//------------------------------// // Vocation Vacation // Story: Spike's Doom and/or Destiny // by terrycloth //------------------------------// Spike slammed the hammer into the metal ingot with all his strength, but it was having less and less effect on the metal as it cooled. Looking around surrepetitiously, he saw Master Gunderson focused intently on one of his fancy spears, and the other apprentices likewise occupied with their own projects and tasks. Leaning down towards the metal, he pursed his lips and puffed a little green burst of flame at it, heating it back up to a nice healthy glow… Seconds later, he was slammed into the wall of the smithy, Master Gunderson’s talons clasped around his neck. “What did I tell you about cheating!” the griffon snarled. “Don’t… get caught…” Spike wheezed. The griffon dropped him to the ground. “Get the brush,” he said. “It’s time to clean the forge again.” “Aww, come on,” Spike whined, but a dangerous glare from the griffon sent him stumbling over to get the special brush with starmetal bristles, the one that wouldn’t melt in the forge’s heat. He climbed up onto the lip of the forge, and flinched back at the blast of hot air, then screwed his eyes shut and slid into the fire. “Ahhh,” he said, resting on the coals as he started scrubbing lazily at the walls, basking in the heat. It wasn’t like Gunderson could see how fast he was scrubbing, or even tell if he’d finished by the time he was slated to head out to meet the mares, which meant he was free to relax and clean at his own pace. “This is the life,” he said to himself, letting his mind wander as his claws basically moved on their own, working through a type of task he’d been doing for longer than he could remember. There were upsides to working for such a strict master. === Bon Bon stirred the pot of sticky sugar, lifting up her wooden spoon to check its viscosity. “Alright,” she said to the young griffons standing, perching, or hovering nearby. “It’s about ready to add the flavoring. What flavor should we make today?” “Do you have a cure for little sisters?” Greta asked. “Hey!” squeaked her little sister Ginny. “Well, that depends on what you want to cure,” Bon Bon said. “Why don’t we try for a Silence candy this time? Get me the echo herbs, and…” her eyes scanned the shelves. “Some ginger. Ginger should work well.” Her little helpers were quick to fetch the ingredients, and she sprinkled the herbs into her hoof, showing it around so they could get a sense for how much she was using. “This should be enough for a lingering Silence effect, which is useful for sneaking past monsters, or for feeding to naughty little sisters who keep making too much noise.” Greta giggled. Bon Bon dumped in the herb, then clasped the jar of ginger in her teeth and shook a liberal helping of powdered root into the mix. “Ginger is just for flavor, mostly, so it’s really a matter of how strong you want it to be.” She took the spoon in her teeth again and started stirring. “Keep stirring until the flavoring is completely absorbed by the mixture, and then it’ll be time to set it out on the sheets to harden…” And once they’d all inevitably snuck a sample, she’d have some peace and quiet for once. Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? === Moondancer sat by the side of the river, carefully shaping a pot with her hooves as it spun on the spinning wheel. Her horn was lit, maintaining a bubble shield around her. Cut off from the noise and distraction of the outside world, she could focus on the slowly forming pot, and not on the gusting wind, the screeching griffons swooping and circling overhead, or the occasional splash of bright red liquid that splattered across her bubble, sliding down and pooling on the ground due to the lack of friction. And then somegriffon popped it. Her ears flattened against her skull, and she slowly turned towards the offender, making sure to angle her glasses so that the glare from the afternoon sun would flash across his eyes. “What.” “Yes, what,” snapped the mayor. “What is going on here?! Why are you the only one doing your job? Why are all my potters flying around in midair throwing pots full of paint at each other?” “They want to be griffon grenadiers,” Moondancer said. “It doubles their hit points and gives +10 dexterity and perception, which should help with their pottery.” The mayor ignored her, screeching, “WHO’S GOING TO PAY FOR ALL THIS PAINT?” A pot full of paint shattered across his head, drenching his face and neck in sticky red. This failed to make him any calmer. “Don’t worry, it’s from a cornucopia,” Moondancer said, angling her head towards a large sack by the side of the river. As the mayor glanced over at it, one of the budding grenadiers landed and snatched another dozen paint pots from the sack, quickly slotting them into her bandolier. “It’ll vanish after a few minutes, since it’s just a magical copy of the original pot.” When the mayor didn’t seem to react, she added, “That means no one paid for it.” “Unicorns,” the mayor muttered under his breath. “So all they’re wasting for this training is their time. I trust that’s efficient enough to meet your approval?” Moondancer asked. “I suppose,” the mayor replied. “Although they won’t be very effective in combat unless they have something more dangerous than paint to throw.” “Oh, they will,” Moondancer said. “I take it you officially approve of this training regiment then?” “What’s your angle,” the mayor asked, suddenly suspicious. “Like I said, no one paid for the cornucopia,” Moondancer replied, turning back to her pot. “I’ll send you a bill.” She put the bubble back up before he could reply. === Derpy hauled her wagon full of trash through the village, waiting by the gate until the others finished up their own work and joined her. Bon Bon was the first to arrive, hopping into the wagon and clearing a spot to lie down. She set down the bundle of leather she’d been carrying on her back. “Did you get it?” Derpy asked, excitedly. Bon Bon nodded. “Soft leather armor for both of us, light enough not to interfere with flying or stealth.” “Aaaaand?” Derpy asked, grinning. Bon Bon worried at the bundle with her teeth for a bit, then tossed a small bit of leather to Derpy, who caught it with a wing, and quickly fastened it in place over her eye. She let out a long sigh. “Finally! I’m a real pirate again,” she said, adjusting the eye patch until it was comfortable, and looking around with the uncovered eye. “Oh! There’s Spike. Spiiike! Over here!” Spike waved back. No one had to ask if he’d managed to get his own equipment, since he was wearing it. It wasn’t full plate, but there were plates of armor covering most of his vulnerable spots, and a half-helmet to give some protection for his head. The shield slung over his back was the largest one yet – if he set it in the ground and hid behind it, no one would be able to *see* him, let alone hit him with anything. “Good haul today?” he asked, unable to see over the edge of the wagon. Derpy nodded her head vigorously. “You wouldn’t believe what these griffons throw away!” “Cool,” he smiled, then pointed at her, winking. “Love the eyepatch.” Derpy giggled happily. Moondancer was the last to arrive, also dressed in her own new equipment. Bon Bon stared at her, unimpressed. “That staff. It’s certainly…” “It’s a stick,” Moondancer said. “Nogriffon has any idea how to make a magic staff, but they know how to make a stick.” Spike eyed it suspiciously. “It’s a bit… splintery.” “Sanding and painting was extra,” Moondancer said. “I don’t care what it looks like, I care that it’s a big, heavy stick with a lead core that I can hit ponies with.” “Isn’t lead antimagic?” Bon Bon asked, scrunching up her face. “It is,” Moondancer confirmed. “I’m not going to be casting any spells through this thing. Supposedly I could use it to parry spells, if I had any idea how to parry things.” “Maybe I could teach you?” Spike suggested. “Like, throw some rocks at you until you got good enough to deflect them?” “Pass,” Moondancer said. “So I’m guessing those aren’t magic robes either,” Bon Bon said, looking over Moondancer’s poofy bright red attire. It actually went fairly well with her coat and mane, but if all it was was fashion… “Eh,” Moondancer said. “Supposedly woven from Fire Rat fur. Verifiably immune to fire. I managed to get them for a good price, since nogriffon wants a garment that’d get in the way of their wings. They claimed they couldn’t tailor it, but it’s a robe, so I don’t really care.” “Does that mean we’re ready to hunt demons?” Derpy asked, heading up the hill towards the orchard. All of them had the money to pay for a place in town, but they’d gotten used to camping by the well, not to mention used to Night Dog’s company. “That really depends on you,” Bon Bon said. “Have you found a working weapon yet?” “I found another crossbow in the trash!” Derpy said. “That makes… um… six? I’m sure I can build a working one out of all these pieces!” “I bought a mainspring from the forge, just in case,” Spike said. “That’s the really important part.” “Oh, thanks!” Derpy said. “I have a million screws and a couple dozen gears, but I’m always short on springs.” At the top of the hill, they sat around their campfire, piling on scrap wood from Derpy’s stash while she sorted the rest of her finds into various piles. They had a tent, now, although with the mild weather in the past they had the sides rolled up and just used the roof to keep out the occasional drizzle. Moondancer took a large leather-bound tome from her chest, and curled up near the fire to read it, while Spike tended the fire and Bon Bon started getting together the ingredients for dinner. Eventually, the sun went down, and the moon rose, and Night Dog dropped out of the sky, into their camp, despite not having any wings. Everypony smiled and waved at the now familiar, possibly demonic pony, and he smiled back, until his sweeping gaze reached Moon Dancer. “What are you doing with my coat?”