//------------------------------// // Time passes // Story: Tela's Tales // by Firefoxino //------------------------------// "Today's a beautiful day!" Applebloom said with a spring in her hooves. The filly and her friends were all chattering at a table inside the inn.  "Yes, Applebloom, we know, today's your birthday." Sweetie said to her friend. The horn she found swung loosely from her neck. The drew eyes due to it clashing with her fur.  "Yup!" Scootaloo said with her usual enthusiasm, "I can't believe you chose the day with a game of dart!" She said with a laugh. "And luckily enough, on spring break!" "Hey, the months are different here, and it was about the same time." Applebloom reasoned. "So, girls." I started. "How did it go? Your letters were nice, but they lacked a lot of details, so… any boyfriend?" I teasingly asked. "Ugh, no!" Scootaloo said with disgust, then she slammed her head on the table. "Don't you start too." She groaned. I stood there, confused, "I'm sorry?"  Applebloom sighed while Sweetie started to look around. "Sweetie joined a band of bards, and every time she comes back, she tries to play matchmaker with us, she even used her magic to make Scootaloo wear some makeup. It wasn't her best work." She said, stifling a laugh while Scootaloo was trying to shrink down in her chair. "It was so embarrassing, not cool Sweetie!" She said bitterly. "Well, you girls need some company after all." Sweetie said. "And you don't?" I asked. "I already have company, Sombra here teaches me and keeps me company when I'm alone." She replied. "Uhm, who's Sombra?" I asked, confused. "The necklace." She said easily. I cocked an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. "The necklace can talk. He was the ancient king of the Crystal Empire and comes from Equestria. He is a powerful unicorn and is teaching me how to do cool tricks like this." She hopped down onto the floor, and the shadows on the ground started to move, creating a silhouette that danced around a shadowy campfire. "Neat." I replied, watching the shadows dance. "Yup, he says that given time, I will be able to do much more, but I'm not ready yet." Sweetie stayed silent for a moment "Yes, I know you want me to study, but today is a special day." "Don't call me prissy, that's my sister." "Oh, ok, then fine." She grumbled under her breath. I sighed in contempt. "We are so weird."  "Sure are!" Applebloom said. "But today I get to be one year weirder… One year uh, now that I think about it, a year is pretty long." She said deflating. "Sure is, I wonder how they are doing." Sweetie replied. "Rainbow Dash sure is being as awesome as she always has, but I miss her." She said. "Same." Applebloom said, looking down onto the table, soft tears started to drip from her eye. "I miss my family." The others weren't far behind from tearing up themselves, Scootaloo resisted the longest.  I couldn't watch it happen, so I wrapped them all in my arms and hugged them tightly. "We will go home, don't worry. I will always be here for you, ok?" I told them. They nodded and dried their tears on my shirt, I didn't care. "Feel better?"  They nodded once again. "Come on today is a happy day, no tears." Scootaloo said, wiping her tears off, "Tenebrae bring us the festive drinks!" She shouted. "Sigh, just one drink. You are not old enough to drink alcohol." I told them. "We will be fine." she said. They weren't, by the way. 'I can't believe my eyes.' On the table, Applebloom was happily singing some kind of weird song about winter, Sweetie was on the ground playing with her necklace, and I could hear some grumbling coming from it, and scoot. Scoot was beating up everyone who challenged her.  "Come on, Show me what you got!" She taunted the two men in front of her. She shot up and hit their legs, making them tumble on the ground, she then jumped and landed on their heads, knocking them out. "Aw yeah, another victory for me!"  Then she puked and passed out. "Sigh. I knew this would happen." I told myself.  "It was a wonderful show though!" Tenebrae said with a round of applause. "Sure was, I will bring them to my room." I looked out, the sun was going down quite rapidly and the day was almost over, in an hour, or so I had to go out for my weekly job. 'I hope they will be alright.'   I put them onto my bed, and they happily cuddled together in their sleep, the birthday went well. I opened the window and walked out, going back to the Den, I arrived later on at Krivroth's office to pick up my next mission. "So, what is it this time?" I asked him while I looked around. "Unfortunately, nothing good, we have a big problem." He took out a map of the town and pointed at the residential area inside the walls. "The population here is getting, for lack of a better term, dumber. One of our agents saw a man pouring vials in the well two weeks ago, he came back last week, and we had someone follow him. We lost him in the sewers, but we know he comes back every week. That is the closest well, so this is probably a direct attack on the guild. Follow him, and find out if this is another crime family trying to take us out. "When can I start? I mean, when will he be back?" I asked. "Three days from now." He answered back, closing the map. "I can't stress this enough, but be careful. If this is against the guild, there could be a gang there waiting to take over."  "Don't worry, I'm made of tough stuff." I said with a fist on my chest. "I'm sure you are, still. Caution is advised." He then nodded and gestured to me to go out, dismissing me.  I got out of the office and headed to my favorite place to get magic items, the bazaar. I headed there to finally receive the gifts I ordered for the girls. 'They will love these!' - The next morning I woke up on the ceiling and headed downstairs with my carefully wrapped gifts, two for each they absolutely deserve them. I arrived at their table and waited for them to finish breakfast.  "Good morning Tela!" Applebloom said with a big smile. "Morning!" The others said. "Good morning, girls, finish breakfast, I have something for all of you." I told them with a smile. They gulped down their breakfast and rushed over to me. "Ok, ok, settle down, now the first gift goes to the birthday girl." "For you, Applebloom, I have this magical shield!" I told her, giving her a metallic shield with runes and gems on it. "While it doesn't have any flashy enchantment on it, it will keep you safe, and the next gift you will have to unwrap yourself." I said with a small laugh. She stared at the shield with wide, glistening eyes. "It's beautiful...Thanks!" She said, hugging me tightly.  "Come on now, open your next one." She immediately zipped to it and ripped it open with her teeth, when she finally gnawed it open she stared at the set of orange-colored armor I got her. It was a set of half-plate, not too heavy for her but still powerful enough to block most blows, and best of all… "Is this custom fit?" She shouted with glee. "This is perfect, but how did you get it?" She asked while still looking at it, the other girls looking at it with curiosity. "I have connections." I told her ambiguously. "Oh ok, Ah'm gonna try it on, wait here!" She ran upstairs, returning minutes later with her armor on. The armor covered her whole upper body leaving her stomach draped in chainmail. Her hind legs were covered by armor up to her cutie mark. They looked like chainmail stockings with metal plates in the front connected to the rest of her armor. "That's awesome!" Scootaloo bellowed, looking at Applebloom from all sides.  "It is really shiny and beautiful, Applebloom." Sweetie commented. "But I'm not done yet!" I said, taking the other gifts from the Krampus bag, "You girls also have gifts. Dig in!"  Scootaloo rushed to hers and opened them in seconds, she looked mesmerized at her new crossbow, finely tuned with magic to give her an advantage. She then opened her other gift and took out her studded leather armor, she looked at it with wide eyes and immediately donned it. "This is incredible, It's so light!" She shouted with glee, "And it has wing holes!"  I left Scootaloo with Applebloom to compare armor and watched Sweetie Belle opening her gifts. She opened the first one and found a ring within. "What is this?" She asked, confused. "It is a ring made from Mabaran Ebony, it enhances necrotic magic, so I thought it would fit you. But that isn't all." I pointed at the last gift on the table. She unwrapped it with her magic and took out a beautiful sparkling dress that seemed to move on its own, "What is this?" "Glamerweave, it will help you give the right impression and leave people slack-jawed." I told her with a wink.  "Thanks, we also got something for you, we worked at the school and managed to get some money." "Oh girls, there was no need…" "And we bought this for you!" They said, showing a heart-shaped necklace. "What is it?" I asked, putting it around my neck. "It will make you heal faster, you always put yourself between us and danger, we can't allow you to get too hurt now, can we?" Sweetie said. I took the necklace and spun it around and noticed a phrase on the backside. 'Honorary cutie mark crusader!' "It's beautiful… Thanks." I told them with tears in my eyes, we all hugged together and spent the day joking and playing around. - The girls and I were out to the bazaar to look around for new magic items. I managed to keep the girls away from the shady area Krivroth told me about. There is no telling what they will try and sell from cursed items to fake potions. We bought scrolls and magical inks for Sweetie Belle, alchemical ingredients for Apple Bloom, and a new arrow box for Scootaloo. After a few hours, we decided to get something to eat at a restaurant in an alcove of the bazaar. "So, what are you going to order?" I asked them. "I'll take a salad." Applebloom replied immediately. "With apples."  "I guess I'll try a flying fish … fish, can fly too?" She murmured the last part. "I'll get some chicken strips and a steak." She said the last part with clear hesitation. "A steak!" Applebloom shouted. "Are you crazy?"  "What's the big deal?" I asked, confused.  "Cow's talk!" Applebloom said, becoming greener by the second. "But Applebloom, Sombra says I need to eat it to make my dark powers grow!" Loud thunder started to go off as she said it.  "Shut up." I told her, giving her a smack on the back of the head. "And stop using minor illusion like that." "Aww, but I was just getting into it. How can I be a good necromancer if I don’t look evil?" She asked with big eyes. "Then you will be the shittiest necromancer ever, don't take after them, they always lose." I told her. "And Applebloom, cows don't talk here, Sweetie was pulling your leg."  "Thank goodness" She replied, still green. "Aww, way to ruin my pranks." Sweetie pouted. "That wasn't nice, Sweetie." I scolded her.  "Eh, I guess it was funny to see AB freak out about it." Scootaloo replied. "You knew too?" Applebloom replied with a look of betrayal in her eyes. "YUP"  "I got backstabbed!" Applebloom said, smashing her face on the table. "You girls are so mean." She muffled out. "Uhm, ladies?" A man asked from my right, "Your order?" We gave him our orders and waited patiently for him to come back. "Oh, hey, the food's here." I said, looking at the server coming our way. We got out food, and I literally inhaled it in seconds. I cleaned my mouth with a cloth and waited for them. "Way to make this awkward Tela." Scootaloo said with a flying fish's wing in her mouth.  "I'll just wait for you." I replied casually.  "Yeah, not weird at all to have ponies eat dust right." Scootaloo deadpanned. "Oh, shush, and eat." I told her. Right after that, I heard people coming our way. I glanced at them and saw that they were all students of the college, they were mostly Tieflings, but humans and some elves were also in the group. They all had some alterations done to their robes, like runes or symbols that I didn't recognize stitched into them. "And so I managed to make a pact with him, and he gave me this Imp as a familiar, only thing he asked was to give him some animal blood as a sacrifice, weird right?"  "That's weird, alright I had to sell off my right hand." Another said, showing his demonic clawed hand.  "Oi, isn't that Sweetie Belle?" Another shouted, pointing at us. Sweetie Belle hummed and looked back, when she saw them she waved happily. "Hey guys, good to see you too."  "Oi Sweetie, what are you doing here?" The demonic handed one asked. "I'm here to eat with my friends, oh right, you don't know her. This is Tela." She said, presenting me. "A pleasure." I started. "You could say I'm their legal guardian, and you are?" I inquired. "We are the Sabbat, we are the demon studying group of the school, Sweetie is a legend there, she stared down a full-grown demon a month after school started." He said with clear awe.  "Yeah, she was awesome; she even had all those cool purple particles and smoke around her. Her tattoo is cool as well, so we asked her if she wanted to be part of us, and she accepted." I looked back at Sweetie. "Really?"  "Yeah, I mean it was mostly Sombra that did the talking. They taught me all kinds of things, and whenever I need some bodies for my studies, they always have some nearby." She explained. "What?" I asked them. "We just use the morgue the school already has, only seniors can go in though so Sweetie has to ask us until she is old enough." They explained briefly. "I see. So you are saying that she is popular?" I asked. "Basically, everyone knows her and her friends, hell Scootaloo managed to capture a thief in the library."  "Really?" I asked her. "Nothing much." She started casually. "I was training with my crossbow late at night and found a guy trying to steal books. I shot him in the leg, then I hit him in the head with my crossbow." She recalled with as much smugness as possible. "Anything else I should know?" I asked the group. "What Applebloom discovered the elixir of eternal youth or something?"  "Nah, she did make a ton of apple-based ones though, maybe she got a little overboard. I mean, I am happy to have some more healing potions, but I swear if I taste any more apples, I'm going to throw up." The demonic hand one said with a laugh. "Sorry, but we are late, we have a summoning to do, and be careful the city recently captured a band of criminals coming from the forest, they were blabbering about beasts and undead." He said while walking away. "See ya, Sweetie!" "See ya. cool guys, uh?" She said. "yep." I told her, a bit unsure. After that encounter, we returned to the inn, we dropped our shopping bags in our rooms and went back down to hang around and chat a bit.  "So girls, you never went into too many details, how was a life where you come from?" I asked them genuinely curious. They put a hoof under their chin, "Well-" They all said together.  "Well," Scootaloo started. "Back in Ponyville, I lived with my aunts, the girls, and I mostly went around Ponyville trying to get out Cutie Mark. "She said with a lost look in her face. "Back home, it's just me, my sister, my brother, and Granny Smith. We have a huge orchard of apples, and I helped there. My sis is probably the most reliable pony alive and honest to a fault." She said. "I lived with my parents by the river, but they were away most of the time, so I stay with my sister a lot. She is a fashion designer and is always stressed about appearing as beautiful as possible, although she is also generous. She always shouted at me every time I went home dirty." Sweetie Belle continued. "Is that tree sap?" "You destroyed another apple tree?" "Your coat is all muddy, take a bath!"  They all recited what was most likely the norm back home. They sighed, "I hope we can get back." Sweetie Belle said with a pensive look. "Sombra says it is possible if we can get here then we can go back. It's only a matter of knowing how."  "I guess we won't stop searching." I told them with a smile. "What about you?" "Uh?" I answered back. "What was life like where you are from?" Scootaloo asked. "Hm, I guess I only told you the bare minimum, well from where I come from you don't exist, I don't exist." At their confused looks, I explained better. "In my world, there is no magic, no unicorns, no pegasi, and no talking ponies, there aren't any half girl half spider creatures. Basically, everything around me is new, but that doesn't mean I don't know of them. We have this game back home called Dungeons and dragons that is similar to this world. So I know a few things about this world like the creatures and races. Though things are different here, The monstrous races are more accepted here, and the lightning rails are new.  But back to my life. I was born in a different country than the one I ended up living in. Because of that, I can speak two languages." I told them. "And what is it?" Applebloom asked, curious. "It's called Italian, and it is the best language around. Of course, I'm incredibly biased, but what can you do?" I told them with a smirk. "Oh yeah, then what’s it sound like?" Scootaloo said with a smile. "Ciao Scootaloo, il mio nome è Tela." I told her evenly. "Uh right, whatever you said." She replied, shaking her head, "You girls got anything out of that?" "Nope." "Nope." "I'm not surprised." I told them with a small laugh, "Now, with that out of the way, we can start talking business." I told them, motioning for them to follow me. I closed the door of the room behind me and waited for the girls to sit down. "So, what is this about? A new adventure?" Scootaloo asked excitedly. "Something like that, remember the part of the city where we almost got attacked a year ago?" I told them, recalling the incident. "Yeah, those varmints were after our flanks!" Applebloom said with a tinge of anger. "Exactly, the guild found out that someone is poisoning their water supply. We don't know why, but we know that it's probably another guild. Long story short, tomorrow we can find him at the well. Then we follow him through the sewers to his base. Are you up for it?" "yeah!" Scootaloo said, pumping her hoof into the air.  "We are up for that, Tela!" Sweetie answered energetically, Applebloom just nodded. "Perfect then, we go out tomorrow at dawn and hide till he shows up."  Groans came from the girls, dawn is not for fillies, I guess. - Boring, when I saw movies with police working undercover to find criminals, I thought it would have been a bit more interesting. I mean technically I was a criminal too, but who cares? Anyway, we were waiting for hours under an illusionary crate Sweetie was making for us, the sun was at its zenith when someone finally approached the well without any kind of bucket.  I watched intently to see if he did anything suspicious, I saw him pouring a black viscous liquid down the well and quickly walked away. "Come on, girls, we found our guy." I told the girls. "Finally, the waiting was killing me." Scootaloo complained, standing up. "Uh? Are we good to go?" Sweetie asked, a bit confused. "Oh right, right, no need to be mean about it." She told the necklace. "Come on hurry up, I know a quick way in, we should be able to reach him in seconds." I instructed them, opening one of the many secret passages around the city and jumped down into the dark, humid sewers. We managed to catch up with the man and silently followed him. We had to walk for almost an hour before he turned into a large hole. The sewer's wall was broken open, and the tunnel stretched out too far to see the end. Already from the very start of the tunnel, we could all smell something incredibly foul, something in a state of decay, or a very nasty garbage disposal. "Ugh, it is worse than the sewers." I said out loud. "You can say that alright, how can that guy even come in here? I'm about to throw up…" Scootaloo said, turning a little greener. "Are we sure we want to go in there?" "Unfortunately, we must, if not for the money, then to stop whatever he is doing here." I told her.