There are times when things that start to look for the best turn upside down. It's my job to prevent that. After all, it was my fault that all of this happened.
Rhoenir, after his long ending battle, sets peace on Equestria and settles his foretold destiny. But it came with a high price. A very high price. Now he is back and ready to set on another adventure to save a certain mare that brought him back from the claws of death, but he is going to need more than his own strength to save her. With new companions along the way, a reunion with old friends and a new destiny in his hands, Rhoenir is going to use everything he has to save the girl from a horrible fate, a fate that may involve something more than her life.
So, once again, Rhoenir is ready to embark on another journey!
---------------------------------------------------------------- If you disliked the story, I wish to know why. It's frustating to have a dislike and not knowing the cause of it. Bitching allowed rule.
Location: Unkown Time: November, 19, Saturday, year 1354 Description: A lonely place for those who have culminated his past life. Those who reach this place may never return.
Rhoenir
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Huh? Where am I? What is this place? More importantly, what happened!?
Wait... I remember now! What happened again?
Oh.... OOOHHH.... Crap.
I seriously need to stop meeting guys like him. All I have ever done since my arrival is meeting bad guys. EVEN ALLIES THAT TURN INTO VILLIANS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Not all of them, but still! This is starting to look like a poorly made comedy! Is Lady Luck laughing at me or what!?
....... Oh, I didn't notice you there.
....... You may be wondering why I'm getting frustated at something, don't ya? Yeah, me too. In any case, let me introduce myself properly.
My name is Rhoenir, I'm 22, I have brown hair and a lock-style beard. My eyes are green-colored, and my face has a huge scar on it. Don't ask. But I can tell you what was I doing before.
I'm a human, perhaps the only one in the world of Equus. I say that because I haven't met another human in this world. It would be nice though. Oh, and yes, the planet is called Equus. I thought it was Equestria, but I was wrong apparently. It's completely habitated by several mythical creatures, and the ponies are the most popular species around, or anthros as my people would call them. These ponies are divided into three races. Earth, Unicorn and Pegasus. Each one possess unique characteristics as you can already tell.
Unicorns have a horn on top of their foreheads and are capable of using magic. They also use their magic to move stuff and attack as well. Have I mentioned that magic is really annoying? Well, it is. Magic is really annoying; but useful, since I learned how to harness it's power. It's awesome, but tricky I tell you!
Anyways, moving to the pegasus, these ponies have wings instead of a horn and, obviously, they can fly. Using the light-weight of their bodies, they can control weather and travel at very high speeds. Convenient, but dangerous. Especially for me. Thunders seems to have a thing for me. Or was it that rainbow maned pony's fault? Meh, I don't really care.
And last, but not least, the earth ponies. These race possess no special feature. They both lack on horns and wings. But their bodies make it up for that missing part. Since they only depend on their 'hooves'(They have hands at least), these ponies do everything with nothing than their own strength. And boy are they strong! I learned that the hard way.
The three races live together in harmony and peace has been settled for quite some time. Excuse me, I mistook that last part. What I really meant was that peace was settled for quite some time. No, seriously. At least once a month something out of the ordinary comes along and creates havoc to their will.
Luckily, there are some heroes that save the day. I don't consider myself one of them, but many do. Why? Let's say I have been traveling a lot. And by that, I mean the whole freaking country. Or was it countries? I need to check the map.
Wha? Oh, right. I got distracted, sorry. In any case. during my travels I may have aided a pony or two along the way and soon word spread out about my deeds. And certain pony noticed and searched for me. I couldn't allow that to happen, could I? The ones I saved categorized me as a hero. A fur-less weird hero. Meh, I really didn't mind being weird to them. Or the titles. Nor the nicknames. Ape, for instance.
Not wasting anymore time than needed, I may have noticed that you guys have no idea how I got myself into this situation. Well, it's a rather long story, so you might wanna sit down for this one. So, let's begin with my nature and my arrival at Equus, shall we?
As I said previously, I am a human. My homeplanet would be a planet called Earth. As for what our race would be called, we are named Terrian, or Earthlings, but we rather stick to the former term human. This piece of cool lava and naturally formed water has been around far longer than your precious Princess Celestia. Or Princess Luna if you are more into the night.
In any case, the massive rock formed with nothing more than space dust and time is currently holding more than 7 billion people on its very crust. Our species took several millions of years to develop to what it is today, but our ancestors wouldn't have developed that fast if they knew what we have been up to lately. Fighting over territories, killing other people for the fear of the unknown, wearing Swag shirts and yelling YOLO to everything, you name it.
And with that, we grew together and worked to move into the future. But that's another history. So, to avoid senseless chat, let's head to my arrival at this planet.
Since we classified the terrain on Earth as countries, I was a resident of the country United Kingdom, a.k.a England. I was living in the suburbs of a Metropoly as your average working human. Needless to say, I didn't stood out at anything. Well, I maybe stood out by not having the catchy accent my 'friends' had. Maybe I was a good family member, but that would be it. My family.... well, let's say they didn't make it. I was the last family member of the entire family, or maybe I wasn't, but I really don't care. Living alone in an almost tolerable apartment, I spent the rest of my days surviving, living for another day. Yup, hurray for me.
One cold, stormy night, I was minding my business after arriving home from work a couple of hours ago. My boss probably didn't know I even existed, but it's okay. You just get used to it, I guess. Not getting off topic, I remember looking out through a window, watching the rain pour on the big city's buildings. And that's when I probably decided to call it night. Or was it later? Argh, my memory is failing me.
Anyways, leaping towards my bed, I made myself comfortable (what could be comfortable) and drifted into a quick sleep. Now, I'm not sure what happened, but I'm certain that I heard some voices right before going away to sleep. Back then, I definitively lost all sorts of interest in new things and that was quite applied when I heard them talk.
I still don't what happened back that day, but I may have an idea.
Nevertheless, after waking up from the quick rest, I found myself in a library, resting in a supposedly called bed. It wasn't that pleasant, but I couldn't complain about it. Now, my reaction was what most people would do. That's right.
I was cycling through this vicious circle until I heard a door opening.
That's when I met her.
Oh, she was beauty. The way the hair falling over her shoulders. Those beautiful purple eyes. That tempting lavender skin. Her pretty face and the way she showed that gorgeous smile... it could hypnotize any kind male that decided to set eyes on her. I was certainly hypnotized. Later that is. Back then I wasn't attracted towards horse people. The thought of having a relationship with a horse was considered weird in my world. Now.... I really don't care. I wonder what would my past self think of me now. Anyways, I never met such a unique woma- erm, mare before. I'm glad I do now.
Twilight Sparkle. I'll never forget such name. The passion in her eyes, the way they shined when learning was involved made me think of her as cute. Now, beautiful has replaced that.
After meeting up with her and her assistant dragon, Spike (sometimes, I actually think of that as a dog's name), she took me to her teacher, princess of the sun and co-ruler of the land, Princess Celestia, for she knew the reason why I was here. Once there, when I expected to be named as the last hope for her homeworld, the princess instead told me to live my life to the fullest.
...... I would be lying if I said I was okay with what she said. I may have... blown all of my steam on her, but she took my frustration like a charm (Thank her that she didn't use the Canterlot voice on me). Then.... she... she kissed me. The ruler of the magical land full of horse people kissed me. ME. Why? Who knows. But I enjoyed it. Twilight didn't take it very well. Neither did Spike. The trip back home wasn't very likeable. Fortunately, I slept outside that day.
What? I didn't want to wake up attached to a metal chair and being slowly tortured/punished for what happened back at the castle!
Okay, MAYBE I'm exaggerating, but I didn't want to take the chance. Also, Twilight made pretty clear what she is capable of. Don't ask.
And just like that, I went through many other misadventures with Twilight and her friends. The good thing is that no one got hurt! The bad thing? I'm a terrible liar. Of course, somepony got hurt. And by somepony, I mean somebody.
Have you ever been kicked by a really strong woman? Well, I did.
Ever been hit by a hard object at 150 miles per hour? That's me.
Have you crashed against a wall after something blasted in your face? HIP HIP HORRAY FOR ME!
But even though I went through several unfortunate events, I had my share of fun. Whenever I wasn't running for my life, I enjoyed my new founded life here in Equestria. And eventually, I began to fall slowly for the lavender bookworm. Yes, I admit my feeling for that girl grew into something more. Yet, I knew it couldn't happen, me being a human and she being a pony (Up to this day, I still think of them as anthros).
Yup, things were slowly starting to look up for me. That is, until life decided to play around with me. Like the saying goes, "All the good things must come to an end". The guy who created that saying can go and SUCK MY-
.... Easy, Rhoenir. Control your temper. We talked about this.
Inhale....
Exhale....
... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Ahh, much better. Sorry, for that. Where was I? Oh right! Life toying around with my life! Funny story, you see......
..... Where do I begin? AJA! I know where and how!
Well, let's say I returned from my usual routine when out of nowhere the clouds darkened all of the sudden. Thinking that it was probably a technical error from the weather team, I entered the treehouse and met a very different Twilight. When I mean different, I mean that her eyes were looking at places no mare has ever placed her hands before.
She approached me with a very sly movement and started hitting on me. On the outside, I was confused, but in the inside, I was like this.
Needless to say, I was slowly falling for her seduction and would probably fell for it if it weren't for... Aeris... Well, that spirit is in a better place now.
Aeris made me snap out of her trance, otherwise, I wouldn't be here. She kept insisting on the hitting thingy, but I rejected her every single time. And every time I did, I felt my masculinity slowly fading away. Trust me, you do NOT, want that to happen.
Cutting the story short, things began to turn for the worst when the dragon and the powerful unicorn cornered me on the balcony. At that time, I didn't trust Aeris, but my only few selected friends were acting extremely weird, more than usual, so I decided to listen to the spirit.
Glad I did.
But if you were asked to jump off a balcony to what-it-seemed to be a neverending dark fall, anypony wouldn't have obeyed Aeris. Lucky for me, I'm not anypony. I'm more of anybody. So I jumped. Next thing you know? I woke in a forest called Everfree. Yeah, as if things weren't weird enough.
As Aeris guided me to a nearby house (quite the decorations, I tell you!), this entity explained everything I needed to know. The beasts lurking in the dark, what happened, HOW DID IT HAPPEN, everything this being knew was passed unto my knowledge. But sadly, Aeris didn't know who was behind everything, as wise as the spirit was. The culprit was incognito during that time. Not that it mattered. It was furious back then and I marked with my words that the culprit was gonna pay.
Then, a sacrifice was needed for me to move on. A noble sacrifice. I still wish nowdays that he hadn't done that. But the situation requested it. Fate is one of the things you can't fight, I guess. Or maybe you can? I don't know, but it wasn't an option in that moment.
A few hours later, I found myself in a castle. GOD KNOWS HOW REACHED THAT PLACE, BUT I WAS HAPPY AS TARTARUS! ....Sorry, this pony thing is wearing on me. I meant hell. I was happy as hell. There, I said it. Nuff said.
Not wasting any more time, I moved to the next place and I found myself in a room with three unique doors at a different wall. Regardless of what dangers were waiting for me, I faced this obstacle. I remember what happened in the first one. The other two were handled to someone else.
I would have easily entered the other two doors, if it weren't for the damage the Marvelous Applejack did to me at the first door/obstacle. Which one was it again?
"Lacking brain cells, please recharge".
Yeah, I don't remember, but what I DO remember is fighting an orange farmer and a party-hard mare. WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT COWGIRL DO FOR A LIVING!? LIFT 50 BARRELS FULL OF APPLES 50 TIMES FOR A WHOLE HOUR? And don't forget to mention Pinkie! I swear, either she ate too much sugar, or her blood has glucose levels off the charts! It's ridiculous!
And those poems, ughhhh! So lousy! Seriously! What was this fella called Ashardu thinking back then?
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Phew, I got a tad excited back there. Anyways, I reached the final area (Also, Aeris didn't make it. The culprit found out about the spirit and got rid of it. I really got mad after I discovered that) and fought against Twilight, Rainbow and Spike. Of course, three against one doesn't sound fair, but I seriously don't know what happened since the evil voice did something to me and my vision blackened.
Waking up from my rude, forced sleep, I found my opponents scattered across the room. But the worst of all, was Twilight. Oh Celestia, that image has been permanently scarred in my mind. Ugh, I don't wanna describe it... WELL! Too bad, 'cause I have to anyways.
She was lying on the floor, looking at the ceiling. Blood was the new floor she was on top of. I hesitated and rushed to her spot, checking upon her injuries. Some of them were grave, deadly if you want a better description.
I stood motionless, as I watched the girl I grew fond fading away in front of me. As the last strength of the lavender passed away, a burning madness began to flow in my blood.
A madness I have never felt before. A madness that gave me power, yet it slowly consumed me. A madness that thristed for vengeance and spilled blood. It screamed for fresh meat, not satisfied with breaking free. Blood feeds it. Blood completes it. Craving for battle. Hunger-less. Cold, yet so warm.
From what I can recall, this madness stills resides in me. Under control, of course. But back then, I didn't know how to use it to my advantage. Instead, I subconsciously allowed my instincts to take over my body and mind. Which was both good and a bad thing. Next time, I'm buying madness a collar. Can't let it walk aimlessly, can we?
Even though I can picture my madness perfectly, I'm having some trouble picturing what happened next. It's all blurry and things. Some kind of backfire.
Huh? Oh, that's right! You don't know the secondary effects a status like madness or insanity can cause. So, here's the deal. Everytime I allow my hidden power to take over me, it automatically blocks connection with the memory bank, causing me to create several subconscious images about the event of things my body visualized. So, right now, I don't remember clearly what happened next. But this effects has it's flaws as well. Sometimes I can clearly remember what I saw and did.
Heh, actually this secondary effect can be either good or bad in the point of view of many ponies. In my opinion, it's both. But enough chit-chat, time is precious!
I walked a few more yards until I met with a golden double door. I can remember something that I said before opening the door, but it's fuzzy. It's in the tip of my tongue... Nghhh.... NOPE. Blocked. It was probably a threat. Yeah, must be.
Other than that, I vaguely recall entering the golden door. What followed, oh, this is the part where I wish my insanity (madness, craziness, you name it) pulled off the secondary effect. Sadly, it wasn't that way.
Entering a large, pitch-black room, I visualized some sort of portal that took me to the one behind all. Losing all rational thinking, I went head-straight to this foreign portal and smashed it with all my might. This, however, was useless as the portal shot a electric charge through my body, paralyzing any attempt at taking it down and making me bounce back.... how many feet did I travel?
5 feet? 10 feet? More?
Argh, doesn't matter. Eventually, I came to a stop, using the innuendo of the throw to pull myself up. As I previously said, my rational thinking had long lost me before and it was still that way. Rushing to another attempt, my new, found effort resulted in the same ending. But that didn't stop me.
Try after try, my body slowly began to decay and soon, I had no strength left. I tried getting up several times, which all of them ended the same way I tried to smash the portal. I really don't have a clear idea to what happened to my body back then, but I'm sure you can picture the image just fine. Yeah, imagine what is electricity capable of to a corpse.
I didn't know what to do, but that's when he decided to show up.
Umbra. My long friend and very trusted partner. And a bit of a jerk.
This fella has gone with me along many adventures. Ever since my revival, this spirit has followed me, trusting his spiritual power in me whenever I was in trouble or in need of it, which I, of course, gave it a very good use. He (Actually, there are genderless, but Umbra sees itself as a male) watches my back and watch his. WE made a very good team. That is until...
... I wonder where is he?
Oh, I got offtrack again. Forgive me. Let me get back on track.
Hmm, yeah. The new companion part.
As I began to know Umbra a little more (He didn't give me a very good first impression back then), he made his way into my body and fused the same way Aeris did; however, him being a dark elemental spirit, my body had to accomodate to the new interaction, sending a horrible pain to my neurons as part of the process. Not surprisingly, I fainted from the huge amounts of pain I recieved.
Not wasting more time, I headed towards the portal (Umbra unlocked it, so I didn't have to go through another shock, thank you very much!) and went right through it. Now, I remember seeing some kind of cellar, but it's not relevant to the story.
I recall stepping into a main room while a balcony and everything. On the balcony, I saw Celestia and Luna staring at me with empty eyes. Normally, I would have shitted my pants the moment I saw these two, but instead I composed myself when I noticed none of them had moved during my fear. Now, I may have seen a lot of weird things, but having a pair of really powerful beings staring at you with such hollowness may have creeped me out a bit.
Moving on, I was one step closer to meet the culprit of this dark invasion. When I met such one, I drooled a little. In my defense, the drooling is completely natural. Why? Well, let's say the culprit was a woman all along. With smoking body. And a gorgeous face. Those hips... those pillowly lips... I mean, wow! Hot! Any guy would fall right to her knees! Sadly, I couldn't let myself act like a preteenager in front of her. I had a mission, and I wasn't gonna let a pretty face get in my way.
Her name was Tenebrarum and she is, by far, the most powerful opponent I've ever had. But recent fights can maybe change that. I said maybe. MAYBE.
Keeping things shorts, I battled her and the sisters as soon as I unleashed my insanity into view. And let me tell you something! .... I actually thought that Sun and Moon butts were stronger. Was I really that strong, or really lucky?
In any case, they caused a lot of trouble, but I took care of them. The one who really gave me huge amounts of trouble was Tenebrarum. Have I mentioned magic is really annoying? Her dark magic was something I never witnessed before! Bringing the dead back to life, summoning small creatures to pest around, and other things. It reminded me a lot of necromancy.
But I was definitively not amused. Oh, siree, I wasn't.
Knowing what was I up against, I battled against her for hours. How I didn't run out of stamina? Celestia knows why. But I do know that she tricked me into battling my previous partner, Aeris. Which I promptly annihilated. Aeris told me it wasn't my fault that he(?)-, she(?)-, it (genderless, remember? Aeris didn't choose a side) dissapeared from this world, but I still carry the blame in my heart.
Nevertheless, my battle almost came to an end when I used my friends' power to back me up. Almost. I was about to deliver the final blow, until she LITERALLY exploded in front of me, morphing into a.... I have no clue what the hell was that creature that I fought. It was a thingy, with.... more thingys! URG! Disgusting!
I would have lost, if it weren't for an orb a foreign voice gave to me when I was unconcious, right after the explosion. This very same voice told me to shallow the orb if I desired Tenebrarum's defeat. Skeptical to this, I had my doubts to whether it would work or not, but back then, I had no choice but to do so. Sooo.... I shallowed it~! The very first seconds after I shallowed the brown orb, I felt nothing. But it was too soon to make any assumption, for a terrible ache in my head appeared out of nowhere and manipulated my mind at it's will.
Then, I felt my insides shifting from one place to another, being manipulated by God-knows-what. 'HA! I used a human term! IN YOUR FACE, CELESTIA!'
Soon, an excrutiating pain ran through my body as I felt something being slowly ripped away from me. Umbra witnessed everything, so you better ask him what happened when I was agonizing. That is, if you manage to come across him. Otherwise, fuck off.
No further, I stood tall after recovering from the sudden detachment, only to find a unique creature in front of me. I swore, if I didn't know what was that up to this day, I would have said it was something that somehow resembled me. And by that, I mean that's what it was. A reflection of myself.... but evil!
DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNN
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.... What was that?
Not wasting any more time than needed, I listened carefully to his reason and ambition. Neither Umbra nor me liked what we heard. I didn't take long to figure who he was. He was my inner me, only that it contained all my dark and negative elements of Every. Single. Thing. That. Composed me. Would you actually believe that Umbra found Dark Me attractive? I still shudder at the single thought of it.
......
.....Ugh....
I had met my inner me back when I was in Ponyville in a dream, where he was the predator and I was the prey. Luckily, Luna somehow helped me regain control of my dream and I could easily drive him away. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT IN MY DREAM STAYS IN THERE, YOU HEAR ME?
Eherm, as I was saying, I knew I was going to meet him again, but I certainly didn't think it was going to be in such way. But I didn't wait up to see what was about to happen next. So, taking a battle stance, I rushed towards.... let's call him , Dark Rhoe, 'kay? I rushed towards Dark Rhoe and kicked him right and square in the face.... Hmmm, I feel like I'm forgetting something important... Oh, that's right.
He returned every single attack that I threw at him. Oh, but not in the literal way. Since I was connected to Dark Rhoe (him being me, but evil), everything that he felt, I would feel it too. Yeeaaaahhhh..... it wasn't the smartest thing to hit him. Too late though.
Realizing I had no chance fighting myself, I sat and sulked in my position, slowly feeling my life force being ripped away by Dark Rhoe as he laughed in his position, controlling the darkness around him. Oops, that's also important. While he was still alive, he would slowly consume me for the strongest host would prevail. After dealing with Tenebrarum, I wasn't in my best condition, so it was quite logical I didn't stand a chance for the host control.
Then, my natural human stupidity decided to make an appearance. I swear, I didn't want it to! But, our stupidity is something we can't tame. We simply can't put a collar around our necks and pull ourselves whenever we do something idiotic! Would be funny, though. What would happen if that was invented?
Somewhere in an alternate universe
A thief was making its way into a bank as he carefully began to put on his black mask. Approaching from the back door, he skillfully pick-locked the door's security system and entered the bank. Wasting no time, he placed a RD on the floor and typed a lot of things.
Once that was done, he tip-toed to the bank's main vault, carefully sneaking from one guard to another. After finally reaching the big-ass 50' metal vault, he pulled out a foreign device from his pocket and threw it to the vault's front. Suddenly, the unknown device began to circling on its own radius and came to halt when the door slowly began to open.
A huge grin plastered on his face, he walked into the main storage and looked at all the money inside. He couldn't believe it, he had finally made his dream come true. He stole the city's main bank all on his own. Now, nothing stands in the way of-
SCREECH!
"What was that!?" he yelled in a whispering tone. He felt something pulling him from behind and looked around to see the cause of it.
Have you ever pulled yourself together once? Cause, he certainly did.
A hand. His own hand.
He was being pulled by himself.
"Oh, would you look at that?" he said, placing his one free hand on his hip while recovering some air, "I caught myself in the act! I need to do something about it."
A guard was in post-duty next to a door when he spied something from the corner of his eye. The guard turned and gasped.
"Hello, good sir! I'm here to turn myself in! ....Oh! And have some skittles! EAT UP!" he said as he pulled a hand full of skittles and threw it to the guard.
Yeah, that's what would have probably happened.
Anyhow, going back to what we were talking about, I did something stupid that day. No, I'm not talking about when I stuck my head in a barrel full of honey (Damn it, Rainbow Dash! You know how I love challenges!). I literally placed my sword in front of my chest and called out for Dark Rhoe. You should have seen the look on his face when I showed up like that. PRICELESS!
Not taking any chances, I thrusted the sword deep into my chest until I could finally feel it coming out from my back. I'm not sure what happened next, but it seems I accomplished my mission. At the brink of death, I slowly saw how Dark Rhoe began to dissolvate in plain sight and the black clouds dissapearing. One step closer to the edge, my vision began to fade and just when I was about to say farewell to this world, I could feel a small smile forming on lips.
Darkness. It was just darkness.
Well, that's about it. That was my tale. It wasn't that great, but I enjoyed it.
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Hmm? What was that? How did I come back to life?
Ah ah ah, that's something you gotta figure out by yourselves. I mean, if you listened to the whole story closely, you would have an idea of how did I revive. Needless to say, good hunting!
.... Alright, maybe what I did was a bit of a jerk. And I'm sor- Huh? No, I will not tell you.
No, I said I won't tell you.
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Piss off.
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Go bother someone else.
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GAH! NO! Find out on your own!
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.... Grr, fine! But in return, you must listen to my other adventures closely this time. Got it?
What? No?
Fine! I'll just stay here. Right next to the nothingness!
Hmph!
.... It's the turkey's fault.
Location: SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE INFINITE GAP OF TIME AND SPACE. Time: Unknown Description: No description avaiable. NO DATA FOUND
Ah, Rhoenir. The soul of a kind and young man. Troubled by his past, he kept facing any danger that crossed his path, focusing on his mission and not ignoring those who were in need, despite the consequences of lending a hand to others. He resembles our description of a hero. Perhaps others should look up to him.... or maybe they already are. Maybe you fellows might learn a thing or two.
Hello, young ones.
As you can probably tell, he won't talk about his other tales. I guess it's up to me to tell such adventures. Take a seat. This may take some time.
You may be wondering who I am, but I'm afraid I can't tell you. Please understand. It's for your own sake. Now, listen closely. I'm about to tell you this particuliar man's story, for it's filled with many things we overlook nowdays.
This is the story of a man who traveled far in search for a hopeless girl. This is a story of many deeds and important lessons. This is a story of friendship, betrayal and hope. This is the story of Equus's most unique hero....
This is Rhoenir's story.
Chapter One: The forgotten hero.... and the consequences of his return.
CHAPTER ONE: THE FORGOTTEN HERO.... AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS RETURN.
Location: Trotname, Under Cloudsdale. Time: May 11, 1354 2:35 p.m Description: Cloudy day with an anormal heat. Expect sudden increases in temperature. Rhoenir & Umbra
"So, where do you think we should be going next?" said a young man walking down a road full of ponies passing. This peculiar man was wearing a dark hood and keeping his head low, trying to avoid any kind of attention.
I don't have a clue. Maybe you should check the map again.
"Hmm, maybe..." he said before placing one hand in a pocket of his dark blue jeans while the other hand reaching for the back of his head, cloaked by the hood. The fellow male pulled out a big piece of paper from his pocket, unfolding it until he finally got to display it in front of him, "Here is says that we are actually under a place called Cloudsdale. Quite the unique name if you ask me."
Rhoe?
"Yes, Umbra?" replied Rhoenir as he drifted his gaze to the air, ignoring the map in his hand.
Shut up. You look better with your mouth shut.
"Um, how about no? Now do me a favor and shut up, I have to think." he said before focusing on the map once more, "Hmmm, if was a girl in trouble from a bunch of goofons, where would I be...?"
I have an idea... Hehe....
"Eh? What does that even.... You know what? I don't even want to know. In fact, I-" he said before a sudden scream was heard in the distance. Rhoe, keeping his senses sharp, looked to where this scream came. His eyes widened at the sight.
A rather small mare was running to his direction, with plain fear right in her eyes. Her coat color was celulean (or cyan, Rhoe couldn't really distinguish colors) meanwhile her eyes had a burning red color on it. The way her rosed-colored maned moved from side to side gave an impresion of rebelion, yet it shouted freedom. She was wearing a red shirt with some purple pants with a top hat as well, not forgotting to mention the little black leather collar around her neck. Perhaps the most notable feature is her being an unicorn.
Taking in account the golden bracelets on her left arm, the whole outfit gave away the impression of a performance mare. Or perhaps he was wrong. It's wrong to judge a book by it's cover. Especially as a bunch of stallions were apparently chasing her.
Yup. A whole gang of stallions chasing down a small girl down town. Definitively nothing wrong here.
As the mare ran towards him, this cyan/celulean/whatever-the-color-is girl's eyes met Rhoe's. Down deep her eyes, Rhoe noticed the silent scream for help, waiting for a miracle to aid her. He kept staring at the running girl, not breaking eye contact with her as she cut the distance short between the two of them. It may have a coincidence or simply his imagination, but the moment she crossed paths with him, not only did time slow down, but also she faced him and formed with her lips the words "Help. Me."
Keeping his speed, she ran past him and the stallions kept the chase as well. Everypony remained in their places as they were trying to process what just happened. Soon, the witnesses ignored the recent event and kept going with their lives. All except for the cloaked human. He stood in the same place, looking at the direction where this chase proceeded.
It wasn't very long before the spirit decided to break the lost stare of Rhoe.
Rhoe, what are you thinking?
The human tilted his head sideways, keeping his hood still covering his face, "Oh, you know what I'm thinking"
Doing the hero's role again, I presume.
"You got it."
Be aware that doing this may reveal that you are a human to others. Are you okay with such?
Rhoe lifted his head some degrees before showing serious face, "I'm pretty sure. Besides," he sighed and looked back the corner where the mare was last seen by him, "Whether she has done something wrong or not, I can't simply ignore somepony when they are in danger. Especially seeing how many stallions were after her"
I swear, one of these days your hero act is going to kill us! Especially you. I can just fly away.
"That a risk I'm willing to take, and you shall be known as the biggest coward of history if you ever pull something like that", with that said, he sprinted towards the ongoing chase, hoping to catch up.
Location: Feather road, Trotname. Time: May 11, 1354 2:40 p.m Description: A long road down the city. Very low activity. ???
I can't run any longer.... my legs are killing me.... Too tired... A rest here doesn't sound that bad... Yeah, I should-
"NO! I can't stop now! Not after what happened back there! I'm NOT going back with those guys!" I said to myself, focusing on the path in front, not missing any small detail of any possible escape route, "C'mon Star, you can still keep going!"
Looking behind me, I spotted the same stallions keeping up, with an angry expression written on their faces. "Let's see..... Aja..... I still have 7 of those guys following me....", looking in front of me I spotted an oportunity to make it through. A sharp corner, just ahead me. Judging by the distance, it was 20 meters away from me, at the very least. Just what I needed. "If I can turn this corner just like back home, I should be able to lose these guys. And maybe, if I'm lucky, they will stop chasing me."
Seizing the right moment to act, I noticed no pony was on sight, causing me to smile, knowing that there wouldn't be collateral damage. This time. Wasting no time, I slowed down and waited for my chasers to close the distance far enough for the plan to work. Soon, there were just where I wanted.
"It's go time" Taking a deliberate sidestep and a bit of skill, I slid into the rather small alley swiftly and looked back, noticing how my plan had indeed worked. Problem was, I wasn't stopping. Or looking in front of me. Nor that wall. Ouch.
BAM
I crashed against the unbudging wall with might, hitting my muzzle headfront without any kind of support or cushion to soften the hit. Falling to my back, I cursed at my lack of concentration as the ground was slowly meeting my rear. Letting a growl escape my lips after I finally touched the rock surface, I grabbed my muzzle and rubbed it, with pain written all over it.
"Mother bucker..." Sitting up, I grumbled after I got a good look at the wall I just crashed into. Then it hit me. I had reached dead end. A one way out alley.
"Celestia damn it!" I cursed at my reckless actions, "I should have seen this coming!"
"Oh, indeed you should have" a voice behind repeated, revealing just how far it was from me. I felt my blood run cold after I heard such familiar voice speak.
"Great..." I whispered, grabbing the bridge of my nose and frowning "Just the pony I wanted to meet the most...". Looking back, I saw HIM.
Solar Wing. My previous boss. The one who I wanted to avoid above them all.
Taking a good look at him, I noticed how his red coat was slightly dirty and his purple eyes were staring at me with a mocking aura behind that stare. His long white-red stripped mane was covering one of his eyes though. Still, I could sense his other eye looking at me the same way his uncovered eye was. And that grin... ugh, there was something I definitively I didn't like about it. Maybe it was the large scar under his lower lip that made me feel that way. Or maybe not. Who knew. The point is he gave me the gibbie-dibbies.
Glancing at the unicorn in front of me, I quickly got back to my feet and turned towards him. Sadly, my legs were now paying the toll for that extra boost I forced into them and I almost fell back to the ground as I staggered backwards the moment I faced Solar, regaining my balance allthewhile. His grin just got bigger when I displayed my obvious fatigue.
"Oh, would look at yourself... So pathetic." he crossed his arms while still looking at me. His men were entering the alley one by one, as my hopes of escaping were slowly diminishing, "Did you actually thought you would get away after what you did to us?"
"It was worth a try!" I said, realizing I allowed my thoughts to run free. Placing a hand on my mouth, Solar chuckled and closed his eyes.
"As always, you can't keep your thoughts to yourself, do ya? Poor mare... well, now that you finally realize you have no chance of escaping, let's do this the easy way, shall we?" he said, a mischievious smile escaping his lips. I shuddered at what could possibly be the 'easy' way for him. But I still had a way out of here and I wasn't letting for any miracle to happen.
So, not waiting any longer than I should, I focused all of my magic on my horn and.....
.... nothing happened. WHAT!?
"Oh, how clueless," I glared at him with both a mix of confusion and anger, "Did you actually thought I didn't prepared a counter-spell against your stars? HA! You fool! Take a good look above you!"
I doubted his order, but curiosity got the best of me. As I looked up, my eyes shrunked when I realized what he just did. An arcane shield. Just like he said, above of me was his counter against my magic. This arcane shield could easily cover any kind of magic known to pony kind. How did he get it? Beats me, but the moment I saw the shield, I knew I was completely bucked. Now, there was NO other way out of this situation. My problem could only end two ways from here, and both weren't pretty.
"Oh, horseapples.... I'm so bucked right now..." I whispered. Soon enough, I grimmed at my fate as Solar and his gang were slowly closing the gap between them and me. Stepping back, I tried to gain as much time as I had before I met my doom. That's when I met the wall in a more appropiate way.
"Now, dear, let's all behave and no one will get hurt.....", Solar was just some feet away from me, amused by my desperate attempt to find any way out of this. Falling to my leg fatigue, I crawled to the corner of the alley and watched how my life was coming to an end. Oh, and I'm not talking about dying. I'm talking about how my days of living in a miserable room were over. Celestia knew what was waiting for me.
"Um, Solar, can't we think this through? I mean, surely you must be angry at me, but can you at least hear me out?" I requested, but it was futile. He kept his pace, and so were the stallions behind him. I could only hope for a miracle now.
However, just when Solar was in front of me, he stopped. Looking at him with confusion, I shivered, unaware of what was about to happen. He smiled back at my fear and spoke.
"But it would be too easy for me to take you back to the train, oh no, that wouldn't do it." he placed a hand under his undistinguished chin, as he looked back at his gang, "A punished would be better, right here, right now. Don't you think so, boys?"
"You are so right!"
"No doubt."
"No complains back here!"
"Good, I'm glad you all think the same." he returned his gaze to my amethyst eyes, "Now, Starblazer, you are about to be punished~! Any last words?"
"Help?"
"Suit yourself", then the punch came. I wasn't even prepared when he launched that fist towards my cheek. Recoiling to the hit, I smashed my head to the wall behind me, falling frontward, and soon my head was touching the cold, hard ground. It wasn't very long before I could feel several legs kicking me, non-stop. I screamed, screamed with all my might as the pain was slowly wrapping me. There was probably not a single place where I wasn't kicked or hit.
It didn't took long for me to accept my fate and pass out from the pain. Deep inside me, I was hoping that it was all a really bad dream. It's sad how life doesn't work that way. I didn't know how long was I on the ground, but there was definitively a-
"HEY! YOU BUNCH OF COWARDS! LEAVE THAT MARE ALONE!"
"Huh....? What.... was that....?"
Slowly lifting my head, trying to ignore the pain as well, I attempted to get a better view of whoever was shouting at them. Of course, all the stallions, including Solar, stopped hitting me after that yell. However, after being beated up for Celestia knows how long, I didn't a clear view, for it was all blurry and everything.
What I do managed to spot was a dark blur standing out from the background. All the stallions turned their attention to... that guy and snorted.
"Oh, what a pleasant surprise. Somepony is trying to be a hero!" said one of the many males Solar had at his disposal.
"Somepony wants to play!"
"Let me at 'im! LET ME AT 'IM!"
"Shut up, guys! Let me handle this," one of the gang said and he slowly approached the dark blur, "Hey! We are dealing here with somepony! Mind your own business!"
"Didn't you hear me? I said leave that mare alone." Oh, they heard you all right, because now they are laughing. The laughter was short-lived as the front stallion faced the guy trying to save me.
"Well, someone is feeling brave today! I don't think you have noticed, but we are way more than you. So, how about this?" he cracked his knuckles close enough for me to hear it, "Get out of here before you get really hurt, got it?"
"I don't think so. I don't things to get ugly, so just leave that mare alone." I heard from my position. I honestly thought this guy was just proving to be brave, but now I think he is just crazy! He doesn't stand a chance!
"Looks like you need a punishment as well, you mother bucker!" he launched himself towards the blur, but then.... Well, I couldn't see quite clear what happened, but I spotted the goon stopping in front of my 'hero', motionless. He must have- .....What? How!? The blur threw him aside like it was nothing! And he is not moving! What did he do?
"Huh? What did you do?", exactly my point.
"Who cares!? Get him!" said Solar as he stepped forwards to the hero stallion. With his gang following behind him, I prayed the best for the challenger. Soon, using some of my remaining strength left to sit up, I noticed he didn't need luck. Why? Well, let me say this in the most plausible way possible.
IS HE A FREAKING ALICORN OR WHAT!?
I mean it! This guy... whoever he is, is taking out the stallions one by one! Shifting his weight perfectly to avoid the attacks, countering in the process, this guy looked like he could put a fight against anyone!
... My mistake. Almost anyone. He just got hit. By Solar nonetheless. I hope the cloak, which I just noticed until now, protected him at least.
Recovering some, but not all of my sight, I saw him recoil a little as he slowly backed away from them, putting some distance between him and the rest. The rest, as expected, didn't wait for him to take a break. Poor fella. I just hope he doesn't-
................. Okay, what in Tartarus just happened?
One moment, I was seeing (from what I actually see) him backing away from Solar and his gang, the next thing you know, he is soaring through the tiny bit of room the alley gives. Are those.... wings? Black wings? I'm assuming he is a pegasus then. But there is something odd about this pegasus. Yeah, his wings are... his wings are thin? I can clearly see through his wings. Since when does pegasus have transparent wings? If they don't, then what is that?
Whoops, too slow. He already went higher. Wait, is he planning for a dive? I gotta give him credit though. He sure thinks of the most crazy things, for someone I just saw. And... he goes for the dive. Is he an idiot? He is gonna get hurt!
Well, I'll be- He actually used one of his opponents as cushion for his landing/crash. Must have hurt. Yup, the cushion is down. I repeat, the cushion is unconscious. The pegasus slowly gave back to his feet and- WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!?
That guy is definitively not a pegasus! He is just like us, yet so different! His coat is tan colored, but he has no fur at all. He resembles a minotaur, but shaved. Except on the head. His hair(?) is brown and he also has a lock-style beard with that same color. His green eyes weren't as big as ours, but they could be seen nevertheless. And last, but not least, was his... feet? That thing has feet? Okay, now this is getting weirder.
"What the hay is that thing?"
"He looks just like us!"
"It's a he?"
"That's it. I'm not drinking cider again."
"The horror!"
"Snap out of it! He is still vulnerable!" Solar stated, pointing at him and the bruise he left on his right cheek, "The hit proves it. Now, get him!" The gang did so without questioning his orders. Quite loyal, if you ask me. But that wasn't enough to take down the.... thing.
Then, the fur-less ape slowly to mumbling some words to himself, almost as if he was conjuring some kind of- Is that magic!? Just how much of the shield affecting me!? He is not an alicorn, for Faust's sake! What's more, how is the shield not affecting him as well? This makes no sense! ...... He has to show me how he does that! Could come it handy.
The gang came to a halt as they witnessed the hero pull a weird-looking sword out of nowhere and pointed to my direction. Several gasps could be heard from the crowd looking at him.
"He is using magic? But how!? Even I can't pull something like that! Specially with the arcane shield up!" said Solar with a mix of fear and confusion behind his voice.
Taking a close look at his magic, I noticed he had a black sword in his hands. Did he just created that out of thin air? It takes years of hard practice to create magic weapons. Also, I noticed his arms were covered in bandages, giving away the impression of a warrior. Just who is this guy? And just how much has he gone through? Apparently, my chasers were sharing the same expression as me. A mix of confusion, anger, and awe. I wouldn't blame them. I'm as surprised as they are.
"I'm giving you one last chance. Take your unconscious friends, leave this mare alone and get out of here. I won't hesitated to do otherwise" he said, glaring at Solar with a serious expression. The leader was clearly sweating bullets, as he staggered backwards a few inches. Soon, a member of his gang approached the red unicorn from behind.
"B-Boss! I don't think we can take him down..." whispered a grey pegasus to Solar, shaking a little, "If we fight him, we all know what might happen... It's for the best if we retreat, don't you think?". Solar didn't answer back. He simply looked at the ape, troubles doing a very good job with filling the inside on his mind.
"As much as I hate doing this, I guess you are right, Wind Shake...", he grunted, obviously disguted by the idea of retreating. He has never been the kind of stallion that backs out from a fight. Normally, he would have kept fighting, but this is new for me. Solar fleeing? See to believe. "Call the other boys, we are backing out"
Solar whistled a high pitch tone and ran towards the exit that the pony-shaped guy gave, his goons following behind closely. Just before he was out of sight, he looked back and yelled, "This is not the last you've seen of me! I swear I'll get my revenge!"
With that, he was gone. Let's hope for the best that they get something from this. Maybe they learned a thing or two about messing with me. Or maybe they didn't. I hope they did. Otherwise, I'm bucked. What I should be concerned about is what is the furless hero going to do to me. Let's hope it's not what I think it is.
"That's the last of them. Another minute there and I might have gotten seriously hurt."
...... Is he talking to me? I think he is talking to me. I better answer ba-
"I know that! They saw my true face, what I really am, but if she is safe, I don't care." he said launching his arms in the air.
.... Okay.... maybe he is talking to himself. Completely normal. I have seen other ponies doing-
"Umbra, keep your mouth shut."
Nope. He is crazy. This fella might have saved me from a terrible fate and knows new magic that I could learn from, but I don't wanna stay any longer with this nutcase, thank you very much! I had enough events for one day. Besides, he talks to himself too often. Or maybe that is something his kind do. Whatever his kind is. In any case, I better get out of here, these injuries are starting to ache badly.
"Hey, are you ok?" he said, obviously looking at me. In my defense, that EEP I released wasn't intentional. I tend to be shy around new ponies, specially if you are facing a whole new species you never heard of. "Don't worry, I won't bite". NOW he is talking to me. What do I do!? Easy, he can't you hurt much, can he?
I looked at him and was about to speak, when I saw something I haven't seen long ago. He was looking at me with unique eyes. Eyes that shouted, 'I care more about others than me'. It held so much kindness, so much care, but they are hurt as well. The kind of eyes that can easily give away a pony's personality without even knowing them. I have forgotten how long have I seen those kinds of eyes. I never expected this type of eyes coming from such weird creature like him.
Maybe he is a hybrid? As far as I know, many species have been trying to create a foal. Is this guy one of their breeds? .... Not possible. I have around the globe long enough to know there hasn't been a succesful case between one species and another. But that was long ago. Is it possible now?
"Hello? Someone there?" he waved his hand in front of me, hoping to get a reaction from me. Luckily, he wasn't going to be dissapointed as I looked at him with a dopey grin plastered on my face. He didn't know whether to be happy or terrified after I showed him that smile. Before I actually got a good look at him, I 'm gonna be honest, I was terrified. But now, not anymore. After I saw the kindness behind his eyes, I knew trouble was no longer around.
Oh, who am I kidding. He saved my life. I should return the favor.
As the creature studied me and my dopey grin closely, I ignored any kind of pain my body was giving and glomped him, helding him in a tight hug. He was definitively surprised.
"Thank you." I whispered to him, while my head was still on his shoulder. For a creature I just met, he is incredibly warm. Maybe he isn't that different from us?
"Um... you... um... are welcomed?" he replied. I could feel his arm moving and soon I saw him rubbing the back of his head. Did I flustered him? Aww! That's cute! But enough is enough. I gave him my thanks. Now it's time to let go.
Breaking up the hug, I sat on the alley's ground and rested on the closest wall to me. The moment I did so, I felt the pain Solar and gang did to me. So much for that trouble. I cringed at my injuries and apparently, my hero noticed so. Well, it wasn't so hard to spot anyways. My body, from what I can see, is filled with bruises. I may have a blurry vision, but it can seen from anywhere near me, for Faust's sake.
"Hey, are you okay?" he said, extending his arms towards me, "You don't look so good"
I tried to talk without using a whispering tone, but everytime I did, my voice was cut-short due to my bruises aching each time I opened my mouth. As annoying as it was for me not to talk, I stopped trying and signaled I couldn't speak. Hopefully, he will understand.
"Huh?", well, at least he noticed my signals. He is must now aware I can't speak normally.
"Are you hungry?" .... I take that back. He didn't get my message. Great. Shaking my head, I signaled again something, aiming at my throat specifically.
"You are thristy!" I face-palmed. This guy has problems. It's obvious I can't talk! I tried again, hoping he could get the message through his thick skull.
"You..." ... yes...., "can't...", almost there! "...breathe?" CELESTIA DAMN IT! You were so closeeee!
Sighing, I hung my head down, giving up on how can I give him my message. Maybe I shold just go.
"Oh! You can't talk!" ..... Seriously? I didn't do anything and he GETS my message? Are you freaking kidding me? Doesn't matter. He finally understand what I wanted to say. End of the struggle.
Nodding my head and giving him a deadpan stare, he sheepishly give me a smile back. The creature grabbed his neck and laughed nervously. Took you long enough. Without any more wait, he took a serious stare and looked at me with more detail. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but it couldn't be anything bad.
"Now, I better take you to a hospital. These injuries are starting to take a turn for the worse." Huh? What does he mean? I don't feel anything- ... Okay, I take it back. My injuries are starting swollen way too much. Extending my arms in front of him, he chuckled at my request (I'll pretend I didn't see or hear that) and picked me up with ease. Carrying me in his bandaged arms, I yelp as I felt a strange outlet of magic coming from his chest, almost as it looked like a magical injury or something similar.
I simply shrugged the thought and rested my head on one of his arms, closing my eyes to take a well deserved break from this whole thing. I was just happy to know it was all over. Solar wouldn't chase for quite some time and I could focus on my magic performances. Which reminds me, what happened to the arcane shield? Popping one of my eyes open, I looked above, expecting to see the barrier.
Boy, was I wrong. It wasn't there anymore. Which brings me the next question to my head. Where is it!?
"Hm? You are wondering where is the barrier from earlier, am I right?" Wha? How... how did he know? I looked at him with confusion and awe, wondering how was it that this creature figured that out, "Well, judging from your face, I would say I guessed right. Well, to answer your question, the barrier was long gone just before I fought these guys"
Using all of my strength, I whispered something, still weak from the beatdown, "....How?". The guy looked surprised I spoke, but didn't question why. He instead drifted his gaze to the road ahead.
"It was actually before I arrived. You see, when I saw you running from those guys, I couldn't simply leave you to your fate after the show you all demonstrated with that chase. But," he looked another way, thinking of something by the looks of it, "I actually had second thoughts when I decided to follow up."
"Why?" I replied, still enduring the effects that speaking is causing me for the moment.
"To be honest, when I tried to follow up, I got lost." I deadpanned at his confession, which caused him to show an embarrased grin, "Yeah... it's the not most proud thing I have ever done. I would have probably given up if it wasn't for the barrier the gang activated. When I saw the purple barrier form up, I took- OUCH!" the creature yelled as he cringed at something that was hurting him. I couldn't help it, but to feel confused by his sudden reaction. Also, I accidentaly let out a yelp when he shook his whole body. Recovering his balance, he walked a lot of meters further before he spoke again.
Shaking his head, he smiled at me. "I'm sorry, I mean SOMEBODY took a flight for the skies and told me where it was. That's when I decided to head to your location and, with luck at my side, found you. But," he interrupted as he stared at my horn, "When I saw you crawling in the corner at end of the alley, I wondered why didn't you use your magic to leave or something. That's when I figured it out. The barrier was affecting your magic, wasn't it?"
I nodded in response, "I thought so. Anyways, seeing how many were them, there was a possibility that I couldn't handle all of them. This bruise right here," he pointed at the blue-colored spot on his right cheek, "Proves my point. So, in order to have a better chance to fight them, I nullified the shield and took it for myself"
He balanced my body in one arm as he pulled a familiar device with his free hand. Taking a closer look, I noticed it was, indeed, the arcane shield in it's standby form. My eyes widened as I spotted the awfully familiar device at his reach. The fur-less hero chuckled at my surprise, but a doubtful expression soon spread all over his face. Finally, he sighed and spoke.
"Could... can you... extend your hand?" he asked, something troubling his mind. Nodding, I did as he asked me. A few moments later, he placed the arcane shield in the palm of my hand and placed that same free hand to support my body weight in two places. Holding the precious device in my hand, I looked at him, once again, confused, wondering why did he give me such valuable item. He knew what was I thinking, so he knew the answer to my doubts.
"If you are wondering why I gave you something like that, well, let's say it my way to help you out. It may be very valuable, but I thought you could use something like this. You know, for whenever you get stuck in a chase again". Okay, that crossed the line. I ain't no filly to be rescued everytime I'm in trouble. I deliberately punched his shoulder with some of my recovering energy, causing him to recoil a little. He laughed at my hit, showing a forgiving smile. "Sorry! I'm just messing with you. But seriously, keep it. You might need it someday in the future."
I smiled at his gift and rested upon his chest on his way to the hospital. Wait. We are heading there, right?
"Are.... we... ", I tried finishing the sentence, but discovered I wasn't recovered enough. However, he figured out what I was trying to say.
"Don't worry, we are heading to the hospital. Hm?" he looked up to the air, staring at the void with caution. Did he heard something? I didn't. What is he-, "Oh, right. I better go in cloak mode again". Nope, still talking to himself. He promptly removed a hand under me and used it to cover his head with the robe, cloaking, indeed, his face and everything. His nose was barely visible, but the mouth was the opposite. The creature inmediately returned to his original position and returned the hand to where it was.
A rather long silence filled the air as soon as we approached the hospital's location. How did he knew where it was? Who knows, but thank Celestia that he knows his way around. I don't think I can guide him all the way there. Not in this condition, at least.
Just a couple of question were floating in my mind right now, but I'm not so sure if I should ask.... Oh, buck it, I might never seen him again.
"Hey", I called in my not-so-weak voice (I can finally speak! This is a glorious day!). He looked at me with wonder, an almost visible smile plastered on his lips, "How... did you... prevent Solar... from looking up?"
"So, his name is Solar, eh? .....And to answer your question, I didn't plan such thing" ... eh? What? He didn't?, "It was luck I guess. If he had taken a good look to the shield's location right before he left, I might have been in trouble, big time. So! Lucky me!"
So it was all luck? Luck? LUCK!? Is that what this is all about!? He doesn't the slightest idea of what he could have provoked if Solar had found out! So reckless! So..... foolish! What a hero he turned out to be! .....
...........................................
...... but still, he saved me from Solar. I really shouldn't be complaining. I still find weird that Solar didn't notice the shield's absence, or what's more, why he didn't take it back with him in the first place, but I guess he must have his reasons. That, or he is more stupid than he appears to.
"Ah! Here we are!" he said, a smile adorning on his face. I looked as well and spotted the hospital. It's a relief that I could finally get some deserved rest. Letting out a relief sigh, my savior giggled at my relief, "Let's get you comfortable, shall we?". I nodded, I was certainly hopin- GUH! Wha.... Why do I feel so weak.... all of the sudden? I'm shaking... all over... as if my consciousness.... couldn't take.... it... any.... mo.....
Location: Shining Hospital, Trotname. Time: May 11, 1354 3:10 p.m Description: A hospital dedicated to help out any pony, no matter the wealth. Rhoenir, Umbra & Starblazer
"Oh no! She passed out! What do I do!?" Rhoe began skipping in his place, holding the celulean mare in his hands. If Umbra had hands, he would have face-palmed.
What else? Take her inside!
"Oh right." and he did as he was told to. Entering the hospital, several ponies were passing by, minding their own business. Rhoe didn't waste any more time than needed and searched for a local medic. It didn't take long to find one avaiable.
"Um, excuse me?" he whimpered at the medic. Taking a better look at the medic, it turned to be a pegasus medic. A male, to be precise. The doctor turned around and inmediately spotted the mare in his hands.
"Whoa! What happened?" he asked with a really surprised tone. Rhoe, hidden by the black robe, grimmed seeing the mare injured.
"She was beaten up by a bunch of stallions. I found her soon after. Please, doctor! Do something!"
The pegasus bit his lower lip, almost like if something was running in his mind 1000 miles per hour. Soon, he sighed and stared at the cloaked human, "Okay, then. Quickly! Follow me!" The doctor was gliding towards the back of the hospital, looking for a room for her to stay. It's a good thing Rhoe wasn't falling behind. But Umbra had it's doubts. Something was strangely odd about all this.
Rhoe, there is something I don't like about this guy.
"There is always a thing you don't like about others, Umbra!" he thought, with his mind being shook by the constant sprint.
Go fuck yourself. No, but really. There is something definitively wrong with this guy.
"Well," he grunted as his stamina was slowly depleting, "I guess I'll deal with that later. Right now, I have to focus!"
Suit yourself! But I'm telling you, be REALLY careful about this pegasus. Something's not right.
As much as Rhoe would like to complain, Umbra has never the kind of spirit that just feels things by mere coincidence. If he is concerned about something, or somepony, it's best for to hear him out. Otherwise, trouble would come along.
The human couldn't help it but to feel uneasy as he took a good look at the doctor guiding him, "Could it be that Umbra is being just paranoid? Should I really trust this pegasus?", he shook his head, focusing on the task at hand, "I can worry about that later. Right now, this mare needs some help!"
Taking its required time, the stallion finally made a room for the performance mare, who looked to worsen within each minute. Resting her in the well-made bed of the room and placing the arcane shield she held on a nearby drawer, Rhoe could finally relax to see the girl finally taking its well-deserved rest. But her bruises were blue now. From what he knows, blue injuries are bad. Not gravely bad, but rather concerning bad.
"There, she has a room," the doctor(named Swift Flare) turned to Rhoe, who was concealed by his robe, "Now, tell me, what happened?"
"Well, from what I puzzle together, she got beaten pretty bad from several stallions. There is probably not a single place where she wasn't hit" Swift gave Rhoe the most incredulous stare, "Only physically. Nothing sexual was related" The doctor relaxed, but a frown came to his face.
"And you are?" Rhoe's face couldn't be seen, but he did turn to the doctor and gulped, trying to hold his hidden poker face.
"O-oh! I'm... just a friend."
"Just a friend?"
"A friend. Nothing more"
The doctor still had his doubts to whether he was trustable or not, but mentally shrugged it off as he focused on the injured patient, "I'll have a partner of mine to check her up. You can either wait here or leave it up to us. Your choice,"
Recalling what Umbra had told him before, he was rather relucant to leave the mare alone with this pegasus doctor. However, her health was more important than just some unnecessary paranoia. Rhoe didn't hesitate, for he was confident what he wanted to do. "I'll stay with her."
I want to leave....
"Hush you" thought Rhoe as he looked slightly above his field of sight.
"Well then. I'll leave you with her. Just make sure to tell us if something happens. The bill..." Rhoe cringed the moment he heard the word bill, ".... we will talk about that later. For now, take care of her meanwhile I look for my partner,"
"Will do. Just hurry" he finally said, with the doctor closing the door behind. Rhoe was left to his own thoughts the moment the pegasus left the room.
"Welp. I guess it's waiting time,"
Or.... you could simply leave so we can continue our quest.
"Yeah, no. With Solar---that was his name, right?--- on the run, he could easily track down... er.... well, I didn't quite get her name. Something about a Mark Chaser or something like that. Focusing on the main task, if that guy finds out she is here, I'll doubt somepony else will be here to save her"
Are they even going to let them in? You know how everypony was looking at them.
"In case you've forgotten, they can lie their way in. I rather not take that chance. But in the meantime," he rested on the chair that was lying next to the bed, "I'll stay with her as long as needed. After that, THEN, we can continue our search."
Whatever, I'm taking a quick stroll through town.
"Huh? Whoa, waitwaitwait-", too late. The moment Umbra left Rhoe's body, he felt an excrutiating pain run through his body, non-prepared for the impact. The pain was something similar to having an arm being ripped out with pure, brute force, only this time, it's the whole body. He gasped as the spirit had completely left Rhoe's body. The human was mumbling some incoherent words as he recovered.
"That son of a.... He knows how much it hurts everytime he does that! Stuck-up jerk..."
".... who are you talking to?"
If Rhoe had long ears like they did, they would be perking up right now. Rhoe's attention focused on the discovery of the mare's awakening. A concerned smile was formed on his lips when he turned towards the patient, "Oh thank goodness, you are okay!"
"I said, who are you talking to?" she replied showing a serious stare towards his rescuer. He flinched at her tone from the question. Thinking of something quickly, he came up with the closest answer his brain managed to process.
"... Muffin Man?"
"Seriously?"
"Oh, whatever, cut me some slack" said Rhoe as he crossed his arms, pouting a little. Despite Star's injuries, she managed to sit up, taking a better look at his savior.
"All I know is that either you are crazy, talking to yourself, or you were, from what I recently saw, talking to somepony. So, let's do this again. Who were you talking to?"
"Wait, she saw me and Umbra? How? The only ones who were capable of seeing Umbra, or sense him were me and Tenebrarum! This only complicates things... Maybe I should have listened to Umbra before I agreed to take care of her," she looked closely at the human, not missing every possible detail that could reveal a secret to her, "Okay, let's try the -'It's better for you not to know.'- talk. If I'm lucky, she'll stop pestering me with questions"
"Well?" she repeated, growing desperately for an answer. Rhoe inhaled deeply and closed his eyes as he prepared his talk. Exhaling, he opened them and looked deep into Star's red eyes.
"Um, listen Miss, uh..." he rolled his handwrist a little towards Star.
"Starblazer, but you can call me Star. And you are...?"
"Rhoenir. But my friends call me Rhoe,"
"Nice to meet you, Rhoe," she said, extending her hand to Rhoe.
"Likewise, Star. So, let me say this in the most sugarcoated way possible," he cleared his throat and frowned, "Stay out of my way. It's best for you to not know what I do or what I am"
"Oh, why is that?" she replied, folding her arms as she listened closely.
"...Okay. This girl tends to open quickly to others. Suitable, but dangerous" he thought as he watched Star ask for a reason. He closed his eyes and sighed, "Please, I rather not talk about this topic. It's not something you should know."
"... Well, I suppose I could.... stop bothering you...." she looked down to bed sheets and pouted. Rhoe felt a little guilty for her reaction, but he remained firmed to his convictions, knowing that if other ponies knew about his existance, trouble would be attracted. And not from his enemies, oh no, his friends would be the trouble.
Several minutes later, silence reigned over the room, as none of the creatures inside talked or moved. The human wasn't comfortable with such awkward environment, but he had to deal with it. At least for now.
"Hey..." he acknowledged Star's call, shifting his sight towards her, "Listen, I... I really, REALLY don't want to be a bother, but.... I really want to know. So... Please?"
The cloaked human stared at the unicorn for a few more moments before looking away and sighing, "Well, if you really want to know, then I'll tell you what I actually can tell. Anything else that I hide, it's for a reason. Got it?"
She lowered his eyelids and leaned her head to the side, "Not really," Rhoe sighed once more at her honesty, placing a hand on his covered face to conceal the groan.
"She... isn't an airhead, right? But the way she responded with her thoughts on the run.... okay, maybe she is an airhead. Let's do this one more time,", he removed the hand from his face and looked at Star, "Well, let's say that everything I tell it's allowed meanwhile the rest is hidden for multiple reasons. Better?" he leaned in, trying to hope for a better answer this time.
"... Yes."
"Good" he returned to his original position, trying to get comfortable for the small explaining, "Now, since I know you have a lot of questions, I'll begin with the first one. Who was I talking to. Oh man. Where do I even begin-"
He was about to talk when all of the sudden, a very familiar, but really annoying pain came back to his body, a pain that could only mean one thing. "Umbra's back."
The moment Rhoe opened his mouth, he twisted his sides from one place to another, almost looking like he recieved a kick in the gut. Starblazer, due to her shy nature, yelped back in her startle as she witnessed the creature convulsing right on the spot. She hesistated to do something, but didn't think of anything that could actually help. Star was forced to see and do nothing as Rhoe was shaking furiously.
A few seconds later, Rhoe stopped spinning in pain and sat up. Grumbling, he spoke some inaudible words.
"What now, Umbra?", Star stared at Rhoe as her suspitions were clearly revealed.
"So, he was really talking to someone? But where is this pony? Is it a pony to begin with?" she thought.
Rhoe! I need to shut up and listen very carefully!
"Well, it better be important! What's the matter?" Rhoe said as he gathered enough strength to stand up.
Remember the doctor we met the moment we arrived? The one I said I didn't like something of him?
"Yeah, what about him?" he replied. Umbra didn't answer back. He simply decided to share the memory that the spirit had just witnessed. Rhoe's eyes widened and he clenched his teeth. Looking down to the floor, he frowned, "That traitor..."
Star felt uneasy to Rhoe's reaction, hoping it wasn't anything bad. "Rhoe, what happened? What's going on?", Rhoe looked at her with worried eyes, sharing some of his worried aura with her, "Is something wrong?"
"Star, take the arcane shield," he hastily accomodated his robes, looking at the door. Star inmediately took hold on the shield and sat up, enduring the pain her injuries were giving away. Rhoe ignored the door for a moment and looked back at Star, who was holding a very confused expression, ""We need to get out of here"
"Huh? Why?"
"Remember the doctor that brought us here?" she nodded, still not grasping the situation, "Well, it seems he won't help us anymore"
"And why is that?"
"The doctor was working with Solar," Star's colors faded the moment she heard that, "He gave away our position, and now, Solar and his whole gang are coming after us"
Location: Shining Hospital, Trotname. Time: May 11, 1354 3:45 p.m Description: Back room of the hospital's patient area. Situation? AW SHIT. Rhoenir, Umbra & Starblazer
"He... what!?" replied Star, oblicous to what she just heard.
"Flare set us up. A small army is heading this way, heading towards our position to be more exact," Rhoenir checked on his gear, making sure nothing was missing or left behind, "Judging by how fast they are approaching, I would say they would arrive in.... less than 2 minutes,"
Rhoe moved to the window nearby the bed where Star was sitting on, and peeked outside, "Scratch that, 1 minute,"
"Huh? Why?"
"Take a look" he ordered. Star tried to ignore the desire to acknowledge what was going on, but her curiosity bested her. Groaning to the pain, she stood up and looked outside the window. What she saw caused her jaw to drop.
At least 50 ponies, a whole group of the three races, were entering the hospital in a blink of an eye, all lead by Solar. The worst part was that some of those ponies are--- used to be her friends. Unamusement was slowly consuming the mind of Star as she retracted herself form the window. Star was unsure of what to do, but her bored looks didn't affect Rhoe, for he knew what to do.
"Umbra, it's time to take flight," said Rhoe as he approached the window.
Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Let's get this over with. Oh, one more thing. Care to check outside once more, Sir Dick?
He looked outside once more to check if there was any kind of additional trouble. Nope, just the horde of ponies entering the hospital. Great. He lifted his sight to check on the nearby buildings. Well. there's one way out now,
"Oh horsefeathers.... Do I really have to deal with this now? This is way too boring. Why can't he leave me alone?" he looked at Rhoe one more time, curious to his actions, "What are you planning?"
"WELL, if you must know," the human leaned on the window's edge, using his hands as support, "I'm checking... uf! ...how are we going to get out of here,"
"And?"
"And.... I just found it," he turned to Star, showing a small smile, "Are you afraid of heights?"
Star's colors suddenly turned pale, knowing exactly what was he implying, but she just kept the flow, "No... why?". Star didn't have much time to process things as she observed the human approaching her in a matter of seconds and carrying the mare in his arms. Blazer yelped at the unforeseen actions and watched how Rhoe started to run towards the window without caution. Star tried to struggle, but it was all in vain as both creature were launched (both voluntary and forced) through the window's area, falling to the ground at high speed. Star, as previously said, had little time to process things. Several thoughts were running through her mind as death was slowly waiting for her.
"WHAT THE HAY IS WRONG WITH RHOE!?", 20 feet.....
"He is crazy! I know I said I didn't want to face Solar, but this is ridiculous!", 15 feet.....
This is it! This is how I die! Goodbye, cruel world!, 10 feet.....
"Now I'll never have the chance to ride a minotaur while jumping in a monocycle through a wheel of fire!", 5 feet.....
....... You know.... This is the slowest fall I've ever had. Why haven't I met my terirble fate yet?
Star looked up from her carried position at his crazy, yet temporary companion and watched in awe how the fur-less creature was floating (gliding? [It was something involving flight, that's for sure]) in midair, with large black wings on the back of his body.
"Oh... riiiight.... he can fly. Silly me," she adjusted her location and stared at the human, "You know... You could have warned me.... that is... if you wanted to..."
"Heh? Oh right, sorry 'bout that," he looked down at the mare and gave her a weak smile, "A heads-up would have been nice. Let's get goin-"
"They there are!", Rhoe looked behind and spotted a pegasus looking at the pair floating, "Everyone! They are outside! After them!". The pegasus, with other following behind, started chasing Rhoe. He cringed at his chasers and flew as far as possible from them.
"Just what I needed!" he looked behind him and spotted at least 7 pegasi keeping up, "Now how do I shake them off!?"
I have an idea.
"Really? What is it then?"
USE YOUR CELESTIA DAMNED BRAIN, THAT'S WHAT.
".... One of these days, Umbra.... one of these days....", focusing on the path ahead of him, he began to wonder why was Star so quiet about all this. Rhoe looked at the mare in his arms and mentally facepalmed. Why he didn't notice earlier, who knows. But right now, there is a question in mind....
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Why is she screaming!? MAKE HER STOP. STAHP, PLZ," thought Rhoe as he tried to ignore the screams. 'Tis a shame life is bitch, right? He couldn't, I repeat, he COULDN'T, WITH A CAPITAL K, ignore the screams. It reminded him of Rarity when one of the suits she made for him got torn apart. Boy, he became deaf for the rest of the day.
"STAR!" yelled Rhoe. She turned back at him....
..... and yelled.
"WHAT!? DO I HAVE SOMETHING ON MY NOSE!?" replied Rhoe.
She yelled again.
"OH, THANK YOU! ANYTHING ELSE?"
Starblazer used Yelling! It's super effective!
"OH RIGHT! THE PEGASI BEHIND ME! DON'T WORRY, I HAVE AN IDEA.... I think,", taking better view of the situation, Rhoe took notice of the earth and unicorn ponies approaching him from the other side, "WHA? How did they got here so fast!? And how-"
Rhoe deadpanned at the current situation, putting two and two together, "Right... they have magic.... I hate magic."
Forcing himself from making a hasty decision, he took a sharp U-Turn and tried to dodge the incoming pegasi heading his way. One... two... whoa, three almost got him! Four... five.... Six...
"Almost there...",
Rhoe! Watch out!
"Eh?", looking below, his eyes shrunk when he saw a foreign object flying upwards, aiming at his position. Despite the fright of being hit or Star being hurt, he skillfully dodged the object and sighed in relief. Star was still screaming. Well, she tried. She lost her voice recently.
"Phew, that was clo-OOMPH!" Rhoe felt something tackling him down to the ground swiftly. Trying to know what was his abrupt tackle, he spotted the seventh pegasus, a red stallion with a violet mane, taking him down. He tried struggle free, but with the mare on his arms, he couldn't barely fight back. Sooner than expected, the human met his long time friend, Mr. Ground. Thanks so much for the fall!You are welcome!
The tackler was dragging as far as possible his objective, hoping the ground damages him big time. Rhoe had something else coming for the red pegasus, "Okay, you fucktard. Now you pissed me off!"
Using the innuendo from the crash, he flipped positions with the assaulter and shove his right foot deep down the pegasus face, dragging it just like he was before. Coming to a halt, the pony was somehow knocked out, bleeding from the back of his head. Rhoe staggered a little as he got back to his feet, making sure he wasn't hurt that much. Then someone else came to his mind.
"Star! Is she okay!?" he looked down at his arms and saw a crawled up mare, shivering a little. Star clearly had bruises all over, but it was nothing compared to Rhoe's injuries thanks to Mr. Ground's cooperation. My pleasure!. "Hey, Star! Are you okay?"
"Uh.... I think my arm is all scraped up, but I'm good," she shook a little as she broke free from Rhoe's embrace, "But I can walk, thank you,"
Rhoe chuckled at her display of self-dependance and placed his hood to back on top of his head, "Oh thank goodness, she is okay..., he turned to a small alley where a group of ponies were slowly appearing one by one, blocking any means of escape. "But now what do I do?"
Um... What could you do... maybe you could, oh I don't know, use your power against them?
"Are you serious Umbra!? I don't want to spill any unnecessary blood and you know it!"
Then, pray tell, how do you plan on escaping? So far, using my flight powers is what got us in this situation. I doubt someone... or somepony, as a matter of fact, is going to help us out. My advice? ...Take them out. No one is going to notice. You know it better than me. Think it through, Rhoe.
"Grr..." he desperately grunted as his ideas on how to escape without resorting to a fight were slowly diminishing. Thinking it throughly, Rhoe was soon between the sword and the wall.
"Any ideas?" asked Star, still standing behind his savior. Rhoe looked back and simply shook his head. Star sighed, closing her eyes and looking down, "So much for that..."
If Rhoenir didn't do anything to fight back, not only would Star pay the consequences, but he would as well. It may keep Rhoe's principles intact, but was it worth it? Not forgetting to mention that they could use him for any dirty work, using Star as bait and it could also attract the attention of certain individuals. On the other hand, if he took them out, there was a chance he could escape without drawing too much spotlight. Not forgetting to mention, he could save Star from these guys. But that would attract a lot unnecessary attention. What if they are important people? What if they link their mysterious dissapearance with the mysterious creature that was spotted nearby Cloudsdale?
What would happen to his quest? Would all go to waste? What would happen to him? What would happen to the girl?
Rhoe clenched his teeth and witnessed how the gang approached them into a dead-end alley. Coming to a halt, the group moved aside and allowed a pony to move through the recently given space. Coming out of the group, Solar showed up, with a mischeivious smile plastered all on his face. Both Rhoe and Star were unfazed by his appearance.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise? To what I own this delicious encounter?" he said bowing a little. Rhoe had enough of his arrogance.
"So this is your plan? Gather everyone from your freak circu-OW!" he turned to Star behind him, "What was that for!?"
"... I'm gonna ask you to refer circus as a performance show... I have friends there and... well... If you could, please...." she hid from Rhoe in her mane, hoping he would understand. Rhoe simply stared at her with an expression that said, 'Are you serious?'. Submitting to her wishes, he sighed and turned to Solar, "Fine. Is gathering everyone from the performance show your plan to fight back? Really?"
"Well, fighting one on one wouldn't do anything in my favor, would it?" he shook his head and tsked, "As I said, I'm going to have my revenge, and there is nothing that you or your precious friend can do, am I right, Star?"
"..."
"Well, Star?" Rhoe looked at her companion as he witnessed the silence response, "Do you have any kind of back-up plan? 'CAUSE ONE WOULD HELP!"
"No. Not at all," she replied.
If Rhoe could weep and cry right now, he would be, "Welp! There goes my only chance. Good bye cruel world! .... Actually, this world isn't that ba-"
"But you know what? I actually do have a plan!" she placed a hand on her mouth, almost as she didn't want that to slip up, "Horsefeathers! That wasn't supposed to happen!"
Rhoe and Solar gave Star a incredulous look, as both gave her the same thought, "Is she serious?".
WOW. Am I the only one who saw that coming?
"Eeyup," thought Rhoe as he continued to give her the incredulous stare.
Solar was the first one re-compose. Shaking his head, he gave heartly laugh to the mare's luck and showed a very creepy smile.
"Once again, your lack of self-control fails you! Well, no matter, I know exactly what you are planning on doin-" Solar began saying his speech, placing a hand on his chest.
........But a blast of light was his reply.
"SHAZAM!"
Flashbangs, anyone?
"ARGH! MY EYES! MY SPECIAL EYES!" ------
"GUIDE ME TO THEM! LET ME HIT THEM!" ------
"AJA! GOTCHA!"
"Wrong arm, moron,"
"Oops, sorry,"
"Don't worry. Here, let me guide-"
"DON'T TOUCH ME" ------
"WOW! I CAN SEE EVERYTHING!"
"Really?"
"Nope!" ------
"Mama?"
A rather large crowd of ponies were struggling to see the path ahead of them, colliding with each other allthewhile. Some even crashed against a wall. Solar, on the hand, was yelling some stuff from his near position from Star and Rhoe.
"Curse you Star!" said Solar, as he rubbed his now painful and squinted eyes, "A good rival always lets his rival finish his speech!"
"Um, yeah. I don't play by the rules with you," she replied, taking a well-deserved time to think of a way to escape. Then her thoughts came towards Rhoe. Slowly turning to the human, she talked, "Hey Rhoe, you okay back the-"
"Wow. I didn't know Mr. Wall and Mr. Ground were cousins!" said a rather retarted Rhoe as he pushed his face deeper into the wall's area, "I mean, they feel so Irocky!"
And here I thought things couldn't get worse. Yay me....
"... Great. I broke him," she looked back at the blinded crowd, "Care to give me a hand, guys? Anyone?"
"IT BURNS! IT BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRNNNNSSSSS!"
"No? Well, then," she turned to Rhoe once more, sighing in the process and having to deal with her usual routine, "Guess it's up to me to save the day.... again"
CHAPTER AMATHATH-.... AMATHUTHA, no, not quite. Jeez, what a mouthful. MATHETHI! Darn it. AMATHUSING! DAMN IT! .AMATHATHU! THERE! AMATHATHA......
Just roll with it.
A MOUTHFUL WORD THINGY : ROLE REVERSAL
Location: Apple Zap St, Trotname. Time: May 11, 1354 4:15 p.m Description: A dark, wet alley near the end of the street. Stupidity? Ensues.
Rhoenir, Umbra Starblazer
Ever had that feeling where you are the only one who understands what is going on? The only one with brains? The smart one? The Mr. Know-it-all? The jerk across the street that claims to have better daisy burritos than others?
"WOW! MR. WALL! I DIDN'T YOU WERE SO HARD!"
Yeah, that's what I'm feeling right now.
I know my spells are powerful, specially my Imbasa technique, but this is ridiculous! Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is acting like a complete mare who had her first drink. It's a surprise some of them are even standing.
"I BELIEVE I CAN FLY!"
*THUD*
Scratch that. They are in falling stage right now.
"Me too!"
*THUD*
"Me three!"
.......
That one is actually flying.
*THUD*
..... Into a wall.
One by one, they are roaming like complete ignorants, unaware of where are they standing. Not that I complain about it. This my chance!
Oh.... but I just hope I didn't hurt that bad.
"Great, my shy self is now speaking?" Oops, better turn into my inner dialogue for this one.
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you... Even if I am you...
"Don't worr- WAIT A MINUTE, how come you didn't show up earlier? You know, when we were chased by Solar the first time?"
Well, because.... I... I was too scared?
".... Honestly, I'm not surprised. It wasn't pretty though,"
Yeah, I know.... So... I just hope they don't... you know....
".... It's fine. Just... just ignore everypony, 'kay?"
S-sure...
Anyways, as I was saying (Me too...), this is my perfect opportunity to escape! All I have to do is avoid this guys and I'll be free of this mess in a jiffy! .... For now.... sorta.
What about Rhoe!?
"Oh, him? I'm sure he can handle them. Besides, I'm too bored to deal with him,"
B-b-b-but! He saved you! Y-you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for his kindness! Why would you let him perish!?
"Look, it's not my problem. If he could make it all on his own, I'm sure he will be fine without me. I'm the only reason he got in this mess, might as well stop being an obstacle for him,"
B-but...
"I tell you, he is gonna be-" before I could even finish my inner dialogue, I felt an excrutiating pain all across my body, making me twitch from one side to another. Not knowing what was I dealing with, I sat in my position, extending my arms towards my chest and holding on to it like if my life depends on it. That is, if my life depends on it. I didn't know how long I lasted there, but the hardship finally subsided after a few more seconds.
Now, I might a bit excited with new things, specially magic, but right now, I'm not sure what the hay is going on. One moment, I feel like I'm dying, then it suddenly dissapears? What the-
Hello? Do you hear me?
".... HUH!? WHO THE HECK IS THAT!?"
I wonder who said that.
Ladies.
No, I definitively heard something! But I can't see it! What in Tartarus in going on? Standing up, I aimlessly searched everywhere for the source of this voice, hoping I could spot it this time. "Show yourself!" I yelled, ignoring my surroundings.
Would you tone it down? I already deal with that idiot's thoughts, so I don't need to be tolerating the complains of a mare like you, Star.
"Wha? How did he-.... how did he know my name? What's more, who is this idiot? Wait, is he refering to Rhoe?"
Huh!? Star, I can sense something!
"Really?"
Yes! ....well, kinda .... um, would you like to hear it?
"YES!"
EEP! Sorry.... I sense something... inside of us....
".... Are you sure we aren't just hungry? I mean, we haven't eat for quite a while now,"
Well... um, yes, that too... but... something is inside our mind. Some kind of... spirit?
"Spirit?"
'Bout fucking time
....Wow, rude
"...Wow, rude"
"THE TEXTURE OF MR.WALL IS SO SKINNY!", I turned to Rhoe, who just said that and was bear-hugging the nearest wall to him. If I weren't in this situation, I would found that funny. Except, I'm not in the mood for laughing now. There's a mystery going right now, and I'm gonna find out what it is. Ignoring the human hugging the wall, I turned towards the still blinded crowd. A sigh escaping my lips, I angled my head to the point it was looking towards the grey, dull sky.
"Well, looking at the way things are right now, we outha get out of here as fast as possible, right?"
Y-yeah...
"Good,"
A-and... about Rhoe-
"Don't worry, he is coming along. As for you, Mr. Spirit!"
Shut it. I just need you to carry Rhoe out of here.
"Not unless you tell me who... and what you are!"
Please, like if I need to do such thing.
Um, could you please tell us?
Later.
"Just do it!"
Hey! Watch your fucking attitude! I don't have time for this bullshit and neither have you! So, save the formalities for later and let's get going! The idiot is in danger, and I won't let him die in vain because of your petty doubts or your pitiful suspicions! Got it!?
As much as I would have liked to give-- whoever this being was-- a piece of my mind, he was right. He was stuck like that because of me, might as well take him out of there.
Now, you may be wondering why all of the sudden I wanted to ACTUALLY help him, instead of leaving him to his fate with Solar like we (Actually, it was you-[Shut it.]) originally planned. I guess the answer to that is divided into two parts. First, I know what it feels to be left with Solar as his puppet or toy and I certainly don't want that to happen again. Specially to him.
And the other reason was..... that I..... well... Oh mare, this is gonna be embarrasing.
I was panicking, okay!? My mind just wanted to leave everything behind and not look back! I went through enough troubles with that pegasus and I just had enough. I just... I couldn't stand any longer what he forced me to. But, this time, what he asked me to do was the last straw. He had his ways to fool me, but that's over. So, I did the most rational thing a mare would confronting her problems.
I ran away.
...What? Anyways, I barely escaped and here I am.
What happened back there? That's... another story for another ocassion. It's a good thing all I needed was a couple of slaps to come back to my senses.
Hey! Are you done with inner speech!? We have a situation here, remember? So move it!
.... The things I do for other people... or spirits.
Location: Carrington Route, Trotname. Time: May 11, 1354 5:03 p.m Description: A damp road, leading to the edge of the city.
Rhoenir Umbra, Starblazer
Entering a dark, rather long road, Umbra and Star successfully got away from the angered crowd and chasers as well, bringing Rhoe along with them. Carrying the human in her magic, they settled down near a trash can as Star attempted to catch her breathe, using the can as support. Running away from a very dangerous group and carrying an object that could easily outweight her, was no easy task, despite how powerful was the magician. Some unicorns would had less trouble doing so, but a non-atletic performance couldn't do it quite as easy as them. Thankfully, her magic was far stronger than any other unicorns, so she could handle situation; her condition said otherwise.
Once Star regained her lost air, she moved her upper body backwards and began to stretch. A pop or two could be heard every time she flexed a muscle.
"Geez," she said, grabbing one of legs and flexing it backwards, "was I really out of shape?"
Those lumps aren't for nothing.
"Shut up. Now," she dropped her leg and looked behind, "I wonder if Rhoe has finally snapped out of it,"
"No, Mr. Mandirl! You cannot have my vodka!" Rhoe answered, faking a german tone and flailing his arms in the air, still suspended in mid-air by Star's magical aura.
I'll take that as a no.
"Quite," Star answered, looking in front of her and letting a sigh escape her lips, "I don't know why is he still under the influence of my magic. I mean, no one has lasted that long!"
Maybe it has something to do with being a human.
"Hm. Who knows, you are probably right..."
Anyways, I'm sure the idiot is gonna stay like that for another while, so we might as well plan the next move.
"Yeah, you are probably- Wait a second!", Star replied with a slight tone of annoyance behind her voice, "Now I'm part of your plan?" The performance mare shuffled a little as she crossed her arms.
Ever since you began to levitate the moron. Naow, let's get moving~! CHOP-CHOP.
"Wait, don't I have a saying in all this?"
Nope! Stick to the plan and shut up. That's your cue.
The only-capable-of-reasoning being lifted an eyebrow and raised her sight by a few inches ,"And if I refuse?"
I'll be more than glad to electroshock you~!
".... I really doubt you are capable of-" *shock* "AHHHH! OKAY! OKAY! You made your point! Now stop! It tickles!"
Haha, you thought I was jokin- Wait a moment. IT TICKLES!?
"AHAHA! YES! NOW STOP!" *shock* "HAHAHA! NO, PLEASE! I'M GONNA PEEEEEEEEE!"
.... I feel so insulted right now...Well, this calls for a change of plans. Okay then, I'll tickle you so hard until you can't shed a tear anymore!
Star gasped, "You wouldn't,"
Oh, I would.
The mare pointed a finger towards nothing specific in front of her, "Don't you-"
TICKLE TIME!
*shock* "Ahh!" her legs failed Star's will as she fell to the ground, crashing with the crafted floor with a small thump. Star grabbed her sides and began to roll sideways on the very spot, "Please! Just stoooooop! AH- AHAHAHA!"
During that same time, a single soul was walking down one of crafted paths of the cities, enjoying the silent, but beautiful night the goddess Luna had created for them.
A really wealthy looking stallion was walking down a path, approaching with grace towards to his home until he managed to hear a strange inconvinience near his road. Straying away from the original path, he decided to look at the mysterious event, for he was hearing uncommon laughter. What he saw left him speechless.
A strange-looking monkey was sitting and using his thumbs to push his eyebrows upwards, yelling, "ME POWER DRAKEN! SUBMIT PEBBLE MARBLES!"
A trash can was, oddly, upside down and spinning.... That was apparently on fire for some reason.
A celulean mare with a bow-tie around her neck was laughing her heart out as she was rolling to the sides.
What awed him the most were the black hands hovering nearby the mare. If he didn't know better, he might have guessed this group of beings were crazy. Or maybe they were.
The world is full of surprises after all.
Surprisingly enough, instead of leaving the spot, ignoring whatever events happened there, he decided to take action...
Tremble against the fluffly(I seriously don't know why) sensation of electricity!
"No! I wo- *shock* AHAHAHAHAHA! I won't!" she said, still rollong like a boulder from side to side. Umbra, out of nowhere, suddenly stopped. Star remained still, laughing a little of the tickle after effects. She suddenly realized he wasn't going keep tickling her, "Why did you stop?"
You know, I might be a dark being, but I find this pretty cute. Is that wrong?
Star placed her hand on her chin and began to ponder, "I don't know. Maybe? There can be several ways to find this cute,"
"Or weird, as many would say,"
Star froze. A deep voice coming from behind her just spoke. All her instincts told her to teleport away, but against her will, she looked back. The celulean mare encountered a slim blue stallion looking down upon her. He was wearing obviously expensive wardrobe (a tuxedo and a biege pants, indeed) and a set of metallic-carbon glasses. She could only stare as her fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. Preparing herself, she got into a crouching battle stance as she frowned upon him, ready for anything. The blue stallion simply laughed and stared at her with compassionate eyes.
She did NOT expect that.
"Hello dear, you seem lost," was his frase. Taken back by the sudden interest of the stallion, she slowly got back to her feet and gave him the most puzzled look, "Oh don't worry, I wouldn't hurt a beautiful mare like you!"
She didn't seem to buy it, ".... Aja,"
I'm beginning to question whether these ponies are either too trustful or dumb,
"Shush you,", the blue stallion took a step back as he thought he heard someone else talk to her. Or at least, that's what it seemed. In either case, he thought the message was for him.
"E-...excuse me?"
Rhoe, on the other hand, was jumping over the flaming knocked-over trash can and ducking every time he landed. Also, every time he did that, he said, "Feel the burn!"
Star flickered at him, realizing what she just did, "No- nonono! Wait! I didn't mean to- I mean,- he- I just-... Ugh, darn it! ... Sorry,"
The wealthy didn't seemed completely fazed by Star's sudden ourburst, following up with a slight cough, "Okay... well, it may seem quite rare for me to be talking to you, so I'll make this quick," the stallion offered a hand to the mare, "I wish to help you,"
Right, and I wish I could fly straight to the sun.
"Keep it down-, uh..."
Umbra. The name's Umbra.
"Right. Umbra. KEEP IT DOWN! I'm trying to have a serious conversation! ...Oh. I can talk in thoughts with you? Cool,", Star coughed roughly, hoping to focus on the stallion in front of her, "So, you want to... help me,"
"That's right," he replied gesturing a hand towards his chest, "You may not know me, and I'm pretty sure you don't trust me either, but I saw you when you were chased down by those ruffians and I couldn't simply allow such cute and beautiful mare like you be taunted or hurt by such horrible ponies like them,"
Star blushed at the wealthy pony's praise and almost fell for it, if it wasn't for one single thing that made the difference between him and Rhoe, "So, if you wanted to avoid whatever thing Solar and his gang had for me, why didn't you come to help me?" A slight sense venom could be heard behind her voice. The stallion drifted his eyes everywhere after her remarking. Closing his eyes, he sighed and gave an apologetic stare.
"While what I said previously made sound too good to be true, you are right. I didn't help you when you were in actual need of help. The reason to why I didn't help you is because... well, this might sound really embarrasing, but.... I... I couldn't keep up,"
Blazer gave him an incredulous look, folding her arms allthewhile, "As in 'I couldn't keep up with you and the running?' or 'I couldn't keep with you because I simply didn't care in the end?'"
The stallion bit his lip and looked down, "A bit of both,"
Meanwhile, Rhoe was swing his arms up and down saying, "OPEN DOOR! CLOSE DOOR! OPEN DOOR! CLOSE DOOR! OPEN DOOR! CLOSE DOOR!"
Star frowned upon his statement and thought throughly her following words, "So, what you are saying right now is that you want to make it up for the lack of assistance you gave me from earlier? Even though I don't know you at all?"
"It may seem hard to believe, but trust me, you'll be fine with me... and whatever that thing as well," he said, pointing at the ground spinning human. Yes, he is break-dancing.
"Riiight...." she took a few steps back and proceeded to hand out some sort of waiting signals, "Just hold on, I need to think it through,"
The stallion didn't get why she walked away slowly, but accepted her offer, "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere..."
"Ugh, creepy," she mumbled. Taking half a spin, she looked up, thinking what to do, "Hey, Umbra!"
Yes?
"What do you think I should do?"
Huh? Why do you ask me?
"Because you said I was part of this plan, right? That means you are also-"
Nah, I don't want to help. Figure it out yourself.
"Wha!? How come!? Why!?"
Because I don't feel like helping, that's why.
"You traitor!"
Just so you know, I'm no traitor. I'm merely a spirit who knows when to not get involved in other's things.
"May I remind you that this is your business too!?"
..... Oh, right.
"Good to see back to youe senses. Now, if you could please-"
"Erm, I don't wanna interrupt, but," the stallion proceeded to grab the mare's attention, "I think you chasers are getting closer,"
"Er, what!?" yelled Star, ignoring any kind of distraction in the meantime and looking around the the corner. Indeed, the gang was looking around franctically for something. Somepony and somebody to be exact. The mare cringed at this and looked at Rhoe. Sadly, he wasn't the best solution at the moment.
"Zero is best maverick!" said Rhoe as he went on and swung his arms --with the sword in hand-- from one direction to another. Additionally, for each swing, he muttered 'W ONG'. The wealthy stallion was having a hard time deciding which way should he move next in order to avoid a both senseless and furless monkey's attacks. Needless to say, the situation looked grim. In a pathetic way. And why she notice Rhoe's complex actions? That is another mystery to resolve for some other time. Now, Star knew perfectly what to do, for she had to-
"FUCK THIS!"
.... scream like a mad pony.
"Hey, you!" star said in a rather angry tone, pointing to the blue stallion, "I've had enough of this bullhay, so just take us to whatever trap you have for us. okay!?"
"Oh believe me, I would love to --WATCH THE MANE! But right now --WHOA! I'm a little busy" he replied, dodging Rhoe's aimless attacks, "So, if you could --DEARCELESTIA! Remove this monkey off of me, I--THIS SUIT COSTED ME AN ARM AND A LEG! ....would gladly help,"
"X IS SO MAINSTREAM!"
Star didn't know what to think anymore. The situation had taken such an abrupt turn that anyone clever enough to read this would say, "FUCK THIS CRAP". However, she took some deep breathes and began to think a way out of this situation.
"Okay, just.... in... out.... okay, I'm good. Let's see," she focused on Rhoe and began to levitate him away from the stallion, "I have him, I have that guy-"
"Name's Blue Jacket, beauty," he interrupted.
"Right. I have a jerk-"
Watch it!
"... and I have a bunch of goofons chasing me down the street. What can I do? Oh, I know!", and they were gone in a flash. Shortly after, a pair of stallions showed up at the alley. Their eyes drifting everywhere, they muttered something about hearing somepony talk here. Entering the narrow space, they searched everywhere for some kind of clue. Fortunately, one of them found something.
Solar, with a pretty obvious aftermath of his previous encounter, showed up at that same place. One of his goons approached him.
"Sir, we found this!" he handed the object to his boss, "I'm not sure what it means, so I figured you might have a clue of what is going on,"
Solar inspected the object closely and smirked, "Don't worry, I do have a clue of what this is..."
Location: ??? Time: May 11, 1354 5:20 p.m Description: A comfy place.
Rhoenir Umbra, Starblazer, Blue Jacket
"And here we are!" said Star. Blue looked dumbfolded at the location. Umbra shurgged --They have shoulders?-- at the place and Rhoe.... was being Rhoe.
Some patched up sofas were seen a few away from the group's spot, while the curtains adorning the windows were clearly ripped. The moss on the walls were growing steadily and the floor had a hole or two every five inches. The eerie environment probably didn't help either. The dampness in the room gave away the impression of a basement of some sort. That is, if it still could be called a basement. Was it a basement to begin with?
Blue placed a hand between his nostrils, making a disgusted expression, "Geez, what is that SMELL?"
"Great, Augustus did it on the carpet again," replied Star. Everyone, except for Rhoe, asked who was Augustus. Star smirked at their reply and whistled. In a short amount of time, a bark could be heard. A young dog with a black and white fluffy coat and celulean eyes bursted into the room --Again, is it a room to begin with?-- and glomped Star. The mare gladly crouched and greeted the dog with a genuine smile.
"Hey boy! How are you doing?" she said with a joyful voice. Blue and Umbra stared with baffleness as the mare played with the pup. Blue was the one to break the silence.
"Excuse me, my lady," Star's attention diverted to the stallion, "But, pray and tell, where are we?"
