Resource Farming
Ted and his merry band of dwar-ponies quietly made their way to their first destination. The place wasn't too far away, but judging by the nerves of his followers and the number of life signs he kept sensing with his detection spells, there was little doubt in his mind that things could become nasty very fast. The ponies that had been selected for the job, whether it was by volunteering or drawn straws, were an odd group, two pegasi, a unicorn, and four earth ponies. One of the pegasi he'd not even recognized as such, until her wings rustled against her robe, matching the color of the brown robes almost perfectly. The unicorn was revealed when he'd ordered everyone's hoods pulled back, reasoning that while it was fine in the safety of the temple, the hoods would only impede their sight in the jungle. He may have been capable of detecting the animals wandering the forest, but he wasn't going to take any chances. Every set of eyes was another chance of spotting danger before it reached them. By the time they reached the field, he was actually starting to cramp from being so tense all the time.
He refreshed his life-detection spell, and seeing all the blurs hidden in the grass, set off a few loud magical explosions slowly radiating away from their location. Most of the signatures scattered, tearing off into the wilderness and away from the loud and bright explosions Ted was assaulting them with. One, however, decided it had taken offence to being disturbed by something smaller than itself.
One moment everything was going fine, the next Ted was staring at the largest animal he'd ever seen in his life.
Out of the grass rose a giant snake, easily three feet wide just behind the jaw, and only increasing the farther down the body one looked. The snake looked at the disturbance, flicking its tongue, before slowly moving forward, rearing back to strike at the delectable targets.
In his shock, Ted almost forgot his primary duty; protect the gatherers. A single whimper from one of the snakes intended victims snapped him out of his stupor. He grabbed the first spell he could think of and launched it, just before the beast lunged.
A blade made of condensed shadow, about half a foot across, formed in front the dark alicorn, launching forward into the snake's head. The blade struck its target, embedding itself about an inch into the snakes temple. Ted was once again left in a state of shock. The blade was supposed to be made of solidified shadow, capable of cutting through even solid stone. So where did he go wrong? A moment later his answer came, as the spell collapsed on itself with a violent detonation, sending the snake into a rage as its temple and eye were subject to abuse, spraying a light mist of blood over the field.
'No, no time right now.' The alicorn tried summoning multiple blades, hoping to end the threat by overwhelming the beast, but could only manage three blades at once, the first detonating upon the creation of the fourth. Shaking off the ringing in his ears caused by his close proximity to the explosion, he would just have to make do. With a shout of challenge, he started throwing the blades at the snake, summoning another when they struck. The blades continued to detonate as they were replaced, but after suffering several bleeding spots along its upper body, the snake managed to counter attack, whipping its large head around and sweeping it to the right, catching Ted off guard. The black alicorn was thrown from the clearing, and the snake gave chase. Picking himself up unsteadily off of the ground, Ted barely had time to cry out in shock as the snake clamped down on him, nearly breaking his ribs with the force of its bite. A few adjustments and the snake had managed to work the alicorn into its throat. Already winded and dazed from the bite, panic began to set in.
'No, oh hell no. I'm nobodies lunch, you shit. What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!?'
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Twitch could only watch in horror. The giant snake had eaten The Nightmare, and now it was looking at them. If He couldn't defeat it, what hope did they have? A quick glance at his companions only made the situation more hopeless. Fear, debilitating fear and hopelessness was all he saw, was all he felt. There was nothing they could do.
Suddenly the snake cocked its head to the right, before lurching to the left and batting its head against it's torso. Finally, it began trying to bite itself, making lunging strikes at its own body, as if trying to eat its own stomach. That's when Twitch heard it. The sound of muffled explosions. The snakes scales already battered and bloody from it's own assault, began shifting, pushing outwards. Suddenly there was a pop, and a geyser of blood launched from a newly formed hole in the snakes body, followed by another, and another. The snake thrashed around, rolling through the trees, bashing itself against trees and rocks and scattering the gatherers, doing anything to stop the assault, but eventually it succumbed to the wounds. With a horrid squelching noise, a hoof emerged from the discolored and bloated section of the snake, followed by a head. The Nightmare gave a gasp, before coughing and retching up the blood it had been submerged in. A few tugs and tears of the snakes already damaged hide, and the alicorn fell to the ground, shakily rising to it's hooves. Still coughing up blood, The Nightmare approached the snakes head.
Throwing a final shadow blade into the snakes eye, which even upon detonation elicited no reaction from the snake, their ragged god spoke. "Next time you *Cough* try to kill someone, don't try to eat them unless *hack* your, sure they're dead." With a final gasp, the Nightmare spat in the creatures damaged eye. His breathing finally steadying, he turned towards Twitch and the others, eyes falling upon each of them in turn. "Where's the seventh? There were seven of you." A mare at the back of the group hurriedly ran to a fallen log, and pulled a trembling stallion from his hiding place. Shoulders slumping slightly, the Nightmare lifted itself back to its full height, though one wing sat awkwardly on His back.
"Well? We came out here to get supplies. ARE YOU GOING TO STAND AROUND ALL DAY GAWKING OR ARE YOU GOING TO DO YOUR FUCKING JOBS?" Nightmare snapped, blowing the ponies away and sending Twitch and his fellows running back to the fields, gathering what edible greens they could. That had been the single most terrifying thing the pegasus had ever seen, but the Nightmare had won. He had killed something that Twitch and his fellow ponies wouldn't have stood a chance against. Maybe, just maybe, their situation wasn't as hopeless as he'd begun to think. Maybe Shadow Weaver was right. Maybe the Nightmare was the answer to their problems. Maybe they'd survive this after all.
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Ted watched as the ponies scattered back into the field. Well, more like he watched the blurs his tracking spell had highlighted, as his vision hadn't quite cleared yet. Nor had the ringing in his ears from so many explosions in an enclosed space. He was probably going to need some of that healing water for himself after that fight. His body was starting to shake a little bit, coming down from the battle-induced adrenaline high, and he turned to the snake. That had been the single most horrific thing he'd seen or done in his life, and honestly, he didn't think Luna had done something like that either. Technically, she could have dealt with the snake much more easily, in fact she could probably tell him what he did wrong with the blades. He was actually looking forward to talking to her some more, maybe learning something about alicorns and magic in general. Yes he had memories, but it just seemed to stick better when he heard her say it. Maybe it was because of his constantly wavering opinions on the memories. Sometimes they were a curse that he tried to seal away, sometimes they were a boon he tried accessing.
Returning to the task at hoof, he removed a few unblemished scales from the snake, as well as four of the larger teeth. If Monster Hunter had taught him anything, it's that you did your best not to waste your kills. Unfortunately, the snake had done a number on itself, and most of the ribs were cracked or downright shattered. Looking for signs of magic, he did find a small dissolving satchel deep in the creatures gullet, along with some pieces of clothing and buckles he couldn't identify. Though the contents were unidentifiable to him he did manage to find a small sealed tube that contained a note.
It was a summons to a landmark nearby addressing five individuals. Guessing the satchel had belonged to at least one of those on the list, that left four individuals that were meeting near his base of operations. Creatures that had experience in the jungles, unlike most of the ponies he was leading. It would definitely pay off to find out who they were, and even if the creatures were a threat, they would know about it, rather than be caught off guard. Grabbing himself a decent chunk of the snakes flesh and wrapping it in a few fresh cloths after draining it of most of the free-flowing blood, he stowed it in a satchel, while the teeth, scales, and message went into a second bag. Finally he filled a vial with a small amount of the snakes blood, stoppering the bottle and setting it in his vial-holder. How the vials and jars had survived the fight he couldn't tell. He turned from the debris of the snake, and headed out to the fields with his charges. All things considered, he was slightly disappointed the snake didn't have any money in it.
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The rest of the process had been rather slow. The ponies had gathered as much food as they could fit in their bags, and the few that finished early were sent back out to help their fellow gatherers while he searched for nearby alchemical ingredients. Luna had dabbled in the topic, so he knew the basics, and Shadow Weaver had been adamant that they had a suitable alchemy lab with relevant books on the topic. That just left the fact that the lab had absolutely nothing in the way of supplies, much like the rest of the temple.
'Oh, hey, I recognize this, it's mint!' The number of plants that were similar between the worlds still baffled him sometimes. Most of them were unidentifiable, as alien as the inhabitants of the planet, but there were a few that had analogous shapes and properties, in fact aloe, one of the first plants he'd recognized and grabbed, was supposedly a lot more potent here, possibly due to the magic in the environment. For the most part though, he was just grabbing whatever he could get his magic on. He could figure out what was useful and what wasn't in the safety of the temple. Doing one last head count of his ponies to make sure they were all still accounted for, he called them back and they headed back to the temple. One stop down, one to go, and going by the throbbing in his wing, the faster they reached the second location, the better.
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The gatherers bags were swapped out at the temple, and while he'd managed to get most of the gore off of himself by the time they'd reached the door, one of the ponies that answered the door had immediately put a hoof up to his mouth, barely suppressing a gag as he saw his bloody leader. Shadow weaver showed up moments later, sprinting to confirm the return of the gatherers and was almost dancing around Ted with joy, the sight of the embattled alicorn perfectly matching his idea of the Nightmare. While the gatherers were much more certain of themselves for the second trip, Ted had let loose a few shadow blades into the jungle when something had startled him, still reeling from the aftershocks of his first real life and death struggle. After chasing off what appeared to be a chupacobra, a frightening looking creature that looked like some strange combination of snake and cat that had nearly grabbed one of the ponies to the rear, Ted got his first view of the healing glen.
The place was peaceful, relaxing the minds of all who entered, and Ted noticed the chupacobra that had attempted to attack them earlier lying down by the water drinking. The gash on its rear right leg healed as it lapped at the water confirming the properties of the pool. Despite the creatures proximity and the fact it had attacked them earlier, he couldn't bring himself to attack it, and the predator made no move against him or his charges. Not willing to risk them, he directed the ponies to gather some nearby fruit while he grabbed some of the water. As the pegasi worked with the other ponies, retrieving the fruits from the higher branches while the unicorn used it's magic to lower the fruits into his bags, Ted approached the water, levitating four vials out of his bags. Reaching the shore of the softly glowing lake, he dipped his head in, taking a long pull, and immediately felt his aches being eased. A slight pull in his shoulder told him that the injury was soothed, but he'd need to get it reset before it fully healed. He lowered the vials into the water, and as he raised them full of the healing water, he stopped. The chupacobra was growling at him, and some other creatures were looking none too pleased at his current course of action. Pouring the water out, he watched as the wildlife went back to their neutral stances, a large crocodile-like creature not even reacting as it was used as a sunbathing stone for a large bird.
'I hate that, there's always a trick, isn't there. I either have to fight off every damn thing here, or we don't get the water.' Looking around the water's edge, he noticed a few large aloe plants. Walking up to them, and using a small metal blade to remove a single frond, he watched the animals in the area, and breathed a sigh of relief when they didn't react. While the water was off limits, the plants were ok, it seemed, and though he doubted it would be as potent as the healing water, the large aloe frond should be at least twice as potent as the other ones he'd found.
He returned to his gatherers and took one last headcount, before they headed back into the forest. The animals of the refuge watched them leave, but none made move to pursue them. If they wanted to use the healing spring for their injured and sick at this point, they would have to bring the sick to the water.
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The sun was just beginning to set as they came in sight of the Temple of the Shadows. It was a welcome sight for Ted, as his wing was starting to ache again, and the days trials had left him tired. The door was unbarred, the cultists entered, and Ted walked in as well, telling them to make sure everyone was supplied with a decent meal. If needed, they would go out again tomorrow. He then passed his bags to one of the cultists who was standing nearby, instructing him to bring everything but the snake chunk to the alchemy lab. The chunk was to be given to the chef. He didn't know why, but the longer he looked at that snake back in the forest the hungrier he became. Odd considering he looked like a horse, but there were stories of pegasi eating meat in ancient myths, so why not. If he had the energy, maybe he'd show up at the dinner tonight and learn a few names. Depending on how far the supplies stretched, he would either be doing this again tomorrow or messing with the alchemy laboratory to make some elixirs, if he had the proper work environment.
Speaking of healing, he also needed to get that wing reset. Ted shook his head as he made his way to his chambers. So much to do, so little time, and so little information to do it with. Lifting his right wing a little and seeing the gore still attached to it, he made up his mind. First things first; a bath to get this disgusting ichor out of his fur.
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Was that a Xanth reference with the healing spring? Anyways, good chapter. I liked it.
Typical rpg player mindset
Could you by chance get an editor that understand this bit:
http://www.fimfiction.net/writing-guide
?
Well, since he did not fully integrate the Nightmare memories, of course he is not s powerful as he should be. Not to mention that he was reborn just a day ago and weakened by the Elements of Harmony.
Hooray...
This story is fuuuuunnn...
I'll give it a favorite...
And a like...
Maybe a recommendation...?
Yeah...
My friends might like this story...
If I can call them friends...
May this story live long and prosper under the watchful eye of Knighty and the likes of your labor ever grow greater.
5918126
That wasn't a healing spring! It was the fountain of love! Now there's a sickening Ted-chupacabra hybrid wandering around... A Tedacabra!
5918473 I don't have one, actually, though I will try ctrl-Fing the word it from now on. I don't know why, but I have a deep-seated need to write out an apostrophe whenever I write possessive, and using the word it doesn't stop that.
Hopefully I got all the instances of that error in this chapter, though I will check the others. I'm sure I did that in those as well. Spellcheck doesn't catch those kinds of errors.
5918126 I never read anything about Xanth, though I did just wiki it. No, I just like the idea of healing fonts being places of peace, a sanctuary, like when you stood near the dragon queen at world of warcrafts Wrathgate. Breaking the rules of a sanctuary will bring the wrath of all of its inhabitants.
5919230
Well you can do that.
Don't forget about synopsis - 'first impression' etc.
Fun.
Man, that was gorier than expected. But oddly, I can live with it. That is a testament to how well this is going, gore in any great amount is usually an instant dislike for me. I just like my MLP fun and light. But you managed it somehow.
This chapter really has me wondering what on earth they are even doing there. Usually you turn to dark gods when you have it bad, but they must have kinda gone from Equestria, where they can't possibly have had it bad enough that they felt the need to turn to the Nightmare, to this Jungle, unless the armor materialized in the jungle. And sure, it makes sense to hide from the, in their view, bad alicorns, but really, there ought to be less hazardous places to do that. There is no point to hiding in that jungle for safety against the alicorns, if they lose a pony for every gathering trip.
it reminded me of that scene from hercules.
Good, this is what was hoping for. The protag is strong but untrained. Lets see what happens!
On the subject of meat and pony diet.
Is it the healing glen that looks like a combination of snake and cat, or the chupacobra?
My largest complaint is that the protagonist's thoughts are done in 'apostrophes' and speech is "quotation marks", which makes it a bit confusing at times. I would have his thoughts be italicised, but that's just me. Great story so far, however. Keep it up.
I love looting so much in games... I am so happy many games with a looting system also have mods or a console I can use to increase bag size or carry weight. Unless it is a pesky MMO.
Or you know, be greedy and fight every creature there. Time to avoid every critical fail possible.
...I believe it's pronounced chupamaflabla
Old reference is old...
7376450 yessss billy and Mandy
7376450 Chupacobra + Chupamaflabla + El Chupanibre ÷ Nightmare = Damn! That escalated quickly.
Hey, don't be sad. LilPip slew a dragon and she didn't even get any boss loot.
Not like you're going to find a wandering Zinogre or Lagiacrus around sunshine rainbow land anyway.
And if you did...may the guild hold you in memory and heart~
Monster hunter teaches well
5925980
The Hydra battle?
5918481
That and he has no training. Think a super Saiyan that doesn't know how to use ki. You know the energy manipulation they do.
8630607
Reminds me of Delayed Onset Ki Disorder. After using Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken x10 for the first time against Hit, Goku's ki started misbehaving, and he couldn't fly or use Instant Transmission properly.
Giant snake. Ugh. Could have gone better, but totally could have gone worse too. All things told, he did alright, and will likely do better in the future.
Very nice story and interesting,you don't see alicorn oc's at all in this place,this future scenario fits quite well.
Twitch's POV was particular good at emphasing the desperation felt by the cultists about the greater threat
7376450
it's actually chucabakadabrala
Damn fine chapter and bloody fine worldbuilding ♡
The exploding blades is still the best spell