//------------------------------//
// Chapter 26 
// Story: Scootaloo's Guardian 
// by Dirty Bit 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 26


Fateful Gathering


After finishing her bath, Scootaloo was lucky enough to direct Astaroth back to her home without nopony seeing them with how late it was getting. The orange filly thought it would be best to let Astaroth do as he wanted with his problem and sleep it off, hoping he would hold out until tomorrow morning.
_____

Braeburn and Little Strongheart finally found themselves in front of one of Equestria's biggest cities. The cowpony whinnied with joy "Yeehaw! We made it! Let's get to it, Li'l Strongheart! We gotta see if anypony saw the one we're lookin' fer pass by here!"

Little Strongheart nodded "Lead the way, Braeburn! We must hurry if he's still around here!" The two Appleloosan travelers entered into the bustling city while the sun was almost nearing itself out of sight over the horizon.

They trotted along one of the many sidewalks and saw many pedestrians, businessponies, and other visitors touring the city. What was bad about this was that none of them ever found the time to acknowledge Braeburn talking to anypony he saw fit, especially when he was being polite. The cowpony stopped a businesspony with a dull face "Pardon me, sir! Can I ask ya a questi-" His spirits wavered when the pony trotted away and ignored Braeburn completely. He turned and spotted a mare wearing high-class attire passing him and tried to speak again " 'Scuse me, miss! Can ya spare a minute? We're lookin' fer-" He frowned when the mare huffed and held her nose in the air as she trotted away from him and Little Strongheart.

Little Strongheart was slightly frustrated and downtrodden with their results of asking for help "This is getting us nowhere. Nopony would even consider answering us! What should we do about this now, Braeburn?" She looked at the cowpony with a sad frown.

Braeburn shook off his own mild frustration and put a smile on his face "Maybe we ain't lookin' hard enough fer answers! We're jus' askin' busy folk on th' city streets! Maybe we should go and find ourselves at one o' them fancy establishments an' th' like! I'm sure they wouldn't mind troublin' us with some answers there!!" He looked around with squinted eyes "But where do we start..." Braeburn rubbed his chin before his stomach growled. He looked down and he laughed "Well, maybe we should find ourselves a place t' eat first!"

Little Strongheart looked worried "But have we packed enough bits for our trip? We've eaten most of our packaged food, and I cannot be certain on how much they would charge for a meal here..."

Braeburn kept his smile despite the truth that flowed from Little Strongheart's lips "We jus' gotta avoid all o' th' fancy-schmancy places that come int' view! My cousin Applejack usually warned me 'bout-" He stopped himself before he snapped "Cousin Applejack! I fergot about her all this time!" He beamed at Little Strongheart "She's probably here with 'er friends, possibly dining at one o' these restaurants! All we gotta do is find one and hope fer th' best!"

Little Strongheart smiled at Braeburn "It is good to know you are willing to see through tougher odds like this, Braeburn. Where should we go first?"

Braeburn, now full of pep with thoughts of his cousin Applejack, scoured around the nearest restaurants quickly before he pointed at one two blocks down the street further into the city "How 'bout that one over there?" He leaned his head forward to distinguish the sign above the entrance "Lay...Beck...Fin? Sounds like a mighty fine place t' eat!" He smiled "Let's mosey on over there an' see if we'll find Applejack an' them!" The two Appleloosan travelers then trotted over eagerly.

When they reached the restaurant's entrance, they never expected to run into a griffon bouncer wearing a fine red tuxedo while looking down at Braeburn and Little Strongheart with condescending green eyes "And how may I help you two?" He raised an eyebrow as he spoke in a calm, yet contemptuous tone.

Braeburn tipped his hat with a chipper smile "Howdy, pardner! Jus' droppin' on in fer some good eatin'!" He went to trot past the griffon bouncer "Excuse us, please!"

A claw halted his advance as the griffon narrowed his eyes "I'm afraid I cannot let you into this restaurant, sir. You or your little buffalo friend over there..."

Braeburn tilted his head "Well why not? Is th' place filled t' th' brim?" He peered inside to see several vacant tables "Looks pretty roomy t' me!"

The griffon bouncer gave a light sneer "Your attire does not meet the standards of this establishment. I'm afraid you will have to leave this place in an orderly fashion."

Little Strongheart looked confused "Attire? What is wrong with the clothing presented onto ourselves?"

The griffon turned to Braeburn "Well, for starters, this one looks like he's fit to ride in another rodeo with the dirtied hooves to match..." He then turned to Little Strongheart "And you look like you hail from some kind of native tribe..."

Little Strongheart looked offended "But I am from a native tribe! I am part of a buffalo tribe near Appleloosa."

Braeburn stared at his hooves for a moment before he smiled up at the griffon again "Iffin' a wash is all I need t' get in there, I can do that first 'fore I eat! Nothin' to it, an' I'm one fer respectin' public property an' such!"

The griffon bouncer sighed "If you've heard me correctly, it is your appearance altogether that is denying you entry into this restaurant! This is one of the fanciest restaurants in Fillydelphia!"

Braeburn poked his chin with a hoof "Is it now? That explains th' diversity!" He smiled at how the griffons got along well with the ponies in this restaurant despite being oblivious to the griffon's harsh words.

Little Strongheart glared "This is discrimination! We only wish to nourish ourselves in this restaurant and you deny us passage due to appearance?"

The griffon brushed off the buffalo calf's lashing and pointed away with an annoyed expression "I think you'll have a better meal from the oat dog cart down the road..." He spoke in an icy tone.

Braeburn looked slightly hurt "If y'all won't let us inside, could ya at least tell us if my cousin's in there or not? Maybe ya know 'er? Applejack from Ponyville?"

The griffon rolled his eyes "Never heard of her." He leered down at the two Appleloosan travelers "This is the last time I'll ask nicely. Please leave this establishment or else I'll have you both arrested for loitering!"

Braeburn acknowledged the griffon's tried patience and tipped his hat apologetically "Alright, sir. Sorry t' bother ya on such short notice..." He turned to Little Strongheart "C'mon, Li'l Strongheart. We shouldn't bug this here griffon no more..." He trotted away as he looked down with a sad frown.

Little Strongheart casted a spiteful glare at the griffon bouncer before she followed after Braeburn and tried to comfort him "It isn't your fault at all, Braeburn! That griffon was only being less than tolerant of our appearance and very unwelcoming with his words! Perhaps Applejack and her friends did not come there with how he acted..."

Braeburn sighed "T'aint fair! I even had enough money t' pay fer a meal fer both me an' you!" He looked at Little Strongheart with a small smile "But thanks fer stayin' by my side th' whole time! Yer a good friend, Li'l Strongheart!"

Little Strongheart smiled with a light blush at Braeburn's words, and she gasped when she looked ahead "Braeburn, watch-"

It was too late before the cowpony bumped into another one and caused the two to fly back onto their haunches. Braeburn shook his daze and scrambled to his feet as he went and helped up the pony he bumped into "I'm mighty sorry fer what I did, stranger! I wasn't lookin' where I was goin'! Can y'all forgive me?"

The pony Braeburn bumped into was a fudge brown unicorn with a white bowlcut mane, a black bow tie, and black rimmed studying glasses wearing a satchel on his side. His tail was both slick and slim, and his cutie mark was an open tome with a magnifying glass over it, an eye adorning the lense. He brushed himself off and surprisingly turned to Braeburn and Little Strongheart with a sincere smile as his purple eyes twinkled "No trouble at all, good sir! Most ponies' minds tend to wander out on the open streets now and then, even my own!" He took a short moment to glance upon the two and tilted his head "Say, by the looks of you both, you don't seem to be anypony seen around here in Fillydelphia. What are your names?" He blinked in curiousity.

Braeburn grinned "Now that's what I call friendly company!" He held out a hoof "Howdy there, pardner! Th' name's Braeburn! Braeburn Apple!" The cowpony directed his gaze to his friend "And that buffalo calf over there is my friend Little Strongheart! We're on a little quest o' sorts that may or may not involve all o' Equestria! Ya know where I can find a mare named Applejack?"

The unicorn raised an eyebrow "Applejack? As in the Element of Honesty? What could you possibly want with her?" He asked with genuine curiousity.

Braeburn smiled "Why, she's my cousin, o' course! We sorta need 'er for this thing, though!"

The unicorn gasped and smiled as he took Braeburn's hoof and shook it without hesitation "Familial relatives with the element bearers in person! How marvelous! It is indeed exciting to meet you up close, sir!" He beamed at the cowpony as he shook his hoof.

Little Strongheart gave an embarrassed smile "Um, I'm not exactly related to Applejack, if that is what you're implying..."

The unicorn shook his head "Oh no no no, not at all, ma'am! You're a buffalo, not a pony!" He then donned an inquisitive gaze "But what exactly are you questing for, if you don't mind me asking. Whatever it is, it sounds very important..."

Braeburn smiled "Could ya maybe tell us yer name first? Y'all 're th' most friendliest pony we've met in this place so far!"

The unicorn flinched and cursed under his breath "Where are my manners..." He cleared his throat and gave a polite smile "A pleasure to meet you two! My name is Hidden Truth! As my name implies, I am devoted to my life's talent of uncovering every missing link and shrouded detail that was blurred throughout Equestrian history, present included!"

Braeburn perked up and grinned "Then maybe y'all can help us out then? We're kind o' in a pinch with our quest!" His stomach growled again and he flashed an embarrassed grin "...mighty pinch, iffin' ya please..." He chuckled.

Hidden Truth wasted no time in joining the small fit of laughter "Despite this brief meeting, you two seem to be the most interesting visitors I've come across during my time here! Since you seem hungry, perhaps a fitting meal is in order, hm? My treat!" He smiled at the two travelers.

Little Strongheart was surprised "You would do that for us? But we've only met you and-"

Hidden Truth waved a hoof with a smile "Nonsense, my dear! I insist! You both must be absolutely starving after a long trip to come here. And besides, with your little quest that you've mentioned, you've already piqued both my interest and curiousity. I would like to see what exactly involves Equestria in a whole for you both to arrive..." His smile was genuine, but there was more behind it.

Braeburn smiled at Hidden Truth "Well, it'd be mighty rude t' turn down an' offer from ya, and we're gonna need all th' help we can get!" He nodded to the strange unicorn "Thank ya kindly fer doin' this little deed, Hidden Truth! Where are we gonna go?"

Hidden Truth chuckled as he passed by Braeburn and Little Strongheart "Only one of the fanciest restaurants in the city! Follow me, please!" In a short amount of time, they found themselves near at a familiar landmark "Here we are, friends! Le Bec-Fin!" His Prench pronunciation of the restaurant was almost alien to the two Appleloosan travelers.

Braeburn gave a knowing nod "Ooooh, so that's how it sounds like..."

Little Strongheart looked miffed "Here? But we were unable to go in before! The griffon at the door was absolutely rude to us!"

Hidden Truth smirked at Little Strongheart "Leave that to me, ma'am. Allow me to give you the access you've been denied!" He trotted up to the griffon bouncer and gave a curt bow followed by a polite smile "Good evening, Gerald!"

Gerald returned the bow and smile "Coming to eat here again, Hidden Truth? How goes your little research venture?"

Hidden Truth sighed and rolled his eyes "It could be better, let me tell you..." He noticed Gerald shift his gaze and glare at Braeburn and Little Strongheart and stepped in "Steady, Gerald! These two are dining with me tonight.

Gerald stared at Hidden Truth wide-eyed "Are you kidding? You realize that they can't even come in, right!?"

Hidden Truth deadpanned "On account of their clothing, right? A good majority of ponies, high class or not, barely wear any clothes on their person if you haven't noticed, good sir. And besides..." He pulled out a bag of bits from his satchel with his magic as he smirked "Money talks..." The unicorn said in a smug tone.

Gerald stared at the bag of bits before he begrudingly took them and groaned in defeat as he waved them inside "Enjoy your time here..." He muttered.

Hidden Truth giggled and he signaled Braeburn and Little Strongheart to follow him inside. A waiter was stationed to guide the trio to a table as they tracked behind him. The interior of the restaurant was painted in the finest alabaster and decorated with glistening chandeliers and exotic rugs. Hidden Truth smiled "Like what you see here? They even have an amazing basement bar where you can enjoy their cuisine at the fraction of the cost!"

Braeburn gave a low whistle as he looked around with impressed eyes "Land o' Goshen...I dunno what Applejack doesn't like 'bout places like these, but boy, do they know how t' decorate!" In a short amount of time, the trio were directed to a vacant table and were presented with three menus as the waiter trotted away. Braeburn looked through his menu with a quizzical glance "Errr, Truth? I can't make heads or tails with what they serve 'round here other than salads an' desserts!"

Hidden Truth chuckled "It is merely Prench cuisine, Braeburn. If you're looking for guidance, I would recommend their spiced quiche! It is a most exquisite dish here!"

Little Strongheart was just as confused as Braeburn as she went through her menu "Perhaps I should order the quiche as well. I cannot decide on what else to have other than a good pie." She smiled at how good an apple pie sounded.

Soon after, their orders were taken, and Braeburn and Little Strongheart enjoyed their quiche while Hidden Truth had himself a plate of Ratatouille nicoise. They dug into their own dishes, and needless to say, they enjoyed it thoroughly. Little Strongheart made sure to enact proper table manners while she ate her meal. When they were almost finished, Hidden Truth broke the ice "So tell me, Braeburn. This quest of yours...What does it involve?"

Braeburn stopped eating and gulped down his latest bite before he looked around to see if anypony was listening in on their conversation. His eyes rested on Little Strongheart looking sullen with the subject about to be brought up, and he took a deep breath before he told his story "It was a nice day at my hometown o' Appleloosa, doin' some voluntary work left an' right, but then Little Strongheart came t' me in a panic!"

Little Strongheart continued in a morose tone "One of my tribe was eerily infected by some kind of dark spirit and ravaged upon my fellow tribe members...including my father..." She shed a tear and tried to swallow her sadness knowing Chief Thunderhooves was doing alright "It didn't make any sense, either! He was sleeping one moment, and he woke up looking and acting like a monster!"

Braeburn came in with the story's continuation "Me an' some o' th' town's strongest stallions tried takin' him on, but he brought us down without even tryin'! Then all o' th' sudden, this cloaked figure showed up walkin' on two hooves instead o' four. They didn't really look like hooves, neither!"

Hidden Truth listened intently as he pulled out a notebook and quill and fervently scribbled down the notes on the story "What did it look like? Or was it completely cloaked?"

Braeburn shook his head "He wasn't completely covered, and he carried a very large scythe and easily handled th' rabid buffalo! After he took 'im down, he dug inside o' his body and pulled out some kind o' glowin' stone...Was mighty sharp, that stone..." He looked down and tried to gather his memory while he was wounded. Out of nowhere, his wound gave him pain and he grunted as he held his chest, startling both Hidden Truth and Little Strongheart as he chuckled "I-I'm sorry, y'all...This was kinda th' price I had t' pay fer fightin' th' buffalo..."

Little Strongheart gave Braeburn a worried glance "We must change your bandages later."

Hidden Truth was concerned, but his mind wandered back to the mention of the stone "A glowing stone...Was it shard-like in appearance?"

Braeburn nodded "Eeyup! It was pretty sharp! Then he jus' stashed it away an' took off without helpin' us out further! We're tryin' t' find him as well as my cousin Applejack so we know what we're dealin' with!"

Hidden Truth was silent, and he quickly fished out a good number of bits the moment a waiter arrived and went to ask if they were enjoying their food "Keep the change." He said in a serious tone as he rose from his chair "I need you two to follow me and quickly. I think our findings may be intertwined somehow..."

Braeburn widened his eyes "Really? So y'all know where we can find that cloaked feller?"

Hidden Truth shook his head "No...But I do know of the very stone you speak of. Come with me now. We'll need to investigate this matter further!" He trotted out of the restaurant at a fast pace with a calculating look in his eyes. Braeburn and Little Strongheart followed in confusion to Hidden Truth's sudden shift of behavior and eagerness for what he has discovered.
_____

Pinkie hopped up and down "Woohoo! We're here! We're here! We're finally here!!"

Applejack grabbed Pinkie and kept her still with an irritated expression "Simmer down, sugarcube! We know as well..." She looked up and sighed "Can't believe it's so late int' th' evenin', neither!"

Rainbow Dash looked around "Yeah! How are we supposed to find the next shard without appearing as cat burglars in the middle of the night?"

Twilight looked ahead "Relax, Rainbow Dash. We can't pinpoint the exact location of the shard, but that doesn't mean we'll have a plan for retrieving it, right, Zasalamel?" She turned to face the cloaked man with a smile, only to realize he wasn't there. She darted her head around "Wait, where did he go!?"

Everypony looked around except for Pinkie, who pointed a hoof up to a tall building to see Zasalamel stand at the edge while holding up a shard to his face. Eventually, he was met with Rainbow Dash zipping up next to him with a glare "Are you trying to ditch us or something? How did you even get this high, anyway?"

Zasalamel shot an annoyed stare at Rainbow Dash "I have my ways..." He went back to looking at the shard in his hand, and then he pointed his scythe to a distant storage bay by the water "Over there...That's the location we seek."

Rainbow Dash looked and smiled in satisfaction "Alright! Now things get easy for once! We'll just go in, snatch the shard, and jump on our of there just like that!"

Zasalamel shifted his eyes at Rainbow Dash "You only know simplicity, Element of Loyalty...There are times where you must think before you act..."

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at Zasalamel "But it's a waste of time! We gotta move now!" She was startled when she noticed an annoyed Twilight appear behind her, whereas Zasalamel only turned around.

Twilight huffed "You can't just leave us like that! Unless you were trying to gain higher ground in searching while hiding from the public, that wasn't a good way to avoid us, Zasalamel!"

Rainbow Dash smiled "Take it easy, egghead! Zasalamel already pointed out to the next shard!"

Twilight gasped "Really? Where at? Is it close by?"

Rainbow Dash pointed over to the distant storage bay "It's all the way over there! I can easily just zoom right over there and just take it without any problems!"

Zasalamel scoffed "Your plan is severely flawed, Rainbow Dash..." The cyan pegasus narrowed her eyes as he continued "What you are planning to take can corrupt your mind and body the moment you come into contact with it...Moreso, knowing it's value, the storage bay it is held in could be heavily guarded by trained ponies. While speed is of the essence, a plan is needed...Which is why we shall move together and sneak inside."

Pinkie was found next to the trio "Like a ninja?" Twilight and Rainbow jumped and yelped at Pinkie's sudden appearance. Zasalamel was only lightly phased by the party pony's strange ways "So, are we gonna put on some awesome ninja gear and stuff? Oh! What if we go metal gear instead!? I can get us some neat boxes, too! But we'll have to find a bigger one for Zassy, since he's bigger than all of u-" Her speech was muffled by Zasalamel's hand.

The cloaked man leered at Pinkie while his expression appeared stoic "We'll sneak with no unneeded display..."

Pinkie pouted "Phooey! You're starting to become a wet blanket, Zassy! Once this is all over, I'm throwing you a mean party and make sure you smile about it!"

Twilight sighed "Let's just meet down with the others so we can explain the plan to them. We'll need to act fast if somepony else actually has their own hooves on a shard! Who knows what will happen!" The group then descended from the tall building in their own ways.
_____

Trixie groaned as she trotted with Raphael and Amy "To think Trixie has to set foot in here again...Her crowd the past week were semi-conscious in a whole to ignore most of Trixie's amazing magic!"

Amy looked down with a smile "Could you perhaps show me one of your magic shows sometime? I would love to see it for myself..."

Trixie gave a friendly scoff as she smiled smugly "Perhaps once we've achieved this extreme goal to shape the world to our liking. It is good to know that Trixie has many fans, pony or not!"

Raphael sneered ahead while he and the others kept a safe distance from being seen by anypony nearby. When he got a glance of the sky getting darker, he chuckled "Perfect..." He turned his head to Amy "Amy, grab the pony and let us move into the shadows!" Raphael said as he dashed into the nearest alley with deft movement. Amy picked up an unprepared Trixie and did the same as she caught up to her father.

The two vampires moved swiftly and silently through each dark crevice they could spot while trying to locate the next shard. They stopped for a moment as Raphael pulled out and inspected a shard "Come now...Show me your location, you little gem..." He muttered to himself.

Trixie wriggled herself out of Amy's grip as she glared at Raphael "You COULD have given Trixie a warning beforehoof, vampire! And what are we doing in a dank area such as this!?" She snapped in complaint and mild anger.

Raphael glared at Trixie "Silence!" He hissed vehemently "We need to be discrete about this finding and your intolerable volume would only sully up our search!" He went back to inspecting his shard as he grunted "We'll need to move further..." Raphael nodded to Amy and he went back to dashing through the dark alleys. Amy picked up Trixie, who was unprepared the second time, and followed after Raphael effortlessly.

In a small amount of time, the shard in Raphael's hand glowed brighter than usual as he grinned "We're close!" He whispered as he skidded to a halt and peered along the corner of the building he stood behind. Amy and Trixie followed suit, though the showmare was angry with Raphael for causing her to be carried horribly a second time. They all noticed they were near the docks, but all of their eyes rested on the storage bay up ahead. Raphael grinned with anticipation and slowly growing bloodlust as his red eyes glowed in the night "This will be most enjoyable...especially if there are more ponies inside..." He chuckled to himself as he licked his sharp fangs.


End of Chapter 26