Two Previews · 11:38am Oct 7th, 2014
...One from my own Divided Rainbow, one from Into The Hedge. Let's start with Into The Hedge...
Twilight instantly recognized him as a creature of influence. Having grown up in Canterlot and lived for many years in the Royal Palace, she had seen plenty of his type before; wealthy, pompous, bloated individuals who would trample anypony to accomplish their agendas. And always with smiles to distract you from the daggers they hid behind them.
Apparently, some trends were universal.
The goblin looked over each of the newcomers appraisingly before settling his gaze on the Lost. His smile seemed to grow wider as he walked forward.
“Do I have the pleasure of addressing the leader of this lovely company, good sir?” he asked.
The Lost exited the craft, stepping between several of the brutes, crossed his arms and squared his stance. “You do,” he answered neutrally.
The goblin bowed with a flourish of his hand. “Then I bid you good morrow and warm welcomes to the great township of Gladesrest, good sir,” he said. “Allow me to introduce myself. Among friends and partners, I am known Gilded Jack and I have the honorable distinction of bearing the title of Master of the Town.” He rose from his bow and offered a hand to the Lost. “To whom does this humble hob have the pleasure of addressing?”
The Lost offered his own hand. “You may simply call me the Lost.”
“But of course, good sir, an appropriate alias. I realize that men of your profession must keep a low profile. But let me assure you, unlike other, less civilized townships, Gladesrest is very accommodating to those that curry favor among the Gentry and procure merchandise on their behalf.”
“...Of course, Master Jack,” said the Lost.
The goblin turned his gaze back towards the rest of the group. “And shall I assume that these… very lovely visions accompanying you are your…”
“My compatriots, yes,” said the Lost. He positioned himself between them and Jack, forcing the goblin’s attention back on himself. “I must say it is rather curious that the Master of the Town would greet us personally.”
“But of course, good sir, but of course! I can always sense a grand opportunity when one comes across.” Jack tapped his elongated nose with a pudgy finger.
“And when one such as you, that is to say, a respectable man of the trade comes to my city, I am always eager to personally greet them.”
The Lost thought for a moment. Then an arrogant smirk crossed his face and he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “I know the feeling, Jack,” he said. “Can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to cross off some pack of punks thinking they can do business without a proper patron. Honestly, it’s bottom feeders like that that give my trade such a dirty reputation!”
As the girls glanced at each other in hidden uncertainty, the goblin burst into laughter. “Indeed, indeed! These so called ‘freelancers’, always thinking they can get one over on their betters. But you, Master Lost, you have the honor of such a distinguished patron. I knew instantly the moment the pixies alerted me that you were a gentleman that I could do business with!”
The Lost shook Jack’s hand again. “You said it, Jack,” he said, then jerked a thumb back at the women behind him. “Now then, we’ve got some good loot to trade and I’m looking for some fresh gear for myself and my crew. We need weapons, supplies, the works. Also some place to put our feet up for a while. None of this flea-infested crap, we want the best you’ve got.” The Lost’s arrogant smile showed off a budding set of sharp teeth that reminded Rainbow of a hungry wolf she once met.
Gilded Jack chuckled and motioned for the to the guards. A pair of brutes moved to a large spoked wheel and began turning it, raising the inner gate. “But of course, Sir,” said Jack. “Allow me to escort you and your companions through the canals. Since this is your first visit to our city, best that I show you where to go. Goodness knows we’ve seen our fair share of travellers get lost in the Market’s waters.”
The inner gate had been raised, revealing another enclosed area. This was a place teeming with more soldiers. Some were more of the large, brutish bipeds, while others were taller and more lithe, their long limbs holding wooden bows or, as the Lost instantly recognized, long muskets. Kyria was allowed to propel the punt forwards and the gate was closed behind them. The Lost followed Gilded Jack along the wooden docks to a spot where a few other, sleeker gondolas were tied off.
The red-skinned leader gave one last growl before stomping off towards the battlements. “Ogres,” commented Gilded Jack. “They are not very bright but they certainly have their uses. Now then, if you would allow one of my guards to accompany your own craft, you would be more than welcome to join me on my own craft. A simple precaution, I can assure you.”
For Full Context: Into The Hedge, Chapter 8: Welcome To Gladerest
Or read this story from its beginning here: Into The Hedge, Prologue: The Silken Harpist.
And now... an early sneak peek of Divided Rainbow's thirty-third chapter!
As Twilight Sparkle lay face-up on the floor, staring at the fevered eyes and quaking cutie mark of Rainbow Dash, her rapidly-working mind jumped to thoughts of Spike and Discord.
Spike had gotten angry that one time and wrote to Celestia asking for Discord to put him under his Bewitchment. Through some means, Celestia had contacted Discord after getting Spike’s letter. And Discord had come to Spike to alter his memory.
Her conclusion: she needed to get to Spike, pronto, and have him write to Celestia, asking to have Discord alter Rainbow’s memories. The draconequus had already done it once… back after Lero had tried going to Rainbow’s cottage to show her all her old Wonderbolts and weatherpony stuff.
“Okay, Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight, in her most pacifying tone, getting up back up to a stand. “We’re… we’re going to get to the bottom of this. We’re your herdmates, there’s no need to lash out at us...”
“It’s wrong!” Rainbow moaned. “It feels like acid’s been poured onto my skull! Those moves… those moves I used on Honeydew… how could I have possibly…?”
“Don’t think about any of it,” Lyra told Rainbow firmly. “Just do not let yourself think about it. Refuse to.”
Rainbow’s face scrunched up, as if she was trying to shove the offending thoughts away… before she let go an anguished cry. “I can’t!”
A screaming Sicklefin ran past the three of them into the next room, her entire hindquarters on fire.
Their gazes followed the horrific sight, before Twilight snapped out of it. “Look, girls, this isn’t the place for chatter. Rainbow, Lyra, get yourselves up against me. I’m going to teleport us outside this building; then we can talk.”
The other two mares pressed themselves as closely against either side of Twilight Sparkle as they could. It was downright unnerving, how Rainbow Dash shivered against her as if she were standing in a freezer. As though to be extra-sure, Lyra Heartstrings wound her tail tightly around Twilight Sparkle’s. Rainbow Dash saw this happen and wrapped her own tail around Twilight and Lyra’s as well. The unicorns gave the pegasus reassuring looks.
Twilight Sparkle let her horn fill up with a large amount power. In her mind, she pictured the exterior of the quarry mill. When teleporting, it was always important to visualize a vacant, unoccupied area, away from other living beings… in order to avoid the horror that was ‘teleportation splicing.’
There had been a point southeast of the mill’s front entrance, a point that was quite a few yards away from where Corporal Wolf Pack and the ponies in her squadron would probably be standing. Wildflowers had been there...
* * *
Perhaps Twilight’s own agitation had distracted her. Perhaps Exit Wound had cast some sort of spell on the quarry mill, itself, preventing teleporters from teleporting in and out of the building. Perhaps all her recent injuries and fighting had fatigued her. Whatever the case, Twilight Sparkle and her herd-sisters now found themselves standing inside some sort of office instead of a small grove of wildflowers. Twilight knew immediately that she was still within the Boulder & Daughters Quarry Mill because she could hear Sicklefins in other rooms, yelling loudly.
This side office was a very unimportant-looking room; a metal desk, two filing cabinets, and lots of undisturbed dust. The door was closed, so the strange cold mist hadn’t crept inside. Twilight had a hunch that they could hide in this place successfully for a long time if they all kept quiet. But Rainbow Dash wasn’t really cooperating on that account.
“It’s wrong, it’s really wrong, the whole thing doesn’t make sense,” the pegasus was saying, baring her teeth in a hostile way, like one of her animals, breathing hard, foaming spittle building along her lips.
Cozy Flow’s Dreamless Doze; yes, that’d be the spell to use on Rainbow Dash. Not only was it a powerful slumber spell, Rainbow Dash’s sleep would need to be a dreamless one. With her sanity crumbling like this, Twilight didn’t want to think what kind of nightmares her subconscious might concoct.
“No matter how I look at it, I don’t understand it…!”
Then Twilight could levitate Rainbow onto her back and try teleporting again. This time, she’d try appearing at the quarry mill’s front entrance, and then…
“Of course you don’t,” Lyra told Rainbow Dash, reasonably. “You’re lacking a vital piece of information. Information I have.”
Both Twilight and Dash snapped their heads around at their aqua-coated herd-sister. “You have?” They responded in baffled unison.
When Lyra placed her hoof on the Swapped pony’s shoulder, she was not attacked for it, Rainbow’s attention focused on her, desperate for the explanation. “Now, Rainbow, I need you to keep it together, and stay with me on this. Can you do that? Because I am telling you the information you need.”
Once again, my money is on saying Luna planted them in her subconscious via dreams.
Looking forward to the next chapter!
I guess Lyra will try to convince Rainbow that pegasai are natural warriors, that she has seen in previous occasions untrained pegasai be surprisingly proficient in combat, and that she may have called a few favours among pegasai Masters and may have been making telepathic implantation of knowledge of pegasai martial arts while Rainbow was sleeping.
Ah yes, the promised "when I'm done explaining this one, Zontargs is probably gonna lose his shit again" chapter.
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Oh, Zontargs, I truly AM looking forward to everything you'll have to say about THIS chapter in particular...
Let me know if you'd like my assistance, Mike. Even if my writing chops are still garbage, my editing bits are still working.