25 - Supplies
The evening passed without event, just that Iliana stayed with them. True had no reservation curling up with a new target, while the others did their best to pretend that they were not with the queen of the nation.
She insisted that they treat her as any other member of their party. "We will be fighting side-by-side, possibly dying, though I hope against that. Let us stand as equals."
Her words were enough to quell immediate objection, and some sleep was had. The next morning they found her gazing into a window, looking out over hilly terrain. When she noticed the others stirring she turned to them. "If you are rested, we should go. I had supplies enough to get us back to Viljatown and then some prepared for us, but we will have to walk." She quirked a smile. "There should be less horrors under the sun than there were below."
Roll was already awake, not that she ever slept. "I have accepted my share of the supplies, but I cannot carry all of it."
Sunset stretched as she stood up. "Alright, I'll carry my share. Twilight, you up for it?"
Twilight was shaking out as she moved to get dressed in her laundered clothes. "Did they wash these while we slept? Oh, yeah, I'll carry my share sure." She lifted her clothes in her magic and was soon dressed, though she looked over herself as she turned. "Did they fix it too? That was nice of them." She could tell where local thread was used with the subtle differences between them and the stuff she bought from a store.
Roll nodded in agreement. "A serving mare came when you were asleep and I gave her the clothing to launder and repair. I hope I have not overstepped my boundaries."
"No no!" insisted Twilight.
Sunset nodded as she pulled at her leather jacket. "I can keep the dirt off, but actual tailoring and washing is different, so thanks."
Awake and ready, they headed for where their supplies were being kept. A pony with leathery wings was there, dressed in an attire of severe colors and expression. "Your supplies are ready, breakfast is on the table there." She pointed a wing at a simple meal ready to devour quickly. She glanced to ensure the other servants were gone. "You do travel of your will, I pray my Queen?"
Iliana hitched a moment, not expecting to be spotted. "Yes. Tell no one."
"I will not reveal you, but I had to be sure." She turned for the majority of the house. "I will stand outside your door and deflect questions as best I can."
"Thank you." Iliana dipped her head faintly. "Pass any papers that need to reach me under the door and expect them to be returned. I don't abandon my people."
"I hadn't thought you would, Your Majesty. Journey safe." She looked to the others. "Protect my queen if you do nothing else."
Sunset was ready to respond, but the bat pony fled without waiting to hear it. She huffed softly. "We'll do more than that." She wandered over to the food. "This smells pretty good. Let's get something in us before we go."
Though prepared to go, it was still royal fare, and it was as good as it smelled. Bellies filled and hearts set, they hiked from the remote villa to undo their harrowing underground journey.
Iliana spoke as they hiked, "Would that I had enough training to whisk us away. A teleportation spell would be grand about now."
Roll shook her head. "We are many. Unless you were truly advanced, you would not be able to carry all of us. Let us not wish for what we don't have and make do with what we do."
Morning nodded in firm agreement. "I'd raise a glass to that if we weren't hiking at the time. We've come together in a mighty group, we'll see this through." She glanced over her back at True. "Isn't that right?"
He squeaked as he raised a hoof in agreement.
Their walk didn't go unopposed entirely. Several wild dogs tried their luck, attacking Sunset when she separated from the others to take care of some private business. She found a private patch of bushes when they came rushing at her. She scurried away from them as her horn glowed brightly and she spoke the alien words, summoning a cloud of brightly glowing flecks in the air where the dogs were charging.
They yelped with surprise as the bright motes stuck in their eyes and in their pelt, causing them to glow brightly. They broke formation, but were still following her with their noses to guide them.
The uproar had drawn the attention of the others who paused their march. True hopped down and planted his bow as Twilight immediately launched an icy ray at one of them, striking the grass beside it in her hurry.
It was enough to dissuade the attack. An attack of opportunity, the dogs scattered in varied directions.
Lightly panting, Sunset rejoined the group. "I didn't expect company..."
Morning shook her head as she walked on. "That's the disadvantage of the wild. You're never really alone, sometimes more than others. Do you need another moment?"
"No... no." Blushing, Sunset didn't request another rest stop for quite some time.
Their group was large enough to dissuade casual wild beasts, at least most. A shadow passed over them and they looked up to see a draconic shape before she landed before the group. "We meet again," she spoke with a flash of dangerous teeth.
Twilight perked. "Oh! Hey again."
"You do recognize me, good." The dragon that they had run into on the train. "I said I'd find you."
Sunset raised a brow. "I thought you were only going to follow us if you didn't find a dragon."
"Oh, I did." She leaned in, her face worryingly close to Twilight. "As males go, he was tolerable." She leveled a claw forward at Twilight. "But that got me curious. I finished my business with him and wanted to know how you had any idea he was there. How?"
Iliana advanced towards the dragon with a light nod. "You're a bit close for comfort, friend dragon. Twilight is blessed of a god, and speaks for her."
The dragon reared back, head high in the air. "A god? Not figuratively, I gather? Literally? That's a tall claim, to say you speak for any god."
Twilight put a hoof behind her head, looking increasingly nervous. "I didn't ask for it..."
"No sane person does," agreed the dragon with a snort of fire. "Does your goddess whisper of more encounters for me to distract me away again?"
"I don't need to do that," spoke the voice in Twilight's head. "You're looking at one who will be a fine dragon mother. Please tell her I said congratulations."
"Um, congratulations." Twilight laughed haltingly.
"Congratulations, what for?" She tilted her head faintly. "Your friend really is touched by the gods. Where are you headed?"
Roll pointed ahead. "We are bound for Viljatown."
"Again?!" She spread her wings and rose to her full height. "I just saw you headed for there days ago. "Are you all being pushed along by the threads of the gods? Typical horses, controlled by the divine and not even arguing it. Don't you have any sense of pride?"
Iliana put a hoof at her chest. "I have chosen to accompany them out of my own will, and against the desires of many around me. We are here for our own reasons, but in this case, we agree with what the goddess desires."
"Is that the case..." She licked over her lips before looking to Twilight. "Hey you, god." She lowered to look into Twilight's anxious eyes. "I'll help your servants, so you owe me. That's how it works, divine or otherwise." She spread her wings once more and took off smoothly, but she didn't part, instead circling around the party and dissuading anything brave enough to come closer.
"She already has children, or will. Oh! She wants a classic blessing. I prefer those anyway," spoke Lashtada between Twilight's ears. "A safe and healthy birth with healthy children, what more could any mother desire? That she finds her mate quickly and well, compatible but challenging her to grow."
Twilight's ears twitched as she walked. "What about the dragon she met already?"
"He's nice for her, but she didn't stay with him. Dragons are difficult to play matchmaker for, and many don't mate for life. Another reason I am no dragon god, besides being the result of love between two pony gods."
"Are you speaking to her?" It was Iliana, not Sunset being protective. "Your friend was correct. You have a very distinctive look about you when you commune with her."
Twilight glanced away. "We weren't talking about anything important, um, just dragon, uh, courtship?"
Iliana raised a brow high. "I'm afraid my knowledge of that specific thing is limited."
Sunset approached from Twilight's other side. "We should be back in Viljatown midday tomorrow at this rate. Shame the dragon didn't give us a lift."
Twilight snorted at that. "Even considering the carrying capacity of something that large, we would be quite a challenge, and that's ignoring the fact that a dragon isn't likely to want to play a beast of burden, even temporarily."
Morning gestured a hoof at True on her back. "There's nothing wrong in giving a friend a lift if you can and it will help things along."
Twilight nodded at that. "Sure, but you know True, whereas the dragon barely knows us. Heck, last time we ran into her was kind of a fight. I'm glad she isn't the sort that carries grudges easily."
With their dragon ally, making it to the city was a largely peaceful hike through the countryside. If not for what they intended to do afterwards, it was an enjoyable trip. As they approached the great walls of the city, the dragon came down beside them, then shrank further, much further. She was a little dragon about True's size and hopped up on Twilight's back without invitation.
"Alright, forward," she ordered, digging her back feet into Twilight with skill in riding horses and making Twilight jump forward in surprise before looking over her shoulder.
Sunset raised a brow at the miniature dragon. "We're here, you can go now you know."
"I could," agreed the dragon. "Or I could come with you and see what your god intends. It sounds interesting. It's not often I see two sorcerers, a kineticist, a bard, and a ranger banding together, and of such diverse levels of training too... You're either doomed to failure or this is a story I want to see written in front of me." She hiked a clawed thumb at herself. "The name's Ixen Xurwkar, but Ixen works."
Roll gestured at herself. "You did not name me."
"You're not one of their constructs?" She raised a scaly brow.
"I am not. I am also here of my own will."
Morning threw a leg around Roll. "She's also my partner. You should see her dance!"
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You'd need somepony like Rarity for that kind of thing! I mean, really, when you can do this with a curtain...
orig06.deviantart.net/ca72/f/2011/155/e/3/rarest_rarity_by_adcoon-d3i0f15.png
Fare as in food?
1. Bellies
2 perhaps "undergo" might be a better choice of word?
That's draconic for Fire Maker, i think?
Bellied filled - Bellies filled
to insure - to ensure
in their pelt - in their
icey ray - icy ray
scaley brow - scaly brow
*****
A nice little chapter to bridge between locations. And of course, it almost goes without saying that friendship is magic.
Surely nothing bad can happen now that they have a fully grown dragon in the party. Right?
7368814
Wait... someone worked out a draconic language table? I'll just have to Google that and... Well I'll be. That's pretty cool!
7368841
7368814 Typos, all the typos! Fixed! An enjoyable chapter I hope.
I thought Id seen the name Ixen before, in the character name generator, but the dragon section is severely restricted as yet, I think the difference between Dragon Companion and Follower/Cohort/party member broke the algorithms. That or trying to force a Medium Template given a Small form did so. I mean, Id love to see a sorcerer with a full body familiar tattoo, that prevents you seeing the spell tattoos they have on their actual skin? Wouldn fur help with that, giving an extra level of imaging?
the party is now complete at 6 members, because Spike is constantly forgotton? If Ilyana is Rarity, and Roll is AJ, Melody is Pinkie, Ixen would be Dash, Twilight would be Shy, and sunset would be Twilight, leaving True as Spike?
What level is Ixen to have Wyrm form? Thats at least 3 sizes reduction, and normally mature draconic bloodline has a Medium humanoid transitional form but only at scary high levels? Especially with her ease of scrying? Even with Extend Spell she should be able to keep up Reduce Person for half an hour a time, even given its ease of repetative casting through low level? Or has she used Feats and Abilities to turn it to an Orizion?
7368850 Well, the one i used was this http://draconic.twilightrealm.com/vocabulary.php
7368867
It's always enjoyable to read your work, and this balances out the terrors of their journey to the villa quite nicely.
A dragon. A pregnant one at that. Huh. Unexpected, I've gotta say. But funny nonetheless
7368457 I saw that one. thought maybe there was an encounter I had missed.
7369326 I think people are guessing at the bipedal figure that looked worn, with great magic.
7368867
"'There should be less horrors under the sun than there were below,'" should be either "'There should be fewer horrors under the sun than there were below,'" or "'There should be less horror under the sun than there was below.'"
7369345 oh. I'll have to look that bit back up as I don't remember reading that...
And a dragon. Well then. I'd say the gods are smiling on the party, but that would be redundant.
Also, there are still a few typos lurking in the undergrowth:
Hearts, unless they're all sharing one.
Missing word, presumably "one."
7369778 Fixed! Now time to prepare for Bronycon...
extra space
Heh, master of disguise. Perhaps the horn and wings are not the only way to recognize her.
Triggered! Oh...nevermind
goddess
Still keeping a low profile, I see.
like one skilled
now, you
Yeah, shouldn't Ixen have been teleported back to Professor Oak?
I do not Nino that this party is to big. I once played with a group of 9 people, if the munchkins didn't kill everything so fast it could have been fun.
7369778
Well, not really, we knew Lashtada was cheering for them, but it seems they have more assistance than just her.
More companions is always great! Gives the enemy something else to shoot at!
Or if all goes south, more for them to spend time cutting through as you slink away...purely to avoid a TPK, not because you're a coward, of course!
Glitterdust, perhaps?
9125614
Yes.