to be free, and for my old, useless, hanger-on half of our mind to die!! It's all I've ever wanted from the moment that Rainboom blasted Pinkie to life, so why is she the one who vanished instead?? Why did..." It was getting impossible to yell through my wracking sobs. "Why did she abandon me? Oh, Pinkie, were you even real to begin with...? Pinkie... Pinkie... you were my mask of hope, and now you're gone. I don't think I can make you come back this time and... it makes me scared. I'm so scared, so horribly lost and alone without you..."
I gave into wordless bawling like an infant now, the last of my fire finally spent. I knew, deep down, that my wretched daylong mental breakdown wasn't Starlight's fault. She was just the pony who'd been unlucky enough to always be nearby. But I was crying too hard to apologize. All I could do was hold her close, like a frantic filly in the arms of her mother. Never mind the fact we were two grown ponies in a musty, miserable mop closet.
This was it. This was me finally hitting rock bottom.
After a moment, I felt Starlight pat me gently on the back. After another moment, I heard her speak.
"Um... wow. Okay then. Turns out I don't know what it means when you have straight hair. I thought it just meant that you- oh sorry, it just meant that Pinkie Pie was feeling down. I didn't think it meant... that."
She nudged me off her, and I meekly let it happen. My nose had left a smear of blood and snot on Starlight's shoulder, but before I could gurgle something that sounded like a 'sorry,' Starlight hushed me and levitated a tissue box down from a nearby shelf. She wiped her fur. I wiped my face. Then Starlight tilted her head with cautious curiosity.
"You... must have a name, right?"
"Whu-?"
"A name. You were yelli- erm talking about Pinkie in the third person, so I'm guessing you... um... consider yourself a different pony than her. So do you have a name?"
I blew my nose so I wouldn't have to answer right away. Saying my name to someone else scared me. It was like an admission I was real. I tried to change the topic. It was a cowardly move, but I did it anyway.
"You're ridiculously relaxed for someone who just learned her friend has a freaking split personality."
That earned a coy shrug from Starlight. "More that my friend is a split personality. And don't get me wrong, its definitely a lot to take in. Especially with the not-so-gentle way you decided to explain it."
I hunched down, as if I could hide my embarrassment behind the soiled tissue clutched in my hooves.
"But at the same time," Starlight hastily added. "I've seen a lot of weird stuff in my days. Time travel, an all-powerful alicorn baby, bird-snakes that turn things to stone with their eyes." Starlight risked another playful smile, and I made sure I didn't attack her this time. "Honestly, I'm just happy to know you're the real Pinkie Pie. Before Ocellus came back with her report, I was getting flashbacks to the time you and the others all got replaced by Changelings and it took me way too long to notice."
I hugged my knees dejectedly. "I dunno if you can consider me the 'real' Pinkie Pie. I definitely don't."
"Well, Pinkie Pie is the only name I have to call you. Unless you want to remedy that."
Horseapples. Well played, Starlight.
"My name... is Pinkamena."
"Well then. It's nice to meet you, Mena."
"Don't lie. And don't shorten it like that either."
As if by some cosmic cue, a gymnasium's worth of laughter echoed from down the hall.
Starlight peered in the direction of the sound, looking pensive. Then she stood up.
"Sounds like Twilight's speech is being received pretty well. I told her it would. C'mon, let's go."
"Huh?" I didn't move from my spot. "Whaddya mean, 'let's go'?"
Starlight extended a hoof. "I mean just that, Mena. Let's go to the pep rally."
"B-but... What about Pinkie? She's still missing!" Thunder rumbled outside, like it was agreeing with my point.
"So you say. But I doubt we're gonna find her in this mop closet. I think we'll have better luck in the gym."
"Around... all those ponies?" The thought of following Starlight into such a packed room churned my stomach.
"Not just any ponies. Our friends are there. Applejack, Trixie, Fluttershy... even Twilight. They'll help us, Mena. They'll help you. Because this is the School of Friendship. I'm honestly surprised you didn't come clean to us right away."
I still didn't budge. "But what if there's nothing they can do?"
"There will be. You think it's just some freak accident that all your friends are in one place together on the exact day you need them the most? Twilight is only in town one day per year, Mena. Whatever is happening to you must be happening for a reason. We can solve this the same way we solve everything. With friendship."
I closed my eyes and breathed in. Rain was still pounding, harder than ever, on the School of Friendship from above. But laughs, cheers, and applause filled the School of Friendship from within. Between the two, the empty and the crowded, the oppressive and the welcoming, was silent Starlight. And me, gathering my courage.
The swing of the opening closet door jolted my eyes open. Then made them squint again.
"Blegh," Starlight commented. "These garish overhead lights out here are way more harsh and bright than I remember."
I was nearly ready to stand up and face the world again. But I had one last question left before that.
"Starlight?"
"Hm?"
"Why... are you being so nice to me? You have to understand, I'm not... I'm not Pinkie Pie. I'm a stranger."
Starlight Glimmer, principal of the School of Friendship, stood tall and proud.
"Isn't showing friendship to strangers the whole reason this place was built?" She ran a hoof over her head and smiled warmly. "Besides, I can relate to someone using a change of hair to leave the bad part of herself behind."
I reached up to accept Starlight's kindness. I swear that I did. But before our hooves met, the roof was ripped off the School of Friendship like a lid off a peach can.
Deafening stormwinds shredded shingles and tossed support beams sky high. Huge filthy hailstones blasted the interior halls where they shattered light fixtures, dented lockers, and cracked the tiles on the floor. One of them hit my flank, stinging from cold and sheer speed of impact. There was no sun, only roiling pitch black thunderclouds that blotted all light from the sky. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't see Starlight.
I tried to call her name, but a blinding lightning strike and deafening thunder clap shocked me senseless for moment. Over the ringing in my ears I heard screams of schoolponies. Past the blotches in my vision, I witnessed an airborne uprooted tree hurdling towards me just a split second before it made impact.
Pony chests weren't supposed to make crunching noises. Mine did.
Mashed onto my stomach by a log ten times my size, I gasped for air. Any air at all. My lungs were having none of it. Not through a pulverized ribcage and Faust knows how many pounds of pressure from the wreckage crushing down on top.
Black rain was slicing horizontally through the air, polluting the topless halls of the school like dirt skidding into a freshly open wound. Another lightning flash, another split second of illumination. My bugged-out pressure-popped eyes saw a purple princess, flapping high above in the tempest. Her hornlight was tiny but unsnuffable, warding against the howling whirlwind of darkness all around.
After the lightning came another thunderclap. This one so loud it rattled my teeth. But after the echoes faded, I heard, through frantic sips of air getting past my chapped lips, Twilight Sparkle's royal Canterlot voice:
"Any teacher who can hear me, escort every student you can find to the nearest basement entrance now! Any student who can hear me, find a teacher! This storm isn't natural!!"
The galeforce picked up and roared through my pinned ears. It was like the storm itself was annoyed at Twilight's attempts to save people from it. Twilight's response was to focus her horn's light, casting a brave glow through the fresh ruins all around. My tree was visible now, but Twilight was being pelted by freezing rain so she didn't see me. I had no strength to yell for help, and it's not like I could have been heard over the still screaming students and the hoofbeats of the staff trying to heard everyone to safety.
Starlight. Where was Starlight?
My tree wasn't the only piece of torn and tossed destruction that got scattered around. One of the School of Friendship's purple-spired tower tops had crashed near the spot I was trapped in. In fact, it was right where Starlight had been standing when the chaos began.
The thought that came from seeing this was too horrific to imagine. Ditching it from my mind, I reached my forelegs feebly upward at Twilight. No one else was close to me. No one else was coming to my rescue. I waved my battered hooves, pink in their fur, but blotched purple where they'd begun to bruise.
Twilight didn't see me. She didn't even look down. Though to be fair, she was occupied by a massive leering face finally forming in the churning maelstrom up above. One of a gleeful, monstrous stallion. I hadn't thought the surrounding screams could get any more frenzied. They noticeably did.
"You," Twilight gasped.
"Me!"
The voice of King Sombra thrummed so loud it shattered the remains of a window pane near my head. The glass splinters showered down, and I prayed for none to get in my gaping mouth. I was getting so little air gasping like this, I couldn't afford to shut my jaw for even an instant.
High above, Twilight and the storm monster stared each other down.
"How did you come back this time, you brute?"
"Trying to bait me into a monologue, tiny princess? Consider the bait bitten clean off your fishing reel!"
An impossible pillar of blackness made solid jetted out from the storm's eye and struck Twilight square in the face. Her wings went limp and her hornlight sputtered and she spiraled downwards. I actually managed a squeaking whinny of horror at the sight. This was insanity. A ridiculous nightmare shredding away at the world around me. How and why in the wide world of Equus was King Sombra here, in Ponyville, on today of all days?
The black pillar was forming into a pony-like shape as it chased Twilight down. Her horn was still sputtering, but moments before she splatted onto the bleachers in what used to be the gymnasium, Her wings flared, her light reignited, and she swooped to a safe landing on the central court. The writhing mass of solid Sombra smoke smashed down near her like some smug meteorite. He shook his brittle obsidian hooves free of the impact craters they'd each formed, eyeballing one of them with a smoldering green torchlight that swiveled in his eye socket.
"Cracked," he announced dismissively. "Though I shouldn't be surprised to see the only pony who can damage me is, well, me!" The Sombra golem tossed back its head and laughed. Its sound mixed with thunderclaps all around. Twilight however, was back on her hooves and not intimidated in the slightest.
"I have to say Sombra, this is a sloppy ambush and even sloppier resurrection. You call that heap of rocks a working body?"
The golem stomped at her insult, sending out a shockwave that Twilight easily hopped over, but I couldn't. I was maybe twenty strides away from them. Unnoticed, pinned, helpless, and dying. Now on top of it all, I'd been blasted in the face by a sooty pulse of coaldust.
"Meh, so this form is a bit of a fixer upper," Sombra conceded joylessly. "Hardly matters. I'll splurge on a more complete rebirth later, after I'm done wringing your defenseless little neck."
Twilight pawed at the rain-slicked gym floor while she and the monster circled one another.
"Will you, now? Tough talk for a pony whose butt has been blasted to bits going on... what is it? Three times now? Four?"
The golem roared and a lightning strike singed Twilight's tail hair. The bolt would have definitely split her in half if she hadn't dodged when she did. The stench of soot lingered on everything now. I could taste it on my tongue, and not even the relentless rain was washing it away.
The hero and the villain kept going with their outrageous banter. I meanwhile squealed silently as my log shifted and yet another rib audibly cracked.
"I think I picked a terrific day to rain on your parade, Twilight Sparkle. I had to wait a long time for you and your old friends to all gather again in one place."
"And you're stupid for trying to get the drop on us when we have each other's backs!"
It hadn't been Twilight who announced that, but a bright blue blur. Rainbow Dash plowed directly into the side of the Sombra golem at high speed. His response was to shrug her off and conjure a lattice of barbed black crystal rods, pinning her to the floor.
"Pipe down, you. The adults are talking."
"Dash!" Twilight's cry was cut short by a warning shot from Sombra's horn. Not aimed at her, but instead scorching the ground barely a hair away from Rainbow Dash's restrained head. The message was clear: don't make any sudden moves, or the hostage gets it.
"Dash," Twilight groaned, "you're supposed to be firing up the Treehouse of Harmony downstairs with the others."
"I know!" Rainbow Dash wailed," But we can't find Pinkie! She didn't show up to the pep rally, and without all of us, the tree's magic won't wo-mmph!"
A fresh lattice of coal crystal covered Rainbow Dash's mouth. Her eyes bore up at Sombra like daggers, and her nostrils snorted steam. But that was all she could do now.
For the first time since the standoff began, Twilight Sparkle looked genuinely afraid.
"Can't find the pink one, eh?" Sombra relished that he was in a position to gloat. "What a terrible stroke of luck for you, princess. Then again," the rain was intensifying above the gym now. "What if I told you it wasn't luck at all?"
What precious little air I had was suddenly no longer coming through. It was caught in my throat.
"What..." Twilight was openly terrified now. "What did you do to Pinkie?"
My vision was fogging with the purest, angriest red ever seen by a mortal mare.
"Oh gee," Sombra knelt down to tickle a furiously thrashing Rainbow Dash under the chin. "What did I do to the pink one? Probably something horrible. Like pocketing a pony-sized dose of nightmare magic as I clawed my way back from the void. Oh wait, did I say pony-sized?" He spat the next words with glee. "I meant continent-sized. And then I stuffed it into your friend's head. She's was the easiest target, being the heaviest sleeper of you lot. And she definitely didn't wake up from that this morning. In fact, as long as my hex holds, I doubt the drooling pink vegetable will ever wake up again."
Log wood creaked and strained. The leg strength of a berserking pink Earth Pony pressed against the planet. Slowly, desperately, by painfully imperceptible degrees, the fallen tree was beginning to lift.
"Well, that's the long and short of it, I suppose." The Sombra golem clicked his nonexistent tongue and aimed his horn at the dumbstruck, devastated Twilight. "It's honestly taking a lot out of my reserves to keep one of your precious keystone friends out of action. Plus, bluey here ruined the big speech I wanted to give. But to Tartarus with theatrics; my plan remains unchanged. I'll mop up the two of you, finish off your friends, then put some work into a proper flesh and bone body to rule my new emp-"
Sombra was interrupted by the splintering crack of freshly fallen birch tree followed by an ear-splitting, skypiercing, bloodcurdling screech of righteous feral fury.
I need to make a sort of confession at this point. I need to say that it's been several years since the day where all this awfulness all happened. Several very long years since this horrible, humiliating day that Pinkie and Starlight have dubbed "Mena's Undercover Adventure." I can remember almost every detail of what I saw, and what I did. Everything up to the last few minutes. Which were the next few minutes.
So for this short chunk, I have to pull from Twilight and Dash's stories of what went down. Starting with what I looked like as I charged. Twilight says that I was foaming from the mouth. And by her "estimation of the bubble consistency," the foam probably wasn't caused by the gargling gasps of air I was gulping.
Meanwhile, Dash says my charge was more like a shambling, tripod limp. Heaving the tree away had revealed that my left hind leg was broken so bad, there were bones sticking out in at least two places.
Both agree though, and I guess it must be true, that I made it to Sombra's golem body without him making any move to stop me. In fact, according to them, he didn't really do anything except gawk at my shambling frenzied approach and mutter "This isn't possible... I got rid of you... I got rid of you...!"
I don't know. I can't say. But however it happened, I made it to him.
Dash's description of what came next uses these words: "It was kinda like a yak in a china shop, with one pony-sized vase that the yak really, really hated in particular."
Twilight's description was shorter: "Mindless, animalistic pugilism."
You'll just have to use your imagination. I know I have to, since the only part I really remember came right at the end. It was when the rain finally stopped coming down and the dark clouds faded away to let the sun be seen.
My hooves and face were caked with coal dust, or at least something very close to it. There was a pile of the stuff in front of me. Enough that if you scraped it all together, you could make a life-sized sculpture of a bigger-than-average unicorn. Except now that my aching hooves were done doing what they did to it, the pile was just empty ashes. All of its magic beaten and chased back into the void where it belonged. And as it faded, so did all its nasty ongoing curses.
My shoulders straightened and my hair began to curl.
"Holy moly Pinkie, that was awesome!" Rainbow Dash was shaking herself off, brittle bits of her crystal tethers crumbling to dust. "I had no idea you could throw hooves like that."
Through eyes I was slowly fading from, I peered at her. Dash had this huge goofy grin distorting her dirtied face, and her legs were shaking from adrenaline. This was a look I knew super well. Pinkie was also the type to fall back on a forced chipper attitude when she'd just been seen something disturbing. Or rather, she was the forced chipper attitude.
"Pinkie, you're hurt!" Twilight was on my other side, skidding to a stop and openly queasy at the sight of my caved-in chest and mangled hind leg. "Does it feel bad? Nod if you can't speak."
I could feel my half of ourself going back to sleep. Which was good, right? It was good that soon Pinkie could laugh and hug her friends and play off any suspicions that somepony else had gripping the wheel for awhile. Plus, I could finally rest feeling satisfied that the mystery was solved. This was supposed to all feel correct. This was what I'd wanted from the start.
"Can you hear us okay?"
"Yeah, you look like you're about to cry."
How come I was feeling so deathly scared to go? This wasn't my life. These weren't my friends I was leaving.
Were they?
With a jolt, I suddenly remembered somepony who was. Since Twilight the closest, I pawed at her and poured everything I had left into forming a few desperate words.
"St... Starl..."
Twilight leaned down, frowning with worry. "What now? Pinkie, if hurts too much, don't try to talk."
Darkness framed my vision, as did a mane of fully frizzy hair. I knew I had a few seconds left at the absolute most.
"Find... Starlight."
Rainbow Dash heard, and was in the air in an instant. "You were with Starlight when we couldn't find you? Oh jeez, she could be buried anywhere in this mess!" In a burst of blue, she was digging through the nearest pile of rubble. Twilight meanwhile, stayed by my side. She had a different kind of worry coming off of her now.
"Pinkie... are you lucid right now?"
A giggle of relief escaped my mouth. A giggle that wasn't mine.
And then I was gone. For now. |
Her Bitter Half | Uneasy As Pie | Sourced from Modocrisma on Tumblr
The final bell rang, ending the day's last class.
"Have a super fanta-bulous weekend, everyone! No new homework, but don't forget your Smile Reports due at the end of the month!"
Pinkie Pie unhurriedly pushed her teaching notes (and a plate of plastic-wrapped sugar cookies) into her saddlebag. Students filed past as she made sure to nod eagerly at each "bye Professor Pie" and "have a good weekend." The last one out the door was Ocellus, who paused and looked back over her wingbumps.
"Did I hear that right, Professor Pie? We have a week extension on our monthly Smile Reports?"
"Hm?" Pinkie perked up. "Oh!" She shuffled the remaining papers, just to have something to do with her hooves. "For sure, absolutely. But you know you gotta have at least thirty-seven smiles on 'em now instead of thirty. And hey, I'm super duper sorry for not collecting them first thing in the morning last week. I was, um..."
Distracted, I supplied.
"Distracted!"
Ocellus was still lingering in the doorway. "The school also got attacked by a talking hurricane, Professor Pie."
A giggle. "Oh yeppers, it sure did. That was a Crisis with a capital "C," wasn't it? But it's done and over with now. 'Sides, the School and everyone in it bounced back good as new afterwards."
Ocellus gave Pinkie Pie a look. A very long one. While she did, I curled up to be as small and tasteless as possible. Not that I was any more than a wisp at the moment to begin with.
"If... if you say so, Professor Pie. Take care of yourself. See you Monday." The door shut.
Pinkie Pie waited a moment, then began humming tunelessly. She slung her saddlebag over a bandaged shoulder, shifting to adjust the strap. Then she skipped out of the lecture room and down the rebuilt halls. Skipping was an impressive feat, since her left hind leg was encased in a thick plaster cast. It had been there for about a week, and by now the cast's surface was completely covered with names. From students, coworkers, friends, and even a few random strangers she'd passed on the street and chatted with. A cast was a good conversation starter, and Pinkie always seemed to have a colored pencil available to offer up.
There was only one pony who'd declined to add her name to the jumble: Me.
"Hey Dashie!" Pinkie waved to her coworker locking the door of health class. "Whatcha doin' this weekend?"
"Huh? Oh, 'sup, Pinkie. Sorry, but I got plans. Me and the cheer team have practice."
"Well, that's okay. I could sit in. Sometimes cheerleaders need a cheerleader of their own."
"Don't I know it. I tell ya, a lot of the students are still pretty shaken up by the attack last week. Teachers too. It's why I'm staying overtime to work on new cheers with the girls. The school needs good vibes from anywhere they can get 'em right now."
Even if you have to fake those vibes yourself.
That comment never made it out of our mouth. I gripped it tightly in place while Pinkie stayed busy nodding.
"Oh hey," Dash continued. "I almost forgot that Starlight Glimmer passed by looking for you earlier. I think she's been looking for you ever since you got back. Have you been avoi-?"
"KaySeeYouLaterAtCheerPracticeDashBye!"
Pinkie bounded away. Soon she was heading down the front steps of the school.
"Hi, construction crew! Hope you're not working yourselves too hard in this heat!"
The sun shone down on Pinkie waving to a trio of roofers still bolting beams and hammering shingles on top of the school. They waved back and she scampered to the base of an unused ladder, saddlebag swinging open.
"I brought you boys some thank you gifts for working so fast to fix stuff: sugar cookies from Sugarcube Corner!"
The workponies rumbled with sweaty gratitude, and one of them used his magic to levitate Pinkie's presented paper plate.
"I frosted them red, yellow, and green," she called. "Cuz those are stoplight colors, which always remind me of construction! The red ones are for Sander, the yellow are for Pierce, and the green cookies are for... um..."
I tilted Pinkie's eyes to her cast.
"...Rivet!"
His name was scrawled near the base. Right next to the names of his coworkers.
Since last week, I'd been putting in more effort to pay attention instead of zone out. While working to keep up with daily life, I'd found Pinkie to be every bit as scatterbrained and forgetful as I am. Which really isn't surprising, since we share the same attention span. I'd gotten careful to only use our sense of awareness when she wasn't touching it. Which, to be fair, was pretty often.
The construction ponies were all munching away. Satisfied, Pinkie balled up the spare plastic wrap, tucking it away in her bag. Can't let good snack packaging go to waste, after all. Job done, she hopped her way down the rest of the front steps, pausing at the spot where cement gave way to grass.
Other ponies trotted past. Some students, others teachers. Most said hi, and Pinkie made sure to do her signature smile nod at each of them. She breathed deep and rolled her shoulders. It was officially the weekend.
Not a cloud blotted the sky, magically evil or otherwise. The only running water was the trickle of fountains in the decorative pond, where a family of ducks were sunning themselves. Seeing them bob in the water made a sort of warm, peaceful feeling wrap around a pony's stomach. Maybe there was some way to turn a bird-watching into a class assignment. To this day, passing out worksheets still didn't mesh with the Pinkie Pie style. Then again, it'd be hard to grade a whole class's goodness or badness at feeling calm while looking at animals. And even if it was, that style wasn't really the Pinkie Pie style either. More like the Fluttershy one.
Pinkie shaded her eyes and squinted. Didn't there used to be more shade here? In fact, didn't there used to be a tree right here? Like right next to where she was standing?
The leg in the cast throbbed. So bad that even I felt it.
Pinkie shook the ache away and trotted gingerly across the lawn. No duckwatching assignment for next Monday. No, instead there'd be a treeplanting one. Students would pick a partner, (dirty jobs were always easier with a buddy at your side), get given a sapling, and then find somewhere on the school grounds that looked like it needed a new baby tree. Pinkie had high hopes somepony would pick the spot near the duck pond. I did too, which was weird. Until last week, I'd never really had high hopes for anything.
Up behind, the front doors of the school eased open to let out a late staffer. The Pinkie Sense knew who it was without even turning around.
"Pinkie Pie? Hey, Pinkie! Wait up a second!"
Three good legs was enough to skip on, that much was proven. But it they weren't enough to run away on. Especially since Starlight Glimmer was a quickdraw with her teleports.
"Hey," she panted, wiping some stray sparkles off her horn. At least, I think that's what she was doing. It was hard to tell, since Pinkie was avoiding eye contact.
"Hiya, Starlight." Her voice was also quieter than than normal. Kinda like my voice, which I wasn't a fan of one bit. I drew myself up, ready in case Pinkie needed me. "How're you doing?"
"Me?" Starlight looked surprised. "I'm... fine. Better now than I was when Dash dug me out from under those dented lockers, that's for sure. I... I know we were laid up in different wards of the hospital, and even though I got sent home before you did, I've been hung up with all the administrative and legal and public rela..." Starlight sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm blathering. What I wanted to ask... what's been on my mind ever since I woke up in the trauma ward, is... how are you doing?"
Pinkie beamed brightly. "I'm super duper! My ribs are setting straighter than birthday candles in a box, and look at all the names I have on my leg cast!" She pirouetted while producing a colored pencil from her saddlebag. "Wanna add yours to the mix?"
Starlight graciously accepted the pencil. "Sure, if you'll have my messy hornwriting." Halfway into her first initial, she looked up. "But when I asked 'how are you doing,' you know I didn't mean your leg."
It occurred to Pinkie, way too late, that she was trapped in place until Starlight's signature was finished. She bit her tongue and glanced around.
"There's nopony else here," Starlight assured. She'd moved on from the 's' to the 't' now. "Nopony except those roofers. And they look busy."
"I gave them cookies," Pinkie commented, hoping that Starlight would say something in response to that. But when Starlight didn't do anything except slowly move on to the letter 'a', Pinkie sighed and bobbed her anxious head. "Man, Sombra sure popped up outta nowhere last week didn't he? I know big entrances are his shtick and all, but man oh man was that one wild. When he pulled apart the school like a dollhouse, he couldn't have had worse timing. Or better timing, depending on the pony you ask."
Starlight's pencil stopped moving. "Oh?" she nudged. "And who exactly would this pony be that says he had good timing?"
Pinkie shivered despite the pleasant sun.
"Ya know, I was able to see and hear the whole time he had me bottled up. And I tried really hard to bust out a few times. Like, super duper hard, but it didn't do anything except cause a nosebleed." Pinkie laughed heartily. "It was pretty embarrassing! But not as embarrassing as Sombra was towards the end there. I mean, what are the odds that the one pony he picked to lock in a box just so happened to have a backup brain primed and ready to go? Well, okay, I guess I know the odds. One outta six. But still! He rolled a die and it came up on the only number that could bite him in the butt."
Starlight Glimmer had finished her first name and moved on to writing her second. "From what I heard," she said gently, "Your backup brain did a lot more than just bite. And she was sobbing the whole time she did it."
My better half was chewing her lip desperately. Not a single jovial quip or bouncy comment was steering the conversation away from the uncomfortable subject of me. Her worry was my worry, and I was about to reach for the controls when Starlight kept going.
"I also heard that Sombra was acting differently than most ponies would have expected . They say he was louder. Hammier. More talkative and less snarl-y."
Pinkie jumped on the tangential topic. "Y-yeah, he was like that the time before too. When he smashed the Tree of Harmony."
Starlight had finished writing her name, but by now there was no running away from this talk. She extended the pencil.
"Uh-huh. It does seem that he made a change in attitude awhile back. Maybe that newfound gumption is what helps him bounce back from being beaten down so often. It's insane how much someone can change their personality and still stay the same pony. Or maybe..." she wagged the pencil pleadingly "maybe its reassuring? You know, depending on the pony you ask?"
Pinkie's armpits sweating. Bad. Starlight really wasn't going to let my meltdown from last week just blow over and be forgotten. Even though Pinkie and I really really wanted her to.
The doors to the school were thrown opened again, making all of two-and-a-half of us jump. But it was just Gallus loping out. Starlight frowned in frustration while he padded down the stairs, head hanging low. Pinkie however, did something even I didn't expect. She drew herself up and put on a brave face that wasn't a mask.
"Hey Starlight, can you do me a flavor?"
"Erm, you mean favor?"
"That too." Pinkie accepted the colored pencil back and tucked it behind her ear. It was the spot where serious ponies stored their pencils, after all.
"Do me a friendly-flavored favor and have a looksee while I make something happen."
Pinkie was shoulder to shoulder with Gallus before he'd reached the lawn. I guess I was wrong about earlier; maybe three-legged Pinkie really could move quick when she wanted to. The downcast vibes coming off Gallus were certainly a motivator.
"Heya, grumpy frumpy feathers. It's Friday. What's got you down?"
"Hm?" Gallus looked up. "Professor Pie? What are you doing still around?"
"Somepony shined the Pie signal in the sky, so I swooped over lickety-split to see what student needed my help."
That one got a half-smile out the school's bluest bird.
"Okay then, Professor Pie. Whatever you say. Its nice to see you too. Counselor Lulamoon's office was dark when I checked it, so I was just heading back to my dorm."
Pinkie draped an understanding forelimb over Gallus. "That's sad to hear, kiddo. I know how much you look forward to unwinding with her at the end of rough weeks."
By Faust, I wish I knew how Starlight was taking in all of this. But we were faced away from her, and I wasn't exactly able to make a glance back.
"I guess Trixie just got tired and went home for the day," Gallus remarked.
"Oh for sure, for sure," Pinkie agreed. "The school only has one counselor, and I bet this past week has her swamped in students that need counseled. Like, mask and snorkel levels of swamped."
Gallus chuckled at the mental image.
"Like, mask and snorkel and scuba tank levels of swamped. Mask and snorkel and scuba tank and big goofy marsh boat with a fan on top levels of-"
"Alright, alright!" Gallus playfully shrugged Pinkie off of him. "I hear ya. Everypony has their limits, even teachers. Ya know, school is out for the weekend. If you're trying to spring a Friendship Lesson on me, could it at least wait til Monday?"
Pinkie held up her hooves and smiled coyly. "No lesson here. Pinkie promise. 'Specially since it sounds like you're a big-brained birdie who already knows what I would say."
"That nopony can be at the top of their game all the time, right? That even helper ponies need to take some time to themselves to recharge?"
"You're so wise, Gallus. Sure you're not part owl?"
Laughter was shared now. Strong enough to even make Pinkie Pie's Cutie Mark radiate with inner magic.
Gallus ran a talon through his headfeathers, trying to reclaim his cool. "I'm glad you were around today, Professor Pie."
"D'aww, I'm glad I was around today too. I alway-" Pinkie's voice cracked and she cleared her throat. "I pretty much always am. So come see me again the next time Trixie is out but you still need a boost, okay?"
"Trixie is almost never out. Today is a one-in-a-million thing."
"Still. You know where to find me."
Gallus waved her off and headed for the dorms. He still had his saggy-shouldered lope, but his head was a little higher. Pinkie waved back. And she kept waving until he was inside and out of sight.
For a moment, the mood lingered. Then Starlight stepped out from the other side of the fountain in the duck pond.
"I see," she commented.
"Mm-hm."
"What you did for Gallus just now, what you said to him... that was something Pinkamena never could have done."
"Mm-hm."
Was it though? Really and truly, was Pinkie the only one between us who could comfort another creature instead of clobber them?
If you'd asked me that last week, I would have called the question stupid. But now, after I'd fed Pound Cake, after I'd told a sad class that the pep rally wasn't canceled, after Starlight put her hoof out to me and I was torn away to go right back to being the raging roaring monster mare I'd always resigned myself to be... after all of that, I wasn't so sure. Was I still just a Nirik? The lack of certainty scared me.
"The way things go, Starlight," Pinkie was saying, "is that when other creatures have a Crisis with a capital "C", I want to be there for 'em. Especially when they don't have anypony else. Meanwhile, whenever have my own Crisis with a capital "C," I'm ayy okay because... because I have someone there for me too. Even when I have nopony else, I have her. And that's enough."
Starlight nodded. "Okay, I understand. Sorry that I cornered you like this. I just thought that maybe Mena was more than just... well, I guess it doesn't matter what I thought. You've probably noticed by now that I'm keeping your secret quiet."
"You sure are, teamie." Pinkie draped a foreleg over Starlight, though she was a lot less relaxed then when she'd done the same to Gallus. "Thank... thank you for that. Thank you from both of us."
Starlight peered deep into Pinkie's eyes, but I could tell what she really wanted do was look past them. She wanted to see Pinkamena, to see me, to see the pony she'd hugged and comforted and promised to help but never got the chance. She wanted to be absolutely sure, before she let me go, that I wasn't still aching for connection.
I was, of course. I was aching desperately. But like a coward, I shrank away from her. I pulled back, far back, as far as I could into Pinkie's mind until I was pressed up against the back of it. But no matter how small I shrank, how distant I got from Pinkie and Starlight's ongoing talk, I couldn't escape my feelings.
Last week had changed me. I did want her friendship, even though my rampage against Sombra made a pretty stong case against me deserving it. Mashed back in the dark corner of our head like this, I'd left Pinkie's eyes and ears. I didn't know what goodbyes were said to Starlight or how long they took. I do know that she and Starlight must have gone their separate ways eventually, because the next time I poked back out, Pinkie was at Sugarcube Corner, brushing our - her - teeth and getting ready for bed. With nothing else to do, I settled down into my mental box, easing away from alertness, letting it slip through my hooves like sooty rain on a miserable day.
Mena's Undercover Adventure had ended not with a spiritual awakening, but with a big dumb monster fight and lots of yelling. I had been stupid and greedy to expect anything different.
And while drifting off to dreamland, it turns out I was still partially stupid. Because something else I expected was for Starlight to let sleeping ponies lie.
Night.
With night came sleep, and with sleep came dreams. Dreams for Pinkie Pie, anyway.
Tonight's was a happy one: a reliving of her first birthday after the Rainboom happened. As memory dreams tend to go, only some of the details were correct. The number of streamers, the color of the tablecloth, and the assured smiles of mom, dad, and Marble while everypony sang the birthday song. That was stuff that was actually there, that stuff actually happened. But other details were add-ons to how the real party had went. First off, Gummy was a gift for the birthday after this one, not a gift she got right now. And secondly, I hadn't been there as a guest. Especially not in my own chair, across the table and completely separate from Pinkie.
This dream was soupier than most, with the cake's candle number changing every time I looked at it. Still not as surreal as the moments where I was eating ice cream in a party hat while Pinkie laughed from across the room, thwacking a pinata with her favorite stick. I ended up having to peel my attention away from this dream. Right about the time Limestone passed by the fake filly that looked like me, stole a bite of cake, and prompted a playful wrestling match like she and I used to have back in the pre-Rainboom days.
Watching this wasn't fun anymore. Especially after Limestone's colors smeared to be purplish with light green mane streaks. There wasn't really a way to leave a dream that was happening in the head I occupied, but I could still move as far away as possible. I could turn my back to the action and stare at a metaphorical blank wall instead. I opted to do that, even though the foggy form of Starlight Glimmer was still fresh in my mind's eye. In fact, her features were getting sharper and sharper until at once, Starlight solidified in front of me, splayed on the illusory floor in an embarrassed heap.
"Oof!" Her voice was close but crackly. Like it was coming through a phonograph. "Not... not too skilled at wielding dream magic," she managed. "Luna wasn't kidding when she said the minds of other ponies are slippery. Am I com... coming through okay?"
Too stunned to answer, I nodded. Then I realized I didn't have a body to nod with, so I piped up.
"I hear you. Starlight. You... You're here. Right? Its actually you?"
"Gah!" Starlight winced and her form fuzzied up for a moment. "You're loud," she commented. "But by Celestia, you're also absolutely adorable!"
"I am?"
As sometimes happens in dreams, I got a third-person glimpse of what I looked like: Short legs, straight mane, and a lopsided party hat still on my head. My shape was the impossible guest filly from Pinkie's dream.
"Ew!"
I shook like a wet dog, dispelling my details, but they slowly drifted back to me like dust settling on a stomped rug. Starlight giggled at my frustration and moved to the other side of me. As much as moving meant in this dark, private corner of Pinkie's mind. Far behind, like a star in space, Pinkies dream was still going. It didn't have the guest filly in it anymore.
"So is this... the true you? The um... shape of your soul, I suppose I'd call it?"
"W-well what if it is?" Because Starlight's shape was taller, she got to loom over me as we talked. I didn't like that, so I focused hard and made our eyes level. From up here, I could see Starlight's shape looking sorry.
"I guess... it just makes a strange level of sense, is all. You said you were young when you, uh, became Pinkie. So I guess the realest version of you would look the same as right before that moment. Right?"
"I... I..." Too much was happening all at once, and I shook my tiny head to clear it. "Starlight, why are you even here? I thought my better half told you to leave her... I mean me... Ugh. I thought she told you to leave us alone."
Starlight was taken aback. "Pinkie? Tell somepony to leave her alone? Of course she didn't say that. Don't you know her at all?"
I struggled to recall the end of the talk between Starlight and Pinkie. Then I realized I'd retreated and missed out on it. Not wanting to admit my fault, I searched for something else to say.
"Nice hair, Starlight. Looks like I'm not the only one whose shape is stuck in the past."
"Oh. You noticed these, huh?" Starlight ran a hoof through her mane's prominent bangs. "Like I said, I'm still ironing out the creases in my dream magic. This is the manestyle I had for most of my life, so... well... I guess its stuck in my self image like gum on a horsehoe. What was it you said when we were in the rain, Mena? That I tote my emotional baggage better than some other ponies do?"
"Um... sure," I relented, trying to paw nervously at the ground. When I found there was no ground to paw at, I settled for folding my hooves across my chest. "How come you keep calling me Mena?"
"Be... because that's your name." Starlight tilted her head in polite confusion. "Isn't it? There's Pinkie and there's Mena. Together you're Pinkamena. Two slices of a full Pie."
These aren't real tears, I reminded myself. You're not a real pony and you're not crying real tears right now.
Except I was. And the tears were real. As real as my tiny sniffling nose, here in the void. Starlight must have noticed, because she was picking me up and drying my eyes. I'm not ashamed to admit I clung to her like the foal I was, small and cradled in this endless dark.
Starlight waited until my shuddering stopped.
"I have something for you, Mena."
I crinkled my skeptical eyebrows, but also held out my hooves.
"Close your eyes, birthday girl. This one is a surprise."
I growled, but did as I was told. In this void, there wasn't much difference between opened eyes and closed ones. Really, it was just a difference of being able to see Starlight or not. I felt her embrace fall away, replaced by a warm weight in my grip.
"Okay, you can look now."
I was a full-sized adult again, but that wasn't the gift. Starlight's bangs were gone and replaced by her real-life coiffure, but that wasn't the gift either.
The gift was a thermos of coffee in my trembling hooves.
"Pinkie said you never got a taste last week because I drank it all," Starlight confessed. "I know its not real, but I put a lot of dream magic into forming it, so I hope you at least apprecia-"
I was already fumbling to twist the cap off. But once it was free, I hesitated.
"Is... something wrong, Mena?"
"N-no... nothing like that. It's just... Do you think you can create one more thing for me?"
Starlight's horn grew more solid as the rest of her went fuzzy. "I can try."
"It's small. It's... a value brand Salt Lick lozenge."
"Blegh!" Starlight's noise made me flinch, and I briefly flickerer from adult to filly and back again.
"Too much?"
"Huh? Oh! No, I can get... hang on, one thing at a time..." Starlight's shape blurred as she redirected her effort. Then all at once she snapped back into focus. This time with an unwrapped lozenge in her hoof. "Here you go: One imaginary piece of the cheapest, least tasty candy in all of Equestria."
I nodded knowingly, then popped it in my mouth to savor its salty tang.
"How is it?"
"I can understand why this is the one candy Pinkie doesn't like. Because I absolutely love it."
Starlight bowed like a flattered chef as I washed my treat down with coffee. The meal was bitter, scalding, and enough to make a regular pony like Pinkie gag.
But it was my meal. And that made it wonderful.
"It's almost morning," Starlight announced. "When I laid down tonight, I was thinking about what Pinkie said today. Something about a capital "C" and how you're always there for her. I was thinking... maybe I could be the pony who is there for you, Mena. Or at least, once per week for dream visits. What do you think? Want to try this out and see where it goes?"
I smiled. Not a hideous grimace-grin, but a real warm smile. "What, you mean like Gallus and Trixie?"
"Maybe. Trixie's current job was my old one, after all."
I drummed my hoof on the empty thermos. "I still don't understand why you think I'm worth helping."
"I said the exact same thing to Twilight Sparkle once."
The void shuddered and phonograph Starlight glitched like her record skipped. "Hm. Sounds like Pinkie's waking up."
I rubbed my neck. "Pinkie... me and her, we... I keep so far out of her way, we haven't sat down and straight talked to each other in really a long time."
"You can always start. Tomorrow is a new day."
"Bucking hell, you really are the boss of the School of Friendship, aren't you?"
Starlight Glimmer tossed her mane playfully and mouthed something, but I didn't hear what it was. Instead I heard blankets rustling and somepony yawning. I saw sunlight coming through the window shutters and smelled Ponish Muffins being cooked downstairs.
"G... good morning, Pinkie," I rasped.
"Hiya, bestie. Good to hear from you. Didja get your coffee I ordered last night?"
"Y-yeah."
"Super, cuz we're gonna need all our energy to help out at Dash's cheer practice today."
Hooves hit the floor and stood tall. Even the one in the cast.
"Okey-doki-loki, let's get a move on. And maybe grab extra pulpy orange juice at breakfast today. Need to wash the taste of salt lick lozenge from our mouth. Yuck."
We moved. Not just Pinkie, and not just Mena. Both of us. The bedroom door opened, the bedroom door shut, and Pinkamena Diane Pie picked up her synchronized pace.
I felt... hopeful. |
How I Met Your Mother | pre | Spitfire was sitting at a table next to Fleetfoot. She was about a quarter of a way through her breakfast when Fleetfoot spoke up.
"Okay, I think I got it." Fleetfoot said as she held up a spoonful of shredded hash browns to Spitfire's nose. "Thmell thith."
Spitfire cringed and retreated a little.
"Oh come on Fleetfoot, this food is bad enough without your gross, over the top descriptions of it."
"Calm down Thpitfire, just smell it."
Spitfire rolled her eyes and took a small whiff of the food; she immediately cringed and turned away. No sooner did she sniff, Fleetfoot started talking.
"Thith is what you get when you leave hash browns in a worn shoe after you thoak it in thwamp water."
"Oh come on Fleetfoot!" Spitfire said with a groan.
"And also a thock! A thmelly, worn thock covering them up!"
"Seriously Fleetfoot, how can I eat this now?" she said as she pushed her tray of food away. "Oh well, at least I have my coffee..."
"Oh, the coffee! Wanna hear how I think it's made?"
"No I do not." Spitfire said flatly.
Fleetfoot snickered just as Soarin and Rainbow walked to the table.
"Hey Rainbow, hey Soarin!"
"Hey Fleetfoot!" Soarin said. "Are these seats taken?"
"Yes, because you two are sitting here." Spitfire said with a smile.
Soarin and Rainbow both set their trays on the table and sat down.
"So how are you two doing?" Spitfire asked.
"I'm doing awesome!" Rainbow said happily. "I practiced and perfected three more of our stunts."
Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "Perfected eh?"
Rainbow nodded confidently. "Uh huh! Just wait until we get back in the air! Speaking of which, when are we going to practice again?"
"Sorry Rainbow, you're going to have to wait to until later to show us. We're practicing the new stunt today; with the new flight tech."
"Awwwww..." Rainbow groaned. "Really...? Do we have to use the tech?"
"Sorry Rainbow, we can't do the new stunt without it. They really help take stress off our wings."
"Yeah...they also make flying too easy..." Rainbow muttered.
Spitfire was about to speak, but was interrupted by an officer approaching the table, carrying a mailbag.
The officer saluted. "Captain, you have a message."
"Oh, thank you." Spitfire took the paper and read it as she took a sip of her coffee. The officer saluted and left.
"Tho how are you Soarin? Lookth like you got a bad cut on your cheek."
Soarin blushed slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a....rough landing is all. So when are we going to-"
Spitfire suddenly perked her ears up and spit out her coffee, all over Soarin's face.
"WHAT!?!?" Spitfire shouted, which caused everypony in the room to stop what they were doing and turn towards four ponies. After a few seconds of awkward silence, many of them turned back to their meals and conversations.
"What's going on?" Soarin asked.
"You know General Twister...?" Spitfire asked, still looking at the message given to her.
Rainbow tilted her head. "Who's that?"
"Isn't that the three star general in charge of the Pegasus division in the Celestial Guard?" Soarin asked.
Spitfire, who by now was turning pale, nodded.
"Uh-huh...she's coming here. She heard about our equipment and she wants a demonstration....."
"That'th wonderful!"
"It's not 'wonderful' Feetfoot!"
Fleetfoot lowered her ears. "Why...?"
"She's the most uptight and strictest pony in all of Equestria! She will have my head if we leave a bad impression! Or worse, she could even demote me and kick me out of the Wonderbolts; kick all of us out of the Wonderbolts!!!"
Soarin's eyes widened a little. "Can she do that? Is that even allowed?"
"You better believe it is! The Wonderbolts may do a lot of shows and performances, but we are still a form of military...and we are all pegasi..."
Rainbow shrugged. "Ehh, big deal. Once she sees my-I mean, our moves, she wouldn't even think about breaking us up."
"That's not good enough Rainbow," Spitfire said, turning more pale. "She's a general, a three star general! She could care less about fancy flying, she is going to want results!"
"Well, maybe I could talk to Twilight," Rainbow suggested. "Since she's a Princess now, she could keep us from being separated."
"No." Spitfire said bluntly.
"No?"
"No! The princesses have much more pressing issues to deal with. Besides, we're not going to need the princess's help."
"We're not?"
"We're not! Because I'm going to make sure that we are perfect when she comes!"
"When will she be here?" asked Soarin.
"In two days...."
"Two days? Well that's not so bad!" Rainbow said, trying to cheer Spitfire up.
"Not so bad!? Rainbow, two days is not nearly enough time! There's so much we need to do! If only this two day notice would've arrived a week ago...."
Spitfire looked up and noticed Soarin's cut.
"You have a cut on your face!!!"
Soarin blinked.
"Uh...yeah...?"
"You have to get that fixed immediately!"
"Fixed??? You can't fix a small cut, it has to heal!"
Spitfire suddenly stood up. "Then heal faster!!! I need you all to be perfect!!!"
"Uhh...y-yes ma'am???"
Spitfire sighed.
"Alright, Soarin, I want you and the others to practice with the new equipment; I need you all to perfect your form; got that? Absolutely perfect!. I'll get the others to clean everything around this place; the hallways, the dorms, the offices, the bathrooms..."
"Spitfire!" Soarin spoke up, "this general just wants a demonstration of the new gear. She's not here to inspect the place."
"I'm not taking any chances. I'm going to have this place functioning perfectly even if it kills me."
"Or us..." Rainbow muttered.
Spitfire blinked.
"What are you three still doing here!? Get out! Go practice!!!"
"But I didn't get a chance to eat yet..." Soarin complained.
"MOVE!!!"
The trio didn't waste anymore time and galloped out of the building.
--TWO DAYS LATER--
Soarin sat down and groaned as he massaged one of his wings. "I can't wait for all of this to blow over..." he mumbled to himself.
Rainbow soon landed next to him. "Hey there Soarin. How are you holding up?"
"By a thread...." Soarin said, then sighed.
Rainbow gently nudged Soarin. "Just hang in there Soarin. A few more hours and this will all be over with."
Soarin switched to his other wing. "It can't come fast enough....."
After a few seconds of silence, Rainbow spoke up, blushing a little. "So uh...Soarin? Do you uh...have anything planned after the general leaves...?"
Soarin shrugged, still focused on trying to ease his aching wings. "Nothing really. Probably going to sleep for the next 1,000 years..."
Rainbow couldn't help but chuckle a little as her blush grew a little bit deeper. "Well um...I'm not really doing anything. Wanna hang out tomorrow? We can-"
"Hey Soarin! Rainbow!"
Rainbow was interrupted by one of his close friends, and fellow Wonderbolt, Rapidfire flying in.
"Hey Rapidfire!" Soarin called out. "What's up?"
"Spitfire thinks the General will be here soon. She wants the both of you to get into your uniforms and meet her in the hanger as soon as possible!"
"She wants me there?" Rainbow asked.
Rapidfire nodded. "She said it would be good for the team's image to have the Element of Loyalty there to meet her."
Rainbow smirked and puffed out her chest a little.
"Sounds like a plan to me!"
"What about me?" Soarin asked.
"Spitfire wants you to demonstrate the new flight tech."
"Me???" Soarin said, wide eyed. "I thought we were all going to demonstrate it!"
"We are. But you are going to give the first impression, then we will join later. So...no pressure."
Soarin sighed, but nodded. "Alright, tell her we'll freshen up first, and then we'll be right up."
Rapidfire nodded, and went to fly off, but stopped after a few feet.
"Oh! Are me, you and Blaze still on for tomorrow night?"
Rainbow perked her ears up.
"Heck yeah we are! We'll meet up at the pub at our usual time!"
"Cool! See ya there!" Without another word, Rapidfire took off.
"You have plans for tomorrow?" Rainbow said, a small tone of hurt in her voice.
Soarin nodded. "Yup! Just some of us guys getting together and hanging out."
Rainbow lowered her ears. "Oh...."
"You ok? Didn't you want to ask me a question?"
Rainbow shook her head. "Nah, it wasn't important. So, ready to um...get ready? I'll race ya to the dorms!"
"You're on!" Soarin quickly took off and zoomed away.
Rainbow, left alone, sighed as she talked to herself. "You can be so clueless sometimes, Soarin...."
She spread her wings as she was about to take off. "But that's one of the things I like about you..."
Rainbow instantly took off after Soarin, determined to beat him.
* * * *
"Daddy, this story is kind of boring..." Gentle Breeze suddenly interrupted.
Soarin blinked. "It is? Hmm...what do you think, Fire?"
"Well, I liked the first part with you flying, but it's just been a lot of talk so far...."
"I see. Well, don't worry, I was just about to get to a good part! Not only does it involve flying, but it's where things really start to kick off between your mom and me."
Both foals readjusted their spots on the couch, getting more comfortable. Fire was still working on fixing his tail, but his progress was going much slower than before. |
How I Met Your Mother | Crash and Burn | Spitfire stood next to Rainbow Dash in the large hanger, shaking in her hooves. She kept glancing around partially looking for the General and partially looking for Soarin, who had yet to arrive. Spitfire wore her sunglasses and captain's uniform; the medals on her dark blue uniform would occasionally reflect the sunlight that found it's way into the hangar.
Rainbow gently nudged Spitfire, which caused her to jump a little.
"Hey, relax. Everything is going to go just fine with the General."
"It won't be if Soarin doesn't get here soon..."
"Don't worry, he'll be here! You know how difficult it is to get into those new outfits."
Spitfire didn't seem to hear, and kept glancing around, even hovering a little bit to get a better view. Rainbow rolled her eyes and pulled her back down.
"Spitfire, all your worrying isn't going to help. If anything, it will just make things worse for you."
Spitfire paused and sighed.
"I suppose you're right...but what if-"
"But what if nothing. You've gotten this place as perfect as you can get it, now stop thinking about what can go wrong and just focus on impressing the General!"
"Giving me the orders now, huh?" Spitfire said with a smirk.
"Yes, that's an order!"
Spitfire chuckled and looked around one more time.
"Still, though, it would make things a whole lot easier if Soarin would show up already. But I guess that's our Soarin right?"
Rainbow paused and nodded, slowly fading away into her thoughts. Spitfire was too busy looking for him to notice Rainbow's train of thought fading.
"Yeah....our Soarin."
Rainbow had found herself thinking more and more about Soarin for quite a while now. The thought of being in a relationship with him made her all giddy inside like that night at the Grand Galloping Gala.
Back then, relationships were the last thing on her mind. Her dreams of becoming a Wonderbolt were infinitely more important; now she was a Wonderbolt and a pretty famous one as well. She was now living the life: she had a much bigger house--probably much bigger than she needed--she had fans, and most importantly, she still had her five closest friends that were always there for her. She was living her dream; she had almost everything...almost. During her downtime, when it was just her alone with her thoughts, she discovered that her house was rather quiet and, even though she had her friends, she still couldn't shake this feeling of loneliness. There was Tank to talk to, but all he did was bump into almost everything around him, which Rainbow still found funny.
As much as she hated to admit to herself at first, she needed a special somepony in her life. One day, she thought about who that might be; Soarin was the first one to pop up in her mind and it gave her butterflies in her stomach. Over time, her attraction to Soarin grew stronger and stronger until she finally confirmed with herself that she liked him...she really liked him.
The only pony she told about her crush was Spitfire. Needless to say, Rainbow was emotional when they talked; she was trying to be so strong and not cry, but she, eventually, broke down. Understand, she was under a lot of pressure. Not only was this her first time opening up about a very serious issue on her heart, but society had put her on a 'tomboy' pedestal. The world saw her as tough; somepony who would never look for a relationship, and if she did, she would more than likely appear to the public as soft, and that would likely lead to ponies speculating that she was also weak. To make matters worse, there was the usual fear of the unknown and the fear of Soarin rejecting her as well.
After Rainbow had calmed down, Spitfire assured her that, even if the world did reject her, she would still have the Wonderbolts to back her up and the support of her friends back in Ponyville. At Rainbow's request, Spitfire reassigned her to partner up with Soarin during practices so that they could be closer, and would, hopefully, make it easier for them to talk. The only problem is that Rainbow was too nervous, and whenever she tried to ask him out somewhere, somepony or something would interrupt her.
It, also, didn't help that Soarin could be so clueless on picking up on Rainbow's signs. Maybe she could get him alone and ask him then, or maybe she should just blurt it out in front of everypony. However she asked him out, she felt as if she had to do it soon. The anticipation was killing her inside.
"There you are!" Spitfire suddenly said, interrupting Rainbow's thoughts.
Soarin quickly trotted up to the two mares, panting a little. He was wearing a different uniform than the usual Wonderbolts attire; it was much sleeker and seemed more aerodynamic. It was a dark blue color with black pads on the shoulders, knees, and down the back right, where the spine was, stopping just before the lower back. The uniform zipped up to right under Soarin's head, making it difficult for him to look down.
"Sorry...I'm late." Soarin started to say. "I was trying to- Oof!" Soarin was interrupted by Spitfire shoving a pilot's helmet onto his chest, which he grabbed onto.
"Shush! You're here before the general and that's all I care about!" She said as she shoved him away to move further down the hangar. "Now go suit up! She'll be here any second!" Soarin put the helmet on, and left to suit up and get into position. As he was leaving, Spitfire turned to Rainbow.
"Is everypony in position?"
"Yes, they're all waiting for your signal."
"Alright, good." Spitfire said, relieved. Just as she was about to relax, some officers, not too far away, yelled out 'ten-hut!' and saluted; a few seconds later, a Pegasus wearing a uniform, much like Spitfire's, walked past them.
Spitfire froze. If it wasn't for Rainbow nudging her, she probably would've stayed frozen.
The General saluted the two officers and made her way towards Spitfire and Rainbow; she was there all too quick for Spitfire's liking. The general wore a uniform that was decorated with many medals and had four stars on her shoulders. Her coat was a dark gray, almost like the bottom of a storm cloud, in contrast to her mane and tail which were a bright white, like a cloud on a nice day. Her eyes were a bright yellow and her cutie mark was a tornado.
The two mares saluted at the same time.
"Ma'Am!" Spitfire's voice cracked. The general didn't seem to notice, and, if she did, she was doing a really good job at not showing it. Rainbow on the other hand, had a difficult time keeping a straight face. Spitfire immediately cleared her throat and tried again.
"Ma'am. Thank you for coming today. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The General saluted them; once she did, all three mares put their hooves down.
"The pleasure is mine Captain. I'm glad to hear that The Wonderbolts are working on expanding a Pegasi's flight capability instead of focusing solely on stunts."
"Yes ma'am, the tech we're going to show you today will greatly enhance both of those aspects."
"I can hardly wait then; impress me enough and we just might use it in the Royal Guard." The General turned to Rainbow. "Who is this with you?"
"Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash, ma'am!" Rainbow said looking straight ahead.
The General perked up an eyebrow. "Rainbow Dash? As in the Rainbow Dash? The Element of Loyalty and part of the Council of Friendship?"
"Yes ma'am!" Rainbow said, trying to keep a straight face.
The General did a half bow to her. "It's a true honor to meet you."
Rainbow was completely caught off guard by this. She never considered herself to be important enough for somepony to bow to her, even if it was a simple head-bow. She thought that was reserved for the Princesses, and yet, here was a four-star general actually bowing to her. Thankfully Rainbow still had enough sense to bow back. The General turned back to Spitfire.
"Lead the way Captain; whenever you're ready."
"Yes ma'am. Rainbow, go get suited up."
Rainbow saluted and left to go get ready. When she was out of the General's view, she zoomed away all giddy, unable to hold in her excitement of having a general bow down to her.
Spitfire turned and started walking down the hangar. "It's this way, General."
As the two walked, Spitfire grew uncomfortable as they walked in complete silence even though the general seemed to be just fine with it. It was much easier when Rainbow was here. Heck, anypony would've been fine, but now it was just the two of them. A four star general that held Spitfire's future in her hoof, and a lowly captain. Eventually, Spitfire spoke up.
"So...um....I noticed you have four stars now."
The General nodded. "Indeed. I was recently promoted."
Spitfire smiled and chuckled nervously. Oh no, she thought to herself, as if three stars wasn't bad enough....how am I ever going to get through this....
"Well, Congratulations you really deserve it!" Spitfire said in an attempt to hide her nervousness.
The general only responded with a nod.
Spitfire silently praised Celestia as they arrived at a small, simple presentation section. There was a large television: its screen was bright blue and at the center of the screen the words 'No Signal' were shown in white text in a black box. Next to the television was a small movable curtain that blocked a pegasus pony standing behind it.
"We're arrived, General. Please stand here and we'll start."
The general stood in her designated spot as Spitfire walked to the curtain, then turned and faced the general.
"Within the past few years, technology has significantly accelerated. The Wonderbolts have taken advantage of this recent spike and have developed new prototype flight suits that have significantly increased a Wonderbolt's speed, agility, and have also helped significantly reduce the amount of g-force on our wings. These new suits allow us to fly faster and perform tight and impossible maneuvers as if they were nothing, including being able to come to a complete stop almost instantly after flying 100+ miles per hour. General, I would like to present to you-" Spitfire pulled back on the curtain, unveiling the Wonderbolt's most recent advancement in flying "-the Firefly."
The curtain was pulled back, revealing Soarin standing at attention with his wings spread out.
Soarin wore the new dark blue flight uniform, but along with it, he wore a-
* * * *
"Hold up!" Gentle Breeze interrupted, again. "Did you say 'Firefly'?"
"Yes I did." Soarin said with a smile.
"That's grandma's name! Is that where you got the name?"
"Mmmmm....maybe..." Soarin said with a wink. "You'll need to ask your mother about that. After all, she came up with the nickname for the tech. The actual name is really complicated and long, and I don't remember what it was called. So Rainbow called it 'The Firefly' and the name just stuck."
"Quit interrupting Gentle!" Fire said impatiently. "I wanna hear what the entire Firefly suit looks like!"
"Well excuuuuse me..."
Fire rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Soarin.
"So what did the Firefly look like?"
* * * *
Soarin wore the new dark blue flight uniform, but along with it, he wore a pilot helmet with a completely black-tinted visor. An oxygen mask was dangling from the side of the helmet so that he could speak, and was connected to a small hose that traveled over his shoulder and into a
container that rested on his back and traveled down his spine. It also had two narrow blue lights shining on the top, and a small red handle just above his left shoulder. Though these features were interesting, the most significant feature that caught the general's eye was what was attached to Soarin's wings, lower back, and legs.
Soarin's wings were what drew the general's attention. His feathers were completely covered by multiple thin layers of metal that got more narrow as it approached the bottom feathers. The actual wings themselves had collapsible frames around them that started from the both sides of the container, immediately stretched down and joined to his wings, and connected to each other all the way to the tips of his wings. This setup pulled on his wings, which prevented him from closing them all the way.
Just behind, and slightly elevated above his wings, were two thrusters; one on each side, and both connecting directly to the container. Both seemed active and ready to fire at a moments notice. Finally, behind each of Soarin's legs were long, thin leg-braces, which were connected to black pads that covered his hooves.
Spitfire quickly grew more and more nervous the longer the general took to examine the tech; it was impossible to get a read on her. Finally she spoke up.
"What's it like in there?" the General asked.
"Well," Spitfire began, "it's-"
"Oh, no. Sorry Captain, but I wasn't talking to you." she then turned back to Soarin. "So, how is it? Comfortable? Can you move around at all?"
"Yes ma'am." Soarin spoke up. "Although it is difficult to look down."
The General smirked. "That's probably for the best when you're thousands of feet in the air. What about your wings? Looks uncomfortable the way it's pulling up on them."
"No ma'am. It's fine."
"Can you move them at all?"
"I can angle them in different directions, but I can't fold them in."
The General nodded and backed up a step. "Well, Captain Spitfire this certainly looks impressive. Now tell me about it's performance."
Spitfire couldn't help but smirk slightly when she nodded. "Yes ma'am!" The way she said it wasn't just to obey her superior, there was a tone of excitement behind her words; this was the part where things would get interesting, and this would only be the first part of the demonstration.
Spitfire walked over to the television and pushed a button on the side. Instantly the screen went black as it changed channels. As the General looked on, she could see herself staring back on the screen. It took her a few seconds to comprehend what she was looking at, but soon enough, she found the source of what was looking at her.
"A camera in his helmet?"
"Yes ma'am. With this, we can see everything that the pilot sees and record what happens in the air. That allows us to analyze and study our own flight patterns and improve where needed; and that's not all." Spitfire picked up a remote, pointed it at the television and then clicked a button.
Almost instantly, several displays and monitors popped up around the edge of the screen. The top right of the screen had a display of a pegasus with several strategic dots over its legs, wings, back, and head, and a separate display of the Firefly. Right under it was a heart monitor with blood pressure readings, all of which showed normal readings. On the left side of the screen was a long, slender vertical blue line with a 100% at the top, right above that was a small display that read: OXYGEN LEVEL. Just beside that was an altitude display and at the top center of the screen was another small display that read: SCORE: 0.
"Thanks to the new Firefly flight suit, we can tell if a pegasus has suffered physical injury. For example: if a wing is broken, or an ankle is sprained, an alert will sound and will appear as a red dot on the pegasus display wherever the injury is. The same thing happens if the Firefly is damaged, except we will be able to tell what's wrong it since it's part of the system. As you can see, the flight suit also monitors heart rate and blood pressure, allowing us to even further analyze a pilot's flight capabilities and limits. Finally, the line on the left side of the screen indicates the pilot's oxygen levels."
"And what does the 'score' mean?"
"That is just an incentive to help motivate the pilots. During flight, the pilot flies along a guidance line through circles that are projected on the screen in the helmet. The closer to the center a pilot flies through, the more points they get; the one who has the most points at the end of a run gets a prize."
"What kind of prize?"
"It depends on the number of points. The grand prize is a day of R&R, unless we're on tour or have a show coming up soon."
"I see...now what about those braces on his legs. What are those for?"
"Those help reduce the force a pegasus feels when they land. For example, if you jumped from the top of this hangar onto the ground, you'd break your legs at the very least. However, with those braces, you could jump and land just fine."
The general seemed to be impressed by this. "Really? I must admit, this is rather interesting Captain."
Spitfire silently breathed a sigh of relief.
"Can you do that from any height?"
"No ma'am, they do have a limit, but we are working to get rid of that limit as much as possible.
After a few seconds of silence, Spitfire spoke up, eager to get to the next part.
"If you would stand next to me ma'am, we will give you a demonstration."
The General nodded and took her assigned spot several feet away from Soarin.
"Alright Soarin, you're clear whenever you're ready."
Soarin turned away from the two officers and crouched in a take off position. Soon enough, the two thrusters on his pack gave a low hum that slowly got louder as they started to warm up. Just as they erupted with a small blue flame, Soarin galloped away at top speed. Within seconds, he was out of the hangar and zooming through the sky.
The two officers turned to the television screen just in time to see a birds eye view of the Academy as Soarin flew over it near instantaneous.
"Now let me get this straight," the general said while watching the screen. "He can't move his wings at all right?"
"Correct. The firefly keeps his wings spread out. All he has to do is angle them differently to change his direction."
"And those thrusters are what's keeping him moving?"
"Yes ma'am."
"It's seems to make flying rather easy...almost too easy. Don't you think?"
"Perhaps it does. In fact, Rainbow Dash thinks the same way. It does make flying easier, but it also helps the pilot save energy in case they need to abandon the suit and fly on their own."
"Abandon the suit?" the General asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes ma'am. Every suit has an emergency cord above the left shoulder. Should a malfunction ever occur to the point where the suit is inoperable, the pilot pulls the cord and the Firefly will fall apart around them, letting them fly on their own."
"I see." The general nodded and turned her attention back to the screen.
Meanwhile, Soarin had flown over the academy again and altered his wings, angling them so that he could fly straight up. He quickly flew up higher and higher into the sky, the altimeter increasing with him the higher he flew.
7,000ft...
10,000ft...
Within minutes, Soarin easily broke his usual cruising altitude of 6,000ft. Even though the air around him was rapidly starting to cool, he kept climbing.
15,000ft...
20,000ft...
25,000ft...
By now, the air around him was at freezing temperature. A small alert sounded in his helmet and showed up on his HUD, warning him. However, it soon turned off thanks to the suit's built in heating wires that kept Soarin at a comfortable temperature.
30,000ft...
35,000ft...
40,000ft...
Another alert went off, this one however was a louder and flashed quickly on his HUD, indicating a higher priority. The air around him was thinning and he wouldn't be able to breathe much longer if he kept flying as high as he was. Soon enough, however, he felt a cool breeze from his mouth piece inside his mask. Soarin breathed in the pure oxygen as he continued to climb even higher.
"Unbelievable..." the General said in astonishment as she observed the altitude meter on the screen. "He's leveling out at around 80,000 feet."
"Yes ma'am. He's reached the maximum height the Firefly can reach."
Soarin glided around for several minutes, and thanks to the camera in his helmet, the two observers on the ground could see everything he saw. They could see the borders of every part of Equestria: The Badlands, The Frozen North, even the endless Everfree Forest seemed vastly small and insignificant at this height. They could even see the very curve of the planet; so many lands still unexplored.
Spitfire turned to the General. "If you're ready ma'am, we'll move to the control tower for the next part of the demonstration."
The general nodded, and the two walked out of the hangar towards a large nearby control tower. Within minutes, the two were at the top. They stepped out of an elevator and into a large circular room with control panels and monitors surrounding the edge. Large windows made up the walls allowing the ponies inside to see outside. Two Pegasi officers were busy at work typing on the panels, however they stood at attention upon the General's and Captain's arrival.
"Captain, all Wonderbolts are ready and waiting."
"Very good, thank you Sergeant."
The two ponies went back to work after Spitfire saluted back. She then reached for two headsets, and put one of them on, giving the other to the General who copied her and stood just behind Spitfire.
After testing the mic out, Spitfire spoke up,
"All Wonderbolts, this is Captain Spitfire. Sign in and prepare for takeoff!"
One by one, the voices of different Wonderbolts spoke through the headsets, and with each sign in, the pilot's Firefly lit up on the screen as well as their helmet cams.
"Wonderbolt Fleetfoot, thigning in!"
"Wonderbolt Fire Streak, signing in!"
"Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash, ready to fly!"
"Wonderbolt Misty Fly, good to go!"
"Wonderbolt Blaze, signing in!"
"Wonderbolt Rapidfire, ready and waiting!"
One of the pegasus officers behind the control panel turned halfway to Spitfire.
"All Wonderbolts signed in, and all Firefly's are operational. We are green across the board, ma'am."
Spitfire nodded and spoke once again into the mic.
"All Wonderbolts, you are clear for takeoff. The sky is yours."
A resounding "yes ma'am!" simultaneously came from each of the excited Wonderbolts.
One by one, the thrusters on the Fireflies whirled to life as each Wonderbolt attached their mask over their muzzles.
"Hey, Rapidfire!" Blaze said over the headset in his helmet. "Try and beat my score this time!"
"Ha! Good luck keeping up!" He shot back.
"Shut it you two!" Misty said. "Remember, the general's watching, now let's show her what the Wonderbolts are truly capable of!"
The Wonderbolts galloped out of the hangar they were in and in just seconds, they were zooming through the sky to meet up with Soarin.
Soarin was circling high over a field not too far away from the Academy at 40,000 feet. In a few minutes, the other Wonderbolts were flying next to him. Fire Streak flew next to him and held out his hoof, the two hoof bumped then separated so that they wouldn't collide. Suddenly, Spitfire spoke over the headset.
"All Wonderbolts, this is Captain Spitfire. Everything is operational and working perfectly; the Atom Bomb is a go. Repeat: we have a green light for the Atom Bomb."
* * * *
"Woah, wait a second." Fire interrupted. "The Atom Bomb? What is that?"
Soarin smiled. "I thought that would get your attention. The Atom Bomb is the most dangerous trick the Wonderbolts have ever attempted. In fact, it can only be done with the Firefly. What would happen is that, we would pick a large cloud then each pilot would fly around at different angles. Eventually the cloud would morph into a sphere. The end result: a giant atom floating in the sky. It required precise calculations that only the Firefly could give us so that nopony would collide into each other."
"That sounds really cool daddy!" Gentle said excitedly.
"That's just the beginning. After a few seconds, we would fly away from the cloud, at that moment, your mother would fly towards us at top speed, and then do a sonic rainboom right when she hit the cloud. This resulted in the atom exploding and giving the audience a spectacular show."
"That....is....AWESOME!" Fire said wide eyed. "But...why haven't I heard about that trick or the Firefly?"
Soarin blushed from embarrassment and squirmed in his seat.
"W-Well...there's a reason for that..."
* * * *
As soon as the green light was given, the Wonderbolts split off into different directions. Misty and Fleetfoot flew down to fetch a large chunk of a cloud and pushed it out into an open part of the sky. They flew away to allow the first Wonderbolt, Fire Streak, to make his approach. He flew right above the cloud and angled his wings so he would start flying around it.
Soarin was next. Timing was everything with this trick. One mistake meant months of recovery in a hospital...or worse. Thanks to the Firefly, however, the timing was precisely calculated to the second, and Soarin was able to fly along his path without fear of flying into his teammate.
One by one, the other Wonderbolts joined them; next was Fleetfoot, then Blaze, then Rapidfire, then Misty. Soon enough, a giant atom formed in the sky. In fact, thanks to their flying, the cloud began to smoothen out into a perfect sphere. As an added effect, the Wonderbolts' lightning effect made the entire atom look alive.
The general widened a little with awe as she gazed up at the giant spectacle, obviously impressed at what Spitfire and her team cooked up. Spitfire looked at her out of the corner of her eye and smiled. You haven't seen anything yet, General. she thought to herself.
There was only so much dizziness a Wonderbolt could take; even one who practiced on the Dizzitron for hours on end had a limit they just couldn't overcome. The Atom Bomb always made the pilots exceed their limits very quickly; therefore the trick wouldn't last more than a quarter of a minute at the most before they had to fly away.
An alert went off in the pilot's helmets, it was time to break away before Rainbow would hit her mark and cause a sonic rainboom. Each pilot broke away, but as Soarin broke off, he got a perfect view of Rainbow flying towards them. She looked absolutely stunning...too stunning in fact. Soarin zoned out, just briefly, but it was enough of a distraction to send him colliding into Rainbow and several of the other pilots. The two hit with such force, it knocked Rainbow out cold and she started falling to the ground.
Multiple alarms went off in the watch tower. "Firefly suits one, two, six and seven are heavily damaged!" One of the Pegasus officers reported. "Firefly suit four has suffered a major malfunction!"
"Suit four....that's Rainbow Dash!" Spitfire immediately got on her mic and tried to get ahold of Rainbow. "Rainbow Dash! Come in!"
Rainbow was still unconscious. The impact had caused her suit to twist and turn; one thruster was aiming straight down, making her fall faster, and the other was tilted at an angle, making her spin uncontrollably. "Rainbow Dash! Come in!" Spitfire's voice spoke through her earpiece. "Rainbow! Can you hear me!?"
30,000 ft...
28,000ft...
25,000ft...
The other pilots were able to recover; their suits were damaged, but still semi-operational. Soarin looked at the altimeter display on his HUD and saw one blip falling towards the ground. His eyes widened in horror as he realized it was Rainbow's blip. He and several other Wonderbolts who got the same idea flew straight down to catch her.
23,000ft...
20,000ft...
16,000ft...
The General looked on in confusion and worry; was this part of the demonstration? If it was, Spitfire was doing a marvelous job acting. She would've stayed quiet, but Spitfire looked too good for acting. "Spitfire, what's going on?"
Spitfire flinched a little. She just couldn't talk to the general right now. She had to stay focused on Rainbow. "Sorry General, not right now."
"This isn't part of the demonstration, is it..."
"No ma'am it isn't." Spitfire's tone had a hint of annoyance in it.
"Captain what can I-"
"Ma'am, I'm sorry but not right now!" Spitfire interrupted. The General was about to speak, when they suddenly heard Rainbow's grunts over the speakers.
15,000ft...
13,000ft...
10,000ft...
Soarin and the others were nearly caught up to Rainbow when she woke up. Her HUD was filled with cracks and fizzled on and off making it impossible to read the screen, and something was sending a sharp pain in her wing. Rainbow tried her best to fight off nausea and tried to get her suit to cooperate. She looked behind her and find out what was wrong with her wing.
"Rainbow Dash!" Spitfire's voice spoke in her helmet. "Come in! What's going on!?"
"My suit is heavily damaged!!! My wing....the frame is pinching it shut!!! I can't open my wing!!!"
"Rainbow, if you can't fly, disengage and fly on your-wait!" Spitfire stopped as she saw others blips fly towards Rainbow's.
"Soarin, Misty, Rapidfire! Break away! Rainbow is going to disengage!"
Misty and Rapidfire looked at each other with uncertainty before they flew away. Soarin however kept chasing after her. If only his suit wasn't damaged, he could get her. He had to get her; this was his fault. He couldn't let her die. Spitfire's voice boomed in his helmet.
"SOARIN! BREAK OFF NOW!!!"
Soarin growled and forced himself to fly away.
"Alright Rainbow, you're clear! Disengage now!"
Rainbow reached to her left shoulder for the small red cord. It took a few seconds, but she grabbed it and yanked it with all her might. The HUD display in her visor turned red, and with a loud beep, every piece of metal over Rainbow's body instantly fell to pieces and peeled off her body, freeing her and allowing her to fly on her own. It almost worked perfectly...almost. One of the frame pieces that protected her wing snagged on it and yanked it back. Rainbow continued to fall.
8,000ft...
5,000ft...
3,000ft...
As soon as Rainbow disengaged, her suit on the monitor faded. "Firefly suit four is now offline. Disengage successful." Before Spitfire could take a breath through, a new alarm went off; this one was on Rainbow Dash herself. A red dot flashed on her wing, indicating something was wrong. The computer quickly found the problem; Rainbow had dislocated her wing.
1,000ft...
The other Wonderbolts were too far away to catch her, and there was no way Rainbow could fly on her own.
850ft...
Soarin and the others watched helplessly from above as their friend fell further to the ground. They still flew down in a desperate attempt to grab her.
700ft....
Rainbow tried desperately to get her wing to work but every time she tried, a sharp pain shot through her wing and traveled throughout her back. She was getting scared. It was impossible to tell how close to the ground she was. Not knowing and not being able to plan was what scared her the most.
600ft...
Spitfire ripped off her headset and scampered to open a window. She then took off with such force, she left a shockwave behind her that radiated through the control room.
575ft...
Spitfire streaked through the sky, flying faster than she's ever flown before. She flew so fast the nearby clouds evaporated when she zoomed past; she might've been able to pull off a sonic rainboom if she flew a little faster.
400ft...
Spitfire was able to finally catch Rainbow just a few hundred feet before she hit the ground. Spitfire slowed her speed and flew up, setting Rainbow on a large cloud. Spitfire stumbled next to her; her entire body shaking as massive amounts of adrenaline surged through her veins.
"Rainbow.....are.....are you......" Spitfire said, gasping for air. Rainbow could've sworn she had seen her heart beating against her chest. "Are you...alright...?"
"I'm fine Spitfire, thanks to you. I think my wing is dislocated though..." Rainbow looked back at her wing.
The overwhelmed captain moved in and hugged Rainbow tightly. She was a wreck as she fought back tears of relief and anger.
"Ouch. Hey, Spitfire, calm down, I'm fine."
Soarin and the other Wonderbolts landed nearby. He was almost as much as a wreck as Spitfire. He opened his mouth to speak but Spitfire got in the first word.
"You!!!" Spitfire snapped at him. "What were you thinking Soarin!?"
Soarin took a step back.
"First you crash into Rainbow, and then you endanger her again by disobeying my orders!!!"
Not enjoying Soarin getting yelled at like this, Rainbow spoke up to try and defend him.
"Spitfire, it was just a mistake. It's okay, really. I-"
Spitfire turned back to her. "Rainbow, quiet." Rainbow obeyed and sat where she was as Spitfire turned back to Soarin.
"You're lucky I don't throw you out of the Wonderbotls right now! If you weren't such a good flyer I would!"
Soarin flattened his ears and lowered his head.
With her mind racing, Spitfire couldn't think too clearly. She took a breath in an attempt to calm down. "You're dismissed, Soarin," she said in a calmer voice.
Not daring to say a word, Soarin nodded and flew back to the hanger, followed by the other Wonderbolts. A couple of medics landed on the cloud to examine Rainbow. Spitfire stayed with them, not leaving until they took Rainbow away.
* * * *
"Sounds like you really messed up dad!" Gentle Breeze spoke up.
"Yeah...." Soarin said with a sheepish smile.
"Dad, I have a question. These Firefly suits sound really awesome and so does that Atom Bomb trick, but I have never seen either one of those used in your shows. What gives?" Fire asked.
Soarin's cheeks flushed a little. "Well, Spitfire went to go talk to the general after the accident. She was really impressed with the Fireflies, but the safety of her troops were more important to her; she didn't want to risk another accident like that happening again. So a day later, Spitfire cancelled the Firefly project, and when the Fireflies went, so did the Atom Bomb."
Fire understandably looked disappointed. "So what you're saying is..."
"Yup," Soarin said with his cheeks flushing a little more from embarrassment, "your father is the sole reason why the Wonderbolts cancelled the most technological advancement we've ever made." |
GSB voI1: A second chance. | pre | The hydras roared and rushed towards her. She hissed and used her magic to create a shield around her.
One of the hydras jumped forward and used fire to break her shield, the other one used its head to tackle her and finally the last one jumped and pinned her down.
The three hydras roared in unison. One of them headed towards her while the other one headed towards Butterscotch.
Noticing that the hydra was heading towards him she snapped her fingers and the hydra was pushed backward. It tried to break through her magic barrier but without success. While she kept pinned down by one of them the other one raised its paws and slashed her body, hissing in pain she squirmed as an attempt to free herself from their grasp.
The hydra raised its claw again and slashed her across her belly, hissing in pain she lowered her head and said.
"No. Not there."
Noticing that the hydra saw how she react, it raised its claw again and readied itself to strike her again but was stopped by her magic.
"Do that again. And I will kill all of you."
The hydra that was pinning her started jumping on her, crying in pain she used her magic and choked the hydra to death. Throwing its body away, she focused on the next hydra that was being held by her magic. Doing the same she choked it to death.
"I've told you that I would kill you."
The last hydra noticing that she was distracted, ran towards her and tackled her.
She laid on the ground and slowly closed her eyes.
"No, don't sleep. Not now."
Butterscotch snapped out from his unconsciousness and looked around him, seeing that the hydra was heading towards Eris he unfolded his wings and flew towards her.
The hydra pinned her down and placed its mouth near her throat, but a small pegasus was now standing on her throat. Starring ferociously at him was a large hydra but he couldn't fear it.
The hydra kept hissing and roaring at him, he stood there watching, staring at its eyes.
The hydra tried to move around him but it couldn't.
Butterscotch kept moving forward and the hydra backward, until a point where the hydra fell down the hill.
Looking down he saw that the hydra got back up, hissing back at him it ran away.
Heading back to Eris he saw that she was now at his normal form. Noticing that she had cuts and scratches around her body he tried to get under her and bring her back to his house.
With great difficulties, he got Eris on his back and rushed towards his house. |
GSB voI1: A second chance. | Chapter 3 | In Butterscotch house...
A soft caress on her belly made her raise her paw and shook it around it. Another soft caress made her repeat the same thing. A moment later another soft caress made her grunt and tried to push it away.
"Stop, Butterscotch that tickles," she said while shaking both of her paws over her belly.
After she lowered her paws the soft-touch came back to her belly, opening her eyes she roared and pushed her captor away.
"I think I told you to stop," she yelled.
Standing up from the bed she looked around to see who was doing that and noticed the small bunny trembling on the floor.
She bent down and grabbed the bunny, who started to squirm and kicking her legs to free from her grasp.
"I'm sorry my little friend I didn't mean to scare you, but you were annoying me," she said while brushing her paws on her soft fur.
Looking down to herself she noticed that she was tended. Some of her wounds were still noticeable, using her magic she sealed them and let some cloth bandage to remain on her body.
Putting the bunny down, she headed downstairs and looked around the house.
Looking around in every room, she couldn't find any presence instead of the animals and the little bunny that kept following her.
Turning back to the bunny, she bent down and asked.
"May I ask you where he is?"
The bunny shook her head up and down, signaling to her to follow her she shrugged her shoulders and followed the bunny.
Reaching the kitchen the bunny pointed towards the counter, noticing a small piece of paper she grabbed it and started to read it.
'First of all, good morning I hope that you are feeling better. Fortunately, I had some medicines that I had brought from Zecora, but I needed more so I'm heading out to buy some and to buy some groceries. Secondly, there's a box in my room behind my bed, if you want you could open it.'
Putting the paper sheet back on the counter she headed towards the room but a sudden door click made her stop and look back at the door.
Stepping inside, Butterscotch carried the bags while trying to reach the door to close it. Cursing himself for not finding the door he tripped and fell on the floor, making a 'thud' the bags fell on top of him. Grunting in frustration, he felt something levitating him and the bags. Looking around, he heard a small giggle and saw Eris stepping towards him.
"Having some trouble there?" she asked
Grunting in frustration again, he came back to the floor by a new snapping of fingers. Looking back at her, he felt his cheeks heating up.
"No need to thank me," she said.
Snapping her fingers again, she led the bags towards the kitchen counter. Snapping it again the bags stood still on the counter.
Feeling a hug on her lower body, she looked around and saw Butterscotch tears on his eyes.
Feeling his hug parting away, he invited her to eat together. She nodded and headed towards the dining table.
Keeping looking at him, she noticed that he was trying to not look directly at her. Putting her dish down, she raised her paw and place it under his chin.
"Is something wrong?" she asked. "Why can't you look at me like the other times?"
He pushed her paw away and got up from his chair.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Rushing towards his room, he slammed the door and jumped to his bed. Noticing this, she followed him.
Standing next to his bedroom door, she opened it slowly and headed inside.
"Butterscotch?" she asked with a worried tone. "Is everything alright?"
He looked back at her and tried to hide under the covers. Lifting it with her magic, she threw them away and laid next to him.
Feeling her hug, he raised his hoof to cover his eyes and started to cry.
"I can't believe that you came back to me after I've said those things to you," he said, "You could stand in your place and forget about me but you... you came back to me," he continued, "You could let those hydras get me but you came to help me," he finished.
"Why?" he asked while looking back at her.
Smiling back at him, she raised her paws and wiped his eyes.
"Well..." she began, "...there was a pony that...", she continued while licked her paw and kept wiping his eyes, "... stood for me and forgot about his 'true' friends opinion to..." she continued while lowering her paw and looking to his eyes, "... let me fell the true power of Friendship and he achieved it."
Looking back at her, he looked at her belly and pushed his hoof towards it.
"I did my best to keep it from bleeding," he said while rubbing his hoof around her belly, "I would blame myself if something would happen to you, you know?" he asked while looking back at her.
"Stop worrying would you," she said, "I used my spell and noticed that anything bad happen to it," she said while rubbing her hoof around her belly. "So stop worrying, ok. And you know me better than anypony that it is needed more than three hydras to get the best of me."
She started to feel a strange smell, coming from a certain place. Smelling the air she noticed that it was coming from under his injured wings. Pushing her muzzle towards it, he slapped her muzzle with his wing. Grunting in frustration, she pushed her muzzle again to be slapped again.
"Keep your muzzle to yourself," he said while folding and unfolding his injured wing.
She snapped her fingers and hold his wing in place.
"Hey," he protested.
Pushing her muzzle towards his wing and she saw that it still had some wounds under it.
Looking back at him, she snapped her fingers and his wing came back to its place.
"You treated my wounds but you let those of yours be untreated," she said while pointing towards his wing.
"You're in the worst state than I was," he said, "I used my supplies to heal you first then I would proceed to myself but how did you know that I was still hurt?"
She poked his nose and answered.
"The smell. I'm a predator after all."
He looked back under his wing and back at her.
"I will heal myself now," he said, "Shall you accompany me?" he asked.
She grinned and closed her eyes, snapping her fingers and his remaining wounds were healed.
Looking back to his wings he saw his wounds disappeared.
He looked back at her and used his wing to push her body towards his.
"Thank you," he said, "I need to show you something."
Leading her around his room he reached behind his bed and bought a box. He opened the box and brought the Dragon Tongue from it.
Looking intrigued to him, she reached the flower and grabbed it.
"It's a Dragon Tongue," she said, "You know how much I love them."
She put the flower on the floor, snapping her fingers the flower earn legs and started dancing and spitting fire.
Looking back at him, she noticed that he turned back and headed out of his room. Grabbing him, she laid him beside the flower while he grunted back at her.
"Come on," she said. "I don't want to see this alone I need a little company here and your bunny is not the safest thing."
"Please," she said while giving him the puppy eyes
Turning his eyes around, he raised his hoof and poked her chest.
"You really should stop using those using to persuade others," he said.
She nodded.
Watching the flower dancing and spitting fire, a sudden rumble noise made them both look at each other.
"We probably should head downstairs and finish our meals, don't you think?" he asked.
She nodded.
Keeping his wing on her back, they headed downstairs and sat back at the dining table.
After finishing their meals, Butterscotch and Eris headed outside and sat at a tree shadow.
Laying on the soft grass, she curled around him and kept her muzzle on his forelegs. Raising his hoof, he started brushing her muzzle along her mane to her lower body. Purring to his display of affection, she closed her eyes and let him kept brushing her body.
Noticing that she had felt asleep on his foreleg, he saw a large and familiar shadow standing on top of them. Looking up, he saw Solaris with his hoof on his month, trying to muffle his giggles.
Noticing that he was spotted, he opened his wings and landed near them.
Heading slowly towards them, he stopped his display of affection and raised a hoof to greet him.
"I see that both of you came to an understanding," he said.
He nodded.
Looking back at her, he smiled and looked back at him.
"Dear Prince, I kindly ask you to forget about my rampage on your council yesterday," he said while kept brushing her body, "I said those things without intention of hurting her or your Highness."
He looked back at her.
"It's been so long since I saw her so peacefull like this," he said.
Butterscotch looked confused at him. Noticing that he was confused he said.
"Long story," he said.
Looking back at her, Butterscotch decided to try one thing.
"What about her punishment?" he asked.
"We are discussing it since not everypony is in favor of forgiving her this once," Solaris answered.
"I'm changing my mind, dear Prince," he said.
He looked back at him and asked.
"May I know the reason?"
Looking back at her, he raised her wing and showed him the cloth bandages placed around her belly.
"What happened?" he asked worried about what he saw.
Lowering his muzzle towards her body, he answered.
"I headed to Everfree last night," he began, "I was searching for the Dragon Tongues to try to reestablish my relationship with Eris but the thing is..." he continued, "...Dragon Tongues grow on hydra territory. Due to my ignorance, I attracted a trio of hydras that started chasing me when they saw me..." he continued, "... after a while, I got cornered and then Eris showed up and..." he stopped and looked at her body while rubbing his hoof along her body, "... she stood for me, she fought the hydras and repel two of them, the other one got scared by my stare and ran away." he finished while some tears fell from his eyes.
Raising a hoof, he placed on his eyes and wiped them.
"She... fought with the hydras because of me... even knowing that I could still be mad at her and that I had spoken to her like that," he said, "She could just let the hydras had their way with me but she denied it and fought against them."
"Butterscotch, is this true?" he asked, "She never stood for anypony."
He gritted his teeth and yelled at him.
"Of course it's true," he said while keeping his hoof high up, "Would I lie to you? Can't you see how hurt her body is?"
Solaris backward a bit and kept his eyesight on his.
"I'll believe you, Butterscotch," he said.
"I'm sorry," he said.
Solaris shook his head to the sides and said.
"The one who should apologize it's me. I never saw her standing for somepony that's all," he said.
"Are you consider the option of forgiving her?" he asked.
He raised his hoof and pointed towards him.
"Well, that depends on you," he said, "What do you think?" he asked.
Looking back at her, he smiled and laid his hoof on her muzzle.
"I'll keep an eye on her if you want of course," he answered.
He smiled.
"I won't mind," he said.
Noticing a small yawn, he opened his wings and said.
"I will leave both of you alone and don't worry about the council."
He flew away from their place.
Opening her eyes, she stroked her eyes and looked around her. Looking up, she saw Butterscotch looking at her.
"Is something wrong with my face?" she asked while using her paws to pat her face.
Uncurling herself around him, she sat beside him.
"I'm sorry, Eris," he began.
Looking back at him, she raised her eyebrow and asked.
"What are you apologizing for?"
"I was rude to you," he answered, "I just couldn't accept that I was losing you. They wanted to hurt you and I couldn't do nothing," he continued, "I reacted like that because I was mad at myself for not be able to do nothing to stop them from doing this to you."
She raised her paw and grabbed his chin.
"You know what you taught me?" she asked, "The Power of Forgiveness, you forgave me when I tried to ruin your party with that friend of yours, you forgave me when I came back to Ponyville for the second time, you forgave me every time I messed up," she continued, "Tirek promised me a thing, a thing that now I saw it as nonsense. You could be free and feel lonely forever or you could be free and feel loved. Tirek didn't know that neither do I. I only learned it because I saw how I hurt you and how I hurt myself. The one who should be asking for forgiveness it's me."
He smiled and looked at her.
"Solaris had forgiven you, now you just need to prove to them that you are changing," he said.
Her eyes widened and looked deep in his eyes.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"He was here and told me something," he answered, "To fully forgave you all the ponies you know needed to forgive you and the last pony that needed to forgive you..." he said while pointing towards him, "...me. You're free from your punishment."
She squeaked and hopped up, grabbing him she tangled herself around him and flew right up.
In the sky, she nuzzled him and kept spinning in the middle of the air.
"I'm getting dizzy, get us back down," he said, "Please."
Hearing his begging she descended and laid him on the grass, giving the last spin she laid beside him.
"Thank you," she said while looking at him.
He smiled and got his wing around her body, pushing her towards him he said.
"I'm the one who should thank you."
They nuzzled each other until their muzzles got closer to each other. Closing distance between them their lips connected, accepting each other embrace they kept like this until they parted away and breathed for air.
Butterscotch got back on his hooves and grabbed Eris, holding her on his forelegs he headed back home.
THE END!! |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | pre | "Is there a taxi?" Tenmei asked, somehow oblivious to the fact Yuuki was now present and more than irate. He was so drunk he honestly thought he was talking to someone else.
"Yes, there's a taxi! And I brought it myself!" Yuuki answered, a hoof connecting with her face.
Another stallion with light blue eyes, white pelt, and sleek grey mane trotted into the room, and the first thing he did as soon as he entered was let one of his front hooves wander until it just barely touched the hip of the agitated mare. It didn't go unnoticed--Yuuki quickly snapped her head towards him, eyes narrowing even lower. "And what are you trying to do?" She asked, a brow twitching.
"What am I doing?" The bloke asked, just as oblivious to the building rage as Tenmei. He chuckled drunkenly. "Just checking out your goods is all. You're so sexy I could fuck you for weeks!"
Before any could react, Nagare spread his wings and ascended into the air. Flying with drunken rage and inexplicable grace, he rushed right at the stallion and knocked him flat on the floor with his hooves. Yuuki quickly backed away, sensing trouble brewing.
"She's not interested." Nagare hissed, his muzzle right in the face of the one he toppled. He noticed that he had a horn on his head, and something seemed to click into his mind. "You got us drunk, didn't you?" He asked, appearing to sober up somewhat.
"Yeah. You guys missed out!" The pinned unicorn replied, smiling darkly. "A sexy mare's always interested in hot, dirty sex!"
That earned him a punch to the mouth, sending some teeth flying out in the process. "She isn't!" Nagare yelled at the top of his lungs, blood rushing through his veins. Rage was building up within him now, and coupled with the fact that he was drunk, it only made matters worse.
"Should I get him off the blabbermouth, or should I sit tight and watch?" Rekka asked, brow arched. The unicorn pushed Nagare away with surprising ease, eyes narrowing since he just had some teeth knocked out. He rose to his hooves and tackled his attacker, trying to deliver some punishing punches of his own. Each attack was blocked by a foreleg before it was returned in kind.
A few royal guards showed up with one of the unicorn variety. He broke the fight up before it could get any uglier than it already was, and the bloke who was hitting on Yuuki was spitting out slurred remarks that hardly made any sense.
Until, that is, one that did make sense caused another few guards to hold Nagare down because of how angry it made him. "I will take that bitch right over there, and I will knock her ass up!" The bloke screamed.
"You will do no such thing, you sickly twat!" The pegasus shouted back, eyes turning red from his rage alone. He struggled and kicked and flapped his wings, but with so many guards holding him down, the effort was futile.
Another few guards escorted Tenmei and Rekka out of the tavern and into a waiting carriage outside.
"What's your name, son?" Asked the horned guard who kept the drunken unicorn at bay.
"My name's Brilliant Star." He replied. Only now did the guards put him in cuffs. "What did I do?!" The unicorn cried, eyes wide in surprise.
"Brilliant Star, you are under arrest for attempted assault, child rape, public indecency, assault with a deadly weapon, the rape and murder of a barmaid in Appleloosa, and partaking in the kidnapping of a total of ten foals." Answered the guard as he dragged Brilliant out of the room. As soon as the bloke was out of his line of sight and immediate earshot, Nagare calmed down.
The guards let the pegasus go when they felt he wouldn't tail after the unicorn and leave a trail of fire in the process, and he hung his head in shame.
"Escort him to the...?" One guard asked, looking at Yuuki as he spoke.
"Yeah...I'm not gonna reprimand him or the others. Starting to think Tenmei was kidnapped, to be perfectly honest with you. Go ahead and load him in the taxi." Yuuki replied, sighing in relief. Even so, worry did flash in her eyes for a single moment. |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | Chapter VII- Silence | The trio of drunks were escorted home that night, making nary a peep during the trip. Yuuki was also silent, her mind going over the earlier events which had transpired. As soon as they got in the cavern, the three ninnies were escorted to bed without so much as a fuss from any one of them. The purple pegasus then trotted through the vast maze of cavern hallways until she found the metal door that had the white unicorn mare looking at her with worry.
"Did you find them?" She asked.
"Yeah. They were at a tavern in Las Pegasus. Some idiot kidnapped Tenmei and made him drink up a storm, and did the same to Rekka and Nagare when they went to fetch him...from what I heard, at any rate." Yuuki replied, sighing despondently. "They're gonna gripe in the afternoon tomorrow, I just know it."
"And who was it that got them drunk off their asses?" The unicorn asked, brow arched.
"Some unicorn stallion named Brilliant Star." Yuuki answered, pausing briefly. "Now that I think about it, you kinda look like him, Raki...apart from the mane and bloodshot eyes of a drunk loon, that is."
Raki turned away. "I...see." She muttered. "What happened to him?"
"Got detained by the guards for a whole list of charges, including--and I am not making this up--the kidnapping of a total of ten foals." Yuuki replied, noticing the unicorn wasn't looking at her. "Something wrong?"
Raki turned back to Yuuki. "It's nothing. Just thought I heard a peep from Yoneko's room." She answered, an ear twitching.
"Alright. She asleep?" The purple pegasus inquired.
"Yep. Asleep like a baby." Raki answered. "You off to bed?"
"Yeah. I'm just tired." Yuuki replied, turning tail and going down the maze of hallways once more. When she reached the hall of wooden doors, she took one that was open, the shape of a yo-yo crudely carved into the frame. She disrobed and soon plopped on the bed, exhaustion quickly washing over her. Slowly, her eyes closed, and she was adrift in the land of sleep.
Raki, meanwhile, stood diligent in front of the door. As far as she knew and was concerned, the others were out like lights. Her horn flared in soft light blue, and from nowhere came a strange hybrid between a lightpost and a pony. Next to that was a trashcan with a pony's face and front legs positioned at the sides. "Guard Yoneko while I rest. Do not disturb her, and tend to her needs as she requests them--unless it's suicide." She said, curtly.
The duo nodded, and they took her place in front of the door as she sauntered her way to the hall of doors. She entered a room whose door had the image of a pentagram carved in, closed said door behind her, and plopped on the bed as well. Before she went to sleep, she turned to the ceiling and narrowed her eyes as if it offended her. "Brilliant Star..." She mumbled to herself, "I can't believe he's still alive and kicking."
A laugh that held not a hint of happiness escaped her lips. "In a tavern of all places...that explains everything." She murmured, covering up and falling asleep shortly thereafter.
A few hours passed after that, night waning into dawn, and the first one to stir awake was Koto. She languidly crept out of bed, almost falling off it in the process, and proceeded to yawn as she steadied herself. Sauntering to the door, her hooves less wobbly than yesterday, she picked up the pace a bit as the door opened and she entered the hall.
Other than the crackle of the torch flames, she noticed the hall was silent. "Whose day is it to pay Kaguya and the others a visit?" She murmured, going back to her room. Hanging on one wall was a calendar, a series of x's that were varying colors marking the boxes, save for the very last one. It was nearly if not the end of June, if the x's on the calendar were anything to go by. Looking at the x's, she noticed a pattern.
"Green...blue...gold...there's no purple." Koto murmured, taking a moment to sigh. "Guess it's Yuuki's day." Her ears moved, catching the sound of another door creaking open in the hall. A faint groaning of discomfort hit her ears next, and the blue unicorn ventured out into the hallway to detect its source. In front of her open door stood Yuuki, mane frazzled and eyes bloodshot. She was swaying back and forth like a leaf in a breeze, and her wings hung at her sides as if broken.
Yuuki groaned again, collapsing within moments. She looked towards the unicorn as she approached. "Before you ask, no, I didn't sleep good last night." She said, her voice raspy and dry.
"What happened?" Koto asked, brow arched. "You look banged up."
"I...just had a dream. That's all." Yuuki replied, shifting so she could get onto her hooves. "I'll take a bath, not wear the garments, and head to town. Hopefully there won't be trouble today."
"Can I bathe with you?" Koto inquired, blinking as the pegasus rose to stand.
"Sure, just don't try anything funny. Something went on last night, and hell nearly broke loose." Yuuki answered, sauntering down the hallway. The blue-pelted pony followed her, worry flashing for a moment in her eyes. She was concerned for her friend, half of her hoping it was just a bad night's sleep and nothing more. The other half wanted to know what exactly the pegasus meant by hell nearly breaking loose.
"What...happened last night?" Koto asked, finally.
"Quite a lot. I'll explain it after the hot bath jolts me awake...maybe." Yuuki answered, sighing afterwards. The two continued on their way throughout the maze of stone corridors, neither exchanging so much as a glance during the rest of the trip. Eventually, they came into a room that held simple bathroom utilities, albeit with the added decor of a great big portion lined with several shower heads, not unlike that found within a prison, considering its structure. The bathtub was also large, able to house up to ten ponies at most.
The two clambered in, turning the faucet knobs and watching water, chilling at first, drop down the spigot. The plug was put in, and soon the bottom of the tub was covered by a paper-thin layer of steaming hot water. Slowly, it filled up, but given the size of the tub, it would take a good while. |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | Chapter VIII- Surprise Visit | After the two cleaned themselves up, which took another few hours, Yuuki left the caverns without giving Koto so much as a single fragment of explanation. The unicorn thought the pegasus simply needed to be alone, so she didn't tag along, lest some kind of unspoken wrath be invoked. Yuuki didn't bother with the shrouds as she went to Ponyville, and for good reason: the temperature felt like it was somewhere in the hundreds mark.
The purple pegasus landed on the trail that led to town, and already sweat accumulated on her brow. She trotted down the trail and into town, causing a few ponies to glance at her in the process, before she bumped straight into Twilight Sparkle.
"Hey, why are you not shrouded?" Twilight asked, brow arched.
"I'd rather not become a roasted turkey." Yuuki answered bluntly. "When will the rain clouds show up?"
"They should be here sometime around the coming Wednesday." Twilight answered, frowning. She looked down towards the mare's hoof and noticed that her yo-yo was absent.
The alicorn opened her mouth to speak, but Yuuki was quick to answer the oncoming question before it could even be asked. "Something happened last night. It's a long story, and I don't want to dawdle out here in the baking sun. If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way." With that, she trotted around the alicorn and went off into the busy streets of town, leaving Twilight completely dumbstruck.
The pegasus went to a house and knocked on the door a few times. Inside, hooves hitting a floor greeted her ears before the door opened. Peeking out was a brown-maned mare with a white pelt.
"Are you alright, Yuuki?" The mare asked, eyes wide. She noticed the pegasus' mane clinging to her body.
"I'm baking out here, didn't sleep good last night, and I had to...just let me inside, I'll tell you at the table." Yuuki sighed, the brown-maned mare obliging by the request. The inside of the house was very cool, and the pegasus shivered as the air hit her body. She trotted to the table and sat at one of the seats, the white mare closing the door and following suit.
"Pray tell, what exactly happened?" The earth pony asked, brow arched.
"Kaguya, I'll be very blunt: Tenmei was kidnapped last night." Yuuki answered, shaking her head.
"What?" Kaguya asked, eyes widening further. She could not believe what it was she'd just been told.
"Tenmei was kidnapped by some drunkard unicorn, dragged to a tavern, and given a motherload of alcohol. Nagare and Rekka went to fetch him, only to get the booze shoved down their throats...or, at least, that's what I'm thinking." Yuuki replied, her wings twitching. "That, and a unicorn named Brilliant Star began hitting on me, and his comments damn near sparked a brawl between himself and Nagare."
"That...that was a disaster waiting to happen." Kaguya remarked, blinking. Her ears twitched.
"Good thing I packed some royal guards for backup. Turned out Star was a felon." Yuuki stated, sighing afterwards.
"How's Koto doing?" Kaguya inquired.
"Much better." Yuuki answered with a nod. "Sekitan's in school, I take it?"
"As usual. I wonder what he'll boast about today." Kaguya replied, now smiling.
"And where are the other three stooges?" The pegasus inquired, spreading her wings for a moment.
"Takashi's snoozing, Mimi's out helping Pinkie Pie, and Mimu's actually training for the bloody Wonderbolts." Kaguya answered.
Yuuki shook her head, eyes wide. "Huh?" She asked. "Mimu's...she got into the Wonderbolts?!"
"I was baffled myself when she told us the news yesterday. She told me they barely accepted her on account of performance." Kaguya replied, blinking. "You should've seen the look on Tenmei's face then."
"I'll be damned!" Yuuki exclaimed, eyes still wide. "How'd she manage that?!"
"I'm not sure, since I wasn't there to see the performance." Kaguya replied with a shrug. Her smile widened a bit. "But I am really proud of her nonetheless."
"I just hope she can handle Spitfire going all drill sergeant on her." Yuuki sighed, frowning for a moment.
"Other than that, I honestly don't see many problems she could run into." The earth pony remarked, also frowning.
"Yeah...let's not talk about such things." The pegasus cringed as she finished speaking, taking a moment thereafter to compose herself. Just then, the door opened, causing both mares to jump and glance towards the reason why. Seven ponies, three mares and four stallions, stood outside and just trotted right inside as if they owned the damn place. The jaws of both mares at the table dropped open at the sight.
The tallest of the bunch, a mare with glasses, stepped forward. She had deep violet eyes and a mossy green mane with a slightly lighter pelt to match. She stared intently at Kaguya and flashed a smile. "It's been so long since I last heard from you, friend. About ten years, perhaps?" The mare said nonchalantly.
"How did...how did you find me, let alone get here, Reina?!" Kaguya shrieked, unable to keep her mouth shut afterwards.
Reina continued to smirk. She used a hoof to point at a unicorn stallion, one with a jade green coat and mushroom-trim deep, dark navy mane. "This one here found out he could make a dimensional portal, and it simply led to a road headed towards the town in which we stand. I'm not sure where he obtained such powers or if, indeed, he was merely born with them, but I decided not to ask." She answered.
A pink-coated mare with a black mane and blue eyes rushed at the table like a speeding bullet, knocking Yuuki flat onto her back as she was hugged. "Big sis, I missed you!" She cried, smiling wide.
"Imura, could you lay off the bear hug?! I can feel my wings breaking!" Yuuki protested to no avail, flailing her legs helplessly.
"Hey, where are the other members of the Quartet?" Asked the unicorn as he took his place at the table. "My powers kinda went out of whack."
Kaguya broke out of her stupor, and she looked at the unicorn. "The two stallions are dead, and I have no idea where the mare of the bunch went." She said curtly. |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | Chapter IX- You Said... | Imura released her grip on the pegasus and hopped back over to her group, smiling as if she just won the lottery.
"You have no idea?" Asked the unicorn.
"Nope." Kaguya replied, shaking her head. She glanced back at Reina, who had taken her sweet time to shut the door.
"So, these past ten years...you were here, yes?" Reina asked as she turned back around to look at her fellow earth pony.
"I have been here indeed. First few months, shit hit the fan every other week, but after that, it eased up." Kaguya answered, ears twitching.
"I'm a witness...ow." Yuuki sighed as she rose onto her hooves and reclaimed her seat. She glared at Imura. "If you broke my wings, you're paying the hospital bill."
A mare with a really light blue pelt trotted up to Kaguya. The back part of her sky blue mane was held back in tight pink ribbons, letting just enough hair alone to look like fluffy rabbit tails. "Do you know where my big sis is at?" She inquired, her blue eyes shimmering in wonder.
"She's a big mare, and so is Imura's sister. She and the others have their own place--which is not here." Kaguya answered, crossing her forelegs awkwardly. "Though, they still visit."
"You've brought your bunch up well, I see." Reina remarked, smiling at her fellow earth pony.
"And I see you have a bit of trouble with yours, as usual." Kaguya stated, smiling back.
A stallion with a green pelt arched a brow, really light-colored and fluffy green mane shifting as if in a breeze. On his head, shifting with the mane, was a red beret. "Aoi, you think we could find your sister's place?" He asked.
Aoi turned to the stallion. "We could, Kaze, but we don't know where." She replied.
Kaze sighed and shook his head. The mare did have a valid point.
"Hey, what's that necklace for?" Asked another stallion, black mane with brown eyes and golden orange pelt with an x-shaped scar between said eyes. He was looking at Yuuki.
"I...well..." The pegasus stammered, cringing for a moment as sweat adorned her face, "I...uh...have just grown attached to it after all these years."
Another with a brown, fluffy mane and matching eyes sighed. He had a reddish-brown pelt, and he was looking at the one who asked Yuuki about her necklace. "Kasai, she doesn't look too comfortable talking about it." He said.
Kasai glanced at the one who was looking at him. "You got me there, Kurei." He sighed, shaking his head.
"Hey, what's this soccer ball doing on my hip?" Imura asked, using a hoof to point at her hip. Indeed, her cutie mark was a soccer ball.
"That simply represents your talent around these parts. If you don't have one, you simply haven't found it yet." Kaguya answered, taking a moment to sigh.
Kaze looked at his hip, a frisbee leaving a trail of light green wind adorning it. "I guess that explains something. Speaking of which, where'd my frisbee go?" He asked, glancing back at Kaguya.
"I don't have all the answers. I just work here." The white-pelted pony moaned, a hoof connecting with her face.
"Well, we could always find some other objects that represent our butt tattoos and go with that." Kasai proposed, raising a hoof with a smile on his face after he looked at his cutie mark, which was a simple baseball bat.
"The term you're looking for is 'cutie mark.'" Yuuki corrected, shaking her head sadly.
Aoi looked at her mark, a hammer-esque object in terms of shape with a long handle, a pike's point, and a red ball attached to it via string. "But what about my weapon?" She complained, eyes beginning to water.
The unicorn's horn glowed, and from thin air came the hammer and ball, as well as the frisbee and soccer ball. In addition, a baseball bat was in the fray, and they all floated in the air.
"Yeeeeah...can't see one of those getting a scabbard anytime soon." Yuuki remarked, looking at the hammer-and-ball in particular.
"I can work around that." The unicorn replied, a thick strand of fabric appearing from nowhere. Both ends of this long, thick strand wrapped around two separate points of the hammer's elongated handle, secured in place by metal clasps and tightening mechanisms. Carefully, he wrapped it around the midsection of its owner, and he even gave the strap a button to the side should she need to use it at some point in time. As for the others, Kasai got a scabbard to store his bat and the other two got saddlebags for their objects, leaving Kurei out.
Reina trotted to the table and sat down on an available seat. She looked at Kaguya and sighed. "For the past ten years, woman, I've been looking for you. Tell me, aside from your bunch of kids, who else was brought along for the ride?" She asked, now frowning, though it was faint.
"01--who now goes by Takashi, and that's a long story--Mimi, and Mimu. Disregarding the Quartet, it's nothing more and nothing less." Kaguya answered, blinking.
"And you said two of them were dead?" Reina inquired, brow arched.
"Let's just say those two fucked up on grand proportions and enraged the head honchos of this place." Kaguya answered swiftly, ears twitching. "And I am not lying when I say this, but one controls the sun and one controls the moon!"
Now, it was Reina's turn to blink and go wide-eyed. "One...controls the sun and the other does the moon?" She asked.
"If you want, we can waltz right up to Canterlot simply so I can prove my point." The white-pelted pony replied, sighing again.
"And...where is that?" The mossy green mare asked, blinking.
"You've surely seen that mountain with a building lodged in one side?" Kaguya groaned, a brow twitching.
"Yes." Reina replied with a nod. "Who wouldn't in this town?"
"That's Canterlot." The white-pelted mare replied. |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | Chapter X- On Cue | "How come you have wings and I don't?!" Imura complained, glaring at Yuuki with her icy eyes as she stomped a hoof.
The pegasus turned to the table and proceeded to slam her face onto its wooden frame, following this with an annoyed, muffled groan thereafter.
Kaguya shook her head and rolled her eyes at the display. She then looked at the pink-coated mare with one brow arched and the other lowered. "Today's not a good day to be pestering her." She remarked rather coldly.
Imura proceeded to mimic the elder's expression, albeit with an annoyed smile and sweat dotting her face. "I know that. Does that stop me from asking?" She retorted, ears twitching.
Reina turned to the youngster and quickly donned a mask that betrayed no discernable expression; a stoic stare, if you will. "That may not, but I will if this keeps up." She said, just as coldly as her fellow earth pony.
Imura cringed. "Y-yes m-ma'am..." She murmured, ears flattening on her skull.
"Good." Reina sighed, turning back to her friend. "Mind if me and my bunch stay here for at least a few months? We only arrived days ago."
"Sure. Why would I not help a friend I haven't seen in a long time?" Kaguya replied with a nod of her head, and she was smiling. "Besides, I have extra rooms, and they haven't been used since my bunch moved out."
"How many?" Reina inquired, now smiling herself.
"A total of six." The white-pelted mare answered. "And that is including the attic. Seven, counting the one in which we're sitting, since we have a couch."
"Most excellent." The mossy mare remarked, her smile widening just a little bit.
Yuuki removed her face from the table. "What time is it?" She inquired, wings shifting a bit.
Kaguya glanced at a clock hanging above the couch in the corner and blinked. The hour hand rested, its thin finger pointing at the three, and the minute hand shadowed over the nine. "It's three-forty-five." She answered as she turned back to the pegasus. As if on cue, the door opened, and a white-coated colt with brown eyes and black mane bolted through, almost bumping right into Kaze's back leg and spilling the contents of his saddlebags in the process.
The colt dashed around the group and homed right in on Kaguya. "Mommy, mommy!" He exclaimed, his comment causing Reina to look at her humble friend with her jaw dropped open and eyes wide. "Princess Celestia visited the school today!"
"She did?" Kaguya asked, blinking as she looked at the colt whilst somehow remaining oblivious to Reina's shock. "That's a once-in-a-lifetime event. What'd she do, Sekitan?"
"She took us to Canterlot on a field trip!" Sekitan exclaimed, smiling as wide as he could manage.
"Really? Was it fun?" The white mare inquired, faintly smiling herself.
"Yeah!" Sekitan replied, hopping on the seat next to the mare and directly opposite of Yuuki. "And she told me to tell you she said hello!"
"That's wonderful!" Kaguya remarked, her own grin widening. "Alright, go upstairs and do your homework. After that, you can play." She said, and with that, the colt dashed up the nearby stairs as if filled with unlimited energy or something. The mare looked towards her friend and only now did she notice her silence and shocked expression.
"You...had a child?" Reina squeaked, her mind on lockdown from what she had seen and heard.
"Like I said--it's a long story." Kaguya replied with a nod of her head. "And it's a good thing that I've acquired parenting skills when I first brought in my now-grown-up bunch into the Task Force--makes it a whole lot easier, if I do say so myself." She added, still smiling.
Reina smiled, trembling as if on the verge of tears. "I...I don't know what to say." She sighed, finally swallowing her shock.
"If you were here when he was born, your heart would've melted at the first glance." Kaguya replied, still smiling. "Hell, a week after he was born, I still had trouble giving him a good name, and ponies just kept coming up to me with their suggestions!"
The mossy mare sighed contently. "I'd imagine." She remarked, blinking. "Has school been a hassle for him?"
Kaguya shook her head. "Aside from the occasional bully." She answered.
Just then, a stallion with a white pelt descended down the stairs, black hooves clip-clopping loudly and causing all in the living room to look at him. He had a messy and somewhat fluffy black mane, dark grey eyes fogged with sleep and shielded by lopsided, uncleaned glasses. He paused, yawning loudly and scratching the back of his head with a hoof before looking at the lot present. "What's all the commotion about?" He inquired.
"Takashi, we have a visit all the way from Area Two of the Task Force." Kaguya answered swiftly.
Five seconds of silence flew by. Ten. Fifteen, then twenty. Another full minute passed before the mare's words registered in his tired mind. His eyes widened, nearly bulging out of their sockets. "Wait, what?!" He cried, only now noticing the features that defined each member of the surprise group.
Kaguya pointed a hoof at the unicorn. "And the last member of the Quartet, whose powers supposedly went out of whack and brought them onto the outskirts of Ponyville." She added without stall.
Another few moments passed before Takashi spoke up. "You serious?"
"Yes. He's right here, complete with horn on the forehead, if you don't believe me." The mare answered yet again, sighing this time.
The pegasus looked at the unicorn. "We never got your name." She pointed out.
"I like to call myself Tori." The unicorn replied, smiling as he looked at Yuuki.
"Seems legit." The pegasus remarked, her wings twitching.
"I'll admit, that little guy was cute." Kurei stated, sitting on his rump. "Wonder if he'll wield a weapon someday."
"Most probably not." Kaguya replied, her gaze almost immediately directed at the reddish-brown stallion as if she were going to glare at him. "Not unless he so asks for the required training."
"A bit stingy, aren't we?" Reina sighed, causing the mare to look at her.
"Yes. And this very continent in which we're standing is so peaceful there's almost no need for such a thing. The royal guard acts as a very efficient police force, and I've seen some of their arrests first-hand on the other side of town." The white mare answered, blinking.
"How peaceful are we talking?" The mossy mare asked, brow arched.
"Put it like this: serial killers are almost nonexistent around here." Kaguya answered once more, taking a moment to sigh. "And where they are existent, they're stopped before they can tally twenty-five victims--perhaps even fewer than that."
Reina slowly nodded, as though she were skeptical. "I see." She said nonchalantly.
"How did you find my house, though?" Kaguya asked.
"I asked for directions. A mare named Twilight Sparkle gave them to me, and was honestly surprised I knew your name, so I had to explain to her that I was your friend." Reina answered, smiling again.
"Ah." Kaguya nodded quickly.
Takashi took a seat right next to Yuuki, and he did so rather quickly. "What did little Sekitan do today?" He asked, causing the two mares to look at him as he scratched his head with a hoof.
"Long story short: Princess Celestia herself paid a visit to the school, gave the class a field trip through Canterlot's walls, and told him to tell us she said hello." Kaguya answered, smiling.
"That's about as lucky as Mimu landing in the Wonderbolts!" The stallion replied, eyes wide.
Right on cue yet again, and this time it was a mare in a blue and yellow jumpsuit and goggles who strode through the open door, and she actually closed it behind her as soon as she was inside. Raising a hoof, she lifted the goggles to her forehead, her frazzled raven-cut mane shifting as she did. Red-pink eyes blinked, and magenta, tufted ears twitched. Her fairy-esque wings fluttered briefly. "Now, what kind of party do we have here?" She asked.
"Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear!" Yuuki cried as if she were in a cathedral calling out a pastor's poorly-hidden sin, pointing rather accusingly at the mare as she said this. She then smiled warmly, lowering her hoof. "How'd it go?"
"My wings kinda hurt, but it was worth it." Mimu replied triumphantly, holding a hoof to her chest as if about to show off a first-place medal. "I'm surprised they're not making fun of my wings yet, and I know a real bulky fellow with itty bitty wings!"
"Bulk Biceps, I assume?" Yuuki inquired, brow arched.
"Yeah, him." Mimu replied with a nod of her head. "He's a real good pal." |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | Chapter XI- Cold Touch | The hours passed by, the day waning into night. Yuuki had since returned back to the caverns (and, as she predicted, listened to the constant moanings of the stallions who she thought were forced to get hammered in the process). After another few hours of watching Yoneko, all save the lightpost and trashcan were sound asleep.
Soon, however, the purple pegasus was tossing and turning in her bed. The dream world decided it was a fine idea to kick things off by sending a monster after her--one she was practically alone against. Having no other alternative, the pegasus hid in a dark alley with the monster just seconds behind her heels. It was a towering beast, a black jailhouse with legs on the underside and a unicorn's head on the top. Its outer walls proved impenetrable, and its barbed wires formed wicked, five-fingered claws.
The behemoth roared and looked around, noticing its prey had vanished from its line of sight. Yuuki watched, holding her breath in her mouth, hoping to go unnoticed. To the thing, she was merely a colored speck in the dull greys and blacks of the dreamworld city, all alone and far too discernable for her own good. If there was a moment she hated being completely purple, then this was the precipice of that moment. She was also still, hoping the darkened alley could provide some cover from the monstrosity.
The thing did something completely unexpected: it grabbed its head with its claw and yanked it off like it was the goddamned headless horseman. The claw swiveled, enabling the head to glance round in all of the little nooks and crannies it couldn't before.
And it found her. The pegasus held back a shriek, turning around and galloping away before quickly skidding to a halt.
A dead end greeted her.
"Alone, are we?" Taunted a masculine voice from behind. Yuuki froze on the spot, feeling time freeze with her. Before she could regain control of her muscles and react, the claw grabbed her and yanked her out of the alley, stabbing her with its multiple twisted ends as a result. She was hoisted high into the air with no trouble, clenched in a tight fist of wires.
The lone pegasus whimpered, feeling something cold and unearthly touch her exposed shoulder. Whatever it was, it didn't belong to a pony or the jailhouse that held her hostage. When she looked at her shoulder, though, she saw nothing apart from what was keeping her in the air.
"Drop her." The voice spoke menacingly, and in an instant, the jailhouse obeyed. Down and down the pegasus fell, her limbs flailing wildly about during the descent. The ground cracked open, revealing a blackest abyss waiting for her. By this point, she was screaming, and no matter how hard and how fast she flapped her wings, she could not fly back up for whatever reason.
Next thing she knew, her rear end landed smack-dab on a hard surface of some kind, one obscured by blackest shadow. Using a hoof and taking in some deep breaths, she felt her entire body.
No damage was done, as far as she knew. That rose a red flag in her still-panicked mind, considering what had just transpired moments ago.
"I'm sorry, was that too much for you?" Teased the voice once more, a sinister chuckle soon escaping from the unseeable owner.
"After we're done with you, we're gonna fill the damned castle with kitchenware and call it Counterlot." Spoke another voice, this one also masculine but raspier.
"Trash cans make more sense, you dolt!" Hissed the first voice accusingly. "Think about it for two seconds!"
Aside from Yuuki's steadying breathing and her heart pounding like a drum in her chest, all was silent for a few moments.
The second voice broke out in hysterical laughter. "That's an even better idea!" It said.
Yuuki scrambled to her hooves, only to feel the cold touch on her shoulder again. This time, it snaked its way to her hip slowly, feeling her curves and chilling her to the core in the process. Whatever it was, it certainly was not welcome. "Stop touching me, I-I already have someone..." She complained, cringing.
"He's not here to save you. Do you see a green stallion around here? I sure don't!" Remarked the voice coldly, and Yuuki yelped in pain as an invisible force sent her sprawling to the ground. The purple mare felt her heart stop for an entire moment as she heard the tell-tale sound of chains clamping shut around her legs.
"This is all a dream!" The pegasus declared, opening her eyes to find that she had tumbled out of her bed and onto the floor. In front of her was a set of four green hooves. She jumped and looked up, seeing Nagare looking down at her with worry in his eyes.
"Want me to help you get back in bed?" The stallion asked, his voice riddled with concern. He moved a hoof towards the mare, and she clasped it with one of her own hooves posthaste. Carefully, she was lifted onto her legs, the blanket somehow not falling off of her form.
Yuuki took in some deep breaths, calming herself down substantially. Without a second thought, she wrapped her front legs around her green companion and rested her forehead on his chest. He didn't mind--in fact, he hugged back without hesitating. It lasted only for a moment before they broke away.
"Has your headache gone away?" The mare asked, blinking.
"Not quite, but it's a dull throb now." Nagare replied, smiling faintly.
Yuuki nodded and clambered back onto the bed. She covered up, only to jump upon feeling a hoof touch her shoulder. The stallion who was currently in the room with her also climbed in, quickly reassuring her by stroking her mane tenderly. The mare turned over so she could face him, and she arched a brow. "You wanna sleep with me?" She asked.
"Why else would I clamber into bed with you?" Nagare retorted, flashing her a friendly smirk. "Though, not in the way you're probably thinking."
"Ah." The mare sighed, pulling him in for a hug and snuggling close to him.
"Now I feel like an overgrown teddy bear." Nagare remarked, still smiling as his fellow pegasus fell asleep before he too went out like a light.
And he could've sworn he heard those two voices that had been taunting Yuuki in her sleep, but he didn't see their owners in his slumber. |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | Chapter XI- Wolves | As morning rose, ponies in Ponyville felt an unnatural cold wind pass by them as they got up out of their houses to start their day. Some began swearing left, right, and bloody sideways that they felt hooves poke them on the shoulders or thighs, disturbingly enough. Yet none could even detect the source for this phenomenon, nor why it had transpired. Other than that, the day carried on as normal.
Past the outskirts of town, deep in the Everfree Forest, however, the same winds blew past the treetops and foliage, only stopping upon reaching a clearing just barely graced by the waking dawn. Then, inexplicably, nearby fallen logs were floating, and twigs began to fly up and circle the decaying husks of wood.
More and more pieces of dead wood flew into the anomaly as if the forest was answering to a heralding call, some leaves also joining in the fray. Still more and more pieces came in until, at last, two beasts resembling wolves were formed. They fell to the ground, landing on their stomachs with the grace of birds hit with bullets.
One slowly opened its eyes, a glowing crimson in hue. The other did the same, a glowing navy prominent on its face. Both languidly rose to stand and glanced at one another.
"I can't believe this just worked..." Murmured the one with crimson eyes, the voice distinctly masculine, smiling as best it could for an amalgamation of wood.
"Then again, timberwolves are really dead ponies possessing piles of logs." Replied the other, also bearing a toothy grin and distinct masculine voice. "And we're no exception."
"Spending a good seven years as a ghost after escaping Tartarus really does things to you." Spoke the first, chuckling darkly before frowning. "Damn that pristine white alicorn for having our horns severed before our death! Only thing we could do was become talking piles of wood!"
"We'll get back at her eventually, Maki. Hold your horses." Stated the other nonchalantly. "We may yet find new strength elsewhere."
"True..." Maki murmured, eyes dimming for a moment. He sat down on his rump and looked to the sky. "What do we do, though, since we're now wooden carnivores?"
The other frowned. "Good point." He said, shaking his head sadly.
The two stopped, hearing bushes a-rustling nearby. Both cautiously glanced around as the rustling persisted. Then, the source made itself known: a cute little white rabbit.
Maki looked at the rabbit, translucent green drool dribbling down his muzzle. "So...hungry..." He murmured, his jaw jittering.
"But not enough for both of us. Spare it." The other timberwolf remarked, shaking his head again.
Maki glared at his fellow timberwolf, a vein of red appearing on his forehead. "Baki, we've spent ten years not eating a damn morsel, meat or otherwise!" He snapped, his stomach rumbling as if on cue.
"I know that, you nitwit!" Baki growled, bearing his teeth. "I'm starving just as bad as you are, but that rabbit isn't even enough to fill us a sixteenth up!"
The red-eyed timberwolf whimpered and nodded, laying down in a submissive manner. The rabbit fled in panic, and the bushes rustled as it went. Strangely, they continued to rustle even after the critter had gone with the wind, and before long, an entirely new creature came forth into the clearing: it had a chicken's head, the body of a wyvern, and the elongated tail of a rattlesnake lined with spines. Its eyes appeared to have been clawed out at some point in time, indicated by scars lining that general area.
"A blind cockatrice?" Baki asked, looking at the beast like it was cross-eyed.
"One less cockatrice that can petrify." Maki remarked, standing up on all fours again. "I wonder if they're edible."
"They're the top predators of their food chain, under normal circumstances." Baki replied, blinking. "Even blind, I suspect this one will put up a fight."
"Much like a honey badger?" The crimson-eyed wolf asked, arching a wooden brow.
"Something like that." Stated the other, shrugging to the best of his ability.
The cockatrice blindly dawdled its way closer to the timberwolves, one of which inched towards it silently, body kept low in a position to pounce. Closer and closer the two went towards the other, one unable to see and the other drooling nonstop. A tense silence gripped the makeshift trio as the two moving entities stopped for a few moments.
Then, it happened. Maki made the lunge, and the cockatrice didn't even know what hit it as its neck was gripped firmly in a slick, wooden maw filled with daggers, a sickening snap resounding in the air as its life came to an abrupt halt. Blood oozed from the neck in small rivers, and the timberwolf trotted back to his fellow before depositing the fresh carcass on the ground in front of him.
"So, who gets what half?" Asked the creature's murderer.
"Let me test the waters, first." Baki replied, leaning over and licking at the small bleeding holes with his tongue. A sort of strange taste, one tinged in iron and some other flavor he couldn't identify, greeting his taste appendage. He leaned back, trying to make out the taste that was in his mouth.
"It's...odd?" Maki asked, again arching a brow.
"Yes...but I like it." Baki answered with a nod
"I like the taste too." The crimson-eyed wolf replied, licking his lips hungrily. Without warning, the two dug into their catch of the day and plucked the flesh clean from its bones. Not even the organs were spared from their hunger, as were the bones when said organs were finished off.
"Even for raw meat, that was splendid!" Baki cheered as he finished cleaning himself up.
"Indeed, it was!" The crimson-eyed wolf agreed, scratching his ear with a back leg. "But, I do have one gripe!" He added as he set his back leg down.
"That being?" The blue-eyed wolf asked, brow arched.
"I want--no, NEED--to eat some more! My stomach's not yet full; I feel like the big bad wolf in the Three Little Pigs, for crying out loud!" Maki answered, waving a front paw frantically.
"Huff, puff, and I'll blow your house in? If only we could do that..." The other murmured, shaking his head. "Though, I'm in the same pickle as you. How does a hunt for more fresh meat sound?"
"Brilliant!" The red-eyed wolf replied, grinning most horribly. |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | Chapter XII- Namecalling | "Wait, what?" Rekka asked, brow arched. He and the other five were at a table in the caverns eating breakfast. "My lil' bro's here?"
"Yeah, and so's Reina and the others." Yuuki answered with a nod before shoveling some cereal into her mouth with a spoon. She chewed her load before swallowing and continuing. "They're also staying at Kaguya's place--same rooms we all occupied during our first few months here."
"Fuck me over a railing." Nagare hissed, flinging a foreleg in the air. "How are we gonna explain...well, everything to them?"
"We kinda don't." Yuuki replied, taking in another spoonful of cereal.
"She's right." Tenmei agreed with a nod of his head. "Though, these past ten years...I was getting kinda worried about them."
"Same here. But they're alive and well?" Koto inquired, brow arched.
"Yep, just wondering where the hell we trotted off to all this time." Yuuki answered with another nod. "So, whose day is it to pay a visit?"
"That would be mine, if my memory's anything to go by." Rekka answered, sighing.
"I checked the calendar. It's your day." Koto confirmed with a nod, the thing levitating next to her. Indeed, there had yet to be a red x on the currently-empty box that read 'first of July.'
"Any status on the rains?" Raki asked, finishing up her bowl afterwards.
"Should be here this Wednesday." Yuuki answered, also cleaning what little she had left of her meal.
Nagare slammed a hoof on the table. "The storm should be here sooner!" He cried, eyes narrowing low.
"They're working on it. I know, not fast enough, and soon it'll skyrocket to oven heat, but cut Cloudsdale some slack. They bake quicker than we do down here, since they're closer to the sun, if my memory of how the atmosphere works is anything to go by." Yuuki moaned, shaking her head.
The green pegasus calmed himself, breathing in and out. He retracted his hoof as this was done.
"Are you okay, Nagare?" Tenmei asked, looking at his fellow stallion. "You haven't been yourself since this morning."
"Just...I don't know at this point." The pegasus replied, frowning and shaking his head. "Maybe it'll go away, whatever it is."
"True, but..." Tenmei trailed off, eyes briefly flashing with worry.
All paused, hearing hooves hitting stone--as well as something akin to a metal weight hitting the same thing--permeated the area. In sauntered Yoneko, bags under her somewhat-dimmed eyes.
"I...I don't feel so good..." She moaned, collapsing onto the floor in an instant. Her wings twitched just slightly, yet some feathers loosened from their frames.
Raki sighed, her horn flashing for a brief moment in magic. From nowhere came a strange mix between a gurney and a pony, the legs dangling uselessly from the sides and the face where a pillow would be if it were laid to one side. The face also had a horn, and it used its own magic to lift the cyborg off her stone nap and onto its frame before wheeling itself away. "I'm gonna run a temperature check on her now and make sure she doesn't have a fever." She said, getting up and galloping after the gurney.
"Hey, Nagare, if you need anything, I'm here for you." Yuuki stated, giving her fellow pegasus a weak smile. The stallion nodded and smiled back.
"In more ways than one." Rekka jeered, a smug grin adorning his muzzle.
Yuuki glared at the unicorn, her smile twitching now. "Can it, ya shiny fire hydrant." She replied.
Rekka rudely rolled his eyes, his smile widening. "Make me, purple shamrock." He stated.
The pegasus slammed her front hooves on the table, her wings spreading wide as she rose onto her back legs. "Excuse me?!" She cried, ears twitching as a red vein appeared on her forehead. In that instant, red-tinted magic gripped her firmly, keeping her entire body still.
The red-maned unicorn blew a raspberry at the pegasus, the smug look not leaving his face for a second.
"Guys, chill." Tenmei murmured, finishing up his bowl afterwards.
Koto also finished her bowl in short order. She glared at her fellow unicorn, then directed her gaze to the pegasus. "Do I have to get out my boomerang again?" She asked.
In that instant, Rekka's horn ceased glowing, and Yuuki sat back down in short order.
"Thought so." The blue unicorn scoffed, shaking her head sadly.
Nagare also finished his bowl posthaste. "Are we all set?" He asked, shooting quick glances at everyone present.
Rekka finished what was in his bowl. "Yep." He replied with a nod.
"May as well pay a second visit this week. If Kurei's here..." Tenmei murmured, ear twitching. He moved a hoof to adjust his glasses a bit.
"Ditto." Koto agreed with a nod of her head.
"I'll prep the carriage, then. Someone tell Raki we'll be gone a while." Yuuki murmured, getting up and trotting away from the table. ---
The three wingless ponies, making sure to have their weapons with them, sat in the seats of the carriage as the two pegasi pulled it in the sky with all their strength. The wind blew in their manes, the mid-dawn sunlight lighting the way to town. The carriage descended onto the ground in a smooth halt on the outskirts of Ponyville. The pegasi undid the harnesses before donning their weapons in scabbard and saddlebag and trotting with the other three towards town.
The quintuplet said not a word to one another up until they reached their destination--Kaguya's house.
"Who knocks?" Tenmei asked, brow arched.
"I'll do it." Rekka answered, going up to the door and knocking with a hoof. He paused, hearing something gallop inside.
"Who is it?" Called a young, masculine voice.
The unicorn looked at the others, brow arched. They nodded back before he glanced at the door again. "Hey, uh, it's Rekka, and I brought my friends." He said, biting his lip.
The door opened, and looking back at the group was Kaze. His fluffy mane was more ruffled than it was yesterday, he was lacking his red beret, and he flashed the group a warm smile. "Come on in!" He chimed, moving out of the way to let the visitors do just that. As soon as they were inside and the door was closed, the pegasus stallion found himself getting a neck-hug from the younger, lighter green pony.
"I think I'm suffocating...!" Nagare squeaked as the grip around his neck tightened. He began to flail his forelegs about to no avail for a moment before his hooves found the younger pony and tried to shove him off. Kaze let go, a cheeky grin on his face as the pegasus stumbled backwards onto his rump whilst he caught his breath.
The younger green pony looked at Rekka. "Hey there, ladybug! What's going on today?" He asked.
The unicorn grimaced as his hoof connected with his face. "I am not a ladybug..." He grumbled. |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | Chapter XIII - You Know What's Strange? | "So, what's been going on here all this time?" Kaze asked, still beaming with his cheeky grin.
"So much has happened my face would turn blue just trying to explain a quarter of it to you." Nagare replied, sighing. His wings shifted uncomfortably for a moment.
"Like what?" Kaze inquired, brow arched.
The pegasus winced, biting his lip as his emerald eyes darted left and right for a moment or so. He cringed, sweat dotting his face already.
"Did you score a hot chick?" Kaze asked, his words eliciting a yelp from the stallion. A raging red blush overcame the green on the nervous bloke's face, and he cringed again.
Rekka saw the look on his friend's face, and he couldn't help but hold a hoof to his muzzle as he snickered.
The younger green earth pony continued to grin. "So, who did you woo?" He asked.
"K-Kaze...who I t-take to bed i-is none of your b-business..." Nagare stammered, sitting on his rump to avoid falling over from how much he was shaking and making an even bigger fool of himself.
"Yes it is." The earth pony jeered.
"No, it's n-not..." The pegasus replied, ears flat on his skull.
"Yes it is."
"No, it's not."
"Just tell me who you scored with!" Kaze stated finally, grin still plastered onto his muzzle as if frozen there.
"No!" Nagare shouted, eyes narrowing at the earth pony. He spread his wings menacingly wide, his raging blush still remaining on his face.
The green earth pony opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he fell to the floor as something rushed up to him in a purple-and-blue blur and whacked him on the back of the head. He groaned, rubbing the wounded area with a hoof as his eyes wandered off of Nagare and onto Koto, whose boomerang was floating next to her in a magical grip.
"Quit egging him on. He's been royally cranky this morning." Koto stated in a very cold tone of voice, eyes narrowing dangerously low.
"Okay, okay..." Kaze murmured, setting his hoof down and getting up. He was frowning now.
"What's going on?" Asked a feminine voice. All eyes glanced to the stairs as hooves hammered on them noisily. Kaguya was making her descent, her mane also somewhat frazzled.
"An argument between my and my brother." Nagare answered, the blush finally receding from his face. He wiped the sweat away with a hoof, taking in some deep breaths to calm himself after.
"Oh. One of those..." The elder murmured, shaking her head as she finished the flight of stairs and turning to the kitchen. "What day is it?"
"Saturday." Koto answered quickly.
"Ah. I'd best make everyone breakfast." Kaguya replied with a tired nod, sauntering to the kitchen whilst yawning. As soon as the lot began hearing the sound of a sizzling skillet, Kurei came down the stairs, his mane an absolute mess and bags under his eyes.
"Tenmei," Began the reddish earth pony, "I'd never envisioned us becoming horses."
"When I first came here, I was in a scorching desert. Took me a while to realize I was one myself, and that I surrounded by them." The tan pony replied with a faint smile. "That reminds me...I think I should pay another visit to Appleloosa next week."
"Appleloosa?" Kurei asked, brow arched.
"The desert town I landed in. The ponies there were real nice folks. A bit rustic, but their kindness made up for that." Tenmei replied, his grin widening.
"Oh." The reddish pony nodded, rubbing his tired eyes with a hoof.
"Excuse me." Imura sighed, stopping herself before she could collide into Kurei's rear end during her descent.
"I'll move, I'll move..." The stallion murmured, finishing the flight and taking a seat at the table.
Imura's mane looked brushed through, unlike the manes of the other three who just woke up. She descended the stairs in haste and flashed a smile at Yuuki. "Say, sis, could you show me around town later?" She asked, eyes brimming in wonder.
"Hell, I'll take ya up to Cloudsdale!" The purple mare replied with a cheeky grin adorning her face.
"Cloudsdale?" The pink mare inquired, immediately arching a brow.
"Cloud city. It doubles as the Wonderbolt training grounds. The group Mimu landed in." Yuuki answered, wings shifting.
"There's a cloud city?" Kaze asked, looking at the purple pegasus as if she turned the hues of red and black.
"Yeah." Nagare answered with a nod. "Me and Yuuki were taught the basics of flying up there. The pegasi over yonder control the weather nationwide." He added, wings spreading for a moment. "Aside from the occasional asshat, it's a real nice place."
The younger, green earth pony blinked. "Riiiiight." He said.
"So, how were you doing for the past ten years?" Imura asked, eyes once more brimming in curiosity.
"Eh...good." Yuuki sighed, her smile fading a bit. "Aside from the nightmares I have at night."
"Nightmares?" The pink mare inquired, blinking.
"You...don't wanna know." The pegasus replied, her smile finally turning into a frown.
Reina trotted down the stairs next, ears perked to attention. "About what?" She asked, blinking.
"About my bad dreams." Yuuki answered swiftly, wings shifting in haste.
The mossy mare blinked, violet eyes swirling with concern. "We've not heard from you for ten years. Could you tell me and your sister about them?" She inquired, ears twitching.
"You...wouldn't understand." The pegasus answered, shuddering. "I...just don't like speaking about my bad dreams."
"How about this: we'll talk about that subject in a few months' time." Nagare cut in sternly, looking down at the floor with narrowed eyes.
"I agree." Tenmei stated, raising a hoof.
"Ditto." Rekka concurred, mimicking the earth pony.
"Here, here." Koto sighed, doing the same thing.
Reina blinked for a moment. "Very well." She stated, trotting to the table and claiming a seat. "It's been so long I envision a lot had happened during the last few years or so. It'd be quite a tale."
"You're right about that." The red unicorn spoke, now smiling.
Koto sat on her rump and stretched her forelegs. "Has anything been happening back in Japan?" She asked.
"Ever since the Quartet vanished, the Task Force has...well, been doing other things. Headquarters said it was to keep the workers from getting lazy." Reina answered. "Oh, and Tori insisted on bringing your possessions with him, as well as ours for some reason. What's even weirder was that, since you all went and straight-up vanished, nothing was touched after."
"Did he clean the dust off?" Nagare asked, brow arched.
"Yes he did. Made sure everything was spotless and working." The mossy mare answered with a nod.
"And in boxes, right?" Tenmei asked, his brow also arched.
"Yep. Labeled, too." The elder mare answered with another nod.
"Who wants what?" Kaguya called from the kitchen. "I've made sausage, bacon, and rolls so far!"
"Eggs!" Imura called back.
"Toast!" Kaze hollered.
"Orange juice!" Kurei answered.
Reina sighed. "Want to know what's even stranger?" She asked, still looking at the visitors.
"Yes?" They asked in unison.
"When you vanished, practically everyone outside the Task Force seemed to have...forgotten you guys and the Frontier Quartet even existed." The mossy mare answered, frowning. "And since it was so sudden, we...didn't get answers as to why." |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | Chapter XIV- I'm Not Sure | The visitors exchanged worried glances with one another.
"Why is that?" Kurei asked, brow arched.
"I'm not sure." Reina answered, shaking her head.
Kaguya trotted from the kitchen, balancing a big platter with plates and glasses on it. All sorts of breakfast items were on it, so much it looked like it would tip over any second. Koto trotted up to her and lifted the entire thing with her magic, placing it with care upon the table thereafter. "Thank you." The white earth pony said, smiling.
"You're welcome." Koto replied, also smiling. The earth mare then trotted back to the kitchen, probably to arrange even more breakfast platters and drinks. Reina and Kaze and the other two dug in immediately, being careful to save some for the other sleeping ponies upstairs.
"I can smell the chow all the way from here!" Mimu chimed as she descended down the stairs, her mane frazzled a bit. She quickly made her way to the table and took a seat and plate before stuffing her muzzle full of food. "It's good!" The pixie-winged mare remarked after downing a piece of toast with bits of egg on it.
"Indeed!" Kaze agreed with a nod, scarfing down a piece of sausage afterwards.
"So," Imura started after rending a piece of toast asunder and swallowing it, "is this town a nice place?"
"Yeah. Very nice. I was lucky to land here in my first days." Koto remarked, smiling faintly. "Had Nurse Redheart and Doctor Stable not helped me, I may not be here."
"Why is that?" Aoi asked as she came down the stairs.
"Long story short...someone, and I don't know who, decided to stab me in my left foreleg. Bone was fractured and poking out of the skin, and I was bleeding badly, from what the nurse told me." The unicorn answered, grimacing at the thought.
Aoi cringed, the image of her sister's wounded foreleg running through her mind. Her eyelids slanted in worry, and she looked like she was going to cry. "Did it hurt?!" She shrieked, her legs shaking.
"For a little while." Koto answered, sighing. "But I got better."
"But I thought Kaguya said something about this land being peaceful." Reina remarked, turning to the unicorn with a brow arched.
"For all I know, I could've just landed badly. I remember falling from the sky before blacking out." The unicorn replied, blinking.
"If that was the case, the crash should've killed you on impact." Reina sighed, worry flashing in her eyes.
"For all five of us, I agree that should've been the case." The green pegasus began, eyelids slanting. "But I wonder if something saved us before we could die."
"Whatever the reason, I'm sure we wouldn't be here had the miracle not happened." The tan pony stated, ears twitching. "We just haven't found the why yet."
"I think it was absurd luck on our side." The red-maned unicorn said, blinking. "I mean, it couldn't have been anything else--Reina said so herself, we should all be dead by now; yet we aren't."
"But not even luck can explain such a circumstance, Rekka. We all know that." The purple pegasus pointed out, wings twitching. "I'd like to think it was divine intervention."
"You're saying Celestia and Luna helped us land in a non-fatal manner?" Rekka asked, turning to the pegasus with a brow arched. "How could they have done that, with the royal duties piling on them day by day?" He retorted, frowning.
Yuuki winced. She fell silent as her mind worked out the words of the unicorn.
"He does have a point." Tenmei agreed with a slow nod of his head, glasses glinting for a moment as he looked at the red unicorn. "Perhaps it was a few passerby who saw us descend?"
"Maybe." Koto sighed, blinking as she exchanged a glance with the other visitors. "Nurse Redheart told me a few ponies toted me to the hospital while I was out cold."
"Perhaps." Nagare began again, raising a hoof for a moment. "But...even if passerby didn't stop our fall, then what did?"
"Who knows? I certainly don't." Yuuki replied with a shrug as she glanced at her fellow pegasus. "Let's just be glad we're alive and we can see our siblings again. Not all ponies are as lucky as we are..." She trailed off, looking at Imura with worry flashing in her eyes.
"In that case, we should also be glad the Quartet isn't running around fucking up everything in sight anymore." The blue unicorn said rather harshly, eyes narrowing for the briefest of moments. "Think of the countless live they could've hurt had we not been there to stop all of their messes-in-the-making."
"Heard they also threatened Celestia and Luna. If they had won..." Tenmei trailed off, cringing and closing his eyes, "ugh, I don't even WANT to think about that."
"I can't blame ya. I swear, they got worse and worse until the princesses gave them the boot to Tartarus." Rekka agreed, nodding his head as he turned to the earth pony.
"How much worse?" Reina asked, blinking.
"Let's just say they began to resort to...violence." The purple pegasus sighed, avoiding eye contact with the mossy mare.
Kaguya trotted into the room again, with more platters on her back. These were again removed by Koto and placed on the table. The white-pelted mare noticed the looks on the visitors' faces, and she blinked. "Did we have a change in topic?" She asked.
"Into a rather...unsettling topic, yes." The green pegasus answered with a hesitant nod of his head. "I was going to ask if we could change it, actually."
"I'll...go turn off the stove and wake everyone else up, then." Kaguya sighed, once more trotting into the kitchen. The stovetop was still burning hot, and it was on. She trotted over to it and turned the switch for one of the eyes that was currently on.
The red of the eye faded, signalling that it was turned off. Another eye was shut off in short order, and for a moment, the mare's ears had flattened.
"Should I tell Reina about what happened all those years ago?" She thought, turning off another eye. The mare inspected the stove, and sighed as she found all of the eyes successfully switched off. "Hell, would she even believe me at this point? Considering she's still in her beginning weeks of being in Equestria and simply getting used to the laws which don't apply to Japan?"
For a moment, all was quiet in the kitchen, save for the echoes of the bickering bunch at the table. And for a few moments more, Kaguya stood there, her mind scrambling every which-way it could, all the while her eyelids slanted and her ears flattened once more against her skull. |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | Chapter XV- Fabulous! | Kaguya jumped upon hearing the silence of the kitchen broken with what sounded like a mare and a stallion shrieking in horror as an explosion shook the house briefly. She rushed to the living room and the sight the world threw at her made her mouth drop open, her eyes go wide, and her mind scramble more than it had been scrambled prior.
Thick smoke was clearing out from where Rekka and the other visitors stood, and everyone inside was coughing up a storm. As the smoke cleared, the forms of the visitors became clearer--the catch was, Yuuki and Koto were now stallions with shorter manes and Nagare, Rekka, and Tenmei were all mares with longer manes. As well as damn near hacking up lungs, the five choked out "Fuck!" and "Dammit!" every now and again until the smog finished clearing.
"What happened?!" Kaguya blurted out, her jaw twitching.
"I...I think I fucked up a spell!" Rekka gasped, coughing into his--no, her--hoof.
"My sister is now my brother..." Imura murmured, an irritated smile on her face and her eyes narrowed. One brow was arched more so than the other, and that corresponding eye was twitching.
"And my brother is now my sister..." Kaze agreed with more or less the same expression on his face.
"What...makes you say that?" Nagare choked, eyes watering despite the smog being gone with a rather high-pitched voice. Her eyes widened and a hoof quickly covered her mouth, wings shifting uncomfortably.
"You have a squeaky voice?" Tenmei asked with a smirk before covering her own mouth with a hoof, her face also complete with wide eyes.
"I...don't recall magic making explosions..." Koto began, cringing and tucking his tail between his legs, "or changing genders..."
"What spell did you fuck up, fire ant?!" Yuuki barked, his eyes narrowing low as he glared at the red-maned-stallion-turned-mare.
The mare backed away, crimson eyes shrinking. "I-Illumination?" She squeaked, ears on her skull.
"That doesn't explain the explosion, you spiced-up cheese puff!" The pegasus screamed, wings spreading menacingly wide.
Reina turned to her friend, a hoof pointed at the lot of visitors with her mouth hanging ajar. The white mare shrugged, ears twitching.
Nagare lowered her hoof, blinking. She took in some deep breaths to calm herself down, her still-reeling mind trying to assess the situation. "Let's hope it wears off tomorrow." She said, finally. The green pegasus was avoiding eye contact with everyone else.
"What if it's permanent, pine tree?!" The purple stallion yelled at the top of his lungs, eyes turning red in anger as he turned to the emerald mare.
"I'm just not gonna take sides." The tan mare mumbled under her breath, polishing her glasses in her hooves.
Nagare turned to her fellow pegasus, a smirk adorning her muzzle. A dark, smug smirk at that. Slowly, she rose a hoof, pointing it at the purple pony, clearing her throat for a moment. Quick as a whip she then moved to the purple pony and wrapped the same raised hoof around his neck.
"Ya have something to say?" Yuuki asked, a vein appearing on his forehead. "Spit it out already."
"Someone's FABULOUS!" The emerald mare jeered at the highest possible pitch of voice she could muster before she kissed his cheek and broke out into hysterical laughter. She moved away in haste as her giggle fit rocked her to the core, wings flapping madly and dislodging some feathers loose in the process.
Yuuki's face began to turn crimson, steam blowing out his ears. "Alright, c'mere so I can kick your sorry ass, lawnmower!" He yelled.
"But I'm a mare, and you're a stallion--you can't hit me, Violet." Nagare teased, easing up from her laughter.
"Not right yet I can't." The purple pegasus retorted, a dark smile adorning his own muzzle. "But just you wait until dusk falls..."
"Even so, you still lack something!" The green pegasus teased, her smug smile turning into a cheeky grin.
At that point, both were whacked upside the heads with Koto's boomerang. "Both of you, can it." He said, an eye twitching. "Right now. It's bad enough as it is!"
"She--no, he's--right, guys." Rekka agreed, nodding her head up and down.
"What just happened?" Reina asked, turning back to the visitors whilst blinking.
"I have no damn clue! I just work here!" Kaguya answered, waving a hoof dismissively.
"What in the blazes is going on?" Takashi asked as he came down the stairs with Mimi, Kasai, and Tori in tow.
"I...botched a spell..." Rekka murmured, her legs shaking.
"You...botched a spell?" Takashi inquired, brow arched as he scratched his head with a hoof. Then, the fact the unicorn now had a high-pitched girly voice hit him like a brick, and his eyes went wide instantly. "WHAT SPELL DID YOU BOTCH TO BECOME A MARE?!" He cried, jaw hanging ajar afterwards.
"I-I just botched it, okay?!" The red-maned mare cried back, hanging her head in shame afterwards.
"Let's hope it's temporary." Tenmei remarked, her forelegs crossed. "Otherwise...eugh..."
The blue unicorn groaned, a hoof connecting with his face. "I feel violated in so many ways thanks to the magical mishap..." He murmured, ears flat on his skull.
"As do I." The purple pegasus agreed, wings shifting uncomfortably.
Nagare stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at Yuuki, who then promptly turned to look at her whilst growling like an angry dog defending a bowl of food. She held a green hoof to her muzzle and giggled back in a teasing manner, retracting her tongue in the process.
"I don't know what to make of this anymore..." Kasai mumbled, shaking his head at the display he had just witnessed.
"I'm gonna take that mane of yours, and I'm gonna style the shit out of it!" The green pegasus mocked, sticking her tongue out once again.
"To what?" The purple stallion snarled, raising the hoof with the yo-yo strapped to it in a threatening manner.
"I'll make it into an afro, and then it'll be hot pink!" The mare replied, once more bursting out in frantic laughter. |
The Beckoning of Nature (Re-Written) | Chapter XVI- Cold Wind | The group of gender-swapped five since went home in haste, given that so much arguing was sparked since one amongst them supposedly botched a spell of some sort. The hours passed, day gave way to night, and everyone went to bed.
Except for Aoi, who heard something between knocking and scratching coming from downstairs. The blue earth pony carefully crept around, silently cursing the lack of light as she felt her way towards the stairs. The sounds persisted as she descended the flight, and she paused to make sure her pike-hammer was secured to her body with a hoof.
The strap was strong and tight as ever.
For a moment, the scratch-knocking ceased, and the young mare winced. A shiver ran up and down her spine and her gut began to twist. Something was telling her to not approach the unseen source of the noise any further, to not open that front door from which the sound came. Slowly, though, her legs brought her closer and closer to the door.
And the door opened by itself as soon as she was in front of it, revealing a world of darks illuminated by an almost-full moon. Aside from houses and streets, she saw nothing of interest. The lone mare trotted outside into the street before pausing again, moving a hoof to check on her weapon.
It wasn't strapped to her side. She glanced around frantically before spotting it discarded onto the floor of the house she just left. Before she could react, the door slammed shut, and something was blocking it.
Something with glowing red eyes. Next thing the mare knew, something slammed onto the back of her head and knocked her to the ground, a short-lived yelp of pain escaping her mouth as she passed out.
When she woke up, the mare found herself in a clearing of some kind. She glanced around, her head still throbbing in pain, finding trees upon trees surrounding said clearing. Foliage was thick, and the grass was just as dense beneath her.
She hastily rose, ears flat on her skull. "Where am I?" She squeaked, once more glancing around.
The forest failed to answer her.
Aoi cringed, her mind screaming at her to get the hell out of here. But how was she to do that, when she didn't know where to go? For all she knew, she was stuck in an endless woodland of sorts, with only this one clearing and the deep navy skies above.
Her ears perked upon hearing the tell-tale sound of rustling bushes. An unusually cold wind blew past, agitating the bushes some more--as well as the rest of the forest. The mare's eyes widened, her irises shrank, and she hastily glanced around. Her mind was scrambling, her legs were shaking, her breathing becoming more rapid and frantic by the second.
Then, the howling laughter sounded, two separate voices masculine and sinister. Another cold gust came and went with this laughter, once more stirring the canopy in its wake. The bushes ceased rustling as this second breeze weaved its way through the woodland, but it didn't make the mare's panic stop.
"W-Who's there?!" Aoi cried, her jaw jittering as the forest once more kept quiet. That was when she saw something move in the darkness, but she could not for the life of her put her hoof on what it was. Somehow, the thing's movements were silent, which should not have been possible with all of the thick shrubs that sprouted like weeds.
Another cold gust. Another set of voices laughing darkly. The mare's heart was pounding like a jackhammer in her chest at this point, and she glanced around again. She held back a shriek as something towered over her.
Something shaped like a pony. A pony that had glowing red eyes.
"You remind me of someone..." It hissed as the young earth pony began to backpedal away quickly. It took a step towards her as yet another fleeting gale passed by, grass and fallen debris crunching under its hooves. "Someone I loathe..." The creature added as it took another step. "...And yet can't help but admire for her natural beauty." The thing finished, its eyes glowing a bit brighter now.
Aoi backed up into a tree, looking around frantically to try and find a way out. The forest offered her none, as if it hated her solely for existing. Another creature appeared, this one sporting glowing navy eyes.
"Well, now. Fresh prey. Should we tear the flesh from her bones?" The blue-eyed thing asked menacingly.
"That wouldn't do. She's so ripe for the picking, so to speak." Answered the red-eyed being, glancing at its fellow creature.
The frantic mare swiveled her head around yet again, and this time, her legs finally acted. She bolted off into the dark woodland, branches swatting at her and thorns just barely cutting her as she went. The creatures hounded after her like wolves, hot on her heels as she fled. The darkness was what she hoped to have been both a saving grace and a curse: she couldn't see, but she was also praying that the things couldn't see her just the same.
How wrong she was to make that assumption. The things pounced on her as soon as they were within range, one set of hooves that she could've sworn was made of wood pinning her down. The other was pawing at her body, eventually prodding at her back legs and what was in between.
The set of hooves that was poking at her then grabbed her firmly by the tied locks of mane and tugged, forcing her to raise her head and earning a yelp from the hapless victim in the process. The other pair kept her pinned on the forest floor, unmoving even as she tried using her own front hooves to desperately shove them away.
Then she felt it--the feeling of something prodding at her young folds before entering the hole they concealed. Another feeling of being torn apart from within came with, and before long, the mare was crying out "Stop!" to no avail. Tears leaked from her eyes as the intruding object tore her up as it was shoved in all its entirety. Whatever it was, it was thick, splintery, and all-around agonizing.
The pair of hooves pinning her finally lifted as the ones grasping her by the mane moved in their place. She tried to cry out once more, but was stopped as a thick vine was wrapped tight around her muzzle by the other creature. Her front hooves were pinned firmly by the same set that held her in the first place, effectively rendering her attempts to call for help futile.
The creature behind her was spurred on by her pitiful attempts, laughing once more as it began to thrust its hips at a steady pace. The victim tried kicking her back legs, her vision beginning to blur from the onslaught of tears and pain.
No luck.
"As persistent as your sister, are we?" The red-eyed creature taunted, thrusting faster now. The mare instantly stopped squirming and gave her tormentor a frightened gaze. It looked back at her, and it chuckled. "Oh, yes, I had my fun with her too." It stated coldly, and in that instant, Aoi began to writhe once again in an attempt to get away.
Her panicked mind was scrambling, her heart was racing, her rear legs fruitlessly pushing aside dirt and foliage like there was no tomorrow. She then felt hooves lash out upon her backside, a muffled cry resounding from her clamped muzzle with each strike. As the hooves connected again and again, as she was internally ripped to shreds, her struggles grew feebler and feebler.
Before too long, she finally fell unconscious, and so stopped moving as she was violated and thrashed relentlessly. |
Metal Ringing | pre | "Wait, what?!" Ignatius cried. "I don't get to tell my side or say my peace?"
"Mmm . . .No." the princess said flatly as the doors swung shut behind the departing party. She then rested her head on her hand and beckoned for Alvi to give her the rundown of the evening. Minus the current fiasco.
"My lady." Alvi said in a sweet tone. "I know that a man like Ignatius is not the easiest to deal with. However, as per your law, due process is in order and it would be unjust if this were to be the end of it."
Princess Celestia gave Alvi a cross look. "Are you trying to say that I am unjust?" her question holding a guillotine above the steward's head. Though her tone masked it so well, one would think that the question was legitimately based on her inquiry of other people's opinion, rather than a trap that could be sent off by the weight of a hair stand.
Alvi's eyes went wide with fear. She wouldn't want to offend her friend by saying such things. She had completely missed the mask of the question. "No, Your Majesty. I would never say such things. However, the way that you handled that situation was, as anyone would put it, one-sided." Alvi watched Celestia blink. "I mean, you didn't even give Ignatius, a chance to defend himself."
The princess went back to her resting position and pondered this. She returned with this. "Call, Aquinas. If there is anyone that I can tolerate long enough to hear a legal analysis from, it would be him."
Alvi's face screwed up at that. "Princess, there are many lawyers that have over fifty or so years under their belt at our disposal. They must be better equipped than Aquinas to handle this task. Plus, you have only known him for less than forty-eight hours."
"That is why my statement stands. Bring him to me."
Alvi bowed low and started off to Aquinas' room. |
Metal Ringing | Lawyer Up | The dungeons of Canterlot castle were one of the worst places to be sent. On the outside, the castle, as the city, was a shining white with gold rimming edges. High spires of ivory that seemed to dominate the sky and looked as if gods had made their residence there. Underneath it all however, deep in the bowels of the city, was the darkest and most depressing places to venture. The moss covered walls and the stink of human waste permeated off of that. Criminals were a rarity in this nation, but when they were caught, and tried for such things as rape and murder, the cells were the loneliest and most incredibly dehumanizing place to be thrown into.
There was only two or three guards on duty, but they were armed, and well trained. More than one individual was able to escape, and with each escape, came more and more security measures. Steel doors with enchanted runes on them to negate any magic that was used to open them or used inside the cell in general, along with window bars that would send a painful electrocution to the one who would dare try to pry the bars out. A Canterlot cell was near to inescapable. The only way out was a key. A key that was specially made for each hand crafted lock. No two locks were alike, and the keys themselves were complex and next to impossible to duplicate. Every angle and every shape of the teeth was unique, and no one, but the guards on post, were allowed to know what they looked like. They were also kept in a little box under the desk of the warden that could only be opened by a pass phrase that must be spoken by the warden's vocal chords, or it will not open. As stated, security was tight around there.
Ignatius knew nothing of any of this and was concerned when he saw the cells. Most were abandoned, or had what was left of the scum that was thrown in there. If a prisoner died, they would leave them chained to the wall and hoped they didn't have a zombie to deal with later. Skeletons weren't much of a menace, but zombies, zombies were scary.
The Marine Sergeant was hauled through the long corridor that was the cell block. The stink of death and feces was far too much to bare. Ignatius dry heaved whatever air he had in his stomach as his feet scraped the ground. The party reached the cell that was the farthest back away from the warden's post. One of the guards opened the door to the cell with the fabled key as the other tossed Ignatius inside. His head hit the ground with a thud as the door screeched closed. The tumblers clanged loudly and they set back in their grooves to lock the cell tight. The single window gave Ignatius enough light to see that his cell was empty, and relatively clean. A rusty bucket for waste stood up in the far corner, and a bed made of straw and a few animal pelts for blanketing and insulation was on the opposite corner. Ignatius' first thought wasn't to sit and think. His mind didn't work that way. He was a man of action and results. He left the thinking to the people like his brother. His first instinct was to grab the bars. The statement from before rang true. Ignatius' whole body was electrified and he hit the ground in a heap. He struggled to figure out what had just happened, and he found it difficult to think straight. After a minute or so in recovery on his stomach, he was able to stand up and run shoulder first into the door. The steel didn't even dent as Ignatius' strong deltoid hit it at full speed. He fell back to his original spot on the floor and went through the same recovery process. He looked around the cell for any weak spots, and found only things that would make his escape that much harder. The corners were reinforced with iron bands and parts of the floor were recently laid with fresh concrete. The cleanliness of the final product was too clean for it to be old.
Ignatius just sat on his bed and heaved a sigh. He just sat there thinking just what a load of bullshit that this all was. He had saved a woman from being raped. A guard woman. He had done the right thing. The GOOD thing to do would have been to alert other guards, but he figured that the guards he killed were the guards he would have to report the incident to, so that was useless. He could have just let her been raped and then told Princess Celestia later, but then that woman would have to live with, or commit suicide from, the memories that followed from such events. NO! He had done the right thing by taking action, and it wasn't like he was going to be violent. He gave the man two chances to stop, and he just came at him still. That man, and his cohorts, needed to be stopped, and if they had to die, Ignatius cared little. He did the right thing and that's what happened. If that bitch in white didn't approve, well then fuck her. Fuck her in every hole twice with a dick the size of Twisted Horn's horns.
Ignatius actually got a bit of erosion out of picturing the princess naked . . . screaming . . . bloody. He loved the idea of seeing all that and more done to the heartless witch. Within a play through of the atrocious acts he was fully erect. However, one thing came across his head that turned his stiff log into a limp lump. He had been rather rude, and in fact, downright hostile towards the princess ever since he arrived. She had opened up her castle to strangers and offered them clothing and armor. Even though he had been placed in a situation that was foreign, he could have acted a lot better than he did. This was Equestria after all. The land that, as an Airman, he had dreamt about and seen all the happy and well living ponies. What human being got the chance to come to a place like this. Keep in mind that it wasn't inhabited by the fabled equines, but it was still the same magical place that he fell in love with. Even as a Marine he thought back on it. After the war in Iran, he was brought back to a side of his humanity after finding the show again and re-learning everything he had forgotten after his experience that made him into the Wolf.
Ignatius sat on the cold hard ground and got to thinking. Maybe he did deserve to sit and rot in this cell. After everything he had done, he thought maybe the only fitting place to have him meet his end was in the land he secretly adored. And all because he was too stubborn and hard headed to see something as good as this for what it really was. Aquinas had read the situation like a book when they appeared here. They could be having the time of their lives, and here he was, sitting in a jail cell.
Ignatius blew out a long sigh, and steadied himself before rising to his feet and doing some light stretching. As he cracked his back and stretched his triceps, he heard someone talking. Not in a hushed tone, as to keep a secret meeting secret, but it was casual. As if the one talking was speaking to a friend. The Marine Sergeant's curiosity peaked and he made his way over to the solid steel door and put his ear next to the opened, sliding window. The voice grew a little louder.
"Oh yessss. They will pay. They will suffer." said the voice. "It aaallll will come together. The ones will beg for mercy. They will plead for forgiveness, but they will not receive. They will not be rested until revenge has been taken. They will know suffering! YES! SUFFERING! DEATH! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"Hey, buddy." Ignatius shot. "What's with the crazy shit?" Ignatius' tone was rather interrogative.
The warrior was expecting a pale faced man with a long, grey, scraggly bearded man who looked malnourished. With eyes that looked like they would roll out at any time. Someone who was on the verge of death. However, that is not what he saw.
A man with not only a healthy complexion, but a healthy glow to his eyes. He was also clean, and shaven. His hair was still a solid black. Ignatius' curiosity peaked at this and moved a little closer to the window. Both individuals could see the other. The Marine gave his usual deadpan stare, while the other man gave an inviting smile.
"Can I help you?" the prisoner asked in a sincere tone.
"Yah." Ignatius said in a huffed tone. "Who are you talking to?"
"Is anyone else down here?" the man asked.
"I don't think so." Ignatius said as he looked to his right to see the cells that looked, from where he was standing, to be relatively empty.
"Then, I am talking to you." the man's smile was still inviting, but it loomed with a cloud of heavy danger. Ignatius, above all else, should know people like that. He was one of them. So to see it now, to be on the other side of the grin, was rather scary, and nothing scared the Sergeant. Now that was just because he was the most dangerous thing in the area at any given time. This man however, gave Ignatius a cold chill that he could only guess that his victims have felt when he looked upon them. This whole jail experience was getting to him.
"Who are you speaking about? Who are 'they'?" Ignatius' tone turned rather interrogative again. Though it was harsher this time around, the man in the other cell seemed to just completely ignore it. As if he could see through Ignatius' expressionless mask and see that he was rather afraid.
"You will come to know them." he said. His even vocalizations were just creepy. "One day I will speak to you again, and I will offer my hand, and you will take it. You will take it and you will be shown you a power that you can only dream of."
"Why don't you show me some of that power now?" Ignatius said with a huff. His curiosity was masked by his macho.
"No. Just remember that they will suffer. They will suffer." The man retreated back into the cell. His footsteps made no sound as he went back into the darkest portion of the holding container.
"Hey! Hey! Come back, I still got more questions!" Ignatius cried out for the man and he was met with silence. Dead silence. The Marine threw up a middle finger; went back into the cell; and just sat there on his bed. It had gotten rather cold during the small exchange. All he could do now was wait. Wait for his brother to save him.
Again.
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Aquinas stepped inside of the large and ornate throne room. Princess Celestia was rather pleased to see him. So much so, that she even expressed it. "Aquinas." she beamed. "So good to see you."
Aquinas' stomach churned as he looked around the room. A certain Marine was nowhere to be found. He looked back to the monarch who sat rather comfortably. "Um . . . it's good to see you as well, Princess." He bowed. "Um . . . where is my brother?" his inquiry was met with a steely gaze from the princess. Her expression turned sour, and her lips pursed.
"Your brother" The princess hissed. The Ensign winced at that. "is taking residence in the dungeons, and I have the key to his cell." She drew out the key and dangled it. "This is why I summoned you. I have locked your brother away, and it's up to you to get him out."
"You mean I have to try and get the key from you?" Aquinas asked with more than a load of curiosity.
"You will have to earn it." Celestia said with a straight face.
"And how will I earn it?" Aquinas' instinctual male brain kicked in and sent a flash through his head. Though he would love to entertain such ideas, his stomach told him that something more dense hung in the air.
"You will have to convince me that your brother should be set free. He has made open threats; insulted me; and killed my royal guards. I think that this is more than enough to constitute execution, but because of you, I will only hold him in the cell till his death naturally comes. However, I am willing to hear why I should set him loose." Celestia replaced the key back in her sleeve and sat comfortably in her seat. "I think that as a man of the law, I believe you are the best person available to defend your brother."
Aquinas was rather worried. Actually, worried would be as good a description as calling an elephant a small, furry kitten. He was downright terrified. He read no sense of joking in her tone, and he already knew that there was some tension between his brother and Celestia, and the fact that he now made himself an enemy to someone of great power did not make this easy. In fact, it made things ten times harder because he knew nothing of Equestrian law. He was a Naval defense attorney back in America, but that meant next to nothing here.
He had to buy time. He had to get a case ready. "Your Majesty." he said. "If I could request a day to prepare my case."
"I will allow this." the monarch replied coolly. "At this time tomorrow, you and your brother will be here in my throne room and you will have a chance to defend him."
"Did my brother say anything in his defense prior to my arrival?"
"No. I didn't give him the chance to speak. I chose to just have him tossed in the dungeon because I didn't want to hear any lies he would try to weave." Princess Celestia's word were drowning with venom.
Aquinas' face screwed up. "You just hauled him off to jail? Just like that?"
"Yes." The princess said easily. "Like I said. I didn't want to hear his lies."
Aquinas blew a heavy sigh. He knew the legends of Equestria, and believed that the Celestia told there was merciful, but what he saw now made him rather fearful at this point. The beloved ruler of Equestria was treating his brother like a traitor. Ignatius, he knew, was not the easiest person to deal with, but that didn't mean he deserved to be locked up. Aquinas spoke again. "I will be back tomorrow with my case. Good day to you, Princess."
Aquinas stepped past the closed doors to the throne room, and took in a deep breath, and let it out saying in a hushed tone, "Oh, shit."
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"Fuck off, asshole!" Ignatius said as the snickering in the adjacent cell continued. "I'm tired of your shit!"
"But it's all just so funny!" said the man in the cell. The laughter that started up again was more than annoying to the Sergeant than the initial banter.
"You know." Ignatius said. "If you really can show me so much power, why don't you display some for me? You know, give me some incentive to grasp your hand quicker when you offer it."
"Oh-ho-ho!" the man chuckled. "If I did, you would never believe me."
Ignatius' face screwed up. "What kind of fucked up logic is that?"
"If I really showed you, would you believe such a thing could exist, or would be looking at it as a mind game? A ploy to make me look that way, when all the while, I am really doing it."
"I don't know." Ignatius said truthfully. "I probably wouldn't."
"You see. I must retain my ability for now in order for you to understand later."
"Or maybe, you're just full of shit!" Ignatius accused.
"One day. Ha ha ha. One day." The man's voice trailed off and the only sound that was heard was that of a distant door being opened.
Heavy footsteps and metal sounded in the deep. A torch's light flickered in the rhythm of the cadenced footsteps. Ignatius got up from his seat and looked out the slot and saw the two guards that tossed him in flanking his brother.
"Fina-fucking-lly!" Ignatius cried out. "What the fuck took you so long?"
Aquinas went up to the door and kicked it with a heavy leg. The impact of his foot was enough to knock Ignatius form the door and land him on the seat of his pants. "You really fucked up this time!" Aquinas shouted. "You really fucking did! Not only have you made yourself an enemy of the state, you also are possibly dragging my ass into this too."
Ignatius went back up to the door from his sitting position and looked his brother in the face. "I know, and I'm sorry." he said humbly. "So what's going to happen? Am I being set free?"
"I have a day to come up with a case to prove that you are innocent, but I can't do that, unless you tell the honest truth. I want to know what happened in that hallway." Aquinas' tone was interrogative and stern.
Ignatius blew out a sigh and began his story from where he was wondering around the castle. He explained, with as much detail as possible, what was said and what he had done to the guards. Aquinas felt a spark of pride in the prowess that his brother had with a blade. His story also gave him a destination to go to. The deceased were already cleaned up, and on their way to the mortician, but the victim however, would be on her way to the doctors in order to receive treatment. That was where he would go next.
"Thank you, Ignatius." Aquinas said. "I will do everything in my ability for you. Just stay out of trouble."
"I will." Ignatius said defensively. "It's not like I'm going anywhere anyway."
Aquinas stepped off in a hurry with the armed guard to the exit. He didn't have time to waste.
"Hear that, jackass?!" Ignatius boasted. "My brother is a damn good lawyer and he's going to get me out of here. So, fuck you and your power display! HA!"
Aquinas was able to hear his brothers words as he stepped with the full metal guards. "Do you know who he is talking to?" one of the guards asked the Ensign.
"I would think that he is talking to the guy in the cell across from him." Aquinas said innocently.
"But, sir" the other guard interjected. "There is no one else down here except for him."
Aquinas shot the guard a look of confusion. "Are you sure?"
"We know everyone that comes down here. He is the only one in the cells."
Aquinas quickened his pace to a jogging. For the coldest of shivers exploded up and down his spine. He had to hurry if he going to get his brother out of there.
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Bright Flower woke up with a pain in her head like no other. Not to mention the fact that the a torch's light was staring into her eyes. That just made things worse. However, she was rather comfortable underneath the soft blankets and laying on an equally, if not more comfortable, bed. She tried to rise from her back, but was stopped by a large hand with a navy blue crystal embedded in it. She looked up to see a man dressed in a blue coat. He took a seat on her bed. Bright's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates and her breathing became labored. Not only was she weak from what had happened to her, but now she was face to face with a man that easily outweighed her, by her estimate, by ninety pounds.
"Be calm." the man said. "You are in no danger." His words were slightly comforting, though the girl was still rather frightened. "My name in Aquinas. I come here on behalf of Princess Celestia. I need to ask you some questions that pertain to what happened a few hours ago."
"I-I-I . . ." she stammered. She retreated slightly under the covers.
Aquinas put out a hand to calm her. "Take a breath and steady yourself. You only need to answer my questions to the best of your abilities."
Bright Flower came back from her meager hiding place and took that breath. "I will try." Her voice was shaky, and intimidated.
"Good." Aquinas said with a smile. "In your own words, can you tell me what happened?"
The woman took another deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "I was on patrol." she began. "I had taken the same corridors that I have been for the past three months that I was assigned." She took another breath. "I came around one of the corridors to find that there were six guards loitering in the hallway. I was about to inquire why they were there, but then one of them grabbed me. They started cracking jokes, and looking at me with hungry eyes. I was caught so off guard that, I couldn't scream, I couldn't fight, I just . . ." Two tears came streaking down her face. "I-I-I just felt so helpless." Bright Flower began to sob in her hands.
Aquinas put a hand on her outside shoulder. "It's okay. This isn't your fault. You are the victim here. Please, go on. I only need little bit more of the situation. The part where the guards ended up dead."
The female guard wiped her eyes and her nose with the back of her shaky hand. Some salty eye water and snot got on her maroon crystal. "I didn't do that." she said shakily.
"I know," Aquinas said. "but please, try to tell me what happened."
"All I remember is a man in leather armor being able to kill all six men. It all happened so fast, I fainted from fear."
"So, a man in leather armor killed those men?" Aquinas asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Yes. He wore a simple leather cuirass, and other pieces of armor of the same material."
"Could you tell me some distinguishing features?"
"Um . . . from what I can remember, he had short cut, dark, brown hair, he was rather tall, I'd say a little over six feet, and he was carrying a single dagger."
"Is that all?"
"No." Bright paused for a moment, some color had returned to her pale face when she went through the memory. "He had these eyes. Blue in color, but they seemed to have something behind them. Like a small light. It made it seem as if he saved me, not because he enjoyed battle, but because he knew I needed help." She gave a small smile. "If you find this man, can you tell him that he has my thanks for saving my life?"
"I will. Thank you for your help." Aquinas stood up from the bed and walked to the door. He gave one final look back. "Do get some rest." His comforting smile brought as much comfort as he intended to the woman. With seeing her smile grow just a bit, he left her.
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"Are you sure I'll need all this?" Aquinas' arms were complaining at the weight that a certain purple haired female was putting on them. Twilight stacked as many books as possible in the heavy man's hands as she possibly could.
"Absolutely." Twilight pressed. "You will need to read all these books if you are to help Ignatius."
Aquinas blew a long sigh and started off toward the reading table. His legs shook under the weight of the heavy mound of tomes. His muscles breathed a sigh of relief when they were relieved of the weight. However, the table creaked in protest as it tried its legs to take the pile. Aquinas sat down in a comfortable chair and opened the first book. Equestrian Law Book 1 of 23. Aquinas knew that trying to memorize every law pertaining to his cause would take too many hours, and he was running out of time. So instead, Aquinas devised a plan. He flipped through the pages until the cases and laws that he needed showed up. It would take him all night, and a good part of tomorrow, but he would have his case. He would win, and all in the most unorthodox of ways. |
Metal Ringing | I'll See You In Court | "I swear, I'm going to fucking kill you!" Ignatius' temper had flared again when the cackling of the black haired man resumed. It was about time to go to court and Ignatius was already agitated, on top of that, he was now dealing with an insane convict and his incessant laughter. It wasn't long before the cackling subsided and the sound of heavy footsteps and scrapping metal sounded in the corridor beyond. With torches in hand, Aquinas and the same two armed guards from yesterday came to collect the Marine. Ignatius blew a sigh of relief when his cell was open and he wasn't met with a spear tip and handcuffs. He made his way past the party and kicked the heavy door. Though a heavy pain shot through his leg, he still found enough satisfaction to smile. "Hear that, shit bag?" he howled. "I'm getting out of here!"
Aquinas came up to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "Ignatius?" he asked with more than a weight of worry in his voice. "Who are you talking to?"
"I'm talking to the asshole in that cell." Ignatius pointed to the cell door. "Because of his fucking laughter, I wasn't able to get any sleep last night." he examined his brother in the light of the torches. "It seems you haven't gotten any either. It shows you did a lot of work."
Aquinas nodded and yawned. "Don't worry about me, or the case. I got you covered."
Ignatius looked back to the cell. "See you later, fuck-wad!" He threw up his middle finger.
"Matt." Aquinas said. "Are you sure you are okay?"
"Yah." Ignatius read his brother's face well enough. "Why? Is there something that you're not telling me?"
"Well," Aquinas said nervously. "It's just that you . . . well, you're . . . "
"Spit it out." Ignatius pressed.
"You're yelling at an empty cell." Aquinas' face put an even more worried look.
Ignatius' face screwed up. "Are you fucking with me? You're fucking with me , right?"
One of the guards took the initiative and opened the cell. It was revealed to be empty. Ignatius went inside and looked at the walls and floor. Not a spot was cleaned of dust and there were no signs of anyone living in here for at least a decade. He looked to the guards who gave him a nod in affirmation that it was as he sees. Ignatius stepped out of the cell with a pale face and weak legs.
"Let's get the fuck out of here." he said as he rubbed his arms simultaneously while traveling out of the dungeon. As the party closed the door to the dungeons to leave the vile place behind, Ignatius heard once last group of soft cackling as the portal closed shut.
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The armed escort traveled down the hallways of the castle at a steady pace. Ignatius took to a marching pace with his brother following suite. Aquinas stayed perfectly a breast to his brother as they marched to their destination.
"So." Ignatius said to break the silence. "What's the plan?"
"Show up, shut up, and shine." Aquinas stated dryly. "I have the whole situation under control. Just don't talk."
"So just let you do all the talking." Ignatius stated. "Just like back in Delaware."
"Except I hope it doesn't end with you knocking out a streaking man after we exit the court room." Aquinas stated with a chuckle.
"I think that was the best part." Ignatius said with an equal chuckle. "I do so enjoy helping the community by putting a stop to those who would discredit it."
"By dropping your pants and 'tea bagging' them after you stopped them?" Aquinas said with a growing laugh.
"I think he would be better off knowing that because of his actions he was met with consequences that better suit his crime than just receiving community service." Ignatius threw up a wicked smile.
"You're so fucked up in the head."
"Kill the liar that said I wasn't."
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The simple farmer bowed low to the princess and walked off with his returned pigs. The animals snorted and oinked as they followed their master out the door and passed up the two men flanked by armed guards. Ordinarily, this would give the farmer pause for thought, but at this point, all he cared for was getting his pigs home to the farm.
As he passed away from the court room, he noticed another guard that escorted a woman to the large doors. She looked to be very frightened and she visibly shook. This actually surprised him more than the two men under armed guard. His mind tried to make a connection, but he dismissed it. It wasn't because he thought it to be unreasonable, but he never wanted to believe something he really knew nothing about. So instead of sitting there and contemplating, he just made his way down the hall with his pigs and went on his way home.
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Princess Celestia signed the last of the floating papers from the case that had just left when she turned her head back to the center of the throne room and spotted the newest case that served as the last for the day. She took a breath and let it out. She had been waiting this whole day for the chance to hear this case and finally be rid of Ignatius. She didn't really expect Aquinas to win, but it would be nice to hear what the man had to say after just a day on a case.
The party stopped just shy of twenty feet of the throne when the guards that flanked the brothers gave the equal distance between them and the case group.
Alvi was present and was the first to speak her well practiced lines. "Court will now come to order with her majesty, Princess Celestia, presiding over this case. The defendant is charged with the murder of Equestrian royal guards. The defendant will now be allowed to exchanged words with the princess." Alvi backed away a few steps.
Aquinas gave one last look to Ignatius, who gave nod, and approached the princess a few steps. The Ensign cleared his throat and began. "Princess Celestia, you have charged my client with the crime of murder. This however, is what can be stated as, by Equestrian Law; Book Nine; Page 1123; Section 4; as false accusation."
"Oh, then what do you call a man covered in blood, holding a dagger, and standing over a pile of dead bodies then?" Princess Celestia shot.
"His job, my lady." Aquinas' words earned him a couple stares. "Unbeknownst to by brother, you have placed both him and I under your employment as members of your personal guard. Upon further study of Equestrian Law, I had found that the Uniformed Code of Military Justice extends further than our realm. It has presence in this one as well. Under such a code, Ignatius is bound by honor and oath to support and defend the crown of Equestria against all enemies both foreign and domestic. As the laws state."
"I would like to know more about the incident." the princess said. "Do you have a credible witness that could shed some light on this whole incident?"
"I do, my lady." Aquinas said. "I would like to call forth, Private Bright Flower."
On cue, one of the doors to the throne room swung open and a petit woman dressed in formal military attire took dignified, but also cautious steps toward the throne. The female guard's legs were shaking and her breathe was rather labored. She had only seen the princess from a distance, but seeing her up close, and under the circumstances, she was truly frightened. She tried to fall back on her basic training to steady herself as she approached. It only helped slightly.
When the Private had made it to Aquinas' side, she issued a salute to the monarch. Princess Celestia issued a knowing smile to the obviously terrified girl and said, "There is no need for such formalities, Private. You are here to give testimony, not give a report. You can stand at as much ease at you pleasure."
The young girl took a deep breath and steadied herself. A little flash of excitement went through her as she was addressed by the princess. "Thank you, Your Majesty." she said as she folded her hands behind her back and spread her feat slightly to be at the position of ease.
Aquinas stepped in between the two women and turned toward the guard. "Private Bright Flower, will you, in your own words, describe for the court the events that had transpired just a night ago?"
Bright cleared her throat and answered. "Yes. Yes, I can." she cleared her throat again and began. "I was on my usual guard route when the next corner I rounded was filled with guards. I noticed that they were loitering on duty, and still in uniform, so I was going to ask why they were there. I was met with hungry stares, and that was when one of them grabbed me. He and his 'friends' were cracking jokes and making plans of how they would defile me." the Private's speech became cracked, and her eyes started to well.
"Take all the time you need to recover, and then answer." Aquinas said sympathetically.
Bright Flower took a couple breathes and continued. "When they handled me, I could only find enough courage to take breath. I felt a sense of helplessness at that moment. Then, a man in leather armor showed up. He tried to reason with the first of the guards, but he attacked him, and after the man dispatched him, the others rushed in. Only to be cut down. The last guard that held me met his end when the leather armored man threw his knife into the face of the last traitor. I say with shame that I passed out from fear."
"Could you identify the man in leather armor that saved you?" Aquinas said with a winning smile.
"Yes." Bright Flower said, her own smile growing. She turned and pointed to Ignatius and said, "He is the one that saved me. That man right there." The Marine Sergeant gave a nod to her in silent thanks.
"Ignatius." the Ensign lawyer called. "Do you affirm that the story that Private Flower has given is accurate."
"I would say so." Ignatius said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Though it's missing the impressive movements I made, it still sends a clear message."
"By receiving testimony from both individuals that still live from the incident, it has been made clear that the deceased had, by word of the same individuals, premeditated their actions and were about to act upon them when Ignatius had stopped them from committing the crime of rape. When Ignatius had confronted the guards he was met with open, physical hostility, he retaliated in the only way that ensured his safety, by defending himself from the blades of your guards, Your Majesty."
"Though the victim's story is less detailed, it still has the same foundational principals that Ignatius had told me back in his cell during my examination process. Therefore, I can state that, even though there was no formal pact, Ignatius' action were in direct line with Equestrian Law and the Uniformed Code of Military Justice in the same nation, and therefore innocent of the charge of murder. The defense rests." Aquinas took his place by his brother.
Princess Celestia's smile nearly took her ears. "Well," she said. "I am impressed. You have truly delivered today, Aquinas. I am making the decision to let Ignatius free on the grounds that he was doing the duty he was appointed." The princess folded her hands. "Court dismissed."
The two brothers clapped wrists together in victory. "Well, that was easier than the Maryland case."
Aquinas gave his brother a queer look. "But we never had a court case in Maryland."
"Um . . . " Ignatius said as his eyes trailed away.
"MATT!"
"I'm pleading the fifth!" Ignatius shot his hands up defensively.
Aquinas rubbed the bridge of his nose and issued a heavy sigh. As the naval officer internally scorned his brother, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see a woman with a content smile on her face.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," she said in a melodic tone. "but I think that a proper thank you is in order." She moved passed the lawyer and stepped up to Ignatius. Her face was that of a rosy color and her eyes sparkled like fire rubies with their red tone having a slight glistening with the sunlight coming in through the window and striking them perfectly. "Though your brother has probably already told you, I am very grateful that you have saved me from those brutes in guard's costumes. I thank you." She wrapped her arms around the Marine in a tight hug and buried her head in his leather chest.
Ignatius returned the hug with a gentle smile and said, "I was just doing my duty." a slight blush came to his face.
Bright Flower back off from the extended hug and said. "I am in your debt. If ever you need my assistance, do not hesitate to call upon me."
"I will keep you in mind, Private Bright Flower." Ignatius said.
"I await your command, Sir Ignatius." the young woman saluted the young man and walked off.
Aquinas came up to his brother and gave a slight punch to his shoulder. "You saw the way she looked at you?"
"Yah. It's the same way you look at bar men." Ignatius stabbed.
Aquinas did his best to imitate the troll face. Both brothers let out a jovial laugh. The mirth however, was stolen by a loud clearing of the throat. The pair turned their attention to the throne and saw that the monarch sitting there was not too pleased. Aquinas shrunk slightly at the sight of the displeased princess. Ignatius just deadpanned as usual.
Celestia got up from her chair and stalked over to the duo and stared into Ignatius. She was expecting to see nothing for this so that she was not disappointed. Her lips were still pursed and her eyes shot daggers after dagger into the Marine. True to form, Ignatius stared back even more intensely. He had no love for the ruler, and he would have no problem killing her where she stood.
It was a good five minutes of still silence until the princess spoke. "Just because your brother saved you this time, does not mean he will be able to save you again in the future. Even though you are innocent of the crime of murder, you are still held in contempt and will be punished for making me angry and uncomfortable in my own home. So, now I will have to find a suitable punishment for you."
Aquinas' brain was working quick and he was able to interject. "Your Majesty." he said in a respectful tone. As if it was a master calling his faithful dog, Celestia shot her head directly in the Ensign's direction. "If I may interject. I know that my brother isn't the easiest to deal with, however, instead of punishing the man for his deeds of the couple of days, maybe he can redeem himself."
"Oh?" the princess said with a bit of curiosity. "How?"
"If I am not mistaken, you had sent my brother to see a blacksmith to be fitted for the armor that he now wears, and to receive a weapon from the same. Well, it just so happens that my brother is an aspiring forge worker and would be an excellent student for the one behind the anvil that graces your castle."
"So what you are saying is, that instead of keeping your brother in a cell, or worse, I should give him a duty?" the princess was openly skeptical.
"It would be an outlet for his aggression and anger. All while providing a service to you. All that I ask is that you will provide clothing, food and bed. Other than that, I don't think that he will need any money. I actually think that Ignatius would agree to serving you to the fullest extent while behind the forge." Aquinas gave his brother an eye, and the latter gave a nod.
"So he kills my guards and he gets a job." the princess said dryly. "That is, I must say, the most unorthodox thing I have heard this year."
"Give it a couple weeks." Ignatius issued. "My brother and I will come up with something else that tops the crazy list."
"And what makes you think that this is a good idea, Aquinas?" Celestia's tone gave the impression that this idea was not readily welcome.
"Because it does more good to Equestria than it does to your hatred of the man." Aquinas said dryly.
The princess issued a sharp snort and turned back to Ignatius. "You are to assist Twisted Horns with his work at the forge. You are at his command. If you are told to roll over and play dead, you are to do so until it is no longer required of you. You are also at MY beckoning call. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yeah." Ignatius said sharply. "Just one question, though. Do I get my knife back?"
Princess Celestia's flashed an are-you-kidding-me look. "What makes you think that I would allow you to carry a weapon?"
Aquinas stepped over to the princess and ushered her over to her throne said "Guards. Attack Ignatius, but do not kill him." Aquinas looked to his brother and shook his head as a silent order to adhere to the same restrictions.
On cue the guard closest to the Marine pointed his spear at him. He was mere inches away. A mistake the guard wished that he had not made. Ignatius exploded into motion and grabbed the spear shaft and pulled himself and the vanguard in close to issue an uppercut and kick the guard in the groin as he tore the spear form the pegasi's hands and wiped it around and met the spear that the other guard presented. As the tip swung wide, the leather armored warrior reversed his grip on the weapon so the back of the spear was the attacking end and he came down on the guardsman's head will a force great enough to put a small dent in the helmet of the heavily armored unicorn. Ignatius turned his attention toward the recovering guard and offered the side of his foot into the helmet of the guard, which made the guard daze a little bit more. This gave Ignatius a little more time to deal with the rushing guard with the dented helm. Ignatius stepped out and gave a swift palm to the side of the helm and pushed the guard into his brother in arms. Both tumbled to the ground with one laying on top of each other. The Marine flipped a spear from the ground with his foot and caught it in mid air. As the guards came to their feet, the swift fighter swung the pole arm and caught one of the guards upside the head. The force form the impact sent the other, who was still trying to recover balance, back down to the ground. Before the bottom guard could get his now unconscious comrade off of him, Ignatius sunk the spear tip in the ground by the man's head. Needless to say, the guard just laid there in defeat. Ignatius turned back to the white dressed monarch and dusted off his hands.
When he returned, the princess expected to see at least some sign of heavy breathing, but found not one bead of sweat on his brow. Princess Celestia had just witnessed Ignatius' fighting prowess and she couldn't have been more embarrassed. Her best guards, literally, those guards were her finest warriors, and there they were, on the ground defeated, by a commoner. The smug smile on his face didn't help at all to deal with this defeat.
As Ignatius approached the throne, Alvi's instincts for survival kicked in and she positioned her feet to move into an opening stance to defend herself if need be. She didn't think that she would survive one minute against the man. Given the display, she doubted she would last thirty seconds, but she only had to survive as long as it took for the princess to use her magic to stop the man. She didn't like relying on anyone else to help her, but then again, this was no ordinary situation with an ordinary man. If there was any instance that she could remember when she had felt this kind of fear, it would have been when she was but six years old and dealing with her abusive mother. Other than that, she never felt to helpless against anyone. Even Celestia.
Ignatius did well to hide his breath. His heart rate had gone up slightly, but he was able to control it enough to where it was not too obvious that he was bothered by his actions. His brother gave him a slight nod. He hadn't killed the guards, and he had only knocked out one. The other just found more sense in accepting that he was outmatched.
The princess turned towards Aquinas and asked "What was that display supposed to prove?" Her tone rather sharp.
"To show you that my brother doesn't need a weapon to kill someone. He is a weapon in himself. It's just that with weapon in his hands, it makes it easier for him to better dispatch enemies. Enemies that might be better suited to fighting than your guards." Aquinas' point was sharper than Celestia's wit. Then again, her mind was clouded by the image that stood before her. "There is also the simple fact of his loyalty. Even though you two do not see eye to eye, he is still loyal to whatever side I am on. Which, because I am, includes your side."
She grit her teeth and snorted. "Fine!" she shot. "You may receive your dagger." a burst of sun yellow energy flashed before Ignatius, and his belted weapon appeared. He took the piece and strapped it on his waist.
"Thank you, Princess." he said sincerely. "I feel much better now that I have a blade back on my hip."
"So glad I can help." the sourness of her tone was enough to make a lime tell her to sweeten up. "Just collect whatever you need and go back to Metal Ringing."
Ignatius needed no other words. He simply turned around and left the throne room, but not without throwing his brother a smile and nod in thanks for pulling him out of another legal matter. He walked out the doors and beckoned for a guard to return him to the guest rooms, and lead him towards the forge.
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As soon as the doors closed, Princess Celestia let out a deafening roar and threw out a great light from her hands. The hot glow grew intensely and covered her as her rage and frustration came boiling over into a magical outburst. Aquinas took cover behind his arms, and Alvi hid behind the throne. The two defeated guards reacted with the man on top shielding his comrade from the blinding orb of energy as he ducked his head down under him as he closed his eyes tight to keep the light out.
The rage subsided as quickly as it came. The glowing orbs left nothing touched, but Celestia herself was covered in sweat. Her hair was a mangle mess and her white gown stuck to her like a second skin. To be truthful, it left only a small portion to the imagination. Her breath was labored and her legs shook violently. The monarch collapsed on her throne in a heap and shut her eyes. The land of sleep and rest welcomed her with opened arms, and a comforting smile. Alvi called for the royal carriers to come and retrieve the princess off of her throne. Aquinas picked up the sleeping politician's soaking wet body with ease and placed her on the silken sheets of the heavily adorned, and comfortable looking, stretcher. He made sure to be as ginger as possible as not to harm the delicate female. She looked so peaceful, even after that display of, what looked like, unlimited power. The female unicorns that served as the royal carriers hurried off to the princess' room.
The Naval Officer stood silently. Aquinas was anxious. With a show like that, he thought that even Ignatius would be on his guard so much that not even the wind could shift without him overreacting and attacking the general direction. Alvi stepped out from behind the throne and took one steady breath. She stood so comfortably, one would think that nothing major had happened. Aquinas internally inquired if this whole incident was in fact something that happened on a regular basis. Then he figured he might need an answer to his suspicions.
"Alvi?" the blue coated man asked. "What was that?"
Alvi threw him a smirk. "Oh, that?" she said coolly. "It was just Celestia throwing a hissy fit. There are a lot of things that she is dealing with right now, and the mound that it was is now turning into a second mountain. Your brother surely isn't helping with that. Our dear princess is trying to cope with the stress, and sometimes she has to let it out. What you saw was just a small measure of her power." Alvi motioned for the window. "Take a look outside." Aquinas looked behind him and saw that the sun had set and the moon had risen. "She did all that all while relieving her stress by making that white hot glow."
Aquinas was trying to let it all sink in. He had just witnessed something that only a god, or goddess , should be able to do. He didn't know whether to admire the princess for her ability, or to fear her greatly. He turned back to Alvi with an expression that said it all.
Alvi just chuckled slightly. She had the same expression when Celestia started having these episodes, but with this all happening on a regular basis, she had grown used to it. These days however, she had become increasingly more agitated. Perhaps, Aquinas could relieve some of that pressure. A naughty thought flashed through the steward's head and she kind of liked what she saw. Her lips gave a tug in a smile that Aquinas couldn't rightly read, but then again, his mind was elsewhere. If Celestia wanted to, she could have incinerated him with just a wave of her hand, and yet she gave him a chance to live, and, with no small amount of his help, got a job at the forge.
Aquinas said a faint good bye to Alvi and left for his room. He needed a good night's rest. |
Metal Ringing | Meeting Your Mentor | Ignatius gathered up the only possessions that he had in the room. The book Twilight had given them, and, he assumed it was his because his brother didn't like leather very much in his fashion, a long black coat. He put on the coat and went out the door. The guard led him to the doors of the forge and hurried off back to his post. Ignatius opened the doors and was greeted with a huge smile from the hybrid beast that sat on a large chair.
"How are you doing, killer?" Twisted Horns asked with a chuckle.
Ignatius gave a snort and a smirk. "So, you heard what had happened?"
"Six guards being killed by one man is not something that keeps to the shadows for very long." the blacksmith chided. "Especially when those six where the most nefarious guards out there."
Ignatius cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "Educate me. What do you mean by 'nefarious'?"
Twisted Horns got up from his seat and stirred a mixture in the pot that the forge had sitting over it. The smell of meats and vegetables, with a hint of spice, filled the room. Ignatius' stomach grumbled. He hadn't eaten today, and the sight of the large pot was enough to set him over the edge and dive right in. Twisted Horns beckoned for the two bowls on the table across the room. The dimly lit forge room wasn't the most ornate or the most dazzling place in Canterlot, but it had all the necessities. A bed, a table, a forge, and two doors. One leading to what Ignatius thought to be a bathroom, the other to who-knows-where. The Marine swiped both bowls and silverware, and gave them one at a time to Twisted Horns, who promptly filled them with chili.
Ignatius gave the mino-satyr a look. "You're eating meat?"
"Yes." said the forge master. "Just because I am part bull, and part goat, doesn't mean that I am going to cater to those, and not the part man portion. Besides, I am my own species, so, I can eat minotaurs, and satyrs without consequence because I am neither species. As far as I know, cannibalism isn't possible for me."
Ignatius just took the steaming bowl and sat down on the floor. He let out one more question before he began to eat. "Did you expect me to come for dinner?"
Twisted Horns chuckled. "No. I just always have another bowl waiting for me when I finish the first one."
"Fat ass." Ignatius said with a playful smile.
Twisted Horns flexed his muscles to show off his physique. "(grunt) You were (grunt) saying?" Ignatius shook his head, smiled and ate. He knew that somewhere along the road, this hulking man beast was going to end up being one of the few friends he would have in this strange land.
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Aquinas' dream was that of pure comfort. On the beach, soaking up the sun, he had a Corona with three lime slices in it next to him. He almost didn't want to wake up. However, his body clock told him that it was fully charged, and needed to get up. The Ensign scratched to corners of his eyes to get the sand out of them, and yawned. When he opened his eyes, he found that he wasn't alone in his room. He saw a young purple haired girl standing over him with an ear splitting grin on her face.
"Well, I must say, Miss Sparkle." Aquinas said in a grunting tone as he sat up in his bed. "That's really creepy. You standing over me as I wake up."
"I'm sorry." Twilight beamed. "I just couldn't wait any longer, it's almost nine o'clock and I would really like to get started."
"Started on what?" Aquinas asked.
"Your schooling." said a familiar female voice. Aquinas saw the princess standing in the doorway and gave her a quizzical look. She was wearing a new white silk gown that revealed her smooth shoulders and strap sandals. "From what I was able to find out before the event that brought you here, your world does not have magic, and because you seem to be blessed by the unicorn, I see it necessary to instruct you on how to use it."
"So . . . what you're saying is, I will be how to use magic." Aquinas beamed. He was actually quite excited to learn how to use magic. "And I will be learning alongside Twilight."
"Learning from Twilight." the purple haired girl said as-a-matter-of-factly.
Aquinas' quizzical look came back on his face. The princess offered a nod in affirmation. "Why am I learning from magic from Twilight? No offense."
"None taken." said the young lady with her smile still splitting her face.
"You see, Aquinas." Celestia said as she closed the distance between the doorway and her student. "Twilight won't always be a student, and she must learn to pass on her knowledge of magic to others. So, with you needing the schooling in magic, I thought, why not kill two birds with one stone?"
"Huh." Aquinas pondered."I guess this will be kind of interesting."
"Then it is settled. You shall be Twilight's new pupil. Get dressed and I will have a meal waiting for you down in the dining hall. Do you remember where it is?" Aquinas nodded. "Then I will see you there. Come, Twilight." With that the princess and her student left Aquinas to get his clothes on, but not before Aquinas stopped them.
"Princess, if you could do me a small favor."
"Of course." the princess beamed.
"Will you check on my brother? I worry about him."
The princess' face turned sour, but she quickly regained her grin and said, "I will look into him. No doubt he may need flying lessons." With that, the pair departed. As the royal started away, Twilight hung for a split second to issue a fluttering finger wave to the officer with a sparkling eye. The Ensign just shrugged it off and proceeded.
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Ignatius beat the hot metal he held with a pair of tongs in a rythmatic fashion. Twisted Horns observed him with a sense of pride. Ignatius had some practice at the forge, but blacksmithing seemed to be his true talent, other that killing, of course. The tempo and the speed at which he worked told the minotaur what he needed to know about his skill. He enjoyed watching the man work, even more than Ignatius enjoying actually doing it. The door to the forge creaked in protest as it swung open. The natural light from outside shining brightly inward as a majestic figure stepped through. Princess Celestia closed the door behind her as she approached the hulking man-beast. She floated over to him and tried feebly to put her arms around him. Twisted Horns was able to rap her in his own just fine. He made sure to only apply enough pressure to give her a proper embrace, but not enough to stop her from breathing. Three tears graced her cheeks as she buried her head in the forge master's lower chest. She withdrew once her arms wouldn't take the strain anymore. She smiled and said. "How are you, my old friend?"
"It has been far too long, Tia." The minotaur replied. "I am well, and you seem to have finally put on some healthy weight."
"I have." the royal said humbly. Twisted Horns always did worry about her withering away because she didn't eat enough. Now she was worrying that she be eating too much, but she digressed. She turned to Ignatius with a none threatening smile. Ignatius' scowl and the hate he openly held behind his eyes told the princess it was unwelcome. "Come now, Ignatius." she pleaded. "Can't we let bygones be bygones?" she stepped forward slightly, but was met with a red hot piece of metal being shoved in front of her face.
"I told him about the guards that he dispatched." Twisted Horns interjected. "It seems your little imprisonment and trial didn't go over as well as one would have liked." The princess backed off slightly. Her smile now turned to a look of fright. She was starting to understand why Alvi constantly tells her that she doesn't like being around the man.
"You better learn to stop playing games with me and my brother. Those guards were already on death row as soon as you had solid evidence to convict them of their crimes against the people, and I saved a woman from becoming another victim of their spree of debotury, and instead of thanking me, or just giving me a simple nod in approval, you gave me the back of your hand. So, please excuse me if I would rather shove this hot metal spike into your twat than embrace you with a smile."
The princess backed off a step and cleared her throat. "Well, I came here not on my own interest, but that of your brother's." Her face maintained a smile, but her voice was strict. "He wanted to know that you were alright, and I would also have liked to extend my hand and offer flying lessons to you."
Ignatius digested every word that she spoke. He didn't doubt that his brother worried about him, but he didn't expect the second part. "So, flying lessons, huh?" Ignatius placed the metal back in the fire of the forge to heat back up to a hot enough temperature to work on it. "Who will I be receiving these lesson from?"
"I have yet to find you a suitable teacher, but when I do, you will be the first to know." the princess replied cool enough.
"Fine." Ignatius snorted. "Just make sure that my brother isn't doing anything too dangerous. "
"Don't worry." Celestia reassured. "I told Twilight to not teach him anything above the novice level."
"WAIT! HOLD THE FUCK UP!" Ignatius cried. "Did you just say that Twilight is teaching my brother magic?"
"Yes." the princess said easily. "Why?" her smile growing wider.
Ignatius knew what she was doing, and he didn't like it. She wanted to see how many buttons she could press before something 'fun' happened. She was just doing this because she knew she was in no real danger. Twisted Horns was closer to her than anyone in the castle, and he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. So, he figured that she decided to have all the fun she wanted at Ignatius' expense. He knew he couldn't face the mino-satyr, but he really wanted to smash the princess' skull in with the hammer he held. "Just keep him safe." he sneered and he picked up the metal out of the forge with the tongs and continued to work.
The princess hugged Twisted Horns one more time, but while she did, she said, "Make sure he doesn't cause any trouble."
"Don't worry." he said. "I think that by the time Fall rolls around, you will see a whole new man."
"You really think so?" the princess' voice was more than hopeful.
"I know so."
With that, the princess departed with no intension of coming back unless she absolutely had to.
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Aquinas concentrated as hard as he could. He had to have complete silence at this point, for this was one of the most difficult the most difficult things he has done. When his mind could not take any more, he just quit. "Fuck!" he cursed through his gritted teeth. "Who knew picking up a ball of yarn would be so hard?" He had been at it for six hours, but he just simply couldn't make it do anything more than wobble. He stepped back on shaky legs. His breathing was labored and he was sweating through his sir coat.
Twilight made her way over to the blue coated man, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay, Aquinas? Do you need a break?"
Aquinas blew out a sigh. "No." he starred at the ball of yarn with distain. "I just need to figure out how to use my magic. How do you do it, Twilight?"
The purple haired girl's hand glowed with a magical aura that shared the same color as her hair. The ball also glowed the same color. "You see, Aquinas." the ball spun in mid air. "Magic is not having control over something. It is having an understanding of it. Magic is a force. Life creates it, and makes it grow. Magic surrounds and binds us. We, as Unicorn blessed people, students of magic, are luminous beings," she grabbed the ball of yarn, and grabbed his shoulder. "not this crude matter. You have to feel the magic flow through you. For it flows through all things. Through you, me, Spike, my flowers, the stones that make this castle, everywhere. If you are to master magic, it is imperative that you learn this." She floated the ball of yarn over to its rest. "Now lift the ball, and feel the magic."
Aquinas took a deep breath. He took in Twilight's words. How familiar they sounded. He had learned these words before, but not from a likely source. That's what he concentrated on. The words and the lesson. Not the action. Aquinas felt the magic in the crystals in his hands. He felt the magic around the ball of yarn. As he felt, he didn't think. He just trusted his abilities, and because he did. The ball of yarn, at first was across the library, but now in his hand. The Ensign looked at this in astonishment. He had felt the magic, just like Twilight had said. The young mage beamed with pride for the man, and the man beamed with gratitude for the young woman. "Thanks, Yoda." Aquinas said as he put his hand on Twilight's shoulder.
The girl gave Aquinas a confused look. "Who's Yoda?"
"Never mind." he said in a calming voice.
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Ignatius still worked on the same piece of metal he had been working on for the day. It was finally taking the shape he envisioned. It was a simple long sword. He tried to balance the weight as much as possible to add to the maneuverability of the blade. He cleared the sweat from his brow with his hammer arm, and replaced the steel back in the forge.
Twisted Horns watched from afar in the chair on the other side of the room. Even though the room was dimly lit, he could see that the blade was shaping up to be a work of art. He was rather impressed by Ignatius' handy work. A minotaur would be insulted if his blade was presented to them, but then again, Twisted Horns, like all minotaurs, are practically born with a smithy hammer in hand. Swords like Ignatius' would be good for an adolescent teenager, but seeing as how he himself was not an expert, he was still making a rather fine blade. The forge master looked at the coco clock on the wall over the human's head and saw it was time to make dinner. "Ignatius." he called. The Marine looked towards the monster. "it's time to get dinner started. Go wash up, and get some water, please." Ignatius removed the heated metal and put it on a metal rest to cool down, and replaced the hammer.
"Horns?" the minotaur turned to Ignatius from the carrots he was cutting. "What do you see through your eyes that makes you smile so much?"
The minotaur only smiled wider, and said. "I just smile because it makes me happy. I always look at things positively. Even in the worst situations, I still can find a reason to smile, and when you do, this dimly lit room, becomes brighter and more vibrant than Celestia's throne room. I learned to deal with the negativity that comes into every day life, and turn it over on itself, and because I am able to do that, it make me smile more."
"Huh." Ignatius pondered this, and when he did, he could find no argument. So, he just went into the back and washed up for dinner.
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"BEEEELCH!"
Ignatius just sat there dumbfounded. He never had seen someone move a table by belching at it. Then again, he had never seen a mino-satyr before either. "Good one." was all he could say.
Twisted Horns let out a belly laugh in response. A knock on the door quickly broke the joy. "Come on in, the door's open." the forge master cried.
The door swung open and a figure stepped beyond the portal. "Hey, Ignatius." Aquinas said with a bit of mirth. "What's going o . . ." Aquinas stopped in his tracks as he saw Twisted Horns. His eyes became as wide as dinner plates. "Dude." he said without thinking.
"Hi" Twisted horns said as he waved with a large smile.
Aquinas turned to his brother. "Dude, this guy looks awesome!"
"You haven't seen anything yet." Ignatius warned. "Watch this." He gave Twisted Horns the go ahead. The man beast sucked in some air to his stomach to build pressure, when he had enough, he let out a bigger belch than before. He was not only able to shake the table, but he made the plates bounce.
Aquinas gave an exaggerated, hurt look. "Aw, you guys are having all the fun!" He huffed a bit, but then, the serious button came back on. "Oh. The princess wanted me to tell you that you have a teacher for flying."
"Oh." Ignatius said dryly. "What shmuck did she stick me with?"
"My shmuck of a cousin." came a voice from beyond the portal. In stepped a woman dressed in gilded armor and armed with a spear and short sword. "Hello, Ignatius."
"Private Bright Flower." said the Marine. "How do you fair?"
"I am doing well, sir, and yourself?"
"Can't complain." Ignatius crossed his arms. "So, you said your cousin is going to give me flying lessons."
"That is correct." she said. "Spitfire's bit of a bitch to handle, but I'm sure a man of your standing will fair too easily under her wing."
Ignatius perked an eyebrow. "You said that, Spitfire was my flying instructor?"
"Yes." said the private. "You seem to have heard of her before."
Ignatius looked to his brother, and then back to the guard. "I may have heard her name mentioned once or twice."
Bright Flower gave a huff. "She always wanted to get her name out there. Anyway, she will be start your lessons in the morning in the courtyard. She will fill you in on the rest of the schedule." She gave a pause for a second, her eyes not being drawn away from the man in front of her. "I must take my leave now, but I will see you around, Ignatius." She gave a customary salute, and after the Sergeant gave his, she went off.
Aquinas elbowed his brother and said. "Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap . . . OW!" Ignatius gave his brother a slap on the back of the head.
"No." he said grimly.
Aquinas just chuckled.
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The courtyard in the morning was as one would not expect. At this time, and at the time of night, nothing came in or out of the courtyard, save for a group of scholars on their way to their classes. They made small jokes and laughed merrily with each other. As the trio ascended the staircase that led out of the courtyard and to , they passed up a man in a black trench coat. He had a very disgruntled look on his face and he was sporting a dagger under his garment. The students gave him a respectful pathway down the steps. For none of them wanted to tangle with a man like that.
Ignatius paid no heed to the trio of friends and made his way to the middle of the courtyard. He stood in the middle of a grassy lawn with not a whisper of wind gracing the grass. After about a minute of standing in there, waiting for Spitfire, he turned around with a growl in his throat and was about to leave when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. This usually meant that there was danger around, and he was right , when he spun a 180 and ceased a fiery-orange haired woman with dirty-gold wings by the throat. She stood, if she was standing, at about five-foot eight. She wore a skin tight flight suit and custom athletic shoes sharing the design of a yellow thunderbolt over a sky-blue hue. Her wings flapped ungracefully as she tried to release herself from the Marine's iron grip. Ignatius just gave a deadpan face. It hid his amusement that the little woman was trying so hard. Her actions were obviously in vain, as he only squeezed tighter as she struggled more. Spitfire's wings nearly lost all of their strength as oxygen was leaving her system without any replenishment.
Before the woman passed out, the black coated male let her drop to the ground. Spitfire gave a cough as she sucked in precious air and massaged her throat. She opened up her tear welling eyes and looked up to find the same dead pan face staring back at her. She was frozen with fright as the dry, pale blue eyes of her offender locked her in place. "If you ever sneak up on me again,' he presented the wicked edge of the blade to the woman. "I will stab you with my dagger. I am not going to kill you, I'm just going to make you suffer the pain of the edge of my blade making a nice slit in your abdomen. Do I make myself clear?" Spitfire just nodded rapidly in fear.
The jumpsuited woman cleared her throat and perked up her wings again. She flapped them a couple times and made it back in the air to be now towering over Ignatius. She gave a weak smile as she extended her hand and said, "Well, my name, as my cousin may have said, is Spitfire." With the mention of her name, she gained a little confidence back. "And I am your teacher in the art of flying. However, I do not know your name. So, why don't you introduce yourself?"
Ignatius gave a long snort and said, "My name is Ignatius."
Spitfire extended her hand, which Ignatius promptly took. He gave a firm grasp as was customary, but he did not expect the young woman to give such an impressive grip herself. They both looked each other straight in the eye, and Spitfire smiled.
"That's too bad." Spitfire cooed. This set Ignatius back a bit.
"What do you mean?"
"That you are going to fail my lessons."
Ignatius made his wings erupt out of his back in a flurry of black feathers. They were just bigger than Spitfire's wings, but looked twice as powerful. "How about now?"
The woman openly chuckled. "It wouldn't matter if you had Princess Celestia's wings. You still would fail."
Ignatius deadly gaze set back on Spitfire. He growled loud enough to set a bear back on its heels. He definitely did not like being made fun of. "Explain to me how you know the future already. You know nothing of my limits, or my strength."
"I know you will fail," Spitfire explained. "because I know that you are too uptight. You are not a free spirit. You seem to like things all in line, planned out. When you are up there in the sky, there isn't a road. There isn't a set path that you can take to get to a destination. You must learn to just go with the flow, and learn to let go. You need to learn to relax. Otherwise, you aren't going to be able to fly a mile without having your wings all tensed up and unusable because you have an inability to just take things as they come. Flight is about becoming like the spirits. Limitless, happy, excited, death defying, and above all, free."
Ignatius thought Spitfire's words over, and tried to analyze every word. She gave him two sharp knocks on the head as he stood there. Ignatius snapped his teeth at her.
"You're doing it all wrong!"
"I haven't fucking done anything!"
"Exactly?! That's your problem. You have to stop trying to put everything under a microscope. Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts." With that Spitfire took off into the air and hovered at about forty feet up. "Get up here!" she called down.
Ignatius was skeptical. How did she expect him to get up there when he hadn't even taken his wings out for a test run. Still, she wasn't up that high. He took a deep breath and tried to get his wings to function. They started out slow, but soon grew to a steady pace. A pace that was enough to lift him up off the ground and up into the air. His breath became labored as he kept his concentration on the woman in the jumpsuit. He tried not to look down, because he knew that if he did, he would end up losing focus. He was visibly sweating, and he was swishing back and forth as his wing beats made him unstable. Nonetheless, he got up the required height, but because of his tension, he needed to go back down almost immediately.
Spitfire rolled her eyes, when she saw him panting. She went over to him, and took his hands, she placed the on her hips. If it wasn't for his labor, Ignatius' embarrassment would have been exposed through the red that his face was already colored by. Spitfire put hers on his shoulders. "Concentrate on me." she said softly. She drew herself in closer, her nose nearly touching his.
"Just what are you doing?" Ignatius asked in a shaky tone.
"Adding a feminine touch." she said coolly. "I know that guys have trouble sometimes with concentrating on their first flight. They need something to take their minds off their wing beats, and this did the trick with my pal Soarin when we were younger." Ignatius looked around to see that he was comfortably flapping his wings. "And it seems to me that it is doing the trick for you." She let him go and the Marine was still floating there with ease. "So, let's get over to the practice field." She slowly drifted backwards. "I'll go slow for ya, and remember, feel, don't think. Trust your instincts."
"Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts." Ignatius repeated. He kept telling himself that over and over again, as he slowly went forward. It wasn't long before he picked up a little speed. He gave himself a congratulatory smile, and went on. He did feel something though. A sense of weightlessness and happiness. He felt like nothing could touch him. He was starting to enjoy himself.
The pair made it to the practice field in the course of an hour, but that was just because they took a couple detours around the castle. The field itself was that of something that someone would expect. Certain obstacles floated high in the air and others were just a few feet off the ground. Ranging from loops and maneuvering rods, to colorful balls and platforms. "Alright." Spitfire said enthusiastically. "Let's get started."
"What would you have me do first?" Ignatius said with about as much enthusiasm as his teacher.
"Hit the track and take three laps, but let's see if you can move faster than three miles an hour, okay?" She took out a whistle out from under her jumpsuit. "Are you ready?"
Ignatius nodded.
"Then let's go!" She blew the whistle and Ignatius started off. He went a lot faster than what he had before, and even went faster as he took his second and third lap. He felt exhilarated and free, powerful and majestic. He felt the kiss of the air on his face, and whistle in his ears. He slowed down to a crawl as he approached Spitfire.
"See, I told you. Feel, don't think." the next words they said together. "Trust your instincts." The duo laughed together. Ignatius' smile, surprisingly, didn't recede. He just felt so good to have the ability to fly, that everything else, just seemed to melt away.
"See? Don't you feel better?"
"Yeah." he said in reply. "I guess I do. Thanks, Qui Gon."
Spitfire cocked her head in confusion. "Who's Qui Gon?"
"Don't worry about it." |
Metal Ringing | Celestia's Fear | The halls of Canterlot Castle were far from silent at this time, and that worked out perfectly. So many people going about their everyday tasks would pay no heed to a frantic young lady running as fast as she could around every corner and down every hallway. Twilight Sparkle's heart beat so fast, she was sure that it would jump out of her chest, but even with that disturbing image in her head, she still ran on. It took her a while, but she finally made it to the Wonderbolt practice field.
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Speed, efficiency, grace, control. All these things described Ignatius in flight. His black wings pierced the blue sky at an alarming pace, but because of the serrated tips, he made no sound. He flapped his wings once more to give himself a burst of speed and curled up into a canon ball. He flew forward about twenty feet in a straight line before locking his body out in a plank with his head facing up. Ignatius, with this trick, was able to rocket himself at a complete 90 degree angle, and flew straight up at the same speed he went in at. The flying Marine was able to do this at any angle, even 180 degrees. Which is what he did. Once he got up to a sufficient altitude, Ignatius curled up again, and flipped downward, and flew straight down, he was gaining a tremendous amount of speed, until he noticed something at the entrance of the field. A tiny spec of purple running with purpose toward Spitfire's position. Ignatius turned slightly and decreased his speed to make the landing.
Twilight stopped just short from Spitfire and leaned on her knees. She was sweating all over and her breathes were labored. The pegasus came up next to the young girl and made her stand up. "Hey, hey, calm down. Breath deep." Twilight tried to steady herself, but found it hard to draw air. Ignatius flapped his wings to control his decent. The pair on his back faded into his skin as he stalked toward the duo.
"What's wrong with Twilight?" he asked. A bit of concern in his voice.
"Your (gasp) brother. (gasp)." Twilight said.
"What about him?"
"Your brother (gasp) is missing."
"WHAT?!" Ignatius' heart rate was already high, now it sky rocketed. "How did he go missing?" Ignatius nature kicked in and he was now inches from the girl's face. His eyes launching daggers into her purple hued orbs.
Twilight's breathing calmed down slightly enough, but it would remain at that rate because of her level of fright. She had never dealt with a man like Ignatius before, and to see him as angry as he is now, was rather terrifying. Though her level of fear was relevant, she managed to say, "I was going through some routine steps for a color changing spell, and the topic of teleportation came up. I told him not to, but he wouldn't listen."
"Let me guess." Ignatius said through clenched teeth. "He tried teleporting and now you have no idea where the fuck he is, right?"
Twilight squeaked in fear, and tried to hide behind her long hair and forearms.
Ignatius's hand instinctively slid over to his knife. He grabbed Twilight by the hair on the back of her head, and yanked it back. She howled in pain, but was silent with fear as she saw the Marine's wicked edge placed up against her face. "If my brother is harmed in any way, I am going to tie you up and hang you upside down as I cut off your face. Do you understand me?" The Sergeant's cold tone was enough freeze beer. Twilight's head only nodded violently as a response. "Good." he whispered softly, and withdrew his hand.
Ignatius replaced his blade and turned toward Spitfire. She herself stood rigid as a board after witnessing the event. "Fly around Canterlot and see if you can spot him from the air. He should be easy to spot. He is a tall, heavy set male wearing a blue military coat. While you're up there, we will be looking on the interior of the castle. Come find us when you're through scanning the area."
It took her a while, but Spitfire put together a mental image. She took off at full speed, and went around the spires, thinking that he would have been put in danger by such a spell. Thankfully, he was not.
She kept searching, even going as far as to check the mountain slopes that Canterlot was built on. Nothing there either. She then checked the streets of Canterlot. She spotted one man that looked like he fit the description. She flew down to him and asked, "Excuse me, Aquinas?"
The man in a blue coat gave her a look. "Who in the name of Celestia, is Aquinas?" the man huffed and took another bite of his jelly doughnut.
Spitfire gave an annoyed sigh and flew off again. It didn't take her long to find the pair that she had left behind. She saw them through the library windows. Spitfire hopped in through an open window. "Any luck?"
Ignatius flipped through a page in a spell book. "We won't need it soon." He threw the book across the room like a discus and hit his target. With it being Twilight's stomach, the girl gave an 'umph' as the tome hit her abdomen. "Page two ninety-eight." he yelled across the room.
Twilight sucked up the pain in her stomach and flipped through the pages until she found the correct one. "Got it!" she cried. The purple gem stones in her hands glowing as she concentrated. She closed her eyes and tried her hardest to finish the spell. When the spell was over, her eyes shot open, and a huge smile came across her face. "I know where he is."
Spitfire scratched her head. "What was that?"
"A locator spell." Twilight beamed. "I used it to find out where Aquinas had been placed."
"Well, let's not waist any more time." Ignatius shot. "Let's get moving and find my brother."
"Should we tell Twilight's teacher?" Spitfire asked. She thought that that would be the best course of action.
Twilight was about to protest, but was cut off by Ignatius. "No." he snapped. "I don't want her in on this. We find him on our own." The purple haired student blew a silent sigh of relief.
The trio made their way out of the library and went towards the where the teleportation spell had place Aquinas. The lower sections of the castle.
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The lower corridors of the castle were just as beautiful as the upper chambers. However, instead of having adorned stain glass windows with the rays of the sun shining through, the closed corridors where lit with aquamarine crystals for a ceiling. The stalactites that hung down looked like they twisted in on each other to form amazing patterns of stone. Spitfire had never seen the lower corridors of the castle before, but she had heard rumors about such wonders that graced the underbelly of the majestic fortress home. She was quite taken aback by such sights. Twilight had gotten to experience these wonders before, but with every visit, more excitement always found its way into her heart. Ignatius on the other hand, cared little for this. Although it was rather pleasing to the eyes, his main focus was on finding his brother. It had only been three weeks and Aquinas had already found some way to fuck something up. His rage boiled his blood, but the feeling in his heart was what was getting the most attention. Though his brother was capable, and now had training in the use of arcane powers, this whole castle was teaming with danger. If those were just the guards that Celestia knew about, what other underhanded dealings happened within the white walls of the castle. His brother's safety was Ignatius' main concern. He didn't want his brother hurt . . . or worse.
The trio made their way down a few more corridors. Twilight made her crystal adorned hands glow and made a purple path appear before the eyes of the band. "It isn't much further." she said. "Just about two more turns and we should be in the general area."
"Good." Ignatius said as he eyed the hallways. They became longer, and more narrow. Though they still had a wide path, it still became apparent that they were traveling deeper into the heart of the castle. The first of the two turns came up, but before the party made their way around, Ignatius put a hand up. The two female stopped dead in their tracks, and let the Marine whip himself around the corner. He came back with a woman's throat clasped in his hand.
Alvi shook as hard as she could to get the man's hand off her esophagus. She even tried changing her foot patterns to see if he could keep up with her quick movements, but with her rapidly depleting oxygen level, she moved slower and slower until the Sergeant just dropped her on the seat of her dress, and left her coughing while massaging her throat. Alvi enjoyed the next few breaths of fresh air, but then hated the next moments of life as Ignatius loomed over her. His shadow was something that only the truly cynical would call 'a proper stand over one's inferiors'. She gave a weak smile, and said, "Ignatius. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I heard another pair of footsteps stop stepping at the corner, and I became curious as to what would deter you from rounding it." Ignatius' tone was so cold it could make the Frozen North feel like it was Dodge City.
Alvi's smile became weaker. "I, I, was just walking round down here, and I heard footsteps and voices. I recognized yours and I just thought I might have a little fun and give you all a good scare, but that now seems like that would not have been a good idea." Alvi gave a slight chuckle. "Hindsight, and all that."
Ignatius gave a snort, and gave her a hand up off the ground. "We are trying to find my brother, and he seems to have a trail that leads down here. Have you seen him?"
Alvi rubbed her chin. "I think that I had heard some sort of voice from another corridor, but I don't remember where." She rubbed the sides of her head and blew a sigh. "And I don't remember which one."
"Don't worry about it." Ignatius said. "Twilight has the trail, so we will find him."
"Do you mind if I tag along?" asked the steward.
The leather clad man snorted and said, "Fine. Just don't get in the way."
With that, the now party of four went along the hallways.
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After the excitement with Alvi, Ignatius thought that he could get some more quiet. However, when Twilight Sparkle is in the room, you can expect the opposite. "Soooo, Ignatius?"
"What?" the Marine groaned.
"Ignatius, I was wondering. I was just curious, but does Aquinas have a girlfriend."
"No." Ignatius said flatly. He figured the least amount of words he used, the quicker that she would get the message that he didn't want to talk.
"Oh, so, he is single then?"
"Yeah."
"Do you think . . .I don't know . . . that maybe he likes me?" no one saw it, but Twilight's face flashed red.
Ignatius was about to answer with the sharpest part of his tongue, but something clicked in his head. A wide devious grin came over his face. He quickly changed it to that which would fit a character like his, and said "I think he does."
Twilight's eyes sparkled. "Really? Has he talked about me to you at all?"
Ignatius thought for a moment. "Well," he began. "Last Wednesday when I saw him, he was saying that when you have your eyes set on something, they seem to twinkle and shine. He also stated that you were very smart, and knew way too much about magic for you to be considered a student." Ignatius could feel the smile that was on Twilight's face. This is when he made his kill shot. "He also commented on how beautiful you where. Aquinas mentioned that you had a more than perfect physique and that when you where wearing that purple sweater vest, he nearly melted away." Ignatius had to control the amount of laughter that was building up in his gut. If he let just one chuckle out, it could ruin his plans.
Twilight propped herself up against the wall. Her breathing was just as labored as it was two hours ago when she was running. "Hey, you guys, I need a break." He eyes started to tear up from the amount of joy and happiness that was swelling inside of her.
The rest of the group stopped a few feet from the purple haired girl. Ignatius let out a couple of incredibly silent chuckles, but his laughter was cut short by a pair of angry yellow and orange eyes. The Marine looked at Spitfire quizzically. "What?"
"I know what you are doing!" The Wonderbolt shot. She hushed her tone to keep Twilight from hearing.
"I know what you're doing too." Alvi chimed in. "And I like it." He devious smile matched Ignatius'.
Fire erupted behind Spitfire's eyes. "How can you be so insensitive?" she silently barked. "Are you trying to hurt this poor girl?" She was deeply concerned about her. Though she had only just met the girl, she still felt a connection between each other. She felt for her.
"No." Ignatius replied. "I'm not trying to hurt Twilight. I'm just trying to embarrass the living shit out of my brother. I heard how she was talking and you see how she is after hearing my words." They trio turned to the studious girl and saw how she breathed deeply and had the largest smile on her face. Spitfire's throat had developed a lump. She had known that look all too well. She knew how happy Twilight must be feeling, and that is what made her so sad. If Ignatius' plan fell through, he may emotionally damage her. "See?"
"Oh, I see." Spitfire sneered. "I see a man who is so heartless and cruel that he would try and ruin a small girl's psyche for no better reason than because you think it a funny joke to play on your brother." The Wonderbolt stormed off to the other end of the hallway and leaned her back up against the wall. She turned her head away from the rest of the group with a huff.
"Alright, everyone." a voice came from behind the pair. Ignatius and Alvi turned to see Twilight standing right behind them. Her face looked like it had been kissed by Celestia's sun, and then some. She absolutely glowed. The magic student looked past them to see Spitfire. "What's wrong with her?" Her voice expressing her concern.
"Oh, don't worry about her." Alvi chimed. "Ignatius and I were having fun, and Spitfire didn't like it." Twilight's shoulders drooped in sadness. "Oh don't feel bad. She's just on her time of the month is all." This brought a chuckle from the girl. She knew how that felt.
Twilight took the lead to find Aquinas. She had a new spring in her step that didn't seem like it would give out easily. The rest followed suit, up until Spitfire joined the group. Her scowl and her silence echoed her distain for the leather clad Marine.
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"Fuck." Ignatius said as his shoulders drooped in defeat. The others in the group shared the feeling. The corridor that was supposed to be Aquinas' position was not what anyone expected. Every part of the hallway was covered in doors. "What the fuck is this?"
Alvi came up to speak. "These are Numinex doors. They are doors that lead can lead to anywhere. If Aquinas stepped through one of these, he could be on the other side of the world, and because this is a one way trip, there is no turning back once he closed the door. I'm sorry to say, but your brother could be anywhere. Really, anywhere."
Ignatius took in a breath and let it out slow. "Okay, here's what we'll do. Spitfire and me will take top side, and work our way down. Twilight, you and Alvi take the doors on the opposite side and work your way towards the middle. Everyone should meet in the center. Go."
Spitfire, with vigor, took off in the opposite direction as Ignatius, as Alvi did the same with Twilight. Door after door was opened, but not one blue coated man was found. Except for Spitfire, who opened another door to find the same man from the streets of Canterlot stare back at her as he put his feet up on his ottoman as he sat in his chair next to a fireplace. She quickly closed the door and continued to search. Twilight used her magic to open two doors at once to speed up the process. Each person went back and forth across the hall to get at each door a quickly as they could. Everyone met in the middle after an unsuccessful search. Each one was out of breath and the heaviness of guilt and failure weighed heavily on them. Until Twilight noticed something.
"Hey, did we check that door?" on the other side of the hallway there was a lone door hidden in shadow. It had dust caked on it, and the door knob's fittings looked like they would fall off any time. Ignatius and the gang went over to the door. It looked like someone had recently disturbed the door.
"Alvi?" Twilight said in a shaky tone. "What's behind that door?"
Alvi shrugged in reply.
Ignatius drew his dagger from its sheath and he brought his leg up to bare. The Marine gave a might kick to the door, and the portal flung open. Ignatius charged in blade first to meet any opposition. Time to get his brother back.
Ignatius went in with a battle cry piercing the air. "AAAAAHHHHHHHHH . . .what the fuck?" Ignatius stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the large form of his brother covered in grey furs.
"I AM KOALA MASTER!" the naval man cried as four of the marsupials climbed on top of his as he outstretched his arms like tree branches, which the koalas had mistaken them for.
Ignatius' vain at the front of his forehead was about to burst. He had thought that his brother was in some sort of danger, but here he was, playing with Australian wildlife. "Ugh!" he face palmed. "What are you doing here?" His annoyance was rather apparent.
"Well," Aquinas began. "Twilight told me that to teleport, you have to have a destination to think of, and I want to go to the places that koalas are. So, I teleported to a door, which looked like shit, and then when I opened it, and I found a koala sitting there. I went in and the door shut behind me. I have been here ever since." A koala had made its way up from the rock that the officer was sitting on and found a perch on his head. "It hurts so much, but they're so cute. I especially like this one." Aquinas pointed with his foot. "I named him Feels."
"Why did you name him Feels?" Ignatius said quizzically.
"Because he only has one ear." Aquinas said in a sad, yet understanding tone.
Ignatius looked down to see the koala did only have one ear. It was still rather small, so it had to be a young cub. It was possibly a birth defect. "Hm." was all he had to say.
Ignatius' let out a holler when a flash of purple ran past him and into Aquinas. Twilight had her arms around him in a split second. Then that's when the real assault came. "Are you hurt? Did the koalas attacked you? Did you feel any sort of sickness when you teleported? This heat is unbearable, have you had enough to drink?"
Aquinas couldn't follow any of that, so he just made a huge smile and made one his signature noises. "Ehng."
"He's fine." Ignatius spat. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
"Aw." Aquinas whined. "I want to play with the koalas some more."
"NOW!" Ignatius' tone and expression was all he need to realize that his brother was not in the mood.
So, Aquinas let his arms droop and the koalas took that as their cue to get off. The marsupials went along their way to other trees and climbed up in them to sleep the rest of the day. With his arms free, Twilight grabbed a free hand and held it tight. Aquinas, still distracted by the overload of joy, took as just a friendly gesture. He smiled with the young girl all the way out of the door, and back onto castle grounds. Once in their rightful places, Ignatius stepped through the door. Spitfire and Alvi waited for him. Alvi's expression was that of genuine satisfaction, while the former was completely irate. The Marine only saw it for a second until his head nearly spun around. Spitfire's hand had made its mark on Ignatius face. When he had recovered from the shock, and the very real pain of the hit, he turned to find the winged woman's face up to his.
"You" she stuck her finger in his leather cuirass. "can forget about me ever teaching you anything about flying ever again." With a turn and a flap of her wings, Spitfire took off at full speed.
Ignatius rubbed his cheek. He figured that it wouldn't leave more than a red mark on his face. No big deal. He shrugged and started off in the same direction as his brother with Alvi in tow.
The steward looked at his face. Set as hard as stone. The mark on his face would stay there for at least an hour or so. Nothing to worry about, though there was one thing that troubled her mind. "Hey, Ignatius." The Marine acknowledged her. "With Spitfire no longer being your flight instructor, how will you learn how to fly?"
"Who says I don't already know how to fly?" he said in reply. "Spitfire taught me the basics and that's all that I need. Learning all the tricks and shit are unnecessary. I just needed to know enough to get off the ground."
"So, I guess you don't need her anymore, huh?" Alvi tried to read any sort of expression on his face that would hint at any sort of displeasure. She found nothing.
"That's right." Ignatius said stoically. "I have all that I need to know in order to be a successful flyer. The basics."
Alvi gave a satisfied smile. She liked the way Ignatius thought.
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It was just about dinner time, and Princess Celestia was almost done with her paperwork. One more paper and she was done. The monarch dipped her quill in some ink as she reached her hand over to grab the paper. However, when her hand went over her paper, she grabbed what didn't feel like paper. Instead she felt something soft or fuzzy. It was rather small, she thought it may be a raccoon, but when she turned her head to see what she had grabbed, her face blanched. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she saw what was right next to her. The next thing she knew, she was screaming.
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Alvi, Aquinas, Ignatius, and Twilight ascended the stairs in a neat pack. They were on their way to collect the princess for dinner. Aquinas told his brother of how he played with the koalas and how he tried to sleep in a tree. "Yeah, it wasn't very comfortable."
"I would imagine so." Twilight said as she grabbed Aquinas' hand and held him close. "What you need is a soft bed for that strong body of yours." She stroked his shoulder and bicep. "Those muscles need to relax."
"You're so sweet, Twilight." Aquinas smiled back.
Ignatius and Alvi clenched their teeth and sucked their lips to their teeth so the sides of their mouths wouldn't curl into a smile. This was going to go better than expected. Ignatius knew that once his koala induced euphoria wore off, things would get really awkward between them. He did feel like a child for doing something this immature, but as the old saying goes, "Human males don't grow up, they get bigger." So, no matter how childish this may seem, it was still hilariously funny.
The mirth of the situation was grinded to a halt, when a scream was heard from up the stairs. This stair case only led to one place, and that was Princess Celestia's private study. The squad bounded up the stairs with purpose. The door to the study hall was slightly open, and it soon was fully open when Ignatius kicked his way in, with his blade drawn. What the Marine saw made that familiar vein bulge again. The princess was huddled into the corner of the room, and crouched on a table screaming. Below her was a small furry animal. An animal that Aquinas knew well.
"Feels, no!" Aquinas cried as he went over to the koala and picked him up. The little beast dug its claws into the Naval officer's coat to give him a hug. "Aw, I still love, Feels." Aquinas bent his head low enough to give the marsupial a nose rub on the top of its head. The koala perked its head up to do meet the large man's nose and gave the rub back. "Rehnngg!" Aquinas always made such a noise when he was happy.
"Aquinas!" What are you doing with that, that THING, in my castle?!" Celestia's tone made it evident that she was not pleased with having Feels around.
"Why are you freaking out?" Aquinas questioned. Feels when back to cuddling. "He's just a koala bear."
"They're scary!" the crowned woman cried.
"No they're not." Aquinas countered. "They're cute and cuddly and fluffy." he scratched Feels' back and the Koala closed his eyes, and flopped his one ear vigorously in pleasure.
Princess Celestia's arms came from her chest slightly, as they were pressed up against her chest before. She started to think of feeling okay with koala being there as she saw how friendly it was being with Aquinas. "Okay, now I know I'm afraid of those things, but that is just adorable." Her sourness towards the creatures quickly returned though. "Aquinas, I want that thing out of my castle, now."
Aquinas gave a saddened look, and his shoulders drooped. "Aw, come on." he begged. "Can't Feels stay?" The marsupial rubbed its head on the officer's coat in appreciation.
"Now, Aquinas!" the princess wasn't budging from this. She hated koalas and she wanted this one out of her study, and the rest of her life if possible. Aquinas gave a defeated whimper, but he complied. He made his way out of the study along with everyone else, and closed the door behind him.
Ignatius and Alvi couldn't hold it in any longer. They started to bend at their knees, and burst out laughing. "I, I," Ignatius gasped. "I can't believe she's afraid of koala bears!" A magic beam of gold burst through the door and nearly clipped the Marine as it hit the adjacent wall. "O, Oh, shit!" Ignatius stood back up and sprinted away from the door, with Alvi in tow. Both of them keeping pace with the other, all while laughing like hyenas the whole time.
Aquinas and Twilight gave each other defeated shrugs and moved on towards the halls below. It would take a while to get there, so Twilight started up on a lecture she had memorized thoroughly on the importance of Star Swirl the Bearded's theory on occult paradigm shifts. Aquinas blew a silent sigh, and whispered to the Feels, "I think this girl might actually talk my ear off." The koala covered his ear with his paw, even he knew that this was going to be a long trip.
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"I could have sworn you did."
"I thought Ignatius did."
"I was the first to leave."
"Well then, it must have been Ignatius or Alvi."
Twilight and Aquinas went back and forth on this matter, though it got them nowhere. The fact of the matter was still apparent. The door to Down Under was wide open, and all the koalas that were on the trees, were gone.
"Okay, maybe the koalas went to find better trees." Twilight commented hopefully.
Aquinas shook his head. "This is prime koala territory. There is no way that they would leave this oasis."
"Then, where are they?" Twilight cried in frustration.
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Princess Celestia stepped out of her shoes and placed them neatly under her bed and replaced her crown and jewellery on her head stand. She took off her flowing white dress, and used her magic to fold and place it into her cloths hamper. The servants would come and take care of that in the morning. The monarch was now just in her under garments. She didn't like sleeping with anything else on. She always felt so comfortable and free in them, and slept so well these days because she was allowed free movement. Celestia moved her covers with her magic and slipped into bed. She reached over to her blindfold and put it on. There was just one thing missing right now.
She opened her blindfold to let one of her eyes scan the room to make sure she was alone. She let the eye mask fall back in its respective place, and reached under her pillows. When she felt the softness, she knew she had found peace. She pulled out a stuffed bear. She had had it ever since she was little, and it always helped her sleep. She cuddled the thing after blowing out the candles and started to drift off into a peaceful rest when she felt something strange. Her bed was being scaled and walked on. It felt like whatever was walking on it, there was a lot of it. Celestia threw off her blind fold, and used her magic to light all the candles in the room. When she did, she was confronted with a sight that had invaded her nightmares ever since she was small. When she looked to what she was clutching so tightly, she let out a terrified shriek.
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Aquinas was about to round the corner with Twilight, when a terrified woman with wavy hair, came running around and crashed into his frame. If it hadn't been for the significant weight difference, he would have been knocked over. Princess Celestia was visibly quaking in fear, and she had eyes as big as dinner plates. She was panting so loudly that a guard down the hall behind her could hear her, and she was a good hundred feet from her. Aquinas held the woman close, and stroked her hair. Twilight's eyes burned with a fire as she witnessed this. "Hey, hey. Calm down. What's happened?" The princess stammered something indecipherable to him. "What?" She stammered again. "Princess I can't understand you."
"Aquinas." Twilight said. "I am pretty sure we know what it is."
The officer nodded his head once the gears were in full turning. He held Celestia out at arms length. "Don't worry, we'll get them all this time." Aquinas looked her over with a stone hardened face of red. He quickly unbuttoned his coat and put it on over Celestia's shoulders. The monarch's face turned the same colour as her opposite when she pulled the coat over her to shield her body from anyone else's eyes.
Aquinas beckoned for his teacher to follow him to the princess' room. She didn't quite know, but Celestia could have sworn Twilight gave her a look of utter distain as she passed by. She just shook it off, though. She was tired and was probably just imagining things. Little did she know, she was spot on.
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Aquinas counted the last koala roll of the last guard's arms. "Thanks for the help, Private."
"No problem, sir." Cedar Wood said with enthusiasm. "I don't know what these things are, but darn it they're cute." Aquinas gave a nod and patted the young man on the shoulder. Twilight came up to the guard and gave him a hug.
"Thanks, Shiny." she said as she squeezed her big brother tight.
"Come on, Twily." Shining Armor protested with a blush. "Not when I'm in uniform."
The purple haired girl looked over to him and said. "Oh, you're so cute when you're trying to act all soldiery." She fluttered her eyes at him Aquinas, as she said this.
The naval man put on a stupid smile and said, "Nope." he let out a yawn. "Alright, time for bed. The sun had already set there in Down Under and the koalas were playing happily with each other. Aquinas bent down and patted his one eared friend on the head and went out the door after the siblings. He closed the door tight, and went on his way. Twilight's room and his went in the same path until a fork came up and they had to separate. The young girl held his hand the whole way there, even after his subtle protests. She didn't seem to like being far away from him. It showed in her eyes when they had to separate. She went her way, and Aquinas was about to go his when Shining Armor stepped in front of him, and had the largest grin on his face.
"My sister has a HUGE crush on you." He snickered.
Aquinas' face screwed up. "What? No she doesn't. She's just a little overly friendly. I mean, you know her better than I do. This shouldn't be anything new."
"Yeah, I do know her." Shining countered. "So, I know what I'm talking about when I say that she is totally crushing on you."
"Prove it."
The young girl's head peaked back around the fork. "Oh, Aquinas. I almost forgot." she blew him a kiss off of her hand like she was lightly letting dandelion fluff flutter in the wind. "Good night." she sang in the sweetest voice.
Aquinas gave the best fake smile he could, and caught the kiss with an outstretched hand. When Twilight had left for good, Aquinas face still held the smile, but the upper half of his face showed his worry. "He he, shit."
Shining Armor snickered in delight. This was just too rich. |
Metal Ringing | Awkward, Awkward, and More Awkward | This had to be the most unbearable thing that Aquinas has ever had to do. Twilight's parents had always sent their daughter some spending money, but instead of spending it, she gives it to Spike for safe keeping. Why the information? Because sometimes, Twilight does spend that money, and this time she wanted to spend it on some new outfits. She usually went to Sparkle Charmer, which Aquinas would have preferred, but instead, Twilight wanted to go to the large strip mall complex in the middle of Canterlot. Low and behold, she wanted her crush to go with her. Aquinas hated shopping. Except if the destination was a gun store or a sports shop. However, since Equestria doesn't have fire arms, and the sporting goods store is on the other side of the shopping centers the Naval officer was stuck here.
Aquinas had protested and had come up with every possible excuse. He even famed having a head ache. It would have worked, had Twilight not used her puppy dog eyes on him and told him that she would take 'extra goo care of him'. He didn't want that, so he changed his answer. How she was able to sucker him into this was a mystery to him. In fact, the bigger mystery was how women even worked! So, instead of trying to figure it out, Aquinas sucked it up and went with Twilight. Things were going smoothly, until Twilight found a dress store that she heard other people talking about while studying outside on campus.
Twilight inspected herself in the mirror. True to form, she had chosen a light purple blouse with lavender accents. On the top, there were gold swirls around the collar, and similar patterns on the arms. The studious girl twirled once. "Hmm." she inspected what it looked like from the back. "What do you think, Aquinas?"
Aquinas rolled his eyes slyly and said, "Um . . . you look rather nice."
"I just always loved the color purple." Twilight beamed.
"Well, it is the color of your hair." Aquinas was bored out of his mind, so he figured idle conversation would help keep him awake.
"Hmm." Twilight inspected herself one last time. "You know what, I'll take it. I have some shoes back in my room that would fit this just perfectly."
Twilight changed her cloths and paid for her blouse. The duo went up the streets, and headed back to Canterlot Castle. Much to Aquinas' eternal pleasure, Twilight had spent the last of her bits and wanted to head back to the castle library. Aquinas was carrying all of bags as the young woman locked her elbows with his.
"Twilight." Aquinas half whined. "Could you, ya know, hold off on the canoodling?" Aquinas did a take. "Some people are staring." only about three people glanced at them, but those three people also visibly snickered as they passed. This was so embarrassing! Aquinas' face flushed red when he saw a pair of guys chuckle to each other and crack a silent joke as they looked their way. A hood on the back of his coat like Ignatius had on his would surely help right now.
Aquinas found some relief from the peoples' prying eyes when he spotted an alley. Like the rest of the city, it was fairly clean. "Hey, Twilight." the girl's head shot up to him. "This way should take us to the Castle faster." Aquinas motioned with his head towards the alley. With the position of the sun, it did provide some shade. The pair of one and a quarter love birds walked between the buildings. Twilight still cradled the Naval officer's arm in hers. A smile of pure joy on her face as she traveled next to her crush.
Twilight's mirth would have lasted all the way to the castle, had it not been for an unplanned occurrence. Out from the exiting corner of the building shot a figure in somewhat raggish clothing. His garb still looked as if someone in the working class would use it as their mining cloths. A classy thief if one ever saw one. He bore a knife in his hand and held it out straight in front of him. The young scholar yelped at the sight of the armed and dirty man. Aquinas stood still as a stone wall. He had dealt with these types of people before.
"Hold it right there!" the thief demanded in a raspy voice. He sounded like he was sick with a throat virus, or something of some such nature. He inched forward with the tip growing ever closer to his targets. Twilight and Aquinas backed up the same distance that the man advanced. Soon they were all in the middle of the alley. "Now, give me all your money, and any items on you that have any sort of worth. Watches, jewelry . . . you understand?" Twilight went for her coin purse, but Aquinas' hand stopped her. "What are you doing, fatty?" the criminal spat. "Give up the coin, or else!"
Aquinas gave Twilight the bags and unbuttoned his coat, which also made it to the girl's arms. His frame only supported a small portion of fat around his abdomen that could be seen through the navy blue and gold buttoned vest. The rest of his body was made of packed muscle. Aquinas weighed close to two hundred and forty pounds. With most of it being corded flesh, there was no question that this man did lift.
At this point, a plan formed in Aquinas' head. This was the kind of experience that he needed in order to shake Twilight off of him. All he needed to do is get messy. The naval officer inched forward up until the knife was about a foot away from him.
The thief held his ground and took a couple of warning slashes Aquinas' way. "Stay back!" he warned. "I'm not afraid to use this." The timid tone of his voice was enough to tell Aquinas that this man was bluffing. He did a take of the knife. He noticed it was just an old chef's knife with a crude handle. He used his large hand to swat his opponents and sent the knife the knife flying. The weapon shot into the adjacent wall and bounced off. The thief's hand was starting to throb with pain at the sudden hit. He turned away from Aquinas and began to run, but was stopped by the latter when he grabbed hold of the small cloak the man was wearing. Aquinas heaved the man in, and delivered a powerful punch to the back of the thief's head. The weak man tumbled to the ground in a heap. "Okay, okay! You win. Just leave me be." the thief begged. Aquinas wasn't done though. He picked the man up by the collar and the trouser and began to spin. On the third rotation, he let the man fly down the alley way the same way that he came in at. The man groaned in pain. He wasn't prepared for something like this. He also wasn't prepared to figure out why Aquinas was called the minotaur. His head shot up when the thief's bones rung like an earthquake as Aquinas came barreling towards him with his head bent low and his arms set out in front of it. The thief got to his feet as fast as he could, and tried to run, but even with his legs pumping with all their might, Aquinas was still able to catch him, and use his legs, back and arms to smash into the man and send him launching into the air as the Naval officer gave a mighty heave as he brought his "bull horns" up like a charging steer. The thief only got a second's reprieve when Aquinas' quick feet shuffled to change his direction in a full 180. He came in and charged the man again. Keeping low this time, the Ensign used his fore arms and elbows to plow the man over. As he was assaulted by charging man, the thief bounced on the ground a couple of times as the onslaught came. The pair got along long enough for Aquinas to stop just short of Twilight and have the man flop unconsciously at the young woman's feet. Scrapes, blood, and bruises littered the man's body. If the man could talk, he would describe the experience like losing a fight with an angry bulldozer.
Twilight just stood there in shock as she looked down at the limp man. He still groaned, so she knew he was alive. She turned her attention back to Aquinas, who had nothing but a scuff on his shiny, black shoes. The magic student stood there with her mouth agape for a few moments before Aquinas took back his coat and placed it back on his shoulders. He had just buttoned his last gold piece when his neck was ringed by a pair of skinny arms. His face also had a pair of lips on his cheek.
"Oh, thank you!" Twilight chirped. "If I had been all by myself, I would have surely died, but I didn't because you were here to protect me." she kissed him again and placed her head on his shoulder. She was standing on her tip toes and leaning on him, but Aquinas just stood there and took it.
'Well that backfired for the worse.' he thought to himself. 'It can't get anymore sour than this.'
Twilight's hug lasted for as long as her toes could hold her weight. Thankfully so, it wasn't that long. She looked to the limp body of the thief and then back to Aquinas. "What are we going to do about him?"
Aquinas rubbed his chin and thought on this. He then picked up the body in a fireman's carry and placed the thief on the other end of the alley way. He placed him on his side and put the man's arm under him so that he would appear sleeping. He wasn't out of sight, but he was well within the shade. Aquinas took out his bag of bits, which contained about thirty of the gold coins, and it put under the man's arm that his head was resting on so that any would be thief would not see the coins and take it for themselves. Aquinas didn't get a good look at him before, but now he could see the man's facial features. Aside from the new cuts and scrapes, his face was rather narrow, but he spotted a cropping of hair that was orange in color. He also had a cutie mark that was in the form of a pastry. Aquinas couldn't put his finger on the type, but he lost interest when he saw Twilight eyeing him quizzically.
"What are you doing?" she asked with genuine concern.
"I am giving him my coins so that he will, or at least I hope he will, get some medical attention after he wakes up." Aquinas scooped Twilight up by the arm not carrying the bags and went their way down the alley. The girl blushed at this and smiled, but what she didn't know was that Aquinas wanted to leave the man, and this dreaded pass, as fast as he could. Though, he couldn't deny that pretty much saving Twilight's life was a bit of a rush, but instead of having her respectable fear of his strength or his malice, he now had her undying thanks and admiration for his actions. Which only made things more complicated. He felt sick as he thought to himself about the reason for why he maimed a weak thief into unconsciousness. He could just tell Twilight that he didn't want a relationship with her, but he found no way to present it in a way that wouldn't just break her fragile heart. So, he endured it all on his way to the castle. At least the street they were on was residential and the time was well into the work day, so no one saw him. Except, one person. It was a regular sized, if you didn't count the large chest, woman with straight hair that was toned a rosy kind of pink. It kind of looked like a waterfall of frosting. Her light magenta hued eyes shot daggers into Aquinas. Her arms crossed under her large chest and she gave a snort of contempt his way. Twilight was so blissfully unaware that she just kept smiling the whole time. Aquinas did a take to make sure she wasn't disturbed by such an event, but when he looked back to the woman, she was gone. The house she was in front of was rather large, of course it had to be owned by a wealthy family, and she may have just slipped back inside or out of sight. Whichever it was, he finally knew what it was like to be ghosted by someone. That whole experience kind of creeped him out. Although, it made Aquinas smile when he thought of having that happen if a man in a certain black, caped costume had done that to him.
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As the afternoon sun started to begin it descent into the horizon after it had climbed to its peak at mid day, Princess Celestia walked calmly along the hallways with a certain sway in her step. Things had been so peaceful lately. No one had shown up to court today and the nobles had finally stopped their inane prattle about the current hostilities. Which, for the most part, had died down considerably. Alvi had seen to that and did a fantastic job. In fact, it was because of Alvi's harshness and cold demeanor that Celestia hired her in the first place. She knew how to handle deceitful people and shady royals. A good sized smile tugged at the monarchs lips, and it sent her whole body spinning in euphoria. It almost was enough to shut the world out, but that was far from the matter. For when she had caught a movement at the edge of her peripheral vision, she looked to see that her student Twilight was walking with Aquinas through the courtyard. Actually, walking wasn't the correct term. Twilight seemed to be floating off the ground, and Aquinas seemed to be sinking into it as the former held onto the latter's arm as if letting go meant giving up life itself. Aquinas also wore a mildly distressed expression, while Twilight seemed to glow more than the sun itself. The princess looked at this and knew exactly what was going on. She had been this way before as well. Twilight was going through a phase the wavy haired woman knew all too well. So she knew how embarrassing it was for Aquinas. This was going to be a fun evening.
"Well, well, well." Princess Celestia chirped as the pair drew nearer. Both took a respectful bow to the monarch. "It seems you two had a pleasant afternoon." She did her best to suppress a chuckle.
"Oh, we are, princess." Twilight beamed. "Aquinas here took me to the strip malls of Canterlot and I got some knew cloths. He was such a big help." she gave his arm another squeeze. "Not to mention the fact that he faced off against a bandit!"
"A bandit?" Celestia said in a state of confusion.
Aquinas blew out a sigh. "Yah, a bandit. It was just some petty thief with a kitchen knife and he threatened us. I put him in his place."
"Aquinas, don't be so modest. It was horrific!" Twilight broke out. "He held out his knife and was going to kill us if we didn't hand over our bits. Aquinas however, took a brave stand and beat him down. He protected both of us, and all without magic. He just used those strong arms of his and that thief got what he deserved." Twilight's exaggeration was enough to make every drop of blood rush to his head.
"Huh, and where is the thief now?" Princess Celestia said as she raised an eyebrow.
"Recovering from his wounds. I gave him some money so he could go get medical attention." Aquinas used his free hand to scratch the back of his head. "I kind of went overboard on him."
"I see." the monarch stated. "Well, if that is all, Ignatius was looking for you earlier and he wants to talk to you."
"Then I should go to him." Aquinas affirmed.
"WE should go to him." Twilight corrected. Squeezing his arm again.
"Actually, Twilight." Princess Celestia interjected. "I would like you to set up the last lesson for the day."
"Which one, princess?" Twilight asked in earnest.
"The side-by-side gene swapping spell."
"But" Twilight said. "that's a really difficult spell to perform. I don't think I can even do that?"
"Teleportation is much harder than that." the white dressed female stated. "Especially when you have no idea where to teleport to." She gave a sly wink the Naval officer's way.
Twilight let go Aquinas' arm, and as soon as she did, a large rush of plasma filled the man's arm. The girl had been holding him so tight that he lost feeling in it, and the blood flow was half cut off. He nearly fell over from the sensation.
"I will have to get started on it right away if we want to have it done before dinner." Twilight gave a bow, and was about to start off toward the library but spun around and gave Aquinas a hug around his neck. She then skipped happily away after she waved and said, "Don't take too long, Big Bear." With that, Twilight went to do her part for the spell.
Aquinas looked at Princess Celestia with a wince in his eyes. She just stood there and gave an emotionless expression. "Don't do it." said the Ensign. Celestia began to slightly shake and her lips couldn't be suppressed for long. "Don't do it!" Aquinas said a little more forcefully. "DON'T . . ." before Aquinas could finish his sentence it was too late. Princess Celestia was doubled over in laughter. Her face was red and she was gasping heavily between howls of laughter. Aquinas' face had turned the deepest shade of crimson and he covered his face with his hands.
"B-B-Big . . . Bear!" the monarch was enjoying every second of Aquinas' misery. She felt like a total jerk, but this was just too funny. "I-I'm sorry." she said with tears rolling down her face. "That's just too adorable."
Aquinas really wished he had some sort of way to shield his rosy head. "Come on, Princess." his voice was a shaking whine of pure embarrassment.
"I-I know." Celestia gasped a breath of air. "I know." she tried to stifle a laugh but she went into another round of laughing.
"This is just really shitty, ya know?" Aquinas said.
"Oh, come now, Aquinas." Celestia said while wiping her face of the salty tear stains. "Is it really so bad?"
"Yes." he sneered. "People were looking at us on the street and giving us smug looks. Twilight didn't seem to notice, but I saw them all. Especially this one woman." Aquinas shuddered. "She just had nothing but distain for me. I don't rightly know why though."
"Maybe she was jealous." the princess added.
"Yah, I guess . . . DAMN IT!" Aquinas growled in frustration.
Celestia howled in laughter again. Without another word, Aquinas made his way toward Metal Ringing. Leaving the princess to laugh some more.
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Ignatius' gloved hand removed the stones from the lid of the furnace. After making enough room for himself, he reached in with a pair of tongs he produced a white crucible. Te apprentice blacksmith took it over to the anvil by the forge and placed it on the face of the anvil. He then drew his hammer from his side and smashed the white crucible into chunks. Mortar and slag fell off of what was contained inside. A red glowing ingot sat happily on the steel working platform. Ignatius bathed in its glow long enough to admire his work, but that was short lived. He immediately went to work on the red cylinder in front of him and pounded the top and twisted it on its side until the sides of the rounded object started become flatter. During his work, he saw the door being swung open. In stepped his brother. An expression of pure annoyance and frustration was more than apparent on his face.
"Long time no see, brother." Ignatius said with a smile. "How do you fare?"
Aquinas narrowed his eyes. "I would be a lot better if it wasn't for your dumb ass." his harsh tone didn't even bring a wince to his brother's eyes.
"So, you finally figured it out." Ignatius chided. "I figured it would take you longer."
"I found out three days ago." Aquinas said through clenched teeth.
"Oh, double points." Ignatius piped.
"Fuck off!" Aquinas spat. "You are the one that fucked everything up!"
"I didn't fuck anything up." Ignatius countered. "I simply moved the process along at a faster pace than anyone, except Twilight, would like. She already had feelings for you, I just lied and made it sound like you had the same for her. Quite honestly, you were trapped in her heart from the start."
Aquinas opened his mouth to speak, but no words formed. The Ensign gave a grunt instead. He had noticed at the end of the first week of his studies in the school of magic that Twilight was acting friendlier every day, but he never received any inclination that he was being looked at not only as a student, but as a partner. He felt rather guilty for not picking up on it earlier, but then again, he was never able to pick up on such things easily. He had always been so sociable that anyone and their mother would act like he had been their friend for a year, yet he met them not but two hours before. So, in short, he was used to getting positive attention. However, this time, it blinded him from the true nature of the situation. Aquinas blew a heavy sigh, and calmed himself. Perhaps his brother, and all his skill in manipulation, could help in some way.
"Okay, so how do I get out of this?" Aquinas' voice made him seem passive, but really, he was being as humble as he could so he could stay calm enough to spot anything that his brother would say to make things worse.
Ignatius only chuckled. "You can't get out with my help." he stated flatly.
Aquinas cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Why not?"
"Well, you could, but in turn, you would be losing a dear friend in the process. My methods in these matters would easily sever the bond between you two, however, it would work too well, and Twilight would ever speak to you again."
"So, you are going to have to come up with a way to get yourself out of this, or you are going to have to wade it out until Twilight no longer likes you anymore." Ignatius chuckled. "Or until Stockholm Syndrome kicks in and you have the same fillings for Twilight that she has for you." Ignatius gave a wink and a devious smile.
Aquinas snorted contemptuously at that last one. "So," the officer narrowed his eyes further. "I'm going to have to get MYSELF out of the mess that you yourself got me in. Am I right?"
"I already told you. You were trapped from the start." Ignatius put on a shit eating grin. His brother threw him a middle finger to him and left. He wasn't going to be anyone's puppet. Not even Ignatius'.
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Aquinas stormed up the steps to the library. This needed to end now! He wasn't going to made a fool of by his brother anymore. Once this business with Twilight is over with, he was going to torture the living shit out of Ignatius. He stopped just short of the last set of steps and fixed his coat, and set his composure. He would need it to deal with this problem. Aquinas allowed himself one final breath before he walked the last few steps up the stairs and saw the young scholar shutting a lid on a glass box.
Aquinas stalked over to the girl with an expressionless face, and determined steps. He could hear her humming a soft tune, when he came close enough. The young woman saw a shadow in front of her when the light was blocked out by a large figure. She smiled widely when she turned around to find that the caster of said shadow was none other than Aquinas.
"Oh good, you're back." she chirped. "I have something to tells you."
"I was just about to say the same thing." Aquinas dead panned.
"Oh, by all means, go ahead." Twilight offered with a twinkle in her eyes.
"No, no. You go on. You're the lady." If Aquinas was going to put this heavy matter to rest the way he intended, he was damn sure that was going to be a gentleman about it.
Before Twilight said anything else, she wrapped her arms around Aquinas' neck and held him close. The Naval officer winced, but his instincts kicked in and he hugged her back. Twilight smiled and nearly choked when she said, "You have no idea what it means to me to have someone like you so close. You are the man that I always dreamed of. Strong, handsome, adept at magic. You are also loving and caring." A tear escaped Twilight's eye. "I couldn't ask for anything more than just to be next to you."
She couldn't see it, but Aquinas himself also shed a tear. 'What am doing?' he thought to himself. 'I can't just break this girl's heart when she said something like that to me.' Aquinas did the only thing he could think of. He held her tighter. He said not a word, but his actions spoke volumes. He couldn't bring himself to cause this young woman such heart ache. Especially when all it would do for him is relieve him of some embarrassment. There was no way that he could break Twilight's heart and look at himself with any sort of pride ever again. So, he just held her until his arms shot electrical signals up to his brain that sent the same message over and over again. HEY, THIS HURTS! Aquinas held the purple haired girl out with half cocked arms, and a wide smile. "Hey, it's getting late. Why don't we do the experiment in the morning?"
Twilight shook her head slowly. "Oh no, it won't take long." Her eagerness to make the spell happen was apparent.
"Are you sure?" the officer asked. "I know how you enjoy giving your lectures, and the hour grows late. So I won't be able to hear a full lesson if we start now."
"You don't have to worry." Twilight chirped. "I don't have to talk much. Most of the spell is still in theory, so I won't be able to say much on it."
"Alright." Aquinas chimed. "So let's get started."
"Wait." the girl stopped him. "Wasn't there something that you wanted to say to me?"
Aquinas choked, but with the help of a cough buying him time he was able to speak. "It seems I have forgotten. Though, if it was that important, I would have remembered."
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Aquinas looked at the glass box in front of him and then looked to Twilight Sparkle. The whole time, he wore a face of utter confusion.
"Sooooo," Aquinas hummed. "What's with the crab and cuddle fish?" He referred to the two aquatic animals that were in the glass box filled with water and sand.
"Those are our test subjects." Twilight beamed in a teacher-like voice. "You will be applying Erlenmeyer Flask's theory of gene swapping."
"Gene swapping?" the novice magic user cocked his head to one side in confusion.
"Allow me to explain." Twilight cleared her throat. "Flask's theory stated that by bypassing the genetic sector of the magic fields around an entity, he could change the genetic makeup of a creature, and later, if success followed, a person. Completely rearranging their genes with another body in order to turn them from their original state, into something completely different. Say for instance, if you had the spell placed upon you with say a buffalo, you would, if the spell was worked in such a way, gain the strength of that animal, and possibly some other characteristics as well. All of it dealing with splicing mechanics and rapid cell growth in order for the tissue to align while a field matrix is placed around the two bodies to combine them into one mass and then later separate them while leaving both exchanged in a state of genetic splice. Ultimately, the two subjects placed within the spell could come out with the opposite's characteristics and traits. Ranging anywhere from physically, to mentally."
"Cool story, sis." Was all that Aquinas could say while the rest of his brain tried to catch up. When he finally made it all make sense in his head he said, "Oh, okay. I get it now."
"Just remember that everything in this experiment happens on a cellular level." Twilight piped.
Aquinas positioned himself in front of the box with the crab, which was trying to escape, and the cuddle fish inside. He looked back to Twilight who gave him some space to work.
"Just concentrate on the smallest level possible." Twilight chimed one last time.
Aquinas went back to the box and took a breath. He gulped. Then he remembered something. This was just a crab and cuddle fish. If he royally screwed up, who cared. Not him, that's who. With that thought, the officer was able to relax and have a smile grow over his face.
Aquinas channeled the magic around him and the test subject. The crab visibly struggled in the air as a navy blue glow emitted around it. The cuddle fish, unable to express any sort of concern, was looked at if it just didn't give a shit. The two bodies started to spin passed each other and soon were enveloped in a white aura. They spun faster and faster, until they both melded together and disappeared in the bright white orb.
"You're doing it!" shouted Twilight. "You're doing it."
'Yah!' Aquinas thought to himself as he marveled at his work. 'This isn't rocket science. Rocket science. Space ships. Alien life? Futurama? Why am I thinking about that right now?'
"Uh, Aquinas!" Twilight's voice shook as she starred at the ball of light as it seemed to be spinning faster.
Aquinas was snapped out of his mental tangent, and had to hold back his eyes before they popped out of his head. The magic being put into the spell was too great. "Um, Twilight, what do I do?"
"Just stop! Cut off the magic." the young lady was frightened and didn't know what else to say or do.
"Okay." Aquinas affirmed, as the glow in the blue crystals in his hands snuffed out completely. However, the magic within the spell was too great. The ball of white kept growing larger and larger, almost touching the walls of the box. Aquinas back stepped, and then grabbed the purple dressed girl next to him and dropped to the ground. He laid on top of her in fear that the orb would explode. "Stay down!" he ordered. The ball of light spun over and over again at increasing speed until it finally erupted. Books, papers, and glass alike were thrown everywhere in a display of raw energy as the spell released its power.
A large cloud of smoke filled the library at the end of the explosion. Aquinas and Twilight both gasped and coughed as the smog trailed into their lungs. "A-Are (cough) you okay, Twilight?(cough)"
"Yah.(cough)" she said back as she looked up at Aquinas who had his head turned away as he choked out some black air. "I think I'm okay.(cough)"
The Naval officer and the school girl looked to the table. A thick cloud of smoke still permeated off of the blue painted wood. Aquinas helped Twilight up after most of the smoke in the air had cleared. They both looked to the table where a sizable red mass waited on top of it. It looked rather large and both of the magic users didn't want to go near it. Luckily for them they didn't have to. It started to wiggle a bit but soon a pair of two-toed feet appeared out from under it. A pair of crab claws followed suit, and then to complete it all, a head came out. The creature before the duo looked be a crustacean. A crustacean with cuddle fish appendages over its mouth.
Its eyes blinked a couple of times to get rid of the fogginess before vision became a possibility. The creature issued a groggy grunt before shaking the rest of his confusion out of head. It eyed the pair for some time before side stepping and snapping its pincers at them. Once it was far enough away, the bipedal crustacean raced down the stairs issuing a peculiar sound.
WOOB WOOBOOBOOBOOB WOOB WOOB
The creature opened the nearest window at the bottom of the stairs and ran out into the garden beyond without so much as a whisper.
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Twilight and Aquinas both stood there in complete shock. Neither was able to say anything until the purple dressed girl spoke up. "What was that thing?"
Aquinas darted his eyes nervously and visibly sweat. "Um . . . " he tried to buy time and think. "Uh, I think we should write a letter to Princess Celestia now, and worry about that thing later." Aquinas knew he was going to be in some deep shit once his brother found out.
"Are you sure?" Twilight said skeptically. "What if that thing hurts someone?"
Aquinas blew a sigh of relief once his memory of what he was dealing with came into focus. "Trust me on this. I know what that thing is, and no one is in any danger." he said with a small measure of confidence. "I just think it would be best to inform the princess of this and keep it between the three of us."
Twilight was going to press the issue of why he didn't want to involve his brother, but then she realized that Aquinas probably knew better and complied. She levitated some stray papers along with a quill and ink from a desk that had not been too disturbed. "What should I tell her?"
"Just tell her that one of our spells went wrong and that she should double her security on her food stores and medical wing." Aquinas started to gain more command with his words as a plan formulated in his head.
"Uh huh." Twilight said as she jotted everything down. "Anything else?"
"We will explain everything to her in the morning."
"Mm, hm." Twilight signed the paper and used her magic to send the letter. Ordinarily, she would have Spike do it, but he was summoned away to the forge for a special duty by Twisted Horns. Although it was more convenient to do it herself, she still didn't like the after effects of 'instant messaging' magic. She soon found her crystals lighting up and a letter with a gold seal on it appeared in her hand. All her fingers felt numb and useless when she held the scroll. She used her other hand to levitate and open the letter. She winced slightly at the text.
"What did she say?" Aquinas asked hesitantly.
"She says that she WILL have ALL her questions answered tomorrow morning." Twilight answered slowly.
"Anything else?"
"Actually, that's the only line on the paper." Twilight showed him.
Judging from his experiences with recruits in the Naval Academy getting similar letters, this was not going to end without a couple lashings. Lucky for him, he never got anything like this from an Academy administrator, but unfortunately, when he did receive a letter like this, he was not facing a fellow officer, but a rather irritated monarch.
The only thing that broke him out of his stupor was a large flash of blinding lights and sound with incredible colors. Depictions of mountain lions chasing prey shone among the dancing stars in a breath taking display. The show was beautiful, and both of the magic students seemed completely enveloped by the image of a predator at his hunt. So much so, Aquinas didn't even know that Twilight had grasped his hand. When he did notice, he couldn't find the strength to pull away.
______________________________________________________________________________
. . . five minutes ago
"This is going to be so totally fucking rad." Ignatius whispered as he dug into the soil of the garden.
"I know." Twisted Horns nearly squeaked in excitement. "I finally get a chance to light off one of these puppies." The man beast patted a large rocket that he cradled in his arms.
"Hell yeah." Ignatius said as he jumped out of the small hole. He fit the rocket's support bar into the ground and held it plum, as Twisted Horns filled the hole back in. "This will definitely make a big 'boom'."
"Especially since we have dragon's fire." the forge master added. "Spike!"
A long irritated sigh accompanied a baby dragon as he came out of the bushes he was sleeping in and rubbed his eyes. "I still don't see how I fit (yawn) into this."
"With the dragon's fire," the horned figure explained. "the magic within the coals will ignite in a fantastic fashion that mimics the appearance of the night time sky's constellation. On this night, we can see the Great Hunt. So, with your fire igniting the fuse, we can see a spectacular display as if we were witnessing it in person." Twisted Horns compacted the dirt around the post of the rocket. "It's ready. Light it up, Spike!"
Reluctantly, the purple drake blew a small bit of flame on the fuse and sauntered over to a bush where the forge workers were hiding. He went behind it and looked just in time as the missile launched into the air and exploded as soon as it reached the optimal altitude. The cascade of colors drew everyone within ear shot of the explosion to attention. The great hunt was in full swing by the time the image came into form. Even Spike's fatigue couldn't keep him from enjoying such a sight. Twisted Horns and Ignatius shared a high five at their handy work. They had built the rocket from scratch, and now, they were enjoying the fruits of their labor. The great starry mountain cat chased after the deer that it was entwined with until it devoured the antlered prey's neck in its powerful maw. Over and again the image danced with the same show. The next one better than the last. It was actually so spectacular that the sharp eyed Marine didn't spot the red crustacean running through the garden foliage not ten yards from him. |
Metal Ringing | Pain So Much Pain | Ignatius' hammer gave the final strikes to the piece of steel that stuck out from the pommel of the sword that was trapped in a vice. He then took a file to grind down the residual material that did not obey the head of his hammer. After removing the sword from the vice, Ignatius polished the full length of sword. He gave the weapon a very scrutinizing inspection, before he grinded the length of the blade to a fine edge. Ignatius marveled in his work as he slid the sword he had made into the modest scabbard that he constructed.
"Marvelous." Twisted Horns said as the sheathed weapon was placed on the counter. "You didn't lie when you said you had a talent for the craft."
"I never intend to lie to you, my friend." Ignatius said with a gentle smile. The two shared a handshake that quickly became a hug. The forge master had pulled the young smith in with great force and expressed his happiness through the affection. Ignatius, unable to shy away from him, gave back the hug to his fullest extent.
The moment the two good friends were sharing was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in, come in." Twisted Horns bellowed.
The door swung open, and in strode the princess. Ignatius crossed his arms over his chest and deadpanned the monarch's approach. "Good to see you, Twisted Horns." the princess said as the large man-beast bowed. She did not give her gaze to him long, for her eyes wandered quickly to the man in the black, leather apron. "Ignatius."
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" his voice was rather sour. He didn't really want to lend his hand to the princess, but with the look she gave the man, he was sure that the matter for which she disturbed the two was rather important.
Princess Celestia gave him a sincere face of pain. "Ignatius. We need to talk."
"If you have something to say, be out with it." Ignatius' tone indicated that he didn't want to drag this out any longer than necessary.
The princess moved her eyes to Twisted Horns, and then back to the Marine. "I would much rather have the conversation between us." she went to the horned man-beast. "No disrespect intended."
"None taken, my friend." the forge master said with a smile. "Ignatius," he chirped. "go with the princess and speak with her."
"By your order." Ignatius said as he let his arms fall to his sides. He bid the princess follow as he went out the door.
______________________________________________________________________________
Celestia didn't say a word until they were a good twenty paces away from Metal Ringing. "So, Ignatius." her tone was soft and motherly. "How have you been?"
"Spare me." the Marine shot. "I don't have time for your compassion games. In fact, I don't play that game at all. If you want to talk to me, be out with what you want to say, and leave." His eyes burned with intense fire as he looked at the white dressed monarch.
The princess sighed deeply. "Fine." she said, not breaking her tone into anger. "Since you are so persistent, I will tell you what I need." She took a deep breath of air, and then let it out slow. "I need you to talk to Twilight."
"About?" Ignatius' skepticism was apparent.
"About her relationship with your brother." she said with concern.
Ignatius furrowed his brow. "Why would I need to talk to her about that?"
Celestia turned off into a narrow corridor and gave Ignatius the command to follow. He went in, and stopped just short of the princess as she did a take in each direction to make sure they were alone. She held out her hand, and her diamond crystals in her hands beamed brightly as a bright window appeared on the wall next to the pair. Before the blacksmith was the image of his brother, and his under aged "teacher", Twilight. They sat upon a bench in the gardens enjoying lunch. They seemed to be talking about magic. Ignatius inferred this when he saw how the purple haired book worm was speaking. She also used hand gestures that complimented her lip movements, he couldn't read her lips on what she was saying, however, he didn't have to look hard to read how his brother acted. He looked happy, sat happy, even ate happy. He was really enveloped in Twilight's speech and appeared to be absorbing her lesson.
"Okay." Ignatius said a length. He perked his eyebrow. "What am I supposed to be looking at?" his confusion outweighed his curiosity. "They seem to be having a good time being in each other's company."
"Can you not see?" the princess asked with a bit of shock. "The two are on a date!"
Ignatius looked at the princess with a face of questioning. "What do you mean by date?" he said as he turned back to the scrying window. "They are . . . just . . ." his eyes grew wide when he saw that when Twilight snuggled up next to the man, he put his arm around her shoulder and gave a half smile. A smile broke out over Ignatius' face. Then he laughed so hard that a hyena would be put to shame.
"What are you laughing at?" the princess said incredulously. "This is serious!"
"I-I'm sorry." he choked on air and coughed loudly to steady himself. "But just about a week ago, he said that he was going to end it with Twilight, straight up. But he instead got roped into it more." he laughed again. "It's exactly the way that I thought this was going to go."
"Wait!" Celestia shouted. "You knew that this was going to happen?"
"Well, yeah." he said affirmatively. "You see, I know my brother inside and out. At the end of that night that he came to me, I knew that either one of two things would happen. A: he would end up fracturing her heart, but not completely break it and still be friends, although there would be tension between them. Or B: he wouldn't be able to go through with it and end up giving in to Stockholm Syndrome and develop feelings for the girl." Ignatius chuckled again. "I just didn't think that it would take this long for him to start to break down." he gave the magic window another look. He almost envied how happy his brother looked. Almost.
"You have to break them up." Celestia said. Her words brought the man out of his stupor. "Twilight is over due on her lesson in teaching and I need her back. Unfortunately, my teachings would be forgotten in the mess of emotions that she would be feeling if I just told her to get into class." the princess gave a sigh. "I know what I am asking of you isn't easy, but it needs to be done. I need Twilight Sparkle back on track with her studies in magic, ASAP."
Ignatius looked back at the couple and then back at the monarch. "So, you need me to play the role that you are too afraid to play." a haughty smirk crossed his face. "The all powerful and mighty sun goddess is too scared of her students disapproval to tell her that she must give up her heart's desire for the pursuit of magical ability." he used an exaggerated mocking tone to give his point. "And I, a humble blacksmith, must be charged with breaking the two up, because you have no back bone."
The princess gave a snort, but showed no sign of budging on the matter. "Like I said," she forced through gently clenched teeth. "I know this would be hard for you, but you must do this."
"And why me?" Ignatius asked. "Because it's okay if Twilight hates me, and the fact that Aquinas is my brother, and I have a duty to him to save him from the clutches of the purple haired witch?"
Ignatius bullying earned him a cold shoulder from the monarch. She turned around and gave her back to him. She then heard faint laughter and saw the pair enjoying a laugh when Aquinas accidentally turning his feet hairy. As she looked upon it, Ignatius saw something. There was a glass contact over Celestia's eyes. Her face became tight, and her shoulders rose ever so slightly. The menacing gears in his head turning. A wicked and twisted face of triumph crossed over his face as the sudden realization took full form.
"Or?" he pressed a hand up on Celestia's shoulder and gently nudged her into a wall. The window ceased to exist and the princess was left in the dim hallway with Ignatius' sickeningly horrific smile clouding her vision. The latter placed the hand not already touching her on her hip. "Or, is there another reason?" he brushed his hand against her paler-than-usual face. Her eyes showed him that not only did he have her full attention, but that he had her fear. "Is the fair princess perhaps . . . jealous?"
"J-Jealous?" she stammered. "What do you mean?" she was on the verge of hyperventilating, she was so scared. No guards would be here to help her, and although she had the ability to cast powerful spells, she wouldn't be able to cast them with the deadly man so close. At this one point in her long life, she felt completely vulnerable.
"Jealous." he bent his head down her ear and whispered the word, and continued to whisper in a cooing voice. "You need me to break them up and use me as a scape goat. Then, when neither of them wants the other, you will come in and take Aquinas for yourself."
"No!" she exclaimed as she tried to get away from the man, but Ignatius acted quickly and snatched her by the arms.
The blacksmith rubbed his nose up and down the length of her neck and took in the scent of her fear. Her let out a deep breath of satisfaction. "You know what's really fucked up?" he said in a soft voice. "For the first time since I've been here, I think this is the first time that I could stand being this close to you."
The princess closed her eyes and as her body shook like an earthquake. Her body's instincts kicked in and she was trying to remove her mind from the situation. She couldn't cast a proper spell that wouldn't end up harming them both with a range like this. Not to mention the fact that her concentration was blocked by the body that forcibly pressed itself against her.
Ignatius let out a sinister chuckle. "I can smell your fear." he said as he took a long whiff of her aroma. "And it smells . . ." he took another sniff. " . . . like cake." this made Ignatius confused, but only for as long as it let him.
"Please." Celestia said. "Please let me go."
The Marine put his mouth closer to her ear. "Not until I make one thing clear." he rubbed his rough face against her creamy cheek. "I will carry out your order. I will have them separated, and I will leave your name out of it all. I do not do this because it will bring me pleasure during the act, but I will do it because the after math of it all will. One day, when you have my brother in your arms . . . she will come. She will ask. You will answer. And at that moment, at that point in your life, you will not only lose her, but you will lose Aquinas. Your jealousy, and your greed, will consume your heart, and leave nothing there but an empty shell. This will come to pass, for it has already taken one before that I knew, and let's just say, he took a road that one takes when they see no other road in sight." Ignatius let the princess go slowly, but as he did, she dropped to her knees, and then onto her side. She slipped from consciousness and laid still on the floor. Fear, and anxiety had taken their toll on her, and she fell into darkness. Ignatius gave a chuckle of victory to the silent hallway, and stepped over the prone woman before him. He took a left down the next hallway. The way toward the library.
______________________________________________________________________________
Twilight held onto Aquinas' hand with gentle firmness as they ascended the stairs to the library. Aquinas squeezed back with just the right amount of pressure. He wasn't really comfortable with it, but he was getting used to the affection. It brought a smile to his face when he thought about the fact that he was the same way. He always showed his ex the same affection and care when he was around her, and now to receive all of that back from someone else, it made him feel happy. Happy to know he was doing right. That he would do right. If Twilight really did like him, why should he show her anything else? Why should she be the only one to do the loving around here? Aquinas answered his own internal questions when he brought the girl in close for a warm hug. She squealed in delight, and returned the hug. They stood there for a who knows how long before they felt compelled to look at each other. Aquinas' 6'2'' build was staring down at Twilight who was a whole head shorter than him. Her purple eyes staring back at his blue orbs. The two could have sworn they were floating as they locked their gazes.
Unfortunately, their starring wasn't enough for them. The young student leaned upwards, and Aquinas down. Both could feel the spark between them. A spark that would ignite a burning fire. That spark however, never made it to the driest of tinder. Up above them, leaning on the railing, was a certain black coated man.
"My, my, my." Ignatius said as the two were about to lock the other's lips into their own. They both stopped and jerked their heads skyward. "Now this is a show." he chuckled. "I wish I had popcorn."
Aquinas let out an irritated snort. "What do you want, Ignatius?" his voice revealing to nothing to his brother that he already didn't know.
"I am here on business." he cooed. "Why don't you two come up here, and I'll explain everything."
The couple looked back at each other. A pit formed in both their stomachs, and dread spread across their faces. Aquinas took the woman's hand and led her up stairs. A sense of fear crept into both of them, and a chill resonated down their spines in unison.
The pair took their seats on two nearby desk chairs, while Ignatius took a larger, more plush seat. "Comfortable?" the Marine asked.
"As much as one could be with that smile on your face." Aquinas commented on his brother's toothy grin.
"Oh, it's just a mask." he said in a sickeningly sweet tone. "This is actually very serious."
Twilight gulped. "How serious?"
Ignatius folded his hands by overlapping his fingers between the joints and put to fingers out to rest over his mouth. He was still for a moment, but then he pointed out the two connected fingers. "Twilight?" Ignatius' smile never broke. "Do you have an interest with my brother?" His question was obvious, but he still wanted it answered.
The purple dressed girl took a deep gulp. She didn't like the way he was looking at her. After a moment, she answered him in a shaky voice. "Y-Yes."
"Hmm, I see." he said in a chuckle.
"What is the meaning of this?" Aquinas burst forth.
Ignatius chuckled to his brother. "Oh, hush now, Aquinas. You knew this was coming."
Aquinas opened his mouth to talk, but no words formed. His face plastered in the fashion one would have when they met Death. "No." he said. "No! Don't do this!"
"Aquinas, what's going on?" Twilight begged to ask.
The officer turned to the girl. "Twilight, please, leave. This is no place for you right now."
"No, no." Ignatius begged. "Stay, Twilight. This involves you just as much it involves Aquinas."
The Naval officer's eyes burned with fire. "Sergeant Ignatius, I order you to leave this library this instant."
Ignatius gave a hearty laugh. "This is a private affair, brother. So, your rank holds nothing here."
Aquinas knew he was caught, but he wasn't going to give up that easily. "Can I speak to you in private, brother?"
"Of course." said the Marine as he turned towards the student . "Miss Sparkle, do stay here while me and my brother hammer some things out." The girl was too scared to hear him, let alone move. She was so paralyzed by that smile and his demeanor that she was unable to do anything more than just sit there.
The two departed past the purple haired book worm, leaving her in total shock.
______________________________________________________________________________
Aquinas led his brother to the most secluded portion of the library. It was farther away from Twilight than he would want to be, but he also wanted to make sure that he was far enough away so she wouldn't hear them. When he found a bookcase he liked, he turned on his brother.
"So, why?" he asked his brother. The perked eyebrow he got told him that his sibling wanted to play games. "Why are you breaking us up?"
"Why?" Ignatius said slyly. "I do it because it's necessary."
"There is nothing necessary about what you are about to do. You should just keep whatever words you have to yourself and just go back to the forge." Aquinas was about to scream at his brother for his despicable behavior, but he was struck cold by his brother's wide, joker-like grin. "What are you smiling at?"
"Me?" he said innocently. "Nothing. It's what you're doing that is just making this so much easier on me."
"What do you mean? How can breaking a couple up be enjoyable for you?" Aquinas' voice was cold. Cold, not because of his tone or his demeanor, but because the air, and the air was stiff enough to be cut with a butter knife. The lack of warmth in the room made Aquinas uneasy. "Tell me why you are doing this."
Ignatius picked on one of his nails. "Do you remember when I tried this before?"
Aquinas scanned his memory for the incident. "Yes. Yes, I remember." Aquinas said, gaining some measure of confidence. "You were trying to break me up with my previous girl friend because you had had it with her snotty attitude. You tried to reason with me, but I kept up the relationship. Thankfully so, I made it last a whole half year longer before I went off to the Academy and the separation started."
"Correct." Ignatius said. "But do you remember the way that you acted the whole time I tried, though?"
"Yeah, I was confident and I was sure that you wouldn't succeed . . ." Aquinas' heart skipped a beat when he saw the Wolf's smile on his brother's face. "But-but . . ." Ignatius just kept smiling and shaking his head. He honestly did look like a predator that was about to jump triumphantly on its prey.
"Oh, little brother." the smiling man said. "I do so love it when you prove me right."
"I didn't prove anything!" Aquinas snapped.
"Oh, really?" Ignatius said. He scanned his brother's body. He saw the muscles tightening slowly, and he knew that if he said the wrong thing that Aquinas would throw himself at him. "Well, then Miss Sparkle will have to show you that you two are not meant for each other."
"How are you going to do that?" Aquinas asked. Though he was sure that he would get about as much an answer as if he was talking to a block of wood.
"I'm just going to use a couple of questions and then make her see the light." the Marine's smile was enough to freeze beer.
Aquinas looked determinedly at his brother. He couldn't let him to this. He couldn't end it like this. he knew he had to take away his brother's power. "No." he said. "You're not." his voice rang with finality and stern footing. "I won't let you do this to her. If anyone is going to break this up, it will be me."
"No, it won't." Ignatius shot. "You won't go through with it."
"How do you know?'
"Are you really willing to do something so passion based in this condition that you will be able to leave but a scratch on the girl's heart?" Aquinas just blinked with a dumbfounded face. "My point exactly." Ignatius walked over to his brother. The smile disappeared on the way. "Brother, understand that even if you could get the message across without hurting her, I still wouldn't accept it. It must be me to do this."
"But, why?" Aquinas said sadly. "Why do this, and why you?"
"Because you don't see the bigger picture. Unfortunately though, you will never be able to. You're part of the picture itself, while I am on the outside looking in. This needs to be done by me."
"Are you the one looking at the painting, or are you the artist?" Aquinas' question would have staggered a normal man. Too bad Ignatius wasn't.
"I am merely editing, that's all." he said with a firm squeeze of his hand. "Trust me, Mark. I do this not in pleasure, but with pleasure. Pleasure because I know that this can only end well for almost everyone involved. No matter what turn of events take place."
Aquinas wanted to tell his brother off, he wanted to just ring his neck long enough to make him pass out, but if he did, then his brother would just have a reason to press the attack further. He knew Ignatius did nothing without having a plan C. He even had a plan F if he could help it. If this is what he thought was best, whether or not Aquinas liked it or not, then it probably was. Although, there was one piece of business that he needed to tend to.
"Why is it then that you have to be the one to break up the relationship?" Aquinas asked with more than a hint of curiosity. He needed to know that question badly.
"Because it's okay if she hates me." Ignatius said with a smile.
Aquinas gave a defeated sigh. He felt like he was giving up too easily. He felt that he could fight this. However, the other feeling felt stronger. The feeling of sour revelation. The feeling that this was actually the right thing to do. However close the two were though, he couldn't help but know that the latter feeling as winning.
"Just make sure it's clean." was all Aquinas was able to say.
"Don't worry, Mark." Ignatius put the other hand on his brother's opposite shoulder. "I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how this ends."
"Just like back in Baltimore?"
"No, more like Chicago."
"Wow."
______________________________________________________________________________
Twilight was starting to get worried. Those two had been gone a long time and she hadn't heard anything from beyond the bookcases to tell her anything. She was about to rise from her seat, but was stopped when she heard Aquinas' heavy footsteps. She turned around in her seat to find that both brothers were walking towards her.
"Aquinas!" Twilight said as she shot up and embraced him. "What happened? Is everything all right?" Her voice expressed deep concern.
The blue coated man put his arms around her. "Yes, everything is going to be alright." Even the man speaking couldn't tell if he was lying. His voice suggested it, but then his weaker-than-a-baby smile betrayed such a thought. The girl and her partner sat down as Ignatius walked past the officer and patted him on his shoulder as he passed.
The Marine gave a grunt of pleasure as he sat down in the plush chair. "So," he began. "Miss Sparkle. How long have you been with my brother?"
Twilight eyed the obviously dangerous man. "I-I have been with him for about a month and some weeks with him." he voice was uneasy and full with fear. She wasn't liking the developing smile on Ignatius' face.
"A bit of time, one would think." said the black coated man. "However, if you remember when my brother first came under your tutelage, the princess said that only one month would go by and then you should be returning back to your original study cycle, am I right?"
"Yes. That's correct." Twilight began to firmly root her feet. She needed to stay strong. Especially when dealing with someone like Ignatius. "But why is that important?"
"Because, my dear." Ignatius chuckled. "You're cycle is over. As you've stated, it has been well over a month and a half, and my brother seems to have gotten up to speed on the uses of magic. My brother however, cannot learn anything else from you. At least not anything in his respective field."
"Which is?" Aquinas asked.
"Combatives magic." The Marine chirped. "It would do my brother some good to go through the schooling, and it would also do you some good, Twilight Sparkle, if you would go back to Princess Celestia's teachings."
"B-But . . ." Twilight stammered for a counter. "But I have still so much to teach him. He's not ready to go to combatives magic."
Ignatius gave a cold smile Twilight's way. "Miss Sparkle, why do you find it hard to let my brother leave?"
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
"Well, what do you mean?" Ignatius spun back.
"What I mean, is that you know that I am falling for your brother." Twilight gave Aquinas a set of glistening eyes. "I might even love him." she paused. "With some more time together, I think I could be just about ready to marry him."
Ignatius' wolf smile came back. 'Here is comes.' Aquinas thought to himself.
"So." said the black coated man. "You say that you have an infatuation with my brother, yes?"
Twilight nodded vigorously.
"And would you say that you may not think twice if Aquinas was to take your hand in marriage?"
"Later down the line, yes."
That smile gave Aquinas the message that never be spoken. 'Kill shot.'
"Do you love me?" Ignatius said simply.
Twilight blinked at this. "W-What?" he brain was still trying to process what Ignatius just asked.
"Do you love me?" Ignatius said at length. This time drawing out the words to the point of excess.
"Why would you be asking me this?" Twilight asked while looking to an equally confused Naval Officer.
"Well, as my brother may, or may not, have told you," Ignatius explained. "Me and my brother are a package. If you want one, you must have the other. At least when it comes to relationships. If my heart serves me well, I know my brother won't choose anybody that hates me, because I know that I would do the same for him. We are family, and we will choose to stick with each other before choosing to be with someone else. As the old saying goes, "Bro's before ho's."
"Aquinas?" Twilight looked to the man in the blue coat. "Is what he's saying true?"
The Naval officer read her voice and he knew what Ignatius was about to do. 'Fuck, he really is doing something like Chicago.' He gave a stiff nod in return. Twilight rolled her head back to the Marine who's snout and fangs were salivating in triumph as he looked at his next meal. "I don't understand."
"Well," Ignatius said back. "let me make it easy for you." he cleared his throat. "You say that you may be falling in love with my brother, yes?" She nodded. "Well then. You must love me then, right?"
Twilight flinched a little, but out came groaned, "No. No, I don't." She visibly shoot. "I-I can't even imagine anyone in their right mind loving you." Her voices' volume began to grow. "It just disgusts me. You're a horrible human being with no morals or any sort of grounding. Your comments and the jokes you make when you're around me, or my teacher, are putrid and unsavory. You act as though the world is yours and show no sense of remorse for your actions. You're not a human being! Y-You are just an asshole!" Every part of Twilight's words came from the hidden contempt for the Marine that she had done so well to hide, or so she thought. She took a few deep breaths to calm her frustration as she sat back down in her chair.
"Aquinas." Ignatius called to his brother who was not taking Twilight's impromptu speech very well. "I think we have an understanding of my earlier statement." The Ensign nodded slowly. His, along with Twilight's, vision made a decent into the floor. He knew what was coming, but it still hurt. "I'll leave you two alone for a while." As Ignatius went down the stairs, he gave one last take to the pair and headed off back down to the forge. His job here was finished. ______________________________________________________________________________
Aquinas and Twilight both felt the icy sting of Ignatius' edged words. They couldn't even look at each other. In just that half hour, their entire world was turned upside down and destroyed. Twilight's heart was broken, and Aquinas was suffering from the purple haired student's tongue lashing in the spite she had for his brother.
Aquinas was the first to stir, and he turned his head to the young girl. He opened his mouth to say something, but when nothing came forth, he just closed his mouth when no words came and turned back to the floor.
"I guess this is the end." Twilight said finally. A group of tears ran down her face, but they were shielded from sight by her long hair. Though the way her voice cracked was all one would need in order to know that she was crying.
Aquinas mustered enough of himself to speak. "I think it is."
As if each word was a hammer strike, it hit the hot iron that was Aquinas' resolve. He shot up from his seat. "No. It's not." he said with finality. He grabbed Twilight's hands and hoisted her up to him. Her face was stained with salty water, and her eyes were red and swollen. Though her heart stood still, she still could see the passion in Aquinas' eyes. "It doesn't have to end like this. Twilight, I know that my brother is less than agreeable, and I know that you have a distain for him, but that only means that we can't be married. Our friendship however, is something that can endure. The time we spent together has brought us just as close together as we are to our respective siblings." Aquinas put his palm on Twilight's cheek. "A very lucky man is going to make you the happiest woman alive someday, but that man is just going to be me."
"Who is going to love someone like me?" Twilight said in a despairing tone.
Aquinas bent down to her and placed his lips on her forehead. He then embraced her with a hug and whispered into her ear. "Someone who is wise enough to know what kind of diamond you are among the jagged stone that anyone could have, and one who is foolish enough to think he has a chance with someone like you. He may not be Unicorn blessed, he may not even be the smartest man, but he will be the one that will faithfully wake up next to you every morning and smile the widest smile, all because you are there with him." Aquinas squeezed tighter. "Even though I may not be able to see you for a long time, I still want you to know that you matter a lot to me, Twilight Sparkle."
Aquinas didn't see it, but then again, he didn't have to. He could feel her smile. He could hear and feel the anxiety melt away from within her. As if it was a connection that could never be broken, she felt it in him as well. With that in her heart, it made a world of difference to her. Even in a sad moment like this, it made her happy to know that someone like Aquinas was there with her. Not only to share the pain, but to ease it as well. That is the thought that made this whole catastrophe seem like a wave of the hand.
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The door to Metal Ringing swung open to allow access to the black coated gentleman. Ignatius stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The bolts to the door seemed to spring to life as they locked the door behind the Marine as the torches in the room dimmed to a low glow. The trained soldier spun and produced his curved dagger. He met nothing when he had finished. 'This isn't good.' he thought to himself. His instincts cried out that there was danger. Ignatius readied himself for the next strike, but when he spun, he did not meet flesh or steel, he met a cloud of purple dust. It got into his eyes, and it made them burn. The warrior cried out in pain at the searing burn that plagued his eyes.
"You seemed to like to cause pain, Ignatius." came the familiar voice of the forge master. Twisted Horns came into the Marine's view. "However, you don't seem to have pain be brought into your life. At least not yet."
"You goat-horned, son of a bitch!" Ignatius cursed. "What have you done to my eyes?" his blue orbs hazed in and out, and it was hard to focus on the single image of the man-beast.
"Oh, the pain in your eyes is temporary." the forge master chuckled. "The true pain will come soon. You see, I knew a man like you once, with similar problems, and I set him straight. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to use the same techniques, but you have forced my hand."
Ignatius charged Twisted Horns in anger. All that happened though, was that he crashed into the forge. He howled in pain, but was able to locate a hammer, and turned that pain into anger. He swung in wild patterns at the silhouettes his vision was creating.
"I will not use simple tricks like eye pain to harm you, but I will use another source that will forever hurt you. Your memories."
Ignatius' blood boiled in pure rage. "NOOOOO!" he shouted in defiance. He swung one last time before he tripped on his own feet. He turned the hammer over on its head and used it to prop and arm up, but he could not lift himself but a hair from the floor. His body was unresponsive. What was left were his other senses. He was almost in full darkness when he smelled and tasted something. Diesel fuel and sand. He heard a sound that was close and loud. It was a front end loader. He felt his hand grabbing a ball on a stick. It was the joystick to control the bucket. He finally got his sight back, but when he did, what he saw dropped his heart into the pit of his stomach. He couldn't believe this. He didn't want to believe this, but here he was. He was back in Afghanistan. |
Metal Ringing | The Birth of the Wolf-Part 1 | It took the course of two minutes, but during that time, everything was painful. Ignatius tried to fight it. He tried to free himself from the memory, but the more he struggled, the tighter the Chinese finger trap of a dream became. Soon, he was one with the memory. He would relive the birth of the Wolf.
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"Hey, Matthew!" shouted a voice over the roar of the loader engine. Ignatius, Matthew, looked over to the open door. "We need to haul some base course over to the far end of the road, can you do that?"
"Sure thing, Staff Sergeant." the NCO(non-commissioned officer) left and went about his business. Matthew drove over to the stock pile and parked the loader. He traded that piece of equipment for a dump truck full of base course. He started up the machine and went on to the end of the road. He pulled up by another Sergeant that was working the road.
"Hey, Technical Sergeant!" Matthew hollered.
The NCO turned on the Airman. "You got the base course?" he spat a brown bullet of spit onto the ground.
"10 tons of it." Matthew said back.
"You know how and where to spread the shit." the Sergeant called back. "Get to it, Matthew."
With nothing to answer back with but a smile, he was off to the end of the compacted level of base course that was already ahead of the rest of the crew that was laying down the asphalt for the road.
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Ignatius slapped another magazine into his M4 and continued to fire. During the road work, they had fallen under attack by local Taliban insurgents. They started with a mortar attack, but when the Flight had moved back to a more secure position, they started to come in. Twelve were already dead on their side, but with the mortars and the fire combined, ten were wounded and three were killed on the side of the US. Matthew was there giving covering fire for medics to transport the wounded.
"Move, I got you covered!" he shouted. A single shot left his rifle and the bullet landed in a man's chest. Thirteen. The Taliban advanced, but the Air Force Dirt Boys stood their ground. Toughened by their work, their hides had callused over to that of stiff leather. Their attitude and resolve mirrored such things. The Arabic forces kept on charging, but the Dirt Boys still stood and roared in defiance. Their strength and bond to their fellow shop mates only hardened under these circumstances. It wasn't until the battlefield wasn't but fifty yards long and five more dead on the other side that the Army came in to reinforce the Dirt Boys. They had a solid victory after the helicopters mowed down the remaining insurgents.
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The clanging of beer cans and the cheers of the men were in full force. Not only had they won their fight earlier that day, but they finally got the news that they were going home. Not just the ones cycling out, but every Airman, Soldier, and Naval man. Victory was America's. Every last Al Qaeda and Taliban leader was either captured or killed, and local support for the groups had come to grinding halt. Those who haven't gotten the message yet would be dealt with soon. As for the Dirt Boys and the rest of the Civil Engineers, they would have to stay behind for a while longer. Next week would begin deconstruction of the bases. This fact mattered little to them. It was a minuscule price to pay for know that they were on their way home.
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"Don't let him go, Matthew!" a Staff Sergeant howled in laughter.
In the bay of the Dirt Boy shop, one of the other Airman decided to get behind Matthew and put him in a head lock. It was mistake the other Airman, Gentry, was starting to regret. Matthew had twisted himself around and was able to bend down proper and pick Gentry up by his leg. He was able to ground his opponent and get him in a developing leg lock. Gentry was by no means a small guy, but since he had gotten back from deployment, he had been neglecting the gym, while Matthew was hitting it harder than ever. His build almost matched that of his opponent, but he still had about twenty pounds on Matthew. That weight mattered little when Gentry's stamina was diminished, and Matthew was still going strong. The mirth had only just begun, because just when Gentry had tapped out, Matthew was assaulted by Airman Jordan. This boy was bigger, and he had all his energy, but even with this, Jordan was still on the losing end. Because of the way that Jordan went after him, Mathew got under the hulk of an Airman, and was able to put him on his shoulders. Jordan was spun around in circles before Matthew called out,
"Say Uncle, dude. Say Uncle or I drop you on the concrete." he laughed hard and said. "That's six feet man, so make your decision now, cuz my shoulders are getting tired."
Jordan sighed heavily, but a smile still crept onto his face. "Fuck." he said in a cough. "Alright, Uncle."
Matthew lowered his fellow Airman to the ground with the grace of a floating balloon. He turned around and shook Jordan's hand and patted him on the shoulder. "Good try, man. Good try." Matthew didn't have a second before his arm was thrown up by a Staff Sergeant. "THE WINNER!" Matthew threw up the other arm, and shouted among the crowd. "THE VICTORY HAS BEEN DOUBLED!!!" More cheers resulted. Though they were cut short when a Master Sergeant walked in through the bay doors. His brown face was stern, yet his eyes told anyone who could see it, that he brought with him more than just a friendly hello.
"Dirt Boys." he said in a thick New Orleans accent. "Can anyone point me in the direction of Airman Matthew Petrauskas?"
"That's me, Sergeant." Matthew said as he raised his hand weakly.
"You have been asked to appear at a hearing at the squadron. It's rather serious." Matthew read the Master Sergeant's eyes and could tell that he wasn't in trouble, but that someone else was. He grabbed his top and went to his car. Whatever was going, Matthew felt it, and his heart clenched because of it. Something was very wrong, and it wasn't about anything small.
______________________________________________________________________________
When Matthew first entered the squadron building, also known as the head shed, he could feel a lightness in the air. He saw everyone smiling and everyone having a good day with all things considered. He even passed up one of the female Airman who had been hitting on him for quite some time now, and that made him smile. However, as he drew away from everyone else, and got into the heart of the squadron. The light seemed to mimic that of a tomb. It was bright, but it was only so because if even just one bulb was out, the whole room would be engulfed in darkness. Routine commander visits were a norm for young Airman. The commander himself, Lieutenant Colonel Hemming, was very active in keeping up the moral of the youth and made it a point to communicate with them on a regular basis. So, this time should be no different. The reality of it however, was enough to make a large cloud loom over the area. A heaviness overshadowed the usual light hearted norm.
Matthew stopped at the door with the Master Sergeant, and knocked. He went to the position of parade rest until a voice rang out. "Come in." The Airman opened the door to find that the commander, and the commander alone, was sitting in the office. Matthew went up to the commander's desk in the most direct route possible and then stood before the ranking officer. Before he said a word, the door shut behind him. He saluted while saying, "Sir, Airman Petrauskas, reports as ordered." The commander saluted and the Airman dropped his salute after the officer did. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
The officer motioned for the young man to grab a seat. When he did, the man behind the desk spoke. "Something has happened, Matthew." The Airman's eyes nearly shot out of his head. The commander never called him by his first name, and to do it now in that tone of voice nearly made him jump to his feet and grab the pistol that wasn't at his side since a month ago after he got back from his deployment. "We have had cases come in from your base back in Afghanistan about certain incidences." Matthew's first instinct was to think about how he put firecrackers in a couple hajji-mart stalls and scared the living piss out of them. However, the stagnant pool of murky water that was the voice of the commander rang of something heavier. "We have had cases where some civilian workers out in the D were violated . . . sexually . . . and on many occasions. This seemed to have gone on for quite some time and by that I mean ever since your deployment started. It also seemed to have ended when you left."
Matthew's heart clenched again. "Sir . . ." he said shakingly. "Am I a suspect in this?" his voice was full of fear and sadness. He had made such good relations with the locals that they even had warned the him about impending attacks a couple of times, but now with the prospect of being accused of rape was cutting too deep for him.
"NO!" the commander exclaimed with an outstretched hand. He knew that Petrauskas took things to heart and so he was going to be much more careful with what he was going to say. "No." he regained the small amount of composure he had lost. "The reason why that I called YOU in here is because you have told , and shown me, that you have a knack for gathering information. I need that sort of skill here."
"Sir." the Airman spoke. "I don't mean to be rude, but don't you think that getting someone from O.S.I. over here would be a better solution. Don't get me wrong, I would love to help, but what do you expect me to do? I'm just an Airman in the Dirt Boy shop."
"And THAT is exactly why I chose you." the officer smiled as he said. "It's no secret that the Dirt Boys are looked at as less intelligent than most, and that you being an Airman puts you at the lowest position. However, that is why you are the best person for the job. Putting the paperwork in for an O.S.I. troop and then having them integrated into the shops in the Flight would take too much time. You just got back from your first deployment, and people will be more willing to listen, and SHARE, their experiences with you because of that. Because they will do that, you can use your skills to get people to talk and then you can catch what they say. Hopefully, the conversations you have will steer you in the right direction of the perpetrators."
Matthew had to mull it over for a while. He had done similar things back in high school and busted a few students for pot dealing. However, this was on a completely different scale. He would need time to slip through a couple of cracks. Matthew thought it over for a moment, but then a thought popped into his head.
"Does anyone else know about these occurrences?" he asked.
"Only me and a few investigators. Why?" the commander was skeptic, but his heart nearly leapt when saw a smile cross Matthew's face.
"If we are the only ones that know, then we have the element of deception on our side. He have an angle that no one knows that we are working. If we can keep this quiet, and only between us, I may be able to get people to talk more openly about it because they don't have anything to fear."
"Are you sure this will work?" the commander asked with a bit of hope.
"I'm sure." Matthew assured. "I will find out who did this and report back to you as soon as I do."
The commander stood up, and the Airman followed. He outstretched his hand. "I have faith in you. I believe that whoever has done such a thing will be brought to justice."
______________________________________________________________________________ No.
Not them.
"Hmff!"
Anyone but them.
Another fist slammed its way into Matthew's stomach. His abs were toned, but the beating he was receiving was too much for his muscles to accept as just scratches and dings. Every punch was hate fueled and full of malice.
"You think you're pretty smart, don't ya?" the Master Sergeant said as he threw another fist into the boy. "Think you can just do your own little fucking thing?!" he struck again. "You think that you can try and bring us down?" Another fist cut across his face.
"Hit 'em harder, Brian!" a Staff Sergeant called out. The words coming from his lips cut into Matthew's heart the most. It wasn't what he said, it was because of who said it. That Staff Sergeant wasn't just another NCO. He was Matthew's supervisor. He was his mentor. He was his second father. Now, he was his assaulter. "The boy needs to learn his place."
The Master Sergeant put a heave into his next punch and cut a gash in Matthew's head. Beaten, bloody, bruised, and ugly, Matthew just hung his head low from his position. He wanted to fight back, but even if he wasn't duck taped to a road sign on a barely used road, he still would be fighting his own dizziness and screaming muscles before he even threw a punch. Not to mention the fact that six full grown and hearty Dirt Boys were all against him. It would be useless to fight back.
Matthew felt the same way he did when he was being bullied when he was back in grade school. Helpless. No help, no reinforcements . . . nothing. Nothing but hopelessness and helplessness. He swung his head around to meet the crowd. He looked at all of them, but instead of saying anything, he just let his head fall forward. That, more than anything else, spoke volumes. Laughs and chuckles from all six men rang out at their apparent victory.
"Come on, guys." the Master Sergeant said as he went towards his SUV. "Leave the little cunt here. Let him bake in the sun for a bit when it comes up, and think about what he's done."
"We're not going to leave him all weekend like that are we?" another Staff Sergeant piped.
"Nah, we'll get him tomorrow night. Let him soak up some rays and then recover on Sunday. That'll teach him." With that they drove off. Leaving him there in the dark.
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Matthew only felt one thing at this instance in his life.
Abandoned.
Truly, truly abandoned. He was without a brother. He was without a shop. He was without a soul. Matthew just stood there in the dark until he could see the first rays of the sun. But as the first fingers of the glowing orb gripped everything in the field of hills, he looked at it with bloodied, bloodshot eyes. He had started out his investigation with the same sight that Monday. It was now Friday, and he had found out everything he needed to know. However, they, the ones who had done it all, had found out as well. They had lured him out with a text from an Airman in Environmental with the promise of a party, but when he went to meet them at the BX for pick up under the new moon, he was cuffed, gagged, and bagged, then through into the back of an SUV. They took him out to a remote place where only a few choice people would travel. Those same choice people, were nowhere to be found. He stared at the glowing orb. His eyes burned and he breathed through his nose. The smell of dried blood and sweat traveled through his lungs. As it rose, so did his rage. He closed his eyes after they could take no more punishment, and then that is when it was heard. A shout, a cry, a battle call from the throat. He let out a burst from his vocal cords. This burst however, wasn't a cry for help; it wasn't a plea for relief; it wasn't a prayer for peace. No. It was just a shout of someone who has been stripped of everything they were, and nothing remained. Nothing but a hollow body.
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How can you see into my eyes, like open doors
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb
Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home
Evanescence played over the radio as the red Navigator ran through the paved path. It was going faster than usual on this road, for one person out of the three in the vehicle spoke up when they had seen three vultures circling over a spot in the road. It had been over five minutes, but the song rang in their ears as if it was a calling. Worry and fear spread through their bodies. They knew that there was something amiss, but what it was, they didn't know. It was just seeing only three vultures flying overhead that worried them. Vultures were like pigeons out there and if only three found something like that, that meant that they weren't getting anything until whatever they were circling over was dead. They prayed that it was only a deer. They thought praying would help because it was Sunday afternoon and they had just gotten out of church.
They felt a fear like no other as they traveled, and that fear only turned to terror when they saw what it really was. A man was duct taped to a road sign, and by the looks of it, he was beaten and battered pretty bad. When all three hopped out of the vehicle and got a closer look, he was also badly sun burned, and on the verge of dying from dehydration. His skin was clammy and sickly. He was red all over his exposed flesh, and his head had maggots in the cuts.
"Charlotte!" called out one of the males. "Bring the car closer." the woman sped off and got the vehicle. "Nick, your KA-BAR!" a large knife was placed in the man's hands and his precision was so keen, that the tape was severed from the pool with ease. That came with a price though. As if on cue, the man's arm shot up from the tape and clasped the man's throat. It was clumsy and it did absolutely nothing to the man holding him up. The man's eyes were closed, and he looked like he was asleep. His hand however, never left the rescuer's neck.
"Drake." the female said as she opened up the back passenger door. "Drake, we need to get him to the hospital." all three of them carried and placed the taped man into the car.
Drake was on the end, so he ran around the car, and yelled, "Get in!" he buckled his seat belt and sped off when the last door was closed. Drake put the air conditioning on a medium setting as to not send the casualty into thermal shock. "Charlotte, check his pockets for I.D."
The girl did as she was told and got out the taped man's wallet. She unfolded the black leather and found his I.D. in the designated holder. "Airman First Class Matthew Petrauskas." she called out.
"Air Force, huh." Drake said. "Don't worry, blue friend. The Devil Dogs are here for you, man." he let out a shaky breath. "I just hope we're not too late."
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Matthew awoke with sudden jolt. He was assaulted with bright lights, and the accursed sun. He tried to shield his eyes, but it was useless. His arms were strapped down to his sides. "What kind of shit is this?" he struggled to rip the bonds off, but it was of no use.
"You're not getting out of those." a womanly voice was heard right next to the Airman. He looked up to find a nurse standing over him. "Those bonds are made to withstand a load greater than a ton of pressure, and the plastic that it is attached to is about three quarters of an inch thick of solid material. You're not getting out of there."
Matthew's throaty growl only grew louder as she spoke. Every syllable making his blood boil hotter. When he had enough, his rage burst forth. He started to thrash, and to snarl. His feet were also bound, so he could only howl in anger as he arched his back. A group of doctors and nurses' aides came in to hold the thrashing Airman down. With every man, the enraged man only flailed harder. He didn't give up his fight until he was pumped full of Propofol. Even though he stopped thrashing, he was still awake. Even after twenty minutes. Considering the dosage, he should have already been asleep half that time ago. They knew he was awake because he was blinking and growling. They feared that anymore of the stuff could cause death, so they left him alone. As they left the room, they saw him stalk them with his eyes. His head didn't rise from the pillow, but his pale blue orbs still followed them, even out the door. When they had left, and Matthew was alone he used every last bit of strength to let out a weakened howl. When the last note was played in his vocal chords, he fell into sleep.
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No one made a sound as the commander strolled through the squadron building. His head was hung low and his eyes were so distant that one would think that he was trying to spot a flea on the other side of the football field. The suspects were in custody, and the evidence of both occurrences of rape and assault was fool proof. The only thing missing was the one who collected all of it. However, when he found Matthew, he was a lot more worse for wear. He had been told to meet the commander in his office. That same heavy darkness loomed as the officer approached his own door. He turned the knob, and when he opened the door, he saw the boy there. He sat in the chair starring at the black leather chair. He never took his gaze off the seat when the door swung open. The officer walked around the Airman and sat down. When the young man tried to stand, the commander cut him short and so he sat back down.
"Commander." came a voice from the Airman. The stillness in his voice and the paleness of his eyes were enough to make the officer think that he was talking to a vampire.
"Matthew." he said back with a hint of fear in his voice. It took a few more moments of silence before he was able to speak again. "Matthew, I just want you to know that I never wanted any of that sort to happen to you. The fact that that did was just . . . it was almost too much for me to bear that it happened. Especially to someone like you . . . and for that reason"
"Though I appreciate your words, commander." Matthew said. "However, they are only just that. I came here, not because I wish for you to congratulate me, but for you to do something for me."
"And what would that be?" the officer asked with sincere curiosity.
"I want out." the Airman said in solemn. "I want out of the Air Force. I fought next to the men that betrayed me. I saved four of their lives at one point. For fuck sake, one has my blood running through his veins from my donation. So, when it comes time to pay for a crime, they try to kill someone for it. Even if that person was someone who would, and has, taken a bullet for them." The mounting anger in his voice was enough to make the commander rethink being in the same building as this boy. "I want you to give me an honorable discharge. I want to be out of this so called "brotherhood"." He flashed his teeth with that last word.
The commanding officer was struck by the words. He had never expected something like this to come out of this man's mouth. "Are you sure this is what you want?" the ranking man asked. "You shouldn't make this decision just because of six men out of the twenty four you have in the shop."
"It isn't the number, sir." Matthew countered. "It is who was in that number. Both my shop, and my immediate supervisor, two people whom I should be able to confide in, betrayed me. They left me to die. I am leaving the rest of them to their own fate. If those people did me harm, and they, above everyone else, were supposed to be the once protecting me, then what would all those others do? What kind of evil would they do upon me? I would much rather not know. I would much rather leave and never give them the chance to hurt me again."
The officer was trying to sift through the words and find anything that could tell him that Matthew was joking. He came up short though. He mulled over the words, but soon found that the best thing to do, was to let the man go. He could send him to another base, but then the actions that took place could spread to that shop and then mistrust between potential friends would ensue. No. Though he hated to admit it, this needed to happen.
"Alright." he said. "I will do what I need to do to get you out of here."
"Thank you, sir." A chill went up the commander's spine as he shook the soon to be former Dirt Boy's hand. "I very much appreciate it." |
Metal Ringing | Birth of the Wolf-Part 2 | Matthew could still feel how cold it was in the dorm. It was brisk from the air conditioning being blasted by his roommate. It had to be at most 60 degrees, when the outside temperature was about a good 103. He was finishing packing up his entire life. He had come to these dorms with such hope and vigor. He had made tons of friends, and had good relations with the dorm chiefs and managers. However, when he looked around, he could see that there was nothing left for him here.
The only thing that Matthew was going to leave was his certificates, and his coins. Ten well documented and well deserved awards that shone brightly over his bed. Along the clear, white wall was a varnished shelf, and upon it sat a stand that fit nine Air Force coins. It originally had ten, but one had been removed.
Matthew was about to pick up his bags and walk out to his car when he heard a knock at the door. He didn't bother to open it, or answer. He didn't have to when a voice came through.
"Matthew?" a masculine voice called. "Matthew, I know you're in there. I watched you go in."
The former Airman gave a long winded sigh. "Come in." he said begrudgingly.
Ordinarily, the man at the door would have taken offense to such tone, but considering the circumstances, he waved it off. The sound of a door knob being turned resonated through the empty room. In stepped the commander. He looked around to find that the room was void of anything that one could say that someone lived here. Not counting the certificates and coins on the shelf.
"Commander." Matthew deadpanned.
"Listen, Matthew." he said in a fatherly tone. "I never wanted any of this to happen to you. In fact, I never thought that anything like this would happen to you. Please, believe me when I say that the men that betrayed you . . ."
"They were not men!" the former Airman snapped. "They were bipedal animals!"
"Whatever you call them," the officer said in a somber tone. "they will be tried and prosecuted."
"Then what will happen?" Matthew asked with a sneer.
"Well, then I would expect that they go to jail." the lieutenant colonel said with confidence. "I know that the justice system would not fail with such blatant disobedience to the law, and to the laws of human rights placed against the accused."
"No!" the young man exclaimed. "What will happen is that it will all continue! You will have them placed in jail, or have a heavy fine placed on them. But you will ultimately fail to treat the problem."
"Well, what do you think should happen?" the commander asked.
"You show them and everyone else that to do what they did will be met with cold justice." The young man's tone and the way his eyes were devoid of what some people call a 'soul', suggested more than the officer would have liked to know.
"So, you like cold justice, do you?" the ranking official said. "Well, it just so happens that one of my relatives, a commander at Camp Pendleton, told me that the Corps is looking for new recruits. The Marines, have a different style of doing things than the Air Force and I think they may just have a sense of your 'cold justice'."
"You think I should become a devil dog?" Matthew's tone was more quizzical then sarcastic.
"You have the grit and it seems that you can take a beating . . . or six. So, why not?"
The former Airman thought for a moment. He didn't show any sign of approval of the idea, but then again he didn't show signs of disapproval either. "I'll think about it."
______________________________________________________________________________
"Come on! Hit 'em with the left hook!"
"Quit being a bitch!"
"Sweep 'em! Sweep 'em!"
Similar shouts and others called out from around the Bull Pit. Private Kelso was fighting against Private "Pile" Prince. As part of the Bull Pit rules, both contestants had to be of similar height and weight. So naturally, they stuck the smallest guy and made him fight against the biggest guy. To everyone's surprise, Kelso was actually matching up, and even beating Pile. Seems a decade in Judo and Muay Thai separately gave him the upper hand. A couple of well placed shot to the head and stomach left Private Pile on the ground.
"Should have worn your Full Metal Jacket, Private Pile!" the Drill Sergeant said. "Someone scoop him up and get the next two in." the sergeant looked around the room and found his next two contestants. Private Ramirez and Private Paulauckas. "You two! Get in there."
Matthew stepped in after Ramirez took the ground. The 'Mexican Hulk' as they called him put his arms up and curled his fingers in to pump up the crowd. The room full of trainees all cheered for their 'hero'. Some weren't even making bets on who would win, but rather on how long Paulauckas was going to last. Past two minutes was never put up. Ramirez taunted the crowd some more by rolling his arms and putting his hand up to his ear.
Unfortunately, all the gloating was for nothing. For the Mexican Hulk forgot one of the rules of the pit. Once the fighters are in the ring the match starts. He soon remembered that when Matthew came up and slammed his fist into one of Ramirez' kidneys. As the Latino arched his back in pain, the former Airman threw him down to the ground and let his fist slam into his face hard. Matthew wasted no time in using both his fists to pummel Ramirez' face in. The latino tried to fight back, but the caramel skinned man stood no chance against his opponent's malice. It stopped being a fight and turned into a massacre when two of Ramirez' teeth flew out of his mouth and his nose nearly got ripped off his face by Matthew's fist.
It took three or four people to rip Paulauckas from his victim. A smile of victory spread across his face when he saw the now unconscious body of his prey being bragged away.
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Day three in specialty training
Camp Pendalton, California
2200 PST
Most of the trainees were blacked out from the march. The survival portion of the field training also did a number on a lot of the more hardened recruits. Private Paulauckas drew the short straw and was on fire watch. He carried his M16 training weapon at the low ready position as he circled around his comrades. After the fight with Ramirez, and the other unlucky recruits, back in basic, his fellow Marines all felt uneasy around the former Airman. One of them commented on him saying, 'If that's how the Air Force really is, then I'm glad I joined the Marine Corps.' So naturally, they borderline failed almost every challenge because every one of them involved teamwork, and they were all too scared of the man to try and help him. Even in one of the most heavily unified portions of the United States Military, Matthew still was totally alone.
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Fire watch for the former Airman was coming to a close. It would soon be time to wake up a recruit and have them pull the next shift. However, something as easy as guard change wouldn't be as fun without a little excitement. With whatever evil lurked around, Matthew had the strangest feeling to look over his shoulder. From the looks of it, it just looked like a shadow. When he put his light on it, it became something worse. Out from the trees sprang a large wolf. Its powerful legs vaulting him over the bushes and toward the watchman.
Matthew acted quickly and put his rifle out to block the massive jaws of the wolf. The fangs of the hellacious creature snapped down on the weapon with as much force it took to snap cow bone. The momentum of the pounce itself was enough to make Paulauckas fly back and put the beast's jaws, while still around the weapon, within breathing distance of the new Marine. As the former Airman struggled with the beast, the other Marine trainees along with the sergeant were woken up by the tussle and snapped their own weapons up to bear. The Sergeant drew his live-firing pistol and tried to aim down the sights, but with the conflict going on, he couldn't get a clear shot.
Matthew was rolling and tussling every which way and he ended up going down the side of the hill they made camp on. The recruits sprinted towards the large wolf with the intent to kill, but the other members of the canine's pack came charging in. This time, the Sergeant didn't have to wait. He was able to fire off enough rounds to scratch off two of the beasts while the three others were smacked down by the trainees' rifles. Matthew still had his weapon in the wolf's mouth when he was able to wrestle it onto its back. He put every bit of his body weight to pin the beast down. Matthew needed to kill the damn thing, but his K-BAR was too far from him to keep the beast pinned. So, he had to improvise. He put the rifle receiver on the roof of the wolf's mouth and exposed its throat. With how he was positioned, the only viable way to kill the thing was with the weapon that his opponent was using. Matthew roared and slammed his jaws around the large canine's throat. The wolf tried to wiggle away, but with the top of his jaw being compressed and his oxygen levels getting too low, he soon succumbed to the will of death.
The new Marine unlatched his now bloody maw and got up off of the beast. All of his comrades, along with the Sergeant, raced down the hill, but stopped dead in their in their tracks in astonishment at the bloody mouthed recruit. He breathed hard, but had the face of someone who was both physically, and mentally, exhausted. It took a while for anyone to speak, and when they did, it was just the sergeant who asked if he was okay, and to call in a med-evac. Before the helicopter took off, Matthew heard one of the recruits say, "We'll see you later, man! Thanks for saving our asses! We owe you one, Wolf."
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The Wolf. The Marine Corps had dubbed the newly indoctrinated Marine as The Wolf. The story spread throughout the training group, and then having the story spread throughout the ranks of the Corps. He became somewhat of celebrity from the story. Of course, as a celebrity, you have to perform constantly. So, with all this talk, there were some of those around that thought they might want to go Wolf hunting. It took about four 'hunts' for the rest of them to realize that going out and pissing off a fellow Marine wasn't such a good idea. Especially when every time a new challenger would come around, the Wolf had to get creative. Unfortunately for anyone who crossed him, it was too late to be told that Matthew was at his most dangerous when he had to be creative.
One of the hunters was a Gunnery Sergeant. With a whole sixteen years behind him and more than a few stripes on his sleeves, one would think that the sergeant would be the victor if he ever wanted to take a few jabs at the Wolf. That would have been the case if the Wolf hadn't overheard him talking about his bad back. That was the only time that anyone had ever heard a Gunnery Sergeant beg for mercy from a Private. What freaked a lot of people out wasn't the fact that he was able to beat them. No, that was not the case. If one had enough skill and will power, that person would be near to unstoppable. No, it was that smile of his. That ultra faint, yellow tinted smile. Along with his pale blue eyes, it was a nightmare just to imagine that face. Every time someone entered the ring with him, they only had enough will to make him submit. The Wolf, on the other hand, went into every fight willing to kill his opponent. It's what made him so dangerous. He didn't care who it was. If one were to challenge him, they would have to be willing to kill him, or be killed. More than a few had put in complaints about that, and even a few had gone so far up the chain of command that they spoke face to face with the Camp Commander about him. Every time was the same, though. They all were turned away and told to not worry about it. For none of them knew how valuable having someone like The Wolf around truly was.
At least not yet. |
Metal Ringing | Birth of the Wolf-Part 3 | WARNING!-GORE IS USED!
The sound of a Howitzer is not something that will never be forgotten. The concussive force of the round being shot off and the explosion when the projectile hit the ground is only a sight that can be appreciated by few. Though, no one has ever appreciated such a sight like that more than the Wolf.
The Wolf stood just one hundred yards from the artillery pieces. His combat dress was newly cleaned and ready for another day. Next to him were his fellow Marines. All of them wearing the same uniform, except for one feature. 'The face of a warrior is important to see', so said the Wolf. Everyone else had their sunglasses and face masks on. The former however, chose to keep his face free from obstruction. He stated that it made it easier for him to catch his prey.
When the shelling ceased, the cavalry and infantry units came forth. The Wolf and his squad mates all huddled inside their MRAP. The roar of its engine bellowed alongside the others in a symphony of certain death. Of course, being what he was, the Wolf's squad, otherwise known as the Pack, led the charge through the city of Sananadaj. The northern portion was decimated from the bombardment After this, everyone knew it was time to clean up the mess in the rubble.
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The wilderness is where the Wolf made his home, but the city, however, was the bane of his entire existence. He hated the tall buildings and noisy cars. Not to mention it also made it harder for him to find his prey. He didn't like having to search room after room of buildings after building just to find a small number of whelps to kill. The Wolf would have to make do with this though.
The MRAP came to a halt when the vehicle made it into the heart of the burning rubble. Cars, bodies, and chunks of building were all cast aside and strewn about by the blast of the cannons. What remained after the shelling was nothing more than ruins and corpses of the Iranian people. Though most would think that this would be a place of silence, the Iranian Army found this as a perfect hiding spot for ambushes and guerilla attacks. Much to the displeasure of American military forces, but to the never ending excitement of the Wolf and his ceaseless hunger for blood. He thrived in this sort of dark and shadowed area of destruction.
The Wolf jumped out of the MRAP and brought his nose to the air. No one knew, but somehow, the man could smell the enemy around his area. Sure enough, with a couple deep whiffs he smelled his prey through the other horrid stenches that were wafting through the air. The Wolf had stated before, when the war in Iran first started, which was about five weeks ago, that the people of this land had a unique scent to them, one that was a mix of spice and fear. Most thought that he was just being a freak, but after a while, and after many demonstrations of finding combatants and civilians alike, the Marines, and even Army, all agreed that this was no mere joke.
With a stretch of the Wolf's legs, he was running off in the direction of the enemy with the rest of his squad in tow. Normally, the Marine officers would tell them to stick together, but having something as mobile and efficient as the Pack was invaluable to the mission. Not only did it allow easy movement, but it also took the liability off of the commanding officers. The Pack did their thing and eliminated the enemy without as much as a whisper at times. Other instances were met with minimal gun fire, but heavy amounts of screaming. No one in the Pack was ever hurt, save for the Wolf himself, but even if he was, some stitching and antibiotics gave him the treatment he needed to keep fighting. Everyone else in the group never had a scratch on them. At least not visibly.
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"Take the left side." called out an Iranian sergeant in Persian. The subordinate troops did as commanded and hid in the rubble. They were not two hundred yards from where the MRAPs were parked. This made it the perfect range for a fight like this. The range mixed with all the hiding spaces and cover made it easy for the troops to move around without much fear of gunfire.
"Stay low." said the sergeant. They were all on an elevated position from the American forces, so this would be a textbook shooting gallery. "When I give the signal, rain hell down upon them." The troops all were ready to jump up from their hiding spaces and attack. The sergeant was about to give the signal to fire, but someone called out.
"Wait." it was a private ranked troop who had spoken.
"What?!" the sergeant took the outburst as an affront to his authority. "What could a private possibly have to say?"
"The amount of troops and vehicles do not add up." the private stated. "There are nine squads, but ten MRAP's. They are missing a squad."
The Iranian sergeant looked over the situation and counted the enemy. He found that his subordinate spoke true. There were nine squads with ten MRAP's in the distance. "Then where is the missing squad?" he asked. The answer came in the form of a howl. Not one made by the wild dogs that inhabited their country, but a howl that could only be made by the practiced vocals of a human being. The sergeant's blood ran cold, and his hands shook. He had heard the tales but he never believed. Until now. "EVERYBODY RUN!" With that command, the troops scattered and ran. They used as much cover as they could to hide themselves as they retreated.
"Get back to base!" shouted another sergeant. Though once he did, he was made a target. Out from a crack in the rubble, a figure leapt out at him. The Iranian NCO landed hard on the ground as he felt a burning sting on both sides of his neck, and his blood running cold. For above him, was the smiling face of the Wolf.
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The triumphant Marine removed both of his KABARs and ran on. Other Iranian troops were taken down by gunfire from the rest of the Pack. The squad positioned themselves in nooks and spider holes in the rubble at elevated positions. For the Marines, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. For the enemy, it was a horror show. One of the Pack mates, saw as the Wolf ran along the Iranian soldiers and pounced on them and drove his knives into their traps. The next victim tried to shoot at him, but the beast was too good for such things. He dove forward into a roll and came up to the right of the combatant. A simple bound from his legs brought the Wolf up close and personal to the Iranian as the latter's gun fired harmlessly past him. Both blades found their way into the stomach of the poor fool. Blood gushed from the man's mouth as his pain grew larger. The Wolf pulled his weapons from the abdomen of his prey and ran on.
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"I got to get to base. I got to get to base. I got to get to base." the commanding sergeant panted to himself. He ducked from cover to cover, in an effort to avoid the American monster. The Iranian combatant heard the screams of one of his brothers in arms and cringed when he heard the unmistakable howl of the Wolf. That howl was too close, though. He needed to move if he was to survive.
The sergeant bolted for another place to hide. To his left was a tunnel. He couldn't see the exit, but he knew that if he didn't take the chance, he might not have another chance like it. The sergeant dove into the tunnel and low crawled through. He made sure to keep his rifle out of the dirt, and made double sure that he was silent. At the end of the tunnel, there was very little light, but the sergeant could still see that there was a fork. He was having trouble deciding which one to take, but then he heard the howl again. That was more than enough for him to just pick one and go. The tunnel's floor dipped under a large jagged chunk of building a ways down. It didn't offer much space, and the sergeant wasn't sure if he would fit through there. He had to at least try. Inch by inch, the Iranian went forward. But, almost as if Allah had other plans, he was snagged by his armor. The combatant struggled to pull forward, but his nylon covering was too strong and he didn't have enough leverage to tear it free. He tried backing up, but that didn't do anything. He figured that if he was going to be free, he would have to abandon his vest. All it took was a buckle and a Velcro strap and he was free. The armor stayed as the man slid forward on his stomach. After the sergeant made it out from under the rubble, the light of day came into view. The Iranian had to keep himself in check and not run head first out to the opening. He inched up to the opening and looked out. The noise of MRAPs filled his ears, and he slid back down into the tunnel. When the engines of the vehicles sounded in the distance, he made his way out.
The sergeant watched as the vehicles rode away from the end of the destroyed part of the city and into the other areas where they would cause more destruction. He couldn't let that happen to his people without him having something to say about it. The sergeant ran to his left towards his base, but also toward his death. The Iranian stood in disbelief as the smiling maw of the Wolf greeted him as the pair of KABARs he held slid farther into the brown gut of the once proud and determined combatant. All life, and the only chance his brothers and sisters had, drained from his eyes as the knives did their work. Death soon took him in the coldest of embraces.
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The Wolf howled in triumph at his kill. The rush of adrenaline and the satisfaction of another confirmed casualty was enough to make the Marine feel like a god. From behind the man rode the rest of his squad in the MRAP. The Wolf sheathed his weapons leapt onto the vehicle and hung onto the outside. Neither bump nor dust could break his iron grip. For in the distance was his prize. He had done his job in protecting the other squads as they made their way passed the rubble. Now, it was time to head off into the true battle.
A mortar shell came just inches within his face, but he only blinked with a smile before it exploded passed the transport. Other artillery pieces fired off into the wave of Army and Marine forces as they made their way toward the heart of the city. Where more than a few Iranian battalions were holding a strong defensive position. US tanks fired back with equal, if not greater ferocity against their Iranian counterparts.
The battle was just underway when the Pack rolled up to the commanding officer. The Wolf, being the leader, saluted the Captain and said, "Ambush forces are eliminated, sir."
"Good." the officer said. "Get back in the MRAP and see if you can get around this artillery. If they keep shelling us like this, we'll be stuck here until the jets can get some reprieve from the dog fighting."
The Marine Private saluted again, and said "The Pack will take care of it, sir." The gleaming teeth of the Wolf made the Captain cringe slightly as he saluted. He always hated dealing with the beast, but if it wasn't for him, the good officer would have been dead a long time ago.
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Sananadaj fell. It took longer than expected, but it still was accomplished in a relatively good time. However, the Iranian people had an old saying.
"If God gives you an easy victory for one battle, he will give you the greatest challenge of your life in another."
This rang true. For Hamadan was now the greatest challenge the First Marine Division was facing. Granted, no one else, had a better time, but this was even with the Wolf to help them. Even though the tide was turning to the US's favor, they still had spent over two years in the mountains, and now spending six months fighting this one city. The guerilla warfare and battle tactics were being implemented on both sides, so the tactics portion was a stalemate. They both had artillery, and air support, so no one had the bigger guns. It was only because of the US's deep pockets at the time that gave them the upper hand, but that seemed to matter little. Something would have to be done if the United States was going to get to Tehran any time soon.
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From the Wolf's perch on a rocky cliff, the Marine could see the mountain valleys that surrounded the city of Hamadan. The sun was about to set behind the peaks, and the moon was about to take its rightful place among the millions of stars. From behind the Wolf came a voice.
"Paulauckas." the voice whispered.
"What is it, Corporal?" the Wolf asked in a deadpan. His gaze never left the city. The rage he felt towards that one city was more than one whole country should be able to have at one time.
"We got a little bit of present for you." the smile in the corporal's voice told the Wolf something he wanted to hear.
"What did you all bring me?" the Wolf asked with a bit of intrigue.
"Colonel Kasra." the corporal stated. The Wolf only smiled as the light from the sun faded from view.
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Colonel Kasra was not, by any means, a weak willed man. He felt that no pain was too great, and he never lived with regrets. He was always willing to sacrifice in order to achieve the greatness that his people could be. However, the ambition he has sometimes puts him some positions that some would call unmanageable. Although those situations did arise every now and again, that still didn't stop him from coming out on top. He used his wit and his strategic mind to get himself and his men to safety, and victory.
Even with an intellect like that, Colonel Kasra was not without his vices. Easy victories and rich spoils always seemed to attract him. It was this same vice that led to those situations mentioned earlier. However, instead of facing terrorists or mercenaries, he now faced one of the most dangerous types of people on the face of the earth. Along with the most dangerous man of that same type.
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The light from the sun was now going across the rest of the world. As it crawled in, it was relieving itself from the horror that the rest of the Pack would soon witness.
The Wolf stalked forward with a pace that was slower than death. With the night taken hold, one would think that there would be no light except from the flashlights. Those same people would be wrong. The moon this night was full, and the light from the stars along with it gave enough illumination to make out specific details on the Wolf. Colonel Kasra greeted the Marine in his signature fashion.
"Well, well, well." he said. "What do we have here? The legendary Wolf." As the Iranian commander spoke, the Marine tied a rope to the feet of one of the two soldiers that accompanied Colonel and a large rock. "Tell me, Wolf. Do you like it, as you Americans say, doggy style? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" The Wolf only stayed silent as he tied a piece of string to the one Iranian's neck.
The Wolf, after a good second was taken to inspect his work, replied. "I actually don't have a favorite style." he cooed. With that, he kicked the soldier off of the cliff and let the sound of screaming fill the mountainside. When the line jerked, the Wolf pulled out a hand grenade and pulled the key. He quickly threaded the string through and let the explosive run down the line and hit the Iranian soldier in the chin. The pain in the man's jaw only lasted for a spell until the grenade exploded and took his head an part of his upper body clean off.
Colonel Kasra, witnessed in silence as his subordinate was drawn up without the upper portion of his torso and head. The Wolf, without so much as another word, stepped over to the other soldier with his KABAR and started cutting into the man's facial flesh just before the ear. The soldier howled in his native tongue as the blade did its nasty work. The tip of the knife dug in far as another inch or two of human flesh was cut from rest of the body. When the cut was made full circle, the Wolf dug his fingers into the face of the man and pulled hard. The man's facial flesh came flying off in display of blood and horror. One of the other Marine's had had enough and ended up throwing up. The screaming that ensued was enough to wake the rest of the darkened world up from its sleep. The Wolf only shrugged as tossed the man along with his face off the cliff and heard the crack of the skull on the rocks below. It sounded like the breaking of a tree trunk to the former.
The Wolf wiped his hands on his uniform to take off some of the blood as the Colonel was left speechless. He had seen many disturbing things, but he had never witnessed anything so horrific before. He was just without words. That is until, the Wolf's smile gleamed in the moon light.
"Y-Y-You can't do this!" the officer cried. "You are bound by law and you will be executed for these war crimes!" He yelped when the Wolf brought up one of his fangs and started to cut the man's face off. The Iranian howled in agony, until he found enough courage to say, "I'll talk! I'll tell you anything! Please! Just let me keep my face!"
The wolf pulled his knife from the flesh, and wiped the accumulated plasma off of the edge. "All you had to do is say so." The Marine stated as he wiped the blade's wicked edge on the man's cloths and sheathed the deadly weapon.
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The next week, Hamadan fell. Colonel Kasra had told everything he knew to the American Military Officers. It was an easy victory with the cowardly officer's help, and it was even more pleasurable for the Wolf to shred the man to pieces in front of all the higher ups and cut off his head. Three of the Majors ended up vomiting their stomach's out at the sight of the gore. One general in particular, Lieutenant Colonel Aaron of the United States Marine Corps, saw this act and knew only one of two things. One of the two things had nothing to do with the situation as it included the image of a foul ball going into left field. The other, was something he knew better than anyone else there in attendance. He looked upon the Wolf with the same eye that another Lieutenant Colonel looked at him with. Another full bird Colonel looked upon that one the same way. All the way back to God knows when. So, as a man of his duty, both in the military, and as part of this vicious and horrible cycle, he would speak to the Wolf tonight, and hopefully break this chain.
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The Wolf was cleaning his blades later than day. They had been stained, and scratched, but with some tender malice and cruelty, every blemish was gone from the steel, and the edge of the knife had never been sharper. From on the other side of the makeshift hang out, one of the other members of the Pack spoke up loud. "Officer on deck!" The entire Pack all stood up at once in the position of attention. Lieutenant Colonel Aaron took to the room, and bade them a good day.
And to leave.
This was nothing new to the Pack. They all knew what was going to happen next, so they all went back to their tents to pack for the arrival of the chopper that would take them to their next FOB or base. It almost was like clockwork. When the last of the squad were gone, the only person left in the room, besides the officer, was the Wolf.
"Have a seat, Wolf." Colonel Aaron's tone was soft, yet still had a heaviness to it. The Marine obliged to the request.
"Where do we get to go this time, sir?" the now ranking sergeant asked.
"Home." the silver starred man said.
The Wolf arced his eye brows. "Sir?" He thought he was going crazy. Did he just hear that they were going home?
"We were contacted by the Iranian president last night. When we told him that we have Hamadan he surrendered. So, the war is over."
It took a whole minute and a half before the Wolf spoke again. His brain still not able to fully process what it is he was being told. "So, we are all going home?"
"Well, you're not." the Lieutenant Colonel said flatly.
"I'm to be stationed for occupation?" questioned the sergeant.
"No." the ranking officer said. "You are going back home, or at least your body is, but you, as a whole person, will not leave the battlefield." The General leaned in close. "You're running, so you can never truly go back."
"I'm not running from anything." the Wolf said a little more forcefully than he would have liked.
"I saw the way you ripped apart that Colonel. You show the same malice and cruelty that I did when I was your age. The only difference being it was at the beginning of Desert Storm and I was a Second lieutenant at the time, and I was just out of my books. I craved blood, and I wanted to kill so badly. Why? Because I was sad. I was depressed. My girlfriend at the time took my money and ran off. She had been my only family for ten years. So, when she did that, I was all alone at that point."
"You know that feeling, don't you? The cold stiffness of the air. Your mind making you hear the voices of the ones who abandoned you. That's why you kill, don't you? For the same reason I did. Because I wanted to escape the pain. I did that by inflicting it on others. And now you do it too."
"I am not running from any sort of emotion I'm felling." the Wolf stated sharply.
"I know what happened to you back when you were in the Air Force. I know the look that you gave nurse as she left. I know the smile you had when you killed that wolf. You are running, and sooner or later you will find that you have been running for so long that you are no longer the one who was abandoned, but rather, the one who has done the abandoning."
"What do you mean?" the Wolf demanded. The light from the sun seemed to dim considerably. The air became stiff, and the Marine's heart raced to the point of completing a marathon in nine minutes. The Wolf had felt this before. "No. NO!" He looked down to his hands to see that they were shaking and covered in blood. He shut his eyes tight as he tried to fight back the overwhelming flood of hot, salty liquid.
"You felt abandoned so you abandoned everyone else." said the officer. "Your own family was shut out of your life. You left your siblings with a hollow shell of a man that was once their brother. You became a ghost! A walking dead man to those that mattered."
The Wolf put his hands to his ears and shook his head violently. Trying to block out the words, but to no avail. It only made the voice of the General louder.
"Remember Esfahan?" the Lieutenant Colonel asked with a maniacal and low chuckle. "You had found a family held up in a house. They were not hostile. In fact, they were pacifists. It didn't matter to you, though. You tore the infant from the mother's arms and cut the child's throat. You then tossed the body aside and killed rest of the children. The mother and father watched in abject horror as their children were ripped apart. You gave the parent's an even slower death. Cutting off their hands and feet. You let them bleed out and cry themselves into dehydration as they wailed in pain. Do you remember that?"
The Marine still felt the warmth of their blood and suffered the searing pain in his ears from the cries of more than just that family, but the terrible shrieks of the other families he had slaughtered alongside them. The blood he had spilt was now running down his face and caking himself in a mask of red. The smell and taste of metal, gunpowder and blood made it seem like his stomach was about to erupt from nausea. Even with his eyes closed, he saw every man, woman, and child whose lives he had taken.
"Every last one of them died not because it was your duty, not because it was for a cause, NO. It was because you wanted to flee. You replaced your feelings of sadness and abandonment with rage and anger. With malice and cruelty. You tried to stifle your own pain by making others feel worse torment. In the end, however, it would all come back. You spoke true when you said you killed twenty six soldiers, but you lie if you say you did not kill two hundred and eighty civilians along with them. One man, YOU, took the lives of so many innocent men and women with not bullet, bomb, or gas. Nah! You killed them with blade and hand."
"How do know all of this?!" the Wolf cried in a demanding tone.
His answer came in the form of a hand gingerly grasping his chin and lifting his face up. When the Wolf opened his eyes, he did not find Lieutenant Colonel Aaron, but himself. He saw that his own from was grasping his face. Terror is a word the joyous use to describe this sort of situation.
"Because no matter how fast you run." the Wolf said. "No matter how far you may go. No matter where you hide. You can't outrun the Wolf." The face of the Marine erupted into the face of the beast he had killed when he got his name, and felt the jaws of the monster grip his neck. The fangs dug themselves far into the Marine's neck and clenched down into his throat. The Wolf couldn't breathe. He couldn't scream. He could only feel the pain of hundreds of stings and shooting pains from knife wound after knife wound that racked his body. Every cut and stab he gave to his victims was only magnified by the helplessness he felt as his windpipe was being crushed by the pressure of the ever growing strength of the monster's jaw. He was sure that at this point he would die.
He tried to let out one more scream. One more effort to call for help. Almost as if it was a gift from God himself, he felt the pain of the Wolf's jaws no more. He felt like he was being pulled up. Not so much a floating, but like something was tugging at him. And that's when he heard it. He heard his name being called out. "Matthew!" It started off at a distance, but then grew louder and louder.
"MATTHEW!"
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Ignatius jumped from his laying position and hit something solid. A pile of flesh and bone. He reeled back from the impact and found that the pile of flesh and bone was actually his brother Aquinas. The Naval officer held him by the front of his coat with a grip that shamed even that of Twisted Horns. Who happened to be at the foot of the bed Ignatius was lay on.
"Matthew!" Aquinas called. The former was still hyperventilating and sweating. He was in a complete state of panic. That is, until the large hand of his brother cross his face, and made his eyes wobble slightly. "Matthew, calm down!" The Ensign's voice was more of worry than that of a superior giving an order.
Ignatius snapped back to the reality he was in and began to recollect his breathing. His breathing was still labored, but at least it was under control. Tears and mucus mixed with the cold sweat that drenched not only his face, but his whole body. His entire body still shook violently because of the cold stiffness his entire body was held prisoner by. He tried to form words, but his quivering lips would not allow it. Then again, nothing really needed to be said.
Aquinas let out a relieved sigh and set the Sergeant down to the pillow slowly. While his brother still looked up to him from this prone position, he said, "You have a lot of explaining to do." It was at this time that he saw Ignatius slip back into a state of rest. He knew that when he woke up, he would need the energy. |
Metal Ringing | Epilogue | Aquinas had to stand up just so he could sit down again after hearing something like that. He could not believe what he had just heard. His own brother was the unnamed Reaper of Iran, as the media called it. They played it off as an unrelated killer taking advantage of the war. So now, to hear that his own brother committed such atrocities was more than a huge shock. Aquinas was by no means a weak man. He had seen and heard more than a few things that a man of his age shouldn't while out on benders with Ignatius in the more objectionable parts of cities, but nothing like this.
"That's a lot of shit." Aquinas finally said after a good minute of silence.
"Now you see what plagued me for so long." Ignatius said. He did not face his brother, as his interest was focused on the blank, dark wall of stone that was before him. That seemed to hold more of his attention then the face of abject horror that his brother would more than likely have when he heard what he had done in Iran.
Aquinas sighed. "Yes." he said at length. Aquinas stroked his clean shave chin and thought for a while. It took a spell, but he mustered enough questions to ask his brother. "Why did you not just stay in the Air Force? Those men were gone. There would be no need to fear them, especially because they would be behind bars and away from your shop."
"The reason I didn't go back" Ignatius explained. "was because of my other shop mates. I didn't want to be looked at as if I was some double agent or something. Mistrust is easy to come by in those situations, and I wasn't going to face them knowing that they would just ultimately shun me."
"So, you left." Aquinas stated to clarify. "Why were they letting you out?"
"I requested it from my commander." said the Marine. "He was reluctant to oblige, but I warned him that it would just happen again if he tossed me back in."
"You could have gone to another shop." The officer reasoned.
"Not when words travels as fast as it does." Ignatius retorted.
Aquinas was silent for a moment. He tried to ask the right questions to get his answer, but there was nothing that came up.
Then it hit.
"Was the Colonel right?" Aquinas questioned. "Did the loneliness and the sadness creep back in?" That part was misconstrued by the horror scene at the end of the vision.
It took a while for Ignatius to answer, but in time, he spoke. "Yes."
He didn't know if he heard right, but Aquinas could have sworn he heard a soft choke in his brother's affirmation.
"Did the recounting of our favorite show do anything for you? I mean, spark something that was apparently lost?"
"Slightly."
"Then if you were feeling this way, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you just come out and say what you did, instead of balling it up inside for this long?"
A stillness and enormous amount of gravity filled the room at that moment. Ignatius' head seemed to sink low into himself, and he was shaking slightly. It wasn't until a good moment passed, which felt like an entire afternoon to Aquinas, until his brother spoke. Though, he did not speak in his usual, calm, clear, and sometimes menacing, voice. No. This was a cracked and choking tone. One full of regret, sadness, and guilt. And though Ignatius himself felt these things, Aquinas was hit with half of it when the older brother said these words.
"Because I thought that if I told you this, you wouldn't love me anymore."
A train is too slow and too easily stopped for it to have a fraction of the force that that phase had when it hit Aquinas. He not only felt his own tears start to fall from his face, but he also heard his own brother's sobs. A sound he had not heard since who knows when.
Both brothers couldn't move for a second, but then the sound of foot falls was heard. Before Ignatius could even register what was happening, he felt the large, wool covered arms of his brother wrap around his. As Ignatius sat upon the bed facing the same direction as his brother, he could feel the embrace of his sibling. He turned around slow and returned it in full. The Marine slowly rose from the bed and on to his feet. Now showing his brother his tear stained face and his bloodshot, paling, blue eyes. Knowing he was not one for emotional instances such as this, Ignatius expected to see that his brother was stoic faced and void of any emotion. However, the opposite was true. Not only did Aquinas show emotion, but he showed one that one would not expect at a time like this. He showed happiness. Genuine, unprecedented, happiness.
"Matthew." he said softly as he hugged his brother again. "No matter what, I'll always love you. You're my brother. And no matter what you do, no matter what you say, I will never stop loving you."
I was now Ignatius' turn to embrace his brother. He not only returned the affection in full, but also smile. "The one person in the world that matters, is the one that still cares."
"In this world, and any other." Aquinas said. The Naval Officer outstretched his arms and held his brother's shoulders in his hands. He looked into his now shining blue eyes. The ones he knew at a different time. A better time. "After all this time, I got my brother back."
The sound of shuffling hooves sounded from across the room. Twisted Horns made his way towards the pair of brothers with a smile that shamed even himself. "I see that you two have patched things up."
"All thanks to you, Twisted Horns." Ignatius said. "Say. What was in that stuff in my eyes that made me see all my memories again, anyway?"
"Insight dust." Twisted Horns said. "It's a mix of different hallucinogens that makes you relive events in your life that you had blocked out. It seems the memories that you yourself had repressed were more traumatic than anyone would dare to ask about. I'm sorry I used it, but it seemed to me that you needed it." Of course, the forge master was there for the full story of the dream, though some part were cut out at times, he never knew why, but what he did hear made even the man beast flinch.
"Yeah." Ignatius conceded. "They were." His voice become heavier at the end of every syllable.
"I guess now we can say," Aquinas said as he looked to his brother and the mino-satyr. "that since those memories are behind us, we will have to make new ones."
The trio in the room all nodded in unison at the declaration. It was apparent to these three that this was the beginning to a new adventure for them. The start of something better.
"Hey," Ignatius said. "I'm kind of wondering. How was long was I out? A day or two? A week?"
"Three months, actually." the blacksmith said.
Ignatius was only able to blink until he could say. "Dafuq?!" |
The Last Medallion | pre | "So what do we do?" Dusk asked, deciding to join in the conversation, his muzzle covered in pancake syrup.
Twilight paused for a moment to think of an answer to the thestral's question. "Well I'm sure the three of you would appreciate a full tour of the place. You didn't really get one when you arrived, did you? I'm sure one of the staff will gladly help out with that. But for now, I've got to go. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow, Noah," she said happily before trotting off.
# # #
The dark stone walls of the cave were dryer in this area, but the torches were not present. Instead there was a series of brightly glowing crystals that illuminated the medical section of the dark lair. On one of the operating tables sat the Hunter, watching as a fuchsia unicorn began to stitch up the wound he had received from the accursed Medallion Master. The Hunter watched her work, wincing every time the needle pierced his flesh.
"So," a voice spoke up, the mocking tone evident, "Looks like you weren't able to get the job done after all. I should have placed a bet on it."
The Hunter looked at the source of the voice; it was one of the Shrouded Ones. As he approached the Shrouded One pulled back his hood revealing a dark grey pony with a white mane. "Maybe I should have gone instead? Then our master might finally have that last medallion for his collection."
"If you had gone, I doubt you would have survived to be sitting here while I mock you, Storm Wind," the Hunter retorted, earning a smile from the grey Pony. Soon enough they were both laughing, causing the unicorn to scowl as the Hunter's laughter made it harder for her to finish her job.
Eventually the laughter stopped and she finished. "Now stay off that leg to let it heal. I'll check up on you in a week." With that, the Hunter and Storm Wind left.
After they arrived at the Hunter's quarters, Storm Wind again turned to him. "So really - what happened? You never fail to take a target once you find them. How did this griffon give you so much trouble?"
With a sigh, the Hunter passed into the main living area of his quarters, making sure to keep his injured leg up. "He used that damn medallion of his!"
Storm Wind was taken aback by the Hunter's statement. "What do you mean? He couldn't have used it! One has to go through intense thorough training to even begin to make use of the medallion's powers."
"Exactly, but this birdbrain didn't. He just used it! It was like he knew all along how to use it." Hobbling over to a weapon rack, the Hunter replaced all but one of the daggers he usually carried with him. "It was impossible. But it happened. He ruined my favorite dagger too," he added with a pout as, with his magic, he held up the dagger with the mostly missing blade.
Storm Wind examined the mirror smooth slice that cut the dagger in half. "Yep," he said with finality. "A Knight's weapon did this alright. Dark-forged blades like this should be easy to re-forge even after a Light weapon cut it. Told you to stop using these older weapons - they just don't stand up to what the Knights use. You're lucky it was just a gash you got. If he had been a few inches closer... let's just say you wouldn't have survived to be stitched up."
The Hunter looked at his shoulder; it still hurt. The Dark Master didn't believe in pain killers. "I'm eternally thankful that it could be stitched up. I'm not very keen on the idea of bleeding out before I can have a re-match with that Tartarus-damned griffon. I'll need some newer daggers to fight him though."
Storm Wind nodded and turned to leave. "Just make sure you get some rest. You're no good to the master dead. I'll get those new daggers for you too."
With that the grey Pony left, leaving the Hunter alone with his thoughts. Despite his hatred for the griffon, the Hunter's thoughts were focused more on the Medallion Master's companions or, to be more precise, that earth pony mare. Her face kept popping into his mind unbidden. Those blue eyes, her cute freckles... "NO!" he shouted out loud as he shook his head, trying to force the image out. "Just forget about her. She's of no consequence. Cute... but of no consequence... totally...." Sitting on his bed, he hung his head and sighed. "Yep... I wanna see her again. Crap."
# # #
It had been several days since Twilight and Noah began studying the medallion, trying to figure out its magic and how it all worked. The biggest revelation came when Twilight and Noah were studying the Knight form itself. One thing they learned that was the Knight form used the user's own energy to power its manifestation, which finally explained Noah's huge appetite the following morning: he needed to replace all that he had lost. Today, they were once again studying the Knight form.
"So you said when you got hit by that strange unicorn's dagger, you didn't see yourself under the armor, right?" Twilight asked as she, with her magic, was running a scan on Noah as he stood in the center of the room in Knight form. "Yeah," he said, his voice once again that strange deeper double version of his own. "It really freaked me out, but I didn't really have time to think about it back then."
"Well, I think I've figured out why," she said as she finished her scan. "You can... um... power down now if you like." The silver light filled the room and once again Noah was his regular blue, black and white self. He then proceeded to feast on the food prepped for him beforehand. "Sho," he said with a beak full of two kinds of food at once, "you fink *gulp* you've figured out what was going on?" Once his question was asked he took another hungry bite.
Twilight couldn't help but smile at the griffon's behavior. She had gotten very used to it over the past few days. "I think so. Take a look," she said as she projected, with her magic, a profile image of Noah, and then she projected another image over it. I think what you saw under the armor was... well... I think the best way to describe it is a layer of semi solid light between you and the armor, forming a secondary level of protection, I guess."
A loud belch signaled that Noah had finished his meal, and he moved to stand beside her as he looked over her projections. "I guess that makes sense. I did feel like I was there in the armor but it felt kinda warm and cozy. Guess this explains it."
Twilight looked over at the Griffon. It had been several days since he and his friends had been invited to stay by Path, but still he hadn't brought up the one thing that he had been keeping from the House founders. Twilight had hoped he might have by now, but so far, nothing. "Well I think that's more than enough for today," she said, ending the projections.
Noah rounded his shoulders and stretched his hind legs. Twilight was about to say something more before the griffon held up a claw to silence her. "Let me guess - 'You shouldn't leave the grounds, just in case that unicorn is out there'," he said in a perfect impression of the purple alicorn, which caused her to chuckle.
"Yes," she said, "but in all seriousness, you don't know what else is out there. That unicorn could have brought some kind of backup. We don't know yet what you can stand up to. There are a lot of things you haven't been tested against yet." She placed a reassuring hoof on his shoulder. "We're only looking out for you." Noah gave her an appreciative smile and began to make his way out of the room. "Well, I guess I'll just head back to my room. I think Duskwing has got one of those new board games from town. Might have a game with him." With that, he left.
Once alone, Twilight frowned. She was sure he would tell her what he had been keeping in. However she had the feeling that her husband knew what it was, so it was time to talk to him. Teleporting out of the lab, she reappeared in the room that she shared with the griffon-changeling. He was there, working on one of his paintings. This one was particularly beautiful - the Griffonia cityscape at sunset. The mixture of reds, oranges and yellows was amazing. It was almost like he'd just taken the colors right out of the sky.
"Free?" she asked once the reddish-brown feathered griffon added the final touch to his latest masterpiece.
"What's up, Twi?" he said with his trademark grin.
She swallowed a little before she continued. "You know what Noah's keeping to himself, don't you?"
Free didn't even stop in his tracks as he put away his art supplies, still smiling. "Why yes. Yes I do."
"Then what is it?" she asked. "He's been keeping it to himself the entire time he's been here. It's something important and keeping it bottled up isn't going to help him in the least. So please tell me so I can help him."
"Nope. Sorry, Sparkles," he said without even a pause. "That's not for me to tell. It's his secret. I just happened to overhear it. If he wants to divulge it he will. Just give him the time that you suggested giving him. Besides, I highly doubt that Noah keeping his secret is gonna do him any harm for now. He'll probably tell eventually."
At hearing her own advice used against, her all Twilight could do was pout.
# # #
As Noah entered his room, he did indeed see Duskwing unpacking the new board game he had picked up, but the griffon had no intention of joining in. He slumped down onto his bed and sighed.
The thestral looked up from the rule book he was reading and wandered over to his friend. "So, what's got ya so down?"
Another sigh came from the griffon as he rolled onto his back. "I'm so bored! We've been here for at least a week, and I've spent that whole time doing nothing but researching this medallion," he said, flicking it with a talon.
Dusk shrugged. "Hey, it's not that bad."
Before he could say anything more, Noah gently pushed him away. "Yeah, not so bad for you!" he said with a huff. "You actually get to leave the grounds... have fun... buy board games. Not me. I'm stuck in a lab." Once again, Noah sighed. "Ugh... I just want to go out and have a little fun."
"So why don't you?" the thestral remarked with a shrug.
"What?"
With a roll of his eyes Dusk repeated himself "So why don't you? Twilight's never said, to my knowledge, you can't leave; only that you shouldn't. For your own safety and all that, right?"
Noah thought for a moment and finally nodded. "That's right, she's never said I wasn't allowed to leave."
With a nod of his head, Dusk went back to his board game and continued reading the rule book. "So go out, have some fun and then come back. I heard about a great nightclub that you should check out. I'll totally cover for you."
"Sounds great; I'll do that," Noah said with a smile, and then he began to pace the room as he thought over several ways to get out unnoticed by any of the guards. All the while, he muttered to himself as he mulled the plans over in his head.
With a light chuckle, Dusk decided to interrupt. "Weren't you just yesterday going on about all these newfangled abilities that medallion of yours lets you do? If I remember correctly, did you not mention something on the line of... teleporting?"
"Well, yeah, I can a bit. It's not like Twilight's - I can only jump if I can see where I'm going. I can't jump across the whole city," Noah said as he continued his pacing, but paused when a sudden realization hit him. "But then again, I don't have to. All I've gotta do is get out of the grounds, then I can fly the rest of the way." Suddenly he made his way to the door, stopping only to briefly thank Dusk before the door closed behind him.
Once Noah was in the hallway, he began searching for a window that faced the gardens while making sure no guards saw him. Once he found a good window with no guards or House staff in sight, he looked out into the gardens and focused. An instant later he was standing in the exact spot he was looking at, only a few thin wisps of smoke remaining where he had been. Next he looked for a good vantage point for his next jump. Finding it, he was soon enough on top of the highest point of the mansion. "Hmm... probably could have flown up here, but I need the practice," he said to himself with a chuckle. From his new vantage point he could see all the grounds and, most importantly, he could see the wall that surrounded them. It was much further away than his last two jumps, so he braced himself a bit... and in an instant he was on the other side of the wall, out of the grounds and no one had seen him. With a cocky smile he took off and made his way into the city.
# # #
Walking the streets of the city at night brought back memories of when he, Dusk, and Dial would hang out after work on the weekend and have a general good time. That seemed like a lifetime ago, when in reality it had only been seven days. As he got nearer to the club that Dusk had mentioned, he could feel the beat travelling up his legs. It was energetic, lively, and he liked it. When he finally arrived at the club, he saw the line outside and knew that it was one worth going to, just by the sight of so many griffons lined up. At the door a single bouncer stood. He was huge. The harpy eagle/tiger bouncer stood like a statue in front of the door, a clipboard held firm in one talon. He was only letting griffs in very slowly.
Noah, however, did not have time to wait in line and so he made a beeline straight to the door. As he got within reach of the bouncer, he stopped Noah with a simple glare.
"Back of the line, shorty!" he said.
His strong baritone voice made Noah's feathers fluff up, but he quickly got it under control before any griff in the line laughed and stood his ground. "I don't think so!" he said asserting himself. "My name is Noah Bluecrest. I'm a guest of House Path and I am going to go inside!"
The bouncer actually moved, causing those griffs at the front of the line gasp and step back. "Listen here, runt, you can be the clucking King, for all I care. You're not on the list, so you go to the back of the line NOW!"
Noah's medallion began to glow softly, and the hazel irises in the griffon's eyes took on a slightly golden glow to them as he said calmly, "I am on the list, and you will let me inside." The glow in his eyes and the medallion faded, and the bouncer shook his head and looked down at the list.
"Huh... seems you are or the list. My apologies for the confusion." With that, he lifted the red velvet rope and allowed Noah to pass.
Once he was inside, he saw the magic lights all around the club. Some flashed different colors in sequence, and others slowly faded from one color to the next. The beat that he felt in his feet was now running through his whole body, and it moved him to the dance floor. There were a lot of griffons, but even through the crowd he saw possibly the most beautiful griffoness he'd ever seen. She was a sea eagle/white lioness mix, and she had arranged some feathers on her head to drape over her right eye. Making his way over to her, Noah began dancing. She noticed the sudden company and was impressed by his moves. When he saw her looking at him, he flashed her his most confident grin. "I'll dance next to you. If you want to think we're dancing together, go ahead!"
"I do want to think that!" she said with a smile and continued to dance alongside Noah. Even though the two had never met before, they seemed to be able to anticipate each other. When one made a certain move, the other made a move to complement it. The two soon realized that they had gathered a lot of attention, as the crowd had parted around them giving them more space. For Noah it did not matter - all he could see was her. He didn't know how she felt, but he hoped she felt the same. However, they continued to dance and so it went on and on for the rest of the night.
# # #
It was early morning when Noah finally returned to the House grounds. Despite being wiped out from partying, he was still aware enough to not let the guards see him. Eventually he wobbled his way into his room and was greeted with a somewhat disgruntled Duskwing.
"What time do you call this?" the thestral asked.
All Noah could do was stand there swaying slightly, smiling like a goof, before he answered "Stime to slleeep" he said moments before collapsing onto the bed. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
# # #
Elsewhere in Griffonia, a certain griffoness was also arriving home. The white-feathered griffon made sure to close her home's huge front door as quietly as possible. Giving a satisfactory nod, she turned to make her way to her bedroom. As she got to the fourth floor where her room was, she came face to face with a member of the staff who had just left the rest room. He stood looking straight at her, eyes wide, and she was much the same.
Finally the griffon sighed and rubbed a taloned hand against the back of his head. "Opal Whitequill... you know that eventually your parents are going to catch you either sneaking in or out, don't you?"
"Maybe, but not tonight," Opal said with a quiet laugh as she tossed her head to one side to sort out her stray feathers. "Besides, it's not like I'm running off and getting in trouble. All I'm doing is having a good time after all the crap I have to go through all day."
The male griffon nodded. "I know all that. Just remember they just want you to be ready to take over should the worst happen."
Opal rolled her eyes. "Ugh! Don't remind me. Got that speech about three times yesterday. Now I'm going to hit the sack. After all, granddad's visiting tomorrow; gotta look my best for him," she said with a smile as she headed for her room.
The next morning, Opal was standing beside her mother and father, waiting for her grandfather to arrive. She really looked forward to his visits. Out of all her extended family he was the one who she felt really understood her. Finally he arrived, and upon entering the entrance hall, he was greeted by his daughter and son-in-law. Then as he laid his eyes on Opal, he spread his forelegs and gave a big smile. Her regular cue given, Opal smiled and ran to him, giving him a big tight hug and getting one just as tight in return.
"I've missed you, Granddad," she said as she continued the hug. It lasted for a few more moments.
"I've missed you too, Opal," Argent Glimfeather said as he let go of his granddaughter. |
The Last Medallion | Revelations and Mysteries. | King Argent Glimfeather and his son-in-law, Abbadon Whitequill, walked through the halls of Whitequill Manor. The latter's powerful muscles, earned from a lifetime working his family forge, rippled with each step he took. And despite every attempt that he made to be presentable, Abbadon still smelled like smoke and fire.
"I must say, Lord Whitequill," the King said as they walked, "I've been very impressed with the latest batch of armor your forge has supplied to the army. It surpasses everything we've seen to date from all the other forges. Your work I presume?"
Abbadon chuckled softly as they continued. "Actually, your Majesty, it's Opal's. She found a new method of heating the steel, making it lighter but stronger at the same time. Her mother and I are both very proud of her."
"As well you should be after an amazing discovery of that nature," King Glimfeather said with a smile. "I share your pride." But then he noticed a strange look on his son-in-law's face. "Is something bothering you, Lord Whitequill?"
Abbadon stopped in his tracks and quickly looked left to right. "Can I speak plainly with you, your Majesty?" A quick nod from the king gave the Lord of the House all the permission he needed. "I'm worried about Opal, Argent."
"Is something wrong?" Argent asked, his concern for his granddaughter plain in his voice.
Abbadon shook his head. "No, she's fine, but I'm told that she's been seen out in the city late at night. At first, I just shook it off as rumors, but then I keep hearing more and more, and in each, they give a description of a she-griff who seems to fit Opal to a T."
Argent thought for a moment before he spoke up. "Have you asked Opal about this? If it is her, then I see a conversation in the future that would hopefully shed some light on the reason."
Abbadon slumped a little, a strange sight indeed seeing a griff with his impressive build. "I've asked her about it several times, but she always denies it. But the question keeps appearing in my mind, if it is Opal, why would she be spending her nights 'out on the town' as they say, instead of studying. I raised her better than that."
"If it is Opal, as you yourself said," Argent interjected. "Now, let's speak on more business terms. Forget this particular bit of hearsay for now. I wish to discuss your progress on the new suit of armor you have been working on for General Ironfeather," he said as they began walking again. ***
Back at the House Path Manor, Noah had finally woken up after his early morning return. He didn't know what exactly to expect to see when he opened his eyes, but certainly not the purple eyes of Twilight Sparkle.
"Wha-?" he said in his groggy, heavily hungover state. Twilight stood up and coughed to clear her throat. It was a quiet little thing but to Noah, it sounded like a thunderclap directly in each ear. "Pleeeease don't be so loud," he said, putting his taloned hands over his poor ears.
"Where were you today?" she asked in her regular tone, though to Noah it was as loud as the Canterlot voice. "We were supposed to study that sword you used to fight the strange pony, but you never showed up. I was really worried. So again, where were you?"
Groaning with the effort to move, the very hungover griffon opened his eyes and looked up at the Princess of Friendship and Lady of the House. "I was right here, trying to sleep off the mother of all hangovers."
For a moment, Twilight was confused. "I don't understand. Any alcoholic drinks here have had spells put on them to prevent things like that. It helps keep the staff... and certain red griffons from drinking too much and getting so hungover they can't do their jobs in the morning."
With a very slow nod of his head, Noah agreed. "That is very true, but I wasn't drinking the House's stock of drinks last night."
Again, Twilight was confused. She began pacing the room as she mulled over the facts out loud. All the while, Noah carefully picked up a goblet of water and dropped a small tablet into it, which began to fizz gently. "But if you weren't drinking from the House stock and you're hungover then..." She paused as it all came together finally. With a loud drawn-out gasp, she turned to look right at Noah. "You went outside the grounds!"
After taking a slow sip of the fizzing water, Noah put the goblet down. "Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" he said slowly. "See, I was bored out of my skull last night and it was suddenly suggested to me that I wasn't not allowed to leave - just that I shouldn't. So I did. I had a great night, then came home. No harm, no foul," he said while he began to massage his temples.
"I'd say some harm was done," Twilight said with a chuckle as she watched the griffon try to ease his headache. "Sooo..." she said almost conspiratorially "Did you meet anygriff?" Noah looked up at the young alicorn and smiled. Over the next hour, in spite of his hangover, he described in detail all that had happened the previous night. ***
While Noah and Twilight continued to talk about what had gone down last night, Opal Whitequill had just finished some of her duties as a Lady of House Whitequill. The young griffon was on her way to her own little study to continue her metallurgical research. When she entered the small room, she was startled to find the same griffon that she had bumped into the previous night when she had returned home. Her personal aid, Pike Notus. "What are you doing in here?!" she demanded. "This is my private space - no griff is permitted to enter!"
"I know, my lady, and I apologize, but I wanted to talk to you about last night. I mean usually you tell me all about what you do when you go out, but last night you didn't. I knew this would be the only place where I could bring up the subject without anygriff else overhearing and informing your parents."
With a slight chuckle, Opal nodded. "You're right. I do, don't I?" she said as she took her seat and turned to face their other griff.
"So what happened last night?" he asked. "You came home a lot later than usual. Bad night?"
"Oh, it was very much the opposite," Opal said with a smile as she thought back. "I had a great time."
Upon seeing her mood change, Pike decided to ask something he had been wondering. "You met somegriff last night, didn't you?" The resultant Blush on Opal's cheeks gave him all the confirmation he needed.
"How did you know?" she asked, still blushing.
"Well, when you came home you had a, shall we say, certain glow about you. You didn't...?" Once again Opal blushed, even brighter this time.
"Oh, gods! No!" she almost shouted. "We just danced and had a few drinks. He more than me, but that's all that happened."
"I apologize, my lady," he said honestly and bowed to show his respect.
After a moment Opal looked over to the other griffon. "Can I ask you something?"
"Always, my lady" he replied with a smile.
Opal took a moment to think about how to word her question. "When you and your wife first met, how did you know that she was the one?"
The male griffon paused for a moment and smiled as he recalled with perfect clarity the day, the very moment in question. She was a young handmaid and he was a simple butler, one among many. Their eyes met across the dining hall and at that moment they knew they were perfect for each other. "It was as if she were the only thing that existed in the world," he said as he gazed back across the years.
As Opal listened to the description of her aid's meeting with his wife so long ago, she recalled that the previous night when she first saw that strange blue griffon, and what had just been described was exactly the same way she felt. As soon as she saw that strange, handsome, griff, nothing else in the world mattered.
Seeing her dreamy expression as she was clearly looking back on events, Pike couldn't help but smile. "You felt it, didn't you?"
Snapped out of her reminiscing, Opal looked to her aid with confusion. "Felt what?"
Pike had a strange gleam in his eye. "An ancient calling - one that links two souls together and echoes across time."
"What calling?" Opal asked, totally enthralled by Pikes mystery.
Smiling once again, Pike said the one word that gave a name to the feeling that Opal had been struggling with - "Destiny"
With a quick snort, Opal suddenly found herself laughing in her attempt to hide her belief. "Destiny? Seriously? Don't be ridiculous! Destiny isn't real; it's just something griffons made up to try to explain things they can't explain," she said between fits of laughter. All the while Pike continued to look at her. Finally, once her laughing ended, he cleared his throat and locked eyes with her. "Mock it if you will, but there are greater forces in our world than you or I know. Remember that, my lady," he finished with a smile and a bow and left her study, knowing full well his lady fully believed him. ***
The cold stone walls shone with purple light as the Hunter practiced his magic. In their first encounter, his magic did next to nothing to that accursed griffon, so he wanted to be ready for their next encounter,
which would be soon, he was certain. A knock on his door brought an end to his practice. His leg fully healed by now, he walked over to his door and opened it to reveal Storm Wind stood on his doorstep.
"I see your leg's feeling better," the pony said as he entered carrying a fancy oak box with him. "These were just completed," he said as he handed the box to the Hunter who took hold of it with his magic and opened it. Inside were six of the most amazing daggers he had ever seen, each was Identical to the last, the blades seeming to shimmer with the dark energy infused into them.
"Those should prove more effective against the Medallion Master than your last ones," Storm said as he watched his friend admire the shining blades as he levitated them around him.
"I certainly can't wait to try them out against him," the Hunter said with a cruel smile before he, with his magic, hurled all six at a crudely drawn image of Noah. Each blade buried itself into the center of the drawn griffon's head. ***
It was getting late, and once again Noah was in the process of sneaking out of the manor to go to the club. Gliding on the wind as he made his approach to the city, he found himself hoping that he would meet the griffoness once more. Dancing with her had really been the highlight of that night and he wanted to feel that way again.
Once he entered the club, without hassle from the bouncer this time, he looked around for her. However, he saw no sign of her and his heart sank. He couldn't even ask about her because he didn't know her name. He slumped his shoulders and thought about leaving until he felt a bump against his left shoulder. Looking in that direction, he saw her standing there smiling at him.
"You weren't missing me were you?"
"Nah," he said with a grin, waving a dismissive claw. "I was just not liking the music they were playing a moment ago." He couldn't help but chuckle nervously. Deep down she knew he was lying, and he knew she knew too.
"So I forgot to ask last night - what's your name? I'm Noah," he said as they both began moving their bodies to the beat of the currently playing song.
"I'm Opal, and it's nice to meet you, Noah," she said with a smile.
As the night went on, Noah and Opal danced, ate, and drank, but thankfully not nearly as much as last time, and they laughed as they got to know each other better. Eventually, as it always must, the time came to make their way to their respective homes - or temporary home in Noah's case.
As they left the club together Noah turned to her. "It's pretty dark tonight; would you like me to walk you home?" he asked, smiling. Opal looked at him with her own smile and gently shook her head. "Oh, I don't think we're at that stage yet," she laughed. "Maybe one day, but not today. Noah... what's your surname?"
"Bluecrest," Noah said, puffing out his chest and looking as proud as he could which caused Opal to chuckle again.
"Well," she said as she started to make her own way home while looking over her shoulder, "I hope I can see you tomorrow night, Noah Bluecrest." She even gave him a small wink before she took flight. She circled above him once before flying away somewhere toward the outskirts.
"I hope to see you tomorrow too, Opal," Noah said smiling as he watched her disappear into the distance.
With a contented sigh, Noah turned around and began walking back into the city he loved. He didn't really feel like going back to the manor yet, so he decided that he would go for one of his long overdue late night walks through the city like he used to do before all this craziness happened.
As he wandered the streets seeing all the sights that greeted him like an old friend, he wondered if he should go visit his apartment. While it was true House Path had made arrangements with the landlord so Noah wouldn't lose his apartment, he did feel somewhat homesick and just felt like dropping in for a little bit, maybe play his piano for a bit. He hadn't tickled its ivories for a while.
That was when a strange smell caught his nose. It was acrid and even smelled almost hot. Smoke! Looking skyward, the griffon saw a large pillar of smoke rising from somewhere in the center of the city. Throwing caution to the wind, Noah spread his wings, launched into the sky, and flew straight towards the pillar of smoke until he saw the building that was now fully ablaze. Landing near the fire he saw several of the city guards shouting orders to get the blaze under control. Feeling everything was as under control as a fire could be, Noah was about to turn and leave when a griffon couple ran up to one of the guards demanding that he help them.
"Our chicks are in there!" the female shouted.
Then her mate joined in. "They were fast asleep, so we went out to have a late dinner. Now, let us in there!" Before the guard could question why they would leave their chicks even if they were asleep, a bright, silver light distracted them all.
The three griffons turned to look and saw a larger, fully armored griffon standing nearby before it rushed over to them.
"What floor are your chicks on?" Noah asked in his double voice.
"The top floor, apartment six. They're in the back-most room. Save them!" the male shouted moments before Noah spread his wings and took off, making an almost ninety-degree turn in the air before crashing through the window in front of him.
Inside the burning building, Noah could barely see where he was going due to the smoke, but breathing wasn't a problem at least. And while he couldn't feel the heat of the flames, the endangered chicks certainly could, as the terrified shrieks attested. Quickly finding the apartment, Noah felt the door, testing if it was hot or not before he kicked it down. The shrieks were definitely louder and Noah made his way to the backmost room. This time, however, instead of kicking it down and possibly harming the young ones, he drew his sword and, with two diagonal cuts, sliced it open.
Inside the room against the furthest wall were three young chicks, one older than the other two, who were practically identical. Sheathing his sword in its pocket dimension, Noah made his way to the chicks and knelt down in front of them. "Don't worry, I'm here to help."
Standing up from the wall, the three chicks made their way over to the armored griffon. Noah let the older one climb onto his back while he picked up the twins and held onto them tightly. Then he looked over his shoulder to the third sitting on his back. "Hold on tight now. I'll have you back to your parents in no time."
The chick nodded his head and nervously tightened his grip.
Making his way out of the apartment, Noah found that the stairs that led to the lower floor were gone. Obviously, they had collapsed due to the fire and the window that he entered through was now also blocked by burning debris. He couldn't risk using many of his abilities because of his precious cargo, so he was running out of Ideas and the chicks were starting to cough from the smoke. A loud creak drew his attention and he looked up to see a large section of the ceiling collapsing. He quickly dodged the falling debris and looked up again.
If he was able to smile while in his Knight form, would have been grinning ear to ear. The hole in the ceiling was big enough for Noah to escape the blaze. Spreading his wings, he prepared to take off. Rather than his wings flapping to provide his lift, a strange energy was expelled from between his metallic feathers. Twilight had called it Magic Thrust, and it propelled him upward faster than any griff could fly. Wasting little time, Noah landed in front of the chicks' parents, and as soon as he put the twins down and allowed their old brother to flutter off his back, they ran to their parents. However, Noah didn't have time to enjoy the adorable spectacle of the reunited family as he again turned his attention to the still-burning building. Once again he took off into the sky and began to hover just above the building as he thought of what to do.
The thought soon dawned on him. Fire needed air to burn, so he needed to starve it. So he angled his wings, one facing forward and the other backwards, and angling himself upright, he began spinning faster and faster, creating a vortex. All the griffons on the street below watched in amazement as the vortex began to suck up the fire and at the same time starving it. After several seconds, the fire was extinguished. Noah stopped his spinning and flew back down to the street to try and stop his own head from spinning. As the other griffons began to swarm him, he decided to not answer a lot of questions and started to dash into a nearby alley, only to lose his concentration due to his dizziness and the Knight form disappeared giving several of the onlookers a fleeting glimpse of a blue, white, and dark grey griffon.
Hiding in the alleyway, Noah took a moment to catch his breath. He was pretty sure no one had seen him, but not certain. He also knew that soon enough he would need to eat a lot of food. He decided that it was in his best interest to get back to the House grounds. As he prepared to take flight, a scream split the air. Noah couldn't help but wonder who it was and why they were screaming, so, against his better judgment, he took off and flew in the direction the scream had come from. Eventually, he came upon a scene he had not expected to ever see. Two males had a griffoness cornered and one of them had a crossbow to her neck and the other had a knife. What kind of lowlife would stoop to something as dishonorable as theft like this? Acting on instinct, he reached for his Medallion again and once more took on his Knight form. Then, leaping down into the alley, he landed with a loud crash, cracking the stone beneath him as he did.
The two thieves turned, the one with the crossbow keeping a tight grip on the female's throat while he aimed the weapon at the new arrival. "What do you want?!"
Noah took a single step forward. "Let her go."
The two looked at the armored stranger and laughed before the one with the knife also took a step forward. "Are you stupid or something? Let her go? What do we look like to you?!" he shouted.
Noah stood stock still for a moment, weighing up his words. He had to sound like he knew what he was doing and he had to answer the challenge and the insult they had given him. "You look like two cowards, so insecure that they only feel strong by ganging up on a griffon who can't defend herself."
"Cluck you, bucket-head!" the one with the knife shouted then charged. Noah let him come, effortlessly dodging the clumsy attacks before finally catching the claw holding the knife at the wrist and gave a squeeze. The griffon cried out as he felt the bones in his wrist crack and splinter.
A twang and a metallic thunk signaled that the other griffon had loosed the bolt from his crossbow, which had become lodged into Noah's front foreleg.
Dropping the first griffon who had passed out from the pain, Noah turned his attention to the other, and in an instant, he had closed the distance and had taken him out with a strong backhanded strike. The offending griffon lay in a heap on the ground, the slight expanding of his chest proof he was still alive.
Approaching the frightened griffoness, Noah kept his distance to show he meant her no harm. "You're safe now. Are you alright, my lady?" A quick, scared nod signified the affirmative. Noah looked about before returning his attention to her. "The City Guard will be here soon. I can hear them coming." Turning away from her, he spread his wings to take off but stopped when he heard her call to him.
"Wait!" she said.
Looking over his shoulder, Noah waited to see what she wanted.
"Thank you," she finally breathed out before quickly asking, "Who are you?"
For a moment, Noah was struck with uncertainty. He hadn't considered what he might call himself if anygriff asked something like that. After all, he couldn't very well tell them his name. Nor had he ever really expected to go about doing stuff like this. So he thought for a few moments, which to her must have seemed like a pause for dramatic effect. Finally, the image of what he resembled the most came to mind. "I am the Knight," he said simply before taking off high into the sky.
When Noah finally arrived back at House Path Manor he was starving, more than he had ever been, having used the Medallion to transform twice in one night. He was so famished that he could no longer keep himself airborne and made an extremely unflattering landing in the house grounds. Luckily he was close to the front door, so he let himself in.
Of course, at this time of night, there were very few staff members about, most being asleep or otherwise standing watch on the walls that protected the grounds. But he could not wait until the kitchen staff awoke in the morning to prepare breakfast, and so the blue and white feathered griffon had very little choice in the matter and made his way into the kitchen, turned on the stove in preparation and located the refrigerator. Opening it, he saw everything he needed to sate his growling stomach.
The next morning, Noah was not found in his bed by the head butler who would come to wake the House guests. But instead, he was found by a highly annoyed and somewhat befuddled kitchen staff. Noah Bluecrest was found passed out on the kitchen floor surrounded by bits and pieces of the food he had eaten the night before. Of course, the fridge was now completely empty. ***
Noah awoke to find himself still in the kitchen where he had fallen into his food coma from his large meal the previous night. He looked around him to see that every pot and pan was still where he had left them. However, there was one new addition to the mess. On either side of his head he found a violet colored foot with naturally rose-colored talons, and the three on the right foot were tapping the tiled floor with a trace of annoyance.
That was when Noah looked up to see Lady Roseclaw herself standing over him and looking even less pleased than her tapping suggested.
"So, I have a feeling I maybe ate too much last night?" Noah said in a humorous tone, trying to relieve the tension. It was less than successful, the frown remaining firmly in place. However, when she spoke, there wasn't a hint of anger. Her voice was calm and even, and that somehow made it so much worse. "You ate everything in the larder. Did you forget we're hosting the King tonight?"
"Oh no," Noah moaned as he slapped a hand to his forehead. "That's tonight! I am so sorry!" he said as he quickly got to his feet. "I'll go get more right now!" he said as he prepared to bolt from the room to make good on his promise. However an extended wing from Roseclaw stopped him before he could even move an inch.
"That is already being taken care of. The whole kitchen staff is down in the city right now replacing everything you inhaled. And they are not happy about it," she said once again in the calmest voice ever.
"Again, I'm so sorry. I'll do anything to make it up to you and them," Noah said, hanging his head. "Just name it and I'll do it."
Rose sat on her haunches and rubbed a taloned foot against her chin in thought. "Well, there is something you could do. It was the staff who suggested it, actually."
Noah raised his head with hope in his eyes. "Name it!"
Roseclaw smiled. It was a little unnerving, to say the least. "You, my blue and white friend, can do us all a big favor," she said as she placed a claw on his shoulder and promptly turned him around to face into the mess that was once the House kitchen. "You can clean up after yourself."
Noah saw the devastation he had caused and his hopeful smile faded a little until he remembered his medallion. With its powers, he could have the whole kitchen spotless in no time. That was when he felt it being removed from him. He turned and saw Lady Roseclaw wrapping the gold chain around her right forefoot as she smiled.
"Oh, and you'll do it without this. Wouldn't be a punishment if it was easy now, would it?" she said smiling as she turned around and started to leave. As she did she looked over her shoulder. "I expect you to have this room spotless by the time the kitchen staff returns in two hours. Happy cleaning!"
Noah turned back into the mess of a kitchen and sighed a little before he made a start by picking up all the pots and pans that lay strewn about the floor. ***
Noah had finished a mere five minutes before the kitchen staff had returned with carts full of supplies. The blue and white griffon made a point of avoiding them and opted for leaving an apology note instead.
It had been several hours since then and the party was now underway. As a guest of the House, Noah, Dusk, and Dial were invited and had some attire made for them in advance, courtesy of Twilight's fashionista friend, Rarity.
Noah had never been more uncomfortable in his life as he stood in the main dining hall dressed up to the nines as he mingled with nobles he'd never even heard of before, pretending to laugh at what they considered jokes and maintaining a smile. On the other side of the room, Duskwing was loving every moment and had gathered quite a group of griffonesses to him as he talked on about all the odd adventures he and Noah had gotten up to in order to build the funds for their ultimately doomed business.
Dial Tone, on the other claw, was engaged in a pleasant enough conversation with another griffon male, the son of one of the guests, and the two seemed to be getting along quite well.
Noah looked at his friends and couldn't help but be a little jealous. 'Why do they get all the good attention, and I'm stuck with the snobs,' he thought to himself. Suddenly, a series of horns sounded and the head butler announced the arrival of none other than King Argent Glimfeather himself.
As the king entered the hall, Griffons parted and made sure to bow until he reached Long Path and the other House founders. Path kneeled first, followed by Roseclaw, Twilight and Free. After a moment the king smiled. "Rise, Lord Path." The Earth pony and his herd did so, then turning to the rest of the guests, the king gave the same command and all in attendance did so. "Let the party continue as normal," the king said with a smile, and after a moment it was almost as if he were not there with the way the guests behaved.
Not long after, the butler announced another set of guests. "Announcing Lord and Ladies Abbadon, Melfina, and Opal Whitequill."
Noah heard the name and looked to the entrance hall, not believing that it could be the same Opal, but curious to know all the same. As the crowd parted to make way, he saw her. She looked gorgeous. Even more so than she had the nights he met her in the club. The dress she wore shone like a diamond with silver highlights, and she wore a sapphire necklace that matched the small tiara she wore and her eyes.
As Opal parted from her parents to mingle with the other guests, Noah made his way towards her, nervous all the while. Sure - before she had just been another griff in the crowd that he really liked; now, however, she was a noble griff that he really liked, not to mention her father was the strongest griffon in all Griffonia.
Of course, he had no Idea what to say to her now that he knew who she was or how to even strike up any kind of conversation, that was until the music started playing. Before he could overthink things, he gently coughed to get her attention. She looked his way and almost lost her composure at seeing her club dance-buddy at House Path's party. A million thoughts ran through her mind as she tried to make sense of the situation until he held out a claw.
"May I have this dance?" he asked.
Her mind went blank as she accepted, placing her claws in his and he led her to the dance floor and began to move to the music as many other couples were.
"I always thought you were special," Noah finally said after a minute. "But I never thought how special," he added with that charming grin of his.
"I was going to tell you," Opal said. "After we'd gotten to know each other a bit better, but I guess those plans went to Tartarus, eh?" she said with a slight chuckle. "So you're with House Path?" she asked after a moment of silence.
"I guess you could say that," Noah replied. "I'm more a guest than a member. Lord Path took me and my friends in after we lost our business," he explained.
"Oh! I'm sorry about your business. What did you do?" she asked, realizing that they'd never really talked about their personal or professional lives before.
"Well... me, Duskwing and Dial Tone... we were... We were tour guides," he said then shut his eyes and waited for the inevitable laughter. But it never came. He didn't understand, she was a highborn noble whose family was known for making some of the finest armor in the Griffonian army, and he showed beings around the city telling them what they were. He would have been prime mocking material for other nobles. In fact, he had been several times before while taking groups out.
"I like that," she said simply, causing Noah's eyes to snap open in surprise and see her genuinely smiling at him.
"Really?" he asked. "Most griffs usually laugh when I tell them what I did for a living."
"Well then, they don't know what a noble deed it is, taking it upon yourselves to educate others about our city and culture," she said while still smiling as they continued to dance to the music.
Noah smiled in return. "You know, just as soon as I think you can't get any better, you somehow surprise me," he said, giving her a spin.
Noah and Opal continued to dance, talk and laugh. This did not go unnoticed by Abbadon as he sat on his haunches with a goblet of wine in one claw watching his daughter dance with somegriff who looked extremely familiar. All the while, another griff was speaking, saying nothing that Abbadon cared about in the least at that moment in time, his eyes fixed on the cock dancing with his daughter.
On the other side of the hall, Free Agent was happily chatting with Twilight and other guests, drinking in more than the wine. As a changeling, he was soaking up the positive emotions permeating the air. It was almost intoxicating. That, however, was when he felt it. Something was out of place. Among all the happy thoughts there was one of jealousy - extreme jealousy. The kind that would drive a being to any lengths. He looked around trying to pinpoint who it was but to no avail; there were simply too many guests. It gave him an uneasy feeling for the rest of the night.
Eventually, the dance ended and Opal and Noah made their way over to the buffet to get something to eat and drink. As the griffon poured some wine for himself and Opal, he noticed Duskwing looking at him and smirking. The thestral then gave a subtle 'come here' gesture and Noah nodded. "Excuse me for a moment, Opal - my friend wants a word."
The white feathered griffoness nodded. "Alright," she said with a smile.
Noah made his way over to Dusk, not noticing Dial Tone make her own way over to the buffet too, and she just happened to end up right beside the white lioness/sea eagle griffon. Although they had never met before, each felt strangely tense by the other's presence.
"So... nice party, isn't it?" Dial asked, trying to break the ice that so far felt to be at least a mile thick.
"Yes, it is," Opal replied. "This is the first of House Path's parties my family have been invited too. My grandfather told me all about them but stories don't do them justice," she said, then quickly took a sip of her wine. She was feeling really uncomfortable for some reason. Suddenly, Dial turned to face Opal dead on. "He's mine"
Opal nearly spat out her wine. "Excuse me?" she said as she looked at the determined pony in front of her.
"You heard me. He's mine. I saw you two dancing. So I say again. He. Is. Mine." Dial then quickly about-faced and made her way back into the crowd, leaving a perplexed griffoness in her wake. Before Opal could make any sense of what just happened, another griff asked her to dance, and while she would have preferred not to, she agreed just to get her thoughts back in order.
The rest of the party went by smoothly. Opal and Dial didn't cross again and everyone had a great time. As the party came to an end, many guests left for their own homes including Opal and her parents, while some asked if they could be permitted to stay for the night. Seeing no harm in it, and also the chance to gain more allies for the House, Path allowed it. However, Free still tasted the tang of jealousy. Even though he couldn't pin it down, he knew it had to be one of the guests. ***
It was midnight. Every member of the house was asleep save for those who had the night patrol shift. The ponies and griffons patrolling were keeping a keen eye on everything that they could, especially those on the outside of the mansion.
Inside, a shadow moved through the hallways, evading any guards it saw, carefully searching every room, peeking in through the doors. At one point, the shadow almost woke Twilight and Free but fortunately only made the red griffon mutter something in his sleep about the pony princesses.
Eventually, the shadow found itself at the right door. Peeking in, it saw Noah asleep on his large guest bed. The blue, black and white griffon was on his back snoring while his wings were fully splayed out under him.
The shadow carefully tiptoed into the room and over to the bed and finally saw what it was looking for.
There, still around Noah's neck, was the medallion.
Using slow careful movements the intruder deftly extended a foreleg with their claws extended. The intruder carefully tried to loop a claw under the gold chain around Noah's neck so the medallion could be gently lifted away. Suddenly the intruder felt a very strong grip on their outstretched foreleg. Looking down they saw that Noah was far from asleep. In fact, his eyes were very much open and he was looking right at them, and he did not look at all pleased. ***
Two of the house guards working the night shift were walking through the guest wing corridors as part of their nightly routine, idly chatting. "I'm telling you, she won't care. It's a common problem; a lot of males have it," the first, a griffon, said to his pony partner.
"That's easy for you to say, you don't..." he was cut off as a strange griffon came crashing through the door that led to one of the guest suites. Moments after, Noah walked through the now thoroughly ruined door and looked at the two shocked guards.
"Get me Lord Path. Now!" ***
Long Path was, to be fair, in less than a good mood as he listened to the details of the attempted theft of his guest's Medallion. That it was another guest who attempted the crime made it all the worse. Not to mention the grey earth pony was, until a few minutes ago, fast asleep.
What was worse was it turned out that particular griffon hadn't even been invited. He had gained access to the party by showing forged documents of invitation to the guards. Path made a mental note to have the
guards train a little more to learn how to spot such differences - or maybe some kind of magic detector - but that was for another time. For the moment he had to deal with this griffon who kept struggling against the guards holding him.
"Tell me who you are and where exactly did you come from?" the Lord of the House demanded, showing the trademark sternness that all griffons are known for.
"The first of many!" the prisoner finally spoke. "Surrender the Medallion or this house will lie in ruins!"
"You don't get to make threats in my home!" Long Path responded before gesturing to the guards holding the griffon down. "Take him to a holding cell. We'll see if a couple of days under lock and key will change his tone!"
"Unlikely," the prisoner said before tossing off the guards holding him. He spread his wings and took flight, or at least he tried to. Something was holding him back. Looking behind him the griffon's eyes widened in horror as he saw a silver-clad claw wrapped around his left hind leg.
Noah had transformed the moment the griffon broke free and now effortlessly hauled him out of the air. No sooner had the griffon recovered than an armored fist made contact with his head, sending the thief sprawling across the hall. The griffon was staggered only for a few moments, but in those moments Noah had closed the distance and now had a firm grip on both the griffon's shoulders.
"TELL US WHO YOU ARE AND WHO SENT YOU!" Noah bellowed.
To everybody's surprise, the thief smiled, "Oh, you'll find out soon enough," he said sinisterly before turning his head to the right then suddenly whipped it to the left with such strength and speed his neck snapped.
Noah dropped the corpse and reverted to his normal self once again and turned to look at Long Path as the pony approached. "Looks like it's time for me to leave."
"What are you talking about?" Path asked, confused.
"This griff came here for the sole purpose of trying to steal my Medallion, which means he knows what it is and who it belongs to. Plus he said he was the first of many. If I stay, more like him will come, and you saw how easily he threw your guards off him. It's safer for every being here if I leave."
The tense moment lasted only for a few more seconds as it was interrupted by a low growling noise coming from Noah's stomach. "Of course, I'll have something to eat first," drawing a chuckle from Path. ***
The next day saw Noah, Duskwing and Dial Tone all ready to leave. Dusk and Dial had both insisted on leaving with Noah, stating they wouldn't feel right leaving him to face the dangers on his own.
"Well, Noah, we'll miss you," Twilight said. "I was looking forward to continuing our research together."
"Don't worry, Lady Twilight - once we've dealt with these guys, whoever they are, we'll come right back," Noah said with a smile. Then he, Dusk and Dial all bowed and turned to leave. Before they got very far, however, Noah stopped and turned around. "Oh! Right - before I forget. Lords Long Path and Free Agent, Ladies Roseclaw and Twilight Sparkle, I'm glad it was you who won my family home from Ravenwing. I know you'll take good care of it," he said with a smile as he turned around again and walked away.
Every member of the Herd Path was dumbfounded; all except Free Agent. "See," he said with his trademark grin. "I told you all he'd tell us in his own time," he said then turned about and headed back inside, whistling all the while. ***
A familiar purple-coated unicorn sat on yet another rooftop looking down at the street below, or rather at a certain blue and white griffon who was walking calmly down the street, going about his daily business. "Found you again," the Hunter whispered and he continued to observe his target, somehow missing the fact the griffon he had his eyes on was walking with a rather noticeable limp. |
The Last Medallion | Time to make way. | It had been a week since the mysterious guest at the House Path party tried, and failed, to steal Noah's medallion. Which resulted in said guest snapping their own neck. Noah was once again living in his apartment, he couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic when he walked through his door for the first time after all the time spent living as a guest of House Path.
Despite the passage of time nothing had really changed much. There was no further visits from any strange griffs or ponies, Noah, Dusk and Dial were hard at work figuring out how to get their business up and running again and Noah and Opal were continuing to see each other regularly at the same nightclub. In fact, Noah was currently looking himself over in the mirror as he preened and groomed himself, making himself more presentable for a meeting with Opal.
After he was done he looked at a white feather that was jammed in the space between the mirror and the frame he happily sighed as he gently stroked it. ***
In house Whitequill the young lady of the house was doing much the same, she was double checking herself for any feathers out of place or any uneven fur. Her eyes drifted towards the Blue feather that was also currently jammed between the mirror and it's frame, she smiled and gently brushed a tender claw against it.
Opal left her chambers and looked about to see if the coast was clear, which it appeared to be. Not a griff in sight. "Perfect." she quietly to herself. Before making her way to the large terrace overlooking the family properties extensive front garden. Without a second thought she took to the air and made a beeline for the city, all the while unaware of a pair of eyes watching her from the shadows of a higher vantage point. The figure in the shadows spread its wings and took off making sure to keep enough distance from Opal to not be seen. ***
The two met up a short distance from the club and walked the rest of the way together. Chatting about what had been going on with each other since they had last seen each other, despite the fact that was only 2 days ago. Once again they got in past the Bouncer without a fuss, weather it was because of Noah's mind trick or Opals status Noah couldn't tell. All he knew was he was going to be having a great time with a Griffoness he cared very much for in one of the best, if not THE best club in the city.
Of course the young duo entering the club did not go unnoticed by the figure who had been watching them. Eyes narrowed, the figure stepped out the shadows to reveal that it was none other than Abbadon Whitequill who had been following Opal the whole time. And what he saw did not fill him with very many happy thoughts. Not only was his precious daughter sneaking out of the house at night, which was bad enough, but she was doing it to meet up with a male griff whom Abbadon did not even know. And he still couldn't quite place why this cock looked so damn familiar. So he decided it was time to get answers. He walked up to the club, right past the bouncer and even past the ticket booth "Hey! He didn't pay!" she called out to the bouncer. Who promptly approached Abbadon where he stood eyeing his daughter and the strange blue and white griff she was dancing with. "Time to go pal." the bouncer said as he placed his claws on Abbadon's shoulder to lead him away.
Without breaking eye contact with his wayward progeny, Abbadon calmly reached up to his shoulder, took hold of the bouncers claws and squeezed. The faint sound of bones breaking could be heard as the bouncer stifled he's cries to not appear weak instead letting out a painful groan as he fell to his knees. Not looking back Abbadon inhaled deeply through his nostrils and then using all the outrage at the situation bellowed out two words.
"OPAL WHITEQUILL!!!!"
His voice even downed out the music and everything in the club stopped, even the music as the DJ, along with every other griff in the club was terrified at that moment. Abbadon slowly made his way down the small flight of steps leading to the dance floor. The terrified club goers all made way as he approached, none of them willing to get in his way. Among the terrified club goers were Noah and Opal, however both stayed where they stood frozen in place by outright
fear and both knew that if they ran it would only make things worse.
"Hi daddy" Opal said nervously as she saw her furious father staring daggers at the two of them.
"Don't you 'Hi daddy' me young hen!" Abbadon angrily replied. "At first I didn't want to believe it when I heard the rumors from the staff, saying you've been sneaking out at night. That in itself is bad enough, but sneaking out to meet this cock who I recognize as the one you were dancing with at House Path's party!" The Musselbound griffon turned his attention to Noah. "Just who are you?!"
"Noah Bluecrest, son of Boreas and Kila Bluecrest!" Noah said, making sure to be as authoritative as he could. The name struck something in Abbadon's mind and he mentally went back through time and remembered what had happened to the Bluecrest's. He quickly began putting together a puzzle that formed a very bleak picture. "I see...Opal come here." he said and while it was in a clam voice it was certainly not a request and Opal did as she was told. Once she was beside her father he spoke again "I see now what's going on here" he turned his head to his daughter "No one can fault you my darling...it's not your fault. You were deceived by this scion of a fallen house!" he finished focusing his gaze squarely on Noah.
"Daddy what are you talking about? Noah..." she was cut off by her father
"Don't you see my dear, he's simply using you. He's from a fallen family. All he wants from you is your status." Abbadon said again turning his gaze to his daughter.
"THAT'S A LIE!" Noah shouted, finally defending himself from Abbadon's accusations. Causing the huge Griffon to once again look in his direction but this time walked onto the dancefloor until he and Noah were close enough to feel each other's breath.
"You must think I'm a fool." Abbadon hissed. "All you fallen and desperate are all the same. You'll do whatever it takes to regain some semblance of what your family once had. I've seen it too many times and I will not let you use my daughter as part of your schemes. I challenge you Noah Bluecrest. We'll let the Arena prove your cowardice and deceit. When you run into a corner crying the whole city and, more importantly, my daughter will know you for what you truly are."
"Fine. I accept. You'll see first hand that my feelings are genuine." Noah said defiantly.
"Good. I'll give you three days to prepare yourself. Who knows, maybe you'll wise up and back out before I make you Black out." Abbadon said with a grin. He then turned around, his tail whipping Noah across the cheek as he did so "Opal. We're leaving" he said as he walked past his daughter. Opal looked to Noah unsure what to do, but a nod from the blue and white griffon told her she should go with her father to not cause any more trouble for herself. She nodded in return before she turned and followed her father outside.
The remaining patrons didn't really know what to do now after the scene that had just taken place before them. But More than a few found themselves excited and very much looking forward to seeing how the duel between the Strongest Griffon in the city and this regular everyday Griff would go. ***
"HE SAID WHAT?!?" Duskwing said a little louder then he intended, startling near by customers as he, Noah and Dial were sat in a coffee house, as Noah had just told him what had happened. "He seriously challenged you to a duel?"
"Oh yeah." Noah said taking a sip of his coffee. It was black, it didn't even have any sugar in it. "He's decided to give me three days to prepare myself. Like I can seriously get in his kind of shape in three days!" He said before taking another sip.
"Uhm...haven't you forgotten something Noah?" Dial said pointing a hoof at the Medallion that still hung prominently around the griffons neck. "Don't don't need to. You just have to transform. You'll tower over him and in your Knight form you're ten times stronger right? It'll be a piece of carrot cake." she finished. And soon began wondering if she might be able to get some carrot cake from this place.
"I won't be using the Medallion."
"WHAT!?!" The Thestral and Pony shouted in disbelief, once again startling customers. And earning them a perturbed glare from the barista. "Are you out of your cat-bird mind?!" Dusk said incredulously. Noah shook his head slowly. He knew his friends would react this way to his decision, "I am not thank you very much." Noah said staring into his half empty cup. "You've lived here your whole life. You know the laws and rules as well as I do. This is an Honor duel. Using the Medallion to get such an easy win, would be dishonorable. I know I don't stand a chance against him. But I'm going to go into that arena and do my utmost...who knows...if I'm lucky I may get a hit or two in before he pummels me into the sand."
"But what if he tries to kill you? He thinks you were using his daughter to gain standing. He might try to take you out of the picture permanently" Dial said but it didn't escape Dusk's notice that she had put a certain emphasis on Daughter, he just couldn't make out what it was, but it sounded close to jealousy. "That's something I don't have to worry about Dial" Noah said with a slight smile, the first one they'd seen him do that day "This isn't a duel to the death. He's forbidden to kill me. He'd lose everything if he did."
"Do you know what kind of combat it'll be?" Dusk asked slightly stirring his coffee.
"No...But it'll either be armed or unarmed. But I at least have a bit of skill in both those areas."
The Next three days were a blur for Noah. He spent every waking moment he could either working out or practising. From sunup to sundown. Every few hours he would switch things up and start another type of training from hand to hand or armed.Of course he knew that it would do little good. Abbadon had fought in the Arena countless times. And a lot of those times Noah had actually been watching. Almost every fight ended after the first ten seconds. One ended even quicker when the opponent took one look at Abbadon and promptly soiled himself before giving up.
Finally the day of the duel arrived. Noah was unsurprisingly nervous, but he was also curious. He was stood in the center of the arena alongside the referee but there was no sign of Opals father. Noah could see Opal and her mother in the audience, in their own private seating area. And not far from them he saw a very familiar grey furred Earth pony with a green Mane and tail. The Griffon couldn't believe Long Path was there. Not only that but he had brought his whole herd as well, he could see Roseclaw, Free Agent and Twilight, also sat in their own private seating area. When it started to seem like Abbadon wouldn't show up a shadow soon came over them. Looking up Noah could see a shape falling towards him. He quickly realized what, or who, it was when it came closer. It was Abbadon, and he was in freefall. The entire arena gasped in horror as he got closer and closer to the ground seemingly intending to crash. When he was about a meter short of becoming a feather and furred pancake he opened his wings and with a single flap halted is terminal speed, pushing up a cloud of dust before touching down.
"Well well. You're here. You may have more backbone than I thought." Abbadon said calmly as if he had just waltzed in. "I wonder how many pieces it'll be in once I've finished with you."
"Now that you're both here we can get started...never one to make a normal entrance are you Lord Whitequil." the ref said as he moved forward a little to address the audience. He made the usual show of addressing the audience and asking either combatant if they wished to concede. After each gave a resounding "No" the referee addressed the audience again. "The Law does not allow for an alternative." He then turned to Noah and Abbadon. "Once the bell rings, begin!" and said and then got out of the way as the bell was struck.
Noah immediately began circling the larger Griffon at a swift pace, occasionally changing direction. Eventually he stopped and charged right at the mountain of muscle jumping into the air and pulling his fist back ready to strike.
In another part of the city, Boreas Bluecrest was returning from the market carting a small wagon of items, most of which was food. When he happened upon a mare he instantly recognised as Dial Tone. One of his sons' friends. "Dial?" he asked. "What are you doing here? I'd have thought you would be at the arena."
The mare turned to look at the elder Griffon, "I can't watch something like that. I know it makes me look weak, but I'm not a Griffon, I'm a pony. And I'm sorry but I don't want to see my friend and your son getting beaten to a pulp." to which Boreas shrugged his shoulders.
"Well I suppose that's your prerogative." he said as he began to continue on his way. Before stopping again "Aren't you the least bit curious as to why I'm not at the arena and instead doing a bit of light shopping?" he asked which actually did spark the curiosity in the pony mare. The look on her face was all that Boreas needed. "It's a couple of reasons really. One, it's very far from where I live and with this limp it's not an easy walk. And Two, with this busted wing I can't fly there either. But in actuality I don't think Noah would want me there to see him fighting and more than likely losing to Abbadon Whitequill."
"You really think it'll go that way?" Dial asked more than a little concerned.
Boreas looked at the pony "Abbadon is the strongest Griff in the city. Noah's skilled I'll admit. But he doesn't have nearly as much combat experience as his opponent." That was when from out of the blue there was a yell, more a battle cry. Boreas and Dial looked up and saw a dark furred Pony jumping for them. In an act of pure reflexes Boreas took up a fighting stance and put himself in between Dial and the strange pony. "Dial Hide!" Boreas shouted. Dial's eyes widened in horror as she recognized the Hunter and remembered what he wanted to do with her she then quickly did as she was instructed. As the Hunter got within arms reach Boreas's fist collided with his face. The Hunter sprawled on the floor but quickly regained his footing "Must run in the bloody family" he said before he drew one of his daggers.
In response Boreas drew a sword that he had hidden in his wagon and, again, took up a fighting stance. The Hunter smirked and charged intending to impale Boreas but the Griffon parried the blade and then in the same fluid motion, brought his sword down in an attempt to cleave the pony in two, only for the Hunter to block the incoming blow with his dagger. Boreas attempted to overpower the Hunter but suddenly felt something odd. A strange cold feeling in his side. He looked down and his eyes widened as he saw another dagger buried to the hilt in his chest. He looked back to the Hunter who was wearing a wicked grin "You're outmatched with me. Featherbrain" he said coldly as he drove a second dagger into the griffon before removing both.
"Now I would dearly love to watch you bleed out in the street but I've got a ship to catch. Give your son my regards. Now where is that lovely young mare?" he said looking around as he returned two of his daggers to their sheaths. Soon enough he spotted her hiding behind the Wagon "Found you." he said calmly yet it held so much dark promise. Dial ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The hunter simply rolled his eyes and in a purple flash he was standing right in her path. Dial skidded to a halt but her momentum carried her into his waiting arms. "Oh don't you worry. We'll have all kinds of fun together" he said as he ignited his horn and cast a spell on the earth pony sending her to sleep. He then began to levitate her before disappearing again. And reappearing on the deck of a ship moored in the harbor. "Captain It's time to set sail." he said proudly. The captain, an equally dark feathered Hippogriff nodded and began to call out orders to get the ship ready to make way. As the crew went about getting ready the Hunter grinned "Soon the Dark master will have his final prize, while I have mine" he said looking over Dial's unconscious body. While wondering how long it would take for somebeing to find the griff he just knifed. A shrill scream that filled the air soon answered that question.
Noah went sprawling across the sand covered floor of the arena again. He was bruised, bloodied and panting heavily. But still he refused to stay down. This wasn't about something as simple as his honor, which had been insulted that's true. But this was, more than anything, to prove to Abbadon that he wasn't using his daughter.
His vision impaired by the blood running from a cut on his forehead, forcing him to close one eye, Noah readied himself once again as Abbadon approached him. "I've gotta admit. You've lasted longer than I expected. Tell you what, why don't you lay one on me right here" he said turning his head to the side and pointing at his cheek. "Really make it count." he finished.
In the crowd, Opal saw what her father was doing. She had seen it before in many a duel her father had fought. It was what Abbadon always did when he felt a fight was near its end. He'd let his opponent get one last hit in. Then he would uppercut them, sending them flying across the arena and out cold. "Don't fall for it Noah. Please" she whispered to herself, forgetting her mother was right next to her. She could see the concern on her daughters face as clear as day. But the duel was in progress and nothing could be done about it.
Noah was certainly on his last legs and he knew it. But wasn't about to quit now. He saw Abbadon's offer. 'This is it' he thought 'I know I won't be winning this...but that's not the point of this duel. Time to give this all I've got!' He steadied himself and summoning as much strength as he had left. Letting out a roar he charged and surprised everyone when he, despite the state he was in, jumped high into the air using his wings to get even more height. He pulled his right fist back and threw a punch, connecting with Abbadon's cheek. The Whole arena gasped when the larger Griffon was knocked to the ground. With Noah panting heavily, exhausted.
Abbadon slowly stood up rubbing his cheek, his eyes slightly widened in surprise as he saw some of his own blood. "Wow...wow. I mean I knew it was coming. but...I expected it to be weak and pathetic." he then turned to face the smaller griffon. "But now it's time to end this" No sooner had he said it, his fist made contact with Noah's bottom jaw sending him up into the air. Once again he sprawled across the floor.
As Noah lay there a stray thought crossed his mind 'Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to just lie down and lose.' But no sooner had he thought that he began to stand up yet again. The crowd cheering for the extremely defiant Griffon drew Abbadon's attention to his opponent. "Why?" he asked genuinely confused "Why Bluecrest? Why get up? For Nocturn's sake, you've lost. Just stay down!"
Noah shakily got his feet under him and stood up to his full height "No...I won't...quit." he said taking a slight step forward "I won't....quit...no matter how many times ...you beat me. I won't go down...Because ...I...Love...Opal...I...won't..." he vision went black, he knees failed him and he fell to the ground totally unconscious.
Everything was dark and silent at first. However Noah soon became aware of voices, some he recognized and some he didn't. One voice he certainly knew was that of Dusk Wing.The bat pony was obviously aggravating the nurse who was no doubt attending his friend. Then he tried to open his eyes and was greeted with a big light blur then soon enough cleared enough to see.
"Hey welcome back, bud" Dusk said sitting down beside the griffon. "I was starting to think you were gonna spend the rest of the day on your lazy ass in this bed." he said with a grin.
"And who says I'm not." Noah Replied "In case you forgot I totally got my ass handed to me by a griff made out of solid stone...least it felt like it." he added and made to look like he was getting comfy "Now go 'way I need a nap." he said shutting his eyes.
"OK" Dusk said nonchalantly "But Opal here is gonna be upset you chose to sleep instead of talk to her."
At the mention of Opals name Noah's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up. "She's here?" he asked, looking around the room.
"I'm here" came her reply. Noah looked in the direction of her voice and saw her, looking beautiful as ever, standing in the doorway. She entered the room and sat down on his other side and took hold of one of his hands. "I was so worried. You were so badly hurt...then Lord Path came by with his herd and did...something and healed you, but you were still out cold."
"I guess that explains why I don't feel any pain." he said looking down at his own body.
"Indeed" a new voice said that Noah recognized and Opals father "After the beating I gave you you should be down for a week if not more." he too sat down beside Noah's bed, next to his daughter. "No creature would take a beating like that, if they didn't truly have something worth taking it for." he looked at his daughter and then back to Noah. "You really do love her don't you."
"I do. With every fiber of my being" he said looking right into Abbadon's eyes. And Abbadon saw the same determination in Noah's eyes that he saw during the duel.
The larger griff then looked to his Opal who so far had not taken her eyes of Noah. "And you really do love him don't you my darling."
Opal finally looked at her father nodding her head "I do. As much as you and mother love each other."
Abbadon couldn't help but smile at that. It was no secret that he and his wife Melfina loved each other deeply, truth be told when ever they got the chance they could keep their claws off each other. His smile soon faded as he looked at the griffon in the bed "I accept that you and my daughter care deeply for each other, and I won't stand in the way any more...but..there is something you need to know, Noah."
Noah's attention was suddenly entirely focused on Abbadon. The larger griffon inhaled deeply and exhaled before speaking. "It's your father. Not too long ago, during our duel actually, he was attacked. The few witnesses who saw it all said it was a pony, a unicorn with purple fur."
Noah was instantly out of the bed. "WHERE IS HE?!" he said, probably a little louder than he intended.
Abbadon didn't take offence at the raised voice, it was perfectly understandable. "Boreas is here in this hospital, in the intensive care wing. From what the surgeon told me they did their best but the wounds won't seem to heal. They tried everything from Unicorn magics to Changeling healing gel. Nothing worked." As soon as Abbadon was finished Noah was sprinting out of the room searching for his father.
After following the direction from the staff he soon found himself at the door to the room his father was in. Despite his worry he hesitated to open the door. His father had always been a source of strength for him. Was he really prepared to see him injured? He soon pushed those thoughts away. His father was hurt and he needed him. He entered the room and saw his father laid in a hospital bed, Kila was beside him holding one of his talons on hers. She saw her son enter and tried to keep the tears from falling. "The doctors said that...something's keeping the wounds from being treated. Some kind of...dark magic...they..." she said fighting back sobs. Noah made his way over and hugged her. That was when Boreas's eyes opened.
Noah felt something grasp his wing and turned to look at his father. "Hey Dad...how are you feeling?" Noah said, he could hardly bare to see his father like this, he looked so weak.
Boreas coughed a little "I've been better." he said weakly but before Noah could answer Boreas spoke again "He took Dial...the pony that did this. I tried to protect her but he..." again another bout of coughing. Afterwards he started looking around as if he didn't recognize where he was. "It's...so dark...where are we?" he said weakly.
"We're back home. In the estate." Kila said fighting back tears as she stroked her husband's head while keeping hold of his claw. "We're laying in the master bed...and you're making a terrible mess of the sheets like you always do. The morning light is shining through the curtains that you never close...We can smell breakfast being prepared by the kitchen staff. Just the way you like it." she stopped as she felt his grip loosen and his claws fall free from her grasp. One look at his face told everyone in the room the single dreadful truth. He was gone.
The next few hours Noah and he mother held each other. The Former with tears flowing freely from his tightly shut eyes while the latter cried openly.
It had been several hours since Boreas had died. Noah still held his mother tight as she continued to cry, as she has been since her husband breathed his last. Noah however, while just as devastated, did what he could to choke down his sobs. His eyes were shut tight as he held his mother, tears leaving unmissable trails down his face. The only consolation either of them had was the knowledge that Boreas's spirit would have already found its way to the halls of his ancestors.
A few more hours passed and Kila had finally calmed herself and was currently napping on the chair she now occupied. Noah watched her sleep wondering what he was supposed to do now. His father had been his source of direction and guidance his whole life, and now he was gone. It was as Noah thought this that he became aware of a pair of city guards who were standing nearby, keeping their distance out of respect. Noah signaled them to approach with a nod and a gesture of his claw.
The two Griffons approached and bowed their heads out of respect for Noah's loss. When they raised their heads again one of them spoke.
"We're very sorry for your loss" he said "But we felt it would be best if to wait until you and your mother had calmed a little before we returned your fathers effects." he said and gestured to the other guard who was carrying a long box in his arms. Noah accepted the box and gave his thanks. After Noah answered a few standard questions the two guards left. Not too long after that Free Agent and arrived and delivered the sympathy of all of Heard Path and mentioned that Long Path himself would be taking care of the funeral costs and arrangements. He even told Noah that Boreas would be buried 'Where he belongs'. Noah could only assume that meant in the Bluecrest family burial ground on their former estate.
It had been several days since Boras's death and Dial's abduction. Nobeing could find any way to track the Hunter to find out where he had taken the mare. But both Noah and Dusk remembered his interest in their friend, and the longer it took to find him the more time he had to do who knows what with her. But at that very moment Noah had to put those thoughts on the back burner as he was being called on to deliver the eulogy for his father.
He looked out at the gathering. All of house Path was in attendance. As Opal and her family because, as it turned out, Abbadon had always respected Boreas. Even King Glimfeather was there. As well as a few other lords and ladies Noah had never met but knew that they knew his father at one point in his life or another.
Closing his eyes he took a breath. Readying himself. This was a lot different then leading a tour group and repeating facts about the city he had committed to memory, this was his own account.
"My father one said to me 'In life there are winners and there are losers. I may have lost a lot, but looking at the griffs in my life, I still feel like a winner'
"For a while I didn't know what he meant. Now I get it. He may have lost his estate and his titles, but he had my mother. And then he had me. He had a roof over his head and his family and friends. That's all he could ask for.
"He taught me that being rich and powerful is all well and good but real wealth is family.
"He gave his life defending one of my friends, my family."
He paused, taking a moment to let his words settle before he continued pulling a small knife from a sheath on one leg. "And I want to make it known here and now. That I Noah Bluecrest will not rest until my friend is safe, and my Father avenged!" he said dragging the knife across his palm slicing it. "I swear it, on my own blood!" he finished squeezing his fist tight until several drops of blood dripped onto the soil under which his father lay buried.
He walked away from the group of assembled Lords and ladies all who whom were feeling more hen a little in Awe.
Two days later Opal and Dusk went to Noah's apartment looking for him. He hadn't been seen since the funeral. Reaching his door Dusk actually knocked rather than his usual 'let myself in' approach. He heard Noah's voice call "Come in" and he opened the door to find the apartment a total mess. But not a mess by normal standards. The floor was covered in maps and documents and Opal thought she saw a shipping manifest among the clutter.
"Uh...Noah? What's all this?" she asked making sure to not step on anything.
"Well I've been trying to find where that Pony went after he took dial and killed my Dad. I looked all over the city and even asked at the docks. They said a ship left not too soon after the attack. And they said they saw a purple flash on the deck before it departed, so It's a safe bet he was on that ship. Now I'm trying to figure out which way it went. Then I talked to a griff who liked to watch the ships come and go said it left in a south-west direction. So I'm trying to determine where it might be going. But so far...it's proving to be a bit of a bitch."
While he talked Dusk had moved over to the Box the guards had given Noah that was laying on the sofa. "You still haven't opened this yet?" he asked.
Noah didn't even look up to see what Dusk was talking about "No. Haven't really felt the desire."
"Woah neat sword!" Dusk said causing Noah to finally look up from his work to see the Thestral had opened the box and was examining Boreas's sword.
"Dude!" Noah exclaimed.
"What? You probably were never going to open it. I figured somepony should." Dusk said putting the sword back into the box when something else caught his eye. "I didn't know your dad had a dagger too!"
"He doesn't have a da..." Noah said pausing when he saw the dagger in Dusk's hooves. The Griffon immediately recognized that dagger. It was exactly the same as the one the strange purple unicorn used. In no time at all he was right next to Dusk taking hold of the dagger. "This is it! This is what we need. Lady Twilight told me about scrying...with this we can find out where the Pony took Dial!" he exclaimed grabbing the dagger, by the hilt of course, and took a good look at it. "Map...we need a Map!"
Opal and Dusk quickly began searching for a map, Dusk found of the continent while Opal found one of the wider world. "Which should we use first?" Opal asked. "I mean maybe he's heading for another land"
Or he could be heading for another side of this one" Dusk chimed in.
"I'm not sure sure, it could very well be both" Noah said rubbing his beak in thought. "Well we'll start with the continent. Might as well" he added as he looked over the map. Tied the dagger to a rope and held it over the map. Then he channeled some power into it like Twilight showed him and the dagger began to move of its own accord. Eventually come to a stop pointing to the edge of the map. So Opal put another map down showing more of the world and the dagger began to move again finally coming to a stop over a large continent.
"Saddle Arabia." Noah said almost to himself. "He's in Saddle Arabia right now."
"That is no short distance." Dusk added.
"No kidding. It'd take a least a three or four days with a good wind to get there. We can't fly there either. Too Far."
"And I can't jump there. For the same reason. Plus I've never been there. We'll need a ship"
"Easier said than done" Dusk said. It's not cheap hiring or buying a ship. And I doubt either of us have the funds."
"Well we need one. And we're going to get one, even if I have to steal one." Noah said determined, never taking his eyes off the map.
"Uhm, we might not need to take such a drastic step." Opal said after a few moments gaining the attention of Noah and Dusk. "See, I've not really used it much, 'cause I've not really needed too, buuut...I have a boat. It's big enough for at least four"
Noah and Dusk were silent for a moment until Noah finally spoke up. "Can we see it?"
Not too long after that Noah, Dusk and Opal were at the docks looking at what was less a boat and more a Dirigible, and one that was clearly big enough to hold way more than four. More like Ten, with room for a three being crew. "Say hello to the Sky Princess" Opal said proudly.
"Annnnd you've just been sitting on this for a few years?" Dusk asked not taking his eyes off the ship.
Opal blushed a little "Well no one asked," she said with a small smile.
"It's perfect!" Noah finally shouted, startling both Dusk and Opal with his sudden outburst. With this it'll be a piece of cake getting to Saddle Arabia and wherever else the Hunter goes from there."
"Great then" Opal said happily. "I'll have someone bring all the supplies we'll need, then we'll be all set to leave by morning!" Noah and Dusk nodded.
Later that night the supply crew had finished earlier than expected. They had left for home unknowing that they were being watched the whole time. As the last worker left a shadow detached itself from the wall and pulled off the black head wrap revealing it to be Noah. He untied all the lines holding the ship down. "Leaving without us?" a voice called. Noah looked around surprised to see Dusk and Opal were there.
"What are you doing here?" Noah asked surprised.
"Well we figured you'd feel like the whole 'Hunter, taking Dial' thing was your fault and would want to go after him alone." Dusk said walking forwards "And I said to myself what kind of Friend would I be if I let my best buddy go and have, what could very possibly be the best adventure ever on his own." he finished.
"Plus it's my ship. And did you really think I'd let my male go without me?" Opal said making her way over to Noah and nuzzling him a bit.
"But it's very probably going to be dangerous" Noah said "and I don't much fancy telling your dad that you got hurt because of me" he added as an afterthought.
"You don't have to worry about that. My parents gave me the best self defense training money could buy. I can take care of myself. Now let's go. The sun will be coming up soon." she said then walked past him gently brushing his chin with her tail. Causing Noah to almost melt. As pal made her way up the gangplank Dusk stood next to his friend. "Dude....don't you ever. Let. Her. Go."
Soon enough the rotors were up to full speed and the Princess was rising out of the dock. Opal was at the wheel while Dusk was looking over the edge in excitement. "Course heading Captain!" Opal called to Noah who stood at the Bow of the ship holding on to the rigging standing above the figurehead, which was a Sea eagle.
"To Saddle Arabia!" Noah Called back without turning and pointing off to the Horizon. With that the adventure had officially begun. They would find the Hunter, rescue Dial and avenge Noah's father. None of the three knew what was to come, or of what dangers they would face, but they all knew without a doubt that they would face them all together. |
Equestria Meets Texas | pre | "Yeah, ah' sure still wish he was a part of our family, wouldn't ya say big brother?" Applejack asked Big Macintosh.
"Eeyup." Big mac said
"What do you think 'bout him Apple Bloom?' Applejack asked, she didn't get a response, when she turned to see Apple Bloom, she was staring at the distant look of Nathan with goo goo eyes, for Applejack that could've only meant one thing...
"Apple Bloom's in love!" she teasingly said, this caused Apple Bloom to snap out of her trance.
"Wha...What no ah'm not Applejack." Apple Bloom said trying to fool Applejack out of it, but she was not fooled, instead she tickled Apple Bloom into admitting it.
"Are ya' in love r' not?' Applejack asked while she kept tickling Apple Bloom and as Granny Smith and Big Macintosh watched happily.
"HAHAHAHA, YES AH'M IN LOVE HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!" Apple bloom said.
END PART 3 |
Equestria Meets Texas | Chapter 4 | Nathan was riding on Twilight alongside Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Spike on their way to Carousel Boutique to get some new clothes for Nathan to wear since he was going to be in Equestria for quite some time. When it finally came into view it looked like what he'd expected it to be, a building shaped like a carousel, although it was what he'd expected it to be he was still puzzled by it.
"Geez, ah' had always known ya'll could ride on a carousel, but ah've never thought ya'll could turn one into a building." He said, causing Rarity and the others to laugh.
"What's so funny?" he asked
"You, listen to yourself darling." Rarity said
"What's the big deal?" Nathan asked, "All ah' said was that it's strange to build a building shaped like a carousel."
"I know that sweetie," Twilight said, "But we just find it funny because we didn't build it, the city did, and they just chose to build it in the shape of a carousel."
"Uhh!"
But before Nathan could even get a chance to answer, they had reached the threshold of the entrance Rarity had unlocked the door revealing the inside Nathan was appalled at the looks of it, it looked just like the kids Gap store at the Galleria Mall back in Dallas, only it was cleaner and had neatly designed clothes displays plus it also looked like she lived here, because there was a kitchen on his left side and to his right was a staircase that must've lead to bedrooms.
"Rarity, ah' must ask do you live here as well?" Nathan asked
"Obviously darling, now go stand in front of the mirrors so I can take some measurements." Rarity answered escorting him over to the measurement stands, while Nathan was looking at his reflection in each of the mirrors, Rarity put on her glasses, went into a drawer and pulled out a measuring strand she then levitated the tape along with some measuring tools over to where Nathan was standing.
"All right darling, hold still while I take your measurements." Rarity said wrapping the measuring tape around Nathan's skinny torso. From his measurements it looked like his waist was probably a kid's 15-20 inch, and his shirt size appeared to be a small.
"You know darling, I think I've got just the designs for you." Rarity said, "I'll be right back Twilight follow me darling, I'm going to need your help with the clothes I'm making for him."
Twilight was confused, yet she couldn't stand down helping a friend, "All right Rarity, girls, Spike, stay here and keep an eye on Nathan, make sure he doesn't leave this boutique."
"But what if ah' have ta use the bathroom?" Nathan asked
"Yes Nathan, you can still use the bathroom, but I just don't want you leaving the boutique without permission. You're new to Ponyville and I don't want you getting lost okay sweetie?" Twilight said rubbing his cheeks with her forehooves.
"Yes ma'am." He said obeying.
Twilight and Rarity went upstairs to get started on Nathan's new set of clothes, while Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy kept an eye on him downstairs.
"So, Pinkie Pie, what you ya'll like doin'?" Nathan asked
"Well I like throwing parties a lot, and I enjoy making everypony smile." Pinkie Pie answered
"Well, what about you, Rainbow Dash, what yer' favorite thing to do?"
"Well, I do some pretty cool stunts, including one I call the Sonic Rainboom."
"What's a Sonic Rainboom?"
"Well, when I'm in the air, once I'm fast enough I do a rapid descent then I go back up releasing an explosion of colors."
"Woah, cool!" Nathan said, "Ya'll should show me sometime."
"Of course kid, I still got some good stunt strength in me."
"Really?" Nathan asked
Rainbow Dash gave him a noogie, "Hey I'm the one and only Rainbow Dash, just call me anytime if you wanna see a stunt."
"Thanks Rainbow Dash." Nathan said giving her a hug. Rainbow Dash blushed at this, she may have been too cool, but this little guy was just as cool and sweet as Scootaloo was.
Finally Nathan turned his attention to Fluttershy, "Well anyway, Fluttershy, what do ya'll do in yer' spare time?"
"Well I'm a caretaker for animals, I love them so much." Fluttershy said
"Do you have a lot of them?" Nathan asked
"Oh yes."
Nathan chuckled, "Well it certainly must be like a zoo in there?"
Fluttershy chuckled, "It most certainly is."
Suddenly a building that Nathan passed by when they entered Ponyville earlier came back to his thoughts, some kind of a cottage-like house right by the edge of a dark scary forest, he saw a bunch of animals there as they entered it, then it hit him, that was where she must've lived.
"Wait a minute, Fluttershy, that cottage that we passed by, is that where ya'll live?" he asked
"You are correct, Nathan." said Fluttershy
"We have a question Nathan." Pinkie Pie said, "Do you have a....." Once again, it was cut off by an intrusion, by the sound off a noise coming downstairs.
"NATHAN, YOUR CLOTHES ARE READY!!!!" Said Rarity as she and Twilight were heading back downstairs, and there it was floating in midair from Rarity's horn, some fresh pair of shirts, footwear, pajamas, and pants ready for wearing.
"Thank you, Rarity, yer' the best unicorn, ah've ever laid mah' eyes on." Nathan said, causing Rarity to blush and Twilight and the others to giggle.
"Oh' darling, for a 5-year-old, you sure know your way of words." Rarity said wrapping a hoof around him.
Nathan blushed himself, "Oh ah' jus' learn by mah' way of speech." he said with his voice cracking.
Suddenly, Nathan was being levitated not by Rarity, but by Twilight along with a chuckle from her, "All right Sweetie we have to go now."
"Wait, where am ah' gonna put mah' clothes," Nathan asked, "Ah' have no room in mah' backpack."
"There's a problem I know I can handle." Rarity said, she levitated a big brown bag and put his new clothes in it.
"There you go darling, problem solved. Now why don't you go on with Twilight and others I'll see you soon." Rarity said giving him a good-bye kiss, Nathan returned the kiss with a hug.
"Bye, Rarity, ah' love ya'." Nathan said
"I love you too, darling." Rarity said, and soon, Nathan, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash left Carousel Boutique leaving Rarity to start her work shift.
"Well, who residence is next on this tour map?" Nathan asked
That's when Pinkie Pie came in, seemingly out of nowhere in Nathan's face "HowaboutSugarcube CornerIworktheremaybeIcanaskMrandMrsCaketogiveyouacupcakeandnandnandnandandnadn............."
"All right, Pinkie Pie calm down, calm down." Twilight said we'll go to Sugarcube Corner, but don't go loopy on us."
"Awww..." Pinkie Pie griped.
As they entered the streets of Ponyville, Nathan ran and then started using the wheels in his Heely's shoes, in which he was skating and spinning 360 degrees in cool stunts, this really puzzled everypony, including Rainbow Dash. They had never seen such cool looking footwear before.
"Hey, Nathan." Rainbow Dash said
"Yes?" Nathan asked
"What kind of footwear is that you're wearing?" Rainbow Dash asked
Nathan looked down and saw what she was mentioning and then looked back up at them with a cool grin, "Heely's only the best kid's shoe in America, with a removable wheel in the heel." He said taking off his left shoe and demonstrating by removing the wheel.
"Whoa, that's too cool!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Ya'll bet it is."
"Hey are we going to go to Sugarcube Corner, or sit here and talk about fancy human footwear?" Pinkie impatiently asked''
Spike sighed at this, "Yes Pinkie Pie, let's go."
"Gee, Pinkie Pie you are so impatient sometimes." Rainbow Dash said
"Yeah, come on everypony." Twilight said, and off they went to Sugarcube Corner to meet the Cakes and get Nathan a good treat. |
Equestria Meets Texas | Chapter 5 | Nathan and the others were strolling through the streets of Ponyville, passing by ponies as they strolled. Until they came across a really sweet looking building, it looked like a big gingerbread house, and the closer they got to it the more smells of sweets and pastries came towards Nathan's nose, boy did it smell good, now he really did want something sweet and delicious.
"Twilight, is this Sugarcube Corner?" Nathan asked
"Yes." Twilight answered.
They had finally entered the bakery, and what it had inside surprised Nathan dearly, pastries and cakes of every kind, cupcakes, danishes, etc. everything you could think of !
"Wait here, I'll be back." Pinkie Pie said, going behind the order desk to go get the owners.
A couple of seconds later, while Nathan and the others were waiting, the sudden sound of the back door opening snapped Nathan out of his patience, when he walked up to a stool to sit down, he saw that the owners were two married ponies with marks of pastries on their flanks, the female was wearing pink earrings had a pink mane, blue skin and fur, and was wearing an apron.
The other was a yellow male with an orange mane and tail and wearing a red bowtie and a bakery hat on his head. Nathan had never seen this, yet he really wanted something sweet to tingle his taste buds.
"Hey Pinkie Deary, let's not go..." the blue one said as she was cut off by the look of Nathan, along with her husband.
"Carrot, what is it?" she asked
"I don't know honey bun, he sure doesn't walk or stand like a pony." he said to his wife
"Mr. and Mrs. Cake, this is Nathan." Twilight said, "He's from a place called Texas in a country called the United States of America."
Mr. and Ms. Cake proceeded to walk up to Nathan and greet him with shoulder taps and hugs.
"Hi Mr. and Ms. Cake." Nathan said
"What are you, deary?" Ms. Cake asked
"Ah'm a human, and ah'm five." Nathan said
"You've got a cute little accent." Ms. Cake said
"Thanks Ms. Cake." Nathan said.
"Well anyway we're here for a treat or two." Rainbow Dash said
"Well Nathan we've got a lot of good pastries here, what kind of cake or pastry do you like?" Mr. Cake asked
"Ah' like chocolate cupcakes with white icing buttercream not whipped." Nathan said
"Okay, deary, we'll make it just the way you like it." Mrs. Cake said as she and her husband trotted into the kitchen to bake the cupcakes.
Nathan was waiting outside in the cafe along with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Spike at the tables talking and chit-chatting about life, Luna becoming Nightmare Moon, defeating Discord the draconequus, Twilight and her friends defeating Queen Chrysalis and her changeling army from taking over Equestria at her brother's wedding, stopping King Sombra and saving The Crystal Empire, and last but not least, defeating Lord Tirek from stealing all the magic of Equestria.
"So that's why Mr. Shining and Ms. Cadance rule the Crystal Empire?' Nathan asked
"Yes, Nathan, we actually put the Crystal Heart back where it belongs, it protects the Crystal Empire from grave danger and it powers the city." Twilight said
"And what would the Crystal Empire be like if the heart was destroyed?" Nathan asked
"Everypony that lives there would die, and it would be nothing but a dark wasteland, in other words, The Crystal Empire would no longer exist."
"It was kind of cool that ya'll became crystal ponies for a while." Nathan said, "Boy ah' wish ah' was crystalized."
"Nathan, you're cupcakes are ready!" said Pinkie Pie as she and the Cakes came out of the kitchen with a bag filled with good sweet smelling chocolate cupcakes, when Nathan pulled one out to taste the icing it match exactly the description of how he wanted them to be.
"They're all yours deary." Ms. Cake said
"Oh, ah'm not keeping them to mahself." Nathan said turning his head towards Twilight and the others and opened the bag of cupcakes.
"Ah'll share 'em." Nathan said
"Oh no, kid, not your cupcakes." Rainbow Dash replied
"There mah' cupcakes, and ah'll do what ah' want with 'em." he said with a kind tone.
As Nathan started giving cupcakes to Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were smiling at the generosity of a heart that this boy had for others.
"You know what Carrot?" Ms. Cake quietly asked
"What is it honey?" Mr. Cake asked also quietly
"He's really a sweet little boy." Mrs. Cake said, "I hope our twins will treat our customers like that."
That's when Nathan turned his attention back towards them, "Mr. and Mrs. Cake we have to go now, it was nice meetin' ya'll."
"Bye deary." Mrs. Cake said
"Bye Nathan." Mr. Cake said
"Bye Nathan." Pinkie Pie said, Nathan suddenly switched facial expressions.
"Pinkie Pie, don't tell me ya'll have ta' work too." Nathan said
"Don't worry, you can come here and visit anytime you want." Pinkie Pie said giving Nathan a hug.
Nathan returned the hug, "Thanks Pink." he replied, "Well see ya'll later." Nathan said taking a bite out of one of his cup cakes and heading out the door with Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy.
As Pinkie Pie watched Nathan leave she turned her attention towards the Cakes who were smiling in awe with her.
"Isn't he cute?" Pinkie Pie asked
"He more than cute, he's adorable." Mrs. Cake replied in a coo voice. |
Equestria Meets Texas | Chapter 6 | *NATHAN'S P.O.V.*
Ah' was continuin' to stroll through Ponyville with Twilight and her friends, we were jus' 'bout to walk pass the schoolhouse where the fillies and colts of Ponyville went to school at, as we started walkin' near it, ah was suddenly stopped by the sound of laughin' and teasin' approachin' behind me, ah' spun around and saw two filles staring at me evilly. One was pink, had a purple mane and tail, and was wearin' a shiny tiara on her head and her mark appeared to be a tiara as well, the other was grey, had a white mane, which was braided, a white tail, wearing big blue glasses, was wearing a pearl necklace, and her mark appeared to be a silver spoon.
"Huh, they mus' be the school bullies." Ah' thought
"Well Silver Spoon what do we have here?" The pink one asked with sarcasm
"My Diamond Tiara, it looks like monkey man from the Crystal Empire." The grey one said as they started walkin' in circles and glaring evilly at me.
"Hello, blank flank!" The pink one said
"Yeah, blank flank, where did you come from, Loser Town?"
Then they both started laughin' at me, that's when ah' saw Applebloom and what appeared to be friends of hers waltzin' up towards me, and when ah' looked to mah' left ah' could also see Twilight and her friends approachin' me as well.
"Hey Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, leave him alone!" she said only to have Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon corner her, her friends tried to help her out, but they were instead buck back into a mud pit, then they continued to corner Applebloom then started teasin' her.
"Oh yeah blank flank, what are you going to do about it?" Diamond Tiara was mockingly asking her before shoving her down as well, Suddenly as they were laughin' at her, ah' started getting enraged at how these gals were bullying, not jus' her and her friends, but probably all the fillies and colts that went to this school, now even though ah' was only five years old, I was the toughest and the strongest kid in all of The Lone Star Orphanage, ah' was determined to get these little brats to leave Applebloom alone.
"HEY, HOW'S BOUT YA'LL GO PICK ON SOMEONE YER' OWN SIZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ah' screamed, this got Diamond Tiara's attention as well as Silver Spoon's
Twilight and her friends were watchin' at how brave ah' was bein'
"Are you talking to us?" Diamond Tiara asked me
"Yeah, ah'm talkin' to ya'll, ya' want a piece of me, come get some!" Ah' said fist popping my knuckles, ah' was preparing mahself for a fight in front of bully and a bunch of school kids, then Diamond Tiara and ah' started at each other with battle faces, like two cowboys ready for a match in an old western town
Dustin' mah' feet and Diamond Tiara dustin' her hooves we slowly started approachin' each other, until we finally came to a complete halt, Applebloom was smilin' on the fact at how brave ah' was bein' on taking out this little pink brat.
Twilight and the others were watchin' this and were also proud on how brave ah' was.
"I'm going to pummel your head, blank flank!" She said dangerously, but ah' wasn't plannin' on letting that stop me nor scare me out of standin' up for mahself.
"Go fer' it!" Ah said also dangerously, the first thing Diamond Tiara did was she kicked me in mah' legs, which caused me to lose mah' balance a little, but ah' managed to keep ground, then it was mah' turn ah kicked her on her left side causin' her to fall down but she managed to get back up.
"Come on blank flank, is that all you've got?" She asked me
"Oh no, salmon head, ah've still got some tricks up mah' sleeve." Ah' answered. She went for a second round and bucked me in the face and ah' fell to the ground, thinking she had won she and Silver Spoon started laughin' at me in so-called "victory", but the crowd that was watchin' saw me getting back up on mah' feet and smiled, they knew that ah' wasn't givin' up, and from what ah' remember hearin' from mah' friends, "A Texas boy never gives up."
Ah' got back up on mah' feet, and she saw me walking towards her, yet she continued to laugh, ah' could tell from her looks she was obviously a rich girl, this gave me a chance to get back at her, and get mah' turn on pinnin' her butt into a mud pit.
"Hey, Diamond Tiara, look, a big ol' sack o' money!" Ah said, ah' knew a rich brat like her would be stupid enough to fall for it, cause she turned her head around to the direction ah' was pointin' mah' finger at.
"where?" she asked, suddenly ah' grabbed her and pinned her to the ground so hard she was squirmin' in pain.
"Say 'uncle'!" ah' said
"Uncle!" she whined
"louder!" ah' screamed.
"un-CLE!!!!!" she said starting to raise her voice in agony.
"LOUDER!!!!!!!" ah' screamed
"UNCLE!!!!!!!" She whined loudly.
"ONE MORE TIME!!!!!!!!" Ah' screamed
"UUUNNNCCCLLLEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed, finally ah' got off of her and pushed her into the mud pit where Applebloom was pushed in, now covered in mud and too scared to even continue to fight me, she ran off to hide, when Silver Spoon glared at me, ah' glared back with an evil angry stare, she was now scared of me as well and ran off followin' Diamond Tiara as well.
"AND DON'T LET ME CATCH YA'LL PICKIN' ON THESE GALS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ah' snorted at them as they continued to run. Suddenly there was a small round of applause behind me, ah' turned and saw that it was the school kids praising me for my courage of standing up to a bully, suddenly Twilight and the others joined in with Twilight levitating me and praising me as well.
"Three cheers for Nathan!" She happily screamed to the kids.
"Hip Hip...."
"HOORAY!!!" said the kids
"Hip Hip..."
"HOORAY!!!"
"Hip Hip..."
"HOORAY!!!"
"Nathan, that was so cool, how did you learn that?" Twilight asked
"Junior Self-Defense class." ah' said
"You know what, I think you deserve something good for standing up to yourself." Spike said, "Wouldn't you say, Twilight?"
"Of course Spike, he had the courage to stand up to Diamond Tiara, so I think he deserves a reward for this."
"Come on Nathan let's head on over to my castle, I'm going to make a big surprise for you."
Ah' was so excited about this, ah' was gettin' a surprise for standing up to a bully and being courageous. So me, her, Spike, and the others departed for her castle, which was still a mile up into town. As we were walkin' away Applebloom again made goo goo eyes at me, she was really startin' to like me ah' could feel it in mah' heart.
*ONE MINUTE OF APPLEBLOOM'S P.O.V.*
Ah' was watchin' Nathan leave with Twilight and the others back to her castle, she said somethin' 'bout givin' Nathan a big surprise for defending me from Diamond Tiara, ah' was really startin' to like him, even though he was not a colt. Mah' love trance was suddenly cut off by the sounds of snickering, ah' turned and saw that it was Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle with mah' saddle bag, they had their's on already, yet they continued to laugh.
"I see what's going on here." Scootaloo said in a sarcastic tone.
"What?" Ah' asked her
"You like him, don't you?" Sweetie Belle said, whom ah' now turned mah' face towards.
"Ah' do not!" ah' said.
"Yeah right, Applebloom, we saw you making those goo goo eyes." Scootaloo said mocking my earlier expression.
"Stop that!" Ah' said
"Hehe, Applebloom and Nathan sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!!!!!" Sweetie Belle teased, ah' was really gettin' irritatied by them already. They proceeded to leave to go to their proper homes, but before they did they turned back at me and said...
"See you later, lover apple!"
Ah' wasted no time gettin' mah saddle bag on, cause when ah' did, ah' galloped towards Sweet Apple Acres to tell mah' sister what had just happened. |
Equestria Meets Texas | Chapter 7 | Nathan was walking and rolling alongside Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Spike towards Twilight's castle, he had just faced up to Diamond Tiara when nopony else would and was getting a big reward for his braveness, they were now entering the center of Ponyville, as they got closer, Nathan saw what appeared to be a gigantic crystal tree-like castle, it was shiny, had two balconies, a flag, and it had a giant star like statue on the top and behind this weird tree was some kind of a pond or lake with beautiful waterfalls.
"Twilight, is this..." Nathan was about to ask
"Yes, Nathan, this is The Rainbow Kingdom Castle, this is where I live me and Spike."
"It looks expensive to live in."
"Well it was just....built." Twilight said blushing, "Come I'll show you my throne room, and then we'll go upstairs and give you your big reward."
Twilight used her horn to unlock and open the doors, when Nathan saw the inside it was amazing, a long crystal hallway that he walked down, and at the end were two big doors, when Twilight opened them, it revealed seven throne chairs, and each one of them had Twilight and her friends' cutie marks.
"Wow Twilight, yer' so lucky." Nathan said, Twilight giggled
"Come on Nathan, follow me sweetie." Nathan did as he was told and followed Twilight upstairs, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, along with Spike, followed Nathan for safety sake and to make sure nothing would go wrong. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Twilight and Nathan went inside her quarters, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Spike tried to follow her in but were stopped in their tracks by Twilight's hoof.
"I need you all to stay out here, this will require just me and Nathan." Twilight said, everypony understood, all except Spike.
"But Twilight...." Spike whined
"No 'buts' Spike, stay out here." Twilight said.
Spike sighed, "Yes Twilight." he muttered in a spoiled attitude
"Spike?!" Twilight warned.
"Sorry." Spike said, and so Nathan and Twilight went on.
"All right Nathan, stand in that circle." Twilight said
"Why?" he asked
"For your surprise, but first you have to close your eyes and don't open them until I say so."
Nathan did what he was told and closed his eyes, once they were shut tight, Twilight lit her horn up and shot a beam of magic light at him Nathan started to float but he couldn't feel it, from outside the door, Spike peeped in through a crack at the bottom of the door, and saw the magical light reflecting at the bottom.
"What's going on in there?" He asked
"Beats me." Rainbow Dash said as they continued to ponder what was happening.
Meanwhile inside, Twilight was putting the finishing touches on her surprise for Nathan, soon her horn stopped and Nathan collapsed to the ground.
"Can ah' open mah' eyes now?"
"All right."
Nathan opened his eyes and looked in Twilight's make up mirror, but what he saw on his back gave him a gasp of surprise, what his big surprise was...a pair of bat wings, this really got him nervous he was a human and humans didn't have wings of a bat nor a bird, pegasus, or alicorn.
"Twilight is this real?" he asked
"Well give them a tug."
When Nathan did, he couldn't believe it, he was now probably the first human to ever have wings, when Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Spike entered they couldn't believe it either. And from a second look his wings looked exactly like Rouge's from Sonic X.
"Twilight are those wings you gave him?" Spike asked
Fluttershy was speechless
Rainbow Dash was messing with them and then turned to Twilight, "Why aren't they Pegasus or alicorn wings, why are they bat wings?" she asked
"Well I've done research on humans and apparently they're mammals and the closest flying mammal to them is a bat, so if humans were to ever fly with wings they would most likely have the wings of a bat. Well Nathan what do you think?" Twilight asked her response was a big hug from Nathan.
"Thanks T, this is probably the coolest thing that anyone's ever given to me." Nathan said while hugging her.
"You're welcome Nathan." Twilight said hugging him back.
"Now how about some dinner huh?" Twilight said, that's when Nathan look at the clock, nearly 5:30 in the evening, was it really time for dinner already?
"What are we havin'?" Nathan asked
"Well it's Friday night, and me and my friends gather at the Telstar Tavern on Friday nights, we go there, eat dinner, and just talk and chat, you want to join us?" Twilight asked.
"Ah'd love it, what do they have?" Nathan asked
"Eh, their menus are in and out with selections." Rainbow Dash said.
"They do have some of the best sandwiches in all of Equestria." Fluttershy said
"And not to mention the best lettuce sticks and dipping sauce." Spike said
As Nathan was chatting with them about the food there, Twilight looked at the clock and saw it was nearly time to go.
"All right, Nathan, enough chit chat go get your jacket and shoes on." Twilight said, that's when it hit him again, there was no way he could be able to put on his jacket because of his new wings.
"Wait a minute, Twilight, how can ah' put on mah' jacket with these wings on me?" he asked, Twilight came up with the best idea yet, she went downstairs, cut two wing sized holes in his jacket, and came back upstairs, when Nathan looked at what Twilight did to his jacket he was a little furious.
"Twilight that's a brand new jacket, why did ya' cut holes in it?" he whined
"It's the only answer to your clothes and wings problem, and come to think of it, you might have to pin some holes in your clothes Rarity made for you."
"Aww man." Nathan pouted
"I'm sorry Nathan, but if you wanna wear clothes and wings at the same time the only way is to cut holes."
Nathan sighed and put on his jacket, luckily, it still fitted him, but in a funny kind of way, with his new wings. As Nathan was getting ready, Spike was putting on a sweater that Rarity made for him, while Twilight put on a scarf. They rejoined Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy who had managed to make it to the door before them.
"Well are we ready?" Rainbow Dash asked
"If ya'll are." Nathan said
Out the door they went with Twilight locking the door behind her as she followed Spike and the others to the Telstar Tavern with Nathan riding on her back. Nathan looked at Celestia's sun starting to go down, then he looked over to the east side and saw the moon starting to come up.
"Watching Luna raise the moon?" Twilight said, snapping Nathan out of his trance
"Wha..what, oh yeah, hehe." Nathan stammered.
"Wait, did you just say, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia raise the sun and moon?' Nathan asked
"Yes." Twilight answered
"Whoa, cool!" Nathan said in surprise.
"Why the 'whoa cool'?" Spike asked
"Well it's jus' that, it don't work like that on mah' world, the sun and moon rise on their own."
Pretty soon everypony, including Twilight, stopped in their tracks at what Nathan just said.
"Did you say the sun and moon rise on their own on your world?" Rainbow Dash asked
"Yes, ah' did, why?" Nathan asked.
"What is your world called?" Spike asked
"Earth." Nathan said
"How astounding, we have the exact same name for our planet." Twilight said
Nathan's stomach continued to growl, "Can we hold off the talkin' ah' really am famished." Nathan said
Instead of continuing with their game of 20 questions, they continued on to the Telstar Tavern, where everypony else was waiting.
**SCENE DISSOLVE**
They had approached midtown Ponyville where a long line awaited them, luckily they had managed to ram into Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rairty, along with their sisters and Scootaloo who ran up to Rainbow Dash for a hug, Nathan smiled at this, but he still knew for all that he was an orphan and tried his best to hold back his sadness.
"Hey Nathan." Applebloom said walking up to Nathan who was still on Twilight's back.
"Oh, hey Applebloom, look what Twilight gave me." Nathan hopped off of Twilight and unfolded his new bat wings, Applebloom was surprised yet a little jealous.
"How come you get wings?" she asked
"Ah' don' know, maybe she likes me." Nathan said.
"Hey Nathan." Said Applejack out of nowhere, she seemed very proud of Nathan, because she put a hoof on his shoulder.
"What ya' did today was very brave, ah've never heard of kid yer' age havin' the courage to stand up to a bully," Applejack picked Nathan up and hugged him, "Ah'm very proud of you."
"Thanks Applejack." Nathan said returning the embrace,, "And look what Twilight gave me as a reward." again Nathan unfolded his new bat wings Applejack thought it was awesome too.
"Hey Pinkie Pie, Rarity, look what Twi' gave Nathan." she said, Rarity and Pinkie Pie ran up to Nathan and saw his bat wings, now they were just as surprised as Applejack and Applebloom were.
"Well I must say, how astounding." Rarity said
"Yeah, Twilight gave the-ow!" He was cut off by a feeling of someone biting his wings he turned and saw that it was Pinkie Pie, nipping on them to see if they were just dress-up wings, but for Pinkie Pie they were real bat wings.
"Sorry Nathan, I was just seeing if they were fake." Pinkie Pie said.
"By yankin' them?" He growled.
"Hehe sorry." Pinkie said nervously.
"Hey Nathan." said two fillies who walked up on Applebloom's side.
"Nathan, these are mah' friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle." Applebloom said
"Nice you meet ya'll." Nathan said
"That was really cool, how you totally outweighed Diamond Tiara." Scootaloo said
"Yeah, nopony's ever stood up to her like that before." Sweetie Belle.
"Well, Sweetie Belle, on mah' world if anyone is messin' with ya' like that, sock em' hard!" Nathan said
"COME ON EVERYPONY THE LINE'S MOVING!!!" Twilight said, Nathan and his new friends managed to catch up and they got closer to The Telstar Tavern.
END CHAPTER 7 |
Equestria Meets Texas | Chapter 8 | Everypony and Nathan had reached the entrance to the Telstar Tavern, when they got inside Nathan was overwhelmed, it was an outdoor restaurant with a music stage, a view of a lake, thousands of tables filled with ponies eating their meals, the kitchen was on the right side with lots of good smelling dishes, however his hypnotism was cut off by the restaurant's director.
"Good evening madam's, how many do ve' have tonight?" he asked with his thick French accent.
"nine." Twilight said
The director then took notice on Nathan or to him.
"Is zat' two legged whatever, wiz you too?" he asked
Twilight knew who he was mentioning and turned to Nathan
"Oh yes, he's with us." Twilight said
"Well then, allow me to show you all to your table." he said, taking out 10 menus from the holster which was bolted in the wall. As he was walking away from the entrance with Twilight and the others following him, he found a table big enough for all of them, as everypony, including Nathan, found their seats, the director gave them their menus.
"Just to let you all know, our special today is clam and hay chowder, your waiter will be with you shortly." The director said leaving them to return to his post. While everypony else was slurping their lips at how delicious everything was on the menu, Nathan, on the other hand, wasn't so sure about what they had on their menus.
"Daffodil and Daisy Sandwich."
"Hay Fries."
"Grass and Oak Leaf Soup."
Nathan flipped and flipped through the menu there was absolutely no signs or trace of anything that had meat nor the beverages had anything that was related to Coca Cola or Pepsi products. Nathan put down his menu and rested his head on his arms on the table, to think he could've been having a hunger buster with his orphanage friends at DQ, that's when the little jingle from those DQ Texas commercials started playing in his head........
[youtube=eAR02BW0rro]
"DQ, That's what ah' like about Texas." he muttered
"What did you say?" Rainbow Dash asked
"Oh, ah' was jus' mutterin' a jingle from a restaurant back on mah' world, it's called DQ, short fer' Dairy Queen, they make the best beef burgers, chicken strips, ice cream blizzards, everythin' ya'll can think of, but I was mutterin' the jingle because ah' see ya'll don' eat meat, nor do ya'll drink soda." Nathan said disappointed.
"Hey, Nathan do you like pizza?" Spike asked
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, there's a good selection of pizza's on the last page, and there are some soda and other beverage selections on the back." Spike said helping Nathan.
Nathan flipped over to the last page and saw some really good pizza's, but still no pepperoni or sausage kinds, but instead, veggie, mushroom, olive and spinach, and regular cheese with stuffed crust, now the stuffed crust sounded and looked almost exactly like the stuffed crust pizza at Pizza Hut, it did look kind of delicious so he finally made up his mind, that's when their waiter came in to cater them.
"Hi my name is Razor Blade, I'll be taking care of you all this evening, to start what can I get you all to drink?" he asked levitating a notepad and a pen, he started with Applejack first.
"Ah'll have a strawberry lemonade." she said, the waiter then moved on to Applebloom.
"Ah'll have a lemon lime fruit water." Applebloom said, The next two were Rarity and Sweetie Belle
"I'll have an unsweetened iced tea." Rarity said
"I'll have a regular water." Sweetie Belle said, he then moved on to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo.
"I'll have a Dr. Hopper." Rainbow Dash said, next was Scootaloo
"I'll have a Hoova Cola." Scootaloo said, next was Fluttershy.
"Umm...I'll have a Marite." she said, next was Pinkie Pie.
"I'll have a root beer." she said, after that was Twilight.
"I'll have, what she's having," she pointed her hoof at Rarity, "an unsweetened iced tea."
Next was Spike, "I'll have a Lime-Aid."
Last but not least was Nathan, "Ah' guess ah'll have a sweet lemonade."
"Have you decided what you all would like, or do you all still need a few minutes?" the waiter asked
"No, I think we made our decisions." said Applejack.
Again the waiter walked back around the table and, once again, his first order was from Applejack.
"Ah'll have the roasted daffodil sub, no mayo." Applejack said
"Ah'll have the tomato and shredded leaf hay fries." Applebloom said
"I'll have a bay leaf salad." Rarity said
"And I'll have a fruit salad." Sweetie Belle said
After nearly half the table, the waiter finally got to Nathan, "And what will you have kid?"
"Ah'll take the stuffed crust pizza." Nathan said
"Do you want cheese, spinach leaf, olive, or mushroom?" the waiter asked
"Ah'll take the cheese." Nathan answered.
"All right I'll be back with you all's food when it's ready it may be an hour or two." the waiter said taking their menus and leaving.
"So Nathan, do you have a....." Once again, the question was cut off by a sudden interruption it was the sound of hoofsteps heading towards their table, that's when Nathan felt a hoof rubbing his wings in a ticklish kind of way but it felt good then there as a slight tug on them.
"Ouch, who's yankin' on mah' wings?" he asked, suddenly he felt whoever it was start rubbing them again, Nathan turned and saw that it was Princess Luna along with her sister Princess Celestia.
"I see you've got wings now, too bad they're not pegasi or alicorn." Princess Luna said
"Hi, Princess Luna." Nathan said embracing her, Luna returned the embrace, that's when Nathan felt a hoof tap his shoulder.
"Hey, don't I get a hug too?" Celestia asked opening one of her forehooves.
Nathan giggled, but instead of just hugging her, he jumped on her and wrapped his arms around her neck while wrapping his legs around her upper flank, Celestia wrapped her forehoof around him, Nathan took a good whiff at her body, she really smelled good, she really knew the correct kind of perfume, and he couldn't say the same about Luna, yet he managed to keep these things to himself.
Soon Celestia levitated him back into his seat and proceeded to sit by him while Luna sat next to Twilight.
"So what brings ya'll here tonight?" Nathan asked
"We always have dinner with them on Friday nights." Celestia said
"Yeah, as the royal princesses it is one of our duties to take a rest and feast with friends." Luna said
"Whoa." Nathan said
"Hey Princess Celestia, ya'll wanna know why Nathan has wings?" Applebloom asked
"Well Applebloom that's what I was really wondering." Celestia said
"Well it's because he had more courage than the rest of the fillies and colts at school today." Applebloom said
"What did he do?" Luna asked
"He stood up to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon when no one else would." Sweetie Belle answered.
"How?" Celestia asked, "Did he just tell her to leave you all alone?"
"No, ah' challenged her to a duel, and ah' won." Nathan said, Celestia was really jolted about this.
"Nopony has ever fought a bully before, why did you do that?" she asked
"Yeah, why didn't you just do it the pony way and just talk to her?" Luna asked.
"Let me tell ya'll a little somethin' that 'talkin' stuff don't work, no matter how many times you scold them, lecture them, or tell them to leave ya' alone, they will not stop. So sometimes even though you know it's wrong, you don't really have much of a choice, 'cause that's what a bully is always askin' fer', and ah' knew fer' once that Diamond Tiara was askin' fer' a kick in the butt, so that's what ah' gave to her, and she actually did leave us alone fer' the rest of the day, ain't that right Applebloom?"
"Well, come to think of it, yeah ah' didn't see her after the dismissal bell rang." Applebloom replied.
"Wow, I am really impressed, you must be pretty tough for a kid your age." Celestia said.
"Hey they say back home, 'Don't mess with Texas, and that also means a Texan." Nathan said.
That's when the waiter came back to take their orders, "My princesses, what will you two have?" he asked taking out his pen and notepad.
"We'll have an unsweetened iced tea and the daffodil grass special." Celestia said, that was her and Luna's favorite thing to eat.
Soon after the water left to finish up their orders.
A couple of hours had passed, soon the waiter, along with two waitresses came to their table with their orders in correct form, including Nathan's pizza and lemonade. As he and the others were enjoying their meals and drinks, the lights suddenly went out, and a sudden spotlight flashed down on the stage at the front end of the room, a curtain parted and out came a stallion with a microphone.
"GOOD EVENING EVERYPONY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he said, as everyone in the restaurant applauded.
"And welcome to another Friday night, and that means another edition of 'Country on the Prairie', as you all know my name is Braeburn from Appleloosa, tonight we are going to see if anypony knows some good country music."
"Who's Braeburn?"Nathan asked
"Nathan, the reason why we come here on Friday nights 'cause of him." Applejack said
"Why him?" he asked
"Because Braeburn is our cousin." Applebloom said wrapping her hoof around her sister.
"Yer' kiddin' me." Nathan said
"Nnope." Applebloom said
Suddenly two more spotlights shined down on stage, "Oh great music light, see who we can get tonight." Braeburn said, the two extra spotlights started roaming around the restaurant until they stopped on Nathan.
"You, come on down here."
Nathan had never been so excited in his life, he did know one country song, he had it all memorized top to bottom, as he walked up towards the stage everypony in the restaurant applauded, including the princesses who were sitting with Twilight and her friends.
"Welcome to tonight's Country on the Prairie kid." Braeburn said
"Thank you." Nathan said
"So kid, what's your name?"
"Nathan."
"I have never seen a creature like you before, what are you?" he asked
"Ah'm a human, and ah'm the first and probably the only human to have wings." He said popping out his bat wings at the audience everypony gasped at this, they had heard of humans but they had never seen one with wings before, but they didn't care.
"So, Nathan, where are you from?" Braeburn asked
"Texas, United States of America." Nathan asked
"And how old are you?"
"Five."
"Do you know any country songs?"
"Hey ah' may be a kid, but ah' know one country song."
"Well let's hear it." Braeburn said applauding with everypony in the restaurant
Nathan started to sing 'Mud on the Tires' by Brad Paisley
[youtube=h_eyvTPgnM4] |
Equestria Meets Texas | Chapter 9 | Nathan, along with Twilight and Spike were now back at the Crystal Empire, walking to the Crystal Castle, Nathan was still too puzzled to understand why Ms. Cadance and Mr. Shining would need Twilight and Spike to come back with him. Pretty soon the were at the entrance, where Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were there waiting for them.
"Hey sweetie." Cadance said to Nathan, "How was Ponyville, did you like it?"
"Yes." Nathan said
Cadance and Shining Armor then took notice of his bat wings.
"Hey Nathan, how did you get wings and why aren't they alicorn?" Cadance asked
"Yeah, why are they bat wings?" Shining Armor asked
"Well, Twilight gave 'em to me, 'cause she was proud of me for standing up to a bully, ah' saw a filly bein' picked on by two other fillies and ah' managed to fight them, then they ran off in fear of me, so she gave me these wings as a reward, ah' still haven't tested them yet, though."
"Well, I'm so very proud of you Nathan, that was a very brave thing to do." Cadance said
"I have to agree Nathan, that was righteous!" Shining Armor said, "Oh I wish you were our son, but it's too bad we have to send you back soon." Nathan started to get the feeling of being crestfallen, but tried to fight it off again.
"Oh, ah' would love to go back but ah'......ah'....can't." He said with his eyes becoming moist and runny.
"Why?" Cadance asked, but instead of getting an answer, what she got out of Nathan was the sudden flow of tears and then crying, Nathan couldn't fight his hurtful feelings anymore, Cadance and Shining Armor tried to comfort him.
"Nathan, what's wrong dear?" Cadance asked, Nathan just continued to cry and then retreated upstairs leaving behind the sound of him crying, along with his bags and teddy bear. Everypony now had suddenly figured out something was bothering the poor kid, then they stared at Shining Armor because they thought he might've had something to do with it.
"What, was it something I said?" Shining Armor asked.
"Maybe." Cadance said cocking an eyebrow.
As they were just about to argue, another flash of light appeared in the sky (the same light that Nathan gently plummeted from last night.), Shining Armor, Cadance, Twilight, and Spike looked out from the balcony and saw two older female humans screaming as they were about to crash land, Shining Armor and Cadance ran out into the entrance, ran out the door, and went out to inspect them, they were definitely female alright, but they were wearing black and white dresses and caps, and were each wearing a necklace with a symbol of what appeared to be a cross.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Nathan heard the crash and went downstairs to investigate as well, he followed where the crash happened, but who he saw crash in front of the castle shocked him it was the nuns from The Lone Star Orphanage.
OUTSIDE THE CASTLE
The female humans woke up only to see three unicorns two with wings and one with no wings, they also had different colors of skin and manes plus marks on their flanks, the pink one and purple one appeared to be female, while the larger one with the blue mane and tail appeared to be male, the female humans were just as surprised as Nathan was when he first encountered them.
"You all seemed to have taken a bad crash." The pink one said
"Lucy, do you see what I see, a talking unicorn?!" the first one said.
"Unicorn, no way, I'm an alicorn, and so is she." the pink one said pointing to the purple one next to her.
"Well anyway I don't believed we've been introduced, My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Cadance for short, this is Twilight Sparkle, and my husband Shining Armor, he and I rule the Crystal Empire together, Twilight Sparkle here is a student of my Aunt Celestia who lives in Canterlot."
The nuns were impressed so they introduced themselves as well, "My name is Lucy Fanning this my friend Amber Brown, we are the lead nuns of The Lone Star Orphanage in Dallas, Texas, we were looking for a boy named Nathan, we managed to enter his bedroom, but then we were blinded by a flash of light and somehow we were sucked into a portal, and that's how we got here, um anyway we were wondering, have you seen him?"
Suddenly these sentences came into Cadance's mind
Lone Star Orphanage?
Nathan?
Dallas, Texas?
It all finally became clear now, Cadance had figured out why Nathan was sad and crying, he didn't have a family!
"Now ya'll know!" Said a familiar voice out of nowhere, they turned around and saw that was none other than Nathan with tears trickling down his face.
"Ah' know the question the you've been trying to ask me, if ah' had a family or someone to take care of me, truth is ah' don't." his sobbing was soon cut off by the nuns hugging him and giving sighed reliefs.
"Nathan, don't ever scare us like that again." Lucy said, but she soon felt something rough on his back she looked and saw he had bat wings, real bat wings.
"Nathan how did you get wings?" Lucy asked
"Yeah, we need to know dear." Amber said backing Lucy up.
"Well, Twilight gave them to me as a reward, 'cause ah' stood up to a bully, and ya'll always told me that God hasn't given us a spirit of fear."
"Well you need to come back to the orphanage with us sweetie." Amber said
"But ah' wanna stay here with these ponies, they love me more than anything." Nathan whined, Amber and Lucy suddenly took notice and felt from his heart that this strange world that they were on felt like a new home to Nathan, and that these ponies had a heart for him whether he was human or pony.
"Nathan, sweetie, do these ponies really mean much to you?" Lucy asked
"Yes, ah' love them more than life itself." Nathan said, this brought tears of joy to Twilight, but as for Cadance and Shining Armor, it could mean one thing.
"What if Shining Armor and I adopted Nathan?" Cadance thought, when she looked at her husband, she could tell he was thinking the same thing too.
"Listen," Shining Armor said to the nuns, "My wife and I have been married for over a year now, and we've been talking a lot lately about getting a head start on parenthood."
At first the nuns thought it was a joke, because they had never thought that two talking unicorns would be willing enough to adopt a human boy, but their quick laugh turned into a serious matter when they saw that Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were actually serious about it.
The nuns looked down at Nathan and saw that he really wanted to make Equestria his home.
"Well then may I propose that you Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are hereby in rule of adoption of Nathan." Lucy said.
Nathan, overhearing everything, was starting to charter up in his heart, did he really hear this or was it just him?
"Adopted by royal ponies?" He thought, "This could probably be cool maybe ah'll get to keep my wings and Twilight could teach me how to fly."
"All right," Amber said, "If you can send us and Nathan back to our world we'll get the paperwork and forms ready for you to sign."
"Why do ah' have to go back with you?" Nathan asked
"To get your things packed, sweetie, this 'Crystal Empire' place is going to be your new home." Amber said
Pretty soon Twilight, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance used their magic powers to re-open the portal, and soon Nathan, and the nuns were just about to zap back to their world.
"We'll be back shortly." Amber said loudly because of the sound of the portal being fired up. Soon they were up in the air and going back to their world.
After they had left to get everything ready, Cadance had an idea.
"Spike I need you to take two letters."
Spike took out a scroll and a quill pen, "What do you want to say to Princess Celestia?" he asked
"Write this down."
Dear Aunt Celestia
Remember when Nathan first came to Equestria and was nervous and distraught?, well we have finally figured out why, Nathan is an orphan and doesn't have a family, so Shining Armor and I have taken the liberty of making the decision of adopting him as our son, we had just met two older female humans, known as nuns, who run the orphanage that he lived at in his land of 'Texas', and we would like if you approve our decision, we are planning to throw a welcome party for him, and yes there will be cake, LOL.
Your Niece
Princess Cadance
Spike rolled up the scrolled letter and blew it off with a whiff of his green fire breath, then took out another scroll paper and used the same quill pen.
"And what do you want this one to say?" Spike asked
"This one is going to Pinkie Pie." Cadance said
Spike knew why it was going to her and starting writing.
Dear Pinkie Pie
We figured out why Nathan was so sad when he first came to Equestria, he's an orphan and doesn't have anypony to take care of him, so Shining Armor and I have decided to adopt him as our son, he has gone back to his land of 'Texas' to get his stuff ready, with two older female humans that we met who run the orphanage that he lived at, but since my husband and I are adopting him, we have decided to throw him a 'Welcome To Equestria, Your New Home Party' for him and we would like you to come here with all the party supplies and entertainment, because we want to make him use to living here in Equestria, and bring Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash here, plus bring the three fillies here too tomorrow.
Yours Truly
Princess Cadance
Pretty soon that letter was scrolled up and blown off as well.
About two seconds after Spike blew away the letter to Pinkie Pie, he suddenly belched out green fire and out came a scroll letter from Celestia.
"Well that was quick." Twilight said
Spike unrolled it, "Well what does it say?" Shining Armor asked
Dear Princess Cadance
I have officially decided to approve your decision of adopting Nathan as your son, therefore he is now to be under the full name of 'Nathan Cadenza', it's a good idea for you to throw a party for him as a welcome sign, I will be there for some cake.
Sincerely
Princess Celestia
Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were now a very happy couple, after only a year of marriage they were going to get a head start on parenthood, and Nathan was going to be a good start. |
Equestria Meets Texas | Chapter 10 | At the Lone Star Orphanage back in Texas, the nuns were getting adoption papers ready for Shining Armor and Princess Cadance to sign back at the Crystal Empire, meanwhile, Nathan was upstairs taking down his Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon posters, removing all his shirts, socks, pants, underwear, and shoes from his closet and drawers, and packing up everything in his nightstand, and his fiddle he had been playing before he was brought into Equestria as he was packing up his room, he heard the sound of his bedroom door slowly opening, he turned around and saw that it was his best friends, Lucas (Luke for short) and Kyle, who were in the verge of wanting to cry, but trying to hold it back.
"Luke, Kyle, what are ya'll doin' in here?" Nathan asked them, but the only response he got from them was a friendly embrace.
"We're really going to miss you Nathan, what with you living on another world n' all." Luke said
"Yeah, it's just not going to be the same without you Nate." Kyle said, Nathan just smiled at them.
"Now guys, ah' know ah'm going to live in a far away world, but hey maybe my new parents will let me keep that portal and ah' could come back for visits, you all are still mah' best friends no matter what." Nathan said being courteous.
For Luke and Kyle this was really talk from a true friend that cared about them and always put their needs ahead of his.
"Of course, we still find it cool that she gave you bat wings, we had always said you were the toughest Lone Star boy." Kyle said
"And ah' owe it all to you." Nathan said giving Kyle and Luke all the credit.
"Thanks Nathan." Luke said embracing him along with Kyle.
"NATHAN, TIME TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Lucy from downstairs.
"Will ya'll help me carry mah' stuff?" Nathan asked his friends.
"Sure pal." Luke said.
Soon after, they were downstairs with Nathan's belongings, and the nuns had all the adoption paperwork ready for Shining Armor and Cadence, as they exited the orphanage, Luke and Kyle waved good-bye to their best friend, along with the other kids and nuns that lived at the orphanage.
Pretty soon Nathan and the main nuns were silhouetted as the portal began to life them up, as Nathan was being lifeted along with the nuns, he looked down and saw everybody waving good-bye to him, Nathan waved good-bye to them as well.
They were back at The Crystal Empire, where crystal pony guards were there waiting for them to put his stuff up in his new bedroom.
"Say kid that's a lot of stuff for your age, and I didn't even know a kid your age would play fiddle." One guard said.
"Yeah, ah've been playing it for over a year now, I'm wanting to do country music when ah' grow up." Nathan said
"Yeah, well come on let's get your stuff ready for your new bedroom." the guard said helping Nathan with his stuff, while Nathan and the crystal guards were getting his stuff into his new bedroom, the nuns were met by Cadence and Shining Armor, adoption paperwork printed and ready, quill pen levitated by Princess Cadance, she and Shining Armor started signing at least 30 to 40 adoption papers.
At just the right time, Nathan had finished unpacking the last box and came downstairs to see his new parents signing the last of the adoption papers, once the last one was signed, Lucy gave the now signed papers to Amber, then turned to see Nathan walking up towards them.
"Nathan, sweetie, aren't you going to come and give us a good-bye hug before we leave, because this may be the last time you'll see us."
"Hey, when have ah' not hugged ya'll?" Nathan asked, walking up to them and giving them one final embrace.
"We're really going to miss you Nathan."
"Ah'm going to miss ya'll too." Nathan said.
Just then the portal opened back up and Amber and Lucy stepped back into it. Nathan, on the verge of tears, watched as the two nuns whom he was very close to depart back to Texas and dissolved in a flash of light then the portal dissolved and was gone for good, Cadance and Shining Armor, who saw Nathan crying because of the fact that he might never be able to see his world again, walked over to him and comforted him.
"Ah'...(sniff)...Ah'll...never...(sniff)...see...T-Texas.... or...mah'....f-friends...a-a-again!" Nathan said crying, Cadance wrapped her forhoof around him.
"Now Nathan, I know it's hard saying good-bye to the ones you love most, but sometimes you got to move on, staying in one life won't give you any new experiences, but starting a new life will."
Nathan started to control his sad face, "Ah...Ah had no idea."
"Besides, you're going to love Equestria, it'll just take some time." Shining Armor said
"Where's Twilight, uh, I mean Aunt Twilight at?" Nathan asked
"She went back to Ponyville with Spike to go fix up another portal for you that way you can go back to Texas for visits."
"Wow, Mom is that true?" Nathan asked
"Yes, she's wanting to do it so that way you won't be stuck here forever, Princess Luna and Celestia are also going down to Ponyville to help her with it, because they knew that when you came back you would be like this, so I told them to go down there and see what they can do." Shining Armor said
Nathan had never thought about this, they really do care about him."
"Dad?" Nathan asked
"One question?"
"What is it?"
"Are they going to be up all night doing it?"
Shining Armor chuckled, "I guess, I don't know."
Suddenly Nathan found himself being levitated and saw that it was his Mom fixing to put him on her back.
"Enough chit-chat for tonight young man, it's time for bed." Cadance said
"But MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Nathan whined, already starting to become a typical whiny little family boy.
"No 'buts' young man." Cadance said, starting her role as a mother.
Nathan yawned, for him it was getting time for beddie byes.
After taking his bath and brushing his teeth, in his new bedroom, Nathan put on his pajamas then crawled up into his new bed but not until Princess Cadance came into the room with his teddy bear.
"Thanks Mom." Nathan said
"Sure thing sweetie, good night." Cadance said walking out the door and closing it. Just as Nathan was about to go to sleep, he suddenly forgot to do something.
"Eddie, we almost forgot to say our prayers again." he said talking to his teddy bear, Nathan got out of his bed kneeled down on the side put his hands together and started to pray.
"Dear Lord"
"Thank you for helpin' me find a family, it has been much of a blessing for me to know that no matter how long things take, you never break a promise. But ah' now pray that you would help my best friends Kyle and Luke find families as well so that they can be happy too, please bless the nuns at the orphanage, and bless me God."
"Amen"
After Nathan had finished saying his prayers he climbed back into his bed along with his bear and snuggled himself up under his cover and clenched Eddie by his side.
"Eddie, ain't it cool we're finally part of a family?" Nathan asked his bear
'Eddie' just sat there like a typical stuffed toy and was just facing Nathan, but in Nathan's imagination 'Eddie' was real and was talking to him.
"Yeah, it's cool ain't it?" Nathan said imagining, "Well good night Eddie." and thus Nathan drifted off to sleep. |
Equestria Meets Texas | Chapter 11 | It was morning in the Crystal Empire, now parents, Cadance and Shining Armor were downstairs making breakfast, scrambled eggs and toast, as they were cooking up for the morning, they heard the sound of yawning and then the door opening, as if they didn't know who it was.
"Mornin' mom, mornin' Dad." Nathan said with his tired raspy voice.
"Hi, sweetie, did you sleep well?" Cadance asked
"That ah' did mom." Nathan said
"Well good, now come on in and eat your breakfast you've got another big day ahead of you."
"Mom, what are ya'll talkin' 'bout?" Nathan asked
"Well Princess Celestia and Luna are coming to pick you up today, they're going to show you around Canterlot, and show you how to use and preen your wings." Shining Armor said
"Dad, how am ah' s'pose to preen them, they're bat wings, bats don't have feathers."
"I'm kidding son." Shining Armor said, "But they really are going to show you how to fly."
"Wow flyin' lessons fer' no charge." Nathan said
"Yes, sweetie, now eat your breakfast." Cadance said
"Yes mom." Nathan said
"Oh and guess what sweetie." Cadance said
"What?" Nathan said
"There is going to be a big surprise for you this afternoon." Cadance said
"What is it?" Nathan asked
"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, would it?" she said booping Nathan on his nose with her hoof.
"MOM!" Nathan playfully whined, he then dug into his breakfast.
Later that morning after breakfast, Nathan was sitting on the couch in the living room playing Pokemon black and white on his DS when he heard someone knocking on the door.
"I got it." Shining Armor said, when he opened it, it was none other than Princess Celestia and Princess Luna here for one thing.
"Hi Shining Armor, we've come here to get Nathan." Princess Luna said.
"He's in the living room." Shining Armor said, "Nathan, Celestia and Luna are here."
"Coming Dad!" Nathan said from the living room, within seconds he was at the entrance, Celestia and Luna there with warm smiles, and with Nathan still having his DS clinched in his hands, and his backpack already on his back, it was a one second decision for Nathan to run up and jump onto Celestia's neck and embrace her.
"Hi Ms. Celestia." Nathan said while embracing her.
"Hi dear." Celestia said, returning the embrace, Nathan didn't want to leave Luna out, so he clinched onto her next and embraced her as well.
"Good to see you again, Nathan." Luna said embracing him as well.
"Now, sweetie, you listen to Celestia and Luna and do what they say, understand?" Cadance ordered
"Yes, mommy." Nathan said
"Have a good time sweetie." Cadance said giving him a good-bye hug.
Once they were on the big carriage outside, driven by a few royal guards, Cadance and Shining Armor waited until they were up in the sky and gone, just in the neck of time, Twilight, Spike, her friends, and the CMC approached the entrance to the castle.
"Pinkie Pie, do you have everything for this evening?" Cadance asked
"Sure do Cade." Pinkie Pie said dropping boxes of party supplies.
"Well then, let's get to work, I want to make this the best for Nathan." Cadance said
The royal carriage had approached Canterlot Gardens, where a walk path waited for Nathan, Celestia and Luna.
"Thank you, guards." Luna said
"Your welcome, your highnesses." the guards said.
"Thank ya'll fer' the ride." Nathan said
"Your welcome, young man." one of the guards said.
"Well what are we gonna do first?" Nathan asked
"Well we're going to show around Canterlot first, then we're going to the palace were Luna and I live to teach you how to fly properly." Celestia said.
"Wow, is there a lot to see?" Nathan said
"Not a whole lot sweetie." Celestia answered, she then kneeled down, gesturing Nathan to hop on and once they entered the city, they started showing him around Canterlot, from Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns all the way to the entrance to Celestia and Luna's palace, for Nathan it was a beauty, he had never seen such a beautiful masterpiece of a project built before.
Once they got inside the castle, Celestia showed Nathan the room where his parents' wedding was held, along with his aunt's coronation.
For Nathan it was a pretty nice afternoon, but now it was time for his flying lesson, so they took him to a courtyard outside of the castle, Nathan slid off Celestia's back, and thus she started his first flying lesson...............
LET'S JUST GO STRAIGHT TO THE EVENING.
It was 5:00 in the evening, back at the Crystal Castle, ponies were entering with food, drinks, and games for Nathan's 'Welcome to Equestria' Party, with balloons inflated and tensile hung on the walls.
Meanwhile Pinkie Pie was looking out on the balcony for Celestia's carriage, but instead she was daydreaming over the beautiful look of the sunset, but her doze was soon cut off by a shaking on her shoulders, it was Rainbow Dash trying to get her attention.
"Hello earth to Pinkie Pie, you're supposed to be looking out for Princess Celestia's carriage, not waltzing off to Dream Town." Rainbow said.
"Sorry, Rainbow, I can't help but look at the beauty of the sunset, not to mention all the beautiful colors it shines on all over.......
She was cut off by the sudden sound of muffled neighing coming from outside, Pinkie Pie looked out and saw that Celestia's carriage was departing to the entrance of the castle.
"EVERYPONY HIDE QUICKLY, HE"S COMING!!!!!!!" Pinkie Pie screamed as she jumped behind a couch, everypony, including Cadance and Shining Armor took their positional hiding spot and waited for the door to open.
OUTSIDE THE CASTLE
Princess Celestia had just landed in front of the entrance to the Crystal Empire, as Nathan was about to step off the carriage, Celestia stopped him with her hoof and he looked up to her smiling face.
"It sure was fun spending time with you today Nathan." Celestia said
"Ah' can't say the same fer' you Ms. Celestia." Nathan said.
"Now remember dear, your flying lessons are on Fridays from 12:30 to 2:00." Celestia said
"Okay." Nathan said.
"Well I have to-"
"Wait Ms. Celestia, before you go there is one thing ah' want to give you." Nathan said
"What is it?"
"Lower your head, please?"
Celestia did what Nathan asked her and lowered her head, suddenly she felt something wet touch her cheek, it didn't take her long to realize that it wasn't water..........but a kiss!
Nathan had kissed her.
"Oh, sweetie, nopony's ever kissed me before, not even on the cheek."
"Well ah've always wanted to kiss you, ever since ah' came here."
The guards driving the carriage heard this and quietly snickered.
"Well I have to go sweetie, bye-bye." Celestia said giving Nathan a hug.
"Bye Ms. Celestia." Nathan said returning the hug, he stepped off the carriage and watched as Celestia flew off into the sunset sky, then he proceeded to walk to the doorway into his home. Once he opened the door, it was dark and quiet, no lights were on, no sounds were heard, and no smells of food or anything else came into his nose.
"Hello, is anybody home?" he whispered, suddenly a light flickered on and then out of nowhere.................
"SURPISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Nathan was now in sudden happy shock to see confetti and string flying all over him, dozens of ponies, including his new parents smiling and giggling at him, plus a banner mounted on the wall that read
"WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA NATHAN!!!!!!!"
Nathan was in at least two seconds of puzzlement, "Why would they throw a party for me if it's not my birthday?"
But then it hit him, he was miserable when he was first brought here, and they had soon discovered he was an orphan, and didn't have a family to take care of him, so after Cadance and Shining Armor signed the papers for adoption, and sent him off with Celestia and Luna this morning, they must've put together this party for him to make him feel more welcome, and to show that they really love him, Nathan walked up to his mother.
"Mom did you do this yourself?" Nathan asked
"Well some, but I did have a little help from Pinkie Pie here." Cadance said, pulling Pinkie Pie next to her, Nathan then hugged them both.
"Well come on everypony, it's boogie time!" Pinkie Pie said
"Wait this party is missing something, I'll be right back." Nathan said, running upstairs to get something out of his bedroom, what was this party missing?
Within seconds, Nathan came back downstairs with his iPod touch and charging dock, which was actually loud enough for parties as well, the party was missing a little beat of rhythm, and from their thoughts they couldn't agree more.
Nathan plugged his iPod in his charger and the first song that played on it was Mean Streak by Y&T
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Everypony was really amazed by this kind of music that was playing, yet the continued to go on and start the party they made for Nathan.
For the next two hours everypony was drinking soda, water and punch, eating sweets, chips n' dip, and fruit and vegetable platters, playing games in the living room and dancing to the music that was playing on Nathan's iPod, they had never seen such a piece of technology before, they were use to playing music from old record players, but for humans they might've not used those anymore, even Nathan was having a good time, he was in the middle of their dance floor spot and showing them some double jointed moves that he could do, since he was double jointed, everypony, including Applejack and Applebloom were even more impressed with Nathan.
After nearly the two hours passed on, Cadance came from downstairs levitating a camera and a stand for it, she wanted to take a group picture. Cadance set down the camera, the levitated a triangle and stick then started ringing it to get everypony's attention.
"Attention everypony, this was such a nice party today, I really enjoyed, but I want us all in for a group picture to have my son, Nathan remember this day." Cadance said, turning off the music that was playing. Everypony decided to follow in and take a few good pictures with Nathan, after Cadance had assigned everypony to their correct place and position, instead of her doing it, she decided to let Nathan take the picture, after she showed him how to make the came take the picture by itself, he quickly set the timer to twenty seconds before it took the picture.
"All right everypony, say 'Texas'!" he said to them
"TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!" they all shouted, quickly Nathan got in the group in front of Applejack and Princess Cadance, and the camera flashed getting a good shot of everypony at the party.
Three weeks later, Nathan was in school already learning, taking flying lessons from Princess Celestia on Fridays, and on Saturdays and Sundays going to Ponyville to see his Aunt Twilight and her friends, even befriending the Apple Family and helping them around their farm, plus learning how to cook apple recipes from them, it was becoming a good life for him, everytime he walked by that picture of that very night the adoption party was held for him, he would always look at it and smile.
After nearly five years of waiting, God had answered the number one prayer he had prayed for the most......a family. Nathan who was once a miserable and sad orphan, now had a loving new family, and all the friends in the world. And from that day on, it was the best answered prayer he would've ever dreamed of.
THE END |
Equestria Meets Texas | Epilogue | It was nearing the month of Hearth's Warming, and it was Nathan's first one, unlike Christmas back on his world, they didn't sing Christmas Carols, no Nativity decorations, no baby Jesus, no stars, shepherds from Bethlehem, nothing compared to Hearth's Warming, but there were still trees up, reeds, mistletoe, everything was hung up and to Nathan it still felt like Christmas.
He was getting better and better with controlling his wings, but it was still going to be a while before he was fully able to fly. Anyway, at the Crystal Castle, Cadance and Shining Armor were in their living room discussing something, something they were very happy to look forward to, when all of a sudden their conversation was interrupted by seeing Nathan entering the living room, wearing a sweater and sat down on the couch in between them.
"Mom, Dad, you all sound so excited, why is that?" Nathan asked.
"Sweetie we have some wonderful news." Cadance said
"What is it Mom?" Nathan asked
"Sweetie, I'm pregnant!" Cadance said
Nathan was suddenly overjoyed, his mother just did not say that.
"Mom, is that true?!" Nathan asked happily.
"Yes, dear, you're going to be a big brother soon!" Cadance said with glee.
Nathan got excited and jumped into Cadance's hooves and hugged her. |
Equestria Lost: Dragons beyond time | pre | "Hate to interrupt your train of thought, but if you seem excited to eat, what about letting your friends know that you're alright?" Adagio reminded,
"Oh dear, you're right! I forgot." Rarity gasped, "Please save some of the stew for me. I'll just make a quick call..."
"Thanks a lot for lunch Ms Cleo." Flash thanked, passing a stack of empty bowls, "But I think we have to leave soon. Our friends are getting kind of worried."
"About that!" Rarity perked up, "I told them that we're safe, and to have lunch without us. Surely we can have some time to explore?"
"Really???" Big Mac scratched his head, "Ah'm not sure..."
"Oh come on!!! I want to know so much about this place!!!" Rarity pleaded, "Please???"
"I want to explore myself too." Sweetie Belle supported, "Surely it's fine with you boys?"
The boys looked at each other and sighed,
"Alright then. If you say so..." Flash gave in.
"Yay!!!" Rarity and Sweetie high-fived.
"So Ms Cleo." Big Mac answered, "Wanna continue with yer story as we walk?"
"Very well, I can clean the dishes later." Cleo smiled, "Would you like to join us Adagio?"
"I'll pass..." Adagio declined, "Someone's got to watch the Halidom." Without looking at the four of them, she walked away, putting her hat back on.
"She wasn't like this when I met her..." Cleo gave a straight face, "Perhaps there's more to the relationship between you?"
"That's a long story." Rarity responded, "How about we just continue looking around?"
"Like Ilia and Elysium," Cleo continued as they walked through a well-dusted hallway, lined with portraits of seems to be paintings of figures that hold some importance to the Castle, "King Alberius and his forces were able to lock Morsayati away. This time, they made sure that no other creatures from his world would invade ours, and he ruled his kingdom till his departure, leaving me to guard the Halidom. It was until 300 years later that I had brushed with his family line again. His descent King Aurelius represented the Kingdom of Alberia, with seven children. I had the honour of fighting alongside one of them."
"Woah there..." Big Mac stopped, "King Alberius was yer master... And you were fightin' with his descendants three centuries later?"
"Yes,"
"Y-You know that means you're about more than three--"
"Stop!" Rarity quickly clasped a hand on Big Mac's mouth, "You do not ask a girl about her age!"
"That's right. I am a Sylvan, not human. We have longer lifespans," Cleo clarified,
"I am starting to find these stories a bit more believable now." Flash answered, "Anyway, who's the lucky prince?"
"His name is Euden." Cleo answered, "This is what he looks like." She stopped and presented the portrait painting of a young adolescent boy with blond hair. He had his back turned at what seems to be a castle, holding a sword upright with his two hands, staring at some horizon with a straight, determined, and no-nonsense face. The name of this painting was titled 'Valiant Crown'. Rarity didn't like what she saw, however.
"He may have the posture of a prince, but his hair certainly unfitting!" Rarity spoke, pointing at a large tuft of the prince's hair sticking out. "That is a massive cowlick if I've ever seen one!"
"This may be a bit farfetched..." Flash asked, "But is he a bit... absent-minded?"
"Not at all. However, there were times that I could not comprehend his logic or his open mind. He's been accommodating and giving amnesty to various adventurers with absolutely questionable backstories and dangerous eccentricities. There is also his compassion and kindness, which I'd say is as big as the sun. There was a time when someone mugged him, to which he shrugged off since he had an abundance of money."
"Hmm... like a prince he'd have plenty of money, and considering most thieves had stolen to provide for themselves or others, I'd guess he'd let it slide. Crime's a crime though." Flash nodded in understanding,
"That's not the problem." Cleo continued, "Though trying to escape, the thief tripped and wounded himself. That's when Euden IMPLORED the thief to use the money he stole to see a doctor."
"WHAT!?" The four students blurted out in disbelief.
"Yep, I knew it. He's an idiot." Flash snickered, "All-Loving guy, very respectful, but still an idiot."
"That guy's a pushover!!!" Sweetie criticised while trying to hold in her laughter.
"Well, it doesn't change that fact that the morally questionable adventurers that he invited had proven more than honourable and powerful allies." Cleo balanced, "And the Prince is no slouch in the fighting department. He is Alberian Royalty, and they carry the Dragonblood in order to make these pacts. With it, he, as well as all his companions, are able to harness the power of the dragons."
"Oh snap! You can turn into dragons too!" Sweetie gasped, "Can you do it now!?"
"Only those with Dragonblood are able to pass that blessing to those without." Cleo lowered her head, "As he passed away, so too did that power."
"Oh. Sorry for bringing up bad memories..." Sweetie apologised,
"Not to worry. His memory lives on thanks to the castle and all that he had done to fight back against the fiends and our enemies at that time. Come, let me show you the rooms."
"Hey, Rarity?" Big Mac noticed that Rarity stayed behind to look at the many portraits of adventurers in service to New Alberia.
"O-Oh! Sorry!" Rarity jumped and quickly rejoined the tour. "I was enamoured by the clothes that these Alberians wear. Also, I found a particular type of fashion trend that these 'Sylvans' don, judging by the pictures. Perhaps Cleo might be an odd one out, but they really seem to like clothes that show their midriffs and navels!"
"Each bedroom you see here are sometimes shared or single. They also happen to be decorated by the adventurer's life and story. Originally, they were rather messy, so I've tidied their rooms as much as I could in honour of their memory, and I've placed the clothes they wore back then on their bed." Cleo explained as guided the group from door-to-door, and opening each one just to show how distinct they have been made thanks to its tenant. For examples, there was one room that seemed to be shared by two people. The two single beds each had a distinct set of midriff-bearing clothes and a fresh red apple on a table desk. Cleo claimed that she would change it every three days so it won't get rotten.
Another room seemed to have the table covered with test tubes, flasks and beakers. However, there lies a nasty black stain that covered about half of a bedroom wall, and Cleo responded that this was caused by an explosive experiment performed by the room's resident, and Cleo was unable to clean that off even after all these years due to it unknown and heavily experimented properties of that stain.
"Ah, I can see why people would question the Prince's decisions on giving refuge to pretty much anyone." Flash noticed, "Seems like this person could blow up the entire castle if they tried!"
"As long as she tries, she will always fail." Cleo laughed,
Then there was one room that seemed to entice the fashion-loving girl of the tourists. She could tell that this room belonged to a priestess, with the white cloth-like clothes with gold linings, a navy hood, and some rosaries that depict some symbolic order. Despite being the fashionista, she was interested in one peculiar item, not related to clothes, leaning on the side of the bed...
"What is this... stick?" Rarity pointed at the item in question: A 'stick' that had an open palm made of gold attached on one end.
"That is 'The Loving Hand.'" Cleo answered, "A staff that not even the blacksmiths can replicate. It also acts as a disciplining tool for when children, or anyone for that matter, commits bad behaviour."
"Corporal punishment." Flash smiled, "Whilst a lot of people today will press charges at such a practice, I must admit it has made me what I am today, and I am all the more thankful for it." A tear ran down his eye,
"TMI. Do you really need to mention that?" Sweetie nudged,
"Actually, while it may seem like that, The Loving Hand happens to be an object that delivers the preacher's tough kindness and love. It does slap hard, but it is painless."
"A cane that doesn't dish out pain. That's... pretty confusing." Big Mac scratched his head, "how does that work!?"
"Perhaps with a lot of skill and trust in oneself." Rarity stepped forward, "M-May I Cleo?"
"Oh, sure! Go right ahead." Cleo smiled. Rarity went and picked it up, to the shock of the others.
"You know," Rarity mused, carefully swinging it around, "A painless discipline stick sounds really nice!"
"E-Eh..." Sweetie took a few steps back, "I-Is that so?"
"Sweetie? Why the stuttering?" Rarity cheekily turned to her sister, "It's not like you've got any bad behaviour acts to answer for! Besides, you normally get away with any bad behaviour because one, I can't find any way to discipline you without Mom and Dad's help, and two, I'm pretty busy with school and work anyway!"
"S-S-Sorry!!!" Sweetie Belle fell to her knees, with tears in her eyes, "I swear I'll apologise for the mess I made to your room and clothes... And burning your breakfast!"
"I must say, I'm not one for faith in Gods and Goddesses, but I do like this priestess' pluck. What is her name? The owner of this Loving Hand?" Rarity turned around with a smile,
"Reverend Estelle." Cleo answered, "Also known as 'The Loving Preacher'. She's a compassionate and orthodox preacher of the church and she's also a teacher for kids that live in the Halidom. All of them love her and play pranks on her. That's why she's constantly got her hand around for disciplinary measure."
"Y-You know what? Can I carry it around for a little while? I'll promise to return it." Rarity requested,
"Hmm... You seem quite enamoured with this adventurer. May I ask why?" Cleo inquired,
"As I said, I admire this 'Estelle', despite different beliefs and jobs. The way she carries out her duties as a teacher to children, and most importantly her concerns with disciplining them... I'm afraid it hits quite close to home, being an older sister figure to a certain someone... who gets into lots of trouble for her own good."
"Hisss!!!!" Sweetie hissed, "Slander!!!"
"You know that to be true Little Sweetie Belle! You do know how many times I had to sit with you when you go to the Principal's office for your antics!?" Rarity furiously turned to her sister, slapping the Loving Hand like a teacher slapping a ruler onto his/her hand, itching to deal punishment. A big chill rattled Sweetie's spine.
"Y-Yes Rarity." Sweetie Meekly responded,
"Awkward..." Flash carefully whispered to Mac, who slowly and discreetly nodded in agreement.
"You know what?" Cleo gulped, "Perhaps you've had enough fun with the Loving Hand. Shall we continue onwards?"
"And now, I present to you the Castle Grounds." Cleo led the group outside. "As you have seen when you first got here, many plots of land make way for various facilities. Some as houses and camps for the people's shelter, others like mines, taverns, farms, mills, and shops for economy and welfare. Then there are weapon dojos, elemental altars, and other peculiar facilities that empower the adventurers and soldiers in service to Alberia. Of course, there are such statues to empower dragons too, like the Dracoliths and Fafnir statues."
"Elements?" Rarity asked,
"Yes. Almost every living being, including dragons, are attuned to one of the five elements from the day they are born into the world. Flame, Water, Wind, Light, and Shadow."
"Your world's natural rules and laws are beginning to sound really simple. Like something out from a video game." Flash noted, "Then again, the same could be said for us."
"Anyway, right next to the Halidom is the Smithy." Cleo pointed to a lone building with a medium-sized furnace right next to it. "A majority of the weapons the adventurers use are built from here. At a time of peace and fleeting lives, I had to sell a lot of them to make ends meet, or had the blacksmith dismantle them. Though I've kept some for a memento's reason, they're still plenty in there. I don't have the time or manpower to clean them up. Now, if you please look up..."
The group looked two see two islands floating in the air... And for a third time, their jaws dropped.
"ISLANDS!!! FLOATING IN THE AIR!!!" Flash bellowed, "There's no way that this is NOT another dimension!"
"We won't be able to visit them as of now," Cleo ignored, "but one of them is the Dragon's Roost. It's where dragons would take a small rest in the Halidom, as well as a way to get special treats that only humans can provide. The second one that's a bit higher is a special pool that contains a power vital for the Halidom's protection."
"What is it?" Sweetie asked, "It sounds like something cool if its powerful enough to protect this place!"
"It is," Cleo responded. "This pool is able to summon the memories and essences of the many adventurers who fought with the Prince and I. Whoever wields an adventurer's essence is able to assume everything that the adventurer knows. Their fighting skills, knowledge on their trade, and body appearances. The only thing that stays the same is your hair, eye and body colours."
"So whose's body is Adagio using?" Rarity asked,
"It's Francesca, isn't it?" Flash asked, "I mean, an adventurer by that name. That's her essence Adagio has yes?"
"That's right. The Cheerful Merchant." Cleo answered, "I first met this business-minded Sylvan when she came to the castle, selling spices, books, and all sorts of wares, and wanted to stay for a while so she can find more business opportunities. However, she came to really like this place, and in the end, wanted to settle down shop here with us as a home to stay. She's such a charming girl. I miss her just as much as Euden and everyone else..." Her eyes closed in a bittersweet smile.
"You must have seen many friends come and go..." Rarity sympathised, "I'm sorry for their loss."
"Hey, I hate to break her reminiscence, but Francesca is a Sylvan right?" Flash whispered, "And apparently, she passed away too, alongside the Prince, who's a human. I have a feeling Ms Cleo's much MUCH older than the average Sylvan and definitely more than 300 years--"
"We're done talkin' 'bout this from now on." Big Mac grunted,
"And that's the end of the tour!" Cleo concluded, "I hope you had a wonderful time here. Is there anything you'd like to do? Any questions to ask?"
"One thing for me." Flash started, "First off, I would like to say that this is a wonderful place you have, albeit rundown, judging by the looks of the grounds."
"Normally, renovation and building management are the Smithwyrm's responsibility. But I'm afraid they've left."
"I see... But that's not my question. What I am concerned about is this. Is this another dimension? Or is this place something else? I may have seen things that are not possible with our world, but as someone who lived here the most, you're the one with the answer to all this, No matter how farfetched it may sound."
"Hmm..." Cleo responded, "I--"
"Cleo!!!" Adagio yelled from afar, "We've got company!!!"
"Huh???" Cleo and the others turned towards the approaching siren, one with a worried look on her face.
"There's a group of fiends approaching the Halidom, and there's a giant one in the lead too! It's a... Giant Red Shroom..."
"Oh dear..." Cleo gave a conflicted look, "And to think we have guests here too."
"A Giant Red Mushroom?" Rarity reiterated, "It doesn't sound intimidating at all."
"That's what I thought too, genius!" Adagio sarcastically snarled, "But even Francesca has weaknesses like us!!!"
"Remember when I talked about living beings being attuned to the five elements? That also includes fiends." Cleo explained, "The Red Shroom indicates that it's attuned to Flame. Francesca is attuned to Wind. Since you find it simple Flash, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about yes?"
"Flame beats Wind." Flash nodded, "So, in that case, Water obviously beats Flame, and for the final line of the triangle, Wind beats Water. What about Light and Shadow?"
"They are strong against each other, yet weak at the same time." Cleo responded, "I'm attuned to the Shadow Element by the way."
"Of course! You're dressed in Purple!" Sweetie noted,
"Look enough talking. I've got to get ready to fight back you hear? Especially when I need to deal with that thing!" Adagio desperately spoke,
"So you're planning to fight them? Even when you have a weakness they can exploit?" Rarity asked,
"I don't have a choice Rarity! How dumb a question can you ask!?" Adagio lashed out, "If you can't tell, I'm living here with Cleo right now. If those fiends get through, this castle's done for. It's only been the two of us living here. I'm not going to let that change!"
"Huh..." Rarity smiled, "Looks like you really aren't the Adagio I knew before."
"Don't test me..." Adagio growled, holding out a dagger, "The reason why I'm here is because of you and your friends' after all."
"Adagio, that looks like a dagger made out of wood." Flash noticed,
"I know, a battleworn dagger. Even so, I can still take down some Fiends with a wooden knife, unlike you who can't seem to wield a tree branch to save his life!"
"H-Hey!" Flash stepped forward, "I do know how to fight, and keep in mind I was fighting with a tree branch, It's not up to the standards as your wooden dagger!!! If I had a proper weapon, I can beat those things just like you can!"
"You seem willing," Cleo blinked, "As I've said, there are weapons lying around the Halidom for you. I just need to know what ty--"
"Flash, save it!" Rarity broke the two apart, interrupting Cleo in the process, "Look, just... I still can't shake what happened to you fighting those things. Let me take care of fighting the Fiends with Adagio. Okay?"
"You? Fight? Don't make me laugh." Adagio smirked, "When have you ever raised a fist to someone else?"
"Well, it has been a few months Adagio." Rarity responded, dusting her hands, "And I've learned some magic of my own. Sure, I didn't use it back at the forest because... I admit it, I didn't think Flash would put up much of a fight. But then I saw you, and I'm confident in your fighting abilities. So I'll be your support!"
"I heard that!!! You'd better have something for me to do then!" Flash demanded,
"Sorry, none can do. But I'm sure you can think of something!" Rarity winked, "Well Adagio? After you?"
"What a weird time to be alive, fighting alongside you." Adagio grumbled, "But if you want to be supportive, you'd better protect my blind spots!"
"Give them pain!" Sweetie yelled as the two girls sternly marched down to the entrance.
"Actually, I thought of something..." Flash snapped his fingers, "Weapons lying around the Halidom. Do you know if there's a dagger around here Ms Cleo? Something better?"
"Hmm... Despite what I just said; If you're wanting to find a stronger dagger, I'm afraid really strong weapons are the ones I've asked to be dismantled. But don't give up hope, not every strong weapon is dismantled... thinking of something?"
"As a child and a teenager, I have a big obsession with medieval weapons. How they're made, how they're taken care of, yadda, yadda, yadda. It's why I took up a martial art that involves wielding a weapon."
"Well, since you trust me about knowing the place, I'll put my trust in your fighting skills and encourage you to fight with them, with a proper weapon." Cleo gave a small smile, "Now let me ask the question before Rarity interrupted me. What type of weapon do you use? I can handle the rest once you tell me."
"Sorry, but I'll have to turn that offer down. The lady insists on me not to fight. That's why I asked for a new dagger in the first place. If possible, I hope there are tools to sharpen it so Adagio can get an extra edge. I don't trust her wooden knife."
"Fair enough, and a wonderful idea. There are plenty of whetstones in the Smithy that you can use to sharpen your dagger." Cleo guided,
"Thanks, Cleo. I got this..." Flash nodded in acknowledgement and ran off.
"As for you two, do you have any ideas on what to do?" Cleo turned around,
"No... sorry." Sweetie shook her hand, and Big Mac did the same without any word.
"Then follow me to the castle. We'll help your older sister Sweetie." Cleo commanded, "We must hurry!!!"
"Well, Rarity?" Adagio asked as they reached the Halidom's bridge. "Having second thoughts?"
"Of course not dear." Rarity joked, "But perhaps a little more knowledge about those fiends could help. They look different from the ones we saw back then, yes?"
"Fine..." Adagio rolled her eyes and pointed to the horde of beasts. No longer were they the floating apparitions with robes and claws. Bur rather creatures of different features.
"There's the Slimes." Adagio pointed at four jars with the supposed slimes in them hopping eagerly across the bridge.
"Then there's the Goblins." Adagio turned the attention on four two-legged creatures with long ears, grotesque skin, and hilarious short hights. They too marched forward, menacingly.
"And lastly are the Shrooms." She pointed to the last group: Five bouncing fungal Fiends (excluding the big one) with glowing yellow eyes and a thirst for destruction.
"They shouldn't be so hard..." Rarity laughed, "I'm sure you can take them on without getting hurt!"
"That reminds me, what magic did you learn?"
"Watch." Rarity arched her brows in focus and revealed a necklace that she'd been wearing underneath her shirt. All of a sudden, she darted towards the enemy, an action that the Dazzling did not expect.
"H-Hey!!!" Adagio ran after her, "Are you trying to get yourself killed!?"
"Relax!" Rarity laughed, "these Fiends aren't so terrifying last time. Besides, I know how to duck and weave." The first Fiend to attack was a slime, aiming to jump high and squish her. Using its shadow, Rarity danced around its landing spot with a spin and ran forward. The next Fiend was a Goblin, ready to deliver a slugging blow. Alas, Rarity gracefully bent backwards as she watched the goblin's swing sail over her and miss completely. Then there were the Shrooms, and Rarity didn't even need to anticipate their attacks. With a laugh, she used the head of one of the shrooms to spring herself up to the air and began an impressive yet hilarious cakewalk on the heads the other shrooms. For the last shroom, she used its head as a trampoline and bounced herself to the air before landing flawlessly on the ground, straight to the other side of the horde and the bridge. Sure enough, the three groups of Fiends had their eyes right on the acrobatic fashionista and advanced on her quickly.
"Rarity!" Adagio yelled at the top of her lungs, but Rarity was still determined. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and raised her arms. Adagio could only stare as a fluorescent sparkling light was reflected from Rarity's location.
"Let's see you try and get me!" Rarity glared while enveloped in some transparent sphere that reflected the sunlight from all around. With her swaying arms, a large projection of a diamond wall rose from the ground before her. Rarity, through her concentration, smiled at her foes. Each and every one of their attacks did little to create even a crack in the wall, but then again, what can cause a wall made of diamond to shatter?
"Adagio!!! They're fully distracted!!!" Rarity yelled at the top of her lungs, "And they aren't leaving this bridge! I'm sure you know what to do now. Right?"
"Oh... Oh!" Adagio looked at the situation and gave a sly smile. "Well played Rarity. Now it's true that your magic wall is just a wall that stops you from getting hurt, but you've cunningly jumped across them so you can block them from retreating! Now that they can't run, they're trapped between you--" She drew her dagger with a scary glint in her eyes and charged towards them with a frightening lunge, "-- And me!!!"
The Fiends had no idea that their focus on the girl with the shield had left their backs unguarded to the girl with the weapon, and the moment they could feel a painful slit on their bodies did their lives come to a crumbling end. Adagio showed no hesitation as she cut down each and every fiend in front of Rarity's eyes. Rarity could not help but feel sick at the sight of the disintegrating Fiends, but the knowledge that those Fiends were set on killing her, as well as the damage they had done to Flash, helped her stand firm amidst the culling of these dark beasts, as does her Diamond-projected wall.
The other four had devised a role for themselves to perform in order to help the defence against the invading Fiends. Flash dashed towards the smithy shop, sitting on its lonely rock platform and entered its doors. The first priority at hand is to find a dagger.
"Not here... Not there..." Flash rummaged through each weapon rack, littered with swords, spears, blades and bows, staffs and wands. Each completely absent of his intended weapon. Finally, he was able to see the miniature weapon rack for daggers, but alas, it turned out to be the same wooden battleworn daggers that Adagio equipped.
"Perhaps the drawers?" He thought to himself and looked into the drawers of the Blacksmith. Some he found were long pieces of parchment with notes and drawings that Flash could decipher were schematics and blueprints of various types of weapons, though the notes were, unfortunately, a different language.
With the worry about Rarity and Adagio, he started scanning the floor, as he was not going to leave any stone unturned in this house. Instead, all he just found were pieces of dirt, broken bits of claws, shredded bat wings, and broken bottles on what seem to contain liquid metal.
"Darn it!" Flash cursed, kicking the anvil in front of him and reeled in pain. The anvil, though what seems to be years, still stayed solid and strong, with the force of a kick only causing a dagger resting on top of its face to shake a little.
Wait a minute...
Flash faced the anvil, realising that he failed to find the right weapon in such an obvious location. This dagger was not like those wooden daggers. No... This one had a blade of steel, and a brass hilt adorned with small red jewels... he couldn't tell whether they were real or fake, but that wasn't the concern right now. What he got is a weapon, and judging by how dull the dagger's steel blade is, it's time for sharpening.
"Now whetstones, whetstones..." Flash mumbled to himself, "Surely there must be an organised place..." His answer came as he looked to the side of the furnace and found three cubby holes each holding a stash of different coloured whetstones. Without hesitation, Flash grabbed a few of each, placed it on the anvil with the new dagger, found a stable chair, and sat down.
"Man... this place really does have something if it's able to send calls and use data." Flash chuckled as he pulled out his phone, "Better safe than sorry... now let's hope there's a set of instructions of weapon sharpening!"
"Come on you two!!! Don't fall behind!" Cleo pushed, running through the hallways of the Halidom,
"So uh, where are we going?" Sweetie asked while she and Big Mac followed fastly behind. "Does this castle have any defensive measures?"
"Just the watchtowers. We always try to make sure skirmishes happen as far away from the Halidom." Cleo responded, "But anyway, we should be right about... here!" Cleo ground to a halt at a normal wooden looking door that had a mosaic picture of three crystals stuck together. She opened it to reveal a spiral flight of stairs. "Please hold the handrails, you might be surprised by where this will take you!"
Running up the stairs, Sweetie noticed that design and aesthetics of the staircase began to change halfway. From the normal common grey stone steps, it changed into a different material glossed in marble white with linings of yellow and gold. Big Mac later noticed this too, and they silently pondered on this sudden change... until they finally reached the top of the stairs in the minute, and felt the unexpected taste of air.
"You got to be kidding me..." Big Mac gulped. Waiting at the top of the stairs, they found themselves standing on a stone ring platform surrounded by a pool of water. Likewise, the ring platform they were standing on surrounded another pool of water, which in turn surrounded another ring platform, this time in gold, and it too contains a third separate pool of water, the smallest of them all. The ring had ten thorns where each thorn was pointing to a platform across the water. Each of the ten platforms looked exactly alike, and the distance between them was even across the circumference. Finally, there were stone pillars that were the closest to the far-edge platforms, rising to quite a high distance.
"This place just keeps on getting weirder..." Sweetie spoke, as she poked the lifeless and stilted water on the outside of the ring.
"Oh, it sure is..." Big Mac agreed, tapping Sweetie to show her another thing. In the middle of the grey ring, was a large statue of a fierce-looking dragon wearing a large shard, embroidered with gold metal, on its chest, holding out a platform that loomed over the golden ring.
"This is the island where the summoning takes place," Cleo informed, "In other words, we are on one of the floating islands right now."
"How!? Just how!?!?" Sweetie clutched her head, "We just went through a normal door in the castle, and we end up high in the clouds! This place is making little physical sense!"
"I take it you're going to summon an adventurer for Rarity to use???" Big Mac called,
"Yes, but just to let you know, this island has been very inactive for a while. Using its power now can cause some damage around here." Cleo warned, "That's where you two can help."
"What can we do?" Sweetie asked,
"The water around you should be flowing as normal water should, in order to regulate the summoning flow of this place, like an electrical circuit. Since it's not moving, the summoning process will have hiccups, so you're going to have to manually fix the circuit by making the water move. Get ready to make a splash."
"After all this wacky stuff that happened today, we have to end up doing this as well!?" Sweetie raised her voice, "This really is crazy! We're crossing the line here!!!"
"Ah don't like it either..." Big Mac scratched his head, "But it has been consistently wacky, and if it's gonna save Rarity and Adagio, ah might as well run till the end." He took off his socks and shoes. Sweetie Belle shook her head in disappointment at the course of events, but also to the fact that the farmer had a point.
"Uh... How deep is the water here?" Sweetie asked, "I can swim alright, but just asking."
"I... Well, I don't have any idea myself..." Cleo confessed, "but for safety's sake, you can hold on to the stone ring and paddle with your feet. That should be more than enough. By that, I mean going in the water and using your legs to swim towards the ring. Just sitting on the ring and kicking the water to the edge is not enough."
"Rarity's going to be so mad when she finds out I got these clothes wet." Sweetie sighed again, then looked up straight in determination, "But... I'd rather have a grumpy sister than a dead one. And I'll make sure of that here!" Like Big Mac, she took off her shoes and socks and jumped into the lifeless water at the same time Big Mac did. It was freezing, but the feeling soon subsided, just like jumping into any normal swimming pool. The two swam opposite each other on the stone ring, ensuring that they covered a large body of water.
"Ready!" Big Mac yelled, treading on the water. "This pool is actually pretty deep!"
"Ready!" Sweetie yelled, clutching on to the stone ring as Cleo advised.
"Make sure to splash with all your might when I say go!" Cleo commanded, taking out a small pouch, "I only have enough for just one summon!" She turned to face the risen platform. "Excuse me, I'd like to summon!"
"... As you wish." A woman's voice, as divine as light itself, echoed around the island in response. The teenagers watched in awe as an astral image of a woman in robes magically appeared on the platform. "But it has been a long time since you summoned. The waters in the pool have been silent, and it will take some time to get them moving. Summoning now would be very risky, and may cause irreversible damage to this island, which may prevent future summoning."
"I-In that case, will any manual help do?" Cleo asked, "To cause the water to move,"
"... I can sense them..." The lady spoke, turning to face Big Mac, then Sweetie Belle. "Two bodies in the water... Young human adolescents, and not from our time... it is possible to perform a summoning with their aid, but they will need to a keep consistent rate of motion in the water... can you hear me, young ones? I can only feel the presence of those who set foot on these grounds and hear their voices."
"Y-Yeah!!!" Sweetie gave a thumbs up, "We know what to do!"
"All right then, go!" Cleo signalled. Grabbing hard on the ring, Sweetie rapidly kicked her feet and legs in the water, creating splashes and mini waves around the place, and propelling the pool's water to slowly ripple and move. Big Mac dived down and began performing a breaststroke motion, propelling the waters around his body, sometimes coming back up for air.
"Yes... stay at this pace as long as possible... for the sake of the adolescents, please pour the offerings into the golden ring immediately. I will be able to sense how much you've offered."
"Here!!!" Cleo opened the pouch and turned it upside down over the waters of the golden ring. From last she counted, one-hundred and twenty rainbow-coloured pebbles cascaded out of the pouch and dropped into the water with a satisfying 'plip'.
"Done!" Cleo responded as the last little stone sank into the depths of the pool and disappeared under the aquatic veil.
"Understood... beginning the process for one single summon." The astral woman nodded, and bent low with her hands together. A light began to shine in the waters of the golden pool, and the island began to shake.
"Woah!" Sweetie slipped, almost losing her grasp.
"Hey!" Big Mac quickly rose to the surface, halting the motion of his arms.
"Do not falter!!!" The woman warned, "If you slow down, the shaking will worsen! Please swim just for a little longer!!!"
"Oh fine!!!" Sweetie growled and pushed away from the stone ring, deciding to swim in the open areas of the pool in freestyle stroke.
"Hmph!" Big Mac took another breath and dove back down, this time also changing his stroke to freestyle for better propulsion.
Back at the castle bridge, two girls stood amongst the bodies of slimes, shrooms and goblins, either dissolving, disintegrating, or turning into mist. The two of them seemed to come out unscathed.
"That... actually went pretty smooth!" Rarity spoke, "not bad Adagio!"
"I'd say you're pretty smart yourself." Adagio admitted, "I can sense that wall you made was Equestrian Magic. How did you learn that anyway? All I remember is that you can 'pony' up whenever you play an instrument."
"Going out camping can lead you to very new experiences and discoveries." Rarity responded, "like the Geodes in Camp Everfree!"
"Everfree?" Adagio cocked her head, "Isn't that--. Oh... so there is a human equivalent of the Everfree Forest."
"GRR!!!" An inhuman roar came from the forests. The girls turned around to see a giant red mushroom slowly making a hopping advance.
"So this must be the leader..." Rarity noted, "Other than size, it doesn't look any much different than the normal shrooms!"
"Remember Rarity, I'm at a disadvantage here!!!" Adagio reminded.
"R-Right. Red Beats Green, Green beats Blue, and Blue beats Red. Red Fiend and Green Adventurer." Rarity clarified, "How bad is the disadvantage?"
"I won't do so much damage to the enemy, and the enemy will damage me greatly."
"D-do you have any adventurer with the Water element?"
"It would be lovely, but sadly no. It's the only one Cleo was able to summon because she had enough Wyrmite, and without constant maintenance when she's not using it, it began to freeze over time."
"Seems like I'll need to learn a lot of new terms later... it may be a bit cowardly, but are you familiar with the term hit & run?"
"Oh, of course!!! That's what dagger users do best!!!" Adagio responded. "I'll take it you'll try to get his attention?"
"Same tactic like before." Rarity nodded, "You'll just have to work on your evasive skills, and don't get too greedy!"
"Understood." Adagio nodded, "Let's waste this Fiend and be done with this!"
"Over here!" Rarity yelled, creating a projection of a round diamond shield. Using the light from the sun, she shone it on the giant shroom's eyes.
"Hrm???" Sure enough, the shroom was bothered by the ray in his eyes and turned to face the perpetrator. The mushroom growled, with a little cloud of gas bursting from his head as it lurched towards the fashionista. Rarity wasn't able to notice it, but Adagio did.
"Wait a minute... I've never seen a shroom do that..." Adagio mumbled to her self,
"Adagio! Quit daydreaming!" Rarity commanded harshly, her diamond shield now turned to the same wall. "Do something!" The large red shroom, managing to get close enough, began to tackle the wall with its size. The diamond wall proved to be more than durable enough, but it didn't mean it can't be pushed around. With every tackle, the walls budged a few centimetres back, and Rarity could feel the weight of each attack on her palms and muscles, and with every hit, the pain accumulates. "My hands feel like they've been hit by a giant hammer!"
"That doesn't sound good! Hah!" Adagio complied, zipping forward and delivering a flurry of slashes. The visible wounds were clear to see that some damage was being dealt, but it did not flinch the beast one bit.
"Raaahhh!!!" Big Mac surfaced for air to alleviate his rapidly pulsating body, then dove back down into the trembling waters, moving his arms rapidly.
"Yaaaaa!!!" Sweetie kicked harder than before, even though her legs are starting to feel extremely tired in the water.
"Don't lose hope! You're doing really well! Keep at it!" The lady encouraged as she too focused on the glowing water in the golden ring. The more she squints her eyes, the more the light intensified.
"I'm not sure if this will help your stamina, but let me heal you anyway! Elder Cure!" Cleo responded, casting the healing spell and enveloping the two swimmers in a ball of green light,
"It helps a little!" Sweetie moaned,
"Ah... Don't know... How long... Ah can... Do this now." Big Mac talked with each chance he got to breathe in the air.
"Hah!!!" Adagio laughed as she leapt onto the Jumbo Shroom, and began stabbing the cap on different parts. "You'd better tell whoever sent you... to never come across this castle!"
"Rrrr... ROAAAAAAARRRRR!!!" The Red Shroom roared and flailed wildly, causing Adagio and Rarity to cover their ears. Because of the flailing, Adagio was thrown off the Fiend and landed on the path. It was lucky though, that she wasn't thrown off the cliff.
"I'm okay Rarity!" Adagio stood up, "He hasn't done any damag--" Before she could finish, the Jumbo Red Shroom released a miasma of green gas and spores like a bomb, swallowing up Adagio. Though Rarity's wall did block the gas from hitting her, the quantity was still too much that hit swallowed even the diamond wall, and no sooner was Rarity swallowed by it too. On the bright side, the spore cloud only lasted for five seconds, and the view was clear. On the absolutely dark side... the girls were red all over, their skin swelling up into sores, their insides on fire, and their faces with a pain that no one could ever imagine.
"Arrgh!!!" Adagio yelled, grabbing her arm, "My entire body feels like it's on fire!!!"
"What... Is... This!?!?" Rarity shrieked, "I knew that mushrooms can emit spores... but these aren't the spores that exist in my world. These spores are like fire itself, and it burns on the inside and out!!!"
The fiend said nothing. But knowing that its attacks were meant to inflict pain, it would smile if it had a mouth, seeing its predators (or in this case, prey) feel the painful effects of his spores. Now that the purple-haired lady was occupied with the pain, the diamond wall she made was no more... the two were now defenceless!
"Young ones, this is the final stretch!" The woman announced, the light within the pool now going brighter and brighter.
"It's been five whole minutes with this shaking!!!" Sweetie spluttered, "Get on with it!!!"
"Mah bones are aching..." Big Mac moaned, who can no longer hold head his head under the water, "Ah really can't take anymore!"
"You know..." Flash spoke to himself as he carefully slid the dagger's blade onto the smooth bronze whetstone, "... I have a feeling I picked the least exciting activity to do... but..." He took one more look at the dagger, looking as sharp than it was from before. The next step, he stumbled outside and pulled up a single tuft of grass. Carefully with his fingers, he slid the grass onto the dagger's blade and smiled with joy when the tuft was split instantly within the motion.
"Yes!" Flash raised the dagger to the air, "I did it!!! Now I need to get to the girls! Let's hope Cleo and the others had done what they need to do!"
"Haaaahhh!!!" The woman yelled as she looked towards the air with her arms spread wide. As if she was commanding the small pool, the light within the waters burst forth and up into the air. In a split second, that light turned into a large blue circle with glyphs and all sorts of shapes.
"It is over... thank you so much..." The woman bowed to the brave swimmers. "You have done well... As for what your efforts have rewarded you..." She pointed towards the blue circle above them. Following her ghostly finger, the three watched the large circle shrink inwards and produce a singular blue ball of energy. The ball of energy dove hovered over one of the ten outer platforms dove straight down. Instead of an explosion, the ball of energy dispersed into the air, revealing a silver staff within, which landed firmly on the platform with a thud.
"I hate to say this, but as much as you two had tried, the summoning pool has garnered a few damages... but thanks to you, it is only minor and can be fixed. Perhaps for a later time, but not TOO late, you can seek to fix it, and I shall instruct you. Have a wonderful day..." Those were the woman's final words before her image disappeared in a flash of blue light.
"Yay... We did it..." Sweetie raised her fists to the air, tired as she may be. "What now?"
"I'm so proud of you two..." Cleo smiled, "Anyway, collect the silver staff."
Sweetie was the one closest to the platform with the staff, so she swam towards it and hopped out of the water to grab it. Once she did, she used it as a temporary kickboard to swim back to the stone ring.
"There you go." Cleo grasped one of Sweetie's arms while Big Mac, who got out of the water early, grabbed the other. With one gasp, they hauled her out.
"So exasperating," Sweetie smiled, sitting on the ring in relief of touching solid ground.
"Since you guys are so tired, I'll take the staff and hurry to Rarity. Flash better be done with that weapon." Cleo informed, "Take your time to recover as you go back down the stairs... But if this doesn't work... No. I'll make sure this won't happen."
"This better work!" Big Mac called as Cleo rushed down the stairs, back to the Halidom.
"Darn..." Rarity sat on the dirt path, her arms, legs and face covered in red and black smoking sores. She looked at Adagio, who was a metre away from her, slouched on all fours, covered in the very same burning sores.
"A-Adagio... Are you okay?" Rarity coughed her body out of breath from trying to survive.
"No... Those spores really hurt me bad... That burning's gone over time, but my body's still in pain..." Adagio moaned, and Rarity gulped. Rarity still had the energy to stand, but it seems Adagio had been brought to her knees by that one attack, because of this advantage of elements over her.
"W-We've got to retreat..." Rarity moaned, hobbling over, "Will it hurt if I touch those sores?"
"Naw..." Adagio gave a weak smile, "But... I'll probably slow you down... You go on ahead,"
"Preposterous!" Rarity choked as she pulled Adagio up, "I'm not going to leave you behind! If you're going to fight till your last breath, you'll still need someone to pull you out!"
"Uh, Rarity..." Adagio noticed a looming shadow around their feet, "... Looks like we won't be pulling out anytime soon..."
"Hurry!" Rarity increased her pace, now dragging Adagio's feet instead of getting her to walk. But as much speed as they can muster, the Jumbo Red Shroom could catch up with them, ready to pounce and squash them under his stalk...
That is until a brilliant beam of purple struck the shroom directly in the eyes. The mushroom still didn't flinch, but it slowed its moment to pounce. That's all it took for one spiky-haired shadow to swoop in and drag the two girls across the bridge and back onto the Halidom's side.
"Ow! Easy on the hands Flash!" Adagio growled. "Those sores hurt!"
"Sorry..." Flash sighed, "Being delicate isn't a priority when someone's near death. What the Moon happened here anyway?"
"This thing... is a literal death sentence for me!" Adagio pointed back at the Red Shroom, now beginning to hop across the bridge itself.
"Well, good thing I'm able to use my healing spell again." Cleo responded, "Elder Cure!"
The green healing energy flowed through the girls' bodies, and one by one could they see the burned marks and aggressive sores clean itself and ebb away.
"To think can easily heal as quickly as you can get injured." Rarity smiled, "If this sort of magic existed where we live in, you'd make a nice profit!"
"Don't be hasty, it can only heal certain wounds. Definitely not broken bones. And you guys still aren't fully healed yet." Cleo warned,
"Anyway, we're not only here just to provide you with an escape route." Flash continued, "Here." He passed the dagger he worked on to Adagio, "You'll need this more than ever."
"The Bejeweled Dagger? Nice find." Cleo complimented, "Granted it's not the strongest weapon, but it is better than the battleworn ones by far."
"Huh, so you finally did something useful in that unbright mind of yours." Adagio shrugged, taking the weapon. "Keep it up, you'll be more memorable that way."
"If I had a bit for every time someone belittles me, I'd be rich." Flash grumbled, "Now your gift Cleo?"
"Yes." Cleo nodded and held out the silver staff, "Please take this Rarity, and place the tip of the staff where your heart is. Hurry, before the Fiend comes forth! He's halfway across the bridge!"
"O-Okay!" Rarity took the staff, "Like thi--" A sudden flash of light burst forth the moment the Rarity touched the staff on her heart, interrupting her question. It blinded the Generous Girl and all those around her...
*TO BE CONTINUED* |
Equestria Lost: Dragons beyond time | Castle in the Mist: Part 3 | Opening her eyes, Rarity found herself all alone in a yellow cloudy realm. Alone... and out of all the things to happen...
"H-Hey! M-my clothes!!! Where are my actual clothes!? Why am I in this skin-tight suit?" She demanded, "Wait a minute..." She touched it, only to discover she was touching her own skin instead, and that her hand passed through the suit.
"It's just made out of light!!! Why am I wearing a skin-tight suit made of light!?" Rarity corrected "Even if my body looks covered, It feels like I'm not wearing anything at all! Worse, This does NOT go well with my hair!"
There was no response to her endless questions. Instead, the skin-tight suit began to morph and change, altering its size and body shape as well as the young girl wearing it. Rarity noticed the process, and her shock went higher.
"Oy!!!!" Rarity yelled at her skin-tight suit, "Wh-what are you doing to my body!? Have you gone sentient!? Stop! Stop right this instant, you!!! Stop making changes to my body! I'VE ALREADY GONE THROUGH PUBERTY!!!"
As if it wasn't enough for change, her hair began to glow yellow. Like the skin-tight suit, it began to change by growing longer and clumping up together. Rarity felt like she was going to have a heart attack, feeling, but not seeing, all her hair change.
"Uwaahhh! Please Stop! Have Mercy!!! I'll do anything you tell me! I don't want to look any worse than how I feel right now!!!" She began to cry. And for a third time, there was no voice to answer... Instead, her hair, suit, and body gave one more bright illumination, blinding the girl once again.
As the light died down, Rarity found herself back in the Halidom, the silver staff no longer in her hands, and wearing her own clothes as normal. Except... they seemed awfully tight, and her hair felt longer and heavier than before! But that's not the problem here, her eyes were focused on the fact that everyone was staring back at her with faces just as confused as she was.
"E-Everyone..." Rarity started, "P-Please don't tell me I look like a complete pigsty!"
"Well..." Flash pulled out his phone, "If you ask me, you look a college freshman... Or woman. Or a very responsible lady. It's just well... If you can see," Flash turned his phone's screen towards her, currently displaying the camera app in its selfie mode and Rarity's surprised face.
Rarity took the phone and held it close with a trembling face. Her hair has lost its specially curled style and shine, and instead was a complete bush... Well, it wasn't a messy bush at all, but her hair has grown extremely thick and wasn't as stylish as she had planned it to be. But what was worse was that near the front top of her hair, she could pick out a small cowlick. Not as bad as the former New Alberian Prince named Euden, but a cowlick nonetheless. Looking down at her body, she could see that her clothes were really pushing into different parts of her body. They really were tight!
"NOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!" Rarity fell the ground in tears, "My hair! What happened to my beautiful hair!? It's grown so thick! And my body too!!! I don't fit these clothes anymore!!!"
"Yeah... that mood is something I can sympathise with." Adagio sighed, "It was quite a shock when I went through it myself. For my change, my height shrank, my body shrank, and for some reason, my legs got a little thicker and my chest grew!!! I couldn't fit in my normal clothes!"
"No time for anyone to react to that second-last part," Cleo interrupted the commotion, "We still have the monster to deal with! But let me fix your hair first." In only two seconds, Cleo tied two small side ponytails on Rarity and stuck them through a rather peculiar hat that displayed a tail from each side.
"There." Cleo huffed, "Now you may not look like your usual self. But with that thing on, your hairstyle is a spitting image of hers!"
Rarity looked up as she stopped her melodrama for a second and looked back at Flash's phone. With the hat on, the hair she had looked a whole lot more symmetrical, and the only thing that looked off was a bush of hair that reached down right to the middle of her eyebrows.
"It... Does look honestly better." Rarity noted, fixing up a little of her hair, "even if I'm not a fan of symmetrical hair. Anyway, who's the adventurer?"
"I believe you know her by name, but not by appearance. So this should jog your memory!" With another gift, Cleo bestowed a staff with a golden hand on its top. Rarity and Adagio gasped,
"I know most girls would take care of their appearance, even me. But the Girls of Alberia will also strive to take care of their castle, their home, and their people. Like the wielder of this peculiar staff." Cleo continued,
"You've got to be kidding me. Out of all the people you summoned, it had to be HER!?" Adagio bellowed,
"The--" Rarity took the staff, "The Loving Hand! S-So my body and hair is that of--"
"--The Loving Preacher Estelle." Cleo finished, "And now that I look at you, I couldn't think of anything more fitting!"
"H-Here Flash, your phone." Rarity returned,
"Yeah, I've got to admit... Perhaps if you were wearing the rest of Estelle's clothes, then you would look really wonderful!!! Not as horrendous as you think!" Flash complimented,
"Hmm... Perhaps you're right. Since Adagio is wearing the clothes fit for this Francesca, I shall make the fashion judgement once I try on Estelle's clothes." Rarity nodded, calming down a bit. "For later that is, we do have this fiend in the way after all."
"Alright girls, I'll be rooting for you from the sidelines!" Flash gave a thumbs up,
"Not so fast. I've got something for you too Flash." Cleo stopped, holding out a sheathed weapon in Flash's face.
"A sword," Flash spoke as he grasped the sheath and drew the sword. "And a beautifully decorated one at that."
"It also has a special power behind it. This is the Hero's Sword." Cleo explained, "The reason why this sword is one of the strongest in the New Alberian Armory is that the hero who forged this sword has bequeathed his or her will in it. This one is wielded by, and thus carries the will, of Prince Euden. He forged this sword together with the Smith sisters."
"Oh... wow!" Flash gasped, "That's... quite an honour! I-I'm not the chosen one... am I?"
"Euden firmly believed that a Prince is a shield for his people. That and many other things. Kind of what you're doing right now, protecting the castle and those who live here. If he were here to see you do this, he would definitely support you with his own might. If he was unable to fight... then he'd be happy to lend his sword to you."
"Then... I won't let him down!" He pointed his blade at the shroom, now three-quarters across the bridge.
"C-Cleo, Flash... Are you sure about this?" Rarity asked a small bit of concern in her voice.
"He's got the determination of a fighter." Cleo merely answered, "Sure, he may not have the same might as you girls do, but the sword more than makes up for it. And..." She raised her own staff, "I'll be helping too! A team of four is more than enough to plough through any horde!"
"Everyone dodge!" Flash warned as he saw the shroom leap into the air. All four quickly rolled away as the Shroom finally landed on the other side of the bridge, directly on the Halidom grounds.
"Right there a few things I should mention more about fighting these big Fiends. For now, just keep striking it, and dodge when it's about to attack! Rarity, please stay back at a safe distance." Cleo instructed.
"Time to take you down again!" Adagio grinned, running around to the shroom's back. With a frustrated growl that its prey was unable to fall, it turned to face her.
"Oh no, you don't! Hiyah!" Flash charged, plunging the sword in its stem. Like before, it was visibly clear that the fiend was taking damage, but not even the new sword was making it flinch.
"Adagio! Be careful!!!" Flash warned, pulling out the blade and landing wide and heavy slashes. "Blasted thing must have some large pain tolerance! And it seems to be focused towards you! Better run!"
"Don't tell me what to do!" Adagio retorted, "I know how to dodge on my own thank you very much!"
"Fiends will get enraged if you keep on hitting them!" Cleo explained, "When they do, they will hit absolutely hard, and possibly perform some other nasty attacks! The only way you can get rid of that temper is to just continue hitting them hard! That's what you need to know for now!"
"That's too simple!!!" Flash wailed, "But this world's been like that. So sure thing!!!" And continued his inexperienced slicing.
"Speaking of simple, watch this Rarity." Cleo gestured. At a safe distance from the large shroom, Cleo waved her staff at the beast, which shot a ball of purple energy straight towards the fiend.
"Wow! Healers can fight too???" Rarity gasped as Cleo swung her staff two times in succession, each swing flinging a similar purple ball.
"Yes. And as a staff user, you can fight in the same way I do. Our projectiles are quite slow, and definitely not the strongest compared to those who use a bow or wand." Cleo explained, just as the three projectiles popped the moment they hit the Fiend. "Now Rarity, what every adventurer has in my time is the energy called Mana."
"I know." Rarity held up her hand, "Source of all magic and life. Adagio told me."
"Well, what you need to do is channel the energy into your staff," Cleo instructed. Holding her staff up "Got it?"
"Y-Yes!" Rarity nodded, copying the handgrip on the Loving Hand and squinted. A popping, zapping feeling sizzled through her shoulders, arms and hands as if someone opened a soft drink in her body and poured it into her nerves and bloodstream.
"Ooh!" Rarity jumped as she could feel that fizzy feeling transfer from her hands into her staff, "This feels electrifying!"
"That's your mana. Now, focus on your target..." Cleo continued the instructions. She focused her gaze on the giant shroom as an example, so Rarity did the same. Once she did, Rarity felt that the 'Mana' inside her focus on the giant shroom alongside her.
"What do you feel?" Cleo asked, "In your mana?"
"It's like..." Rarity explained, "My mana is ready to strike something the moment I've painted an imaginary bullseye on the Fiend!"
"Perfect." Cleo nodded, "the last step, swing the staff!"
"Take this!" Rarity yelled with grandiose, swinging her staff. Halfway through that movement, she could feel the Mana shoot out from her staff. That mana quickly turned into a yellow ball of energy, contrasting Cleo's Purple. The Healers watched as this Yellow ball sailed like an airborne fish towards the Fiend, and pop the moment it made an impact. Rarity could see that the ball was able to subtly warp the Fiends skin in a bad and painful way, and smiled at the result.
"As I said, we may not be powerful compared to our fellow weapon-wielders, but it WILL deal damage." Cleo nodded in acknowledgement, "and now you know how to use it."
"I learned a new type of magic, from a different world..." Rarity looked at her hands and her staff with gleaming and wondrous eyes. "It feels wonderful!" She looked back at the assaulting Fiend and gave a taunting smile, "Let's help the others, Cleo!"
"Gladly." Cleo returned the same smile. The healers briskly walked forward, swinging their staffs and launching their magic bullets with a stone-cold focus.
"I noticed something." Rarity yelled, "I feel like I can drive my mana out faster when I'm attacking!"
"Oh like this?" Cleo asked. After swinging two shots, she quickly spun her staff to swing two more in quick succession. These two, however, were bigger in size, wrapped around by a thread of mana, and flying faster than normal. Cleo then playfully lunged her staff forward, shooting a third big one. For the final trick, Cleo gallantly spun around and launched one final ball with a firm flick of her staff. Rarity watched as this ball seemed to be the fastest of all, leaving a small trail in its path.
"That feeling Rarity," Cleo explained, as all six purple shots hit their mark, "Is akin to how our close combat friends can use their weapons in quick succession. Care to try?"
"Hey! You guys help a bit?" Adagio desperately called, "I'm barely scratching the skin of this 'fun guy'! Seeing Flash do better is an embarrassment!"
"Fine Adagio. If you're going to be that ungrateful, see if I help you again!" Flash retorted, "Heck, you belittling me made me overlook the fact you made a pun!"
"Hey!!!" A voice came from the hills, "Did we miss anything?" Rarity and Cleo turned around to see two familiar teens walking at a very slow pace towards them.
"Sweetie Belle, Big McIntosh!" Rarity jumped "You guys look... Drenched! And absolutely tired!!! Just what did both of you get into!?"
"Don't be angry at them..." Cleo defended, "If not for their efforts, you wouldn't be able to wield this power."
"Is that so?" Rarity looked at Sweetie, "Then you have my thanks. You got wet for a good reason."
"That's good to know but..." Sweetie looked very disturbed, "What's with the wacky hair? And is it me or did you... Look older?"
"You... look... nice..." Big Mac complimented, giving a really awkward smile,
"Ah yes... the power you helped give me has those sort of effects." Rarity chuckled, "But now's not the time! We need to--"
"Oof!" A sudden tackle from the large shroom drove Flash and Adagio to the ground. Once again, thankfully, away from the cliff's edge.
"--Blast it!" Rarity grumbled, seeing her allies having troubles standing up, "What to do now?"
"I've regained enough energy to cast another healing spell..." Cleo suggested, "But you're also a healer too. Perfect time for you to try!"
"Is that so? Then... Do I just yell 'Elder Cure' like you?"
"That's my own spell name, and all adventurers have their own name for their skills and spells. You'll be saying Estelle's instead."
"Then what is it?" Rarity asked,
"I'm afraid I forgot." Cleo shook her head, "But that's not my responsibility. When you hold an adventurer's essence in your body, you'll be able to learn everything about them if you give it the time. Empty your mind, and think about Estelle."
"Oh come on!" Adagio wailed, "just heal us already Cleo! One more hit for any of us, and we'll fall!"
"Oh alright." Cleo rolled her eyes, "I know you can do this Rarity!"
"Okay Okay... Time to Focus!!!" Rarity closed her eyes... And her surroundings fell to darkness and silence as she thought hard...
"Let's see... I know I'm Estelle..." Rarity mumbled, "I've been called the Loving Preacher... And I also have this Loving Hand..."
"Heh Heh!!!" The innocent giggles of a boy echoed around her,
"Reverend Estelle!!!" Another child's voice, this time a girl. Calling out to her, "Ms Estelle!!!"
"So it is true..." Rarity mused, "I am somewhat familiar with children..."
"Hey! Ms Estelle! Is His Highness Prince Euden treating you well?" The boy's voice asked smugly,
"Wh-What?" Rarity jumped,
"Have you kissed?" The girl continued, giving a stifled laugh.
Rarity blushed very hard, "I... Estelle was in love with the Prince? But she's a preacher! Granted, I do know ministers, male or female, are allowed to marry, but to someone like the Prince? That's... Quite adorable. I wouldn't be so shy if I knew a bit more about Prince Euden."
"Estelle!" A different voice called out, "There you are!"
Rarity froze in horror. This voice sounds to be male, well-refined and is befitting of a prince. And yet... He sounds really familiar!
"Ah! Your Highness!" The children spoke in unison,
"Haha!" The Prince chuckled, "You can just call me Euden or Prince!"
Rarity coughed horribly as a reaction. It was the Prince's Voice!!! She blushed even further... Not only due to the kids' teasing, but also the familiarity of Euden's voice.
"Anyway, Estelle. There's a sighting of Fiends close to the Forest and if we want to give those we love protection, I ask for yours."
"A-Ah! What!? Euden also likes me!?" Rarity screamed to herself,
"Ooh! Estelle and Euden sitting in a tree!" The kids sang mockingly, "K-I-S-S-"
"No!" Rarity interrupted, her face steaming hot, "Quiet! Shut up! And that stupid song is as old as Granny Smith!!!"
All of a sudden, the peaceful and blissful banter with the Prince and kids was quickly replaced with the sound of clashing weapons and roaring beasts, jumping from a peaceful place into a battlefield.
"Estelle!" Another girl's voice rang out, "Ranzal got carried away AGAIN, and he got plastered by a Fiend! We can use your Healing now!!!" The girl commanded,
"M-Me?" Rarity asked, "B-but... I... I don't know how to do it..."
"Urgh... It's nothing..." A brash low voice grunted, "I can walk it off..." Rarity heard the painful tones of the wounded man and put her foot down.
"As if!" Rarity rebuked. "You sound like you're about to bite it. And I'm not having it!" Then she remembered and lowered her anger, "I mean that's what I'd like to say but... I don't know my spell's name..."
"I know you can do it, Estelle!" Euden encouraged, "I have Faith in you, just as you have faith in me and everyone in the Halidom."
All of a sudden, the atmosphere broke out, shattered like broken glass. It was silent again, except for one new faint voice...
"... Healing..." The voice whispered,
"Healing..." Rarity repeated,
"... Faith..." The voice responded,
"Faith..." Rarity copied again. "Wait a minute... That voice... It sounds like..."
"... Healing... Faith... Healing... Faith..." The voice alternated between those two words, over and over again.
"Healing Faith? Estelle's spell is called Healing Faith, is it!?" Rarity yelled out. In response, a warm yet powerful green energy swept over her entire body, engulfing her in a healing sensation.
"I got it!" Rarity opened her eyes, feeling very enlightened, "Is anyone harmed???"
"Wow. You took an awfully long time trying to get an epiphany..." Sweetie crossed her arms, "Flash just got tackled again a few seconds ago, and for once, Cleo needs time before she can use her spell again. I guess he's not a good fighter after all. Is he?"
"At least he's brave." Rarity chuckled, "But either way, this is what a Loving Preacher like me can do!"
"You? Preach?" Big Mac cocked his head, "Ah... Ah can see that... Only a little."
"Very well then, please do the honours." Cleo gestured,
"Don't worry Flash," Rarity gave a victorious smile, "You can count on me!" She pointed a hand at Flash and with a deep breath, she yelled.
"Healing Faith!"
Two green streams of light roared from Rarity's extended hand and gripped the wounded Flash as if they were two hands clasped together in prayer, filling their 'captive' with healing energy.
"My... That's amazing!!!" Flash stood up immediately once the green hands disappeared, "I feel like this heals more than Cleo's healing spell!"
"That's wonderful to know! Now get back out there fighting." Rarity commanded, "Poor Adagio can't handle this by herself, especially with that disadvantage."
"To be fair," Adagio yelled, "This thing doesn't go down easily! It must still be in that 'enraged' state."
"Then let me bring out the big guns." Cleo stepped forward again, this time holding her staff close, and building up her energy.
"This is another offensive trick that all adventurers use," Cleo announced, as a purple light grew from the tip of her staff, "It differs depending on the weapon you use, but it's the perfect way to deal with those who are enraged!" She pointed her staff at the large shroom and laughed.
"Take this!" A large purple beam of light shot out from the staff, striking head-on the large fiend.
"Woah!" Big Mac gasped,
"That looks awesome!" Sweetie Belle laughed, "It's like a long laser!"
"Why," Rarity looked at the dazzling beam, "A magic beam huh? Healers here are truly a force to be reckoned with!"
The beam of pain was continuous for three seconds, but once it dropped, the Fiend was just as hopping mad.
"Just how much does it take to beat this guy down!?" Flash whined, getting a little frustrated. Just as he answered, the shroom slowed down on his hopping until it came to a stop. Once it did, it slumped on the ground, its eyes drooped low, and the cap moved back in forth like a metronome.
"That's it!!!" Cleo directed, "He's broken! When any large fiend is like that, they will stop moving, attacking and drop its defences!"
"So it's our turn to go ham huh?" Flash raised an eyebrow, "Then bring it on!" Flash laughed, rapidly stabbing and slashing to his fullest.
"Might as well make the most of it!" Adagio laughed with him, and drove in with the attacks, although more refined and not as reckless.
"I'm a bit worried though..." Cleo spoke, "if it took this long just to break him. He's going to get back up again soon, and he's dangerous already when enraged..."
"But what can we do?" Rarity asked,
"The Loving Hand is one that conveys the inner anguish of living beings to others for understanding, but Fiends fail at such a concept." A voice echoed through Rarity's head, "The Loving Hand delivers a different message, a response for those who harm!"
"Cleo!" Rarity yelled, charging right towards the Fiend, "I've got an idea. Watch me go!"
"H-Hey! What are you doing!?" Cleo protested, but Rarity's decision was set. With a fit of anger, Rarity held the Loving hand like a baseball bat and swung hard.
"Behold!" Rarity glorified, "THE LOVELESS HAND!" The Loving Hand swatted the large mushroom off the ground, and straight over the bridge and cliff. Everyone watched as the Fiend fell a long way down, shrinking in size the further it fell until it completely disappeared into the great blue, never to surface.
"And that," Rarity puffed her chest out, "Is a victory for all of us!"
"... Note to self, don't mess with Rarity." Flash spoke out loud,
"That... I had no idea you can do such a thing." Cleo stammered,
"Now that was awesome!" Sweetie laughed,
Big Mac gave an 'impressed' whistle.
"... Eh, not bad for someone like Estelle." Adagio smirked,
"By the way," Rarity turned to the Siren Merchant, "I'm curious. You seem to harbour a negative opinion on this Loving Preacher. Why is that?"
"Cleo has compiled biographies of all the adventurers here. I spent time looking through them, and this Preacher reminds me a lot of YOU. That's why I hate her so much!"
"Huh, so there are more similarities between us after all." Rarity giggled,
"I cannot thank you enough for protecting this castle." Cleo bowed to the four teenagers. "It was not my intention to bring this burden upon you, but you still stepped in to fight. Truly, I am in your debt."
"It's nothing Ms Cleo, really." Rarity, her body and hair back to normal, smiled. "I mean, a single gift from this castle is just fine, but to think you'd give so many!!!"
"Well..." Cleo smiled back, "It would be great if you do visit us more. You're always welcome here, the four of you."
"It's a deal," Flash nodded,
"Ah'll consider it," Big Mac shrugged, "No promises though..."
"Hmm..." Sweetie looked down,
"Well, Adagio?" Cleo turned to the Dazzling, "Would you care to lead them back into the park?"
"Might as well," Adagio grumbled, "Follow me, guys."
"Farewell." Cleo waved goodbye, "I hope we'll meet each other again."
"Hey, Adagio..." Rarity asked after waving back goodbye and walking through into the forest. "Back then, you were pretty brave in protecting Cleo, even fighting alongside us."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Adagio reasoned, "Quarrelling with you would not help to fight those fiends. And I'm sure you would know but... I owe Cleo big time."
"... Is that part of the reason why you are alone? Without Aria or Sonata?"
"Don't talk about them..." Adagio growled, "In fact, I'd rather you not talk about anything of the past. All I want for you now is to get out safely, as Cleo said."
"Adagio..."
"Listen up the four of you," Adagio announced, straight up ignoring Rarity, "The Mistholt and the Rovetelle forests aren't mazes. The one main route we're on will take you to a ghost village that shares the name of the latter, and that's pretty much the border of this world. Once there, there will be a short path that will take you to a small glade, you'll find the same misty portal similar to the one in Mayleaf Park. Just remember that the portal will take you to where you truly desire to go when you enter its mist so make sure you've decided properly on where you want to go! If you end up in a place where you'll never return, you've sealed your fate!"
"We told the girls to meet at the entrance of the Mayleaf Trail right?" Sweetie Belle asked,
"... Yes. That's right." Rarity nodded with a sigh, "This is a powerful portal indeed since it took the others to different places from what they told me over the phone."
"Well then? Get moving! The sooner we get there, the faster we can do things in our own lives!" Adagio hurried,
All the way back in Mayleaf park, the girls that didn't make it into New Alberia waited at the entrance of the Mayleaf Trail with bated breath in the dusk. It was truly frightening that their attempts to rescue Sweetie and chase down Adagio had taken them through different places around Canterlot. It all started when Rainbow crashed straight into Fluttershy, Twilight, Scootaloo and Applebloom out of nowhere after entering the trail, with Applejack following behind. It only took a few seconds of confusion and apology when Rainbow realised that Flash wasn't with her at all. Worried at that moment, they began calling their friends using their phones. Sunset managed to respond, detailing what happened. During their trip in the mist, Pinkie's usual hopping landed her foot on a rock that broke her ankle. Sunset was still holding on to her so they decided to go back the way the came from. The moment the mist cleared, however, they ended up in the female restrooms... of Canterlot's Mini-Clinic! Pinkie's leg was checked thankfully, but that was only two people accounted for.
They got quite scared when Sweetie Belle, Rarity, Big Mac, and Flash were the ones that did not respond to their calls. The girls were desperate to venture into the mist to find them again, but they didn't have the courage to after that surprising split up. They were going to resort to calling the police to help them search, but they were saved by a normal call from Rarity, though taken aback to hear that not only she found Sweetie Belle and the two boys, they even found Adagio! Of course, they couldn't believe their ears further when Rarity stated they'll be staying a little while longer with her, and to continue lunch without them, given they've been offered lunch in a very interesting place.
"A castle within this forest? Crazy!" Rainbow yelled,
"So it's something to do with magic again." Twilight discussed, "But not what we're familiar with... Do you know anything about it Sunset?"
"I'm afraid not. There's no record of a New Alberia or Grastaea from here, or in the Pony dimension." Sunset shook her head,
"H-hey!" Applebloom pointed, "There they are!!!" Following Applebloom's little finger, the girls' eyes laid towards four figures emerging from the woods.
"Hello!" Rarity and the other three waved, the girls were overjoyed seeing their faces and bodies all unharmed and clean.
"Rarity!!!" Sunset, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack rushed over to embrace her (minus Pinkie, who hopped to her on one leg instead of rushing over).
"Sweetie Belle! You're alright!" Applebloom and Scootaloo tackled Sweetie Belle, ruffling her hair and giggling with happiness.
"It's a thankless duty for family." Flash laughed, as the guys were the only two who didn't get embraced.
"Eeyup." Big Mac nodded in agreement.
"Don't sell yerself short, boys!" Applejack laughed as she and Applebloom let go of their best friends and hugged their big brother.
"Of course we care dearly for you too!" Scootaloo scooted over to Flash, giving him a massive squeeze, a tight expression given on his face.
"Well, since you found Sweetie, I guess you're the better caring friend to Scoots than I am Flash!" Rainbow conceded,
"Not really Rainbow, you technically won from what I heard." Flash chuckled, "More importantly, the four of us found something better than this, should you believe us!"
"Right... the Castle in the Mist?" Twilight asked,
"A very befitting title!" Rarity agreed, "This place is only accessible when you enter the mist, and only if your heart's in the right place! Otherwise, the mist will take you wherever your heart wants! If you didn't know the location of the place, you wouldn't go there anyway!"
"Is that so?" Sunset perked up, looking at Pinkie, "That makes a bit of sense... I mean when Pinkie got injured I was desperate to take her to find help, and we ended up in the place where we needed help the most!"
"But wouldn't the same apply to you?" Twilight asked, "Neither of you knew about the castle. So how did you get there?"
"It's not just relegated to place, but people too." Flash added, "Sweetie was marked on chasing Adagio. And Big Mac, Rarity and I were concerned about finding her, so we ended up on the other side. Your reasoning is spot on Sunset."
"Then what about us?" Applejack asked, "Ah was wantin' to find Sweetie Belle so we could put this trouble behind us an' eat our picnic!"
"Those were empty words. You were more concerned about the picnic than Sweetie Belle, perhaps that's the reason why you ended up back here with Rainbow... am I not wrong?"
"Now lookie here Flash. Ah..." Applejack started, but hesitated for a little while."... Okay, ah admit that it was a pain doin' this, and ah admit ah had the hunger pangs..."
"Don't betray your heart is what I'd say." Flash sighed, "Then again, you're always the honest one here AJ so I'm not surprised."
"Ah get it already, Ah'm not a good friend to Sweetie. Stop tryin' to rub it in Flash, yer pretty much provin' Rainbow's point." Applejack frowned,
"Sorry. As for you Rainbow, you were too focused on impressing Scootaloo that your heart ended up vying for Scoots herself, thus going to where she was. As I said, you won your bet in a way because, in your heart, you were concerned about her."
"So what about Adagio?" Sunset asked, "Is she plotting something bad with Aria and Sonata?"
"She's in good caring hands." Rarity answered, "And the money she got was legitimate. She's not going to do anything bad in the future as long as she's around."
"And who is this 'she'?"
"A mature woman named Ms Cleo!" Sweetie answered, "She's taking care of Adagio and making sure she's not evil!"
"She's given us gifts since we're affiliated with Adagio!" Rarity continued, "Big Mac?"
"Eeyup," Big Mac responded as he revealed a wooden basket, "Sweetie got a choirbook from a well-known children's choir from that time, ah got a baton wielded by the conductor of said children's choir, and Rarity got a cool set of clothes!"
"Oh wow!!!" The girls clamoured around to see the gifts in the basket,
"Wait." Fluttershy stopped, "What about you Flash? If you went with them, you should've got one too!"
"My one's not something you'd flash out in the open." Flash explained, "But I clipped it on my belt buckle if you're curious."
"Woah!" Pinkie and Fluttershy followed his instructions to see the Hero's sword and scabbard hooked to his trousers. "A real sword!!!"
"I also have a fancy thing myself!" Rarity laughed, pulling out her own weapon.
"Ooh! A golden hand on a stick!" Pinkie gasped,
"Not just any ordinary hand, it's the Loving Hand!" Rarity explained, "And this hand has a very important story behind it!"
"They're a really caring group," Cleo remarked as she and Adagio watched from afar from the castle balcony through a telescope. "Rarity's friends really like to talk for a long time, don't they? It only took you five minutes to drop them off at Rovetelle and come back, and yet they're still in the park! I bet you didn't even say goodbye to them!"
"Yeah, I didn't..." Adagio dryly agreed, "And I hope that this never happens again."
"Adagio, no matter your history with them, this is a part of starting over a new leaf." Cleo responded, "You can't keep social communication limited to me and our business partners. As I said, they're a caring group who would be able to forgive you after such a long time. I'm sure that if you talk it through with them the way you are now, you can bury the hatchet entirely."
"Yeah yeah, whatever..." Adagio dismissed, "I'm starting to get hungry. What's for dinner?"
"Well..." Cleo smiled, "How does some baked quiche sound? I haven't prepared the ingredients due to what happened this afternoon."
"Wonderful." Adagio smiled back, "Why don't I help you? I mean, if you make it all by yourself, it'd be way past dinner once we're done!"
"You're right..." Cleo thought, "You definitely aren't the Adagio back then anymore. That's why I firmly believe that you can reconcile with your foes, like many of my allies during the times of New Alberia. I'll be at your side, vouching for you, but the heavy task must be completed by you and them."
Despite being hidden from view by the mana barrier, the Halidom rotated in time with the nation of Equestria and the rest of the world. The next morning, Cleo woke up from her bed, did her hair and made sure to hide her ears within her ribbons, put on her exquisite clothes, and start the day. Today was Saturday, the start of the weekend, and aside from tending to the garden, this means there was more time for her and Adagio to spend together, and she knows exactly what to work on.
"Good Morning Cleo," Adagio greeted in the hallways.
"Good Morning Adagio..." Cleo waved back, "Ah! I see you've decided to be your normal self today."
"It's not related to what happened yesterday," Adagio responded, donning her dark purple vest, her light-purple stockings with triangles, her shin-high studded high-heels, and her spiked hairband holding together her extremely large curly hair, "I'd like to cool down for the weekends."
"In any case, do you have anything you need to do today?" Cleo asked, walking out of the castle.
"I intend to do some training, but after lunch. I'll help you with the garden before we split. Do you need anything I can do for you?"
"I'm happy you asked. Perhaps we can do training together? Personally, I'd like to see you overcome your elemental weakness."
"Really? That would be nice!" Adagio smiled, "But what about the castle grounds? Surely you want to fix some facilities too?"
"Eventually." Cleo responded, "If only the smithwyrms were here, but alas, if only we were able to form a pact with dragons that don't expire after the Prince's passing."
"Not to be a downer." Adagio tugged, "But during one of my training times, I went to the Den of the Windwyrm, and there's been no trace of anything. Are you sure that dragons exist? Or have they all grown old and whatnot?"
"That's not true. Dra--"
"There they are! Adagio! Ms Cleo!" A young voice called out to them. Cleo's face rose, Adagio's face dropped.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Adagio faltered as the two turned to the bottom of the hill. Four familiar figures were running up the hill, right towards them.
"Good Morning! Welcome back!" Cleo welcomed with a bow, "I'd never think you'd return so fast! If I can remember your names... Sweetie Belle... Flash Sentry... Big McIntosh... And Rarity!!!"
"Yep, that's us!" Flash winked, "Now that we know the secrets behind that Mist, getting here isn't so hard. We live close to the park after all!"
"Wh-Why would you come back?" Adagio spoke, "Th-there's literally nothing fun to do here!"
"Ah wouldn't say that," Big Mac shrugged, "Ah personally found something interesting here. Same goes for the others! Fer me, Ah'm mighty interested in how you work yer farm, not to mention the structures of the castle. Also during the tour, ah found a map that says this place has more than jus' a castle an forest. There's a large lake, a pretty tall mountain, some ominous ruins, heck even a massive volcano! Ah wanna go explorin'!"
"Very astute Big Mac." Cleo nodded, "yes. The places you mentioned do exist within this secretive region. Sadly, all five places are teeming with Fiends, but if you have Adagio, Rarity or me with you, we can get through easily!"
"I didn't agree to anything!" Adagio snapped,
"I'm very interested in the history of New Alberia, and the many adventurers that fought alongside you, Ms Cleo." Flash was next to share, "I'm also quite interested in their cultures and laws, not to mention their weapons and their fighting styles. I'm confident that even someone like me can fight these Fiends, just like those before had, and without souls. I've also got a few unanswered questions, but if I joined in the exploration, then I'd be able to find solid answers!"
"I can help you with that!" Cleo nodded, "How is Euden's sword?"
"It's displayed honourably back home. Mum and Dad were still curious about how I got such a thing, but they allowed me to keep it."
"Wait... Isn't your Dad a lawyer?" Sweetie asked, "You sure he's fine with that?"
"Laws regarding firearms are very strict but very lax around melee weapons. It also doesn't help that each State has different regulations too. But other than that, I wasn't able to mention yesterday my proficient weapon. So I learn Bojutsu, an art that uses a very long stick as a weapon. I say stick because it's usually called a 'staff', but you've already got a 'staff'."
"I know what you mean," Cleo pointed out, "Back when the Prince and everyone else was alive, we fought a large demihuman that wielded the same thing. We may not have that weapon in our armoury, but I know just the right weapon to replace it. Have you tried wielding lances and spears?"
"Oh, that is the perfect weapon!" Flash nodded with wide eyes,
"You're not seriously going to fight like that are you?" Adagio raised an eyebrow, "You'll get mauled by those fiends like you did yesterday."
"He's a brave spirit, and he's right. You can fight without the aid of an adventurer's memories." Cleo defended, "But it does involve a lot of training and hard work. As his friends, is he speaking the truth about using a weapon?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure..." Rarity scratched her head, "I know very little about Flash and Big Mac. I only just know that Big Mac is Applebloom and Applejack's brother, and I only learned about Flash being a strong brother figure to Scootaloo. If I asked her, however, she'd probably say yes."
"I acknowledge her love, but we're still Family Friends." Flash laughed while blushing.
"What about you Rarity?" Cleo asked,
"I really enjoyed the clothes you gave me! Sure, Dad and Mum were just as curious about how I got the clothes of a Preacher that doesn't even fit me, except for the Loving Hand though, they think it's just a funny trinket I bought for laughs. They honestly thought that I'd decided my future profession without telling them! As if I'd be befitting of such an occupation, it's ridiculous! N-No offence to your faith, Flash."
"None taken," Flash raised his hand in understanding.
"But anyway yes. I'm not sure you know, but I have a big interest in royalty. I am fascinated by Castles, Antiques, Royal Treasures. Specifically here, I am fascinated with the paintings, but even more so the choice of clothes. You can learn a lot from a culture by what they wear. Which reminds me... Unless you have other clothes, why does the one you wear not show your navel?"
"Oh! Did you find out? Well... topics and fashion are also... trending in Sylvan culture. Yes, a lot of them, as far as I can recall, wear midriff-bearing clothes around the time I was with Prince Euden. Thankfully, my Dragonyule outfit was designed at that time too!" Cleo responded,
"That's another thing. Dragonyule. Is that a holiday in New Alberia?" Flash added,
"It's a holiday celebrated all over Grastaea near winter. I believe it shares the same date, as well as some traditions, as your Hearth's Warming."
"You know what? I'm starting to believe that this place isn't another dimension... It's more like... Your place comes from a different era in time, and shielded by the powers that came from your time!"
"Yes. You are indeed correct." Cleo nodded without hesitation, "you are right on the mark!"
"That's all my questions from my sceptical nature done. I will enjoy this place to its fullest."
"That's wonderful to hear. Now, what about you Sweetie?"
"I... Well..." Sweetie Belle looked down, feeling a bit shy "Mom and Dad are really loving people, but they never seem to spend so much time with us because of their jobs... But you were really caring and protective, and despite Stranger Danger, Mom said that you should give people you trust your attention." She looked back at Cleo with an innocent face, "I'd love to spend time with you so I can trust you even more! You should meet our parents!"
"That is very kind of you Sweetie. I really appreciate it." Cleo blushed red with a giggle.
"But we've got another big reason besides our personal reasons." Rarity jumped in, "We're also here for Adagio."
Adagio tensed up, looking very hostile.
"Really? And what for?" Cleo asked,
"You misunderstand me Adagio." Rarity explained, "The four of us mean no harm to you or Cleo. In fact, we should say well... we kinda missed you yesterday. Just seeing you being protective instead of manipulating was out of left field, but something that really touched us. After you ran away, the entire school had remembered you and the Dazzlings, and what you did to the entire school."
"But here's the thing," Flash continued, "You're not the only one to fall on people's hate list. Sunset, the girl who introduced you to the school, was under that negative opinion. After she saved the school, she began to be accepted." He took a deep breath "It took me a few months and some strict lectures from my parents regarding why forgiveness is important, to understand that people can change for the better, even for those who personally did us dirty. Seeing you protect your foster mother... Yeah, I believe that you're on that journey of reformation, just like what Sunset went through."
"A mom? It's... very flattering..." Cleo gulped, her face turned red.
"Ah wasn't involved in this battle of the bands when you were 'round, though Applejack and Applebloom told me all 'bout it. There's some justification for this prejudice, but it shouldn't be so intense as it's supposed to be. And yeah, let bygones be bygones an' all that." Big Mac responded,
"Are you trying to imply something?" Adagio gave a suspicious squint.
"Not 'imply', we come in full force!" Sweetie Belle yelled, "We want to help you too! We're willing to forgive you, and we can become friends!!!"
"Ah-WHAT!?!?" Adagio jumped,
"Well if this isn't fate, I don't know what is!" Cleo smiled, "I'm very much happy that you guys are wishing to make amends with Adagio. I was talking about it with her yesterday too!"
"Ms Cleo..." Rarity bowed, "Bowing isn't a common greeting in this day age (except for Neighpon), but let me do this to say thank you for taking care of Adagio, and helping her too."
"Ah'm happy to fix some of yer buildings as thanks." Big Mac volunteered,
"Oh, you four... You are more than welcome to come back anytime to see Adagio and I! Isn't this exciting?" Cleo laughed,
"Yeah!!!" The four Equestrians jumped for joy.
"Oh boy..." Adagio cried on the inside, "Looks like I'm back in Tartarus... AGAIN!"
Castle in the Mist
The End |
Equestria Lost: Dragons beyond time | Life in the Halidom | It has been a day since Rarity, Big McIntosh, Sweetie Belle, and Flash Sentry stumbled across the Halidom, a mysterious castle hidden by magic, home to two particular non-humans. One was Adagio Dazzle, a Siren banished from Equestria and one who had butted heads with Rarity and her friends. She was under the care of a Sylvan named Cleo, a sub-race of people that have rabbit ears instead of normal human ones. Ever since their fateful encounter, the four particular students from Canterlot High could not help but come back whenever they were available as a group, and constantly kept in touch with their former enemy and her caretaker while eager to discover the remnants of a historical era that, according to Flash, was never found in the annals of Equestrian history.
Cleo was happy to allow their curious minds to roam free and dive deep into the knowledge of her time. Rarity spent her time sketching out drawings of the various casual clothes and armour that was worn by Human and Sylvan alike, hoping that she can implement the unique features into modern fashion. Sweetie Belle was happy to snap pictures all around the Castle. Any painting, any building, and the various breathtaking views of the Castle (and herself with it) understanding that these photos should only be shared between trustworthy friends, as this place was hidden for a reason. Flash dove into many adventurer biographies and weapon blueprints, passionate to learn all about those who were courageous to wield their life in service to a nation that was constantly surrounded by threats, and how they were able to fight back with the military power they had. Big McIntosh was one who volunteered on helping Cleo with the garden today alongside Adagio. And they somehow struck a rather interesting conversation.
"Mah Goodness. You have a massive garden..." Big Mac noted as they came across a field that expands across an entire area level of the Castle Grounds, filled to the brim with brushes, plants and trees, each teeming with vegetables and fruits respectively. "An' almost prepared for every season too! Ya know, if yer willing to find more people to buy yer stock, ah can put in a good word for the Juice Bar mah first Lil' sister works in. Especially the carrots!"
"That's very kind of you Big McIntosh. But we aren't really much strapped for funds in the case of survival. The Halidom does have an abundance of currency, but only for my time. I have no clue if they're viable in this day and age." Cleo answered,
"Yeah," Adagio laughed, "Might as well give the lot to a museum!"
"I shouldn't be the one taking the entire credit of the garden's design. You should thank Alberius, as well as the Gust Drake's guidance and advice." Cleo added,
"Gust Drake... Ya mean a dragon?" Big Mac raised an eyebrow,
"Yes." Cleo nodded, "Where dragons were considered the mightiest in the world, this is shown through simple meagre tasks that humans and sylvans themselves do to survive or make their place in the world. The Gust Drake is one of them; she worked her own farm, and her ways had given produce to the most delicious carrots. As you said, they are amazing!"
"Hmm... so even little ordinary things that humans do, dragons do too. And much better from the sounds of it. They sound pretty much like nature personified."
"As I said two days ago, they are responsible for the blessings of nature, added to the fact that they can also govern mana. A simpler term is to say that Dragons are the personification of nature itself."
"Well Ah'll be..." Big Mac made a long sigh. "... Hearing all this is making me question mah own existence, and a whole lotta world views too."
"What do you believe then McIntosh? How have you been living your life?"
"Big Mac's jus' fine, Ms Cleo. In any case, mah family and ah have been farmers. Our life of livin' is making sure the rest of the world are well fed and all. Not a lot of chances to live an' relax, unlike others. Sad to say, that kinda veers us to only relying on our hands and each other. The only thing we sorta have to rely on faith or luck is the weather, cause even the forecast ain't accurate all the time."
"Luck and faith aren't synonymous." Cleo shared, "You put faith and trust in Lady Luck, or so I heard from a gambler who threw his lot in with us."
"The Prince really likes inviting the oddest people to his party, does he?" Big Mac gulped, "But yeah... In yer time, with you relying so much on, or even being assisted, by all-powerful dragons, kinda makes me jealous and makes me lose some faith in humanity ya know? For the sake of our own lives and others, we'd be fixin' to literally put food on the table, make sure everythang's under control."
"I understand entirely, but even Dragons have hearts and feelings. They know when they'll be taken for granted, and the retaliation would be catastrophic. But don't be so hard on you and our kind as a whole. It's true that people can do so much, but we can't do everything. We'll always need a helping hand, whether its another person or a dragon. Isn't it like that with technology?"
Big Mac laughed heartily, "Alright, ya got me there. But ah... Dragons... is it me or do they not come around anymore?"
"It's because of the Prince's passing. Most, if not all, had made a pact with him and only through him do they lend their aid uniquely. Now that he's gone, they see no reason to come around here. I haven't heard from them ever since they left, and it has been a terribly long time."
"Mah condolences Cleo. Ah take it that you've considered Dragons like yer friends."
"They are. But they remain forever a positive memory. Now? I have Adagio to take care of, and you to share stories with."
"Thanks for sharing your stories to a guy like me. Never really did get to talk one-on-one with others cept for mah family."
"Speaking of one-on-one..." Cleo gave a small smile, "Since both of you are here watering the garden, I wonder if you guys can take over for me? The written language in my time is different from yours. I need to give Sweetie Belle a translative guide for the choir book I gave her."
"Wait what? Don't leave me here!" Adagio jumped.
"Sure thing. We can take it from here." Big Mac smiled.
"See you!" Cleo walked off, winking as she waved goodbye.
"Heh..." Big Mac snorted "That's what you're up to..."
"Up to what?" Adagio demanded.
"So... Adagio..." Big Mac slowly turned around, "Why don't we properly introduce ourselves?"
"I... you should know who I am, don't you? I'm the one who almost took over your school and controlled your classmates to be aggressive and negative!"
"Ah know. Heard from both mah sisters, one of 'em being part of 'The Rainbooms' but never found out for mahself due to not bein' in the battle of the bands. Besides, something's bound to change in you after a few months; it happens to everyone. Reckon Ah'd know you properly now."
"So does that 'everyone' include sirens as well?" Adagio asked,
"Fraid' Ah'm not well versed in mythology names and other dohickeys of the sort, but yes. Animals can do it, so can you."
"We're the kind of beasts that feed off the negative energy of people and get stronger from it. Our voices and magic? That's the sign of our power."
"And once ya lost to Applejack, Rarity and the others, you must've lost yer powers and voice."
"Yes. Without those, I lost what makes me a siren, and I'm stuck in this magicless human body. It's... It's embarrassing and humiliating... It's sad and pathetic."
"Ah see..." Big Mac mused,
"You really have no idea on what your sister has been through. Do you?"
"Ah'm graduating soon. Less socialisin' fer me. That being said, ah ain't one to let a lady mope. Ah know somethin' that can help yer major issue."
"My magic?"
"That's more up Ms Cleo's alley. Ah'm lookin' at yer singing. Jus' because you lost yer magic as a siren don't mean you can sing no more. Even humans learn to sing too, like the Rainbooms. Don't see how you can't try learnin'."
"What... you mean take singing lessons?" Adagio raised her eyebrows.
"You betcha. As we grow old, even we would lose something meaningful to us. But... We still have the chance to get it back. That's somethin' ah learned from the farm... and thanks to doctors and health specialists. If you ever fear that it won't bring yer magic back, then that's okay. Treat it as a different goal. If you can sing, you can still be a siren again right?"
"... Are you an idiot?" Adagio lashed out. "I will cause so much trouble if I get my powers back. You do know that right? I gather the negative energies from others so I can rule Equestria!"
"Ah. No wonder why you failed." Big Mac chuckled, "But ever since Ms Cleo entered your life, and yer sisters left it... perhaps you have second thoughts?"
"Well... I just hate being indebted to someone. Even a Siren like me can understand that." Adagio uneasily spoke,
"Then Ah'm sure you can change yer goals and ambitions too huh?"
"Ruling the world seems like a good ambition."
"Lots of humans have that ambition too, not just sirens. Ah think that it's up to you to define who you are, no matter if yer human or not." Big Mac finished. Adagio paused for a moment to stare at the boy with the watering can.
"So say I follow your idea. How am I going to find a music teacher?"
"Yer never too old to learn new tricks. Even adults enrol themselves in singing class, ah know mah Granny does. As fer me, Ah'm a singer mahself, and Ah'm with Rarity as a part of the Pony Tones. We're a vocal quartet, quintet if you count Fluttershy. Ah'm the bass singer of the bunch, Rarity's the soprano. Ah've also seen Rarity's sister sing, but Ah dunno 'bout Flash."
"Huh... I'd never strike you to be a singer."
"Never judge someone by their appearance. Even if they may be an idiot." Big Mac joked,
Adagio rolled her eyes and returned to watering the plants. But as she swung the can around, her body and her movements felt a little lighter than before.
Inside the Halidom halls, Rarity was going in and out of every bedroom, quickly making a quick sketch of the clothes of each former inhabitant.
"Some clothes seem awfully risque." Rarity mumbled to herself, "Francesca's clothes have really short shorts, others like to display their thighs... Heck, those that seemed to be preachers wear risque outfits for battle! Even Estelle's! Her shirt's so long, that even it seems to act as the shortest skirt!"
As she kept on mumbling to herself, the next bedroom she entered had a blue-haired boy sitting on a chair, reading a book.
"Flash, what are you doing here?" Rarity asked,
"Whilst you were shopping for ideas, I was shopping for ways to fight," Flash answered, lowering his book to face Rarity, "I'm looking for the adventurers who are proficient in using Lances. Such examples include a blacksmith who made an armour of gold for himself, a mercenary who's on the silent side of words, a man who took care of two infant dragons, a circus ringmaster, a pretty humorous but dangerous old man of the cloth, and the inhabitant of this room and those clothes. I haven't touched them by the way, they're still on the bed." He gestured with his head and eyes.
"Ah, thanks." Rarity noted as she approached the clothes. The clothes of this inhabitant had gloves that almost reach up to her shoulders, leggings that fully cover up her legs, armoured shoes and wrists, and a vivid blue vest fitted with a white and green collar, and had two long cape-like ends hanging from the bottom. Rarity was quite impressed with the clothes, and how 'un-risque' it looked. The moment she turned to the back of the vest, however, the lack of any fabric or material for the top upper part of the body made the dignified impression short-lived.
"Okay, seriously. What is with these clothes? If I wore this, I'd be showing off my entire upper back! And..." She spotted a very large piece of white fluffy cotton sewn in near the bottom part. "... What is the point of that!? It reminds me of that bunny onesie Applebloom had to wear!"
"Right on the mark Rarity!" Flash replied, "Aside from reading her lance training, I learnt more about the owners themselves. Would you like to know more about the wearer of these clothes?"
"Well... sure then, I've got enough time for that."
"This place belongs to Elisanne, The Anointed Lance." Flash read, "And her occupation is a Paladyn with a 'y' instead of an 'i', except they've got the same job description: Servants and Knights to the Goddess Ilia. Don't ask 'Y' they decided to change a letter. Different history, different rules."
"O-Okay then..."
"More on her, she's very devout on the Word of Ilia, and it's because of that faith did she end up leaving the church. How should I say it... Most churches may be rigid about their doctrines and scriptures. When changes in society come, it can paint a controversial scene, and such things are very uncomfortable to be in. However, the Church seemed to have changed by outright accepting a statement regarding Ilia's history being connected to the demon... a family connection to be exact."
"What!? A Goddess, related to a demon!?" Rarity spat, "that's blasphemy!"
"Anyway, the Church branded her a heretic and vice versa to her, and she ended up on the run. That's when she bumped into the Seventh Prince of Alberia and became his first of his many travelling companions. There's another deeper story on how the Prince began this journey, but that's for another time. Just to let you know that she's one of six important figures whenever the Prince is in an existential crisis. She's also got... feelings for the Prince herself."
"Interesting... Very Interesting!"
"Now regarding the white cottontail, this devoted Paladyn has a big weakness for cute things, and bunnies are one such. Heck, look at the chair next to her bed. It should be a stuffed rabbit."
Rarity looked for the lone chair, and sure enough, there was a pink rabbit with brown eyes staring peacefully back at Rarity. On one of its ears was a blue ribbon that matches the exact design the Paladyn had on her attire.
"That is Matilda, Elisanne's secret friend. Whenever she gets lonely, she'd talk to the little fella. Even bought that ribbon for her. Elisanne made sure that NO ONE should know about this side of her... but out of carelessness, a few people found out. Oh yeah, there's also a painting of her in the hallways too, aptly titled 'Secret Friend'. A painting of Matilda I mean, NOT Elisanne."
"Well isn't that adorable?" Rarity blushed, "I'm sure you've got loads of secrets about your best friend and the Prince, Matilda!"
"You betcha because this isn't Elisanne's only combat attire. Check the closet." Flash continued, gesturing to the closet opposite the side of the bed with his eyes. Rarity marched over and swung it open.
"Wha--" Rarity was taken aback at the sight of two distinctively coloured and heavily symbolic articles. One was similar to Rarity's normal attire, but coloured in orange and purple, alongside some bunny ears with a jack-o-lantern pumpkin and plastic black cobweb. The other was a long white gown with a light blue dress with pink linings. There were even some white high heels below it.
"Those are... Elisanne's other battle costumes?" Rarity pointed, "one is a Nightmare Night costume, and the other is unquestionably a bridal gown!"
"Heh, like I said... she's got a little love going on inside her head," Flash chuckled. "Incidentally, she's not the only adventurer to have more than one battle attire. Would you like a list?"
"N-No thanks." Rarity shook her head, "but... I am a little more interested in the story of Prince Euden, and how he ended up here."
"We can ask Ms Cleo later. Why don't we finish what we're doing?"
"A good idea!"
Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle's picture tour went through the closed up mines, the moss-covered statues, a mysterious shrine, and now up towards a magical flight of steps.
"Aw man," Sweetie giggled as she stood on the Island of summoning. "If only there was a dry path so I can look out from the edge, It would be the perfect selfie moment!"
"I'd advise against that if I were you." A firm ethereal voice responded, "I have seen great people lose their lives from the most embarrassing of deaths, such includes 'accidentally' falling."
"Oh!" Sweetie Belle turned to the podium. There, she saw the blue image of a woman materialise in front of her eyes. "It's you!!!"
"Furthermore, any form of photography is prohibited." The woman continued, looking straight at Sweetie.
"Aww... Don't be such a stick in the mud! I promised Ms Cleo that my photos will only be between friends... I'll even take a picture of you if you want!"
"An interesting offer to a demand that doesn't require Wyrmite... very well then, If you insist." The woman responded, changing her mind.
"Thanks for being so sweet and understanding! Here, I'll take your picture first! Would you also like the dragon's statue to be fully in as well?"
"Yes. That would be the ideal photo for your gallery." The woman agreed with a small cheeky tone.
"Funny. You seem to know a lot about photography, and the right words for it too. Aren't you from past or something?"
"In the history of Grastaea, mankind sought to advance whatever knowledge they would grasp on, and developed constructs that would greedily use nature and mana to fuel their own machines. One such machine could capture an image from what it sees. Is that not what photography is?"
"Oh! I completely forgot about that history... Oopsies..." Sweetie Belle chuckled,
"Well? I am still waiting for my picture!" The woman reminded, striking a pose.
"Sorry! Say cheese!" Sweetie Belle signalled and snapped a picture.
"Well? How did it turn out?"
"It turned out..." Sweetie Belle was about to exclaim it out until she peered carefully at a completely black screen. A bit worried, she scrolled through her previous photos of the Halidom, all completely fine. It was just the picture she snapped, "... For some reason, nothing turned out at all!" She gasped,
"Good," The woman huffed, "As I said, no photos. As long as you're on this island, you're in my presence. There are many things that I can affect in my presence, except for the actions of living beings."
"Argh! You trolled me!" Sweetie growled,
"If you really wish to procure a photo... Perhaps you'd be willing to do me a favour..." The woman started,
"Really? Sure!" Sweetie gasped, there was still hope! "What do I do?"
"You should remember the last time you came here, this pool has received damages from summoning after so long. It is possible to fix the damages, however, so if you contribute to the process of repairing the pool, then I may grant you one photo of these grounds. I may even reveal my presence on your photo if you so desire."
"Deal!" Sweetie snapped up,
"Very good then. Allow me to lay out what is required..."
"Hmm..." Cleo mused to herself, sitting in the confines of one of many bedrooms. As mentioned, she was writing up a quick translation guide, using the reference of a choir book similar to the one she gifted Sweetie.
"It's a wonderful thing that we have two former members of the Harmonia Choir who fought with us," Cleo mumbled again as she finished up her page. "Done. That's another tick on the checklist. Now..." She pulled out a notebook, "there's a few more weapon blueprints and materials that I need to show Flash, a few sewing materials that Rarity can use for an example, some more socialising for Adagio, and then there's the Summoning Pool to take care of." She exited the room and into the hallway, "Now which one should I tackle first???"
"Ah! Ms Cleo! There you are!" Sweetie Belle cried, running down the hallway, "there's something I'd like for you to do, pretty pretty please?"
"Really? Let's hear it then. But before that, I've managed to create a quick translation guide for the Choir book I gave you. It should help," She offered her work,
"Really?" Sweetie gasped, taking it quickly, "Thanks so much, Ms Cleo!!!"
"Ms Cleo?" Rarity called, walking towards her with a serious gaze. "There's something I'd like to ask. Why is it that most of the females wear clothing that exposes well... a lot of their skin? I swear that one of the revealing ones actually belonged to one of the many preachers here!!!!"
"Specifically, a preacher bent on vengeance." Flash, who was behind her, corrected. "Her name, I believe, is Cibella. She's a lance user, so I went into detail into her bio. Pretty tragic if you ask me, but the same can be said for many."
"Are there any adventurers here who dress decently for battle?" Rarity continued,
"Do men count? Because the lancer named Zace bears his entire upper torso with two straps and six bones." Flash asked, "Granted, what he wears is tribal gear. I'm just saying not to forget men,"
"Zip it Flash! You're not helping in the slightest!" Rarity retorted,
"Really? To me, anything that crosses the line would be wearing nothing but their undergarments into battle. I mean, some of our adventurers are occasionally barefoot." Cleo reasoned, "But if you're talking about fully clothed, then yes. There are plenty of women who dress suited for battle."
"I want to know who they are!" Rarity snapped,
"C-Can you hold on a moment?" Cleo asked, "your sister asked me for something first!"
"Hey Ms Cleo, we're done with the garden watering." Big Mac and Adagio, "Anything else ya need us to do?"
"Come on Ms Cleo! Just hear me out!" Sweetie Pleaded,
"I'm not in the mood to wait. Ms Cleo, please?" Rarity tapped her foot,
"Will all of you be quiet!?!?" Cleo roared, slamming her foot down, "I demand we take this one at a time! Haven't your parents taught you any manners!?!?"
Sweetie stopped pleading, Rarity stopped complaining, and Big Mac was taken aback at the sudden outburst.
"Now, let's take this outside. There are some chairs we can use on the balcony." Cleo offered,
"S-Sure." The teenagers responded and headed for the exit with Cleo leading the way.
"I see." Cleo nodded as she listened to the concerns of everyone over a table. "Then perhaps we can do all of our chores and needs today. Is everyone clear on what's happening?"
"All interior Halidom responsibilities, such as Rarity's clothes shopping, are minor compared to the task of fixing that pool. If you guys want to protect this place from any further fiend attacks, then getting more adventurer essences is necessary." Flash answered,
"I agree." Cleo responded, "Now Sweetie, what did the summoner need?"
"She said she needs Mana, Wyrmite and Eldwater. Mana I know of, but no idea about the other two."
"Then let me fill you in." Cleo answered, "Wyrmite are valuable yet common stones that can be seen all around Grastaea. They are but of one material required to use the summoning pool. Eldwater, on the other hand, is a by-product from summoning. You see, summoning the essences of our adventurers is well... Left to chance."
"WOW, that is SO unreliable you know that?" Sweetie dropped her jaw,
"I won't argue about that." Cleo continued, "Now, there is also the chance of summoning the same essence as before. And to prevent that from happening, the summoner will convert the duplicate essence to Eldwater. Take it as the water of the summoning pool enchanted by the Wyrmite. The Eldwater also has its own purposes. Should anyone ingest a certain amount, their potential will grow immensely. It's also a good material to restore the paintings you see in this castle."
"Huh... sounds better than any lottery in the world if you ask me. You at least get somethin'!" Big Mac shrugged,
"Like Wyrmite, Eldwater can also be found outside the walls of the Halidom."
"And where exactly can we find them?" Sweetie asked,
"There are some special pools in each of the five areas that can provide you with Eldwater. I've sent Adagio on that job before so she can be a witness to that."
"But if you want the little and easy way," Adagio continued, "Defeating fiends are another way to get materials."
"Really?" Flash's eyes widened,
"Yep. Bust them up, and they'll drop all sorts of materials after once they bite the dust." Adagio explained, "Mana and Rupies mostly. If you take out more than a few every day, they'll drop Wyrmites and Eldwater. Sometimes, they may even drop a weapon or a painting!"
"That sounds nice, can I--"
"No Flash." Rarity and Adagio spoke together, "You're not going in to fight them."
"B-But I'm fully equipped!" Flash reasoned, "I've got an actual weapon this time!"
"What you found was just an Adventurer's Lance." Cleo clarified, "This is the most standard of all weapons that's been mass-produced and mass-disposed. You can find this almost anywhere. As you are right now, you'll need a lot more before you can bring you and your weapon to battle. After all, since you are interested in smithing, perhaps you'd like to craft a better weapon first."
"Okay then..." Flash moped,
"In that case, perhaps this would be a good time for you to work out with Estelle, Rarity." Cleo suggested, "You and Adagio should be able to go on a small 'quest' on clearing out some fiends. Meanwhile, the rest of us can handle indoor chores."
"About that ma'am," Big Mac raised his hand, "Ah'd like to volunteer to go with the girls on Fiend huntin'."
"What?" The group jumped in shock and surprise.
"I thought you said you weren't a good hunter!" Sweetie Belle remembered,
"Ah also said ah wasn't good at being hunted either." Big Mac countered. "Bein' the oldest, ah spent most work on the plains and farm. Sometimes, Ah had to chase away any critters that would do harm to our chickens and livestock. Thanks to extended family, Ah learned how to track these wild thangs through their footprints, root out their hiding spots, and git 'em out of the farm fer good. Course, most of 'em were small foxes, wild dogs, owls, and snakes. Believe it or not, Ah scare the livin' daylights out of 'em whenever Ah'm around, or so the others say. A big size, a sharp pitchfork, and a merciless face are enough to tell 'em never to set foot here. Even fiends can't hide their tracks, but Ah do know that they can fight back. Ah'll be happy to help track 'em, but Ah promise to stay a distance."
"Hmm... what do you think? The choice is yours." Cleo turned to the girls,
"That... That can actually work." Rarity agreed, "Sure, welcome to the team."
"What!?" Flash stood up in protest, "That's not fair! Big Mac can't fight, but he gets to go!?"
"I agree with Rarity." Adagio shrugged, "As for your question Flash, it's because Big Mac understands that he can't fight, but he proves to be helpful in the back lines. You on the other hand? You're more willing to throw your life away than be useful!"
"You still don't believe that I can fight!?!?" Flash bellowed,
"Flash, calm down." Cleo responded, "Given your experience with the fiends two days ago, their reasons for not letting you join is justifiable. That's why I asked you to train just a bit more, and I'll help you with that."
"Grr... Fine!" Flash gave in with a frustrated look,
"Speaking of which," Rarity grinned, "Do you want to come along Sweetie Belle? You are the one who seemed motivated to do this after all! I know of you to keep safe!"
"Nah," Sweetie Belle chuckled as she refused, "I know you three can do it!"
"Then it's settled," Cleo nodded, "Flash, Sweetie and I will deal with your request, Rarity, and other things. As for you and Adagio, you will be off fighting fiends, with Big Mac as your scout. Is that clear?"
"Done!" Rarity agreed,
"No issues," Adagio smirked,
"Eeyup." Big Mac grunted, giving a playful wink to Cleo. Cleo saw it, and she smiled.
"Flash? Sweetie?" Cleo turned to the last members of the party.
"All good!" Sweetie gave a thumbs up,
"It's clear..." Flash disappointingly sighed.
"Rarity? Adagio? Do you have your essences with you?"
"Yep! And the clothes this time too!" Rarity replied, "This would be my first time trying them out!"
"Let's get changed, Rarity," Adagio spoke,
"Please do it privately," Flash added, "Let's not have any accidental charges for Peeping Toms."
"Hey, WE should be telling you not to be a Peeping Tom!" Rarity snapped,
"Early bird catches the worm." Flash chuckled,
"Alright. Are you girls ready?" Cleo asked once the Dazzling and the girl of Generosity got into their 'unfitting' clothes.
"Argh..." Adagio grumbled, holding her upper shirt together, "to think I have to hold my upper clothes together just because my chest doesn't fit!"
"Huh... Estelle really seems taller than I am." Rarity responded, looking at the sacred raiments she was wearing, and trying to jam the peculiar hat of Estelle onto her hair.
"Ah'm ready mahself," Big Mac spoke up.
"So where will we be going?" Rarity asked,
"Originally, the destination was going to be the Lake since fighting fiends over there is a breeze for me, but since you, a healer, is in the team, we're going to a more challenging place. It's where you four first entered this hidden area of the world."
"Rovetelle Forest. Seems easy." Rarity optimistically grinned,
"Now, your essence." Adagio continued, pulling out a blue marble-shaped orb.
"Here," Rarity replied by pulling out an exact identical orb. "It's pretty amazing how you can easily hide its presence!"
"Then you know how to un-hide it," Adagio responded, as her orb turned into a silver dagger in a blink of an eye.
"Use your mind, I know." Rarity laughed, as her orb transformed into a familiar silver staff.
"Here goes!" The girls spoke as they placed their silver weapons onto the hearts, and sent forth another blinding light.
As the light died down, the girls were now in familiar bodies. Adagio in her short-haired and sylvan-hiding merchant body, and Rarity in her twin-tailed and Loving Preacher body.
"Ah..." Rarity experienced the feeling of Estelle's Body in Estelle's own set of clothing, "Now THIS is a perfect fit! Now that I'm wearing this, I really do like the contrasting feel of the gauntlets and cotton-like shoes, with the preacher's raiments!"
"Before ah forget..." Big Mac remembered, "This is yours, Rarity." And presented her the Loving Hand,
"Wonderful! Now I truly look like the Loving Preacher in the flesh!" Rarity laughed,
"Hmm... Since you like the body so much, why don't we go by the names of our adventurers whenever we take their body?" Adagio suggested,
"Ah, so like what Mym did?" Cleo clarified, "Sure. I'm fine with that."
"Mym?" Sweetie asked,
"Oh! She's a former ally of ours. She's a special shapeshifter, and she took the form of one of Alberius' companions and followed her namesake."
"We'll try it out then... right, Francesca?" Estelle cheekily asked,
"Only if I get to call you Estelle!" Francesca retorted,
"You got it, Big Mac?" The two girls turned to the big boy,
"Ulp! Yes ma'am!" Big Mac jumped, "A-Ah mean, Francesca and Estelle!"
"Good! Now without further ado..." Francesca furrowed her eyes,
"Let's start the quest!!!" Estelle announced at the top of her lungs. |
Equestria Lost: Dragons beyond time | The Forest of Wind | "Alright you two," Francesca led her two companions through the forest, a kilometre away from the Halidom, "There's something you need to know about the pattern of fiends. First off, you should've noticed that there aren't any fiends attacking us here. That's because, on main roads like these, Cleo and some church people at her time were able to enchant items with a special sacred power that repels fiends. Like the signpost over there..." She pointed to a typical-looking wooden pole with arrows pointing in different directions. "If you ever want to travel alone, these are a good way to tell you where to go, and they provide a very low risk of getting attacked."
"What about the place where we did get attacked?" Big Mac asked,
"The area you landed when entering New Alberia was not part of the main road." The merchant responded, "In unprotected areas, Fiends tend to appear out of thin air... Sometimes, in front of you, behind you, and wherever. They can only access protected areas by walking into their range and even then, they'll constantly feel harm whenever they're in it. Though some daring ones may want to do some destruction over their safety."
"Yes. We remember..." Estelle nodded, remembering the time she saw Flash clawed on the chest, spilling blood.
"Speaking of, we'll be starting our treasure hunt there. You think you're ready to handle it this time Rar-I mean Estelle?"
"I have two forms of magic. I can handle them with no fear!" Estelle laughed,
"Good." Francesca nodded as she stopped at a narrow path with a small signboard marking danger beyond the point. "Stay close to us Mac, you'll never know when things get dicey."
"I'm not Flash, ah won't charge recklessly Adagio--- I mean Ms Franny... Ya don't mind if ah call you that?"
"For that, you're sticking to Adagio! And don't even think about calling me Ms Adagio either! I may not be human, but I want to be addressed according to my looks!" Francesca snapped and marched forward, "Now hurry up!"
"We appreciate it," Estelle chuckled, holding Big Mac's hand as they walked in. "Let's go!"
The narrow path they took led them to a wide one. Within this enclosed area, the trio could see stones, broken wheelbarrows, barrels and crates, and even an apple tree, sitting in the corner of their nature-paved pathway. Big Mac's eyes sparkled at the sight of the bright red plump fruits.
"Now... It's time to move out!" Francesca declared and ran forward,
"I'm as ready as ready gets!!!" Estelle smiled back and followed behind,
"W-Wait!" Big Mac yelped while trailing behind, "what about them apples? C-Can I at least take one?" The girls sighed.
"Stand back please," Francesca instructed and Big Mac did so. She approached the tree and gave it a firm smack with the hilt of the dagger. Five apples broke off from their branches and fell to the ground with a soft bump.
"Oh, thanks." Big Mac sighed as he gathered it up and placed it in a rucksack he brought along.
"Hmm..." He picked one out to feel and sniff, "it certainly smells fresh! Have you ever considered foraging apples from here?"
"Not really, but there's something else that's fresh!" Francesca spoke,
"What's that?" Big Mac turned with a bright face,
"Us! For the Fiends!" Returning the smile, Francesca pointed her dagger to a group of slimes in jars hopping menacingly towards them.
"Oh..." Big Mac's face dropped, "Mah bad."
"You don't have to apologise," Estelle smiled, whipping out the Loving Hand, "Fighting fiends are a part of the quest!!!"
"You wanna cut back to safety?" Francesca asked,
"A-Ah said ah came to help, so ah'm gonna stick to it." Big Mac shook his head, "Jus' distracted cause of the apples."
"Good," Francesca gave a devilish grin, "Let's get fighting!"
With no fear of getting hit, Francesca charged forward giving a wide swing, catching the bouncing slimes or tripping them over. Attempting to get up, one of the slimes was subject to the merchant's lethal dagger skills.
"One!" Francesca started off with a forceful slash against the slimes' body. Estelle widened her mouth at her allies' skill with a dagger.
"Two!" She then followed up with two quick slashes in succession, right in the same site of injury. The slime would scream if it had a mouth.
"Three!" continuing after that, she delivered another pair of slashes that were slower than before, but with more force than the first time.
"That's incredibly fast!" Estelle watched "I've never seen Adagio move that much during the time of the Battle of the Bands!!!"
"You mean Francesca, right? Let's try an' stick to the pseudonyms." Big Mac reminded.
"Ah! Francesca! Around you!" Estelle warned. Amid her fighting, the other slimes around Francesca began to converge around her.
"That just makes things easy! Four!" Francesca laughed as she spun around with her dagger outstretched. The dagger made whistling sound cutting through the winds, air, and the other slimes.
"Wow..." The two spectators spoke in awe.
"And for the finishing blow..." Francesca continued, performing a mighty backflip with her dagger still pointing towards the enemy. This drove an upwards slash so strong it split the slime and its pot in two, disintegrating into black steam.
"That was amazing!" Estelle and Big Mac cheered,
"Um... Hello!?" Francesca yelled back, "If you can cheer, you can FIGHT! Isn't that why you're Estelle in the first place!?"
"Oh umm..." Estelle quickly panicked, desperate to come up with a good excuse. "Sorry, I'm still under the impression that Healers normally wait behind the front lines."
"This isn't a video game! Didn't Cleo teach you how to fight already!? Swing your staff and shoot these things!" Francesca continued yapping,
"Okay okay!" Estelle sighed as she marched forward. Just like before, Estelle steeled her body, trying to control the flow of mana inside her body. She smiled once again once she successfully guided the tingling sense through her body and into her staff.
"Take this!" Estelle yelled, casting a volley of Yellow Orbs straight into the slime horde. The group of Slimes either flinched, reeled, or recoiled in pain when the orbs popped the moment they touch them. Some even went down for the count. The Loving Preacher took this all in and compared it to the time fighting against the jumbo fiend.
"Phew!!!" Francesca wiped her forehead once she stabbed the last slime in the vicinity. "That's that!"
"Are you hurt anywhere?" Estelle asked,
"Not at all. Slimes are easy pickings anyways!" Francesca laughed, "it's the bigger ones that you'll need to worry about. Now before we all talk more, let's get moving before more fiends show up! The pool we need to find is up ahead, and expect something nasty too."
With no time to stop, the trio dashed on ahead, while swiping any group of fiends that got the ambush on them. As they saw a bright light ahead in their path, they came to a halt. A small but heavy feeling seemed to emanate from within that light, making the trio feel giddy.
"I can feel something uncomfortable blowing in my face..." Big Mac moaned,
"My stomach feels a bit quirky too," Estelle added,
"Yep." Francesca nodded, "Despite different feelings, it still means the nasty thing I was talking about is up ahead. That's when things will get tricky... I'm still alright though, ready when the team is."
"All good," Big Mac saluted,
"Alright then, we march!" Estelle pointed her Loving Hand forward and led the group into the light.
*Boing Boing*
A massive fiend, emotionless in looks, bounced ferociously before the three adventurers, ready to give a thrashing.
"Isn't that...?" Estelle looked to Adagio, pointing at the sight of a giant pot that seemed to hold a giant gelatinous goo that had a mind of its own.
"Yep, the large fiend we're fighting is a Jumbo Slime." Francesca nodded, "and yes, they look exactly like their smaller counterparts."
"Shouldn't be so hard since all we've been facing are slimes!" Estelle laughed.
"I wouldn't say tha-- Watch out!!!" Francesca tackled the priest away from a darkening shadow. It seems that through their talking, the large slime took the chance to leap up to the sky and drop upon the area where the Priest was standing, kicking up a cloud of dust, grass and soil. Once all three subsided, the Slime harmlessly hopped from its spot, leaving behind a dirt crater from where the slime slammed down. Estelle blinked wildly at the giant fiend's crater and began to perspire and shiver.
"Thanks... And Sorry!" Estelle apologised, "I shall focus on fighting!"
"You still here big guy?" Francesca called. A red hand and arm out from a large shrub and waved. Francesca found him.
"I see you!" The merchant yelled, "Keep your eyes and ears on the big guy. If you feel like it's coming towards you, run!" The arm gave a thumbs up for the advice and slithered back into the green.
"Now Estelle, the best thing you can do is to stay back and hit it from afar." Francesca commanded, "I'll be dealing damage up close."
"O-Okay..." Estelle nodded, seeing the slime leaping hopping madly, with each landing point leaving a crater.
"We may have the same element, and you may be the strongest fiend here... But you're outnumbered!!! Hyaaa!!!!!" Francesca growled as she zipped forward, right into the enemy's face.
"Hya! Hya! Hya!" Flash Sentry grunted and yelled with each thrust of his lance. Stuck with the responsibility of staying behind and doing housekeeping, the teenager desperately vented his frustration on his training.
"You know, a lot of people these days would avoid fighting," Sweetie spoke, sitting on a log and watching him fight.
"Fighting, whether in court or combat, is the last resort that must not be neglected, especially in this day and age." Flash returned, "That sort of thinking was part of why my mum and dad got together."
"You really dedicate a lot to fighting. I guess I was wrong about thinking that you were a joker about that."
"You can just say sorry for those snide remarks. Is apologising too much for people's pride?"
"Hello you two," Cleo approached them, carrying two mugs of orange juice, "perhaps some refreshments?"
"Oh, thanks!" Sweetie thanked as she took a mug,
"I'll leave yours with Sweetie, Flash. For when you decide to take a rest," Cleo informed, "So how different is the lance compared to your type of staff?"
"Typically, the staff weight distribution is balanced throughout its length, but add a spearhead to that, and there's a lot of things I need to adapt to." He spun the lance around without any effort or difficulty, causing Sweetie to blink out of amazement, "A little weight from the Spearhead's nothing though, and adaptation when it comes to swinging any long stick is pretty easy."
"Why not another feature to add to your training?" Cleo suggested,
"Like what?" Flash asked, hitting the hard dirt with the bottom of the lance.
"Keep on giving deep breaths, in and out." Cleo instructed, "And not just when you're training. I'd like you to do it whenever you enter this place."
"Huh... Not that I have a problem with something like that but... Why?"
"I will reveal the reason, the moment you've done enough of the breathing. I will impart the knowledge, however, that this is an important step to be able to defeat those fiends."
"If you say so." Flash shrugged and nodded, and started to breathe deeply while resuming his lance spinning, swiping, and thrusting.
"Sweetie, I see you're quite interested in watching Flash but aren't you going to try singing the translation I gave you?" Cleo turned around,
"I'm not motivated for that now..." Sweetie yawned, "And I've finished taking all my pictures except for the summoning island. Watching Flash fight, on the other hand, is rather entertaining. And it raises a question for me."
"And that is?"
"One of my best friends is a family friend of Flash's, or rather, her big brother. Now I understand that he's not part of her family, but she seems to treat him very closely. I've introduced my family to her and my other best friend, and vice versa. She mentioned NOTHING about him. Does he mean something to her or not?"
"I'm still within earshot you know," Flash halted his swinging, "How about asking her? I'm sure she'll be happy to talk about her Big Brother. Good and Bad."
"Flash? Deep breathing." Cleo responded,
"Are you seriously going to remind me that every time?" Flash sighed as he resumed his deep breaths.
"Wow. That was one doozy of a fight!" Big Mac laughed.
"To think fighting that thing would only last for five minutes..." Estelle sighed, "I thought it would be difficult as the Shroom!"
"Oh, they are!" Francesca clarified. "If you're caught hesitating, you'll pay for it immensely! If you keep on the pressure, it will be down in no time! Course, if we were facing a fiend in the Lake area, one to two hits can finish off the small fry, and any large fiend there can be defeated in almost a single minute if you have someone like me!"
"That sounds great!"
"On the other hand, there are more types of fiends that lurk around there. There are spitting serpents, savage wolves, and angry trolls!"
"Oh come on!" Estelle complained, "A job this big of a risk would be prohibited! And a spitting serpent doesn't seem all that dangerous!"
"This 'risk' is what you and Cleo prevent! Calm down!" Francesca retorted.
"Both of you calm down." Big Mac stood between them. "First off, Rarity's still new to this Estelle thing, and second, you two still pulled it off. Amazing really."
"H-How is this going to work!?" Francesca wailed with embarrassment.
"Stop squirming! You're already messing up my hair!" Estelle grumbled, frantically balancing the merchant on her shoulders. "Furthermore, you're deceptively heavy! Why are you so heavy for one that's so short!?"
"Excuse me!?!?!?" A bitter growl came out from Francesca, "you want to talk trash about my weight!?"
Meanwhile, Big Mac peered from his shrub at the bickering girls. He had a pretty strong inkling on why Francesca would be so heavy, but he'd best keep that to himself.
"Anyway!" Estelle continued, "This thing keeps on bouncing around and attempting to body slam you. I can be your legs, while you just focus on attacking it!"
"But I need to move around if I want to efficiently attac--!!!"
"JUST. STAB. IT." Estelle commanded with a forceful glare and ran towards the slime.
"Fine!!! But you'd better not drop me!" Francesca retorted.
Francesca readied her dagger once her piggybacking preacher was half a meter away from the pot.
"Perfect!" Francesca responded, "I can reach the slime's core!"
"Go wild!" Estelle encouraged, now running circles around the fiend.
"Alright!" Francesca laughed as she began stabbing the slime's sludgy body over and over. "Hahahahaha!!! This is quite fun!!!"
"Yeah, that trick only lasted for about half a minute." Francesca sighed, "We got body-slammed when Est was trying to regain her balance. Then again, I was 'apparently' too heavy for her."
"Oh be grateful that I decided to piggyback you!" Estelle pouted, "The only time I piggybacked someone was with Sweetie Belle, and we were both young back then!"
"Speaking of... Why didn't you use that Diamond shield trick like before?"
"Well..." Estelle turned red, "You see..." She held her arm out, "I... I can't create those Diamond projections... During our way to the eldwater pool, I realised that I could not use any of my own magic powers as my usual self! And not to mention, I don't feel as agile in this body either. The weight of these boots and gauntlets may be taking a toll from my muscle memory!"
"Well, that's an enigma." Big Mac placed a hand on his chin, "Looks like we have a weakness with these essences..."
"Oh, I see..." Francesca gave a smug grin, "So you can't use your Equestrian Magic, because each and every adventurer of the Halidom has no idea what it is, let alone use it. Perfect! Guess you're not as powerful as you seem to be!"
"Hey girls?" Big Mac interrupted, "Let's not fall apart. Ah'm sure that there 'er things that ya can't do when yer Francesca, 'Dagio. Perhaps yer proficiency in usin' daggers? Or how about bein' a merchant or courier?"
Francesca gave a mean frown to the farmer, "Stop being such a killjoy."
"Bingo. Ah love learning new things." Big Mac gave a small grin, "Seems like you need more than just the essence to capably fight with it."
"I'll wipe that grin off your face." Francesca growled, "You've been hiding for the entire time. And the moment when that Slime was coincidentally about to land on you..."
"You were watchin' me run?" Big Mac responded with uncertainty, a bead of sweat running down his face.
Big Mac peered through the bushes, watching the battle unfold before him. He tensed up when he saw both girls come apart when the massive slime hurled its body into their path, sending them flying for two seconds and rolling on the soil. Thankfully, both did not fall unconscious, but Francesca was certainly feeling the pain.
"This body..." Francesca coughed, holding her bruised body together, "... Isn't as durable as you think. H-Heal now, please? Before the slime attacks us again!"
"Well, my body seems ready to do it so... Healing Faith!" Estelle chanted, which covered the merchant with green healing hands.
"Much better!" Francesca nodded with approval as she got up, "Now let's get back at it!"
"Come on, y'all can do it!" Big Mac mumbled to himself as he watched Francesca dance to and fro with her dagger at the giant fiend, with Estelle moving from point to point to land her shots at different body parts. After one minute of doing so, the slime shook compulsively and began to move, or bounce, faster than usual. Had she not rolled back in time, that slime would have slammed her then and there. Big Mac watched and took it all in. This sort of behaviour must be the 'enraged' state that Cleo and the others mentioned back then, the farmer-turned-tracker deduced. Once in that state, a fiend's might and speed become a force to be reckoned with. Watching the slime again, it has resorted to madly hopping around like a bunny, although he could feel the ground tremble this time. It attempted to crush the Merchant, then the priest, and just when it leapt towards the direction of the shrub...
"HYAAAAAAAA!!!!" Big Mac screamed as he held tight to his bag and hightailed it out of the shrub, Just before the slime flattened it with a terrifying 'CRRRRRRAK'!
"Huh... Huh..." Big Mac breathed heavily as he turned to face the slime, concealed by the amount of dust it kicked up from the landing. "That was a close call..."
But once the dust settled, Big Mac found himself staring straight into the slimes' large eyes, complete yellow without any pupils, irises, and scleras. The slime wiggled around, looks like it found a new target.
"Nope, Nope, NOPE!" Big Mac turned tail and ran as fast as he could once again, this time with the bouncing slime hot on its trail, shaking the earth with each bounce.
"HELLLLLLLLLLLP MEEEEEEEEEEEEH!!!" He bellowed, tears welling down his eyes while making sure not to trip from the tremors caused by the slime.
"I got ya!" Francesca yelled and joined the pursuit.
"Well that's something you don't see every day," Estelle chuckled to herself as she saw the runaway tracker being chased by the giant slime, while it, in turn, was being chased by an eager merchant.
"Hey! Preacher! Do something!" Francesca waved her hands.
"Oh! Sorry!" Estelle waved back in apology.
A hail of yellow orbs rained down on the slime as it was getting closer and closer to his prey with every bounce. That attempt was just enough for Big Mac to extend his distance and for Francesca to close in and deliver a forceful spinning attack which tripped it over.
"Gotcha now! Time to go on the offensive!!!" Francesca laughed, "take this! Peregrine Blade!!!"
A few seconds after the merchant chanted those words, the slime lost its gelatinous form and melted to a lifeless liquid, before itself and its pot exploded into black motes. Leaving behind a brown treasure chest.
"Treasure!?!?" Big Mac and Estelle exclaimed with shock,
"Of course I was! Otherwise, I would never have swooped in and achieved victory!" Francesca responded, looking smug.
"You told me to run..." Big Mac calmly explained, "And ya know ah'd never survive gettin' squashed by that."
"Still, your face was a moment for the ages!" Francesca continued her snide remarks.
"Well, no use crying over spilt milk then." Big Mac sighed and shrugged, "But ah at least know how these fiends move from spectating. And not to mention we got two birds with one stone."
"A treasure chest full of Wyrmite! What luck!" Estelle explained,
"And we managed to obtain enough Eldwater too. It looks rather interesting. Judging from what Cleo said, ah have half a mind to drink some."
"Don't get any ideas." Francesca warned, "After many years, It'd be a risk if we were to consume some now."
"By the way, what about mana?" Estelle added, "Isn't that one more ingredient?"
"As it was said before, fiends tend to release mana when they go kaput. That mana is then transferred to the person who performed the finishing blow. Of course, it is possible to transfer that excess mana to others or into some magical container for that sort of storage. Large fiends tend to drop lots too."
"Guess that means quest clear!" Big Mac chuckled, "Time to head home?"
"We could," Francesca nodded, "Or perhaps you want to take a little detour since our mission took a very small time... Any place where you want to go?"
"I wouldn't want to keep Sweetie waiting." Estelle chuckled, "And I think I'm tired of fighting for one day. I'd like to take all this off now."
"... Actually." Big Mac changed his tone, "There is..."
"What?" Estelle gasped, "What's with the change of mind?"
"It appears the desire to explore within Big Mac is not a lie. Alright then, where would you like to go?" Francesca asked,
"Is there any interesting place around the Forest?" Big Mac asked,
"Anything worth interesting? Just one... The Windwyrm's Den." Francesca answered. Big Mac's eyes pricked up, Francesca grinned back.
"Windwyrm... You mean the Den of a Dragon?" Estelle froze, "Y-you're actually wanting to enter a Dragon's Den!?"
"You should see your face," Francesca laughed at the preacher's timidity, "But there's actually no need to fear. I've been there before, and there's no Dragon to be found. And even if there were, the Dragons around here are intelligent and allies of Cleo. I'm sure they'll be friendly if we tell them that we're friends with her."
"Ah'm in." Big Mac answered, "Ah want to see a dragon."
"Are you sure?" Francesca raised an eyebrow, "The path to the den will have fiends, and as I said, I've never seen a dragon there. I even believe that they might not be living anymore."
"Well, that's fer me to find out mahself right?" Big Mac responded,
"Hey, hey... I'm not doing this." Estelle objected, "I say we go home."
"Okay then, 'ow 'bout I lead the path of least conflict?"
"Hmm???" The girls cocked their heads.
"As ah said, ah ain't a spectator fer nothing. It's no sham when you said that they appear out of nowhere, but if they're prowling around in the area, we could sneak around."
"A stealthy approach? I must say I'm very intrigued." Francesca nodded, "what do you think Est?"
"That's even worse! It would get my clothes and hair in a mess! Even if these clothes aren't technically mine!" Estelle protested again,
"I see, thanks for your decision!" Francesca nodded, "Sadly, in the case of democracy, it's a two to one overrule!!! We sneak into the den!"
"Wha!? We never took a vote on this!!! That's not fair!!!"
"Don't worry," Big Mac gave a thumbs up and an optimistic grin, "Ah'll do my best!"
"Thanks for helping out again Flash." Cleo thanked as she walked through the hallways of the Halidom, "You really are a helpful guy to have around."
"No problem. People will always need help." Flash responded, walking with her, "Besides, learning more about the adventurers is just as wonderful. And it turns out there are plenty of 'sensible-dressed' females according to Rarity."
"Have you got the list and locations?"
"Yes." Flash pulled up a list on his phone, "Philia, a girl who believes in fate and love (a whole lot too), wears normal warm clothing and a winter beanie with tassels. There is Melody who is a maid and has worn nothing but the typical Fancy Maid clothes. And then there's Hildegarde, the most devoted of all the Clergy people here, and wears the right size of robes that covers up her body well. The same goes for her 'Valentine's' outfit, although it does appear that she's quite stacked underneath all that Holy Cloth!"
"Flash!" Cleo glared,
"I'm sorry." Flash chuckled, "But I'm also very much interested in this Valentine's event... What's it about?"
"It's a cultural festival where people express their love for one another. Popular with couples, and those who have deep feelings for others. It involves lots of sweet things like Chocolate."
"Hmm... I knew it. It's just like Equestria's Hearts and Hooves Day." Flash responded, "Most of our festivals seem to be alike. That's interesting."
"La... La... La..." A young girl's melodic voice flowed through the halls.
"Hmm?" Flash's ears perked up,
"That must be Sweetie, probably singing some songs from the choir book after translating them." Cleo answered, "She's in the room where I got it from."
"Ooh... May we watch?" Flash asked,
"I don't see why not. Let me show you the way." Cleo answered, "but make sure you're taking deep breaths while you're walking."
With Cleo guiding the way, Sweetie's singing voice became louder and louder. The duo reached a door where they could practically hear her melodic voice seeping out of the door.
"She has a wonderful voice." Cleo complimented, "if she existed in my time, there is no doubt that she would be welcomed as a member of the Harmonia Choir."
"A choir of children, right?" Flash clarified, "Big Mac says they're well-known. How much though?"
"Absolute stardom. Their voices are angelic and divine. In times of fiends, however, a few of them have also learned how to fight. They joined our band of adventurers. Did you know the manager and owner of this choir is a Dragon?"
"Really? Dragons can do that?" Flash exclaimed,
"Dragons play a big part in human life. That's one of the many things we get when dragons and people like you and I co-exist."
"In our time, Dragons are large figures of pop culture fantasy. They're powerful, they're beautiful, some call them deities or Gods in the fictional universe." Flash compared,
"Interesting. It doesn't sound far off from what we believe in..."
"Really? Speaking about beliefs..." Flash took a deep breath and spoke courageously. "What of the Goddess Ilia? There were plenty of preachers and knights/paladyns who serve under her name and grace. Didn't you say she was human?"
"She was the First Auspex of the Ilian Church alike to her name, and is the starting point of the entire relationship between human and dragon, alongside the Holy Dragon Elysium. Their power together was transcendent and they delivered both Dragons and Humans from the forces of Morsayati. I was not born at that time, but stories did say that at her moment of passing, she ascended to Godhood, and her faith and actions have been passed down through millennia via the Ilian Church and Faith. Of course, it does have its conflicting issues, as you may have read from Elisanne's bio, but that doesn't bother the Prince. He'll welcome anyone to the Halidom as long as they mean no harm."
"I see. Really interesting." Flash mused and acknowledged with a nod. Silence followed after that.
"Huh..." Flash looked to the door, "Looks like Sweetie's stopped singing."
"I was listening to the conversation." Sweetie opened the door, "If you wanted me for something, you could just knock. No need to talk behind closed doors."
"Sorry, we initially wanted to listen to you, but we got carried away talking. Do you mind?"
"Not at all, come right in!" Sweetie opened the door wide. The room that the two entered had a heartwarming winter theme to it. Some artisanal snowmen, decorative candle stands, and a plushie of the most adorable and fluffy polar bear with horns, claws, a dragon's tail with a bow tie, and a silver bell on its neck. On one of the desks in the room, a group of plump mice watched the two new visitors come in with deep eyes and twitching noses.
"I already had an audience before you two." Sweetie introduced, "The mice you see here came out of their hidey-hole when I was singing. Aren't they cute?"
"Squeak!" One of the mice made a sound,
"Ms Cleo," Flash pointed at the mice, "Do you normally have pests around here?"
"Hey!" Sweetie spoke defensively, "They're not pests!"
"Sweetie is right." Cleo agreed, "These mice are the closest friends of Pia, the Choir Member whose book I've gifted to Sweetie. Or to be more specific, their descendants, considering the lifespan of mice."
"Ah... I'm sorry. Again." Flash apologised, "Forgive my judgements."
The mice gave an offended stare at the boy and squeaked a response.
"I'll take that as an apology accepted."
"Anyway, please continue," Cleo suggested, pulling up a seat for Flash and herself.
"Okay then. Apparently, the choir book seemed to have a certain verse circled in here for a song. If anything, does this mean it's a solo?" Sweetie asked,
"I remember the times when I listened to the Harmonia Choir and their soloists. Perhaps give me the name of the song."
"I think it was called 'Blurry'?"
"Yes! That is a solo for Pia. The first time I listened to the Harmonia Choir, she was the one who sang that verse as a solo. Initially, the solo part was meant for her fellow member, friend and roommate Elias, but after some struggle with his inner despair, Elias was happy to give the role to her."
"O-Okay then! I got it! Thank goodness that music scores were not lost in translation. Here I go then..." She took a deep breath and sang.
With no instrumental to back her, everyone was glued to the young crusader, who was sight-reading the music score with her voice, as well as looking to the roughly translated lyrics of Cleo. To Flash's ears, the translated English lyrics of the song doesn't make sense when spoken, but it did not obstruct or compromise the wonderful, pitch-perfect tone of the girl herself.
When she finished, the two humans responded with gracious applause, as well as the mice.
"That was amazing! You really are Rarity's sister, or rather, your own wonderful voice!" Flash applauded.
"Thanks," Sweetie chuckled, "It's great to be complimented as my sister's equal, rather than her completely."
"Do you take singing lessons?" Cleo asked,
"Well, Rarity and I are naturals at singing, but we practice singing together for fun. I do know that Rarity is part of a barbershop or vocal quartet with Big Mac, quintet if you count Fluttershy. They've been to many music contests, both interschool and outside events!"
"That sounds very wonderful. How about you Flash? Do you sing?"
"I do. I'm the lead singer and guitarist of a school band, though I haven't been singing as much lately." Flash answered,
"Really? Then... May I ask you for a favour?" Cleo changed her tone,
"Sounds serious," Sweetie gulped,
"Adagio. She told me her life story, a being that can absorb negative emotions and use it as dark magic. To do all that, they sing. She can't do that anymore, so I was hoping that she may be able to recover that ability once again. Perhaps through the four of you."
"Okay, hold it there Ms Cleo." Sweetie stopped, "That last time she was singing, she brainwashed us to be extremely competitive and aggressive in our music performances and that herself made her stronger, from what Rarity told me. I don't know much about Sirens myself, but if she was able to sing, her voice would scramble our heads again!"
"Adagio was comfortable in telling me the entire story between her and Rarity. She was also honest about her own ambitions and evil purposes. If she still held those evil feelings, I would have kicked her out of the Halidom, but she chose to stay and change her ways, bit by bit. If she didn't change, would you ever see her being a delivery courier?"
Sweetie and Flash looked at each other and shook their heads unanimously.
"Exactly. As for her 'magic', that's already been taken care of. She's been living here for a few months now, that she's breathing that magic in as a part of her body as Francesca and herself." Cleo continued.
"Grastaean Magic, that's mana. Right?" Flash asked,
"Yes." Cleo smiled, "I don't how powerful Siren Magic is, but I can assure you that Mana is very much distinct to it. For one, Mana isn't unique to a particular species or being, anyone can harness it. As I said, it is the source of life and magic in New Alberia, and the entire nation of Grastaea."
"Can we use it?" Flash asked, "Can we harness mana as humans did in your time?"
"Sadly." Cleo closed her eyes, "I have no idea... Unless you want to volunteer as a test subject."
"Well, if it's anything to bring me on equal ground with the fiends, I'm--"
"That was a joke." Cleo gave a furious glare to Flash, "I'm not going to risk forcibly transferring mana into your body. Do you want to fight those fiends? Then refine your Lance skills, and don't stop breathing deeply!"
Flash rolled his eyes and did as he was told, taking deep breaths.
"By the way," Flash asked after exhaling, "When's Adagio, Rarity and Big McIntosh coming back? It's almost going to be lunch soon!"
Somewhere along a fiend-infested path, a pair of eyes gazed at a group of goblins mindlessly wandering about, sometimes pausing its movements to jump around like cavemen, or scratch their bottoms. The eyes paid no attention to anything but the goblins, as they hopped on ahead, wondering if they'll run into any live targets.
"Alright..." Big Mac whispered, "keep on trudging through the bushes."
"I. Hate. You." Estelle whispered seethingly as she slowly crawled after him,
"Heh... Your Rarity is showing Estelle..." Francesca snickered, "Ah well. As if there was any difference anyway."
"For the sake of the lady, are we there yet?" Big Mac responded,
"Yeah... We're getting close to the bridge. Beyond that, you'll find the doors to enter the Windwyrm's Den."
"That's great... We've come so far, we ain't backing down on the travel!" Big Mac encouraged until he heard the screeching sound of an eagle above them.
"Stop! Heads down!" Big Mac signalled with his hands. Peering out of the bushes, he saw a green bird with sharp plumes circling a brown wooden bridge in front of them. The avian fiend landed on the handrail and decided to clean its feathers and tail. Big Mac sighed under his breath, it's a waiting game here. No matter the pins and needles he felt on his arms, and the grumbles of Rarity (since he doesn't know whether Estelle would mind hiding in the dirt), he kept on signalling the girls to keep down and not make any noise. It was after three extended minutes that the bird decided to fly away, far from the bridge.
"Alright..." Big Mac kept a patient eye on the bird until it was permanently out of his view. "Go! Go! Go!" He crawled as fast as he could out of the bushes and down the small ridge. He held his hands up so he could let the girls slide down delicately, given that their time in the bushes has left them in the dirty, messed up, and 'un-delicate' state.
"This was the worst decision!" Estelle growled, pulling out multiple twigs, leaves, and dirt stuck in her purple twintails, "I'd rather face the fiends head-on than do something like this again!!!"
"Oh really?" Francesca gave smug-toothed grin while adjusting her hat and scrubbing off the dirt on her face, "You think facing four groups of slimes and three groups of goblins, with each group having five members, was better than sneaking around? And not to mention, that bird fiend back then was an Arrow Raptor. These fiends attack from a distance by whipping up dangerous whirlwinds, and if you get up close to them, they'll charge at you with the force of a jet, not only hurting you in the process but making sure to keep a distance from you!"
"... Y-Yes! I stand by my decision! Hmph!" Estelle turned her head in denial.
"In any case, we're here without fighting." Big Mac pointed to their destination. Across the small wooden bridge was the entrance to ruins made out of stone. A pillar stood guard on each side of the door, decorated with overgrown moss and flowers. The walls were also accounted with fresh grass and flowers poking through the cracks of the stone structures and designs.
"I know what you're thinking." Francesca looked at the two, who were looking at the Den with great interest. "These dragons don't live in dark caves, or in hordes of treasure, most of the time. These dragons live in temple-like ruins. Wherever a dragon makes their den, a lot of living things grow well around it. That's why they have authority and power over nature, even more so than us."
"Well, in that case, let's go see if there's a dragon beyond those closed doors!" Big Mac laughed as he began crossing the bridge,
"I hope whoever that Dragon is can offer us a ride home. At least I'll be satisfied that I can ride a dragon!" Estelle grumbled,
"Woah hold it there!" Francesca warned as she chased them, "you still need to be careful! The doors to the den are closed because--"
A spiked gate of magic shot up from behind, blocking the trio from the path they came from, and trapping them on the side of the Windwyrm's Den.
"-- A fiend's blocking it with its power." Francesca finished.
In continuation with the sprung trap, the Fiend that stood guard appeared in a quick blink of light, just how all fiends had appeared. But this fiend was unlike any other...
It wasn't another Jumbo Slime, it wasn't a goblin or an arrow raptor in a great or hefty size. Rather, this Fiend was a bipedal hulk that stood as tall the den's five-meter doors. Not only that, but it was also wide in size covering the distance between the pillars standing guard. Finally, the fiend was all big and bulky rocks and boulders from head to toe, from shoulders to arms. The only thing that stands out, was a singular glowing red eye in a black crevasse for its face, towering over the completely astonished and gobsmacked trio.
"The guarding fiend... Is a giant golem eh?" Big Mac spoke, trying to hide the trembling fear he has.
"A Hefty Golem to be precise..." Francesca nodded gloomily.
"So after all that sneaking, we still have to fight either way..." Estelle coughed, "... We should have fought our way through instead. That way, I can build up that healing power of mine!"
"For once I agree with you, Rarity. I could build up my skills too." Francesca nodded in defeat, intentionally using the true identity of the preacher's wielder.
"Sorry?" Big Mac gulped.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!" The Hefty Golem gave an inhuman wail and swung both its giant arms towards the intruders.
"EVERYONE SKEDADDLE!!!" Big Mac yelled and the three broke apart and rolled away just in the nick of time as the two rocky hands slammed into the dirt.
It was a tremor far greater than the slimes, shaking the ground to a new magnitude, and the very trees and river itself.
"Alright! You guys got any plan?" Big Mac yelled, keeping on his toes, "anything we can do?"
"Dodge and attack!" Francesca yelled, "from experience, this guy has more tricks up its sleeve! Aside from that ground-shaking move, he'll be more than happy to stamp the ground, and roll on us!"
"Roll on us?" Estelle clarified. As if the fiend had heard, he began a demonstration by curling into a ball and rolling straight for Preacher at high speeds.
"Oh no!" Estelle quickly rolled away once more from the golem-ball's path into the mini cliffs. A nasty slamming and crushing sound invaded the adventurers' ears.
"It took a long time for me and Cleo to fight this thing. We're just two adventurers equipped with a Dagger and a Staff." Francesca sighed,
"Are you saying this may take longer than the slime?"
"They're Golems for a reason! Why are you whining?"
"Excuse me? I'm merely complaining. Do YOU want to know what whining is like!?"
"Girls, getting put out here is the last thing ya want!" Big Mac yelled, "If ya fixin' to take out that golem quick, ah have an idea, but uhh... Can ya'll try building up yer skills and spells by hittin' the chunk o' rocks? And distractin' him?"
"Sure! You got us in this mess so find a way out of it!" Francesca hammered,
"That's rather rude... Though you're not wrong..." Estelle bickered, "... Just do your best Big Mac!"
The two girls grit their teeth and began an assault on the Hefty Golem, even if their chained stabbing and orb lobbing amounted to minuscule damage. Big Mac quickly took the time to look what's underneath the bridge; A massive river flowing with tremendous speeds. The farmer found it odd because he swore that this river was calm before they crossed the bridge. Is something controlling it? Despite how it is, it was the ticket that Big Mac needed for the plan to execute.
He looked back to the fight. The Golem had Estelle in its grip, and it seemed like it had something nasty prepared for its catch of the day.
"H... Hrk... Help... Me!!!" Estelle frantically waved, feeling the tight grip of the golem and its hard rocks rubbing crudely on her body and clothes.
"You idiot!" Francesca moaned, "Hold up! I got you!" Francesca quickly leapt to the height of the Golem's hand and delivered multiple slashes as quickly as she could. She was desperate to free her companion lest she gets crushed. However, her Bejeweled Dagger slid across the Golem's hand like chalk to a board; A sudden worry that her rescue effort will amount to nothing.
"Don't lose hope y'all!" Big Mac encouraged, "keep tryin' to break free Rarity! Yer body of Estelle may not be as agile as you were, but ah'm sure she's stronger, given how she uses that Lovin' Hand!"
"Awk... O-Okay!" Estelle coughed,
"'Dagio? Keep at it! Even steel can cut through rock if ya' keep at it, you'll make 'em wail!"
"You really aren't sticking to our pseudonyms, are you?" Francesca asked,
"Y'all in trouble, and y'all listen more if ah used yer true names in times like these." Big Mac reasoned, "Now don't take yer sweet time!"
"Rrrgh!!!" Estelle, with that motivation, dug her hands between her body and the fist, pushing as hard as she can to loosen the Golem's grip.
"Yaaa!!!" Francesca jumped up and let loose an even faster flurry of stabs and slashes, almost to the point where the rocks were scratched deep. That combination was enough for the Golem to loosen its grip for the preacher to fall through and be rescued by the farmer.
"Ya did it." Big Mac chuckled,
"Barely," Estelle gasped for air, "Now what's your plan?"
"This..." Big Mac started as he quickly whispered everything into the preacher's ear, to which she nodded approvingly.
"If the power of nature around here is controlled by Dragons, I can say that they're looking out for us!"
"Keep on distractin' it, and don't get caught again. 'Dagio?"
"Over here," Francesca grabbed the farmer and drew him away from the Hefty Golem, now swinging madly due to the loss of its victim. Big Mac whispered the same plan to the Merchant, and she too nodded in approval.
"After the attempts to free Estelle, I've got a skill ready in case things need an extra kick," Francesca explained.
"The rockhead seems to be mad that we stole its victim. Let's hope that clouds its judgement!" Big Mac gulped.
Executing the plan, the first step was for the three of them to group together and stand close to the edge of the raging river. The golem followed the preacher that slipped from its grip to now seeing the entire three in their view.
"Hey! Rockhead!" Francesca taunted, "come get us!"
The Golem growled,
"Hah! Compared to Tom, you are nothing but a constructive and architectural mess! You can never hope to match his amazing symmetry and smooth surfaces!" Estelle laughed haughtily.
"Who's Tom?" Francesca whispered,
"Weird story. For some strange reason, she got attached to a large boulder, thinking it was a diamond, and gave it a name. Almost thought she was under the influence of somethin'." Big Mac responded,
"Hrrr...." The Golem growled even louder, rage and wrath seeping through his tone,
"Y'all don't amount to a hill of beans Golem. Y'all just Sticks and Pebbles." Big Mac spoke with a heavy mocking voice as he slapped his butt at the enemy, "Prove to us yer a hard nut to crack!!!"
"ROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!" The golem yelled and curled up into a ball, ready to crush them all.
"Predicted," Big Mac chuckled, "now SCATTER!!!" At his command, the three of them quickly dodged out of the Golem's steamrolling path, letting it roll straight towards the river! The Golem realised that it fell for a trap that he could have avoided, and quickly put on the brakes with his hands.
"You're not stopping there!" Francesca yelled, "Peregrine Blade!" This time, both the preacher and the farmer were able to see how the merchant's dagger skill was executed. The dagger was enveloped with mana from Francesca's body, to create a real-life projection of a Peregrine Falcon, complete with its body, wings, talons and beak. The merchant held the dagger (within the falcon's body) like a dart, and tossed it towards the breaking Golem, flying at the maximum speed of the bird it took the form of.
One. The Peregrine Blade pierced through the Golem's stony chest at breakneck speeds, making a U-Turn for another piercing run.
Two. The Blade aimed for the area that connected the golem's legs and pierced through just like the first run. Judging by the Golem's reaction by his eye squirming around haphazardly, the golem does appear to have sensitive parts. The pain was far from over though.
Three. Without losing any speed, the Blade shot through the Golem's head, right above its eye. The Golem began roaring in pain, now losing its friction. From there, the flying dagger went straight back to Francesca's hand, and like the dagger itself, she moved as fast as a falcon up close to the golem for the final blow.
Four. With the Falcon's piercing cry, Francesca dealt an upwards slash that knocked the Hefty golem closer to the river's edge with no chance to protect himself.
"It's not enough! Let me handle this!" Estelle ran ahead towards the tumbling golem. In her hand, the Loving Hand began to glow yellow. "Prepare thyself, THE LOVELESS HAND!" With the loudest slap, The Hefty Golem was propelled even further, but thanks to its massive size, it was only enough to send it teetering over the river's edge.
"Oh come on! It wasn't enough!?" Estelle complained. Just then, a red blur zoomed past the girls and straight for the balancing golem.
"Enjoy the taste of defeat!" Big Macintosh yelled as he jumped to the air, placed his legs on the golem, and pushed away as hard as he could. The one final tip to send the hefty golem tumbling into the raging river with a mighty splash.
"ROOOAAAAARRR!!!" The Hefty Golem gave one last inhuman roar as it was swept away in the relentless rapids until it was nothing more than a speck on the horizon, never to be seen again.
"Oof!" Big Mac grunted in pain from landing on his buttocks and drenched all over. "That was a close one."
"Big McIntosh." Estelle laughed as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'd never thought you'd be the one brave enough to deal the finishing blow."
"Don't tell Flash this, but he kinda inspired me to pull this reckless kick." Big Mac chuckled, scratching his head.
"Speaking of inspiration," Estelle turned to Francesca, "You actually decided to save me! Even if I was your enemy! Perhaps you really have changed!"
"Keep on dreaming." Francesca pouted, "If Cleo found out you got choked to death, it's going to be on me. Besides, healers are important, even if you took the guise of the most repulsive one."
"Well, now that the guarding fiend is swept away, will the door open?" Big Mac asked. As an answer, the doors to the den slowly opened inwards.
"There better be a Dragon back here." Estelle grumbled as they entered the Den, "I'm as tired as is now."
The three found themselves in a large round hall, with the rays of the sun seen from above. Around them, there were bushes of flowers, flocks of friendly birds, even a beehive with friendly bumblebees, but unfortunately...
"This Den lacks a dragon." Francesca concluded, "Welp. I hope you're not disappointed!"
"Well, I guess we're walking the hard way out, right?" Estelle groaned, her patience fully exhausted.
"Nope. There's a secret path at the back of the hall that will take us back to the main road. It's a one-way path though." She laughed, "Hey Mac? You're ready to go?"
Big Mac said nothing, but inspected the hall with his eyes,
"Hey, Equestria to Big McIntosh. What are you looking at? There is no Dragon here. Let's go home before our Lady starts to whine."
"Sure..." Big Mac spoke, "There may be no dragon here right now... But you can darn bet the farm there are traces of one bein' 'ere."
"What? Don't try to complicate things." Francesca moaned,
"Did ya say that wherever Dragons make their nest, livin' beings tend to thrive there? This hall may be a dragon's home, but it's no hospitable place for the other creatures or plants. And yet, they're growing here just fine."
"Huh... Did I say that? I mean, this was just a rumour that I found when looking through the information on one of the paintings of the Halidom." Francesca explained,
"Well, ah'll stick to them rumours fer now, but ah know that there's still a--" In the depths of his eye, something green began to shine. "Hold yer horses! Ah just found somethin'!"
"Big Mac, please!" Estelle began to whine, "Just how far are you going to scrounge up any evidence of a fairytale creature living in this place that we wasted so much time getting to!? I'm tired, I'm bruised, I'm hungry, And I'm--"
The preacher immediately shut her mouth when she saw what Big Mac had picked up, as did Francesca. Nestled in the hands of the farmer, a green light wavered into their eyes...
"I deeply thank you for your kindness to repair the island." The woman on the Summoning Island thanked, "These grounds hold more importance than just summoning the powers of dear adventurers who bravely fought. Rather, this pool delves into the history, fate, and destiny of each adventurer. If something happened to the pool, perhaps history and time here could change for the worse."
"Hey, no worries. It was fun..." Big Mac chuckled "Good training, gettin' a hang of the fiends... Ah learned a lot."
"Well then, a promise is a promise." The woman remembered, "The favour I asked yielded a reward, and I shall give it to you."
"Great!" Sweetie Belle smiled as she finished dumping every piece of Wyrmite the trio found into the middle pool and pulled out her phone, "Ready for a picture?"
"Hold it there. In truth, who was the one that made their way to acquire those materials. You?" The woman stopped,
"No, it was Big Mac, Big Sis, and Adagio!" Sweetie pointed to the three adventurers, the latter two changed back to their normal selves, "They're the ones who went out and did all the fighting for me!" She froze in shock. "Wait... You don't mean."
"Indeed Sweetie Belle." The summoner laughed, "The ones who should reap the reward are the ones who worked tooth and nail for my request. In this case, they are the ones deserving."
"Oh, so that's why you wanted us to fix this pool by gathering those materials. You wanted a gift from her right?" Adagio grinned, "A photo of this place?"
"Err..." Sweetie Belle arched her eyebrows in anger and embarrassment.
"She's right. You did absolutely nothing but assign this quest to Rarity, Big Mac, and Adagio. They were brave enough to go, It's fair they get the reward!" Flash laughed,
"Shut up..." Sweetie Belle began to pout,
"You know... If ya came along like ah did, we'd be happy to take you along. You'd be gettin' the reward too if yer' lookin' for materials. Wonder why ya didn't... I mean Rarity even offered you to come since yer not a pain-eater like Flash!" Big Mac chuckled,
"Oy!" Flash grumped at the remark,
"Oh Sweetie Belle, always wanting others to do your work. Well, this is real life. You won't get anything if you won't do it yourself!" Rarity added. The four kids, plus the summoning woman, burst into laughter.
"Stop it!!!" Sweetie Belle's cheeks inflated and turned red with sheer envy. "I get it! Fine! You take it!"
"In any case," Cleo spoke lightly so everyone could calm down, "Is there a gift you would like to ask for?"
"If it's just one gift..." Adagio turned to Rarity,
"... I think it should belong to Big Mac!" Rarity finished, looking at Adagio.
"Eh? Me?" Big Mac jumped, pointing to himself.
"Two to one, overruled." Adagio quickly spoke, "We decide that you get the gift."
"Very well then, what do you desire, Big McIntosh?" The summoner asked,
"Well, ah did this task without the knowin' there'd be a gift so uh... Not really anythin' ah have at the moment, so uh... If ya still wanna gift me somethin', just give me anythin'!"
"Will that be your choice?"
"... Yeah, ah'll let you decide." Big Mac nodded,
"Very well then. In that case, I shall grant you one summon! Prepare yourself!" With a wave of her hands, the water in the summoning pool began to ripple and move on its own, as well as soaking in the reflection of the sun's rays, filling the water with life and movement.
The summoner bent down with her hand pointing towards the pool, and as the farmer saw before, a light began to form.
"Haah!" The woman stood up straight again, her hands now up to the sky. The light within the pool rose like a pillar of light and formed into a familiar blue circle of sigils, shapes and incantations with three large arrows pointing away from its radius. But to everyone's surprise, that blue circle grew bigger and turned into a colour of gold, this time with five large arrows pointing away in the shape of a star, and the inner blue triangle turned into a pentagon with only its vertices showing. The golden circle collapsed inwards and formed a golden ball which shot off to one of the ten platforms. The group watched the item land with confusion. What landed was not a golden dagger, nor a staff, or a sword, blade, or any form of weapon.
Instead, it appeared to be a golden crystal, with smaller straw-like fragments floating below it.
"Here, let me get that for you." The summoner offered as the crystal floated from the platform into the farmer's hands with the swipe of her own hand. "This is a pactstone. Like many adventurers whose fate rests with the Kingdom of New Alberia, so too did many dragons in Grastaea. This is the artifact wielded by the Prince and his companions to harness the power of the Dragons."
"I recognise that shape. Isn't that the same rock Adagio wears as a necklace?" Sweetie asked,
"It is indeed." Cleo nodded. The golden crystal enveloped itself in bright light and shrank until it was able to fit into Big Mac's palm. Once the light died down, a smaller pactstone dyed in red lay motionless with the smaller stone fragments dangling on one side of the large stone rested within the farmer's grasp.
"Thank you so much for your patronage. Have a nice day." The summoner gave her farewells as she disappeared.
"A pactstone huh? I mean, it's a very nice accessory, but I'm a little disappointed in what you got, considering that Pactstones can't be used unless we have someone who has Royal Dragonblood." Rarity sighed,
"None of us are bluebloods, at least not until you told me. But... Perhaps we might make a compromise with a dragon." Big Mac suggested.
"Assuming if there is any left." Flash reminded,
"About that... Y'all in fer a surprise." Big Mac chuckled as he pocketed the red pactstone, and pulled out a green trinket surrounded by visible currents of green wind. Cleo, Flash and Sweetie jumped in surprise.
"What is that!?" Flash yelled, "this thing... Has the wind surrounding it!!!"
"Ooh..." Sweetie Belle gave a little touch of the mysterious item, and a windy set soothing sense blew through her nerves and body. "... That's a very nice breeze..."
"Ms Cleo? Ah believe you know what this is?" Big McIntosh asked. It only took one proper gaze from the Belle Healer herself to answer with confidence.
"That, by no mistake, is a scale of the Windwyrm Midgardsomr. Judging that it's able to control the winds around it, that's a Squallscale to be exact. It houses a fair measure of his power."
"Really!?" The teenagers performed a shocking double-take, except for Big Mac, who was smiling to no end.
"Ms Cleo. Ah found this scale when 'Dagio, Rarity and ah decided to visit the Windwyrm's Den before comin' back. As someone who's got experience in tracking. This scale is very fresh, meanin' that there was a Dragon back then."
"You are right and wrong about that." Cleo answered, "Right in the fact that yes. The Squallscale here is unrefutable evidence that Midgardsomr must have been around at his den."
"And wrong?"
"The Scale's 'Freshness'. The power that resides in a dragon's scale does not wane, does not grow old, and does not lose power. Even if a dragon may shed its scales, the power residing in them is eternal... Much like the Dragons themselves."
"They're immortal!?!?" The four teenagers (except Big Mac as usual), performed a shocking double take again.
"Yes. Perhaps I should have let you known about that beforehand. It is true that to fully utilise the pactstones and the dragon's power, a member of the Alberian family must be pactbound with a dragon. With the Alberian family no longer living in this day and age, the Dragons no longer find their ties to the Halidom of any use, and thus left a long time ago. However, 'a long time ago' will not impact their life at all. Keep in mind that even though they are 'immortal', they aren't 'invincible'."
"Now that... Is certainly somethin' amazing." Big Mac concluded, "Well?" He turned to his friends, their jaws dropped to the ground. "Y'all gonna stand there like lookin' like goobers?"
"Ehh... Sorry." Flash regained his composure,
"Deep breaths Flash!" Cleo hastily reminded. Flash stood to attention and resumed his deep breathing.
"Ms Cleo, ah gotta say... If it weren't fer our little discussion an' story-sharin' this mornin', ah wouldn't have been egged to explore the Windwyrm's den. We almost got torn up there... With that Hefty golem an all."
"A Hefty Golem!?" Cleo gasped, "My. That's extremely dangerous! You must have taken a long time then!"
"Not really, we booted it into the ragin' river." Big Mac chuckled, "Figured out by yers truly."
"That river... I've never seen it raging. It was always a calm stream." Cleo wondered, "But regardless, I'm happy to know that I've... Egged you on to find such a wondrous truth for everyone to see."
"Ah'll admit it. Ah wanted to follow the girls cause ah wanted to follow the desire on whether Dragons did exist or not. Thanks fer the idea." Big Mac laughed,
"Adagio?" Rarity whispered to the Dazzling once they calmed down, "Big McIntosh is now in the same box with Flash Sentry. We are NOT taking ANY of the guys out to the field anymore."
"That's a promise," Adagio responded "Pinkie?"
"Pinkie Promise." Rarity agreed, making a Pinkie Promise.
The next day was Monday, and it was the time where School was on. Sadly, the four teenagers from CHS had to dedicate their time to the tough experiences and trials of schoolwork and homework over visiting Cleo and Adagio, but they were more than happy to share their latest adventure with their friends in the school library and to answer their questions.
"So how is Adagio?" Sunset asked, "Does she still have that pendant?"
"It's a different Pendant. She's wearing a Pactstone instead!" Sweetie answered, "And she said that it's just an accessory. It doesn't have any power."
"Hmm... I'm not sure whether to believe someone like her though..." Rainbow shared her honest thoughts.
"Ah thought that too," Applejack added, "But Big Mac here seemed to have gotten the same Pactstone thingamajigger. In his favourite colour of red! He says the same thing, and ah believe him more. Everythin's hunky-dory fer me!"
Without a word, Big Mac lifted his left arm and pulled back his sleeve, revealing the red crystal with the mini stone fragments clumped tight around his arm.
"You're wearing that as an armband?" Rarity asked,
"Reckon it suits me more." Big Mac shrugged,
"In any case, she saved Rarity's life twice now." Flash added, "I think she's changing for the better."
"That's... Actually really nice to hear." Fluttershy spoke,
"One more thing!" Applebloom jumped in, "Ah heard from big bro that at this New Alberia, there be dragons!"
"Oh yes, there are." Flash agreed, "I was very sceptical at first, but Big Mac found a crucial piece of evidence that changed my mind."
"And what is that? I'm very curious myself." Twilight asked, eager to find out, "There have been no records of Dragons ever existing here."
"Yeah," Sunset added, "and Dragons NEVER played a big part in the culture of the 'other' Equestria. We were just separate intelligent species living our own lives and cultures, never a co-existence accepted by all dragons and the most dominant species."
"Feast yer eyes on this!" Big Mac placed the Windwyrm's Squallscale on the table. The girls gasped with glee.
"Wow!" Pinkie exclaimed, "that looks really pretty!!!"
"Shh!!!" Went the numerous students around the library.
"Touch it." Big Mac encouraged. Pinkie was the first to do it without a word. The moment she touched it, the windy sense flew through her body, giving her a face of pure tingly excitement.
"Woo!" Pinkie laughed as she let go, "That was really fun! I could feel like the wind is blowing inside me!"
"Shh!!!" Went the CHS students, unaffiliated with the group, again.
"Let me try!" Rainbow whispered and touched it. "No way..." Her eyes widened, "that... Is... AWESOME! It feels like my body is light as a feather! I could go fast with this!"
"Ooh!" Scootaloo squeaked as she touched the scale, "same here!"
"Okay, I'll admit that I've never felt something like this from what I expect a Dragon Scale to be like..." Twilight admitted as she took her turn. "But if dragons existed here, why haven't they made their presence? It seems they're far more powerful and intelligent than we are. Why aren't they--"
"Assertin' dominance?" Big Mac interrupted jokingly before resuming a serious tone, "Naw. That behaviour is out of kilter fer them. They're dragons, not humans. 'Sides, their co-existence with humans means they live in harmony, not fight over territory. Not to mention, they've got the power to control nature an' all. They seem pretty stable."
"Okay then... So why aren't they helping us now?"
"Hmm..." Flash thought, "I remember Ms Cleo telling us that Dragons have always been working together with Humans. Given that they're immortal, perhaps some are probably mad that we've been going through all that deforestation or ocean polluting since they're a part of nature. But given their time when New Alberia was a thing, perhaps they also remembered the important and harmonious times when they've lived, worked, and fought together. It would be unwise of them to think only about the negative consequences humans have wrought. That's kind of what our own society is doing in a way."
"What if dragons can turn into humans and help out?" Scootaloo suggested,
"That's actually a very good theory!" Twilight pointed out, "These Dragons of Alberia seem to be more powerful than our technology. Having the ability to shapeshift into humans can be possible for them!"
"I bet they would look crazy... Like they'll still have some horns and tail sticking out of their bodies!" Pinkie shared. The crew instantly thought of a human wearing a dragon tail and horns with the dumbest look on his face and laughed out loud in unison.
"WILL ALL OF YOU BE QUIET!?" A woman's voice roared.
"Oh..." Sunset gulped as a mature-looking and well-endowed woman with long purple-red hair, purple-framed glasses, a white dress shirt and a black skirt that went covered up to her knees and half of her lower legs, approached them with a rather angry and frustrated face, "Sorry..."
"As much as it is boring to not talk out loud, Puh-LEASE be respectful of your fellow classmates who want to study in peace!"
"Sorry, Ma'am."
"Furthermore. What exactly are you looking at?" The teacher stared at the Windwyrm's Squallscale and Big Mac's Red Pactstone.
"U-Uh..." Big Mac gulped, "It's well--"
"Whatever they are, they are highly valuable items. And you know what our number one rule is with valuable accessories?" The teacher continued scolding,
"S-Sorry ma'am..." Big Mac hung his head low as he picked up the scale and pulled off his Pactstone Bracelet,
"What are you doing?" The teacher arched an eyebrow, "Are you assuming that I will confiscate them? No! I will not do such a thing for an item as valuable to you! No... One scolding and reminder is enough."
"R-Really?" Big Mac jumped,
"A reminder that you must keep those things close to you at all times. I can tell that these things mean a lot to you, so if you lose it, you'll be losing more than you think. Please remember this for me... Okay?"
"Y-Yes ma'am..." Big Mac nodded, "And yeah. These things are important... Ah spent a lot of time findin' these things."
"I know what it's like to have something valuable to you lost... Though I guess that time was inevitable... N-Nevertheless! Keep it with you! Leave it in a safe place at home. Don't let ANYONE take it from you. Understand?"
"Y-Yes... Thank you ma'am," Big Mac nodded.
"Now, may all of you please be quiet as long as you're in this place. For the sake of your classmates please?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Pinkie saluted, the others merely nodded.
"Thank you. And Big McIntosh? I know it may seem out of left field to say this, but that bracelet looks good on you! Better keep it close alright? The same with that green thing... I swore I could feel something come out of it, but it's not my authority to know unless you plan to do something devious at school with it. You aren't, are you?"
"No Ma'am." Big Macintosh shook his head, "H-how do you recognise my name?"
"I had two special someones who told me how important names are, no matter how small our lives can be. Every student here is yearning for something great, and I'll do my very best to encourage you, such as remembering all your names." She pointed to each student, "Applebloom, Scootaloo, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle..." She slowed down, "Sweetie Belle... Rarity... Y-You must be Flash Sentry? I'm sorry, it's hard to remember your face..."
"That's me..." Flash rolled his eyes,
"... And Big McIntosh." The teacher finished, "I'm all right. Right?"
The group nodded,
"You know, you don't have to call me ma'am either. You can use my name too. Well then, take care! I've got some books to collect, and that job is painful."
"No worries." Big Mac waved as the teacher returned to her duties, "Thanks ma'... I mean, Ms M."
The Farmer in the Halidom and The Forest of Wind.
The End |
Equestria Lost: Dragons beyond time | Sweetie's Little Steps of a Secret Life: Part 1 | "Hi Everyone!!!" A young girl greeted her camera with a wink, "Welcome to Little Steps of a Secret Life! My name's Sweetie Belle, and I'll be the one leading you, through a pace that everyone can learn, into a wondrous world untold!!!"
"This video is the first of many that will detail a civilisation that no one here in Equestria or the world has never known!" Sweetie changed into a secretive gesture, "Ever heard of a land called Grastaea? No? That's understandable because this nation made themselves hidden to the world. I'm going to show you just how different yet powerful this land and its people are, and how they've managed to hide such a power!"
"Listen, I agreed to help you with your history assessment by filming your vlog or documentary..." Another girl's voice, one with a refined tone, responded. "... But to think you'd be focusing your project on New Alberia... Let me warn you now Sweetie, you will lose me, the students, and the teacher, in what you are trying to convey."
"The teacher said talk about a form of history. Isn't this what it is?" Sweetie responded, breaking her easy-going demeanour. "I chose here since it's the closest to our place, it doesn't cost any money to go in, and it's something I'm familiar with thanks to Flash and Ms Cleo. I've got all the marks ticked off for the perfect topic to discuss without boring or tearing my hair over it! And I know what you're going to say... This isn't a history recorded in the books. But isn't that the point of this vlog is all about, 'Little Steps of a SECRET Life'?"
"I can understand that," a male voice intervened, "But the fact that this place isn't recorded in history is the problem here. What if it was from the future?"
"What? Now you're being ridiculous here Flashy. Look at the Halidom, it's as medieval as it can get! Besides, time-travel isn't a thing, so how are you ever going to get a single person, let alone a castle, into the past? If you ask me, they would no longer be a thing in our future. Just like now!"
Rarity sighed, "Well, I might as well see where this might lead."
"I'll have to edit out that conversation..." Sweetie concluded with her sigh.
Grastaea: An Overview
"Grastaea is a nation like no other... A nation that has turned our medieval fantasy into reality!" Sweetie spoke, standing before the bridge to the Halidom, "What do I mean by that? Well, when it comes to the topic 'medieval fantasy', what are the things that instantly pop into your mind?"
"Well, this is just my own opinion," Flash answered off-screen "But from what I've seen from pop culture: Magic, Intelligent animals like Dragons or perhaps a rather special Lion, and human-like races of drastic difference and culture such as Elves, Dwarfs, and the like."
"Yep! Well... What you're about to see..." She pans her camera to the Halidom behind her, "has exactly all that!"
"... I just see a castle." Flash answered, "no dragon, elf or magic."
"This castle is one of the surviving landmarks of the Grastaean land, and with it contains thorough, rich and historical evidence of such things!!! This video will be going through four major points of Grastaea. Geography, Races of people, Dragons, And the Nation of New Alberia!"
"I stand corrected. Let's go!" Flash responded,
"Are you seriously playing along with this Flash?" Rarity sighed,
"You're not the only one who's roped into this project. Scootaloo and Applebloom are going to edit it with Sweetie and she told me, 'go with Sweetie, get some good videos and pics'. If Sweetie ever complains about my behaviour, Scoots is going to tell my mum, and getting a lecture or worse from mum is the last thing I want. EVER."
"Seems like Scoots has you wrapped around her little finger for a family friend." Big Mac chuckled,
"It is a blessing to call Mrs Allgood and Mr Shutter my honorary Aunt and Uncle and Scoots as an honorary younger sister. Besides, she's honest that this work is important to her progression in academics, so I couldn't say no. Otherwise, I'd be besmirching that honour. Granted, this is just between us and no one else." Flash laughed,
"Known each other since kindergarten too?" Big Mac prompted,
"Hey!" Sweetie snapped, "you're wasting precious recording minutes! I hate having to cut things you know!"
"Then I'm sure you have no hesitation cutting off your recording now." Rarity rebuffed, "you concluded that clip pretty well!"
Geography of Grastaea
"This is the nation of Grastaea!" Sweetie Belle focused her camera on a large map within one of the Castle Rooms. "Just look at the size of that land!!! And with such diverse landscapes too! As you can see here, we've got deserts, seas and oceans, volcanoes, forests, and even dark wastelands! Here are the major cities you can see here."
"This..." She pointed to a castle surrounded by green forests, "is New Alberia! The forest surrounding it is called the Mistholt! Its neighbour forest here is called Rovetelle forest, which just outside a small town with the same first name!"
"Get the ball rolling, talk about New Alberia." Big Mac reminded,
"Oh! Right! This entire forest area, as well as the villages close to it, is governed by the Kingdom of New Alberia! It was run by Prince Euden, the second-youngest of eight in the Royal Alberian Family. He's known by many Ephitets, but the most common ones are the Dragonblood Prince, Shining Light, or even Dragon Slayer!"
"Hmm... A little problem there. If Euden's running an entire nation, wouldn't that technically make him King?" Flash interjected.
"Ms Cleo told me he doesn't care about honorifics and titles,"
"... Okay then." Flash shrugged,
"Next, we have the Dyrenell Empire." She pointed to another castle and city on some flatlands further south to the Halidom. "This city area was where the formal original Kingdom of Alberia, named Sol Alberia, resided until after his youngest son, being Prince Euden, left his care. He brought down the Alberian Standard, Politics, and Ideals, and replaced it with that of Dyrenell's. When King Aurelius passed away, his youngest kin took his place. That is Zethia, known as the Auspex of the Nether."
"Auspex of the Nether? Dyre-nell Empire?" Rarity repeated, "Forgive my assumptions, but that sort of title and name screams Darkness and Evil!!!"
"And yet such a nation exists, it's certainly frightening..." Flash played on, "I bet they'd be the one that would wage war on the other nations!"
"Hey!" Sweetie pouted, "colourful comedic commentary for later! I don't want to spend time cutting things out with Scoots and Applebloom!"
"Sorry," the two teenagers apologised,
"Anyway, next is Saint Lotier, northwest of New Alberia and closest to the Ocean." Sweetie guided, "This is ruled by Zacharias. Lord of the Aquapolis."
The teenagers, true to their word, did not make any quip or commentary.
"Then we have Valkaheim, the City of Flame. Ruled by the Crown Prince Leonidas. The firstborn of Aurelius." Pointing to a city located near an area adorned with volcanic scenery.
"Hey um... What--" Flash began to speak, but his mouth was clamped shut by Rarity, who shook her head as a sign to be patient.
"And lastly, we have the Radiant City Chanzelia, ruled by the Inferno Chelle, thirdborn of Aurelius and former Alberia. Here next to the wide Egan Desert." She pointed to the last spot. "As you know, we're going to be talking lots about New Alberia first, so stay tuned!"
"May I ask a question?" Flash called out,
"Yes?"
"May I ask why there is a piece of thread surrounding New Alberia and a large part of its surroundings?"
"Ah," Sweetie jumped, "I'm glad you mentioned that. The area that the thread surrounds is the estimated area of Grastaea still existing today!"
"Really? Well dang... Archaeologists and Historians are going to have a field day if they ever find this place!!!"
"Sweetie, cut out that entire part about the string." Rarity commanded, "I've just talked to Ms Cleo regarding your filming. You said that you promised to play this as a museum of the Grastaean Era, not the actual history site! Or rather... You just broke that right away in your beginning video clip now that I think about it!"
"Okay!!!" Sweetie responded,
"Hmm." Flash mewed as he examined the string-surrounded area. "A lake, a volcano, a mountain, and tons of Ruins... I wonder if we'll visit them?"
Races of Grastaea
"Yep. I'm not pulling your leg. The land of Grastaea has many different races of people, and it extends further than our idea and definitions of Race! If you can be so kind..." Sweetie Belle took something off-screen and held up the picture of bone anatomy of a Human, Sylvan, and other humanoid races.
"Ta-da!!!" Sweetie introduced, "Cool right? Now, let's start with the most common race, Human. Pretty much like us in how we work, live, and socialise!!! Seems to have no change compared to our human bodies today, that's one for the evolutionists to deal with... But let's get to the more cool things. You've noticed that the other type of humans has distinct features yes? Well, the second-most common type of human-like race is the Sylvan. As you can see, some notable features you can tell are their bunny ears, a little fang that's often visible. Socially wise, they're known as 'Children of the Forest' and are known to live in forests or near lakes rather than cities, though some Sylvans do choose to live in villages or even towns, sometimes co-existing with humans. They're good at foraging and hunting! Oh, and they've got an awesome fashion statement that all the clothes they wear reveal their belly button! Now, the next race here is the Qilin! Now, these types of people are as elusive as it gets! They have small villages all around Alberia but is extremely hard to find, and even if you do, expect to be chased away! Now, these type of humans have antlers on their heads, but more so their feet are not that of Human and Sylvan, but more like hooves! Next, we have the Rokkan, and they're known for being strong and making great weapons and buildings..."
"You're sure you're fine with this Cleo?" Rarity whispered to the Healer, "if anyone gets curious, they'll be dead set on finding you."
"I have only told you that I am sylvan by word, but if I never said anything like that, would you take me like a sylvan?"
"... I'll admit your hair ribbons cleverly covers it up, you're not showing that cutesy fang, and you're not wearing any navel-revealing clothes... Okay then!" Rarity shrugged, uneasily.
"If you ask me, I think Sweetie Belle's doing a pretty dang good explanation for this segment, and even without a script. That shows she has some really good communication and improvisation skills." Flash complimented,
"Really?" Rarity arched an eyebrow,
"Eeyup." Big Mac nodded, "she's like you! You truly are sisters!"
"Oh! Why thanks!" Rarity laughed, "that's... Quite a compliment! I'm proud to share one thing that my sister seems to be good at!"
"Yep," Flash nodded, "and not a single thing for us to quip or make fun of!"
Dragons
"Ready your ears everyone, because we are about to learn one of the most important figures of Grastaea, and they are Dragons." Sweetie Belle spoke in a motivational and suspenseful accent, standing in front of five well-refined paintings, "These dragons are smart and wise, as they are powerful, revered and represented as nature themselves. Many dragons represent many parts of nature, but I'll be focusing on five prominent dragons known as the 'Greatwyrms' and have control of an element each."
"The First Greatwyrm is Midgardsormr, the Windwyrm." Sweetie Belle gestured to the first painting, a Dragon as Green as the element of Wind, presenting his fearsome power through his roar and mastery of winds. "This big boy is one of the wisest of the Greatwyrms and one that can control the weather. Mr Lord of Storms here!!! Due to being wise, he's on the stern and rigid side, but I guess that what you have to be if you want to be fair!"
"Weather is a powerful factor in war. Impacts the morale of soldiers, sabotages the strongest of war machines, and turns the safest battlefield into a death trap. Should Midgardsormr ally with a nation, that nation will bend such a factor to their favour." Flash answered,
"He always likes to say 'Victory will be ours!' For the adventurers as motivation." Cleo responded, putting on her best impression as the Windwyrm.
"The next one is Mercury, the Waterwyrm, a female dragon might I add." Sweetie laughed as she went to the next painting, a two-horned Dragon on all fours, roaring as she weaves the element befitting her title with grace, "also known as the Aquatic Guardian, this fair Greatwyrm has been protecting Saint Lotier ever since its christening! She's also an advocate for protecting the sea and its many lifeforms under that watery surface."
"Aw man... I feel sorry for her since Saint Lotier is no more..." Big Mac lowered his head in respect,
"She was never fond of humans and sylvans due to their intentions of polluting the sea, but I've seen many campaigns and ways to protect water today, so perhaps she may not hold that hostility as much as she did before," Cleo answered,
"Our Third Greatwyrm is another female dragon, is the Passionate and Hot-headed Flamewyrm, Brunhilda!" Sweetie Belle presented the third dragon painting, a dragon with the most fierce yet smooth of flames, looking confident and carefree as she effortlessly displays her power of fire around her claws. "Now this is one Greatwyrm you do NOT want to mess with! She is known for her untold wrath, much like the rage of fire itself! But just as fire has many symbolisms, the Flamewyrm herself has kindled a new fire... The fires... Of Love!!!" She spoke in a seductive tone,
"You know... I'm quite interested in meeting this Dragon." Flash chuckled,
"As a fellow lady, I would advise playing with her heart, especially for a Dragon. I'd rather have you as you are now than complete black ash." Rarity warned,
"Our Penultimate Dragon here is the Lightwyrm Jupiter!" Sweetie moved on to the fourth, "I know what you're thinking though, why is it that this Dragon looks like a bird than a reptile? Your answer, I have no idea myself. But hey, never judge a book by its cover! This feathered dragon with a beak is a ferocious wielder of the Heavens and skies, capable of raining down lightning on his foes as you can see from that electrifying power from his claws and talons! But the 'book cover judgement' doesn't end there. He may be a Wyrm that masters light, symbolised as a force of good, but this dragon's anything but! He's most capricious, self-indulgent, and well... There's no way to sugarcoat it but to say he's an absolute jerk at face value!"
"Yeah, I'm quite curious myself..." Flash spoke from the sidelines, "I understand Dragons may differ, but only alike to reptiles. This one looks like it's based on birds."
"Would you like to see more?" Adagio whispered in his ear, "you may be quite surprised in more ways than one..."
"Woah, when did you appear?" Flash jumped, but remembered to keep his voice down,
"I just came back from blowing off some steam on some fiends at the Waterscour Ruins. What are you guys doing?"
"Helping Sweetie Belle's assessment, filming a history project." Rarity answered,
"And you're thinking of using New Alberia as a source?" Adagio raised an eyebrow,
"We'll see how it goes..." Rarity responded, "if it doesn't go well, we delete everything, and find her a new historical source."
"Alright then... Now before I forget, why don't I show you more dragons?" Adagio asked,
"And now the last of the Greatwyrms! Feast your eyes on the Shadowyrm Zodiark!" Sweetie turned to the final painting, "this dragon of rotting flesh and bone is the Master of Shadows, capable of using the powers of darkness to draw his foes into the void of defeat. He is considered to be the strongest of the Greatwyrms, and yet for a dragon who has the looks and the power to bring forth death, ruin and decay, he is a dragon with the kindest heart and acts with unselfish love." A tear ran down her eye as she cried, "a tragic tale to befall one as kind as him... To be known as a vile beast of darkness! Decayed and corroded from the humans' hatred of him!"
"I'm not surprised." Big Mac spoke, "The wielder of Darkness has a heart of Light. Ironic compared to Jupiter."
"What a poor dear... To have a beautiful heart, but a tarnished look..." Rarity also began to cry,
"Hmm..." Cleo looked at Rarity with great interest.
"But anyway! These dragons play a big part in human life, and that shall lead to the next topic! New Alberia!!!"
"HOLY--!" Flash yelled out of nowhere,
"Flash!?" Sweetie jumped in shock at the teenager's cries, "What's wrong? You frightened me there..."
"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! JUST WHAT DEFINES A DRAGON IN THIS WORLD!?" Flash bellowed,
"I told you." Adagio smirked, "You would be surprised in more ways than one..."
"What's this about Dragons?" Sweetie prompted,
"I was going to let Bird-looking dragons slide, but then this crazy nation has deemed a freaking Unicorn as a Dragon!"
"WHAT!?!?" Rarity yelled in astonishment, "HOW!?"
"I don't know... But apparently, this Unicorn has dragon claws instead of hooves, a barrel covered in scales, and her mouth seems to have sharp teeth!"
"Wow... That... Does sound crazy..." Big Mac nodded slowly,
"Oh, but it doesn't end there... Do you know what counts as a dragon? THIS!" Flash pulls out his phone and showed two pictures of dragons.
"A-Am I seeing this correctly?" Rarity asked, "those two look... Human, with draconic features. The red male one looks to have dragon wings and a tail, and the female has wings, a giant flag, a white tail with vines, and long sharp dragon toenails! Given what she's wearing, she looks more like a female knight than a dragon!"
"Say hello to Prometheus and Jeanne d'Arc!" Flash introduced, "two of many powerful 'dragons'!"
"With those names and looks!? Oh hell naw!!!" Big Mac shook his head, "ah object, that ain't a dragon!!!"
"Sorry Big Mac, but that's the truth..." Adagio shook her head, and then a nasty thought crossed her mind, "Or are you trying to hide something else???"
"Sweetie, stop that recording!!!" Rarity yelped,
New Alberia!
"Following the importance of Dragons, both Dragons and people have strived to co-exist with each other, rather than fight for dominance. Some are revered as deities, while others treat them as really good companions and friends! The nation of New Alberia is one such nation that upholds the bond between dragons, royalty, and people. Prince Euden and his brothers and sisters have a special bloodline that allows them to make solid pacts with Dragons, benefiting both. What makes him stand out, however, is that only his siblings are pactbound with one or no dragons, while he has forged pacts with countless of them!"
"You've got competition 'Mother of Dragons'!" Rarity chortled,
"But it's not just dragons he's all buddy-buddy with. Many a Human, Sylvan, Qilin and Rokkan have sworn loyalty to him, and let me tell you, their stories are crazily diverse! Some were former bad guys and assassins, others were faithful men and women of the cloth or justice, those who wade in the middle like mercenaries or travellers, and even those who's main talent isn't even fighting! And trust me on this one... They joined the prince because he wasn't the strongest in strength, but the strongest in heart, ideals, and openness to all. Cliche, I know, but true. And if I want to let you in on a secret... This young little prince was bullied and tormented by his other older siblings. How cruel is that? And yet, the only thing that grew in the Prince was his benevolent heart! You'd think you'd hold a grudge if your older sister forced you to be her horsey!"
"Horsey huh?" Flash laughed, "I remember how much Scoots always wanted me to play Horsey with her, and I'd give her a ride upon my back. Hearing her laugh and giggle is so much fun, she complimented me that I was just as fast as those racing horses!"
"Aww, that's cute!" Rarity smiled, "now that doesn't sound as tormenting as young ones having to give their oldest ones a ride!"
"She still remembers the times, but she rarely asks me to play with her now," Flash continued,
"We all grow out of childhood activities, eh?" Big Mac laughed,
"Yeah, but more so she's trying to atone for her guilt from how she played horsey with me. We weren't just simple horse and rider, I was equipped as the racing horse and she was fully equipped as the jockey."
Tears ran down his eyes as silence followed,
"Okay, maybe I gave too much information, but still, I will go through any pain and suffering for Scoots' enjoyment in her childhood innocence. Despite guilt though, she'll admit she had lots of fun."
"Well..." Sweetie lowered her phone with an awkward face, "good thing I cut recording before you started talking about Scootaloo."
"Dude, ah want to feel pity fer you," Big Mac spoke, "But y'all need to know how to keep a secret. Ah'm sure it'll hurt her if you keep talking about this... Right?"
"I will... If she doesn't bring up any of MY embarrassing things at my wedding. If she does, this Horsey will make himself known at hers!" Flash responded,
"You are a horrible friend!!!" Rarity declared, "No, let me correct that. You and Scoots are horrible friends to each other!!!"
"I think you sound more like siblings than family friends," Sweetie responded, giggling. "Now I wish I didn't cut recording!"
"Well?" Sweetie Belle asked, finished with her filming, "What do you think?"
"Not TV historian material, but your acting and tone are pretty good! And not even using a script!" Rarity answered, "Thoughts?"
"Your voice is very clear and precise." Flash added, "But you tend to talk more than you need. Vice versa, there are things that you should mention according to the marking criteria, but didn't. My advice is to review your video clips and formulate a script or at least a point of things you should mention, what you need to cut short, then film it again."
"Sure thing! Thanks for your constructive criticism!" Sweetie winked,
"Speaking about filming again... We still need to talk about using the Halidom for your homework." Rarity spoke, "Your video performance is exemplary, and I commend tackling an assessment as early as possible... Which is why I kept my mouth shut until you've finished. You broke the promise that you won't display the secrets of the Halidom! Would your teacher even accept this?"
"Rarity, your little sister is smart. You see, way before I asked Cleo for permission, I gave the entire lowdown to the teacher in charge!"
"You what!?!?" The four older teens jumped in unison.
"I made sure to be discreet... I talked about a medieval era where dragons existed and were revered... And she said go for it!!!"
"Who's the teacher responsible???" Rarity asked with worry,
"Ms M!" Sweetie answered, "She was quite passionate and adamant about doing the study on New Alberia, and I even asked if that was okay with her... But the moment she heard those three things, she said 'yes!'"
"Forgive me, my darling sister..." Rarity lowered her head and slid a finger across her neck.
"Wha, hey!!!" Sweetie gasped as the Siren grabbed ahold of her body and locking her in place so she was unable to move her arms and legs. Flash, with a face of profound sadness, calmly walked forward and nabbed the Crusader's phone from her hands, the camera responsible for filming. "I'm being honest when Ms M said was fine with it!!!"
"Then give her my pardon too." Rarity added, "I understand your joy of exploring New Alberia, but not only will the school fail you for this, but you'll also be exposing yourself, as well as Cleo!"
"No!" Sweetie pleaded, tears streaming from her face, "Please don't delete it! I enjoy doing this!!!"
"I know..." Rarity nodded in acknowledgement, "that's why I will dedicate my work in helping you for another historical era of your choosing. Any history but Alberia!"
"If I may intervene," Cleo jumped in, "Sweetie has performed rather well for an explanation of Grastaea. Perhaps instead of deleting it outright, why don't you allow her to keep the video for future references? Of course, now that I know a bit more of the situation, I believe it best if you find another history for your project, Sweetie, because making a documentary out of the Halidom will involve spilling its secrets and history. On the other hand, nothing will come to harm to your documentary!"
"Really?" Sweetie sniffed,
"Fair point." Big Mac added,
"Seconded." Flash looked up with hope, "Even though it's not a qualified subject, I wouldn't want to get rid of Sweetie's desire that motivated her plan to tackle this assessment."
"I really couldn't care either way." Adagio shrugged, "I was never part of this discussion."
"Argh..." Rarity sighed through her teeth, "alright then Sweetie. You can keep them... But you're not using them as your project. Okay?"
"Mmm... Alright then. Fine!" Sweetie pouted,
"Don't pout! Your little joy will be safe on your phone!" Rarity cheered up, "Perhaps we can show Scootaloo and Applebloom later! And we'll go through more histories you can choose tonight."
"Can we get ice cream first?" Sweetie pleaded,
"Sure!"
"Then I'm in!" Sweetie cheered up almost immediately.
"May I come too?" Cleo asked,
"You sure?" Big Mac asked,
"I've done all my chores for the morning, and how else do I get meat if I don't go out to buy some?"
"That's wonderful! I'm so glad you can come, Ms Cleo!" Sweetie jumped,
"You should come along as well," Cleo turned to Adagio,
"What? Urgh... I'm..." Adagio protested,
"Please???" Sweetie pleaded again, giving big beady eyes.
"Grrrr..." Adagio gritted her teeth as if a vein popped in frustration, then gave in. "Fine then."
"Yay!!!" Sweetie jumped for joy again, grabbing both Cleo and Adagio's hand. "Let's go get ice-cream together!!!"
"Hey Sweetie, can you send me your video clips?" Flash asked as the band of six sets off for the mist portal, "I can send Scoots information up ahead, and who knows? We may need to make a sequel to your 'Little Steps of Life!'"
"Really?" Sweetie gasped with delight, "You really like them!?"
"Maybe we need to touch up the Halidom first." Big Mac suggested, "If there were any blueprints of plans of some of the buildings, repairing it will be easy!"
"I can help you with that..." Cleo answered, "But not without paying you first."
"Naw. It's fine. Take it as thanks fer savin' us last week, and the gifts." Big Mac laughed,
"You guys are obsessed with the Halidom," Adagio grumbled.
Sweetie's Little Steps of Life
The End...? |
Equestria Lost: Dragons beyond time | The Child and the ???: Part 1 | As High School was still ongoing, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Big McIntosh, and Flash Sentry, had made the decision of working on their studies in order to get good marks, get lots of gifts, get ahead in rankings and friends, the usual everyday tasks in order to graduate from Secondary School and head to the next big point in life.
But despite academic priorities, they added one more in their life. That priority is the Halidom: The Castle and Capital of New Alberia, a nation from a long yet unknown history. When they get the chance, the four of them would visit for a little while during their school days. For times when they wouldn't go, they made their plans and designs for the Halidom that they'd want to achieve the next time they come over for the weekend.
Flash was allowed to borrow a few biographies of adventurers that wield lances from the Halidom with the goal of mastering the lance on his free time. From his previous training with a bo staff, he was able to learn new ways to incorporate it into lance skills. Cleo watched and was quite impressed at how the young teen had improved in a single week, but alongside Rarity and Adagio, she did not allow him to have a go at the fiends that wounded his body.
"Please???" Flash dropped pathetically to his knees.
"You are a stubborn and foolish boy." Cleo gave her narrow glare, "You want to fight them so badly? Swing your lance seriously, and breathe."
"Fine..." Flash rolled his eyes once again, forcing a smile as he began his breathing exercises. Sweetie watched, though a little bored from doing anything, but with a little bit more attention.
For Big McIntosh, he was known to be a handyman and builder from time to time, sometimes building small durable chicken coops and greenhouses at his extended family farm, to repairing any fences, food bins, and even machines for irrigation or crop dusting purposes. Over the school days, Cleo gave him the plans and blueprints of various facilities in the Halidom, and Big Mac was carried away by their unique designs and interesting material, not to mention that the ones responsible for drawing up the plans and building the facility were the Smithwyrms; Dragons that devoted themselves to the art of carpentry, masonry, any art when it comes to building.
"Y'all Grasteans have it easy, don't ya?" Big Mac laughed, "Havin' dragons do yer dirty work."
"Not all Grastaeans rely on dragons that much." Cleo corrected, "Certain nations build things without the help of Smithwyrms. In fact, we're the only nation to have Smithwyrms."
"Ah, ma bad... In any case, ah'll be more than happy to start. What do ya suggest buildin'?"
"Hmm... The altars are simple to repair, as most of them only require specific mana essences." Cleo decided, "Perhaps you should work on the Dojos first. I suggest you start with the Lance Dojo, then the Staff and Dagger. For every building you complete, I'll pay you."
"No problems..." Big Mac stood tall and proud, "but uh... Ah may need a helpin' hand."
"No worries! You can get Flash to help you!" Cleo suggested,
"Hey... I may not be doing my lance training, but I still have some interest in building a weapon."
"Sorry Flash, I forgot to mention." Cleo shook her head, "The blacksmiths of the Bejeweled Dagger and the Hero's Sword requires more than just physical work, something that neither of us has."
"Muh???" Flash turned white all over, horrified that one of his goals of building a weapon was impossible to reach.
"Lemme guess... Ya need a dragon to do some smithin'. Right?"
"Close!" Cleo nodded, "A dragon was the teacher for our blacksmiths, but our blacksmiths use much more than smithing techniques."
"Interesting, interesting!" Big Mac grinned, "so Flash. Are you still in?"
"Why must all my hopes and dreams get taken away???" Flash lowered his head, brooding to himself.
"Ah think we broke 'im." Big Mac frowned, "in that case, ah'll take yer mumblin' as a yes."
"I will never have my chance to shine..." Flash whined as he showed no resistance to being towed away by the farmer, Sweetie Belle watched eagerly at the two boys, while mostly paying attention to the stone on Big Mac's wrist.
For Rarity, thanks to the list and photos of many clothes worn by the female fighters of Alberia, she was hard at work over the school days coming up with a design that she claims will fuse the fashion from Cleo's era and her own. The Grastaean half will involve something durable and tough like armour, as there were political strife and conflict between nations, and not to mention the outbreak of fiends that can fatally harm innocent travellers. She spent the day in one of the bedrooms of the Halidom, explaining her design idea to Cleo.
"Leather armour?" Cleo rephrased, "I think that's a good idea!"
"Even the Ogres and Oubulettes universe can inspire non-geeks like me!" Rarity laughed, "But now comes the second part. I found out that most of your allies wore the colour that matches the element they are attuned to."
"And pray tell, who is the lucky person to wear your design?" Cleo asked,
"Before anyone else should try, I figured I'd be the model before anyone else. It won't feel at ease for others if it doesn't feel right for my own! In that case... You think Yellow would fit?"
"Interesting..." Cleo smiled, "That you'd pick the colours of Estelle. However, I think Purple suits you."
"The Shadow Element?"
"The reason you were able to wield the magic of Light Mana, was because Estelle was attuned to light. You, on the other hand..."
"You mean I'm more attuned to Shadow?" Rarity arched an eye, "It's very interesting. I mean, it is true that the colours I do love to wear are purple and white, but do you think it's because of those preferences that I am judged as a wielder of Shadow?"
"Remember your sister's videos? Just because people harness Shadow Mana does not mean they're evil by nature. Regardless, it's still hard to say... I can't sense any mana present in you, nor can I for the others, or any human in this age." Cleo responded, "rather, I sense something else in you. Something similar to mana, but isn't. You and Adagio seem to have that."
"Oh... I see." Rarity's eyes shone, knowing what she was talking about,
"I know what it is now thanks to Adagio's story, It is a magic that comes from another dimension; A dimension where magic is rife and ponies romp the land instead of humans. As far as other worlds and dimensions go, I'm afraid I have no further knowledge about the Equestria where you got this magic, and where Adagio was originally from."
"It's okay. It's another concern for another time." Rarity cheered up, "Now back to the clothing, I found something AMAZING! Do you remember that Dragon Scale we found last week?" She pulled out her phone, "well, I borrowed it from Big Mac and..." She pulled up a video and showed it to Cleo.
The video showed Rarity holding her phone camera like a selfie, holding the Squallscale on her free hand, with a vibrant green dress behind her. For her demonstration, Rarity inserted the scale into a small indent of the dress that she carefully made for the scale to fit in without dropping. A few seconds later, the dress began to move and sway from side to side, while still being held together by the mannequin wearing it.
"It's like the dress is blown gently by the wind's breeze!" Rarity explained, "If I sew or add this as an accessory on a dress or shirt, it can move like the wind without any external breeze or complicated machinery! It's like Mareilyn Monroe without the air vent underneath her skirt!" Her eyes sparkled with wonder and delight, "This is a revolutionary item for clothes and fashion! I MUST acquire more!!!"
"Very creative!" Cleo complimented with wonder herself, "I've always known that the scales of the Greatwyrms were used to power and strengthen the mana within myself and other allies, but never for this. You and the others never cease to surprise me with the way you use things."
"Heh heh," Rarity smiled, "I can say the same to you."
"Speaking of which, you should know that it's not just the Windwyrm that can shed their scales. The other greatwyrms can shed their scales too."
"You mean depending on the Dragon's element, their scales can yield different styles!?" Rarity gasped, "This. Is. ASTOUNDING! I cannot contain myself! I MUST see the dragons for myself immediately!!!"
"Hmmph!" A loud and long 'hmph' can be heard from the door. The two ladies stopped their talking to see that one little Crusader was peeping through the open door.
"Sweetie Belle?" Rarity tilted her head, "Did you need anything?"
"No..." Sweetie Belle looked down and shut the door.
"Now that I think about it," Cleo pondered, "She was rather lonely today, watching Flash and Big Mac from afar."
"Figures," Rarity shrugged, "Ever since we convinced her not to record any more videos here for her history assignment, she didn't have any other plans to think up for her free time here."
"No wonder why she felt lonely." Cleo concluded, "In that case, she needs someone to look out for her. Will you permit me to do so?"
"I think Sweetie Belle trusts you after all the times we've been here, as do I and everyone else. You've already shared your impressions of my design, so I'm more than happy if you can keep Sweetie company, you don't even have to ask for my permission in the first place!"
"Thank you," Cleo bowed, "I shall be on my way."
"Sweetie Belle?" Cleo called out to the wandering child, "Do you want me to walk with you?"
"Oh... Ms Cleo..." Sweetie slowed down, "Hey there. Sorry for eavesdropping."
"I don't believe you're doing that," Cleo responded as she caught up, "Rather, I just think you want some attention. I figured you need it since you're getting a bit lonely."
"... Yeah." Sweetie Belle admitted, "I was wanting to invite Applebloom and Scootaloo along but Scoots has the weekend away with her aunts, and Applebloom is out all day with her big sister. Besides, despite explaining how Adagio's changed, they're reluctant to visit if she's around, not to mention that inviting more people into the Halidom can well... Pose a problem, considering you didn't want to have videos of the Halidom shown to others."
"Oh no!" Cleo shook her head, "You misunderstand! I say that because I know that videos can spread like wildfire, even more so than a Ninja's pigeons, or even Chanzelia's Cats. But if it's just inviting people only, that's completely fine by me. I'd love more visitors, it can get rather lonely when you're the only person in the Halidom."
"Oh yeah... You told us you've outlived everyone when the Halidom was an actual nation."
"Yes." Cleo chucked with a melancholy feeling, "To be honest, It's really hard to describe how to feel when you outlive your friends."
"I guess it's painful living forever. Well... Not if you're a dragon, but for you, yes."
"I don't know if I would call myself immortal..." Cleo replied, "But I lived through more than one war, so seeing allies pass away peacefully is a blessing."
"Wow... You must have lost a lot." Sweetie opened her arms, "Do you want a hug?"
"Sure..." Cleo smiled as she embraced the young girl, "And it's alright, it's thanks to them that the Dragons and I have made sure to live for the future, and for anyone who gets lost in here."
"Hmm..."
"Tell you what, why don't you and I go for a walk together? Explore a new place. Just the two of us..."
"Hey, Cleo? I'm back from the weekend deliveries!!!" Adagio's voice can be heard from the distance,
"... And Adagio." Cleo changed,
"... You want to walk through the forest?" Sweetie looked a little afraid,
"Of course not. As I said, it's going to be a new place, and since Adagio still has Francesca's essence on her, it'll be a peaceful journey with her on our side."
"So..." Sweetie deduced the hints, "A place where Francesca's wind powers are effective against fiends?"
"Ah! You're almost there!" Cleo nodded, "But yes. After we let Rarity know, you and I will be going to the Lake!"
"Jeez..." Sweetie panted as she, Cleo and Adagio emerged from the eastern part of the forest onto some flatlands, "How long does this route take?"
"Normally we would have gone around a mountain range, to which we would have taken days or weeks. But thanks to the cooperation of dragons and humans, they were able to pave a shortcut through that range with a safe and indestructible tunnel." Cleo responded, "The forest you see now is not part of the Rovetelle Forest. Rather, we're on the other side of that mountain range. If you want to run a bit further, we'll be there..."
"Ah!" Francesca, who was adagio in her guise, called to the two, "I see it!"
"Go ahead," Cleo encouraged with a smile, "Take a look from where Adagio's standing."
With only a nod, the young girl ran forward to the knoll where the merchant stood atop. Once she did, she was greeted with a marvellous view that only nature could accomplish. Sweetie's jaws dropped when the view below her was a colossal river of pure clear water, glistening with radiance from the reflected light of the sun, though a bigger spectacle than the summoning pool due to size. Sweetie could make out a few patches of land situated in the middle of the lake. Some were stranded, but some were connected by a path of nature and a few wooden bridges. Regardless, from Sweetie's point of view, there were like little pieces of land floating in the water, and Sweetie could just not shake the fact that it applied a touch of cute to an already breathtaking view.
"Wow!!! This lake is so big and beautiful!!!" Sweetie yelled joyfully with all her lungs, "You can see even the bottom of the lake for some areas!"
"Yep," Francesca snapped her fingers, "Welcome to Myriage Lake! Unlike the forest that is full of trees and wind, this is open space with a body of freshwater!"
"It's freshwater!?"
"Well... If you don't count all the sand and grit that came from the rocks, sure!" Francesca laughed,
"This is amazing!" Sweetie excitingly turned to the Healer, "We should come here and have a dip!"
"That is a great idea, though there may be a few fiends lurking in the water..." Francesca sniggered, "If you're cool with that."
Sweetie felt a large chill down her spine, and the reaction she gave made the Dazzling Merchant laugh.
"There are very little fiends capable of swimming," Cleo corrected, "And they were only spotted around the Saint Lotier area. Otherwise, Fiends are just as weak to the power of nature, at least fiends that aren't attuned to water. If I recall correctly, you have used that trick twice. Right? Back when everyone was still alive, we had no such time or possibility to pull such a plan off."
"Or maybe because you guys were already powerful." Francesca shrugged,
"Nevertheless, It would be wonderful if you would keep us safe Adagio," Cleo asked, "But if you're interested in sharing issues, feel free to join!"
"Yeah, forget it." Francesca sneered, "I only took this place because I needed some training and steam to blow off. Some guy thought he was king of the road and didn't bother to give way to a zebra crossing, and as I said, I'm not interested in sharing stories."
"I don't mind," Sweetie asked nicely, "You can be happy to join us whenever you want!"
"Not. Interested." Francesca glared, then realised who she was present with, "No offence, but I'm not in the mood for talking."
"She's got a pretty bad temper today." The young girl blinked as the merchant scampered off,
"I'm beginning to think she's putting up this tough girl act whenever you or the others are around, and unlike the times for me, it doesn't show any sign of stopping."
By the time Sweetie and Cleo reached the lake's level, the area was clean of fiends, and footprints on the dirt identified the cleaner responsible. Sweetie Belle thought that like the forest, the area wouldn't be so filled with fiends, but Cleo noticed her confused expression and explained,
"We weren't able to strategically place as many sacred enchantments around here as the forest, but because this village is the home of two of our sylvan friends, we did it anyway. One of them is quite the troublemaking ally, let me tell you."
"Who?"
"A sylvan archer by the name of Luca," Cleo answered, "By troublemaking, he's one that would play ridiculous pranks on his allies, as well as teach children weird habits and things. If there was one thing that still infuriated me, it would be the time he taught the little kids something stupid like opening their mouths to catch and taste cherry blossoms petals like they would with snow. But... Even so, he's has a good heart, bless--"
Cleo looked around and saw that the young crusader ran ahead to touch and play with the lake's water.
"Oh!" Sweetie jumped, "Sorry if you were still talking. I just got distracted by the water. It does look like a safe place to swim if you ask me! We should bring the others next time, along with our swimmers! ANYWAY! You were talking about a Sylvan Archer named Luca?"
"He's a troublemaker, but a good and honest boy." Cleo shortened her sentence. "But in any case, what about you?"
"Me?"
"Aside from the intention of wanting to do something so you won't be bored this weekend, I'd also like to listen to your concerns."
"Oh... Really?"
"Anything about your friends, issues, even if it's about your older sister! Just between you and me."
"Well... Why don't we walk some more then?" Sweetie responded, "I would love to explore!!!"
"Hey, gentlemen?" Rarity called, approaching the two boys outside on the castle grounds.
"Oh! Hey Rarity," Flash waved at the base of a ladder. "What can we help you with? Well... After what we're doing." He looked to the top of the ladder he was on, where Big Mac was pulling and hammering away at various nails.
"Oh, it won't take you away from your job, I'm just worried about Sweetie..."
"Is it about her taking a walk with Ms Cleo and Adagio, and not involving you?" Big Mac responded, while still focusing on his job. "To be fair, ah have an inkling on what's happenin'. As an older sibling, ah'd understand."
"I understand that she has her complaints about me, as I do her." Rarity sighed, "But the point is this. She's been eyeing each of us for the past hour on our work. It's not me she's concerned about, it's about you two as well. I feel like we're neglecting her today, especially at a time when she would feel lonely."
"Really?" Flash turned around, letting go of the ladder, "You flatter me, but I think she's bored to bits since we stopped her from filming this place for her school assessment. Scootaloo was just as disappointed because she was interested in learning more about New Alberia too. She says it's not fair that two of her favourite people in the world are having fun discovering something new, possibly a place full of treasure she says!"
"Flash! Hold that ladder!" Big Mac ordered, "And besides, you could've invited her along."
"I did, but she declined. She's spending the weekend away with her aunts, for her sake and theirs," Flash answered, holding the ladder again.
"How's that a relieving situation?" Rarity answered,
"Aunt Allgood and Uncle Shutter work overseas," Flash explained, "And by their recommendation and the law, her extended family is responsible for her care. On the other hand, Scootaloo herself chose to spend time with her mother's best friend and her family instead, so you can imagine how lonely and worried the aunts can get."
"Okay, I get it." Rarity smiled in understanding, "But still... Knowing Sweetie, she's got some issue with the three of us, leaving her alone like that... And getting Ms Cleo to assist her."
"How can I say it?" Sweetie sighed as she and Cleo hopped on the dry path that cut through the wide lake. "Rarity's a bit more disciplining ever since she's got that Loving Hand."
"Has she ever slapped you with it?"
"No, but pulling it out is scary enough." Sweetie gulped, "If she's capable of using a Staff to send two giant fiends to their grave, I don't want to know what pain it would do to me!"
"Ah, but you misunderstand," Cleo explained, "That form was--"
"-- The Loveless Hand, I know." Sweetie interrupted, "I sneaked a peek at Estelle's Bio. The dark side of the hand is reserved only for fiends, and yet I still can't shake the possibility it may happen to me."
"No." Cleo responded, "Rarity would never use the Loving Hand on you like that, and neither would Estelle."
"Well, I can say for sure that Rarity is FAR from being Estelle!" Sweetie responded, "For one, whenever she whips that thing out, it's not just for bad behaviour, she even does it for single mistakes! Mistakes that I've done before!"
"Hmm... That's a bit harsh." Cleo responded, "But at least, she didn't hit you with it."
"No..." Sweetie looked away with uncertainty, "And I know the hand is not meant to hurt. Knowing her though, well... I'd doubt Rarity would inflict painless punishment."
"Then perhaps I'll have a talk with her after this," Cleo promised,
"Really? That would be so nice!"
"Hey! Cleo!" Francesca came charging towards them, "I need healing!!!"
"We shall cross the lake soon, and we'll come across Woodhaven, the village where Luca and his sister Sarisse were born in," Cleo instructed,
"Okay!!!"
The Child and the Healer made their way to the mentioned village where the merchant waited nonchalantly. Like Rovetelle, the village was a ghost town, and with some of its houses decayed or crumbled over time. However, a small wooden pier was in durable quality, and Sweetie wanted to take a rest there. The healer accepted, and pulled off their shoes and socks and soaked their feet in the water. It felt cool, it was refreshing, and it brought a warm and satisfied smile to the young girl; What better way to ease their aching feet after walking for a long way. The merchant refused to join due to the reason of making sure no Fiend jumped them, even though the village was the heavily enchanted spot of the entire lake. Sweetie knew that she just didn't want to socialise.
"Oh yeah!" Sweetie remembered, "There were some other issues that have been bugging me."
"Is this about someone else?"
"Two people, for what they wear..." Sweetie answered, "The Pactstones. I remember that they turn the wielder into dragons. What's the story behind that?"
"Ah, so you want to learn about the Pactstones' history... Well, aside from its functional abilities to grant the powers and blessings of a dragon, it also poses as a symbol of proof, of a dragon's pact with a human. In the cases of our time, this proof is the utmost importance to show the world that Humans and Dragons can coexist."
"How so?"
"As I've told you, Dragons and Humans had fought against each other long before I was born. When humans resorted to summoning demons, that's when the Dragon Elysium sought the cooperation of Ilia, and both gathered allies from both sides to seal Morsayati and his demons. This action convinced both sides to put aside their differences and live together, and that led to the pactstone's discovery. The first one being the Primal Pactstone."
"I assume it's the most powerful one?"
"Indeed. Formed after centuries of peace and harmony between races, the pactstone's light was what keeps all evil at bay. That's when Alberius the founder, my first master, then brought that bond further to many individual dragons and formed a pact with them, which brought forth the pactstones you see on Adagio and Big Mac today."
"But then... The power to make pacts and draw forth the Dragons... Only Alberius could do that... And then that power was passed through his descendants via bloodline," Sweetie pieced together, "And it's only through them that the power can be shared to those without."
"Yes..." Cleo nodded, "King Alberius, the Illian Church, and the Dragons decided to shatter the Primal Pactstone into what we call Sacred Shards to seal the demon Morsayati for a second time, then place them around the nation as a way to expel fiends from ever entering this world completely. Over time, and with the influence of evil's shadow, the shards lost power, which sadly brought the fiends back. Even so, Prince Euden made sure to rebuild that long-lost trust between humans and dragons, and I've worked with several members of the Illian Church and other unaffiliated healers to create an enchantment similar to those shards; which resulted in merely warding fiends away from enchanted areas instead of banishing them outright."
"However, Prince Euden's gone now..." Sweetie spoke, "Even though making friends with giant beasts that can eat you on the spot was brave. Do you... Do you think we can get their help today if we find them and ask?"
"I fear you may ask that..." Cleo shuddered, "... As I said, the Dragons have lived for very long and have watched man develop. I'm not sure if you know, but the reason why Dragons and Humans began to fight was because of the desire to 'progress'. Make no mistake that this ambition is not evil on its own, but for it to bring deforestation, water pollution, emission, energy overconsumption, not even a single sight of a Sylvan or Qilin... These very actions angered the dragons, and it's no different today."
"Oh..." Sweetie responded quietly, who looked like she was in a trance of uncertainty from what she had heard, she pulled out her phone and looked at it with great worry. "It's really sad to see things like this are built at the cost of losing a tight relationship with the dragons. To be honest, if I was given the decision to choose, I... I might choose Dragons over fancy gadgets..."
"Interesting..." Cleo blinked, "but you seem so attached with your phone everywhere you go. Not to mention that Flash, Rarity, even Adagio has one too. Would you throw away something that you enjoy?"
"Well..." Sweetie Belle tried to explain, "It's cool to have a dragon as a friend, almost way cooler than being a vlogger or an owner of the latest phone. Furthermore, I am aware that there are many health risks and accidents due to people never putting down their phones, some classmates or older people I know make that mistake. Sometimes, I feel guilty whenever I hear advertisements about such warnings when I'm on my phone 24/7. On the other hand, the Dragons you talk about seem intelligent, and who knows? Perhaps things may be different if Dragons influenced us. We may come up with new inventions or new ways to 'progress', but in a way that we're working together!!!"
"You are an optimistic child Sweetie." Cleo smiled, "You've also got quite the big ideas!"
"Hey, I just turned thirteen last month," Sweetie frowned, "I've lost that child part of me now."
"Being a child at heart is not a bad thing..." Cleo chuckled, "But that optimism is truly a gem, something that is important. Tell you what, the next time we come here, we can go deeper into the lake this time."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because this lake happens to be the home of the Waterwyrm. If you're ready, perhaps you'd like to say hello?"
"Wow! I'd love to!" Sweetie jumped to her feet on the pier,
"Just remember to stick by me. Mercury wouldn't harm a former ally of hers." Cleo smiled, "of course, once she realises how kind and accommodating you are, she'll warm up to you."
"Hey, girls, sorry to break your heart-to-heart talk." Francesca walked up after being silently away, "Something is blocking the way back home, three big ones."
"Ah... Well isn't that a nuisance." Cleo spoke as she and Sweetie looked towards the direction the merchant pointed. As she said, there stood the three blue 'big ones', slowly making their way towards three fresh-looking humans ripe for the kill.
The first blue beast had four legs, sharp canine fangs and teeth, all covered in fur, and has eyes terrifyingly combed in a way that looked like its eyes were literally on fire (and not to mention its tail also imitating a flickering fire).
The second one was a beast with no legs and has a very long body of scales and skin. It was very much akin to a snake that Sweetie had seen, but this one's head was packed with thorns that look like sharp icicles, its pupil was sharp and white instead of black, and like the first beast, it had a sharp set of fangs itself; Fangs that were far too big for any snake, and were hanging out.
The third and final beast was on two legs, or rather two incredibly fat legs to balance out the incredibly fat body, arms, and round head. Though it didn't show its intimidating teeth unlike the other two, this one was by far the biggest of the three, and if that wasn't intimidating enough, the beast also brought along a giant wooden makeshift club that it wields as a weapon.
"A Hefty Sapphire Hound, a Great Drowned Basilisk, and a Water Troll." Cleo analysed, "Wonderful..."
"Well, you know what I'm here for," Francesca chuckled, "It doesn't matter how big they are... They'll go down easily."
"Time to go then." Cleo stood up. It didn't take long for the two relaxing girls to dry their feet and put back on their socks and shoes, and observe the advancing enemies.
"Hey, Adagio? Ms Cleo?" Sweetie looked a little confused,
"It's Francesca!" Francesca reminded,
"Whatevs, the three large fiends look like they're burning. Do you see all that purple smoke coming out from them?" Sweetie pointed out.
"Now that you mention it..." Francesca focused her gaze, "you're right."
"Ah. These fiends have more power than ordinary ones. We've termed them menaces." Cleo explained. "However, I've never seen large fiends having that menacing power, so be wary as you fight Francesca. I'll provide support as usual."
"You got it." The merchant nodded,
"Sweetie, stay behind me." Cleo responded, "this won't take long."
"Hey!" Francesca yelled, "You guys just walked into your doom!"
"Adagio and I have fought menaces together." Cleo explained, "they may be oozing with black mana, but all they do is keep them alive a little longer and allows them to hit harder. As long as you still have an advantage in elements and a strong and sustainable team, they'll fall like the rest."
"Heeeeeeelp!!!" The merchant yelled, flying past the Child and the Belle Healer, losing her hat along the way.
"My goodness!" Cleo rushed over with shock, "that was some knockback! Are you alright..." Her voice trailed off at the sight of her homestay.
"Argh..." Adagio moaned in pain, in a mess of dirt, bruises, and unfitting clothing. "There's something wrong... With those fiends."
"Woah! Adagio!!!" Sweetie exclaimed in astonishment, "your chest turned flat! I mean uh... You're back to normal!"
"Is THAT what you focus on first!?" Cleo blurted out, then turned back to the merchant. "Francesca... You're... No..." She looked to the hair, all long and curly, and a lack of long bunny ears.
"Just heal me first!" Adagio rasped.
"Elder Cure!" Cleo chanted, reminded of her priorities. A green burst of light emanated from the Merchant-reverted-Dazzling's body, repairing any cuts, wounds that were formed. Sweetie herself was nearby and she felt the effects of the healing too. It felt like a cane firmly tapping her diaphragm which seemed to release that ball of green light. The energy from that light was powerful and rejuvenating, almost as if Sweetie was de-aging and regaining her childhood spark and energy.
"This is bad..." Adagio picked herself up, "my waist and legs feel tight because of these clothes... I'm somehow back to my normal self."
"Check it out!" Sweetie pointed to the Dazzling's chest. A circle of light was present on top of where Adagio's heart would be, only dimmed by the layers of clothing. "Isn't that the place where you insert the Adventurer essence into your body?"
"Yeah..." Adagio nodded, carefully removing her vest and inner shirt to expose the full light upon her skin. However, something dreadful was exposed too.
A nasty purple-coloured fume billowed out of the light, a smog similar to what the menacing fiends were expelling. The three girls looked closer to see a most horrendous sight, The gateway of light that allowed the entry and exit of essences flickered and faltered, and the only thing that wasn't flickering was the most grotesque splotches of black, staining that circle. It didn't take a genius to find out that it what its purpose was.
"Those black things..." Sweetie looked at it, then back to Adagio, "I think it's affecting your Francesca powers!"
"Worse..." Cleo corrected as she ran a hand over the light on Adagio, "It has blocked the connection between you and the essence completely!"
"No way..." Adagio shook her head while beginning to panic, "... Those Menaces can turn me back into Adagio!?"
"Ms Cleo, can you do something about this?" Sweetie asked, who also began to panic, "Can you cure her!?"
"I'm afraid I can't..." Cleo panicked, "This affliction doesn't match with any of the eight common ones that Fiends tend to give. To make matters worse, I've never seen this affliction before in my entire life!"
"Grrr..." The three menacing fiends entered the village, their eyes locked onto the three females before them. The hound licked its lips, the Basilisk hissed maliciously, and the troll held his club in a threatening stance.
"Please tell me there's more than one way out..." Sweetie responded,
"The lake's too big for us to swim across." Adagio responded, "and we don't have a boat. That island-hopping path is the only way out and in."
"Then we need to lose the heat on them." Cleo commanded, "and I know where we're going to hide. To the left of us yields another island-hopping path that will lead to a ravaged part of the lake. Located there is a Waterfall, and that's where Mercury lives! Can you run Adagio?"
"Clothes are tight, but I can manage!" Adagio pulled her clothes and gave a firm nod.
"Run! Now!" Cleo commanded and bolted off, with the other girls in tow. Like predators to prey, they broke out in hot pursuit, chasing their fleeing targets down the lake.
But little did the predators and prey know, that a beast was watching them the entire time... A beast that was considered the highest of the food chain in Grastaea, and even Equestria... Lurking in the waters of the very lake the prey came to visit. And as the two groups began running towards the ravaged shoreline, it submerged its two curved horns and dove back into the depths of the lake... In silent chase. |
Equestria Lost: Dragons beyond time | The Child and the ???: Part 2 | "Keep running! Don't look back!" Cleo shouted, "We're almost there!"
"Come on Adagio!" Sweetie rallied, pulling the depowered dazzling with a hand, "We both don't want to end up as Fiend chow!"
"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Adagio moaned, making little but rapid steps as much as her tight shorts could allow, "Do you know how hard it is to run when your waist and hips are restricted by pressure!?"
"We won't have to do that anymore. We're finally here!" Cleo announced with relief.
The three girls finally put the brakes till they stopped in sight of a large and irregular group of stacks clumped together, with water pouring down from its edges. The path between the two was populated by an army of puffed up and ribbiting frogs.
"Look at those jagged rocks nearby! And the cliffs around the stacks!" Sweetie pointed, "Those things look like they've been used as whetstones or something bigger! And... It looks unnatural!"
"As I said," Cleo answered, breathing heavily "This entire area is ravaged. The area we are standing on used to be land as high as the cliffs you see. However, a conflict long time ago had crushed it into rubble, leaving behind all these irregular scars on the cliffs, and this bulky tall mound of rock stack with waterfalls. That's where the Waterwyrm lives."
"Either way, we need to seek refuge before those fiends come here!" Adagio yelled and started her march towards the stack, spurring the frogs to leap into the waters. The path to the stack led her to a small square field in front of an extremely wide waterfall pouring down it. Etching closer, she could see that there were a large set of stepping stones that was leading into the waterfall, which gives her the answer of how a dragon could live in a structure like this... And the frustration.
"Wonderful..." Adagio grumbled, "The Waterwyrm's lair is blocked off by a damn waterfall."
"Then why don't we knock!?" Sweetie suggested, catching up, "It's a way to get the Waterwyrm's attention!"
"You kidding?" Adagio spat, "This is a waterfall!!! How can we knock!?"
"I mean the process of letting the Dragon on the other side of the door know..." Sweetie rolled her eyes over semantics. "Like this..." Though panicked and desperate to find a safe place, she courageously stepped forward in front of Adagio and yelled, "Excuse me! Ms Mercury? We're being chased by really powerful fiends!!! Can you let us in for safety? Pretty please!!! I'll be sure to pay you back!"
"Wow..." Adagio shook her head in embarrassment, "What a child. We're doomed."
But the Siren couldn't be more wrong. A few seconds after her snide disappointment, the obstructive waterfall began to thin and shrink. The three watched as the wide wall of water became a thin little pillar, then into a constant stream of droplets, and finally nothing. The waterfall no longer blocked the path of stepping stones and revealed a cave opening fit for a large dragon.
Sweetie smiled smugly. Adagio glared back, yet her hostility could not obscure her own red cheeks.
"Enough gloating you two!" Cleo grabbed the two by their shoulders and ran in.
Around the cave, there were formations of stalagmites and stalactites scattered around the ends of the cave. Their path, however, was paved with smooth sand and gravel all the way to the middle of the rocky shelter, where it was a big circular plot of land similar in size to the Windwyrms's Den. Some parts of the cave were eroded into holes, where water can be seen falling down, albeit it different waterfalls than the one that just stopped. Just as the three were gazing at the eroded holes, they turned around to see that the waterfall that blocked their way has resumed its loud downpour obscuring the outside world from view. The girls now have a safe place to hide, except for one issue.
"The Waterwyrm's not here." Cleo addressed, "Perhaps next time we see her, we should say thank you..."
"Hey, Adagio!" Sweetie spoke, "Your chest! It's no longer smoking!"
"I'm sorry, WHAT did you just say!?" Adagio roared out of insult. The young girl said nothing but pointed to the Dazzling's heart.
"Oh! The light!" Adagio remembered. Following the finger, Adagio could verify that the stains indeed were no longer expelling those fumes. Bit by bit, it crumbled away, until nothing of that ominous bile covered the white light. Once that was done, the light emitted gales of green which wrapped around every hair and skin of the siren as tightly as ever. After three seconds, the wind cocoon burst into shreds, transforming Adagio back to her bunny-eared identity.
"Oof! Sweet relief!" Francesca smiled, feeling her hips and waist no longer restrained by the tight shorts and shirt of hers.
"That is a big relief," Cleo corrected, "Things would have been very severe if your curse... I mean affliction was to persist until it can be undone by force. Turns out that will naturally leave over time."
"Curses?" Sweetie asked, "Isn't that a curse already?"
"Curses are one of the eight regular afflictions," Cleo explained, "At worst, they bind to any soldier's mana and prevents them from executing or building up their skills."
"What? That doesn't sound dangerous at all!" Sweetie moaned,
"It may sound like a nuisance, but it poses a threat when we least expect it." Cleo warned, "That being said, only fiends attuned to the Shadow Element can cause this particular affliction, and most adventurers have developed resistance against it."
"That's the lamest affliction ever!" Sweetie burst into laughter.
"Then the other seven are just as lame. All adventurers in the Halidom have at least one resistance to an affliction." Francesca raised her shoulders, "I have resistance from getting bogged down, unlike Cleo," She smirked, "She was so slow that she became a sitting duck for so many hounds and basilisks!"
"Yes," Cleo glared her no-nonsense glare, "As I said, it proves a threat. Need I remind you of the time during the battle with the Red Shroom?"
Francesca stopped grinning immediately.
"Speaking of reminders," Sweetie pulled out a familiar hat, "It pains to see your bunny ears exposed to air. I managed to pick it up before we ran."
"Thanks. And speaking of reminders!" Francesca scoffed, snatching her hat and fitting it over her ears and hair, "Watch your phrasing when you address me brat! I may be a Siren, but even I have feelings too!"
"In any case, we can rest," Cleo concluded, plopping her behind to the ground. Adagio, as usual, trotted around the cave on her own, while Sweetie joined Cleo and huddled up next to her.
"Ms Cleo..." Sweetie tugged, "do you think the Dragons will still be mad if they saw me? Even if you were their ally?"
Cleo closed her eyes, "I wish I knew what the Dragons were thinking about today... Perhaps I may be wrong about them not being hostile."
"What do you mean?" Sweetie's brows bent upwards and she tilted her head,
"I'm sorry Sweetie." Cleo apologised, "I shouldn't have made the promise about taking you to Mercury..."
"Why's that?" Sweetie asked, "If you ask me, you've fulfilled it! We're in her home right now, and she might not be far off..."
"That's the point," Cleo spoke forlornly, "It has been so many years, and all of humanity has reverted back to their ancient ways and successfully fulfiled their ambitious utopia. The Dragons would never take kindly to that, especially when she almost lost her life to someone so deceitful."
"In that case... Wouldn't we be dead by now?" Sweetie asked, "I'm sure things that lead to all those skyscrapers and phones had angered Dragons someway or other... But wouldn't they strike already?"
"Yes... I fear we may see the ancient war repeated all over again." Cleo nodded,
"I don't believe that Ms Cleo," Sweetie stated, clutching Cleo's arm, "I'm sure they've become peaceful."
"Um..." Something went down Cleo's throat, "I'm not sure it's wise to assume a Dragon's intentions."
"But that's what you did too! Talking about Dragons threatening humans!" Sweetie countered,
"What I speak of was true history leading to the first sealing war." Cleo justified, "Historical facts."
"Same here!" Sweetie raised her voice, "I'm using the history with Prince Euden and you!"
Cleo jumped back. It was a surprising statement that she never would have considered,
"You haven't forgotten about the times with Prince Euden and your allies... Did you?" Sweetie explained, "He went and made pacts with Dragons. I'm sure he had to make some promises to do that."
"... Yes," Cleo nodded, "Mercury is a Dragon from the Sea, and her issue with the humans was that they had threatened her home, as well as all aquatic life."
"Figures," Sweetie nodded, "So Euden promises to protect the seas, very noble. In that case, all the more for the dragons to not raise their fist-- er claws against them! There are so MANY advertisements about organisations devoted to saving the sea you know? Even campaigns and protests too!"
"... I haven't," Cleo shook her head,
"You didn't!?" Sweetie jumped into confusion, "Oh! Maybe because that was on TV! My bad! But yeah. So many people want to protect the forest, the trees, the wildlife. They're super annoying, but that could convince Mercury that even humans today are willing to protect the seas. In fact, I'd do it too now that I know of her!"
"I see." Cleo nodded, "but that's only for Mercury. What about the other Dragons? They have other issues that humanity may not sympathise with!"
"Then how about this... Has any dragon whined when Euden was still alive?" Sweetie asked,
"No," Cleo shook his head, "In fact, almost all the Pactbound Dragons love him!"
"I know Dragons live forever, and surely they'd get angry when there are things that they hold so dear are harmed or taken away. But surely spending their time with a loving person like Euden would have restored some faith in humanity for them; perhaps they won't resort to another war, even if some humans were in the wrong for breaking their promise!" Sweetie explained,
Cleo responded with nothing, but still looked unconvinced.
"... Alright then. That's as much history and puzzle piecing I can do..." Sweetie slumped down, "All the other things I can talk about is 'in my opinion'."
"It was painful when the Prince and everyone that I cared for passed away, the same went for the Dragons." Cleo sighed, "True, you could say they have died peacefully, but it couldn't be any more painful for us to lose them."
"Ms Cleo..." Sweetie sighed, "How long has it been when your friends... Died?"
"Between Alberius and Euden was about three hundred years. From Euden to now? I... Can't remember... I'm sorry."
"Hmm..." Sweetie stood up, "maybe I'll find some water for the two of us to drink. We should have packed before we took off."
"Good luck trying brat," Francesca hopped out from behind a stalagmite, "You've got many things that will prevent you from doing that. If you still want to quench your thirst, why don't you be my guest and stick your mouth into the waterfall we just passed through?"
"What is with you!?" Sweetie spoke angrily, "Why are you being such a sour jerk!? Unless... You've been eavesdropping on us, and you got upset because I made Ms Cleo sad?"
"Yes, I eavesdropped, but her frowning isn't my problem." Francesca confessed, "Being 'friendly' isn't something I'm fond of, to be honest." She rubbed her nose, "Of course, Aria and Sonata are a different story since the three of us are sirens."
"But-- Hmm..." A perturbing thought struck Sweetie's Mind, "Now that you mentioned Sirens, I want to know more about them, aside from being able to play with our emotions."
"Why should I?" Francesca growled,
"We helped you protect the Halidom by giving you two helping hands and a shiny new weapon." Sweetie reasoned, "And I really don't know anything else except that you guys aren't human."
"... Fine." Francesca growled in humiliation, "But that makes us even, including your sister and the other two!"
"Deal!" Sweetie smiled,
"Alright then," The merchant coughed, "Let's start off with the obvious. I'm not from this dimension and this form of mine isn't my true form. Got banished from my own world for absorbing the negativity of ponies to fuel our dark magic and conquer the world, kind of like what happened with the Battle of the Bands."
"Alright then," Sweetie nodded in understanding, "So you have a different form in the Pony Dimension?"
"Yes," Francesca nodded, "Though if you would make a comparison, you'd like my human form better. I'm like a sea serpent with hooves as arms, take that as you will."
"Agreed the moment you mentioned sea serpent," Sweetie snapped. "But what about down-to-ground things? Like your favourite food?"
"Actual physical food?" Francesca thought hard, "Well fast food's not that bad, and I do enjoy Cleo's cooking. Now that I think about it!" She snapped her fingers, "There's this Neighponese Cuisine! It's those fried octopus balls!"
"Uh... Eww?" Sweetie cringed,
"I don't mean that literally!" Francesca frantically panicked, "It's like... Sliced octopus that's fried, mixed and marinated with ginger and vegetables, then stuffed into a bread-like ball, and decorated with sauce, mayonnaise and spring onions!"
"Okay, that's a better picture," Sweetie accepted, "Perhaps you should work on phrasing!"
"Shut up," Francesca snapped at the remark, "Oh and whatever I eat, I always love some carrot juice to go with it!"
"That's cool!" Sweetie smiled, "Do you want to know something? Your likes and dislikes are just as cool as what you can do as a siren."
"Really? And why's that?"
"Well..." Sweetie thought calmly, "Food and hobbies are something I'm familiar with than Sirens and Magic. I mean, the only thing I know about magic is that Rarity and her best friends are capable of doing that and we're connected to the dimension where Sunset comes from!"
"Wait... Did you just say that the two dimensions are connected?" Francesca froze,
"Yeah! At least that's what Applebloom and Scootaloo told me from their sister and number one fan. Rarity never tells me about that sort of stuff."
"Sweetie, I will love you forever if you tell me where that gateway is!" Francesca grabbed Sweetie by the shoulder. The child teenager was pretty shocked, but after processing the words, she narrowed her eyes with an idea.
"Only Rarity can give me love that satisfies," Sweetie negotiated, "I'll need something more from you."
"Uh... Ooh! I can... I can try to teach you magic!" Francesca offered, "And not just any old magic from Equestria or Grastaea. I'll teach you my own magic!"
"Really!?" Sweetie gasped,
"Of course, I'll have to get that magic back first..." Francesca chuckled while secretly hiding a hand, "One way or another. Do we have a deal?" She stretched out one hand, while slowly wrapping her index finger around the middle with her hidden hand.
"Deal? Not at all!" Sweetie declined, "It's a Promise!!!"
"What?" Francesca jumped, pausing her fingers.
"Ms Cleo wanted me to help you sing again, as well as help you not be such a power-crazed monster," Sweetie chuckled, "But with a generous offer just for me? A deal doesn't cut it! I'll make a promise instead! I'll help you find your voice!"
"Then it's a promise!" Francesca beamed, relenting her hidden fingers immediately. The two girls looked at each other eye-to-eye, then laughed and chuckled to seal their respective promise.
"I was about to double-cross her," Adagio pondered, "And yet I end up giving more to her? Don't tell me because she was being nice to me... And maybe..."
"Adagio? Can you hear me?" Sweetie called, waving her hand in the Merchant's eyes.
"Oh!" Francesca jumped, "Sorry!!! I was just lost in thoughts..."
"At least you weren't all alone huh?" Sweetie joked,
"Yeah..." Francesca coughed, "Great, now I'M getting thirsty after talking!!!"
"Say I believe your first remark. How hard is it to get water here?"
"Streams that go into this cave is far below the place we're standing on. The stalagmites prevent us from reaching the edge, and we don't have anything to carry water in the first place."
"Phooey... If Mercury were here, I'd be happy to ask for some water," She raised her head with a big yawn.
Just after that statement, a short line of water dropped out of nowhere from above and directly into the child's mouth. Through the lips, and straight down her throat without a single stray droplet, a perfect dive.
"Ulp!" Sweetie swallowed instinctively, "What the!?"
"Sweetie!" Francesca rushed over, "are you okay?"
"I'm..." Sweetie felt her throat, "I'm fine! The water didn't go through my windpipe, somehow..."
"That's great." Francesca sighed, "Rarity would kill me and Cleo if you choke from what you wanted."
"Wait..." Sweetie held out her hand, "Water is-- was what I wanted! You said that we can't reach the water on the ground right?"
"Yeah," Francesca slowly went along, "But what happened was that I saw water fall from above, so I'm guessing it came from the top."
"Wait!" Sweetie gasped, "Then that really means--"
"You two!" A voice of panic and despair came rushing towards the two, "We've got a problem! The waterfall hiding us had just stopped!"
"Please don't tell me it's those three..." Francesca pleaded just as a ghastly black miasma swept through the trio, running them over.
"Oof!" Francesca's waist tightened, her legs choked, and her hat shot off.
"I think that's our answer!" Sweetie yelled, fanning away the vanishing toxin. Adagio was found where Francesca was standing and wearing the most unfitting clothing in the metaphorical and literal senses. Regardless, three unwelcome visitors with auras as black as death crept forward, bearing their thirsty fangs (or club) to their three runners.
"Interesting," Cleo looked around her body, "My powers don't seem to be sabotaged,"
"I don't feel anything either," Sweetie added, "Perhaps it only affects Adagio only, or perhaps people who are wearing the essences!"
"Oh, that's not fair!!!" Adagio raged, "How in the hell can these brain dead fiends counter these powers!?"
"Hey," Sweetie suggested, "From fighting as Francesca, can you do that as your normal self?"
"Hell no!" Adagio protested, "I will admit that I have inherited some muscle memory, but I don't know if my own strength is capable of striking them down. Plus if I get hit by those things..." A bead fell from her face, "... I'll end up bleeding and screaming. Just like Flash."
"Alright then," Cleo stepped forward, her staff at the ready, "Then it's my responsibility to see us through!"
"One healer against three menacing fiends!?" Adagio raised her voice, "You're outclassed in every way!"
"You know fully well as I do that it's the only thing we have!" Cleo retorted,
"I know that!" Adagio yelled, "It's just... It's just... You can't die!!! There are so many people and places that need you!"
"The safety of both of you is my highest priority." Cleo addressed, "Tell me, what would you do if you and the helpless are cornered and outnumbered, but you're the only one capable of fighting?"
"Screw them!" Adagio shouted, "I'd rather save my--" Adagio cut her sentence midway. A small suspicion pushed her, but she shook it off.
"My..." She tried again, but something caught her throat. Her eyes darted from side to side to see the healer and the child.
"My..." Her voice mellowed, her harshness quelled, her eyes drooped.
"Adagio? Are you alright?" Sweetie edged closer.
Adagio did not repeat herself. Instead; she collapsed to her knees as tears poured down her face.
"I can't... I CAN'T!" Adagio sobbed hiding her eyes, "I can't bring myself to say it."
"Hey, Adagio..." Sweetie wrapped her arms around her, "It's okay... Ms Cleo, what happened?"
"She and I share the pain of loss," Cleo responded, "I'm sure you recall Aria and Sonata? Adagio's sisters?"
"Oh, that's right..." Sweetie remembered, "You really do care for Adagio. To be honest, I'd find it hard to do that after what she's done to me."
"The compassion of His Highness is not something to scoff at. He gave people a second chance, to turn over a new leaf, while still accepting their dignity. I only realised how important this acceptance is after his passing." Cleo paused, "Every single detestable adventurer, I grew to respect then love and care over time. Now, I have lost all of them, twice. I beg your forgiveness for my avarice, but I won't let that happen a third time. I will gladly give my life if it means the two of you can escape!" She closed her eyes and clutched her staff with both hands. "Grant me the power once more... Please allow me to regain the strength I lost!!!"
"Ms Cleo! Dodge!" Sweetie exclaimed. Opening her eyes, a large brown club flew towards her, dangerously spinning with precise accuracy. The Belle Healer only flashed a defeated look before she took flight. Sweetie watched with a similar face as Cleo landed with a loud thump, sliding and rolling across the cavern's sands.
"No..." Cleo spat, her face and hair all covered in grit, "... I said I won't fail a third time..." She hoisted herself back up, "... I'll protect those I care for. Alone if I have to!"
"No..." Sweetie ran over, "You're not alone in this fight."
"I appreciate your bravery Sweetie," Cleo spoke bitterly, staring at the three menaces, now entering the Wyrm's Domain. "But running in there as you are will cost you your life!"
Sweetie smiled warmly and shook her head,
"No Ms Cleo," Sweetie reasoned, "Not me. I'm talking about the one that lives here!" Before Cleo could ask, the young teenage child puffed up her chest and faced her foes.
"Hey! Mercury! I know you're there! Please help us!!!" Sweetie hollered,
The Menaces froze in their tracks, but nothing happened. Sweetie held on and continued,
"I apologise for all the humans that have harmed or polluted the seas, the home that you protect so dearly! Even so, I promise that some humans have the heart and compassion to protect the seas and the lives they carry!"
Once again, nothing happened. The Fiends emotionlessly stare at each other in confusion, as did Cleo and Adagio. The monsters had depicted that the little one's uproar was merely bluffing and decided to silence her first.
Sweetie started panicking at the advancing fiends but knew that fighting back was pointless. With one last deep breath, she created one more outburst.
"Thank you for protecting us, Mercury!" Sweetie changed her tone, "For providing your home as a place to hide, and giving me water to drink! Sorry that we pulled you into this, but can you please pull us out!?"
This time, something did happen. A large silhouette presented itself at the Den's entrance causing everyone in its presence to be still.
Two curved horns of purple and pink.
Scales of coarse sand and the deep blue sea.
Legs bulked with muscle, claws tipped in magenta. Spikes of yellow that protrude from it, running down to its tail.
Joined with spikes of purple, running down its spine and tail.
All these features on display and Sweetie doubted no more. This enormous creature before them matched feature by feature as the painting she filmed. It was Mercury, the Great Waterwyrm, alive and well.
With eyes of red, she scoured through the unfamiliar 'intruders' without a sound. The three humans at the far end, then to the menaces in front of her. She blinked once, then released a staggering roar that brought everyone to heel. She sunk her teeth into each fiend and threw them out one by one.
Outside, the Waterwyrm approached the three unwelcome intruders with a murderous glare. The troll of the trio began the fight, hurling his club at the dragon. Its opponent simply knocked it off course with a swift snap of her tail. The Hound and the Basilisk sprung forward, their jaw and fangs wide open. Mercury snorted and with her head, she batted them straight into the troll. The menaces struggled to get back up in time for the Waterwyrm to approach them. Mercury repeatedly slammed her head from above, crushing her foes into the ground, and without a single sign of pain.
For the spectators, Sweetie and Adagio watched the one-sided carnage without any words to describe its glory. Cleo gave a smirk of satisfaction at the sight of fiends getting hammered by a dragon five times their size. To her, the battle has turned in their favour, and she's enjoying every single second of it.
Mercury relented after a few more headbutts, showing her rescuees the results of her might. All three of them had their limbs and bodies halfway into the earth, dizzy from the beatdown and unable to escape. As for the dragon herself, she shook off any grain of soil and dirt upon her deep blue scales upon her head. That sight was enough for the teenagers to drop their jaws. Truly, they were standing before the most powerful being in the world.
But it wasn't over. Mercury turned to her foes one last time and unleashed a beam of high-pressure water straight through their bodies. All that remained was a serpent's tail, four canine legs, and the lower torso of the troll. They lay motionless on the ground for a while before turning to black dust. The New Alberian trio was finally safe... Or so they thought.
"You are welcome," Mercury addressed in a calm and quiet voice. She turned to face the girls, "Now what is this I hear about assumptions and history on Dragons, Cleo? It has been a thousand years since I became pactbound with Alberius, and even longer when I made the promise to protect Saint Lotier."
"Mercury I... Thank you for protecting and rescuing us." Cleo stepped forward and bowed, "and... Forgive me for my misinformed beliefs."
"Lift your head," Mercury commanded, "You are not entirely false. It is true that after a long time, humans have forgotten the promise that their ancestors have made. Furthermore, they have written us off their pages of history and have decided to perform the very things that angered us in the first place. They have successfully replaced a majority of nature for the sake of their own constructs, comfort, and 'advancement'. Selfish and uncaring are not enough to describe what they are."
Sweetie lowered her head in shame.
"And yet, what you claim is also true, Sweetie Belle." Mercury continued, "Please look me in the eye, child. Is it not manners?"
Sweetie did not budge her head,
"Do not be afraid. I have no reason or grudge to harm you. Please, look at me and hear what I have to say."
"Come on Sweetie." Adagio, back to Francesca's form, encouraged, "You have her word. Dragons are honest beings, most of the time."
"O-- Sweetie slowly lifted her head, and carefully locked her eyes into the Waterwyrm's red ones. "Okay... But uh... How do you know my name?"
"Word travels fast through dragons and other forest animals, and we can see things from our own eyes." Mercury explained, "I chose to watch today's humanity in secret while Cleo here sought communication with them, separately of course. That's how I knew about the identity of the one named Adagio Dazzle and why she has to pathetically masquerade through society in the guise of an old ally. As for you, you've become quite a topic for the many animals that have lived here, to which it has even reached the ears of some dragons. That includes your older sister and the two boys."
"Alright..." Sweetie took a deep breath. "Sorry. I was really excited to see you, but I got pretty scared of what you did to those fiends. But I did call for your help, so thank you for rescuing us!!!"
"Now back to the matter at hand, I have indeed seen humans who have dedicated most of their lives and time protesting to protect the seas and the rivers, conserving water in times of dry spells. Though they may not know of my presence, they have grown to understand how important the seas are."
"Aw, that's wonderful!"
"However! The bond with the late Prince Euden is why I chose not to unleash that anger on his kind for the rest of my life. It is infuriating that a youngling such as Sweetie Belle could remember such history, and not you Cleo." Mercury glared,
"I..." Cleo was at a loss, "I'm truly sorry. It has been... Seven hundred years since we last saw each other let alone fight together."
"In any case, I've said my piece." Mercury concluded, "I suggest you return home. I'm sure it took a long time for you to walk here. Dawdle any longer, and dusk will approach."
"Well, thanks for everything Mercury!" Francesca bowed, "Have a good day!" The three began walking as the dragon retreated to her den, but just as she entered she turned around.
"One more parting message." Mercury called, "Heed it well; Humans may have forgotten us, but we have been travelling outside the mana barrier and mingling in their everyday lives today. Be sure to open your eyes and ears; Dragons may be above, below, afar, or among you." And with that, the Dragon closed the waterfall. Leaving the girls in thought.
"Well?" Flash asked, dropping from the roof, "Did we do it?"
Big McIntosh looked down at the architect's drawing of a square-based hall with a tiled roof, side awnings, and a pointy cone of steel as its spire. Then he looked at the building in front of him which matched the drawing in every way shape or form, save for a few cleaning issues. Satisfied with the comparison, he gave a thumbs up and a coy smile.
"Thank Goddess!" Flash slumped to the ground, "At least it's one of the hard parts done! Now cleaning is the next painful thing!"
"Both of you have been working to the bone ever since we came here this morning at 9. It's already 2 pm and you haven't eaten lunch! You really need to take a break."
"Well? What do you think big guy?" Flash asked,
"Eeyup." Big Mac nodded, "Enough work fer one day. But ah thought we promised that we have lunch together once Sweetie, 'Dagio and Ms Cleo come back."
"We did," Rarity remembered, "But perhaps walking the entire way to that lake was a bad move in my opinion. It would be far better on wheels when you're going through a forest and a sizable mountain range. I should have called them."
"No need to!" Sweetie called from afar, "we're baaaaack!"
"Sweetie!" Rarity changed from worry to joy as she ran down the hill with beaming arms. "You took so long! I was terribly worried!"
"It's okay." Sweetie hugged tightly, "It was a really great walk! You should've come with us! We ran into some trouble along the way, but Ms Cleo and Adagio protected me!"
"That's wonderful to hear. I'm happy you loved it. And thank you so much, Ms Cleo, for walking with her." She thanked until her throat tightened when she looked to the Siren, "You too... Adagio."
"Any fiend that spawns from there are easy pickings for me, but uhh... This trouble Sweetie was talking about? It wasn't those fiends. It was something else." Adagio sighed,
"Huh? What happened?" Rarity's worries came flooding back.
"Calm down Rarity, we're unharmed." Adagio jumped in,
"I think I should talk about this. Sweetie? Rarity? Would you like to come with me?" Cleo offered,
"What about us?" Flash butted in, "we want to hear too!"
"Adagio, you can tell them the story. What I have in store is extremely important for the sisters."
"O-Okay then. We'll be fine." Big Mac agreed, as did Flash.
"Follow me please." Cleo beckoned as she started walking, "We'll talk more in my private quarters."
"Ms Cleo... What's going on?" Rarity inquired,
"I see..." Rarity looked restless, "For fiends to corrupt the power of the essences is frightening indeed! I'm sure my worry was obvious; the three of you could have perished."
"It was scary, that's for sure." Sweetie agreed,
"However, I cannot overlook this..." Rarity tensed up, "To think that you would have met something so dangerous and powerful..."
"Uh, Rarity?" Sweetie began shaking, "P-Please don't get angry at Ms Cleo!"
"Don't stop her." Cleo answered, "She has the right to be."
"Why did you not tell me that in the beginning!?" Rarity stood up, "Had I known you were going to the den of a dragon on your walk, I would have come along!!!"
"Uh... Wait... You're not angry?" Sweetie got confused,
"Of course I am angry!!!" Rarity lashed out with stars in her eyes, "The two of you excluded me from such a wonderful opportunity! Never mind the 'menacing' fiends; I'd do anything just to see a dragon, talk to them, get their scales from doing them favours!!!"
"Oh... Is that... So?" Cleo also began to look confused, "You're giving us mixed messages here."
"Hmph... Well, they're immortal anyway, so there's always next time." Rarity sat back down, pouting with disappointment, "Just tell me when you're going to meet some dragons from now on. I want to come along, and I'm sure our boys would too!"
"In any case Rarity, I thought I'd like to apologise to the two of you."
"Huh? What for?" Sweetie asked,
"To escape the menaces, we sought refuge in the Waterwyrm's home. That's when Sweetie asked a painful question. Would the Dragons help humans today?"
"Well after considering what happened, they sure would!" Rarity answered,
"Well... I warned her that the course mankind is currently taking had angered the dragons and dishonours the promise we have made together long ago. Yet, I have forgotten another important piece of history; it was when I was in service to the Founder Alberius, and Prince Euden. I've forgotten how much they mean to the dragons. How wrong I was to assume what the dragons themselves were thinking that she had to challenge me."
"Oh... Is that it?" Sweetie asked.
"Rarity." Cleo took a deep breath, "I must confess that during the time of the menaces, Adagio and I didn't protect Sweetie. She protected me and Adagio by never losing her optimism and called for the Waterwyrm's aid. Thank you, Sweetie... Thank you for saving our lives."
"Ms Cleo." Sweetie walked forward, hugging the Sylvan Healer, "I forgive you, it's okay. You don't have to be sad about it anymore. If you ask me, I never get to say those sort of 'challenging' things to my parents without being scolded. You're the first adult to not do that, and probably the first adult to thank me for saving them!"
"Dear Sweetie, you were not alone then. Even I got scolded when I questioned my parents' decisions. You'll just have to wait till you've grown." Rarity added.
"Hey! I said I wasn't a child anymore!" Sweetie frowned, "I told you I just turned thirteen!"
"Perhaps Mercury was right in calling you child," Cleo chuckled, "But I am not finished yet."
The sisters stopped squabbling and straightened themselves on their seat.
"I wish I can get over my guilt from your kind words alone, but there is something else I must present you." Cleo continued. "Alongside an apology, this is to recognise and show everyone your courage for calling upon a Dragon." She pulled out a small wooden box with a water drop engraved on the lid, "This is now yours."
"Oooh..." A blue light shone into the child's eyes, "I can keep this??? Sweet!"
"And I should let you know one more thing." Cleo closed with a warm smile, "It does not take Dragonblood or a pact for a human to walk and live alongside dragons. Most have made bonds and promises by simple word or deed, some may resemble the Pinkie Promise."
"You know what Sweetie?" Rarity spoke up, "The way you approached Mercury is truly wonderful, and something I wouldn't have done. I'm deeply proud of you, my sister."
"Aww... Thank you, Sis,"
"Love you lots!" Rarity laughed, "Now comes a deep decision. How would you like to wear it?"
"Hmm..." Sweetie fell deep into thought, peering into the blue light.
"Good Morning Sweetie!!!" Applebloom greeted at the bottom "how was your weekend in the uh... In New Alberia?"
"A wonderful time filled with fun and danger! And I even get something most glamorous out of it. Know what it is?"
"No need to guess. Flash spilled the beans." Scootaloo took a quick peek, "Not sure it matches the clothes you wear right now, but it does make it look you look like a royal!!!"
"In that case, let's see what the others say!!!" Sweetie Belle laughed, holding their hands. "Let's go!"
"Hey! Good Morning, Cutie Mark Crusaders!!!" A student called out, "And Sweetie Belle, I like your new Alice band!"
"Thanks, Twist!!! It's just a small upgrade in design that I got over the weekend!"
"Good morning Sweetie Belle," a male student chuckled, "Wow... I really like that gem on your hairband! Does it provide you special powers???"
"Oh Button," Scootaloo laughed, "always about video games,"
"Actually," Sweetie laughed politely, "you're not wrong. It USED TO provide power to whoever wears it."
"Woah, really!?" Button jumped, "no way! That's rare!"
"Hmph!!!" Another student walked up to the trio, "A new upgrade?" She glanced at the hairband and pouted, "Doesn't look any better than my own Tiara!"
"Good Morning to you too Diamond Tiara." Sweetie sighed,
"Anyway, just because you got an upgrade doesn't make you any more of a loser!"
"Is that all you come up with?" Sweetie laughed, "I should be saying that to you! Your Tiara doesn't make you any more of a bitch!"
"Ooooh!" The eavesdropping students roared with joy and laughter, encouraging and cheering on this bout of slander. However, one particular person was not up for this.
"EXCUSE ME!?!?!?" A purple-red-haired teacher flew into the scuffle with a roar, "What did you just say???"
"Uhh..." Sweetie's smirk turned into cold with fright, "Ms M, I uh..."
"Apologise to Diamond this instant!" Ms M scolded, "No matter what you two were doing, resorting to swearing is never the right choice for both sides. Do it NOW!"
"Mmm..." Sweetie gave a small glare but turned to the girl, gloating in victory. "Sorry Diamond."
"Hmph! I shall forgive you then!" Diamond cackled,
"Now, all of you get ready for your classes. You don't have long till the bell rings!" Ms M addressed. "Sweetie, you are to see me in my office for this Lunchtime."
"But--" Sweetie protested as the crowd dispersed,
"Don't interrupt me!" The teacher snapped, "You won't be alone. Other students will be coming; Students you know very well."
"You mean us?" Scootaloo pointed to herself and Applebloom,
"No. But if you really want to stick with your best friend through detention, be my guest!"
"Oh! Sorry Sweetie, but you're on your own." Applebloom gulped,
"Thanks, girls," Sweetie grumbled, "So who's in trouble with me?"
"Take a seat please." Ms M instructed to four empty chairs. Sweetie sat down immediately as did the other three trouble students. Her eyes of glowing orange skimmed across the four, who were looking back with nervous eyes.
"Ms M," Rarity broke first, "If this is about Sweetie's History Project, I firmly believe that the topic you suggested would not have helped Sweetie in her studies, even if it is approved by you. But I mean no offence to your teaching guidance and I am truly sorry for making this decision for her."
"Quiet you!" Ms M glared, "Do not remind me of that. If you were talking to your boss in the future, they may hold it against you!"
"Ma'am, I don't mean to be rude... But why did you call us here?" Flash asked, "I'd like to know what we're in trouble for."
"Hmm..." Ms M adjusted her glasses, "there's a list of heinous crimes that all of you are guilty of, but they can be easily forgiven. No, I'm here to tell you why I suggested Grastaea for Sweetie's assessment."
The four students froze.
"Yes." Ms M continued, "I know about the mist within the Mayleaf Trail. I have also ventured in that world plenty of times and discovered many interesting places there before you have."
"L-like what?" Flash asked. Ms M tossed out some photos.
"A large land that consists of a forest, a lake, a volcano, a tall mountain, some ancient ruins, and a castle." Ms M shared, "And I almost forgot! The world is inhabited by violent creatures and dragons, yes? Not a single human in sight!" From the stash, she pulled out a particular photo of a winged silhouette. The four students froze again when they peered over.
"I'll take your faces as a yes then!" Ms M smiled, "Now that we know something in common, we can get into the meat of this 'detention'... You see, don't you think it's odd that a volcano would appear in a place that's located right in the middle of a tectonic plate rather than the edge?"
"I don't think Mr Trotter has got to that subject in Geo," Flash replied,
"I see. Well, I'll be exploring that place further this weekend, looking more into the mysteries behind that volcano, such as why it's active." Ms M slid the photo of the volcano over.
"That volcano is active!?" The teens yelled,
"Yes." Ms M sighed, "For the sake of this place, as well as Canterlot, we must make sure to predict the chances of eruption, and the necessary measures to withstand that disaster."
"... Do you want us to protect you from those 'violent creatures' as you explore?" Flash asked,
"That would be VERY lovely!!! Thank you for asking!!" Ms M, "You're too much of a sweet and smart boy for your own good! That will make you more memorable, you know that?"
Sweetie, Big Mac and Rarity glared at Flash, who quickly covered his mouth in shock.
"I'm kidding..." Ms M laughed, "You do have a choice in this. If you join me though, I'll make it worth your time and academic studies! I'll give each of you a personal and professional tutoring session that will guarantee top marks in history!"
"Hmm..." Big Mac and Rarity looked at each other,
"And If you still haven't decided on your new Historical topic, Sweetie, I'll recommend one that's easy to do! Even give you an extension on your deadline!" Ms M offered,
"Well..." Sweetie smiled a little,
"Ma'am!" Flash stood up, "I have a better proposition!"
"Flash!" Rarity snapped, "You've got a foot in your mouth already, don't stuff another in!"
"Oh? And what is it?" Ms M accepted,
"We have been exploring Grastaea just like you. We can do the investigation to find out the mysteries behind the Volcano, and we'll share it with you. So uh... You won't have to risk your life if you do that. Right?" Flash negotiated cooly.
"Huh..." Big Mac pondered, "That's... Not a bad idea."
"Interesting..." Ms M narrowed her eyes, "Is your source of information reliable?"
"Oh, indeed it is!" Flash answered, "Since you already know about the Castle, we've found some official historical documents in there!"
"In that case, we shall see..." Ms M took off her glasses, "But keep in mind. When it comes to the adult world, genuine research and evidence are absolutely important. If you ever find yourself withholding, lying, or tampering with any evidence you will be severely reprimanded. Do I make myself clear?"
"Didn't you say you were a history teacher?" Sweetie asked,
"Same principle, child." Ms M sourly clarified, "Even Historians must present theories that identify and determine any missing pieces of the past with solid evidence. That much has been drilled into me in University."
"Well?" Flash turned to the group, "What do you think?"
"You're the one who pulled us in! How am I supposed to have my say!?" Rarity argued, "However, Ms M, it seems you've put a lot of passion into exploring Grastaea as a historian, and as long as nobody gets hurt, Flash's proposal doesn't have any risks."
"I won't be leaving immediately. I'll prepare for it this Weekend. If you find any information about the Volcano, don't hesitate to email me or tell me after class. If I'm satisfied with the information you bring me, I will not risk my life, and I will keep my word of rewarding you! Sound good?"
"I'm happy!" Flash waved,
"Same here!" Sweetie agreed,
"You're agreeing to this Sweetie!?" Rarity gasped,
"Well, the more the merrier. Count me in," Big Mac raised his hand,
"You're too simple-minded!" Rarity criticised,
"I think we should all agree on this though..." Big Mac stopped, "If you say no Rarity, we'll say no too."
"Yeah!" Sweetie responded, "We're all in this together!"
Flash gave a small salute.
"Oh, so you guys really want to go into this together?" Rarity asked, "I can't say this isn't peer pressure... But It's nice to be included after everything we've gone through! Okay then! I will happily aid you, Ms M."
"Wonderful!!!" Ms M smiled, putting back her glasses on, "
"To be fair..." Rarity dreaded to herself, "I knew the existence of Grastaea would be discovered sooner or later... But this was a very bad time to discover it now. Fiends are capable of preventing me to go Estelle! Looks like I will have to rethink my visiting policies!"
The Child and the Dragon
The End |
Equestria Lost: Dragons beyond time | The Crimson Teacher | "Good Afternoon,"
Cleo smiled at the four students from Canterlot High School with trembling muscles and nervous expressions. It was obvious that something was going on.
"What happened at school today?" Cleo raised an eyebrow,
"We..." Sweetie Belle pressed her index fingers together, "We kinda had a worrisome talk with a teacher of ours."
"Well, it sounds like you guys need a calming hand after all that scolding." Cleo smiled, "I'm happy to prep some afternoon tea--"
"Sorry," Rarity interrupted, "But this teacher is a pressing matter. She knows about this place!!! About Grastaea!!!"
"Really?" Cleo tilted her head, "I mean that is serious news, but for that to happen requires that you or Adagio would have disclosed the existence of Alberia as well as the mist in the forest through gossip." She glared, "Have you been doing that?"
"N-no!" Rarity shook her head, "I-I mean yes!!! But it's only between best friends and siblings!"
"I'm merely joking," Cleo laughed, "How I love that corrective reaction of yours. As I said, I do not mind if you spread the secret of this place through word, as long as they don't end up in the clutches of fiends."
"There has been no missing incidents regarding the Mayleaf Trail for now." Flash recognised, "So it's likely that no one has discovered this place, except for her."
"Did this teacher thrust any demands or threats to you?"
"No," Big Mac shook his head, "Rather, she was pretty open about her findings. Showed us photos and all, with one of them bein' the Halidom and the unclear image of a dragon. But that's not her main purpose. She wanted information and history about..." He pointed northwest of the castle, "... The Volcano."
"Mount Adolla," Cleo nodded. "If that's the case... I'm happy to share it."
"Are you sure about that?" Rarity and Sweetie asked in unison,
"Yes. Mount Adolla is the home of Brunhilda the Flamewyrm. As a dragon that controls the powers and blessings of Flame, she controls the volcano's activity herself!"
"Wow!!!" Flash gasped, "No wonder why I don't see any smoke in the air or smell any ash!"
"There, that's all the teacher needs to know." Cleo responded, "Then again, I'm sure you'll need some official records rather than just my own general knowledge as evidence."
"You think we can snap some pictures?" Rarity asked,
"Yes. But before you do, I want something in return."
"We've fully painted and refurbished the Lance Dojo yesterday, we're planning on starting on fixin' another. How about that?" Big Mac offered.
"Oh no! I don't need you to repair any buildings, that's out of your own goodwill. I just want simple information." Cleo negotiated, "May I know the teacher's identity?"
"She's called Ms M. She's one of our history teachers." Rarity answered,
"An interesting name." Cleo pondered, "Very well then, I'll get some records, some tea, as well as some blueprints on the elemental altars if you're still interested in building. Those altars are very easy to repair, and I've got all the materials needed. It will only take ten minutes if you work together!"
"Sure, lookin' forward to it." Big Mac nodded, "It's those yellow-like temples right?"
"Indeed." Cleo began to move, "Make sure to keep Adagio company too, she's been pretty down ever since that walk. Cheer her up please!"
"No worries!" Flash waved. As the Belle Healer got onto the Halidom's balcony, a dreadful thought struck her mind.
"Ms Em... A rather funny surname."
"Alright! The base is fully repaired with concrete," Big Mac held a trowel in victory, "Flash?"
"Got it, light the Torches." Flash, with a giant medieval torch, lit each vertex of the square altar with a bright fire, "And for the finishing touch milady?"
"The elemental orbs!" Rarity signalled, carrying five identical purple orbs. Letting them go in the altar's vicinity, the five orbs magically floated to the altar's pedestal on their own and flew in circles. At once, the five orbs shattered, each setting free a violent flux of energy which combined into each other. The end result was a floating sphere of black and purple energy, with the image of clouds that ominously pulsated in its core.
"That's it, folks! The Shadow Altar is complete!!!" Big Mac announced, and the group cheered and gave high-fives to each other.
"Well done you four!" Cleo came forward with a tray of snacks, cups, and papers, "I'll be sure to write down what I owe you. For now, please have some tea and treats. Oh, and I've got some official records for your teacher."
"Thank you so much, Ms Cleo." Rarity thanked as the four sat down on the grass and ate. "You know, ever since we've finished this altar, I can feel its energy pulsing through my body. If feels smooth and soft that it gives a scary feeling..."
"Is that so?" Cleo laughed, "It could say many things. These altars are built to strengthen the powers of any adventurer and dragon attuned to their element."
Meanwhile, Adagio watched the commotion with forlorn eyes. A feeling was telling her to go down and join, but she shrugged it off with a bitter glare. All that was on Monday.
Tuesday rolled in like a breeze. A day with the ideal cool temperature around the day, although a certain teacher was turning up the heat.
"Is this some kind of twisted joke?" Ms M interrogated, "A dragon, controlling nature?"
"No, ma'am." Flash shook his head, "The official records behind Mount Adolla's activity is a dragon's doing. Of course, we can explain a bit further about why, but we haven't got it here."
"While it is true that dragons exist in this area as I've seen, for one to fuel a volcano can only be thought up in Video Games!" She reasoned, "One franchise considers them powerful mounts for warlords while another considers them gods that can shapeshift into scantily-clad women or men that can marry and breed with humans!"
Flash toppled over and erupts with laughter. Big Mac, Sweetie and Rarity sat still but couldn't help release a few giggles and laughs themselves.
"S-Sorry ma'am!" Flash picked himself up, unable to cease his laughter, "I know exactly what franchise you're referring to, but it doesn't make it any less funny because it's true!"
"I'll admit that I should have chosen a different one for the latter, but your reactions prove my point. The representations of dragons are never consistent, not to mention beyond ridiculous and unrealistic. Honestly, all these skewed representations are making me boiling mad."
"In any case," Big Mac offered, "Looks like you need some more information about dragons rather than sightings. How would that sound?"
"Now that is a wonderful idea!" Ms M agreed, "Assuming that the records you give me are true, I want you to answer the bigger question behind it; the dragons. I have only seen them flying around, but I have no idea what they can DO. Do they live in caves? Are they intelligent? So many questions that need to be answered!"
"Do you want my video clip?" Sweetie offered, "It was for the assessment before I had to change to another topic. It talks about the dragons and how they work around Grastaea!"
"Okay then, send me that before school finishes, I'll look into it tonight." Ms M agreed, "If that's all, then you guys are dismissed. Get ready for your classes!"
"Thank you, ma'am!" The four students nodded in unison and scurried away. Ms M scratched her head as she looked at her email of the information that the students sent her.
"What were you thinking!!! Using that Corona Badge reference!?!?" Ms M scolded herself, "I am such an idiot! I just revealed to my students that I've been playing 'those' types of games! They'd better not spread it, or my rock-solid reputation will crumble!"
"I figured as much..." Cleo chuckled, sipping on her tea. "There's a whole lot to learn for her in this world."
"No kidding," Rarity sipped her own cup, "By the way, we decided to send her the video to answer her follow-up question. If you don't mind."
"She's an adult, so I'm sure being confidential is important." Cleo accepted, "And if she decides to go public with her findings, she has to credit all of you."
"All of us," Rarity corrected, "You allowed us to use that information for our video,"
"Very well then." Cleo nodded, taking another swig. "By the way, where are the others?"
"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you; Sweetie, Flash and Mac wanted to help Adagio with her deliveries today. We intercepted her before she left the Halidom and brought along something that can carry her load. They plan to fix the Flame Altar once Adagio can manage it."
"I really can't thank you enough." Cleo beamed, "Young people do have kindness in their hearts, not like what the newspapers say."
Outside the Mayleaf Trail, the Cheerful Merchant wasn't as cheerful when she laid eyes on three cheerful people, loading baskets of produce on a bright red pull wagon.
"Oy," Francesca growled, "When did I ever say I need your help?"
"You don't have to be so hard around us 'Francesca'," Flash teased, "We all know you have feelings, like us!"
"Besides, no matter yer intentions. Protectin' our homes is one of the most empathetic things we would do." Big Mac continued, "Makes you more approachable and gives you a loving image. Perfect to make friends!"
"You know, if you act less like a jerk, we'll be happy to help you find your sisters!" Sweetie added, "Honest!"
"Enough..." Francesca grumbled, "You came here to help so less talking and more listening!"
"Woah! You're not brushing us off before with threats or sourness! You're improving!!!"
"Quit it! I will do something nasty to you, all of you, if you don't shut up and listen!!!"
"Yes Ma'am," The three chuckled in unison.
"Since you've been bothering me and Cleo for the past few weeks, she had an inclination that you'd be willing to help out with our profits. She prepared a set of red ribbon accessories similar to what I'm wearing. You'll be wearing them too, so the customers around Canterlot know you're affiliated with me." Francesca instructed,
"But would they get even more suspicious?" Flash inquired as he clasped it on his jacket, "If anything, we could have harmed you and took your job illegally to pocket their money for ourselves."
"... Quite a negative perspective coming from you. What's with that?" Francesca raised an eyebrow,
"My Dad's a Lawyer. He warns me to be careful of any worst-case scenarios, especially since a LOT of them come from misunderstandings or misinformation. Many people in today's culture would push charges or take to social media without considering that what they talk about is just a sham, misguiding everyone and rallying for the wrong cause."
"Ouch." Francesca winced, "Well, in that case, you three are in charge of carrying the load while I do the talking. That way, the customers will recognise you as part of Alberia Markets without getting suspicious. HOWEVER, you better act as professionals, no funny behaviour okay!?"
"'Dagio, you really are being hard on us. We've got jobs ourselves too, ah'm a deliveryman, and Flash here used to work at the Music Centre. We learned professionalism there."
"Wonderful!" Francesca smiled as she kicked the tow wagon, "Then follow me, and don't you dare slow down!!!"
✨Ding-a-ling!✨
"Good Afternoon, Francesca!!!" Ms Cake beamed wildly, "and... Big Mac? Flash Sentry? Sweetie Belle!? What a surprise!!! How's school???"
"All wonderful Mrs Cake," Sweetie greeted back, "we're helping Franny with the deliveries!"
"Oh! Now that you mentioned it, I see your ribbons! Well isn't that wonderful? That's a good sign for business when you've taken on more employees!"
"They're still pretty green, but they grasp the ropes quite quickly!!!" Francesca responded, "They'll be doing the rounds on their own in no time!"
"Marvelous!" Mrs Cake laughed, taking out a familiar wooden basket, "Well you know the drill!"
"Of course Mrs Cake!" Francesca nodded, pulling out an identical one. "Glad to be of service!"
"You should take notes Sweetie," Big Mac advised, "When you grow a bit older, you'll be finding a part-time job too. This is one of many!"
"Hello!" Francesca opened the door to another building.
"Oh!" Fluttershy jumped up, "Adagio! And Flash, Big Mac and Sweetie Belle! I would say that I was expecting you, but it's still a surprise to see all of you together!"
"Wow, you supply the nourishments for the animals here too!? You and Ms Cleo are such saints!" Sweetie squealed,
"Y-Yes," Fluttershy looked down, "After the picnic incident, I found out that the animal shelter has you as a provider of animal food delivered by either 'Cleo' or 'Francesca'. I know you're trying to disguise yourself, but I can't stop calling you Adagio now that I've seen the resemblance. Please forgive me Ad--Francesca!"
"Look, call me Adagio if you still can't get over it. Just don't say that name in front of people who may recognise it. No one would want to do business with an organisation that employs someone who almost succeeded in terrorising the students and teachers of CHS, even if said culprit wants to change." Francesca moaned, no longer keeping her cutesy charm.
"I-I-I understand!!!" Fluttershy panicked, "I promise you I won't jeopardize your job and your boss!"
"Flash Spikey? Three of the goods have green tags on their handles, please get them." Francesca commanded, "They're marked specifically for the shelter."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Flash saluted and got to work, quickly picking out the specified baskets and placing them on the counter.
"Thanks once again for constantly supplying the Animal Shelter," Fluttershy thanked, pulling out a brown letter, "This is what we owe you."
"You're too kind Fluttershy." Francesca accepted with a smile, "Make sure those little ones grow up nice and strong!"
"See ya later Flutters!" Sweetie waved,
"See ya tomorrow." Big Mac responded,
"Huh..." Fluttershy watched as the group went on their merry way. Once they were away from her view, she peeked inside the tagged baskets; Lettuce, Cabbage, Carrots, and one Ripe Dragonfruit. "You really are changing bit by bit Adagio... At least I can see it for myself."
"Helloooo!!!" Pinkie ecstatically leapt on Francesca, "Welcome to the back of the Sweet Snacks Cafe!!!"
"Yeshhh... Heewo..." Francesca choked, "Now ge offf meh! Your chest!!!"
"Oop!" Pinkie hopped off, her murder weapon bouncing with her, "You know, I had NO IDEA that you'd be part of the Market that would be delivering the freshest stuff for all of Canterlot! The chef LOVES your tomatoes and potatoes!"
"That's good, that's good. We grow them with the utmost care and love!" Francesca smiled falsely. Pinkie dropped to the floor laughing,
"I'm sorry! It's just... Now that I know your true identity, hearing you say those things is so ridiculous!" She apologized,
"Don't do that. You'll get your work clothes dirty." Flash crossed his arms, "Besides, it's called 'changing for the better'. Surely you can understand that in people."
"I said sorry in the first place! No offence!" Pinkie jumped back up, "Geez Flashy! It's no good when your character changes between serious and goofy."
"Don't worry Flash." Francesca smirked, "We can always sever ties if we don't get along with fellow employees."
"H-Hey!!!" Pinkie sweated and protested, "It's just a joke! As I said, the boss loves your tomatoes and potatoes! I wouldn't jeopardize that!"
"Wonderful! Now we're finally on the same page, let's get working! Mac? Sweetie Brat?"
"Never heard that before." Sweetie mused as she picked up a basket from the tow wagon. "Here you go Pinkie!"
"You know, I understand the reasons why you're stuck with a pseudonym. Heck, loads of people have to do that because of some laws on work and such, but I think it would be wonderful if you can be known as Adagio again!" Pinkie shared, balancing every basket given to her.
"That's the nicest thing you said to me." Francesca blinked, "But I'll pass. I'm fine going by a new name."
"Finally! Mission complete!" Sweetie cheered as they finally returned to the wide-open park with the red tow wagon now filled with empty baskets.
"That wasn't so bad was it?" Big Mac asked,
"Honestly, not at all." Francesca adjusted her hat, "I guess I have to thank you for providing that wagon. Cuts down a lot on travel time and gets more orders completed!"
"Feel free to keep it. It will make yer deliveries easier when you're on your own." Big Mac offered, "As for us now, we'll get to fixin' the Flame Altar if that's alright with you. Ah can feel it burnin' from here fer no apparent reason."
"I can take it, but don't expect me to change into a good girl so soon just because you helped me," Francesca clarified,
"I understand. Change takes time." Flash nodded, "But just so you know, we'll support you anyways!"
"What he said!" Sweetie stepped forward, "That's what friends are for! We help you in times of trouble, suffering, and fun!"
"Yeah yeah... Let's just go back." The merchant rolled her eyes and led the group into the Mayleaf Trail, their route back to the Halidom.
For Wednesday afternoon, the sound of piercing flesh and loud static snaps spread through uneven grounds and broken stone paths of the Waterscour Temple. The merchant and the preacher piled through endless hordes of blue slimes and goblins (name them). The fiends proved no match against the inherent element of Francesca with Estelle backing her by patching any sylvan errors. With a dominant powerhouse supported by the most reliable healer, the unstoppable duo their way through the damp and half-flooded paths while taking down any fiendish obtrusion with style. They reached the inner sanctum of the ruins where a familiar coloured basilisk curled before them.
"Pft!" Francesca scoffed, "This boss will be a pushover!"
"You sure? Last time I recall, you got overpowered by them," Estelle questioned,
"This one's not a menace, just a regular Hefty drowned basilisk. You'll be able to tell the difference once you see one."
"Let's hope I won't." Estelle sighed,
"Peregrine Blade!" Francesca laughed, throwing Flash's Bejeweled Dagger like a paper plane, and magically turning it into the piercing bird it was named after.
In, out.
In, out.
In, out.
In, out.
Four times did the falcon-possessed dagger went 'psht!' and 'sarrk!'
The moment it returned to Francesca's hand, the terrifying snake fell apart.
"These fiends never learn." Francesca chuckled, "Always the same Basilisk I see every time."
"I see." Estelle nodded as she watched the sliced up basilisk crumble into black dust, leaving behind a pile of blue orbs. "That reminds me, your skill."
"It's awesome, isn't it?" Francesca laughed,
"It is," Estelle nodded, "But the name 'Peregrine' doesn't necessarily mean the Peregrine Falcon which I found out yesterday. It also means 'one from abroad'. It's a definition befitting for a merchant don't you think?"
"What!? Now that sounds like a letdown..."
"Well I'm not the one who came up with the name, nor did I have any part in inventing such a technique." Estelle defended, picking up the blue orbs. "In any case, we've got a water altar to rebuild."
"Thank you so much for getting the materials Adagio." Cleo commended, "But since this is unrelated to your actual job, I'm afraid I can't give you a raise."
"No worries," Adagio, back to her normal self, shrugged, "Decimating the Waterscour Ruins is a payless job!"
"Speaking of which," Cleo continued, "Will it be alright if you, Rarity and Sweetie are willing to do the building for today?"
"Huh? Why's that?"
"Starting this week, the boys have been repairing the altar whenever you came around. Let this day be their time to rest in the Halidom."
"Hmm... I'm not sure Rarity would agree..."
"Oh no! I'm alright with that!" Rarity emerged from the Castle interior, adjusting to her regular clothes. "My sister and I are happy to well... Dirty our hands!"
"Sweetie Belle reporting for duty!" Sweetie giggled with a salute,
"That's strange..." Adagio wondered at the worn-down water altar. "Rarity and Sweetie don't seem to be builders." She looked at Sweetie who was rolling up her sleeves and Rarity who was putting on some protective gloves. "And judging by how quick it is to rebuild these things, Big Mac would have done it on his own!"
"Adaaagioooo!" Rarity butted in, "Are you wondering why Sweetie and I agreed to do some building?"
"Aha!" Adagio spun around, "You've got a motive behind this!" She accused,
"Guilty as charged dear." Rarity admitted, "Yes, I asked Ms Cleo beforehand if you would be able to help me and Sweetie with the altar. Of course, I did mention that I wanted to really talk with you, to which she also agreed."
"... Alright then, I'm in the mood. What do you want?"
"That was fast." Rarity blinked, "Anyway, Sweetie told me about the time you broke down to tears on your trip on Myriage Lake. That's when I realised I never knew how you stumbled here in the first place. I know it may sound painful, but may we hear how it happened?"
"Are you sure? Remember that sole cause of how I got here was by you and your friends. So if you can't take some honesty, I'd suggest not to push further."
"You seem willing to tell us." Rarity agreed, "And as I said, I'm willing to hear. So does Sweetie. I think she has a soft spot for you."
"Then buckle up." Adagio started, "First off, you stripped us of our powers and voice."
"I remember the three of you ran away crying," Sweetie spoke up,
"Don't interrupt me." Adagio hissed, "Next thing we knew was that word has spread of our 'evil' deeds and no one would let us in any hotel, cafe, fast food joint, and any place where we could stay or eat. It was three days later that the three of us started fighting and yelling at each other. Somehow back then, we had the confidence and the assurance that we'd win, so one of us must have slipped up badly to bring us all down."
"No, all three of you fell together." Rarity clarified, "If Sunset didn't get me and the girls over our bickering and fight, we would have given you more strength and you would win then."
"When you don't eat anything for three days straight, you don't think properly." Adagio reasoned, "Unlike you guys, we just continued fighting each other without making amends and that's when we decided to split up for good. Living in the city was no good for me given my reputation, so I fled to the woods to hunt and forage my own food, and that didn't work either." Adagio clenched her fists, "One day, my body was at the end for me... I laid famished on the dirt facing the dark sky and found it very difficult to move. That's when I remembered that in my entire life, I lost everything from the moment I was born."
The Dazzling took a deep breath,
"My sisters and I, exiled from Equestria and trapped as humans, with our siren amulets as the only thing that reminds us of our true identity and home, and the only magic that still resided in us. Now even that's gone, we're no different than any other human living in this world. We... I then lost it and went solo. I think that was the worst and dumbest decision I made in my life."
"... Oh, Adagio..." Sweetie sympathised. Rarity put a firm hand on Adagio's shoulder,
"Adagio, I understand that you have a right to be angry about what the Rainbooms did to you," Rarity spoke in a serious tone, "But you manipulated everyone to be negatively competitive for your own selfish nourishment. Many friendships may be lost, even family ties too. We can't ignore that, even if it meant destroying your real identity."
"Yeah, I get that!" Adagio lashed out, "You didn't think I've been given that reasoning from Cleo already!? At least she still gave me a place to live in!"
"Sorry..." Rarity held her hands in defence, "Please continue."
"That's the same day when Cleo found me in the dirt." Adagio sighed, "Cliche as it might be, she gave me room and board, washed my only set of clothes, alongside a whole dollop of story-sharing, history lessons, and exhausting lectures on how to live my life. Normally, I'd be stubborn enough to live without her preaching about what's good for me. Except... I didn't leave."
"And why's that?" Sweetie asked,
"All those stories she told me about New Alberia sort of became true when I found out she wasn't human and that she was a part of them. It also means she ended up all alone and lost like me. I was so determined to leave, and yet I feel like I can't leave her be. So for both of us, I decided to stay. I'm glad to know that I made a wise choice back then. I've been with her ever since the past few months..."
"A new home, new magic, and someone who genuinely cares for you," Rarity pieced together. "A wise choice indeed."
"Honestly this 'mana' pales in comparison to what I usually feed on for my powers. That being said, Cleo said I still had some sort of Siren magic within me, though she's unsure on how I can draw that out without my amulet, except to sing. There's not a lot of straws I can grab on for that possibility, but I would be lying if I said this doesn't make me hopeful and happy. Well... except you guys showed up again. Anyway, end of the story,"
"Thank you for sharing, now it's my turn." Rarity nodded, "I've been thinking carefully on a decision I made myself. Well... with Sweetie and the two boys."
"Not your usual best friends? Sounds suspicious."
"We want to help you!" Sweetie proposed, "Find your sisters and regain your magic and voice!"
"Help me? After you destroyed me? How ironic, trying to give me back the power that I used to mesmerise others and strengthen myself."
"There are two points why I won't believe that would happen." Rarity argued, "One: You, Aria and Sonata are only a threat when you're together. You don't know where they are now, and even if you do, it will take a while to make amends with. Two: It has been months since we last met. As you said to me right at the beginning, you're not the same back then. Must I remind you of the acts you've done for the past three weeks?"
"Tch..." Adagio scoffed, "So this is what 'friends' are like huh... Alright then. If you want to help me, then we'd better get this altar repaired. Then we can talk."
"Yay!" Sweetie grabbed Adagio's hands and winked, "Let's work together!"
"Oh, yeah..." Adagio caught on and winked back, "I made that promise to her."
"Like how the boys did it..." Rarity started, "Repair the base,"
"Light the torches," Sweetie continued,
"And offer the elemental orbs!" Adagio concluded,
"Ah! So you have been watching!" Sweetie snickered, "Speaking of, is it me? Or do I feel wet whenever I'm near those orbs?"
On Thursday one of the students was not feeling himself, and that was Flash Sentry. Because of that, he was spared from repairing the Wind Altar and sent to regain himself in the Lance Dojo that he and McIntosh repaired last week.
"Huh. Guh. Puh." Flash's raspy breaths filled the hall, his face had the life sucked out of him and his eyes round and frozen in fear.
"Didn't Cleo say to take deep breaths?" Sweetie reminded,
"I'm not in the mood for training..." Flash coughed,
"Seriously, just what was so mentally scarring that you'd temporarily forget about your obsession on fiends?"
"Ms M." Flash turned around, "The more I've visited her outside of lessons, the more I realised that she's quite... Unhinged."
"... How?"
"Let me see if I can recognise how it went..." Flash pictured,
"Ms M?" Flash knocked on the History department's door, "It's me! Flash Sentry! You wanted something from me?"
"Ahh," A male teacher stood, "Ms M's been expecting you, but she seems to be occupied at the moment. She did say that you can come in and interrupt her."
"Thanks, Mr Turner!" Flash smiled and walked in. He recalled that Ms M's desk was at the back end of the room, straight into a cul-de-sac that hides her from the front door.
"Ms M?" Flash repeated, approaching her desk. "I'm the only one here to visit you today. The others are busy."
"Our Third Greatwyrm is another female dragon, is the Passionate and Hot-headed Flamewyrm, Brunhilda! Now, this is one Greatwyrm you do NOT want to mess with! She is known for her untold wrath, much like the rage of fire itself! But just as fire has many symbolisms, the Flamewyrm herself has kindled a new fire... The fires... Of Love!!!" Sweetie's muffled voice came out.
"Ah, she's watching Sweetie's Little Steps of Life." Flash listened while seeing his purple-red haired teacher behind a laptop, "Hearing Sweetie's voice is really alluring. She'd go far in those Equestralian live-action shows for Children!"
But the click of a mouse puzzled Flash. Did she just pause it?
"Oh yes!" Ms M spoke with delight, "Looking so young, so sweet yet spicy, so HOT... Ahh..."
Flash's body froze up, a chill ran up his spine rather than down. He did not just hear that clearly... Is Ms M...
"Ms M?" Flash trembled,
"Oh!" The teacher behind the computer jumped up, "Flash! I uh... Good Afternoon!"
"I-I see you're looking at Sweetie's video." Flash stuttered.
"Yes," Ms M nodded, "I'm just reviewing all that there is about the dragons. I must say, I really like how Sweetie presented her information."
"Yeah..." Flash nodded shallowly, "I can certainly see that."
"Now hold on there Flash." Ms M picked up, "I know what you're thinking with that face. Let me tell you that I am NOT checking her out. I'm too old for her and I'm attracted to men!"
"But pedophilia rates are--"
"Don't you accuse me of that!" Ms M growled, "I am not one to stoop so low to human crime and indecency!!! Rather, I was quite impressed by the look of this Flamewyrm." She turned the laptop around, displaying the paused video of Sweetie and the 'Greatwyrm Brunhilda'.
"Oh, I see." Flash relaxed, "I'm... Sorry for my suspicions."
"I know about your dad by the way. A very eccentric lawyer that seems kind on the outside but very perceptive and sceptical on the inside. I can see where the family genes run."
"Well coincidentally, the dragon you stopped at right now is the one responsible for controlling the volcano."
"The Flamewyrm that controls fire, hmm? I can see why it wouldn't be so farfetched for her to control a volcano!"
"Y-Yeah," Flash responded, "And I'm sure you want to ask is 'how' and 'why' would she do this?"
"You are half-right. The 'why' is optional, but it's the 'how', that I'm looking for. Do you think it possible to obtain a biography or at least information on this 'Brunhilda'?"
"I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you so much..." Ms M tapped her fingers together, "I am rather eager... No... Passionate to learn all there is about this Crimson beauty!!!"
Flash gulped. Ms M is much worse than he thought!
"Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned the part about Ms M looking at you." Flash exhaled, "Normally, I wouldn't spread gossip to others just because it's a conversation starter. But she made me feel ill, and you were in danger. I had to warn you."
"Hey. As she said, she's interested in Brunhilda than me. Sure it's just as weird to admit, but at least it's not me hmm?" Sweetie chuckled, reaching for Flash's shoulder...
"Kneel," Sweetie commanded with a firm voice.
"Y-Yes?" Flash quickly got to his knees.
"It's all right..." Sweetie swapped back to her caring voice, patting the boy on his shoulder, "Thank you for telling me!"
"No worries..." Flash smiled as his face returned to colour, "Actually, my chest feels lighter now that I've told someone else."
"That's one of many reasons why people 'gossip' Flashy." Sweetie laughed, "Now show me your skill in fighting!"
"Okay then," Flash took a deep breath and slid his lance on the ground then upwards. He spun his lance around for a few times, thrusting the spearhead in about three times a second before spinning it again like a staff. Sweetie's eyes widened at the boy's technique, he was really good! But as he was swinging around, Sweetie noticed that the spearhead had an odd blue speck stuck on it, creating a thin blue trail as the lance went around.
"Hooyah!" With one final grunt, Flash lunged at a Training Dummy, thrusting the lance into a centimetre away from its face. Sweetie applauded. Flash exhaled and bowed to the young girl, except a nasty bang interrupted his nerves before he could perform the latter.
"What was that!?" Flash and Sweetie jumped in unison. They looked left and right, up and down, wondering if there was anything left behind from that pop. That's when Sweetie looked to the training dummy.
"Flash." Sweetie grabbed and pointed, "The Training Dummy."
"Oh!" Flash clutched his lance once he looked, "How did it--?"
A smoking black circle burrowed itself into one of the dummy's hessian chest, drawing the two closer to its midst. Without any fear, Flash reached forward with his fingers and ran a finger into it.
"Ow..." He reeled, "... Hot."
"Are you okay?" Sweetie nervously asked,
"Yeah," Flash nodded, "From the looks of things, it's about the size of a bullet. Someone must have shot this thing, and not from an ordinary gun either. I doubt guns exist in this era though."
"Let me see..." Sweetie peered around the black wound, "What if it was something else?"
"Like what?"
"... Can you show me your lance again?" Sweetie requested, "Just hold it in front of me."
"O-Okay," Flash agreed, and stood straight and tall like a royal guard with his spear at his side. The young girl observed the boy and his lance from head to toe for a few seconds, then clapped her hands in glee.
"It's the only possible thing!" Sweetie concluded,
"What is?"
"When you were swinging around the lance, I noticed a small blue speck on your sharp part."
"Really?" Flash held his spearhead close but found nothing but its chill to the human touch. "Don't see anything there,"
"That's the thing. I saw a blue speck there but it disappeared." Sweetie reasoned, "The blue speck was what created the bullet hole. That speck was connected to the lance. And that lance was in your hands. I can only say that the one responsible for the bullet hole, was you."
"Me!?" Flash jumped again, dropping his lance, "What's with the accusation!?"
"Now I've never seen you THIS defensive! And this isn't something to get in trouble over! In fact, it would be so cool if you could do it again!"
"If I could, I would! But I don't know how!!!" Flash responded,
"Try to remember what you did!" Sweetie instructed, "Retrace your steps."
"That sounds exactly what my Dad says. Okay then..." Flash nodded, picking the weapon back up, "I was just spinning and thrusting the thing..." He acted it out, "I slid the spearhead on the floor before that, then lunged it forward at the end."
"If I recall correctly, you had the speck on your lance during your spinning and thrusting," Sweetie informed,
"And before and after?"
"Nothing," Sweetie answered,
"Then I think I know what created it," Flash deduced and tapped the floor with the lance. "It was this action!"
"Then try it again!" Sweetie jumped, "I've never seen anyone who's 'normal' do that!"
"Alright then... Hah!" Flash drove the spear across the dojo floor with the flick of a wrist. But there was not a single speck of blue to be seen.
"Well drat!" Sweetie looked disappointed, "We must be missing something!"
"We'll give it a few more tries," Flash decided, "And if it still doesn't work... I'll ask someone who may know about this."
"High five!" Rarity raised her hand. Big Mac returned it.
"You too Adagio! Don't leave me hanging!" Rarity pointed out. Adagio rolled her eyes and did the same.
"Four altars complete, one more to go!" Big Mac laughed as they stood proud next to an altar holding a giant sphere of green in the air. Contained in that green orb was a tiny but mighty tornado; the altar of wind.
"If I recall correctly, this would give you more power." Rarity told Adagio.
"As long as I'm wearing Francesca's essence, then you're right." Adagio corrected, "Even so, I can feel the breeze coming out from it and into my own body."
"Really?" Rarity asked, "I can't feel any wind in mine. Do you Big Mac?"
"Nope. Jus' the wind blowin' towards the south."
"Well done you three." Cleo stepped in, "That's four altars complete. As a special bonus aside from payment, I've got a special lesson for you Rarity."
"Really? What is it?" Rarity spoke with excitement.
"Do you have your essence with you?" Cleo asked,
"Y-Yes." Rarity hastily nodded, pulling out the blue orb, "Is it related to Estelle?"
"It is a part of everyone who lived in my time," Cleo answered, "As it should be yours. The power to improve one's might and abilities."
"Oh. Training..." Rarity relented, looking rather disappointed.
"I'd call it 'unbinding." Adagio stepped forward, "Via meditation."
"Okay, it does sound at least interesting..."
"First off, you must put on Estelle's soul. Then you must--"
"There they are!" Sweetie pointed to the Wind Altar and the four figures. The two galloped towards them.
"Hey! You guys! Ms Cleo!" Flash panted, "Th-There's something I need to tell you!"
"Glad to see you look better." Big Mac smiled, "But perhaps y'all can wait? Ms Cleo's busy with Rarity fer now."
"What did we miss?" Sweetie asked, looking at her Estelle-ified sister. "And why is she not wearing the right clothes for her?"
"She decided not to change in favour of getting stronger immediately." Adagio explained, "She's focusing hard and absorbing mana."
"As I mentioned, the mana is the source of all life and magic in Grastaea." Cleo interjected, "And just like dragons, we also live and thrive upon this energy. The mana that we collect, whether from fiends or just living life here, we use it for many of our needs. Breaking our physical and mental limits in battle is one example." She turned to Estelle, "Can you see the nodes? What I want you to do is try and direct the mana into some of them. I recommend the three purple ones if you can."
"Okay... I got it!" Estelle spoke with her eyes firmly closed.
"Nodes? Directing mana?" Flash repeated, "There are so many questions that pop up every time I come here..."
"You will see what I mean in due time Flash." Cleo responded, "Now that I have some free time, what are you two looking for?"
"There's been an accident in the Lance Dojo." Flash reported, "One of the training dummies just got pierced."
"Is that so?" Cleo looked unimpressed, "And I thought it would be something serious. Well, it is easy to fix, so don't worry about it."
"O-Okay then, let me make myself clearer." Flash coughed, "I made that hole."
"Really? That's quite a feat. Few adventurers were capable of doing that on their first few tries, though less-stronger ones have managed to do so with enough training."
"Be specific Flash." Sweetie sighed, "What he meant was that he accidentally punched a hole in the training dummy without physically stabbing it."
"Eh?" Big Mac raised an eyebrow,
"Say what?" Adagio gasped,
"Elaborate," Cleo commanded,
"It was fast for us to see, but we deduced that Flash kind of fired some blue little thing from his spear which created that hole and some burn marks," Sweetie explained,
"Well, it seems your training is taking you far." Cleo applauded, "In that case, would you like to show me?"
"About that," Flash scratched his head, "Both of us are unsure on how to get back that blue spark."
"Is that so? That's... Actually disappointing. I almost thought you would make it."
"Make what?" Flash perked up, "So you do know what this is! Please tell me! That way I know that I can sock it to those fiends!"
"I will reveal your discoveries once you can control it." Cleo stated, "Back to deep breaths for you!"
"Aww..." Flash moaned as he expanded his chest, "It's been two full weeks already! Heck, doing this is almost second nature now. I do it in the day, in the night, at school, and at home! For a single hint, I'll do anything!"
"Don't be so desperate," Cleo sighed, "It's great to hear that you are breathing deeply very often, but as long as you are in this part of the world, I will call you out the moment I don't see you do that. That's your hint."
"Huh?" Flash paused,
"Deep breaths!" Cleo glared. Flash gave a disgruntled look and resumed breathing.
"Hey..." Big Mac nudged, "You think Flash was telling the truth there?"
"Seems the little brat witnessed what the reckless idiot did. I'd say it's highly likely." Adagio whispered back,
"Alright, Cleo!" Estelle opened her eyes, "I've filled up a few of the nodes, and I certainly feel the difference! Especially one of the purple ones. It's given me a new attack that feels... Well, this may be the most unfitting comparison, as easy as stretching and releasing your muscles!"
"Comparing it to physical exercise?" Cleo chuckled, "You're actually on the mark. What you just acquired is the ability to build up generous amounts of mana, then releasing it onto any unlucky foe that crosses you; the Force Strike. Allow me to demonstrate. May you please give me the Loving Hand?"
"Here," Estelle plucked it from the grass and handed it over,
"You're going to need to mentally focus more mana than required. If you practice, you can end up doing things like this..." Cleo closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, and held her stance without moving. Mentally counting to three, Cleo opened her eyes and thrust the Loving Hand forward, forcing out a purple beam of pure light.
"Hey!" Flash spoke between deep breaths, "That's... the same... attack... from be-...-fore!"
"So that means Rarity's capable of doin' the same attack now. As Estelle!" Big Mac replied.
"Correct," Cleo smiled, "Now do you think you can try?"
"A first time for everything." Estelle nodded, taking back the Loving Hand, "But wish me luck anyway!"
Rarity, coping Cleo's actions as Estelle, exaggerated her eyes and airflow. She tensed her muscles and felt the ethereal yet tingling flow of mana bounce off its walls and build up behind her sternum and lungs.
"I got it!" She opened her eyes. "Take this!" She pointed the Loving Hand to the sky and sent forth a terrifying yellow beam from the Loving Hand. Her audience was speechless for a few seconds, then broke into applause
"A first try! I'm very impressed." Cleo congratulated,
"Wow... I'm starting to feel way out of my league here." Flash clapped, "But I'll make sure to do better!"
"You were never in one, Flash." Sweetie smugly teased,
"I'd like to see you try and fight Sweetie." Flash returned the smug look, "See if you can take on a fiend by yourself!"
"Hmm..." Estelle overheard, "Speaking about fighting, I'm quite worried about Ms M."
"Ahh, ah remember." Big Mac spoke, "It's about her going to the volcano, right? What did she say Flash?"
"She hasn't made a decision on planning the trip." Flash answered, "But it's likely that she may reveal it to us tomorrow."
"And how is that concerning?" Adagio asked, "Oh. I remember. This teacher of yours is heading into fiend territory. And I take it she never knew about your new powers in fighting?"
"She does. Thanks to a certain someone..." Sweetie replied, and the three CHS students glared at Flash.
"Hey! I said I'm sorry, and I'm making up for it!" Flash protested,
"So yes. I'm very concerned about showing this essence power to Ms M, and that's not to mention how a bit problematic the transformation is, having to change clothes beforehand or after," Estelle responded.
"Also," Adagio raised her hand, "There's the possibility of menaces."
"I need to hear what Ms M will do before I can make any decision on what we should do."
"Sounds good to me." Flash gave a thumbs up,
"Eeyup," Big Mac nodded,
"You're the leader big sis!"
"And you can count me out." Adagio sighed, "This teacher is your business."
"Hmm... I think we should join up Adagio." Cleo answered,
"Are you sure?" Flash asked, "If Ms M sees you, she'll get even more questions."
"It's fine. I'm quite interested in meeting your teacher. She seems like a brave and trustworthy woman."
The four students looked at each other, then nodded in unison.
"Okay then," They chorused,
"Thank Goddess It's Friday." Flash moaned, walking down the CHS hallways. "Out of the pressuring weeks of school, this is by far the biggest, and there are no exams either!"
"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or being serious since you believe in her." Sweetie followed behind,
"'Since I believe in her'? I think you have your answer." Flash repeated,
"Just tell me Flash. No one likes playing the guessing game."
"Then yes. I was being serious. Exams are easy if you studied smartly for them."
"You think Ms M's fully convinced with the information we've given her?" Rarity asked, leading the pack.
"If ya ask me honestly, nope." Big Mac shook his head. "If there's anything a scientist or an archaeologist would do, they'd explore the actual site, even if it gets risky."
"But we'll have to enter the dragon's den to get our answer." Flash reminded, "Let's hope she's not as grumpy as she was on Tuesday."
"You mean lion's den right?"
"The same idiom; we're entering the territory of the most hot-headed teacher in CHS, according to other students and classmates."
"She never seemed that hot-headed when we were meeting." Rarity objected,
"True, mostly because we've been on her good side. Any students that messed up in front of her is called to her office, one of them being Pinkie Pie. They got grilled to the point of becoming pure ash, they get nightmares from it. Pinkie was an exception though, from what she told me."
"That's not a surprise." Rarity chuckled.
"Well, in any case, we'd better pick up the pace." Big Mac concluded, "Otherwise, we'll be next on the grill."
"Hello, you four!" Ms M beamed, "Please! Sit down! I hope I haven't taken away precious time these past days."
The four plopped down in unison.
"Now, I have looked at your video and the information about the volcano and dragons of Grastaea in great detail, and I must say they are quite connected."
"It's hard to challenge the belief that Dragons are myths when records give evidence of them existing in our world." Rarity chuckled,
"I want to divulge another secret." Sweetie raised her hand, "Because you know about Grastaea, I want to share this with you."
"And that is?" Ms M asked,
"I saw a dragon with my own eyes." Sweetie responded, "And she was big and terrifying. But as I said in the video, she had intelligence, and she can talk."
"Interesting..." Ms M narrowed her eyes, "And where did you see her?"
"The lake area. I believe it was officially called Myriage Lake."
"A shame you didn't capture the moment. But no matter, there's always next time."
"So, what are you going to do?" Big Mac asked,
"Mac, Sweetie, Flash, and Rarity. I truly appreciate all that you have done for me to preserve my life, but the information thus far has deepened my need... My passion... To explore the secrets of the volcano, and importantly to meet with the dragon herself."
"What!?" The students jumped,
"But--" Flash started,
"Not to worry." Ms M interrupted, "Your information was helpful, and because of that, I can devise a strategy that will lower the risks of losing my life. Of course, I am more than happy for you to join me, and I will compensate you if you do."
"Ms M, I'm afraid to say this to you..." Rarity swallowed, "But we actually don't know how to fight."
"Now Rarity, being dishonest does not suit a beautiful heart like yours." Ms M frowned, "Keep in mind that I make the time to explore the hidden land alongside marking papers. As such, I have seen you and another girl wearing different clothes, and taking out those violent creatures in those blue ruins. The two of you make a strong team, but not as strong as me and my darling together."
"... You've been watching us!?" Rarity yelled,
"It was only a coincidence. But it proves to me that you can fight."
"Ms M," Flash spoke, "Even though you believe we can fight, can you?"
"Indeed I can." Ms M smiled, "I fight with a lance. Just as you fight with a stick Flash."
"It's a bo staff ma'am," Flash corrected with a cough.
"Anyway, the choice is still yours if you want to come or not, and you don't have to make the decision now. If you choose to help me, then meet me tomorrow at 10 am sharp."
"At school?" Big Mac asked,
"At the entrance of Mount Adolla," Ms M finished, "If you don't come by then, I shall go on my own."
"One more thing. Do we still get rewarded for giving you information?" Flash asked,
"I remember saying that if I am satisfied with your information, then I would reward you. Now I am rather satisfied, and yet it makes me yearn more. I suppose I will reward you. But if you come with me, your compensation and reward will be far greater than what you truly desire. Oh, and the other girl can come along too!"
"That's not a--"
"Oh dear! I have to go now." Ms M hopped up, "I need to prepare for my lessons. Toodles!"
"Wait!" The students yelled, but the teacher paid no attention to them and flew straight out of the office.
"Congratulations everyone. I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart." Cleo responded. "With the Light Altar rebuilt, all five elemental altars are complete!"
"Yeah." Big Mac nervously coughed, "No biggie."
"Five days, an altar each. How nice," Sweetie spoke dryly.
"Hopefully this would make the Halidom a bit livelier," Rarity sighed. Cleo peered in the eyes of the five teens, and the answer popped up instantly.
"Oh no... Is it Ms M again?" Cleo responded, "What did she say to you this time?"
"She's going to the volcano tomorrow, despite all the information we've given her."
"She really is passionate like fire." Cleo nodded, "And I take it she wants you to join?"
"Now that's something I would say is suspicious." Sweetie answered, "She said that we have until tomorrow to decide, by showing up at Mount Adolla at 10 am."
"She sounds like a rough time, good thing I'm not going to school." Adagio sniggered,
"By the way, I'm very curious about Ms M now. Is she capable of defending herself?" Cleo continued questions,
"Yes. She says she fights with a lance." Rarity continued answers.
"Hmm..." Cleo began to shake. She nervously looked at the teens, then in her mind, drew their history teacher. "She knows about Grastaea... She fights with a Lance... Is there anything else that was weird about her?"
"Well, Flash did see something, but he doesn't want to share it out." Sweetie responded, "If that's fine with you Flash?"
There was no response.
"Flash?"
Rather, the boy stood stiff as a tree, but his fingers, hair, and face began wiggling, wobbling, shaking and twitching. All with a deadpan face.
"Flash!" Rarity burst out, snapping the teen out of his twitchy trance.
"Sorry!" Flash's face began to relax, "Something just entered my body, and it felt like it was pumping out electricity."
"If you felt electricity go through your body, you would be dead!" Rarity looked aghast.
"I-I was conscious and listening." Flash comforted, "But I'm happy to tell you guys about it, but it must stay between the six of us. Okay?"
The five shifted looks towards each other, then silently agreed.
"Shoot." Big Mac spoke,
"It was Wednesday, the day where I went to Ms M alone. And I saw her... Well..."
"Spit it out Flash." Sweetie encouraged,
"She was checking out the Flamewyrm Brunhilda."
"Excuse me!?" Rarity spat,
"Gross." Adagio belched,
"Wha?" Big Mac looked sick.
"Yep." Sweetie bit her lip and nodded. "A bit freaky if you ask me."
Cleo's reluctant face warped into fear. "Impossible... Of all the things..."
"But that's for later. Adagio, there is some news for you!"
"Hmm?"
"You're going to re-learn how to sing! And to save you the stress from going to find a music teacher, the four of us had decided to be your teachers!" Sweetie revealed.
"Wait... Four?" Rarity prompted, "I thought it was just you, me and Big Mac!"
"And I make four." Flash coughed,
"You!?" Big Mac, Rarity and Adagio's faces gave way to shock and surprise.
"Surely you didn't forget I'm the leader of Flash Drive... Singing is just as important as playing the guitar."
"We're going to start with the basics of posture, and then find your voice." Sweetie continued, "And when that's done, you can practice on a song we've picked just for you!"
"Goodness... That certainly is a plan. I wish I could sing..." Cleo looked away.
"You can join in too Ms Cleo!" Sweetie encouraged.
"To sing again..." Adagio mumbled to herself, "You're giving me the chance to do that..."
Finally, Saturday has rolled over. A day filled with work and fun.
"See you in the evening, mom and dad!" Sweetie waved,
"Stay safe!" Rarity added and dashed out their front door.
"My..." Rarity and Sweetie's mom giggled, "They've been quite active for the past few weeks!"
"Friendship is truly a gift." Rarity and Sweetie's dad, laughed, "Especially for our two precious gems."
"Thanks for the breakfast mum," Flash spoke humbly, "Really hits the spot."
"It's wonderful to hear that I am capable of making the delicacies I eat myself," His mom curtseyed.
"Did dad leave early?"
"For the office. He wanted to delegate and assist some hard workers new to the firm."
"Must suck being a lawyer."
"Flash, please. I know such rude words pale in today's standards, but it's still a rude word." She sternly spoke, "Though you are right. A lawyer's job is never easy, but your father is brave and patient enough to survive it."
"That's why he's the best dad." Flash laughed, then looked at his phone, "Time to go!"
She shrugged, "Anyway, I'm glad you're spending more time with new friends instead of staying at home recently. Just make sure you and your friends steer away from any danger okay? I'll be heading off to my Tai Chi class soon."
"Sure thing mum." Flash nodded, kissing her on the cheek, "Love you!"
"Love you too. Take care!"
"Good Morning Adagio!" Big Mac greeted, "Ready for your singing lessons?"
"Good Morning Mac." Adagio yawned, a glass of water in her hand, "Quite the early riser. Getting here at half-past eight is serious dedication."
"It's a habit. Always like to come early." Big Mac chuckled,
"Looks like you win Mac!" Three other teenagers came up from behind.
"Goddess!" Adagio spat out her drink, "You really want me to sing so badly!"
"Of course! Aren't we friends?" Rarity responded, "And as friends, we want to help support your desires and goals!"
"You guys are too quick in being friends!"
"Two weekends and one full week is more than enough time to do that." Flash huffed,
"You ready to get back your voice???" Sweetie boomed, pointing a finger towards Adagio.
"Can I eat something first?" Adagio nervously smiled.
"Oh... Sorry." The four students frowned in unison.
For the next half an hour, Adagio was thrown into the training grounds of singing. Though, it was more like riding on the training wheels of singing.
"You don't have to go so far back into maintaining the correct posture! I know how to do that!" Adagio growled,
"Nope! If you want to re-learn how to sing, you should go through the process again!" Flash adamantly declared. "And a tall posture with a straight chin is the best way for your voice to flow easily!"
"And not to mention, make sure your throat and tongue aren't tight!" Big Mac continued.
"You guys are going to be the death of me..." Adagio slapped her face in frustration as she lined up her head and straightened her body.
"Great! Now the next thing you do? Work! That! Diaphragm!" Sweetie cheered.
"Whenever you inhale, expand your diaphragm. When you exhale, bring it back in!" Rarity instructed,
"Now I have to go through Flash's training shtick!?" Adagio complained,
"Posture and breathing are important because when you sing or play and instrument, you'll always be on the stage." Flash explained, "Lots of professional singers and musicians would have to go through this. Especially if they go a week, let alone a month, without singing."
"Alright..." Adagio grumbled.
She shaped her mouth in an 'o' and sucked up a stream of air. The air moved through her windpipe and straight into her lungs, but that was not the goal. She diverted the air from her chest and pushed it lower to her diaphragm, expanding it ever so slowly.
"Just imagine that when you breathe into your diaphragm, you're trying to imitate the fattest character in cartoons." Flash hollered. Sweetie rammed her elbow into Flash's side.
"That's not something I'd like to hear if I'm trying to practice singing Flash." She snapped at the bent over and confused teen.
"What??? That's how my mother taught me!" Flash moaned, struggling to stand up.
Adagio ignored the petty commotion between the two and focused on exhaling. As she released the air, she placed her hands on her stomach and felt it caving in as the air came out.
"Alright. I think I got it!"
"Wonderful." Rarity clapped, "now do it fifty more times. Slowly."
"Argh..."
As that monotonous half-hour finally passed, it was time for the siren's next step of training.
"Listening and memorisation is key to producing sound." Rarity instructed, "That's why we're going to look at your tone and pitch!"
"Starting off are the eight basic notes." Flash continued, "A to G. Though in most cases, people new to music always start off with the middle key."
"D?" Adagio asked,
"The C note actually. I know it's confusing, but the origin is derived from the piano's middle key being C. From there, all basics of playing and singing are derived."
"Okay, now you're just bringing it back to kindergarten again. I don't need history!!!"
"Sorry. Basically, what you want to do is copy the tone and pitch of the sound." Flash cut forward,
"Do..." The sound of the piano echoed from Sweetie's phone.
"Now you try!" Sweetie encouraged, "Sing with 'Do'!"
"Uh... Doooo..." Adagio warbled as her tone was completely off the mark.
"Oof!" Flash bit his lip, "That was way out of tune!"
"Thanks for your honesty." Rarity spoke, chopping Flash on the head, "Now be a bit more supportive towards the opposite gender."
"Stop hitting me you two..." Flash whined, holding his head for comfort.
"Try again Adagio." Sweetie ignored, "Sing 'Do'..."
"Everyone!!!" A voice called from the Halidom's balcony. "Good Morning!"
"Morning Ms Cleo!" The CHS students called back.
"It's a good thing that you have arrived early." Cleo rushed down the stairs to the grounds. "It's about 9:35 now. Have you decided on going to Mount Adolla and meeting Ms M?"
"... Oh. I knew I forgot something." Flash winced,
"It would take about 10-15 minutes to travel northeast to Mount Adolla. There is a direct open path to take, so we won't be walking through any caves or forests unless you count the one that hides the Halidom."
"Hmm..." Rarity puffed her cheeks, "To be honest, I have very mixed feelings about this."
"And may I ask why?"
"I don't trust her. Even if she's a teacher." Sweetie replied, "She seems very suspicious."
"Eeyup. Agree with you there." Big Mac nodded.
"I see..." Cleo took it all in. "I've been thinking about this teacher of yours yesterday. If my suspicions are correct, then she is definitely hiding something from all of you."
"What!?"
"I need to clear up those suspicions first. Do you have a photo of Ms M?"
"Not in our personal pockets." Sweetie rapidly tapped her screen, "But all teachers and students must have a photo of them so it's easy to connect name and face." She scrolled down an address book filed with the many serious, smiling, and silly faces of students and teachers, till she managed to find the mug of the purple red-haired historian. "This is her!!!" She passed her phone to Cleo.
"Ah..." Cleo's eyes rested on the mysterious Ms M, her prideful gaze looking right back at her. Cleo's mind froze, her muscles tense up, and she dropped the freshman's phone with a face of unforgettable horror.
"Oh... So you DO know about her!" Rarity gasped,
"Don't tell me..." Flash twitched, "Is Ms M Grastaean!?"
Cleo gloomily looked to the five teenagers and nodded without hesitation.
"Yo..." Sweetie raised a finger,
"Dayum..." Big Mac held his head in shock,
"... Wow!" Rarity exclaimed.
"Who knew?" Adagio crossed her arms.
"It's wonderful to see that you're not the only human or sylvan survivor." Flash nodded, "And now that I think about it, I can understand more of her motive with the volcano."
"A volcano isn't the ideal home Flash." Big Mac corrected, "And ah doubt that there's any place aside from the Halidom that can provide a decent shelter here."
"Thank you, Mac," Flash bitterly chuckled, "I shall rephrase that. Ms M not only wants to warn Canterlot about an active volcano hidden on their doorstep, but she also wants to unearth a forgotten era for the entire world to see, an era that she is proud to be a descende--"
But before Flash could finish his newfound speculation, the castle grounds began to sway. A dreadful rumble louder than thunder grasped each of the people's legs and brought all of them to their hands and knees.
"You have got to be joking! An earthquake!?" Rarity yelled,
"That's impossible! Canterlot isn't near any fault lines or tectonic edges!" Flash cried, desperately trying to hang on.
After five seconds, the grounds stood still once again. Everyone was dead frozen on their fours, unable to comprehend what just happened.
"What was that all about?" Sweetie demanded, picking herself up.
"Ah can't tell if this is an earthquake or tremor..." Big Mac loosened up, "Good thing we're outside."
Then every smartphone in the teens' possession (except Adagio's) vibrated and blared out quirky ringtones.
"Excuse me." The four apologetically chuckled and placed their phones to their ear.
"Scootaloo?" Sweetie spoke,
"Rainbow Dash?" Rarity responded,
"Mom?" Flash asked,
"Applejack," Big Mac grunted,
Cleo and Adagio listened to the muffled speakers for a while until they caught off-guard by the biggest of sounds.
"What!?!?" All four yelled in perfect unison, their voice was as loud as the rumbling earth itself.
"What the heck's going on?" Adagio turned to Cleo,
"I have no idea," Cleo answered, and turned to the CHS students. "But their faces are screaming with fear. Something tells me that this quake isn't restricted on this side of the barrier."
"In that case, stay safe mum! I'll be fine!" Flash hung up.
"Get to Mrs Sentry's place! And hurry!" Sweetie was the next to finish.
"Got it. You take Applebloom and Granny Smith under the dining table and hold on tight before anything else happens!" That was Big Mac.
"Just find somewhere safe, don't do anything that can get yourself killed or injured. Unless you're saving someone!" Rarity commanded before tapping her phone.
"Let me guess." Cleo took a breath, "That earthquake. It happened in Canterlot too?"
"Yes." Flash nodded, "Thankfully, nothing fell apart. But the entire area is chaos."
"Rainbow said everyone's on the lookout, preparing themselves for any aftershock," Rarity reported,
"Everyone!" Adagio warned, "To the North, one of the mountains!"
The group followed the Siren's finger to the view of a mountain... smoking from its top.
"... Oh, that ain't good." Big Mac gulped.
"That would be Mount Adolla," Cleo answered, "And if there's anything related to earthquakes and tremors, a volcano is one of them."
"That means Ms M's in danger!" Rarity gasped, "That's it. We're going to Mount Adolla immediately!!!"
"Oh crap! You're right!" Flash answered, "She may be a weird teacher, but we just can't leave her to die like this!"
"It doesn't matter whether your teacher will escape or not." Cleo warned, "If we don't do something about that volcano, the Halidom and Canterlot will be naught but ash!"
"But what can we do!?" Sweetie protested, "We can't stop nature!"
"Not for ordinary volcanoes." Cleo warned, "Mount Adolla is far from that. Do you remember your research for Ms M?"
"Oh!" The four teenagers lifted their heads in a split-second relief.
"Exactly. Regardless, you are still right Rarity; we must depart for Mount Adolla. If we're too late to get to the bottom of this..."
"The Flamewyrm will kill us all!"
TO BE CONTINUED |
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