//------------------------------// // Behind the scenes of Kindness // Story: The Crystal Changeling // by Zoljen //------------------------------// “Crystal!” Rose shouted as he watched his friend tumble over the cliff side and vanish down it. He grunted as he batted aside one of the shadowy pegasi before turning and slamming the other that was on him into the ground by grabbing its head. He turned and took a step towards the cliff side, just to run into Quake who was sneering down at him. “You’re next, colt.” Quake sneered around the sword in his mouth before bringing it down. Rose quickly hopped to the side to dodge the blade. "Quake! This isn't you!” Rose growled as he stepped back, extending his wings out to the sides to ready himself into the air. The shadowy pegasus before him flinched for a second at the mention of his name before turning and lunging at Rose. Rose reared up and brought an angled hoof forward, deflecting the blade off to the side as he brought his other around, smacking Quake upside the head with it. Quake stumbled a little from the blow, dropping the sword and holding his head as he turned to glare at the bat pony who was standing on his hind legs, wings spread out and arms forward, a focused glare on his features. Quake snarled and lunged forward again, only to get deflected as Rose bounced to his right and slapped his hoof down. Quake used the momentum of the deflection to spin around, bringing a hoof up to try and smack Rose across the face, only for it to be blocked for a forearm. “You seemed to have forgotten something, sir. The best offense is a sound defense!” Rose growled as he ducked another wild swing, and brought a hoof up quickly under Quakes jaw, sending the shadowy pegasus flying away and landing with a resounding thud. The bat pony kept his eyes on Quake, watching as he slowly rolled onto his hooves, turning and growling at Rose. Rose blinked as he watched Quake step back, lowering his ears as Quake seemed to look past the bat pony. Two sets of hooves landed to either side of Rose, making him spare a glance to see Dust and Dark standing there, both looking somewhat beat up. Rose refocused on Quake, just in time to see him turn around and take to the air, heading in the direction the group had been walking from. Rose sighed and let himself drop, before gasping and running over to the edge. His keen eyes scanned the cliff side, seeing plenty of rubble from a pony or two going over the edge, but no sign of Crystal. Rose flapped his wings, getting into a hover. “Crystal!” He shouted out, and managed to move a little bit before feeling a tug on a hind leg. He growled and looked over his shoulder, seeing Dark’s horn glowing, and Dust shaking his head. “She could be hurt! We have to…” “And how will two earth bound ponies make their way down a near straight drop, eh, Rose?” Dust hung his head, ears flat against his head. “But I can…” “Think Rose! We are better off together, and I'm sure that she is a far more durable unicorn then she let on!” Dark shouted, making Rose float over and land by him. “She is a morphling! She could be hurt or worse!” “She’ll be fine Rose!” Dust shouted, stepping up to the panicked bat pony. “BUT -” Is as far as Rose got before suddenly finding himself on the ground, his jaw in searing pain. There was an eerie silence between the three, as Rose held his jaw and looked up at Dust. Dust was looking down, eyes closed with little tears starting to form. “Look,” Dust started up, opening his eyes and gazing down at Rose. “I'm worried about her too, but we can't split up to look for her, our best bet is to head down the mountain and curl back around. Maybe we can find somepony local to help us look. I know she is alive, I can just feel it, and if you were calm, you can too.” Rose closed his eyes, nodding slightly. “You’re right. I'm sorry…” He trailed off with a sigh, before gasping and looking directly at Dust. “DAMN THAT HURT!” He rubbed his jaw. “Earth pony strength,” Dust chuckled weakly as he extended a hoof and helped the bat pony to his hooves. “Hopefully Dark knows a numbing spell, and it’s going to hurt in the morning.” “It hurts now! Sweet Nox, you have a mean right hook!” “Sorry, but you needed some sense knocked into you. You were still kind of riding the adrenaline of fighting Quake.” “Seriously, where did you learn to fight like that?” Dark stepped up finally, his horn glowing as Rose felt the tingling in his jaw lessen a considerable amount. “From Quake, actually. I admit I already has some basics of defending myself, thanks to his father,” He gestured to Dust, who nodded in response. “But most of the formal training came from Quake.” “If I'm to keep traveling with you, I think I may need a lesson on how to defend myself.” Dark mused as he stepped back. “Also, maybe you can explain everything that is going on while we walk?” Rose nodded and took two steps further on the path before glancing over his shoulder to where Crystal had fallen. “Soon.” He muttered before resuming. Dust had already started Dark about how this all had started. The story telling brought the trio to the edge of a very small village at the bottom on the other side, just as Dark had said. Though instead of a village, one could consider this an outpost. It had a single large building that resembled an Inn, a farm a small trot away, and a tower. A pair of ponies were talking to a griffin by the tower. The trio watched those three talking for a bit before they moved towards Inn. They had just taken a few steps when a loud squawk drew their attention. They looked over at the commotion to see the griffin backing up slowly. “Aww, come on! I was only joking!” The griffin spoke, holding his wings in front defensively. “No random griffins are allowed in the watchtower.” One of the ponies spoke. “But the view from up there is great, you can see the whole mountain just about!” The griffin grinned. “And you have wings you can use to get a much better view.” “Well, yes, I do. But it gets tiring hovering!” The griffin sighed dramatically. “I'm just looking for adventure! You can't indulge a simple griff for just a moment?” By now, Rose and others had wondered over, keeping off to the side as they watched the exchange. One of the guard ponies glanced over and sighed. “Great, more want to see our tower.” “Actually,” Dust started up. “We were curious what is going..erk!” Dust blinked as the griffin was suddenly at his side, leaning on him. “Well, thank you guards, it seems adventure has found me!” The griffin grinned as he looked down to Dust. “Name’s Peter! Where are we going?” Dust sidestepped away, trying to get away from the griffin only for him to appear glued to his side. Rose chuckled softly as he watched. “Me, Dust Horn, and Dark Horizon are actually looking for a guide. We lost a friend down the mountain side and…” Rose trailed off as the griffin zipped over to his side. “Oh? I think I know my around and we can go find your morphling friend!” The griffin grinned widely. “But we never said…” Rose Wind and Peter. Art by Foxenawolf “Didn't have to! I could tell! I mean, a unicorn, a thestral, and an earth pony. Aside from sounding like the start of a bad joke, it just screams a solid adventure! All we need is a really old dragon, a multi colored pegasus, and your morphling friend and the collection will be complete!” “You’re really… random, mister…” Rose trailed off, letting the white and green griffin rest on his side. “Oh, my apologies!” The griffin backed up and bowed. “I am Peter.” Rose and Dust raised an eyebrow. “Just… Peter?” The bat pony asked, getting a nod in response. “That's…” “A completely normal name, yup.” He grinned and leaned on the bat pony. “Anyway, I believe you were wanting food first, then we can go out looking for your marefriend.” Both Rose and Dark blinked, staring at the grinning griffin as a very faint blush teased their cheeks. “R...right.” Rose stammered as he looked around. “I assume that is an Inn?” He looked at the pair of guards, who had just stared at the griffin. “Yes, they will be closing up the dining room soon. So you may want to go get food now.” The other guard finally spoke up. “Right! Onwards to pancakes!” Peter grinned and lead the trio towards the Inn who reluctantly followed. They shuffled their way in and saw four small bags set out on the counter, a red bat pony behind it turned away from the door and cleaning a mug. “Heard ye lot outside, I can't offer ye pancakes but consider this trail mix on the house.” The bat pony pointed towards the bags with a wing. “Thanks,” Rose trotted up and grabbed them with a wing before turning and looking at the others. “We can eat on the way, let’s go.” “Come on Rose, can't we rest for a little while?” Dark whined. Rose turned on him with a glare. “Crystal is out there, injured, and alone. You can sit on your flank if you want but I'm going out there to find her.” Rose turned and started towards the door, only to feel a tug on his tail. He groaned and looked over his shoulder to see Dust staring at him, tail in his mouth. Rose and Dust stared at each other for a minute before Rose sighed and turned towards a table and trotted towards it with a huff. He grumpily sat at a table and started to eat the trail mix, as everyone else silently sat as well. Dust sighed softly as he looked at Dark. “Ten minutes or so, then we can go out.” “Alright.” Dark nodded slowly as he started on his mix. “I'm just not used to so much trotting.” “Nor I, Dark, but a short break would help. We can plan how we want to comb the area.” Dust looked towards Rose. “So, how should we do it?” “We’ll have to find the section of mountain she fell from, and spread out from there,” Rose sighed as he looked down. “And I'm sorry I'm so adamant about finding her, it’s just…” “You’re worried, we both are.” Dark looked away. “But we should think about trying to find her rationally. If we go headfirst without thinking, we could pass her by. She knows we are here, so she could be trying to make her way now.” “Or she could have been saved by a random pegasus,” Peter shrugged slightly as the three stared at him. “What?” “While that is possible, there were no other ponies around,” Rose shook his head. “Still, we will have to get back out there and find her, then we can continue on.” “To where?” Peter asked, looking at Rose. “To Roan.” “Oh, fun place,” Peter grinned as he looked at everypony present. “But anyway, where did she fall?” “Are you… being serious?” Rose blinked. “By a cliff side, north part of the path I believe.” He looked to Dark for confirmation, and got a nod in response. “So we shall start there. At least we have two sets of keen hunter eyes to look out.” He let out a soft sigh. “As soon as we are done with this break, we can go.” Rose turned slightly to watch the door. “Would you stop hovering Rose.” Dust groaned as he looked up and to his left. Rose Wind was currently leading the small pack along the forest floor, only he was leading them by the air. Floating along slowly ahead of the pack, his ears alert and eyes darting to and fro. “Just keeping an eye and ear out for her, that's all.” “You can't do that if you’re hovering and flapping your loud wings,” Dark grumbled while he trotted along, stepping around a fallen tree branch. “I can hear everything just fine Dark.” Rose grumbled as he landed. “But fine, to please you both I’ll stay grounded.” “Thank you, though I am curious why our guide is currently behind us and not leading us,” Dark looked over his shoulder at the griffin, who just grinned in response. “Better view from back here.” Peter smirked as Dark stopped and turned to face him. “And what does that mean, eh?” “Oh look, a convenient clearing.” Peter causally pointed over Darks shoulder. They all turned and looked towards it. Once the quiet overtook them, they could hear yelling. They slowly crept to the edge and peered in and saw a few ponies all around a young blue dragon. The blue dragon was holding his arm, just below his shoulder, his tail curled around himself as he stared up at the unicorn that was holding a halberd at him in a dark blue glow. A pair of pegasi were off to his sides, and an earth pony behind him, while another was rummaging through a torn satchel. “Now listen here dragon, we know you have a stash of gold somewhere. Tell us where and you may yet leave with your wings attached.” The unicorn demanded, hovering the halberd closer. “But I don't have one! I don't even have a cave of my own!” The dragon squeaked. “Lies! Every Dragon has one!” The halberd inched ever closer to the dragon’s neck. Back in the bushes, Rose growled lowly as he watched. He stepped forward, as Dark put a hoof on his shoulder. “What are you doing?” The unicorn whispered. “Going out there and stopping that.” “Are you nuts?!” Dark gasped. “Not as much as him.” Rose gestured to the clearing, the others ponies looked and saw Peter casually strolling out. The other pegasi turned and lowered their weapons towards the griffin. “Who are you and what are you doing here griffin?” One of the two spoke, both of them pointing spears at him. “Why, I could ask you the same thing! Five ponies picking on a poor defenseless dragon. What are you all in need of? Scales, gold, fangs? I could point you all to an old wyrm about a weeks travel from here.” Peter gestured over his shoulder fearlessly while he kept up a smirk as the two pegasi stared at him dumbfounded. Rose watched them from the bushes, tensing up and spreading his wings. “Dust, can you give me a boost?” He whispered. He didn't have to hear anything as he felt the ground under his hooves shift slightly, angling them. “Know when to fire?” He just heard a hum in response and lowered himself, spreading his wings a little more. Peter took a step to his left rearing back just in time to dodge a swing from a spear. The pegasus stepped forward, before the sound of crumbling rock came from the bushes. He was barely able to glance in that direction before a hoof collided with his face and sent him back. Rose used the momentum to land in front of the unicorn, deflecting the halberd away as he stood tall. The unicorn stepped back, glancing to the halberd for a moment before focusing on the thestral before him. “Huh, what's this? The dragon has a knight in armor?” Peter watched the pegasus land with a soft thud from the blow before looking up at Rose who was standing in front of the dragon. Rose glared at the unicorn before him. “I believe he said he had no gold to his name.” “Well, his hide will fetch me some pretty gold.” The unicorn sneered as his halberd floated back up. “Hmph, you wish to skin him? Get through me first.” Rose growled, lowering himself and flaring his wings out. The unicorn glared at him. “You wish to protect a random dragon?” The unicorn raised an eyebrow. “So be it! Bat wings are good for fabric!” The unicorn lunged forward with the halberd. Rose smirked and reared back, smacking the blade down with a wing to make him rear back. He smirked and held himself up, wings splayed out. Rose kept focused on the unicorn who stepped back and swing the halberd out with it held in his magic. Rose leapt up into the air to dodge the swing and hovered, taking a quick sweep of the area. He saw Peter was already dancing around one of the pegasi, and Dark and Dust were charging out of the bushes. “Should keep your eyes on me bat!” The unicorn growled as his horn glowed. Rose turned his glare to the pony, just as a beam of magic shot off and Rose barely raised a wing in time to deflect the shot. “That is the best insult you have for me? Bat? Seriously, Horn head, you can do far better than that!” Rose sneered as he let his wings spread out, watching the unicorn as he held the halberd and glared. The unicorn lunged forward, thrusting the halberd as he did. Rose spun in the air, dodging the blade easily as it went past. He brought a hind hoof around, and connected with the unicorns face to send him sprawling away. Rose landed with a grin, then blinked and looked over his shoulder, seeing an earth pony charging at him. He wasn't able to bring his hooves up in time to spin to protect himself. But he didn't need to, a green wall formed in front of him as his leg passed through it, while the earth pony slowed down just enough to get hit. Rose blinked and looked at the shield, then upwards as he heard the bushes rustle. He grinned widely when a familiar changeling leapt out of the bushes and rushed towards them. Though she had a few injuries and bandages.