//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Adventures of Now and Then // Story: PonyFable // by Omega_code //------------------------------// Jack woke up just as the sun was fully over the horizon of the landscape. He sat up and stretch his arms and his legs. His body was a bit cramp for sleeping in such a small bed, but the bed was really soft so his night sleep was bearable. He looked over and saw that Twilight and Spike were still in their beds, fast asleep. Slowly he got up, trying to not wake up his host, and went down stairs. It’s a good thing that I wear clothes under my armor, otherwise sleeping in that bed with my DragonLord armor would be almost impossible, Jack thought to himself. Jack went to the door of the bedroom, turned the handle and opened the door to be meted with a way too dark main room. “SURPRISE!” The lights instantly turned on and Jack was greeted by five ponies. The room was also decorated with balloons, streamers, and a table with all sorts of food for breakfast. Jack was bewilder of what he saw; how could they set this up without waking us in the other room. The ponies in the room were all looking at him with awe. Fluttershy was there along with a white unicorn with an exquisite stylish purple mane, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane, an orange pony with a blond mane wearing a hat, and a pink pony with a huge smile on her face. “Hi, so you’re the visitor Fluttershy talk about yesterday. I was going to throw you a welcome party yesterday, but Fluttershy said that Twilight was talking to you and I didn’t want to disturbed both of you. But I still want to throw you a party, so I had a brilliant idea to throw you a welcome to Equestria breakfast party. I never heard of a breakfast party being thrown before though, but that never stop me before. So I told the others about the party and they thought it was strange at first but when I told them about you, they say they would come. SOOOOOOOOOOO do you like it?” Jack was bewildered in how fast the pink pony was talking. “As long there no chocolate cake monster, I guess so,” Jack answered, which seem to satisfy the pink pony who happy smile once more and hop away towards the breakfast table. Jack quickly deduced that these ponies must be Twilight friends, and that pink pony must be (for obvious reason) Pinkie Pie. He felt some light taps in his hair, he look up to be meted with two red magenta eyes of the cyan pegasus with the rainbow mane and tail. “You must be Rainbow Dash,” the pegasus was surprise by being called by her name, “Twilight told me about you.” “Oh yeah, well who are you,” she ask as she hover in front of Jack. “My name is Jackson Truman, but you may called me Jack the hero of the town of Flaconreach. “ “You don’t look much like a hero,” she remark. Which kind of made sense, since Jack was only wearing his cotton shirt and pants, his bare feet were showing, and woke up with a bad case of bed hair too. Jack was a bit embarrassed of the state he was in and that only got worse when he heard the other two ponies giggle softly near the food table. The sound of trotting footsteps emitted from behind Jack, he look back to see Twilight and Spike just waking up and walk in the main room. Twilight looked around and let out a sigh out loud, mumbling to herself about something. Jack could only guess this wasn’t the first time Pinkie had a surprise party in Twilight’s house. Jack walk over to where the food was; there were apples, apple juice, pancakes, waffles, milk, and all sort of other things; there were also some food only for horses, like oats and hay. Sadly there was no bacon or anything else made of meat, which seemed legit since horses were herbivore. Jack reach for the apples, not feeling for a heavy breakfast, and savor the flavor it gave which each bit. The orange pony walk up to Jack and said, “Well it’s nice to see that you like my apples, the name is Applejack,” she left a hoof and point it to the white unicorn, “and this here is Rarity.” Rarity did a slight bow of her head. “I hope that Rainbow Dash didn’t offend ya back there. “ “Na, it’s ok; it’s not a normal day if I don’t do at least one embarrassing thing per day,” Jack said and finish off the apple that he had. “Besides, I just woke up and didn’t have time to put on my armor.” Jack reach out to grab some more food, only to stop when he notice that the ponies were looking at him. “Is something wrong?” “Oh it’s nothing dear, it’s just we don’t have many creatures like yourself around in Ponyville,” Rarity said, “The only creatures that is like you, that I ever seen was, are minotaurs. And most of them are brutes, if you ask me.” “Well rest assured I won’t cause any trouble in this town. I’m not that type of hero or person,” Jack said with a slight bow. Jack went back to the table got a dish and added a stack of pancakes on it. When he was about to add some syrup he realized there were no sliver wares for him to use. Right, Jack thought to himself, the ponies have no hands so sliver ware is useless to them. Jack put the syrup bottle down, grabbed a pancake, folded it and ate it. He took another look around the small as it is room. Many other the ponies were silently taking to each other, probably about him, observing Jack movements. Expect Twilight, who was talking to Pinkie Pie about something. Rarity then came up to him. “Pardon me, but what’s around your neck. “ Jack raised an eyebrow, moved one of his hands to grab the chain and pull out his Dragon Amulet. Rarity’s pupils grow when she saw it, “Oh my, where did you get that glories gem for that amulet.” Jack was about to answer when Pinkie Pie interrupt. “He got when the player paid the $20 to upgrade his account to become a DragonLord,” she said with glee. Everyone look at Pinkie Pie with a puzzled look. “Well it’s true; of course he doesn’t know that.” “Okay then,” Jack said, “well it got this amulet when I…,” this time Twilight interrupt him this time. I can never finish a tale without something interrupting me, Jack thought. “Sorry for the interruption but does anypony know were my sack of paper and a big stone tablet is, since somepony decided to have party in my house (again). “ “Oh I move it to your basement. I stack the paper neatly and move the tablet by them,” Rarity answer. “You? I thought you were not the type of getting their hooves dirty Rarity,” Twilight said. “I didn’t use my hooves I used my magic of course.” Twilight was surprised of the answer Rarity gave. “Magic? MAGIC! You were able to use magic on the tablet,” she said as she rushed in front of Rarity face. “Umm, yes I did,” Rarity said with confused look. “The tablet wasn’t that heavy to lift, so I just moved it. Why, did I do something wrong?” Twilight didn’t answer, but gallop to the basement door, and everyone follow her. Once she got to the tablet she used her magic and it did indeed glow purple as her magic surround it. She held it up with an astonish look for a while. However, her face turned to denial as she says the words No repeatedly in a worry tone as she promptly dropped it to the ground. When the tablet hit the ground a soft thump rang out. Her friends went to her side saying “What wrong?” “The tablet…it’s a fake. I was robbed. But how? Why? How am I going to explain this to Princess Celestia?” She was breathing rapidly, stressfully pacing back and forth. Applejack and Rarity went to Twilight and trying to calm her down. “How do you know that it’s a fake,” Rainbow Dash asked. “Because my magic was able to work,” Twilight answer with a slightly relax tone. “None of my spells that I cast on the tablet ever work, even the basic lavation spell. Plus the stone, it felt wrong. My other spells felt as if it was not being denied but were being absorbed into the stone.” She took a deep breath, “I’m going to have to report this to the Princess when we go and meet her this afternoon.” This news caused her friends to ask a series of questions. “All of us?” Pinkie Pie asked. “To Canterlot!?” Rarity said. “This afternoon?” Applejack asked. “As in this afternoon, afternoon.” Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash said together. “Yep,” Jack answer, “Celestia wants to see me, and I guess wants to all of you come along too. How about you girls get ready for the trip, and give Twilight some breathing room.” The mares were hastate at first, but Twilight seemed to agree with Jack. Once Twilight friends left Jack ask, “You ok Twilight, it look like that you saw an army of the undead marching right to your door step.” Twilight look up to Jack, confessed with his odd comparison that he made. “Right, never mind, I let you be and get ready for the pickup.” Jack went to grab his armor thinking to himself a saying that his father once told him when he was young. How you don’t find adventure, it finds you; with Jack’s record of the adventures he been in, this one won’t be different. When someone steeled some powerful object, it never ends well. *************************************** The sun was climbing high in the sky as Wistala watch, from a balcony, Canterlot slowly coming to life. Guards taking their morning post, servants begging their tasks, and some the nobles taking in the morning air. Soft sounds of trotting hooves slowly approach Wistala, along with the sense of the element of darkness. “Is there something you want Princess Luna,” Wistala ask. Luna stopped her approach, “Does thou need anything for this morning?” Never in her life have Wistala gotten this much attention before. Normal Jack got it all of the attention and gifts, and she gets whatever was left for her. The people of Lore normal don’t pay attention to the dragon, only the dragon’s rider; unless some dragon was burning down some village, then that would be the big news for the day. But here, she was being treated as a high honor guest, the same kind of treatment Jack usually gets. Sure there were some of the ponies that still didn’t trust her, ShadowStrike for one, but she is use to that. “No thanks, I think that I’m okay for now,” Wistala replied. Since when the morning came Wistala been offer gems for food, a bath, and other things by a female unicorn by the name of Scarlet. She took the gems, but denied the bath. It’s true that she said the she didn’t eat gems the other night, but gems don’t fill a dragon belly. Gems usually help a dragon in Lore scales stay hard and smooth, combined that with some metals, and you'll get new, hard, shinny scales. (Why do you think they store up so much treasure?) Luna dip her head then will raising her head, “I would want thou to know that a group of chariots are head to pick Jack up this instance and will be hear in an hour. For now I need to tend to some government business before Jack comes. Farwell Wistala.” “Farwell your majesty and thank you for your hospitality,” Wistala said. She looked back to the overview of Canterlot. Finally she was going to see Jack again, and give that hard head human a big surprise. ******************************* The ride in the chariot was pretty smooth for being pull by two pegasus which were smaller than the average horse, compare to Lore horses of course. The chariot must have been enacted to be able to fly, since it held Jack’s weight for such a small chariot. Jack’s legs were hanging out as he sat facing the open end of the chariot. To his right sat Twilight, still a little shaken of her situation; she wasn’t able to find that anyone (or anypony) came into her house last night. Near Twilight was her dragon Spike, the other girls were in other chariots that came along with this one, and Spike was just sitting down twiddling with his claws. Jack could only imagine what Wistala would do if she could use her front legs like Spike could. Jack giggle softly with the thought in his mind, which Spike heard. “What is there something funny about me?!” Jack did a mental sighed. Spike was trying to act like a full grown dragon again, but instead he was more like a Moglin: small, cute, and is able to be punt. “No, just a funny thought. You see Spike my dragon would be jealous to use her forelegs like yours. I’m just thinking of the ‘horror’ she would have done with those. Sorry for misunderstanding.” This seemed to satisfy him. A question came to Jack’s mind, “Say Spike how old are you?” Spike mess with his claws some more thinking if he wanted to answer Jack’s question. “I around thirteen in pony years, but still very young in dragon years, “he replied. So not around Wistala’s age, Jack thought, but not as powerful as her either. Sure Wistala has a special reason, being part of a legendary prophecy, but the other baby dragons that Jack meted in DragonGrasp were just as powerful when Wistala first hatch. Spike here is eleven years older, but his flame barley made a mark in his armor. It made his head spin just thinking about it. “How old are you Jack,” Spike ask, which was fair a question to ask. “I’m going to be 24 next month, which is also near Wistala hatching day too. She is going to be two years in human years.” “How long have you been the hero of Falconreach,” Twilight ask. “The town just name me the hero just a couple of months ago, but I been living there for about three years. However, I’m mostly been an adventurer; the hero thing was kind-of just hand to me in a black box, so to speak. Ever since I was young, I was inspired by the adventures my father had as he was severing with the Guardian.” Now you just rabbling on Jack, but they seemed interested Jack so go on. “So after my constant pleading to my farther, he got me training lessons with a sword trainer he knew when I was thirteen years old. My mother didn’t like it and my sister was jealous, but both of them supported me. So for a year I was taught how to fight with all sorts of weapons. Apparently I was a fast learner, when the next year came up the trainer had nothing left to teach me. So I got a job as a courier and for two years I deliver letters, packages, and all sorts of things between the town I live in and others. Any trouble I ran into, my skill with a blade scared them off. Once I turn sixteen my father gave me his old armor, refitted with new padding and leather; getting me ready when I start my own adventures in Lore. “Your father must be really proud of you now,” Twilight said. “Aye, he would have been,” Jack’s tone become sorrowful, “he’s no longer alive.” Twilight and Spike faces droop, shock of what they heard. “Being a Guardian of Lore does have its risks. Later that same year a dragon was attacking a nearby village, never knew why. A group of Guardian was sent to deal with it, the DragonLord weren’t nearby at the time, and my father was with them. It seemed the dragon got a lucky shot. A friend of his gave my family the news. It devastated me and my whole family, suns it devastated the whole village. Later that year I head out to wander throughout the world of Lore, to see wonder of the world. My mother gave me her best wishes, saying that what my farther would have wanted. Did that for three years, then I went to a cliff near the edge of Oaklore Keep, met Lady Celestia and a new adventure began that has changed my life.” Jack look to Twilight, who seemed to have more question to ask. He held up his hand, “Save them for later. It seemed that we have reached our destination.” Dragonfable is copyright to Artix Entertainment, LLC. MLP: Friendship is Magic is copyright to Hasbro and whoever else has the rights. All charters that belong to their companies are rightfully theirs. This writing is for fun and nothing else. To find what happened at that cliff you could head to www.dragonfable.com. If you want to that is. There no harm in it. It’s free to make an account and start your hero’s adventure in the world of Lore. Tons of quest and bad (but funny) puns to be found throughout the game. So ya, I run out of things to write…I bad at describing things, just go play the game if you’re interested. (Warning some details about the hero past, present, future, color, hair, or anything else are up to the player.) Next chapter: The Reunion and the Reveal (orsomethinglikethat)