//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: The Saddle Plateau // Story: Flying South // by Skylight77 //------------------------------// Upon entering the club, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were immediately hit with a very ominous presence. There wasn’t much light inside, just enough to make the dark details of the building. Many of the citizens, ponies, donkey’s, mules, and such, although mostly ponies, filled the tables while they had their conversations. Some of them were rough housing while others just drank and splattered their drinks in their chats. Fluttershy gulped at the sight. These ponies were not playing nice. There were two ponies who were holding a mule by the neck against the wall. They were beating him senseless and calling him names while the mule just taunted them. It was clear he was in pain, but he wouldn’t let up or surrender. “Phew… tough crowd,” Rainbow Dash whispered to Fluttershy. They brought their heads close so that they could hear each other. “These guys look stronger than me even…” To hear Rainbow Dash say that brought a chill through Fluttershy’s features. “But don’t worry, just stay quiet and close to me. I’ll handle this.” Fluttershy gulped and nodded, keeping her ears close to her head. Staying quiet and close, two things she was good at. All she had to do was trust Rainbow Dash. She and Rainbow Dash were casually walking through the scene and towards the front stall. While they were walking through, a grey filly slipped past the front entrance of the door. Glancing her eyes in multiple directions, she moved fast and low, finding herself cover by the nearest table she could find. The filly watched the two bigger pegasi walking to the front stall. She tried to get in closer for a better look. Making sure no other pony was looking, she slipped to the next table. Her rush caused her to hit one leg of a chair that a pony was leaning against. That hit caused the pony to lose balance and fall. He through a fit of rage after his crash. Rainbow Dash’s ears shifted as she listened to the chaos behind her. She may not have been flying, but she had to keep aware of everything. For some reason, she felt like there was something odd going on back there, something that shouldn’t be there. But then her attention shifted after hearing a crying squawk in front of her. Ignoring what was behind her, she found herself reaching within eye to eye contact with a pony at the stall, cleaning up cups. This seemed more like a bar than a club, but a very strict bar. The barpony was red with brown hair. He had a beard or mustache that circled his face from under his chin to under his snout. His mane was spiky all around. He wore spiky shoulder pads even. But the most significant thing Rainbow Dash noticed was the large black bird she heard earlier hovering about. The barpony held his cup up high, making the bird swoop in and take it in response. The bird then flew down, behind and under the stall. Rainbow Dash smiled and brought her head closer to Fluttershy and whispered. “Good, this’ll be easier than I thought,” she said. Fluttershy, knowing that she should stay quiet, just breathed and listened. “Stay here for now. If anypony gets close, come to me.” Fluttershy nodded in understanding. Rainbow Dash walked the rest of the inches to the stall, ignoring the loud shattering of breaking wood that sounded in the bar. The barpony just looked into her eyes. “You want something, puny?” he said, insultingly. It was to be expected in a place full of tough ponies, so Rainbow Dash ignored it and responded. “Yeah, you got an eraser on ya?” she asked. The barpony rose an eyebrow, but he put a hoof behind him, tapping twice against the cabinets behind him. Something sounded from under the stall, and soon after, a wheel shaped eraser was thrown in the air. The barpony then brought his hoof down, connecting with the eraser before slamming it right on the bench, causing some plates and cups to clatter. He removed his hoof to reveal the wheel eraser. Rainbow Dash reached into her bag to pull out the map. She unrolled the map upside down, revealing the scribble that was marked on it. She picked up the eraser and started scrubbing it on the scribbles. The barpony’s interest was caught. “A map huh? So you’re looking for the dragon’s treasure?” he asked. “Actually no, we’re looking for a…” Rainbow paused her erasing. “Wait… did you say dragon?” “Hmph…” The black bird from earlier flew up from the stall, landing on the barpony’s head as he spoke. The little filly spying on Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy kept her gaze on them, but she couldn’t hear what was going on very well. She had to get closer. There was an empty cup that had rolled right next to her while she was hiding under the table. She took it in her hooves and looked around. There was one pony walking by with a tray of mints. She was sure that’s what they were. She took aim with the cup and waited for the pony to get into position. At the right moment, she rolled the cup to the pony’s walking path. Fluttershy flinched and squeaked at the sound of one of the pony’s behind her yelling and screaming before a loud crash sounded. She couldn’t stop herself from looking behind. The first thing she saw was a cup being flung in the air. She stepped away as it landed right next to her, spilling its liquid contents on the floor. Not wanting to be the center of attention, she moved closer to Rainbow’s side as she was talking with the barpony. The filly from under the table took the distraction of that pony’s fall on the table, and the gang yelling and beating at him, in order for her to rush to a closer table unnoticed. “It is said that that forest, is where this dragon hid its treasure. None, have been able to find it.” After the barpony finished his… very vague tale about a dragon’s hoard, Rainbow Dash noticed Fluttershy walking to her side and inched to her ear. “Hear that? There is a forest around here,” Rainbow whispered in Fluttershy’s ear. Fluttershy shakily nodded her head. Rainbow turned her head back to the barpony and continued her erasing, taking pauses while she spoke with her normal voice. “And what about the dragon? Does it live there?” “No.” After the barpony revealed the news, the bird on top of him cried a loud squawk before it flew to the top of the cabinets. If everypony in the bar wasn’t arguing and fighting, they probably would’ve heard it. “That dragon was slain, long ago.” Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were both taken aback and gasped. “S-slain?” Fluttershy asked, nearly regretting responding as the barpony took notice of her. “What do you mean ‘slain’?” Rainbow asked, allowing the barpony to revert his attention back to her. “I mean the dragon no longer lives in the forest. In fact, rumor has it that it was a pegasus who put that dragon in its place.” The barpony suddenly started chuckling for some reason. “Must’ve been a wimpy dragon to lose to a pegasus like that.” “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!” Rainbow Dash flared her wings and glared, offended by that statement. The barpony seemed to take notice of this fact as his expression scrunched. Fluttershy noticed that the bird up top was looking down at them with a sharp threat look. “Hmph, you’ve got guts showing your face around here.” His gaze then turned to Fluttershy, noticing her cowering form. “How did you sneak your way in here.” His dark tone caused Fluttershy’s attention to shift to him, stuttering her voice as she attempted to back up. But thankfully, Rainbow Dash had finished using the eraser, allowing her to step in front of Fluttershy and block her out of sight. “Pay no attention to her! Just tell us about this forest. Where is it?” The barpony started chuckling as he took back the eraser. “You think I’m just gonna tell you where it is and haul the treasure for yourselves? You don’t deserve to be in the presence of such fortune.” He threw the eraser in the air towards his bird. The bird caught it in his beak… and chomped it inside before swallowing it… The scene left Fluttershy with a bad taste in her mouth. Birds shouldn’t be eating stuff like that. The filly from under one of the tables sparked excitement in her eyes as she watched the scene unfold. She did a quick check of her surroundings before returning her gaze to the two bigger pegasi, breathing steadily in anticipation. Fluttershy could see Rainbow Dash getting restless as her wings shook with fury. “R-rainbow Dash… a-are you…-” She wasn’t able to finish her question when Rainbow Dash blew a rough snort through her snout, releasing some tension. “We’re not looking for the treasure. We don’t even know where to look for it. We just-” A loud slam sounded on the stall caused by the barpony’s raging hooves slamming down on it, causing the dishes to clatter. The other ponies who sat on the stools near the bench switched their attentions to them. “Now you’re trying to hide your motives?! Get out you pathetic excuses! The Saddle Plateau does not tolerate your kind!” The filly watching stuttered her breath in excitement. She started lightly tapping her hoof on the floor, silently persuading this to go on. “Whoa! Chill out! We’re not-” Rainbow Dash was interrupted by a loud squawking cry released from the black bird after it spread its wings. “Phoenix! Show these feathers to the door and out of my sight!” The yelling from the barpony caused Fluttershy to back further away while her pupils shrunk. The nerves on Rainbow’s features spiked when that bird, who was apparently called Phoenix, took air. She wheezed her breath as Phoenix charged straight for them. It had speed, so she didn’t have much time. “Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash called, causing Fluttershy’s attention to come back. With her attention away from the barpony, she managed to take notice of the bird charging for them fast. It was as if seconds slowed down as these events happened. Rainbow Dash ducked herself so that Fluttershy was in plain view. She was just about to force Fluttershy down as well, but stopped right when Fluttershy’s eyes opened wide. She had released her Stare on Phoenix, making Phoenix slow to a halt just inches from Fluttershy’s face. Phoenix’s warface turned to that of a filly’s fear in the face of a wild monster. It’s feathers grew freezing cold. It had never seen such a horrifying sight. Rainbow Dash silently released a sigh of relief. Fluttershy had managed to stop Phoenix’s attack, which left a scowl on the barpony’s face. He slammed a hoof against the stall again. “Phoenix! What are you doing?! Attack!” Rainbow Dash picked herself up from her stance while Fluttershy ceased her stare and took the frightful bird into her hooves. They walked back to the barpony who was growling at the sight of his bird being groomed by those yellow hooves, but more importantly, the pathetic sight Phoenix was displaying. “We don’t want any trouble,” Rainbow started. “Just tell us where this forest is and we’ll leave quietly.” She took a step to the side so that Fluttershy could step in to return his bird. “Don’t worry. I… didn’t harm him… He was just- Ahh!” The barpony interrupted Fluttershy’s speech by snatching Phoenix out of her hooves. Rainbow Dash immediately pulled Fluttershy back for safety while Phoenix was crying and flailing around in his owner’s hooves. The barpony opened a drawer and immediately stuffed Phoenix inside, causing feathers to fly out before slamming it closed. “You dare disobey me like that!” he yelled to the drawer before slamming himself to a stand on top of the stall, glaring at the pegasi. “And you dare to mess with me like this?!” He leaped from the stall, jumping above the two pegasi who both ducked in response. “You will both- Ahh!” But the barpony landed against the surface with the liquid spill, causing him to slide and trip uncontrollably. His screaming was silenced when his face met with one of the tables, causing it to crack in half and send the plates and cups on top of it flying in opposite directions. The dishes crashed in the face of two ponies on opposite sides of the table, causing them to fall back and off their seats. Each crash left a loud thud with dust particles covering them all. The filly hiding under the destroyed table had remained hidden thanks to the dust particles. She giggled at the sight of the barpony grunting from the fall he had. She rose her back legs and kicked him in the forehead, causing him to release a rough groan before she moved out of sight again, shaking her tail at him. When the dust settled, the barpony picked himself up through his grunts, shaking his head while he growled through his grinding teeth. “You will pay for that!” he said in a low tone. The other two ponies from the table started picking themselves up as well. They each took notice of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy before moving their attention to the barpony. “Are these twerps giving you a hard time?” The first pony asked, even though he already knew the answer. Rainbow Dash’s breath became restless as she saw the faces of those three earth ponies gazing at them. “They messed with the wrong gang!” the second pony said while bumping his forehooves together. Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat as the gang started walking towards them. She shuddered and backed away while Rainbow Dash extended a wing in front of Fluttershy to cover her. Things were gonna get- “STOP!” A quick loud yell that practically hurt their ears sounded. Every single citizen in the bar seemed to freeze up at the sound, even those that had nothing to do with the scrap. They all looked to one direction while the ones near the source of the sound moved away from it. “I wouldn’t do that if I were any of you. She’s a lot tougher than she looks.” Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked to where everypony was looking at. Some of them were shaking at the sight. “I-it’s the boss…” They heard the barpony say. Even he sounded afraid. There was one pony walking across the crowd as they backed away. The most distinguishing feature wasn’t the fact that this pony was a mare, but unlike most other ponies, she was a unicorn. Except based on her leg sizes, she didn’t seem nearly as strong as the other ponies in this bar. She was bright orange with a sharp red mane and yellow eyes. Her Cutie Mark seemed to be a horn with a live red fire on its tip. Unlike the others, she wasn’t wearing any attire. This unicorn stopped in front of them. Her gaze turned to Fluttershy, who gulped nervously. She then turned her gaze to Rainbow Dash, who was looking her over cautiously. She smiled at that confident look. “You got guts kid, showing your face in here,” she said. “Who you calling a kid?” Rainbow Dash said silently as her eyes narrowed lower. “Just how old are these ponies around here?” Now that she thought about it, just about all the ponies they met so far had been referring to them as kids in one form or another. Maybe still being young adults made them look like kids to them. “The name’s Spark Fry, the owner of this establishment,” the unicorn introduced. “Not to be confused with Small Fry. Huhahah-AAHHH!” One of the pony’s laughter at his joke suddenly turned into an agonizing scream as Spark… ‘sparked’ her horn and turned it to him. There was a sizzle sound along with steam coming out of his body after being hit by her magic. “Never, EVER, mention that again!” Spark yelled with her mane ablaze and eyes glowing in her magical aura. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s mouths hung agape at the sight of that temper. The pony who insulted her was on the ground, covering his body in agony while it steamed. The fire in Spark’s mane soon fizzled out after she brought her attention back to Rainbow and Fluttershy. She snorted her breath and cleared her throat. “Slayer of the dragon, are you not?” she asked. Rainbow Dash blinked hard. “W-what?” she and Fluttershy asked at the same time. “Oh surely you have heard,” Spark continued. “Long ago, a dragon once visited our land. It took its habitat in Dark Pine Forest.” Fluttershy’s ears perked at the mention of a forest. “Any who had dared disturb this dragon, be it pony, donkey, bird, or manticore, was fried to a crisp by its scorching flames.” Spark paused and closed her eyes. Her next words were filled with venom. “I witnessed the power of those flames. Somepony had angered its rage to attack my home village. Under mother’s own grave, I swore I would do something about this dragon.” Spark turned her gaze to Rainbow Dash before continuing. “But one day, a wandering pegasus came up to this dragon and faced it in battle. Naturally, this pegasus should’ve lost. But she was no ordinary pegasus, was she?” She started walking closer towards Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy took a glance at Rainbow Dash, confused. This story didn’t sound right, and with how serious Rainbow’s face looked right now, she was thinking the same thing. “Ever since that dragon was slain, Dark Pine Forest, as well as our villages have been freed from its threat, but we never learned who that pegasus was, until now.” Spark smiled. “Am I right?” Rainbow Dash, intrigued by this story, could only shake her head. “Sorry lady, but you’ve got the wrong pegasus,” Rainbow Dash said, taking Spark by surprise. The filly that was hiding nearly hit her head from under the table as she was also surprised by this revelation. She peaked her head out from her hiding spot to look at the cyan pegasus she thought was admirable. “W-what?” Spark asked. “I take pride in my abilities.” Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her chest and smiled proudly. “And I’m quite flattered that you would think of my abilities like that.” Her face then turned serious. “But I can’t take credit for what I didn’t do. I back up my claims.” Spark’s ear twitched at the last sentence. “Back up your claims eh?” “E-excuse me?” Fluttershy peaked out of cover from Rainbow Dash. “I don’t mean to be a bother… but…” She gulped while Spark glared into her eyes. “Could you tell us more about, Dark Pine Forest?” Spark’s eyes held disbelief. She turned her attention to Rainbow Dash. “You can’t be serious with having her with you.” “Hey, lay off! We’re here for the same reason,” Rainbow Dash said as she covered Fluttershy again. “We came to this town hoping somepony could tell us about where a forest is. If you can tell us that, we’ll gladly leave without causing trouble.” Spark put a hoof under her chin as if she was in deep thought. “A forest eh? Hmm…” Rainbow Dash eyed her carefully while silence filled the air. Or at least silence would’ve filled the air if the other ponies in the room hadn’t suddenly started moving about. They seemed to know what Spark was going to get at. “Let me get one thing straight. You claim you aren’t the pegasus who defeated a dragon, yet you have the guts to show your face in a place like the Saddle Plateau and find the dragon’s treasure under our snouts?” Rainbow Dash rose an eyebrow. She used her wing to open up her bag while Fluttershy reached into it to take out the map. “For the last time, we’re not looking for that treasure.” But that was when a door in the back of the room opened up due to one of the ponies in the bar. While that happened, Spark examined the map that was presented in front of her. She wasn’t even sure what she was looking at, but it certainly wasn’t a treasure map. All it held was water and landmarks. No words on it at all besides the directions describing North, South, East, and West. The only thing out of place was a red circle marked somewhere in the middle of the ocean. She would find that suspicious if these pegasi weren’t talking about looking for specifically a forest. How this map could be useful to them at all was beyond her, but that didn’t matter anymore. “Tell you what, if you can entertain me, I’ll tell you all about this Dark Mine Forest,” Spark said as she walked towards the door opened earlier, leading Rainbow and Fluttershy to follow. “In fact, I may even be nice enough to update your map. Obviously yours is outdated.” The other ponies in the bar started following her to the door as well. There were a few excited gasps coming from them as well as murmuring. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy glanced at each other for reassurance while the other ponies passed by. “If I were you, I’d do what she says,” one of the donkeys passing by whispered to them. “You boil her temper, she’ll boil your insides.” He shuddered and walked away. Rainbow and Fluttershy watched as the others walked through that door. Some decided to stay behind. “Should we go, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked. Rainbow Dash searched the area with her eyes. During that conversation, things must’ve been rearranged. At the front entrance of the bar, a pair of goats were keeping watch over it. There was another pair of goats watching the back door that everypony were entering aside from a few stragglers. The stragglers continued with their business, including the barpony they talked to earlier. The sounds were still odd though. A sound that shouldn’t be there was still around, as if it was taunting her. She had to be imagining it, but it kept coming back. “Come on, Fluttershy. Looks like we don’t have a choice right now,” Rainbow concluded. She and Fluttershy walked with crowd to the door. She had more important things to worry about right now. The filly hiding fluttered her wings in excitement at the murmurs and activities. She could barely contain her squeals after what she heard. Things were going to get serious around here, and she didn’t want to miss it. She looked her surroundings over, making sure nopony was looking before zipping to her next cover. She continued this process and waited for the ponies to enter. The goats eyed each pony carefully as they entered. The filly used this as her distraction to move up to the wall as the last two ponies entered. When the cyan and yellow pegasus entered, the door started closing. With quick precision, the filly zipped behind the goats and slipped past that door, undetected.